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Defending the papal church, without reason
















Here is a letter I received about the papal condemnation of Meister Eckhart:

I am a Roman Catholic who was married in a Roman Catholic Church with a stained glass window of Meister Eckhart. The reason I mention this is to emphasize that his statements were declared heretical, not he himself.

In fact, if those who run this site [The Meister Eckhart Site] were true disciples of Eckhart, they would bow to the Church just as he did, and admit that these statements are, when taken in certain senses, heretical. [cf. The Papal Condemnation of Meister Eckhart]

Moreover, anyone who understood the essence of faith as Eckhart did, that it is the habit of mind whereby we assent to the First Truth qua First Truth, would hold with love to Christ’s own words: “He who hears you, hears ME” and observe the right and proper authority of the successor of Peter to whom Christ entrusted authority over the Church in the manner in which that same Church has declared it continuously over Her 2,000 year history.

You may be able to understand these statements in an unheretical way – but wisdom would be able to see that God’s judgment, as manifest through His Vicar on earth, is true, and not the judgment of a man – something which eckhart himself would tell you today if you listened.

I intend no polemics here, but just to share my opinion and to hear what you think in response. God bless!

Dear Joseph,

It seems that the papal church now allows silently some sort of appreciation, spontaneously coming from certain circles, concerning Meister Eckhart. I believe you will agree that a stained glass of the Meister is not something common, rather a very rare and recent exception.

All this time, since his (actual) condemnation, many members of the papal church have expressed their appreciation and even veneration, opposing de facto the authority of the pope who never officially restored Eckhart’s standing.

1 Comment

  1. Jose de Jesus

    Reading here both the mail and the commentary I want to say that I agree with the commentary or response to the mail. I recognize the Bishop of Rome as being in the seat of Peter the apostle, and as such having a symbolic presidency, but cannot accept that from that follows infallibility. There is not such a thing in humans. I was born in the Roman Catholic Church, and as soon as I learned about the Orthodox Catholic Church wonder about the fact that it has the word Orthodox as his name, recognized by the Roman Church and felt that for some reason it is so. Later, with the years I learned also that something very important seems to be lacking in the Roman Church and then found that this very thing is not lacking in Eckhart teachings and it is also not missing in the Orthodox Church. Now that a new Bishop of Rome has been chosen and looking at the invitation and assistance of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, I have great hopes that these things are going to be properly addressed. Maybe, this is precisely the Pope called Petrus Romanus, as in Malachy words, and if the unity of the Church is going to be achieved, it certainly requires a redefinition, on the part of the Roman Church, of what the Presidency of the Roman Bishop means and, who knows, maybe we will not need another Pope, as we know now, and the Bishop of Rome will only be that, which is already all it is. My is the view of a lay christian that calls himself just Catholic and living in Latin America. I just discovered this very interesting website while reading and searching about Meister Eckhart.

    Jose de Jesus.