Edit: more magisterium by aerial press conference.
(Rome) Besides the Brexit, a "new EU", the rejection of deaconesses, Pope Francis spoke on the return flight from Armenia on Martin Luther and the Protestant Revolt.
The Pope was asked in connection with his participation in a "Reformation commemoration" next 31st October in Sweden, if it would not be the "right moment, to commemorate the mutually inflicted wounds," but "only to recognize the 'gifts' of the Reformation and perhaps consider lifting the excommunication of Luther."
The Pope repeated in his reply, more or less, that which Cardinal Walter Kasper wrote what appeared in his last 14 March book "Martin Luther. An Ecumenical Perspective "(Patmos), whose scandalous key message is: "Luther was right." The reverse conclusion is: The Catholic Church was wrong. Francis indeed did not say this on the return journey, but the message has since been aired, continuing for months a significant drive towards a bow to Lutheranism. Here Pope Francis also includes Calvinism. Pope Francis has mentioned and commended the non-binding Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification of the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church in 1999, while he did not mention one word on the binding Catholic Declaration Dominus Iesus, on the unicity and salvific universality of Jesus Christ and the Church from 2000.
Pope Francis said:
"I believe that the intentions of Luther were not wrong. He was a reformer. Perhaps some methods were not right, but at that time, when we read the story by [Ludwig von] Pastor - a German Lutherans who converted and became a Catholic - we see that the Church was not exactly a worthwhile model: it was corruption, worldliness, attachment to money and power. Therefore, he protested. He was intelligent and took a step forward and justified why he did it. Today we are unified as Protestants and Catholics on the doctrine of justification in agreement, and on this very important point, he was not wrong. He made a medicine for the Church, then he consolidated this medicine to a discipline, ito make it a way, a belief. And then Zwingli, Calvin had these principles behind them: ' cuius regio eius religio.' We must put ourselves in the history of that time. It is not easy to understand. Then things have gone further. This document on justification is one of the richest. There are divisions, even in the Lutheran Church there is a lack of unity. The diversity is what has perhaps been so bad for us, and now we are looking for the way to meet after 500 years. I believe that we need to pray together in the first place. Secondly, we need to work for the poor, the refugees, many people suffering, and finally that the theologians may study together ... That's a long way. I once jokingly said: I know, when the day of full unity will be: The day after the return of the Lord. We do not know when the Holy Spirit will effect this grace. Meanwhile, however, we must work together for peace. "
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: MiL
Trans: Tancred vekron@hotmail.com
AMDG
