Wrap Up on Vatican Proclamations

The LA Times Beliefs article focuses on the recently released proclamation from the Vatican's Congregation on the Defense of the Faith (CDF) concerning the nature of the church -- and the fact that Protestant congregations are not by RCC definitions to be considered churches in the proper sense, for they do not have proper orders or sacraments.

The article by Rebecca Trounson is a brief but helpful summary. It raises the question that I've raised -- why now? Yes, as others have said it clarifies things concerning Vatican II. But there are parallels here to the debate over the Constitution of the US between "strict constructionists" and non-strict folk. Every document, whether the Bible, Vatican II, or the Constitution, is subject to interpretation, and it would seem that Benedict wishes to take the narrowest of interpretations, whereas his opponents such as Kung and others wish to take a broader view of the Vatican II proclamations.

So, as I said earlier, we'll have to wait to see what this all means. In the mean time, read the LA Times article here.