This is a list of Catholic supporters of the URI.
The United Religions Initiative - Vatican Opposition,
Liberal Support
By Lee Penn
Summary:
This story shows that the Vatican has consistently opposed the United Religions
Initiative (URI), lists the publicly-identified Catholic supporters of the URI, and shows
that pro-URI theologians are dissenters from the Church's Magisterium.
NOTE: Since this story was written, the number of Catholic supporters of the URI has
increased significantly. Visit the URI web page which lists the supporters of its "72
hour cease fire," and see who supports the project now - the list seems to grow each
week.
Text URL: http://www.united-religions.org/newsite/72hours/projects.htm
Conditions of use:
This story is an extract from a book-length manuscript by me titled "False Dawn,
Real Darkness: the Millennial Delusions of the United Religions and the New Age
Movement." You may re-distribute this story by hard copy or electronically, and you
may abridge or quote from this story - IF you give credit to Lee Penn as the author, and
IF you include - in the body or as a footnote - the following statement:
"An abridged version of this information will appear as part of the article
"The United Religions Initiative: Foundations for a World Religion" (Part 2), to
be published in the fall of 1999 by the Journal of the Spiritual Counterfeits Project. You
may order the complete story from the Journal, or subscribe to the Journal, by calling
(510) 540-0300, or by writing to the Spiritual Counterfeits Project, Post Office Box 4308,
Berkeley, CA 94704, or by visiting the SCP web site, http://www.scp-inc.org/."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Catholic Church: the Vatican versus dissenters
Vatican opposition to the URI
Within the Catholic Church, opinion about the URI is divided. Rome stands firm against
it, but some theologians, priests and sisters - and a few members of the hierarchy -
actively support the URI.
At Rome in 1996, Bishop Swing met with Cardinal Arinze, head of the Vatican's Council
for Inter-Religious Dialogue. Bishop Swing reported a firm rebuff from the Cardinal, the
strongest "no" that he got from anyone during his global pilgrimage:
[Cardinal Arinze] "said that a United Religions would give the appearance of
syncretism and it would water down our need to evangelize. It would force authentic
religions to be on equal footing with spurious religions." (232)
Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, who works under Cardinal Arinze, pointedly ignored
Bishop Swing's invitation to attend the 1997 URI summit conference. (233)
At the time of the June 1999 summit conference, Bishop Swing said that "he doubted
that the Roman Catholic Church would join [the URI], pointing out that it had not become a
member of the World Council of Churches. But he added that he believed that Vatican would
cooperate with, though not join, a body of world religions." (234)
This hope of Bishop Swing's has proved to be "a fond thing, vainly invented, and
grounded upon no warranty." (235) The Vatican recently restated its opposition to the
URI. In a letter to the editor published in the June 1999 issue of Homiletic &
Pastoral Review, a magazine for Catholic priests, Fr. Chidi Denis Isizoh, of the
Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (the Vatican body responsible for
interfaith work) said:
"Religious syncretism is a theological error. That is why the Pontifical Council
for Interreligious Dialogue does not approve of the United Religions Initiative and does
not work with it. Indeed, when Bishop Swing came to the Vatican City in 1996 to solicit
support from the Council, Cardinal Arinze clearly expressed his reservations about the
proposal. As the United Religions Initiative develops, the reasons for not collaborating
with it become more evident." (236)
This much is clear: Rome stands against the URI.
Dissenters favor the URI
Some Catholics, however, are not following the Vatican's lead. In 1998, Bishop Swing
said, "As for the Roman Catholic Church, we have got an awful lot of support from
various individual Roman Catholic lay people, nuns, monks, priests, bishops, archbishops,
and one cardinal, as a matter of fact." (237) Bishop Swing was telling the truth;
Catholic liberals and dissidents are actively supporting the URI.
