Voice of the Faithful ®

In what may well be an unprecedented response by a Pope to a request from a non-hierarchical source, Pope Francis has acknowledged receiving the “Catholic Scholars’ Declaration on Authority in the Catholic Church” from a group of theologians.

Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, Substitute for General Affairs, the Pope’s personal secretary, wrote to thank John Wijngaards, professor emeritus of the Missionary Institute London, for sending the statement, “whose contents have been seen with due interest.”

Wijngaards was among the original group of theologians who recently sent the Pope the declaration, which to-date has been signed by 214 academic sponsors and nearly 2,500 co-signers.