Vatican denounces book, suspends U.S. Jesuit from teaching Catholic theology

Vatican City, Feb 8, 2005 / 22:00 pm

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has denounced the book “Jesus: Symbol of God” by American Jesuit Fr. Roger Haight as containing "grave doctrinal errors,” reported John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter.

As a result, Fr. Haight has been prohibited from teaching Catholic theology "until his positions have been corrected so as to be in full conformity with the doctrine of the Church," said the notification from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The book was reviewed in 2000, and the Congregation for Catholic Education ordered him suspended from the Jesuit-run Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass., soon after. 

Fr. Haight is currently an adjunct professor at the non-Catholic Union Theological Seminary in New York, reported Allen.

The notification presents seven criticisms of the book but does not say the book contains "heresy." It also does not prevent the Jesuit from publishing.

Among the seven criticisms is that the book challenges that Christ existed as the divine Word of God prior to his incarnation as Jesus. In addition, the book presents Jesus as a human being who "mediated" the saving presence of God, as opposed to being truly divine and truly human.

Allen reported that Fr. Haight has described his book as an attempt to express traditional doctrines in a post-modern culture.