Le Pape Benoit et l'Église réformée

Pope Benedict sent a conciliatory message to the Reformed Church of France meeting in synod at Aix-en-Provence at the weekend. He thus continues his predecessor's efforts to reach out to those Christians not in communion with Rome. The publication five years ago of Dominus Iesus, which Cardinal Ratzinger authored, disappointed many protestants for its assertion that their churches were deficient and "not Churches in the proper sense." Yet Benedict saw fit to address the Reformed Church as a church and not merely as an ecclesial community.

Although this may mark a change in tone from his former position as doctrinal watchdog to the papal office, I myself doubt that Dominus Iesus was ever intended to cut off ecumenical dialogue. It was simply stating what Ratzinger believed in good faith to be the Catholic position. Ecumenical conversations between those softening their respective churches' confessional positions in the interest of institutional compromise will likely bear no lasting fruit if not rooted in a common search for truth. I suspect Benedict understands this and may thus be in a better position than his critics to pursue a genuine ecumenism.

Later: For a Reformed assessment of Benedict, based on his writings, see Michael S. Horton, "What Can Protestants Expect From The New Pope?"