Elizabeth Johnson says that the Bishops misinterpret her thoughts and draw conclusions that “paint an incorrect picture of the fundamental line of thought the book develops.”
The U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine has critiqued Elizabeth Johnson’s “Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God.” A statement issued by the committee says that because of the book’s unacceptable departures from the Catholic theological tradition and the fact that the book is directed primarily to an audience of non-specialist readers and is being used as a textbook for study of the doctrine of God, “the Committee on Doctrine finds itself obligated to state publicly that the doctrine of God presented in Quest for the Living God does not accord with authentic Catholic teaching on essential points.”
Spokesperson Cardinal Wuerl said “The Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine is always open to dialogue with theologians and would welcome an opportunity to discuss Sister Elizabeth’s writings with her.”
Sister Elizabeth in reply stated:
“I would have been glad to enter into conversation to clarify critical points, but was never invited to do so,” said Johnson. “This book was discussed and finally assessed by the Committee before I knew any discussion had taken place.” She said that as a result of the lack of dialog, the bishops’ statement “radically misinterprets what I think, and what I in fact wrote.”
Source
The Catholic Review
Bishops’ Committee Press Release
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