Ranke-Heinemann interview

Uta Ranke-Heinemann, daughter of a German president, converted to Catholicism in her mid-20's and was excommunicated for heresy 20 years ago. She's made a living of being a "church critic", the kind of person interviewed on Church matters on tv. Deutsche Welle interviewed her on the occasion of Cardinal Lehmann (Mainz) retiring from leading the German bishops conference. It's rather funny that she finds the German hierarchy to be very "reactionary", when many others will complain of exactly the opposite. There are quite a few "tough" bishops, like Cardinal Meisner, and younger ones in particular tend to be more traditional. Many view Lehmann as pretty liberal, or at least a "don't make waves" type. Like in the USA, there are quite a few older "We are church" types left among the laity. Younger people either don't go to church at all or are not hyper-critical. From the article

In 1999 she was presidential candidate for the PDS (Party of Democratic
Socialism - the successor of the Communist Party), but defeated by her nephew by
marriage, Johannes Rau. These days, she is a humanitarian activist and pacifist
and writes books on Catholicism, including the international bestsellers
"Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven" and "Putting Away Childish Things."

DW-WORLD.DE: Cardinal Karl Lehmann is often referred to as the liberal
voice of German Catholicism. Is this a description you'd agree with?

Uta Ranke-Heinemann: Cardinal Lehmann is a tragic figure. He and I were both
students of Karl Rahner, the most influential theologian of the 20th century. We were friends. He took me home on occasion -- only as far as the front door, of course, but nonetheless -- and we agreed on everything. These days, however, Karl Rahner is more or less dismissed by the bishops as a heretic. You can't find his books anywhere. But in 1984, Lehmann wrote an introduction to an anniversary publication marking Rahners's 80th birthday, in which he explicitly praised him and other theologians as forward-thinking and progressive on questions such as the Virgin Birth, brothers and sisters of Jesus and the matter of Joseph being the biological father of Jesus, the son of God. In 1987 he became head of the Bishops' Conference, and this was the year I lost my professorship because I quoted Rahner's views on the Virgin Birth. When I turned to Lehmann for help, he failed to respond. He clearly has one opinion for theology professors and another for the flock. So while I consider Lehmann likeable, I believe that he is a master of the double standard. On a number of key issues, he has one truth for the pope and the simple-minded, and another for
theology professors such as Karl Rahner.

Which ones?

The question of the Virgin Birth, use of condoms, abortion from the moment of conception. Personally I am against abortion, but not from the first moment of conception. Lehmann on the other hand called an embryo that's just seconds old
an individual, i.e. something indivisible, which is scientific nonsense. ...Now and then, Lehmann tried in vain to find compromises with Rome, which is why he is referred to as a liberal. But under the current pope and his predecessor, he allowed the gap between the shepherd and his flock to become ever wider.

Lehmann has said he'd like to see generational change in the Catholic Church here in Germany. Do you think this will happen?

Nonsense -- they don't want generational change at all. All that matters is that they are all clones of the pope. Pope John Paul II only ever appointed clones and Benedict does the same. All the bishops are made in his image. Even the younger ones are no more modern or liberal. Characters such as Joachim Meisner [Editor's note: the archbishop of Cologne] are all hand-picked. They all go along with exorcism at christening for infants and "great" exorcism for adults (in keeping with John Paul II's World Catechism 1992, no. 1237, 1243, 1673), and all they're interested in is the abortion issue. As part of the Church's worship of the Virgin Mary, it believes in the ensoulment of human life at the first moment. Prior to 1869, it adhered to the principle of successive ensoulment and required excommunication for abortions only after 80 days. Rahner returned to the principle of successive ensoulment without attaching a particular time-frame to it. Today, the Church pulls the wool over people's eyes, and in essence it comes down to double standards and dishonesty. And that's my main reproach against Lehmann.

Are there any liberal elements in the Catholic Church?

Not among the bishops. Pope John Paul II put paid to the old guard -- either their authority to teach was rescinded -- such as Hans Küng [Editors' note: Küng rejected the doctrine of papal infallibility and was stripped of his license to teach as a Roman Catholic theologian] -- or they died, like Karl Rahner, and were replaced by new ones who were closely vetted. One reason why the percentage of homosexuals in the Vatican is so high is because all that matters is that none of the bishops have a record of relationships with women. They must oppose birth control -- and of course, women priests are unacceptable. Christianity has become reduced to a credo of celibacy.