The Burr in the Burgh

I disagreed with Pope John Paul II on important doctrinal matters. Otherwise, I would be a Roman Catholic instead of a Lutheran. However, with the passing of this giant figure of the 20th century, I must confess that I had long held a certain admiration for him. For the bulk of his papacy - until poor health overtook him - he was dynamic, outgoing and winsome. Yet, he was a firm traditionalist who sought to guard the church as well as advance it. I respect that. And who could not be impressed with a man who survived an assassin's bullet and visited the malefactor in prison to offer his forgiveness?

It seems to me that there were three, maybe four, great individuals who were chiefly responsible for the demise of the Soviet Union. Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbechev, and John Paul II (Margaret Thatcher too). People don't always realize the impact it made on the shape of the world to elect a Polish (Easter bloc) pope during the Cold War.

One of the chief reasons I have long been an admirer of this pope has been his clear, steadfast and articulate defense of the sanctity of human life. Wasn't it he who coined the terms "culture of death" and "culture of life" which politicians have used in campaign speeches and presidential inaugurations and which have been, amazingly, so much on the lips of the media with the recent torturous murder of Terri Schiavo?

My confession of a certain admiration for the deceased pontiff (God rest him) doesn't mean I'm a Romanizing Lutheran. The doctrinal differences between Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism are still very significant. I'd be the last person to sweep this under the rug for the sake of togetherness.

I recall attending an ecumenical gathering one time in Fort Wayne, IN. There were three speakers: Kurt Marquart (of the LC-MS), a theologian from the ELCA whose name I honestly cannot recall, and Cardinal Edward Cassidy, the Vatican's chief ecumenical officer at the time. And honestly, I thought that, of the three, Marquart and Cassidy were much more on the same page regarding the ecumenical task. The ELCA guy, as I recall, gave a bland talk about love and unity and other etheric abstractions. Both Marquart and Cassidy said, in their own ways, that unity of belief is the basis for true unity in the church. The ELCA guy seemed to want to blur doctrinal distinctives, to focus on the lowest common denominators, for the sake of some institutional oneness. Boy, was he out of touch. The LCMS and the Vatican were both saying that day that we can't ignore our differences. True unity springs from having a united confession of faith...and we don't. But we should prayerfully and humbly strive for that via dialogue and debate.

My favorite Biblical verse regarding ecumenism is 1 Corinthian 1:10. "I appeal to you , brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought."

One of my parishoners referred me to this very informative article from the New York Times about the processes involved in the selection of the new Bishop of Rome. You will have to register, but it's free, easy and worthwhile.

Rev. Gerald Kieschnick, president of the LCMS, had this to say about the death today of the Bishop of Rome.