"Hands Across the Church"

One of the initial fruits of the B16-Hans Kung Summit was the Pope's expressed "appreciation of the efforts of Prof Kung of contributing to a renewed recognition of the essential moral values of humanity in regards to the dialogue among religions and the encounter with secular reason."

I just spoke with an alumnus of Kung's from Tubingen who remains a great admirer and friend of his Doktorvater. He was thrilled to hear about the meeting. As he told me -- "They probably had supper, as they used to do every week. [Kung] always referred to [Ratzinger] as "Du" [the familiar "you" in German]. That probably didn't change either."

But this is a good kickoff to a much-needed "Hands Across the Church" initiative. By placing doctrine aside for their evening together, it could be said that Benedict XVI is sending a powerful message that only once a human engagement rooted in dialogue and goodwill is established can a teaching moment be pursued.

I can picture it now... Dom Bettinelli sharing Christian fellowship with Walter Cuenin.... Clayton and Quintero breaking bread -- in peace and charity -- with Cardinal Mahony.... Bruskewicz and the Review Board enjoying good times and sharing laughs.... The SSPX and Call to Action, all coming together.

Oh, wait -- the SSPX are objectively "out." I almost forgot about that. So let's make that the FSSP.

Who said "Catholic Common Ground" was only a Bernardin-esque project? The Pope has signed on, and everyone else would be wise to stop the screaming and follow.

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