Dissenters in the hierarchy
Cardinal Paul Evaristo Arns, the recently retired Archbishop of São Paulo, Brazil, is
claimed by the URI as a "strong supporter." (238) Archbishop Anthony Pantin,
from Trinidad, is forming a URI group in his country. (239)
Material participation: Catholic board members and URI staff
Fr. Gerard O'Rourke, director of ecumenical affairs for the Catholic Archdiocese of San
Francisco, has been an enthusiastic supporter of the URI from its beginning. He took an
active part in the 1995 interfaith service that announced the URI to the public, (240) and
now serves on the URI Board of Directors. Fr. O'Rourke said in 1997, "I am totally in
support of Bishop Swing and the work that he is doing and the admirable team that he has
created to reach out ... all across the world." (241) In 1997, Fr. O'Rourke served as
the "convenor" of a URI task force that had been set up in 1996 with the duty of
"Enrolling leaders of the different religious and faith traditions; mastering the
articulation of the core message; locating leaders; reaching out; getting them on
board." (242) Other prominent Catholic URI supporters include URI board member Fr.
John LoSchiavo S. J. (former president of the University of San Francisco), and Latin
American URI Coordinator Fr. Luis Dolan. (243)
The trendy theology of Fr. Luis Dolan
In a 1997 document published by Global Education Associates, Fr. Dolan described UN
documents as new scriptures, and hailed the UN as "a cathedral where we can worship
what is best in each other":
"I believe that the UN offers us the first scripture written by communities rather
than by a single inspired author. This scripture is the composite of all the basic
documents of the UN, starting with the Charter" (244)
"The UN 'extends the power of our hearts and souls.' The UN thus has become 'a
cathedral where we can worship what is best in each other.' 'Little by little a planetary
prayer book is being composed (at the UN) by an increasingly united humanity seeking its
oneness'." (245)
Fr. Dolan forecasts and favors world government, a "global governance" that
should also "be presented as a religious ideal":
"Another issue that has recently come to the consciousness of the UN is the
concept of global governance. ... Global governance calls for a new vision, challenging
people as well as governments to realize that there is no alternative to working together
to create the kind of world they want for themselves and their children. ... Global
governance is portrayed as essentially a civil ideal. It will not work, though, unless it
is also presented as a religious ideal." (246)
This "religious ideal" will not be traditional Christianity. Dolan favors
modifying the structure of the Church to fit the requirements of "the future world
order," and opposes what he calls the "belligerent attitude" of the Church
at UN conferences:
"The third element is the model of a Church we need to help create the future
world order. In my many years of work with interreligious and/or international political
groups, I have found this probably the Catholic voice's [sic] greatest need in order to be
more credible. The Church of the future needs to come across primarily as a community of
believers, rather than as an institution with a hierarchical structure. I believe ours is
a hierarchical Church, and I love and respect it, but in my experience I have seen this
aspect over-stressed ... A consequence of this is the apparent fear of theologians by the
Vatican; its occasionally belligerent attitude at UN conferences; a certain defensiveness;
and an overemphasis on ideology." (247)
Dolan also says that religious syncretism has benefits for individuals and for the
"future world order":
"The more I become involved in interreligious work, the more I feel the need of
the Eucharist, the sharing of Jesus, the enlightenment of the Magisterium, the quietness
of prayer. Having said this, I still believe that before the twenty-first century begins
we need a congress on syncretism in which the participants will not be just members of the
hierarchy ... but representatives of the common folk who in their daily devotional life
may be practicing syncretism or irenicism ... We need in that congress to ask questions
such as: What is syncretism today? Is syncretism a natural consequence of living in a
secularized world? ... Let no one fear the supernatural power of such a conference on
syncretism: it will deepen each one's faith and allow all to enter more deeply into the
heart of 'the other'; above all it will give an essential element to the future world
order that only religions can give." (248)
Dolan states that the Church should be "better educated on all aspects of human
sexuality" in order to provide "more future-oriented norms on human
sexuality" as "the new world order takes concrete forms":
"At times I have wished that official representatives of our Church at
international meetings would show less defensiveness and more understanding of countries,
organizations, and individuals holding different opinions. Having said this, it is my
belief that, as the new world order takes concrete forms, the Church will be looked to as
one of the main champions on education for a healthy human sexuality. For this, all Church
members need to be better educated on all aspects of human sexuality ... If the Church
does not take this long-term approach, I fear there will be many more discussions and
debates, and name-calling meetings rather than the meeting of minds, and that this will
cause considerable delay in giving the world more future-oriented norms on human
sexuality." (249)
Dissenting priests, religious, and theologians join the URI parade
Brother Wayne Teasdale supports the URI. (250) He is an adjunct professor at the
Catholic Theological Union, and describes himself as a "Christian Sannyasi;"
(251) "sannyasi" is a Hindu term for "a wandering mendicant and
ascetic." (252) In an article published in the Summer 1997 issue of the URI Journal,
Teasdale favors popular election of the Pope and of other bishops. (253)
Sister Joan Kirby also supports the URI. (254) Both Fr. Dolan and Sr. Kirby are active
in the Temple of Understanding. Sister Joan Chatfield, a Maryknoll nun from Hawaii,
attended the 1997 URI summit conference; (255) she also contributed to the URI Workbook
(256) that the URI has used in its local and regional planning sessions.
