At Georgetown U, Heresy is Just a "Free Exchange of Ideas"

Below are some excerpts from various news articles about what the Bishops had to say about Fr. Phan, a Georgetown U "theologian"

Bishops' Doctrine Committee corrects theologian for relativistic book

Washington DC, Dec 11, 2007 / 11:40 am (CNA).- The Doctrine Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has examined a work of theologian Father Peter C. Phan, "Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue."

Father Phan, a priest of the Diocese of Dallas, Texas, is a professor in Georgetown University's Department of Theology. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith asked the American bishops' Doctrine Committee to evaluate the book. The committee asked Father Phan to clarify points of concern over a period of two years.

The committee's evaluation was presented in a document titled "Clarifications Required by the Book 'Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue'." The committee said that Father Phan's book uses “certain terms in an equivocal manner" that "opens the text up to significant ambiguity." It added that "a fair reading of the book could leave readers in considerable confusion as to the proper understanding of the uniqueness of Christ."

The committee focused on three areas of theological concern: Jesus Christ as the unique and universal Savior of all humankind; the salvific significance of non-Christian religions; and the Church as the unique and universal instrument of salvation.

US bishops issue caution on Georgetown theologian's work

Washington, Dec. 11, 2007 (CWNews.com) - The US bishops' conference has issued a caution on the work of a Georgetown University theologian.

After a lengthy investigation that was undertaken at the suggestion of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the US bishops' doctrinal committee issued a statement on December 10 saying that the work of Father Peter Phan contained "pervading ambiguities and equivocations that could easily confuse of mislead the faithful."

Father Phan, a former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, came under scrutiny because of his book, Being Religious Interreligiously. Church officials questioned whether the book's approach to religious pluralism could be reconciled with established Catholic doctrine. Father Phan argues in that book that certain doctrinal statements regarding the unique role of Christ and his Church in the economy of salvation may have "outlived their usefulness."

The US bishops' doctrinal committee-- chaired by Bishop Wiliam Lori of Bridgeport, Connecticut-- said that Being Religious Interreligiously contained "statements that, unless properly clarified, are not in accord with Catholic teaching." Because the Georgetown theologian failed to provide that necessary clarification, the bishops explain, a caution about his work is necessary.

The Uniqueness and Universality of Fr. Peter Phan
Posted Dec. 11, 2007 5:04 PM by Dr. Jeff Mirus

The Doctrine Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has released a statement criticizing a book by Fr. Peter Phan, chairman of the theology department at Georgetown University. The book, Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue, casts doubt on the unique and essential position of Christ as savior and says the Catholic Church should abandon its claim of uniqueness and universality.

The National Catholic Reporter first reported back in September that Fr. Phan, who is also a former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, was under investigation by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, especially in view of the CDF's clarification last July of the teachings of the Second Vatican Council on the Church. The CDF asked the American Bishops to look into the matter. The Doctrine Committee asked Fr. Phan for clarifications of his position, which he neglected to provide. The Committee finally issued its critique on December 7th.

Perhaps it goes without saying-though I am still sad to report-that no disciplinary action has been taken against Fr. Phan. Recent history suggests that it is unlikely that Fr. Phan will lose his mandatum to teach theology for such "trivial" errors as denying that the Son of God is uniquely and universally necessary for salvation, or denying the universal mission of the Church as the sole possessor of all the goods God has provided for salvation. (I have commented on this issue in previous blog entries, especially Effective Discipline.)

Were I Fr. Richard John Neuhaus writing in First Things, it is at this point in my commentary that I would note by way of ironic explanation that Georgetown University is a school "in the Jesuit tradition". This is how Jesuit schools at all levels have tended to describe themselves since ceasing to be recognizably Catholic. I would like to call attention to the same reality here, and I will add that, sooner or later, the Church must become far more serious about reclaiming both her religious orders and her universities.

Doctrinal clarification is extremely important. Indeed, twenty-five years ago we would not have gotten even that. But in the face of egregious scandal, much more is required. All the clarifications in the world will still leave a significant heretic in possession of the department of Catholic theology at Georgetown University. Ultimately ecclesiastical authority must find the courage and strength to roll heads-that is, to challenge the uniqueness and universality not of Christ's teaching position but of Fr. Phan's.

Catholic bishops say book could mislead the faithful
2007 The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - A book on interfaith relations by a Georgetown University theologian does not accurately reflect Roman Catholic teaching, a U.S. bishops' committee said Monday.

The Rev. Peter C. Phan, in his book "Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue," writes that the terms "unique" and "absolute" when referring to Christ may "have outlived their usefulness and should be jettisoned," the doctrine panel said.

Phan also wrote that religious pluralism "'may not and must not be abolished' by conversion to Christianity," the committee said. That assertion is in conflict with Christ's commission to the church to evangelize the world, the panel said.

Phan, a priest in the Diocese of Dallas, declined to comment Monday. He teaches Catholic social thought at Georgetown, which is a Jesuit school.

The Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the doctrinal watchdog for the church, asked the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to evaluate the book.

The bishops' Doctrine Committee spent two years on the review, asking Phan to explain his writing. But the panel said that Phan "did not provide the needed clarifications," so the panel issued the statement Monday to warn Catholics and others that the book could be misleading.
No other action by the committee was announced.

Julie Green Bataille, a Georgetown spokeswoman, said in a statement that Phan and the school's other faculty have "a long and distinguished tradition" of writing on complex religious issues, and the school "embraces academic freedom and supports the free exchange of ideas."