Cardinal Koch joins critics of German bishops' push for change in Church teaching
March 27, 2015
A third German-speaking cardinal has joined in questioning the notion that the Church must change its teaching on marriage, with Cardinal Kurt Koch saying that Church leaders should not be too quick to adjust teachings to suit the “life realities” of the faithful.
In an interview with Die Tagespost, Cardinal Koch said that while bishops should certainly understand how the faithful are responding to Church teaching, that public response cannot be treated like “a third reality of the Revelation, next to Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium.”
The Swiss prelate, who heads the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, remarked that German bishops should be particularly sensitive to the dangers of adapting the faith to current opinions. He observed: “Let us think of the 'German Christians' during the time of National Socialism, when, next to the Holy Scripture, they also raised up the Nation and the Race as sources of revelation.”
Cardinal Koch said: “We have to differentiate very carefully here and listen with sensitivity to the signs of the times-– and to the spirit that reveals itself in these signs: Which ones are signs of the Gospel, which ones are not?”
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