German cardinal pulls theologian's license to teach
May 09, 2011
Cardinal Joachim Meisner of Cologne has revoked the canonical license of theologian David Berger, citing the professor's dissent from established Church teachings.
The Cologne archdiocese announced on May 5 that Berger--who has criticized Catholic teaching on homosexuality, among other issues-- "has established that he does not agree with the teaching and the moral and juridical norms of the Church." Therefore the cardinal was obliged to declare that Berger is ineligible to serve as a teacher of Catholic theology, the archdiocese said.
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Posted by: -
May. 10, 2011 1:40 AM ET USA
It'll take much more to clean up Germany's act, but well done! Thank God there are those that still believe in Truth. The cool thing is, in Germany this action carries real power behind it. Theology is still largely run by the Church in Germany, though it makes you wonder how Berger got there in the first place.
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Posted by: -
May. 09, 2011 11:46 PM ET USA
It would have been helpful to mention where Berger had been allowed to teach. Rank heterodoxy is seldom uncosseted. Also, it seems, more and more, that the Church's teaching on homosexualism is at the core of most clerical dissent.
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Posted by: Obregon -
May. 09, 2011 11:05 PM ET USA
If the bishops were to do what Cardinal Meisner did, they would have a full-time job getting rid of dissenting theologians who constantly undermined the teachings of the Church. I hope most of the bishops appointed by H.H. Benedict XVI have as much backbone as the Cardinal in Cologne.
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Posted by: -
May. 09, 2011 9:07 PM ET USA
A Cardinal with a backbone is a blessing indeed!
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Posted by: -
May. 09, 2011 7:36 PM ET USA
Good.
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Posted by: -
May. 09, 2011 6:37 PM ET USA
Amen, Defender.
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Posted by: Defender -
May. 09, 2011 5:08 PM ET USA
Wonder if the Cardinal couldn't go "(arch-)diocese hopping" here and go to Boston, D.C., L.A., San Francisco, etc, and give the ax to the many whom the current bishops/archbishops are too politically correct (or is it that they agree?) to do their job.
