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Vatican City, 14th March 2007 (CNA) -
Wednesday morning, a day earlier than expected, the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith published a Notification concerning certain works of
Fr. Jon Sobrino S.J. According to the note, these works "contain
propositions which are either erroneous or dangerous and may cause harm to
the faithful."
“Fr. Sobrino manifests a preoccupation for the poor and oppressed,
particularly in Latin America. This preoccupation certainly is shared by the
whole Church,” the note clarifies."
However, the communiqué continues, "the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith (CDF), in its Instruction on Christian liberty and liberation 'Libertatis
conscientia,' indicated that 'human misery drew the compassion of Christ the
Savior to take it upon Himself and to be identified with the least of His
brethren,' and that 'the preferential option for the poor, far from being a
sign of particularism or sectarianism, manifests the universality of the
Church's being and mission. This option excludes no one. This is the reason
why the Church cannot express this option by means of reductive sociological
and ideological categories which would make this preference a partisan
choice and a source of conflict.’”
The CDF also released an earlier statement clarifying that its warnings
about Liberation reductionism could not be interpreted as, “a reproach to
those who wish to be faithful to a 'preferential option for the poor,' nor
could they be an excuse for those who remain indifferent to the grave
problems of human misery and injustice.”
“The evil inequities and oppression of every kind which afflict millions of
men and women today openly contradict Christ's Gospel and cannot leave the
conscience of any Christian indifferent,” the CDF document says.
The Notification from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith then
goes on to affirm that "after a preliminary examination of the books 'Jesucristo
liberador. Lectura histórico-teológica de Jesús de Nazaret' (Jesus the
Liberator) and 'La fe en Jesucristo. Ensayo desde las víctimas' (Christ the
Liberator) by Fr. Jon Sobrino, S.J., the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, because of certain imprecisions and errors found in them, decided
to proceed to a more thorough study of these works in October 2001. Given
the wide distribution of these writings and their use in seminaries and
other centers of study, particularly in Latin America, it was decided to
employ the 'urgent examination' as regulated by articles 23-27 of 'Agendi
Ratio in Doctrinarum Examine.'
"As a result of this examination, in July 2004 a list of erroneous or
dangerous propositions found in the above-mentioned books was sent to the
author through Fr. Peter Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., Superior General of the
Society of Jesus.”
"In March of 2005,” the Vatican statement continues, “Fr. Jon Sobrino sent a
'Response to the text of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith' to
the Congregation. This response was studied in the Ordinary Session of the
Congregation on November 23, 2005. It was determined that, although the
author had modified his thought somewhat on several points, the response did
not prove satisfactory since, in substance, the errors already cited in the
list of erroneous propositions still remained in this text."
"For this reason, it was decided to publish this Notification, in order to
offer the faithful a secure criterion, founded upon the doctrine of the
Church, by which to judge the affirmations contained in these books or in
other publications of the author."
"The Congregation does not intend to judge the subjective intentions of the
author, but rather has the duty to call attention to certain propositions
which are not in conformity with the doctrine of the Church. These
propositions regard: (1) the methodological presuppositions on which the
author bases his theological reflection, (2) the Divinity of Jesus Christ,
(3) the Incarnation of the Son of God, (4) the relationship between Jesus
Christ and the Kingdom of God, (5) the Self-consciousness of Jesus, and (6)
the salvific value of His Death,” the statement adds.
Latin American concerns
In Latin America, especially El Salvador,
where Sobrino has lived and worked for almost five decades, the news of his
condemnation by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith came on
Monday. Archbishop Fernando Saenz Lacalle of San Salvador acknowledged the
existence of the document and said, “The Holy See has told us the
conclusions of his theological studies are not in accord with the doctrine
of the Church.”
According to some analysts, the Notification indicates that the issue of
Liberation Theology continues to be of concern in the region, due not only
to the teachings of Sobrino but also to those of other prominent theologians
who include Marxism in their interpretation, especially in view of the
upcoming 5th General Conference of the Latin American Bishops’ Council.
“His writings have been under study for some time, and for years he has been
issued warnings,” Archbishop Lacalle said, explaining that Sobrino
emphasizes the human nature of Jesus Christ to such a degree as to cast
doubt upon his divinity.
The archbishop said he prays that Sobrino will “conform to the teachings of
the Church.” “I pray to the Lord for Father Jon Sobrino, that he may be
docile to the teachings of the Church and would review his conclusions,” he
said.
Sources consulted by CNA pointed out that various exponents of Liberation
Theology are trying to influence the preparation and content of the working
documents that will be sent to the more than 300 bishops throughout the
Americas who will be participating in the CELAM meeting in Brazil in May.
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