Szabolcs Sajgo, a Jesuit and head of a retreat center in Hungary, attended the spring
1997 European URI conference; he said, "Religion no longer means the religious
authorities but all the mature members of that specific religion also count, to reach the
goals of UR. Humanity lives more and more in a world which is created by himself or
herself and this world reflects the human being as a creator." (257) Other Catholic
URI participants include Sr. Lilian Curaming and Brother Eli Andrade, in Manila, (258) and
Sr. Laetitia Borg, of the Franciscan Sisters in Ethiopia. (259) Dr. Carol Zinn SSJ, a
staff member of Global Education Associates,(260) said of the 1998 URI summit conference,
"I know the value of faith-based initiatives; [sic] hope-filled imaginations and
passion-oriented inspirations and I have experienced this trinity of grace this
week." (261) Fr. O'Rourke stated that Fr. Gene Boyle, from the Diocese of San Jose,
is also active in the URI.(262)
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), a U.S.-based organization of
Catholic nuns, is encouraging its members to participate in the URI global cease-fire
project.(263) Other supporters of the cease-fire include Sister Mary Margaret Funk,
associated with "Monastic Inter-Religious Dialogue," Fr. Ruben J. Villote, a
priest in the Philippines,(264) and the auxiliary Catholic Bishop of Detroit, Thomas
Gumbleton.(265) There will be a service organized by the URI in honor of the global
cease-fire project on January 1, 2000 at the Catholic Cathedral in Washington DC.(266)
Theologians supporting the URI include Paul Knitter, senior editor at Orbis Books and
professor of theology at Xavier University,(267) and Leonard Swidler, professor of
"Catholic Thought and Interreligious Dialogue" at Temple University.(268) Both
theologians are open dissenters from official Catholic teaching. Knitter favors artificial
birth control and the ordination of women as priests, and denies that Jesus is the unique
Savior, the Son of God. (269) Knitter also finds the Resurrection to be
"problematic," and denies the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.(270)
Swidler's work includes such writings as "Feminism - the Renewal of the Catholic
Church," "Seven Reasons for Ordaining Women," and "Yeshua, Feminist
and Androgynous: An Integrated Human"; a course in "The Significance of the
Thought of Teilhard de Chardin for the Future Global Community"; and a lecture
titled, "Why Christians Need to Dialogue With - NOT Proselytize -
Non-Christians."(271)
Last but not least, Hans Küng supports the URI. (272) Bishop Swing hails Küng as
"the prime spokesperson for Vatican II and the single most important person who has
written volumes on interfaith and ecumenical matters." (273) However, since 1979,
Küng has been banned from teaching as a Catholic theologian at Tübingen University.(274)
(Küng continued to teach at the University; the school moved him from the religious
faculty to the secular faculty.) Cardinal Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith at the Vatican, says of Küng that since 1979, "in Christology
and in trinitarian theology he has further distanced himself from the faith of the
Church." (275) Küng is not a representative of the Catholic Church or "the
prime spokesperson for Vatican II"; he speaks only for himself.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Footnotes
NOTE: Internet document citations are based on research done between September 1997 and
August 1999. Web citations are accurate as of the time the Web page was printed, but some
documents may have been moved to a different Web site since then, or they may have been
removed entirely from the Web.
