A difficult challenge to Rome on the autonomy issue has arisen in The Netherlands as Bishops have ignored Vatican dictates. Pope John Paul will visit the Netherlands next May.

On a gray and misty morning late last week, Pope John Paul II arrived at a $ Rome airport in a Mercedes-Benz limousine, quietly bade farewell to Vatican aides and boarded an Alitalia DC-10. Once again the Pope was airborne, setting forth this time on a strenuous twelve-day “pilgrimage of…

The Vatican has quietly decided to take no action against Schillebeeckx, at least for now, thus signaling that there is still some lee way for liberal thinking in the era of Pope John Paul II.

Rome drops a tricky case

In two pre-Christmas shots heard round the theological world, the Vatican in 1979 summoned Father Edward Schillebeeckx from The Netherlands for questioning as a possible heretic and then declared that West Germany’s Father Hans Küng had no license to practice as a “Catholic” theologian. Since…

Catholic theologian Schillebeeckx has been called in for questioning by the Vatican. Schillebeeckx emphasizes the humanity of Jesus far more than his divinity.

But Holland’s leading Christologist is called in for questioning

They met in the same gray Renaissance palace where the Inquisition put Galileo on trial. But the Vatican called last week’s meeting a mere “series of talks.” Over coffee, a Dominican priest- theologian, Edward Schillebeeckx, 65, clad casually in a tweed…

The Vatican seems determined that the progressive wing of the church can be curbed. The Dutch church has been forced to cancel a national pastoral council meeting set for October.

The Vatican seems determined to use the Roman Catholic Church of The Netherlands as a test case to prove that the progressive wing of the church can be curbed. What is more, it seems to be winning. First there was the appointment of conservative Msgr. Adrianus Simonis to the see…

Dutch politicians became heatedly vocal over an amendment to the budget passed by the Second Chamber, which provides for the abolition of the Legation representing the Netherlands at the Vatican.

Stolid square-beamed Dutch politicians became heatedly vocal last week over an amendment to the budget passed by the Second Chamber,* which provides for the abolition of the Legation representing the Kingdom of the Netherlands at the Vatican. The amendment was introduced by a Calvinist; and at once the Catholic leader…