Pope: Christian Churches must resist deviation from doctrine: urges leaders to "hold fast" against "prophetic actions"

Saturday, April 19, 2008
By Daniel Burke
Religion News Service

NEW YORK - Pope Benedict XVI on Friday strongly urged leaders from U.S. Christian churches to hold fast against "so-called prophetic actions"' and to unify under traditional Christian teachings.

Though Benedict did not single out any particular action, the remark appeared to be a subtle dig aimed at a growing acceptance of homosexuality in some U.S. churches, especially the election of an openly gay Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson in 2003.

Many who supported Robinson's election called it a "prophetic" witness for justice and inclusion, even as traditionalists and the Vatican saw it as unbiblical and damaging to church unity.
The pope also criticized Christian communities that bypass unified action, "choosing instead to function according to the idea of local options"' a phrase often invoked by those who want to reform church teachings even if the wider church won't follow.

He warned against actions that are "not always consonant with ... Scripture and Tradition," and said that "only by holding fast to sound teaching will we be able to respond to the challenges that confront us in an evolving world."

The head of the U.S. Episcopal Church, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, was invited but could not attend because of a previous commitment. Episcopal Bishop Mark Sisk of New York did attend and said he would be "surprised" if the pope was targeting U.S. Episcopalians.

"I don't think he was trying to send a shot across the bow at a particular church," said Sisk, who greeted the pope personally. "This was not the place to try to do that."

The speech to Christian leaders came after Benedict arrived in New York on Friday morning and addressed the United Nations on the need to protect human rights and religious freedom around the world.

His speech to Protestant and Orthodox leaders was not the first time Benedict had injected himself into the controversy roiling the Episcopal Church. In 2003, while still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he sent a telegram expressing his "heartfelt prayers" to conservative Episcopalians gathered in Texas. the rest image