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Cinq années pour Benoît XVI, une historical crisis of confidence - Open letter to Catholic bishops of the world, by Hans Küng Joseph Ratzinger, now Benedict XVI, and I were between 1962 and 1965 younger theologians of Vatican II. Today, we are both older and the only ones still in full operation. My work, I always used to serve the Church. Therefore, in this fifth anniversary of the enthronement of Pope, I turn to the bishops, through this open letter, I am concerned by the concern that we give our church experiencing the deepest crisis of credibility that it has seen since the Reformation. I have indeed no other means of achieving them.
Agree, disagree? Comment on the article you just readSubscribe to Monde.fr: 6 € per month + 1 month free I greatly admired Pope Benedict for me, me his critic, invited to a conversation friendly four hours when he took office. The meeting was hailed in public opinion, it's the least we can say, had awakened in me the hope that Joseph Ratzinger, my former colleague at the University of Tübingen, would eventually find path of a renovation of the Church and closeness ecumenical, in the spirit of Vatican II. This hope, like that of so many committed Catholics, alas, was disappointed, I told the Pope in various ways in the correspondence we have exchanged since. It has undoubtedly filled daily and conscientiously the duties of his office and has also given three precious encyclical on faith, hope and love. But in terms of the great challenges of our time, his pontificate is in more and more like a missed opportunity not seized opportunities: * Missed reconciliation with Protestant churches: it is vrai qu'il ne s'agit pas d'Eglises au sens propre, et du coup, ni la reconnaissance de leurs hiérarchies ni un partage eucharistique ne sont possibles.
* Manqué l'accord durable avec les juifs : le pape a réintroduit une prière préconciliaire pour "que Dieu illumine le cœur des juifs et qu'ils connaissent Jésus-Christ, sauveur de tous les hommes" ; il a réintégré dans l'Eglise des prélats schismatiques notoirement antisémites ; il pousse à la béatification de Pie XII et traite le judaïsme en simple racine du christianisme et non comme une communauté de croyance à part entière, qui suit sa propre voie vers le salut. Les juifs du monde ont, récemment encore, was outraged by the remarks of the preacher of the Papal Household, who compared the criticism of the Pope to the most shameful aspects of antisemitism. * Missedopen dialogue with Muslims: Symptomatic was the Regensburg speech, which, ill advised, the pope has caricatured Islam religion violent and inhumane and, thereby, created a distrust fed by them. * Missed reconciliation with indigenous peoples colonized Latin America: Pope contends with the utmost seriousness that they have longed to join the religion of their conquerors. * Manquée l'opportunité de venir en aide aux peuples africains dans leur lutte contre la surpopulation par la contraception et par l'autorisation des préservatifs pour lutter contre le sida.
* Manquée l'occasion de faire la paix avec la science moderne : par la reconnaissance sans équivoque de la théorie de l'évolution et par une tolérance nuancée pour les nouveaux domaines de recherche, par exemple sur les cellules-souches. * Manquée enfin la chance de faire enfin de l'esprit de Vatican II la boussole de l'Eglise catholique et de faire avancer sa réforme. reinstated without conditions in the fundamentalist Church of the bishops of the SSPX ordained illegally, while they reject the council on key issues. * It encourages
by all means return to the Tridentine Mass and celebrated the occasion itself the Eucharist in Latin, his back turned to the congregation. * It does not implement the recommendations of the official Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission, which outline the framework of reconciliation with the Church of England. Instead, it seeks to entice the Anglican clergy, even waive the requirement of celibacy for attracting it in the bosom of the Catholic Church. * In naming the head of his administration opponents of the council (the Secretary of State, the Congregation for Divine Worship) and reactionary bishops worldwide, he has reinforced the trend anticonciliaire within the same Church. 
Pope Benedict XVI appears increasingly isolated from the vast majority of Christian people who, in turn, cares less and less of Rome and in the best case, identifies communities and local bishops. I know that many bishops are suffering from this situation: the Pope is supported in its policy anticonciliaire by the Roman Curia. He tries to stifle criticism came from the bishops and the Church, he tries to discredit his opponents by any means. Via a new array of media events and Baroque, it is argued that there are still powerful in Rome a Church governed by a "vicar of Christ" who has absolute hands all legislative, executive and judicial. The restoration policy of Benedict XVI is no less a failure. All staging, travel and documents produced by him and his predecessors have been unable to orient, in the sense that Rome wanted the opinion of the majority of the faithful on controversial issues, particularly on that of sexual morality. And even the youth meetings with a Pope which only traditionalist groups or charismatic visit, were unable to curb defections nor awaken vocations. But those are the bishops, who are most to be pitied: dozens of thousands of priests were defrocked, since the Council, because of the celibacy rule. The rising generation in the secular clergy (but regular) suffers from a drastic decrease quantitatively and qualitatively. The current clergy is divided between resignation and frustration, and the phenomenon has now reached the most militant layers. Many feel abandoned to their misery and suffering from the condition of the Church. We know what awaits many dioceses churches, seminaries, parishes increasingly sparse. In several countries due to lack of priests, communities are often cons their will, fused into giant "spiritual assistance units" where the few remaining priests are overworked, single sham reform
... And now, all these factors crisis adds now the scandal of sexual abuse including priests are guilty of thousands of children and adolescents, whether in the United States, Ireland, Germany and elsewhere - all in the silence of a hierarchy subject to a crisis of confidence without precedent. It is impossible to conceal the fact that the camouflage system of global cases of sexual misconduct caused by clergy has been piloted by the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, where they were centralized in the utmost secrecy, in other words by Cardinal Ratzinger (who directed from 1981 to 2005) and already under John Paul II. As late as May 18, 2001, Ratzinger sent a letter to the bishops solemnly the world on the "most serious crimes" (Epistula of gravioribus delicti). Cases of sexual abuse should be covered by the Secretum Pontificum, protected by an arsenal of ecclesiastical penalties provided for violations. It is therefore quite justified in asking a lot of ex-prefect and the current pope a personal mea culpa. Alas, the opportunity provided by the Holy Week was missed. Instead, we had at Easter Sunday, a protest of innocence "urbi et orbi" by the dean of cardinals.
