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Australian Archbishop Removed Pectoral Cross for Lecture in Synagogue

At the end of June, Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher, 64, gave a talk at the local synagogue in honour of the late Rabbi Raymond Apple (1935-2024).

As usual, the former Dominican was dressed in his white Dominican habit. But Archbishop Fisher had removed the pectoral cross he usually wears.

Monsignor Fisher is a conservative and one of the better bishops in the episcopate.

The two pictures below of him without the pectoral cross in the synagogue were released by the Archdiocese of Sydney itself.

Archbishop Fisher's grandmother was Jewish. In his lecture, he supported the idea that there was no essential religious difference between Jews before and after Jesus Christ [with the former expecting and the latter rejecting God incarnate].

Fisher called it "the supersessionist heresy" that Christians had "replaced the Jews as God's chosen people".

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Dr Bobus

I agree with him about SupersessIonism. The questioning whether he falls into the contrary error, the Double Covenant theory. i.e. one covenant for the Jews, another for Christians.
The two covenants are qualitatively different.

Simon North

Just curious: are you referring to salvationist supersessionism or restoration supersessionism? Do you really believe that supersessionism is a heresy?

Brendan Davies

'Supersessionism' is literally Catholic doctrine on Judaism. Fisher - is just another devotee of the conciliar church sadly!

Dr Bobus

@Simon North
1. I never said Supersessionism was a heresy.
2. I did say the Double Covenant theory was wrong.
3a. Salvation is used differently in the Old testament vs the New. In the OT it generally means saving Jews from their human enemies. In the Nt it refers to saving soul(s) from the fires of hell for punishment of sin.
3b. This is a reason why St Thomas says that Old Law refers to temporal matters, relations between people. and the New Law refers to eternal matters, relations between human soul(s) and God.
3c. It is also a reason why I say the two Covenants are of a different quality.
3d. Thus, the Old Law is the antetype of the New Law.

Simon North

I would very much enjoy a clarifying discussion about this topic with you - but in my experience comboxes are frustratingly limited for such a discussion. You said that you agreed with the Bishop (about whom the article was about) - and he said that supersessionism was a heresy - ergo my conclusion that you agreed with him.

Dr Bobus

Sorry for the delay. If I received a notification that someone responded, I missed it.
I know the bishop referred to heresy. Generally, I would not use that word to described something as complex as supersessioism. I would, however, described the Double Covenant theory as heretical, simply because it implicitly denies the universality of the Christ's Life and Death.
If I might finish thoughts on supersessionism:
a. An essential part of the Old Law are the moral precepts (10 Commandments). If those are superseded, what is left but antinomianism and some flabby “spirituality” that denies human nature. In that sense, supersessionism can be considered heresy.
b. What members of the hierarchy say about Jews is just the lardy language of politics, informed (or perhaps more accurate, deformed) by theological illiteracy. In fact, in the past 50+ years the Church has seemed more concerned with making friends than making converts.
It is necessary to keep in mind that in the 9th Chapter of Romans the distinction is made between those who are just physical descendants of Abraham and those who are children of the promise, which of course is Messianic.
A few years ago I heard a Catholic intellectual, highly regarded for many years, speak who was a convert from Judaism: I was surprised to hear that 90% of American Jews are atheists. Obviously, that 90% does not refer to Jews who are children of the promise.

Simon North

I agree with you 100% about the Dual Covenant theory being heretical. Our Lord Himself, however, solves the non-dilemma regarding the precepts of the Old Law: He says blatantly that He came to perfect them, not abolish them (thereby excluding any notion of antinomianism). As regard your point (b) above: I think you're being a bit optimistic. It isn't a matter of politics when theologians such as Ratzinger outright say that that Church has no mission of proselytism to Judaism - only a dialogical one. That is outrageous - and generally reflective of the universal salvationism of post-Nostra Aetate ecclesiology and missiology.

Simon North

@Dr Bobus Please see my response to your most recent comment.

Jeffrey Ade

And in all this does anyone see the Mossad operative?

Dr Bobus

This theological question preceded the existence of Mossad by several hundred years.

P. O'B

Nothing new. During the John Paul II years, the Vatican was hosting a Holocaust commemoration. Crucifixes were removed from the room of the event.

mccallansteve

Wow! Such courage of the bishop. I believe that the apostles never wanted to offend the Jews, too.

Simon North

He's a traitorous piece of human debris.

We Catholics certainly do not want to offend anyone these days, right?

Ari B

Would a muslima remove her hijab? Would a hindu remove his/her bindi? Absolutely not. It is only the Christian who must remove all signs of their religion in the West.

Malki Tzedek

And, even if they did, divorcing ourselves from our affiliation with our Savior is not the act any committed Catholic should do. Christ commanded us to spread His message to all the world whether it made us, or others, 'comfortable' or not.

Irishpol

Yes, perhaps certain Christian religious organization feel politically compelled to publicly deny their affiliation with Jesus Christ, and this example of a Conciliar bishop doing just that is almost expected.
But one can rest assured that a faithful Catholic bishop, especially an FSSPX bishop, would sooner offer their life than to deny Christ.

yes they are not cristians

Malki Tzedek

Disappointing to say the least. An invertebrate 'prince' of the Church.

He is ashamed of Christ. What a zero, not a hero, but a Nero.

K K

"Monsignor Fisher is a conservative and one of the better bishops in the episcopate."
How so?

yevgenypetr

He looks well fed though.

He is ostensibly 'pro-life' and not pro-gay although he supported the toxic gene-serum.