The Archbishop of Freiburg and President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops in Germany, Robert Zollitsch, has publicly denied the fundamental Christian dogma of the sacrificial nature of Christ’s death in a recent interview with a German television station.
According to Archbishop Zollitsch, the death of Jesus Christ was not a redemptive act of God to liberate human beings from the bondage of sin and open the gates of heaven
He said that Christ "did not die for the sins of the people as if God had provided a sacrificial offering, like a scapegoat." Instead, Jesus had offered only "solidarity" with the poor and suffering. Zollitsch said "that is this great perspective, this tremendous solidarity."
The interviewer asked, "You would then no longer describe Christ’s death on Calvary as a way that God gave his own son, because we humans were so sinful? You would no longer describe it like this?"
Monsignor Zollitsch responded, "No."
He told Meinhard Schmidt-Degenhard, the program’s host, that God gave "his own son in solidarity with us unto this last death agony to show: ‘So much are you worth to me, I go with you, and I am totally with you in every situation’." "He has become involved with me out of solidarity - from free will."
Christ, he said, had "taken up what I have been blamed for, including the evil that I have caused, and also to take it back into the world of God and hence to show me the way out of sin, guilt and from death to life."
Of course, any report of such an interview and the Archbishop’s reputed remarks needs to be fully investigated to determine if the reporting is both true and accurate. Fairness to the Archbishop and respect for one's reputation demands this.
Unfortunately, my investigation into this story reveals that the Archbishop’s remarks were indeed reported accurately.
The fact that a member of the College of Bishops can hold these opinions and publicly state them is beyond belief!
The most fundamental dogma of the Catholic Church describes the Life, Passion and Death of Jesus as “both the Paschal sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive redemption of men,....and the sacrifice of the New Covenant, which restores man to communion with God by reconciling him to God through the ‘blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’." (Article 613 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church)
The Catechism continues, "This sacrifice of Christ is unique; it completes and surpasses all other sacrifices. First, it is a gift from God the Father himself, for the Father handed his Son over to sinners in order to reconcile us with himself. At the same time it is the offering of the Son of God made man, who in freedom and love offered his life to his Father through the Holy Spirit in reparation for our disobedience."
What is happening to our Catholic Faith when Bishops can publicly deny the most fundamental of Church teachings based upon the Deposit of Faith (Scripture and Tradition) with impunity?
And why is so much dissent and confusion arising within the Church under the Pontificate of Pope Francis?
Is this a coincidence? Or have those who hold such heretical, yes heretical, opinions been emboldened to articulate such errors with impunity?
Clearly, Archbishop Zollitsch should be publicly reprimanded for his statements and removed from his office as Archbishop of Freiburg and President of the German Bishops’ Conference.
No other resolution to the grave effects resulting from this scandal is possible.
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