By Jean-Baptiste Piggin and Helen Livingstone
Monsters and Critics
September 23, 2011
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1664790.php/Pope-rejects-Lutheran-appeals-meets-sex-abuse-victims
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Erfurt, Germany - At an historic meeting with Lutheran leaders Friday in the birthplace of protestantism, Pope Benedict XVI rebuffed appeals for doctrinal change, saying faith was not a matter to negotiate.
However Benedict gave high marks to Reformation founder Martin Luther for a lifetime of 'theological searching and inner struggle.'
Benedict was the first pope in history to walk in Luther's footsteps, visiting an abbey, now a Protestant memorial in the city of Erfurt, where Luther (1483-1546)had been ordained a Catholic priest and began questioning Rome's doctrines before his revolt.
On the second day of a visit to his German homeland, he also met with Muslim leaders and spoke of his support for 'the public dimension of religious adherence' - an apparent reference to the ongoing debate in Europe over whether to ban Muslim head scarves.
Late in the day, Benedict met with German victims of sexual abuse. The meeting in the seminary where he was staying in Erfurt had not been listed on his official schedule, although such encounters are now part of most of his trips abroad.
'The Holy Father was moved and shaken by the suffering of the abuse victims, and expressed his deep sympathy and regret for everything that had been done to them and their families,' church officials said in the statement.
Nikolaus Schneider, head of the council of German protestant churches, said the praise of Luther was like a 'de facto rehabilitation' of Luther, who had been excommunicated by Rome in 1521.
Luther had had a lifetime of 'theological searching and inner struggle,' said Benedict, adding that Luther's 'burning question' about God's view of sin 'must once more, doubtless in a new form, become our question too.'
But despite the praise, Benedict made no move to undo the schism which has split Christians for five centuries.
Schneider appealed to Benedict to let Lutherans receive Holy Communion at mass, especially when they are married to Catholics.
Benedict bluntly replied that he had no 'ecumenical gift' to offer.
'This reflects a political misreading of faith and of ecumenism,' he said, adding that he should not be likened to a head of state visiting a friendly country and signing a diplomatic compromise.
His response, in a sermon at the end of the meeting, dashed Lutheran hopes in recent weeks that the visit to the Protestant heartland might lead to a grander gesture from Benedict, a doctrinal conservative who has led the Catholic Church since 2005.
Schneider said later he was not satisfied, because the issues had been left unresolved, but added that it had been 'a very serious, profound, fraternal meeting.'
The biggest crowd so far of Benedict's four-day visit to Germany, 90,000 people, showed up at a tiny Catholic chapel in a staunchly Catholic region, Eichsfeld, to pray with Benedict in the open air.
Benedict emphasized the similarities between values held by Christians and Muslims during a meeting with German Muslim leaders.
He did not explicitly mention the European debate on Muslim headscarves or public prayers, but seemed to allude to them when he said, 'Many Muslims attribute great importance to the religious dimension of life.'
'At times this is thought provocative in a society that tends to marginalize religion or at most to assign it a place among the individual's personal choices.
'The Catholic Church firmly advocates that due recognition be given to the public dimension of religious adherence,' he continued, adding that Muslim families had become a 'distinguishing mark' of Germany since the 1970s.
Benedict's last visit to Germany, five years ago, strained Catholic-Islamic relations worldwide. This time he was diplomatic.
'We can offer an important witness in many key areas of life in society,' the pope told the 15 Muslim imams and community leaders.
Benedict is to stay in Germany Saturday and Sunday, visiting the south-western city of Freiburg.
On Thursday he had addressed Germany's parliament in Berlin, met with Jewish leaders and celebrated mass for 61,000 in the capital's Olympic Stadium.
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