The National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN) has called on Pope John Paul to silence the prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
In an open letter to the Pope they say: "In your encyclical, That all May Be One (1995), you asked, `What changes need to be made in the exercise of papal authority that could make the papal office a source of unity rather than division among Christians?'
"We would like you to consider silencing Cardinal Ratzinger."
At their annual board meeting in Mankato, Minnesota they expressed dismay that the Dominus Iesus document, recently published by the CDF, might undo "the progress of four decades of interfaith dialogue and experience."
"With Catholics making up less than 20 per cent of the world's population, it is unimaginable that God is not present in the remaining 80 per cent and that their religions are `gravely deficient'," they said.
In his 1995 encyclical, they tell Pope John Paul, "you moved us toward deeper ecumenical dialogue. So we are appalled by Cardinal Ratzinger's issuing of Dominus Iesus which is contradictory to your openness and invitation to dialogue . . .
"Cardinal Ratzinger sees the goal of dialogue as the conversion of the other party. This attitude creates barriers to dialogue and fosters religious arrogance and bigotry."
The Pope's encyclical was a contrast with Dominus Iesus "where humility appears to be replaced by haughtiness and love for the truth by as certitude of possessing the fullness of the truth".
They called on theologians teaching at Catholic colleges and universities to refuse to seek permission to teach theology from their local bishop, as required by the instruction Ex Corde Ecclesiae, "in order to honour academic freedom and to maintain the authenticity of Catholic institutions of higher learning."
And they applauded the stand of Sister Jeannine Gramick in choosing to be faithful to her conscience. Sister Gramick, an advocate for gay and lesbian Catholics, was removed from her ministry by the Vatican last year for refusing to say if she agreed with the church's position on the "intrinsic evil" of homosexual love.
In May this year, the Vatican ordered her not to speak about her silencing under penalty of dismissal.
