“In contrast with the doctrine of the Catholic Church”. This is how the emeritus bishop of Breda, mgr. Huub Ernst, censured the “Kerk en Ambt” (Church and Ministry) brochure that was given away in late August by the Dutch Dominican friars in the country’s 1,300 parishes. The text seems to reflect theses that are close to those of Edward Schillebeeckx who in the Eighties was censored by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, led by the then card. Ratzinger. The brochure (38 pages) proposes that the Eucharist should be celebrated, lacking priests, by lay people as well, “it makes no difference if they are men or women, homosexual or heterosexual, married or unmarried”. In a radio interview on 16th September, mgr. Ernst defined the content of the brochure as “ambiguous”, “wrong” and “of no significance”. “The Dominican friars – he stated – show only a part of the discussion. If one carefully reads the text, one can see that the conclusion is a true call to take action. The Dominican friars would have needed very different opinions, outside their circle. It is a subject that should be addressed in a broader circle than that of a province of the Order. By its very nature, it is not for the parishes, but for all the Church, including the Bishops. When the Bishops are left out of the dialogue, one is already taking position”.
