He pointed out that Pope John Paul had specifically referred to this dialogue in his encyclical on ecumenism, Ut unum sint , published in 1995. There is no dispute about that. These churches do not wish to be churches like the Catholic Church. They do not retain the apostolic succession for the episcopate or the ministry of Peter, which for us are essential. So in fact Dominus Iesus does not signify any change in the Vatican's ecumenical policy.
Protestants say the same thing.
In an interview with Lutheran World Information in Geneva late in February, Cardinal Kasper also commented on Dominus Iesus , saying that the original controversy had now been more or less overcome. He felt that the pontifical council had succeeded in its attempt to clarify the misunderstandings that had arisen. The language of the statement was certainly different from that of the Second Vatican Council and from that used by Pope John Paul, and did not mention previous dialogues, