Vatican Under Fire

By now it has become a familiar ritual: Roman Catholic academics launching a public broadside against the Pope. But last week's outburst was exceptional both for the numbers -- 167 theologians from West Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland -- and for the timing. The so-called Cologne Declaration came on the heels of protests by clergy and lay people over John Paul II's choice of conservative European Archbishops.

The declaration criticized, besides the papal appointments, the Pontiff's teachings and his attempts to control scholars. "When the Pope does that which is not part of his office, he cannot, in the name of catholicity, demand obedience," stated the lengthy text. The Vatican Curia was also accused of aggravating "conflicts in the church by means of rigid discipline." The clergy and lay theologians were especially vexed by the Pontiff's treatment of the birth-control ban as one of the "fundamental pillars of Christian teaching," maintaining that it is supported by neither the Bible nor church tradition.

Two of the protesters, Fathers Hans Kung and Edward Schillebeeckx, are long-standing critics of Rome. But not all signers were left-wingers, and for many it was the first such public stand. The Vatican declined comment, but the West German hierarchy "decisively" rejected the "countless insinuations" against John Paul, insisting that "prudent, discriminating dialogue" accomplishes far more than one-sided tracts.