The effects of all the scandals to the reputation of the Catholic Church are devastating. It is also true for high-ranking officials. On countless pastors and educators blameless souls who spend freely, now weighs a touch class. That it is up to the bishops to ask the question of what should happen to their dioceses and our church and what it will look like in ten years, given the situation the crisis of vocations and the age pyramid of the clergy present. Here, I do not want you to outline a reform agenda, I have practiced this exercise several times before and after the council. I just want to move forward six propositions which I am sure they would receive the support of millions of Catholics who currently have no voice:
1. Ending the silence: the silence by choosing the bishops are complicit in abuses very serious and numerous. Or where they keep the rules, regulations and measures in force for cons-productive, it is better to say things publicly. Not Address dedication in Rome, but demands for reform!
2. Take control of the reforms: there are many in the Church and the Bishops of Rome to complain without doing anything themselves. But when it comes to a situation where divine service is deserted, devoid of the pastoral way, when we open less and less to the misery of the world, and that the ecumenical rapprochement is reduced to its simplest expression, is all too easy to put on the back of Rome. Bishop, priest or layman, each in its sphere of influence, large or small, helps a revitalization of the Church. Many achievements in parishes and throughout the Church are set in motion at the initiative of individuals or small groups. As such, the bishops must support and encourage such initiatives and, particularly at this time, responding to complaints justified believers.
3. Go ahead collectively: the council, after much debate and despite the continued opposition of the Curia, has decreed the collegiality of the pope and bishops, a decision that was in the apostolic sense of history, where Peter did nothing without consulting the college of apostles. But the pope and the Curia have in the post-conciliar period, this decision ignores essentielle du concile. Depuis que Paul VI, deux ans à peine après Vaticant II, et sans consultation de l'épiscopat, a publié une encyclique en faveur de la règle controversée du célibat, l'administration et la politique pontificale se sont remises à fonctionner sur le mode le moins collégial qui soit. Jusqu'à présent, en matière de liturgie, le pape agit en monarque absolu, et les évêques dont il aime à s'entourer sont comme des figurants, sans droit ni voix. Voilà pourquoi ceux-ci ne doivent pas seulement réagir au niveau individuel, mais entreprendre des actions en commun avec les autres prélats, prêtres, et tout le peuple qui constitue l'Eglise, hommes et femmes confused.
4. Total submission is due to God alone: during their induction, the bishops vow of absolute obedience to the pope. But total obedience is never due to human authority, but to God alone. These vows should not prohibit tell the truth about the crisis in the Church, dioceses, territories. The bishops will only follow the example of the Apostle Paul withstood Peter "in the face, because he had been wrong" (Galatians 2, 11)! Pressure exerted on the Roman hierarchy in a brotherly and Christian spirit may be legitimate, since that hiérarchie s'écarte de l'esprit évangélique et de sa mission. La liturgie en langue vernaculaire, la modification du droit des mariages interreligieux, l'affirmation de la tolérance, de la démocratie, des droits de l'homme, de l'œcuménisme et tant d'autres choses ne seront acquises qu'au prix d'une pression opiniâtre de la base.
5. Résoudre les problèmes au niveau local : au Vatican, on se bouche souvent les oreilles devant les demandes justifiées de l'épiscopat, de la prêtrise et du laïcat. C'est une raison de plus pour mettre en pratique intelligemment des solutions régionales ou locales aux problèmes qui se posent. Un de ceux-là, particulièrement sensitive, is that of celibacy, which, precisely in the context of sexual abuse scandals, comes naturally to the agenda everywhere. Change things against the will of Rome seems almost impossible. We are not condemned to passivity provided: a priest who, after careful consideration believed marriage should not automatically be deprived of his ministry, especially if the bishop and his church are with him. Maybe some bishops' conferences could they take the lead at regional level. But nothing beats a comprehensive solution. Therefore:
6. We must demand a council: just as it had convened a council to reform the liturgy and to promote tolerance, ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, and the nature of the problem now urgent reform requires another.
The Council of Constance, a century before the Reformation, had delivered a notice of five councils, which the Roman Curia was quick to put it under a bushel. No doubt it will still do its utmost to prevent a new council that could have the effect of limiting its power. It is therefore the responsibility of bishops to impose the meeting, or at least that of an episcopal assembly representative.
Facing the crisis in the Church, I beg the bishops to balance the weight of their episcopal authority reassessed by the council. In this situation abysmal, the world's eyes are turned towards them. An unimaginable number of people have lost faith in the Catholic Church. Only an open and frank first of the problems and reforms that they imply is able to restore it. I ask, with all due respect to the bishops, they contribute as much as possible but common, if necessary, so alone, "boldly" (Acts of the Apostles 4, 29-31). And shall furnish it to the faithful as a sign of hope and encouragement, and our Church, a prospect of salvation.
theologian Hans Küng is.
Translated from the German by Nicolas Weill
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