Dominus Iesus Not an Ecumenical Document, Cardinal Says

VATICAN, Sep. 26, 00 (CWNews.com) - Cardinal Edward Cassidy, the president of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity, has indicated that the recent Vatican statement Dominus Jesus would have been presented differently if it had been prepared by that Council.

Cardinal Cassidy indicated that Dominus Jesus, which was published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, «was not addressed to the ecumenical world.» The statement was «addressed to the academic world, to some Asian Catholic theologians, and edited by professors in a scholastic language,» he said.

Cardinal Cassidy, who was attending an ecumenical conference in Lisbon, told the Italian daily Il Messaggero that «those of us whose ears are more attuned to the nuances of dialogue» would have produced a different sort of document. As it stands, the cardinal remarked, Dominus Jesus has provoked negative reactions from some partners in ecumenical dialogue.

Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update