232 Bishop William Swing, "The United Religions Initiative," document issued
in April 1996, p. 7 233 Bishop William Swing, "The United Religions Initiative,"
document issued in April 1996, p. 7 234 Ross Dunn, "Anglican bishop hopes to set up
'United Religions' organization," Ecumenical News International, June 22, 1999 235
The Episcopal Church, The Book of Common Prayer, Article XXII, "Of Purgatory,"
in the Articles of Religion, Seabury Press, New York, 1979, p. 872 236 Fr. Chidi Denis
Isizoh, letter to the editor, Homiletic & Pastoral Review, Vol. XCIX, June 1999, p. 60
237 Baxter and Sax, (first names not stated), "Exclusive Interview: Bishop William
Swing, Head of the United Religions Organization," Endtime, July/August 1998,
Internet document, http://www.endtime.com/bishop.htm, p. 5 238 Information received by Lee
Penn during a telephone conversation with Barbara Hartford, May 11, 1998; confirmed by
Paul Andrews, May 14, 1998 239 "News Updates from Around the World," URI News
Update, Spring 1998, No. 4, p. 5 240 List of people performing the "reading from the
Parliament of World Religions' Declaration Towards a Global Ethic," service sheet for
June 25, 1995 interfaith service celebrating the 50th anniversary of the UN and the launch
of the United Religions Initiative 241 Transcribed by Lee Penn from URI-provided tape of
the January 19, 1997 URI forum at Grace Cathedral 242 United Religions Initiative,
"Resource Groups Structured At the Conclusion of the June 1996 URI Summit in San
Francisco," Journal of the United Religions Initiative, Spring 1997, p. 14 243 United
Religions Initiative, "United Religions Initiative: Building spiritual partnerships
for a just, sustainable and peaceable world," leaflet issued September 15, 1998,
"Board of Directors" and "Staff & Leadership" sections 244 Fr.
Luis Dolan, "Development and Spirituality: Personal Reflections of a Catholic,"
Internet document (Global Education Associates), http://www.globaleduc.org/dolan.htm, p. 3
245 Fr. Luis Dolan, "Development and Spirituality: Personal Reflections of a
Catholic," Internet document (Global Education Associates),
http://www.globaleduc.org/dolan.htm, p. 4 246 Fr. Luis Dolan, "Development and
Spirituality: Personal Reflections of a Catholic," Internet document (Global
Education Associates), http://www.globaleduc.org/dolan.htm, pp. 6-7 247 Fr. Luis Dolan,
"Development and Spirituality: Personal Reflections of a Catholic," Internet
document (Global Education Associates), http://www.globaleduc.org/dolan.htm, pp. 9-10 248
Fr. Luis Dolan, "Development and Spirituality: Personal Reflections of a
Catholic," Internet document (Global Education Associates),
http://www.globaleduc.org/dolan.htm, p. 11 249 Fr. Luis Dolan, "Development and
Spirituality: Personal Reflections of a Catholic," Internet document (Global
Education Associates), http://www.globaleduc.org/dolan.htm, p. 12 250 See, for example,
his two articles in the URI Journal: "Becoming the Community of Religions: The
Necessity of a Vital Collaboration Among Interfaith Organizations," Journal of the
United Religions Initiative, issue 3, Summer 1997, and "The Interfaith Movement Must
Be Based on Prophetic Courage," Journal of the United Religions Initiative, Spring
1997 251 "Jean Houston On Line supports: World Tibet Day," 1998, Internet
document, http://www.jeanhouston.org/global.mindfulness/Tibet/3.html, pp. 2, 6 252 The
American Heritage(r) Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright (c) 1992
by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from InfoSoft International, Inc.
