Wednesday, September 26, 2007
FATHER PETER PHAN
John Allen has written a fascinating account of the doctrinal difficulties Vietnamese-American theologian Father Peter Phan has gotten himself into with the Vatican.
Among Father Phan's more controversial ideas is that "God doesn't necessarily want everybody to be Christian." He believes that one can be a Hindu Catholic or a Buddhist Catholic, for instance.
Father Phan is "currently a professor at Georgetown University" and in 2001 he "became the first non-Caucasian to serve as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America." He also advises the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences.
Another interesting twist to Father Phan's thinking is that "before agreeing to sit down and respond to critical observations from the Vatican and the American bishops, Father Phan has insisted upon being paid for his trouble."
