Jesuit Scholar Suspended from Teaching
by Vatican For “Grave Doctrinal Errors”

The National Catholic Reporter and other news outlets report that, after a five-year investigation, the Vatican has suspended the teaching authority of Jesuit priest Fr. Roger Haight and denounced Haight’s 1999 book, Jesus: Symbol of God, on grounds that the book contains "grave doctrinal errors against the divine and Catholic doctrine of
the church."  The Vatican criticized Haight’s book for, among other things:

• insisting that theological methods be plausible and intelligible in "post-modern" culture;
• undercutting the doctrine of the pre-existence of Jesus;
• treating the doctrine of Jesus’ divinity as a symbol;
• denying that Christianity is the only path to salvation;
• suggesting that belief in the Resurrection is not essential to the faith.

I guess I’ll have to read the book, because what the Vatican regards as doctrinal error, others may see
as an honest examination of other possible explanations of the "data."  I’ll bet that the Vatican’s action will boost the book’s sales.

If you happen to read Italian, you can read the text of the Vatican’s "notification" document, or you can read a Google translation in awkward but understandable English.

(Hat tip to TItusOneNine.)