All rights reserved. 253 Brother Wayne Teasdale, "Becoming the Community of
Religions: The Necessity of a Vital Collaboration Among Interfaith Organizations,"
Journal of the United Religions Initiative, issue 3, Summer 1997, pp. 14-15 254 Charles
Gibbs, "Report from the Executive Director," Journal of the United Religions
Initiative, issue 3, Summer 1997, p. 2 255 "Voices of the Light," No. 15, July
1, 1997; electronic newsletter of the United Communities of Spirit; Internet document,
http://origin.org/ucs/text/vol015.htm, p. 3 256 United Religions Initiative, The United
Religions Initiative Workbook - Draft Workbook for Pilot Groups, p. 2 257 Josef Boehle
(Coordinator, URI Europe), "United Religions Initiative," Internet document,
http://members.tripod.com/~hknrp/religions.htm, p. 3 258 "URI in the world," URI
Update, no. 5, spring 1999, p. 4 259 "URI in the world," URI Update, no. 5,
spring 1999, p. 5 260 Global Education Associates, "International Education
Council," Internet document, http://globaleduc.org/edcouncil.htm, p. 3 261 United
Religions Initiative, "Highlights URI Global Summit III," leaflet issued July
1998, front page 262 Interview by Lee Penn of Fr. Gerard O'Rourke, May 4, 1998 263
Leadership Conference of Women Religious, "Update ... Update ... Update,"
Internet document, http://www.paulist.org/lcwr/Newsltr.html, p. 6 264 Fr. Ruben J.
Villote, "Like The Wind Blowing Where It Pleases," Philippine Daily Inquirer,
Internet document, http://www.inquirer.net/mags/may99wk4/mag_9.htm, pp. 1-2 265 United
Religions Initiative, "What People Will Be Doing ... ," Internet document,
http://www.united-religions.org/72hours/doing.htm; United Religions Initiative, "Some
Early Supporters ... ," Internet document,
http://www.united-religions.org/72hours/supporters.htm 266 Dennis Delman, "Peace
Projects Proliferate for 72 Hours at the Millennium," Pacific Church News, June/July
1999, p. 21 267 Paul Chaffee, "Ring of Breath Around the World: A Report on the
United Religions Initiative Global Conference," document issued in the summer of 1997
by the United Religions Initiative, p. 3 268 Bruce Schuman, "Letter to Drs. Leonard
Swidler and Ingrid Shafer," Internet document,
http://web-wiz.com/origin/uri/uri007.htm, p. 1; see also, curriculum vitae of Leonard
Swidler, Internet document, http://blue.temple.edu/~dialogue/swidvit.html, p. 1. Swidler
attended the 1997 URI summit meeting. 269 St. Catherine Review, "Theology of Dr. Paul
F. Knitter," Internet document,
http://www.aquinas-multimedia.com/catherine/theoknitter.html, pp. 4,6,7 (including
quotations from a textbook of which Knitter was co-author) 270 Bob Buse, "Xavier
Theology Professor's Threefold Denial," St. Catherine Review, Internet document,
http://www.aquinas-multimedia.com/catherine/knitter.html, pp. 4,5 271 Curriculum vitae of
Leonard Swidler, Internet document, http://blue.temple.edu/~dialogue/swidvit.html, pp.
5-8, 12 272 Bishop William Swing, "The United Religions Initiative," document
issued in April 1996, p. 6 273 Bishop William Swing, "The Surprise Factor,"
Pacific Church News, June/July 1996, p. 10 274 Adoremus Bulletin, "Hans Küng:
Vatican Rehab or Challenge to Change?," May/June 1998, Vol. IV, no. 3, Internet
document, http://www.adoremus.org/Kungweb.html, p. 1 275 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Salt
of the Earth: Christianity and the Catholic Church at the End of the Millennium - An
Interview with Peter Seewald, translated by Adrian Walker, Ignatius Press, San Francisco,
1997, ISBN 0-89870-640-8; p. 96
