Freiburg Dogmatic Theologian Helmut Hoping Criticizes Bishops and Liberal Theologians

A sharp criticism on the Theologians Declaration and the Bishops:  At present, priests can "teach what they want, live as they wish and they can also celebrate liturgy as they want but that doesn't interest bishops in the main."

Cologne (kath.net) Helmut Hoping, Professor of Dogmatics at the Albert-Ludwig University in Freiburg and permanent Deacon explained his decisive  rejection of the provocative Theologians' - Memorandum.  He will not sign the Memorandum because he is criticizing the fundamental consideration of the Theolgian-Memorandum:  one use the "sexual abuse debate" to promote a simple opening of ecclesiastical offices "for married" and the "recognition of practicing homosexuality".

Otherwise, since the situation started he has had "the impression, that the Bishops are all too eager to hear movements in the community, instead of asserting certain questions like the question of celibacy."  The Memorandum criticizes, for all intents and purposes with justification, "a monstrous weight of double-standards in the Church", so went Professor Hoping's analysis.

For that reason he calls the "question of Abuse",  something which is ignored, "especially in other areas as well, so that the priests could teach what they want, they could live as they want, and they could celebrate liturgy as they want, but that doesn't interest most of the Bishops in the main."

The theology professor then expressed himself in these words:  "And that must stop, there must really be a renewal of the office following with a corresponding charge of the obligations of service law and with a powerful and transparent service law, and then one can discuss my considerations over the proposal as well, as it is now raised to the area of politics, about viri probati, with whom I generally have no problem with, since I'm a permanent Deacon, I can thoroughly imagine myself, that the office could open for married men.  But are we to believe, that one could make from the abuse debate and from the general crisis in the Church, a situation in which the office is opened for married men, and also how a part of German theologians would have it, to promote practicing homosexuality.  All of that is completely experimental, to develop a Church, which we already have in the area of Protestantism, with all of the problems that exist there.

Original, kath.net...