by William de Lara
I came across this very exciting and far-reaching development in theology as I was doing some random readings. It is surprising that so little of this earth-shattering development has reached mainstream thought. If there is anything that can reconcile Universalists with the Catholic Church, it is the way our pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor John Paul II, embraced the theology of Urs Von Balthasar. John Paul II commanded Von Balthasar (a former Jesuit) under his oath of obedience, to accept the office of Cardinal. He had already twice refused, out of a sense of humility. Under orders, he finally accepted the appointment when he suddenly died two days before he was to be conferred the honor. Von Balthasar’s theology is a theology of hope, not of faith.
Because the doctrine of hell is so embedded in tradition, he does not contradict this doctrine. He simply states that it is possible that Christ’s act of salvation included the conquest of hell, and that Holy Saturday is a significant feast because at this time, Christ descended into hell and possibly redeemed all that were there and all who will be there for all time. He even speculates that Christ allowed himself to suffer the pains of hell with total abandonment from his divine self, just to redeem, not a few, but all men.
He reasons that a God of infinite love and mercy probably would embrace all humanity because all men/women are his creation, and he loves all with an infinite love. Pope Benedict XVI actually commemorated his death anniversary with a eulogy and Henry de Lubac, SJ, the famed theologian predicts that his thoughts will influence all future theology. Pope Benedict’s first encyclical, “Deus Caritas Est,” is the starting premise from which logically flows Von Balthasar’s philosophy of hope. Pope Benedict once remarked: “one can hope (it is permissible to hope) that hell is empty.”
This is the exact position of Von Balthasar. So we can all delight in the possibilities of the future of theology. Our pope is not only brilliant and faithful to core values of the church but full of the true virtue of charity and the openness of hope. The implications on ecumenism are staggering. He says that God literally loves everyone, and it is permissible to hope that this love saves every one of all faiths ultimately – that the gates of hell shall not prevail against this love.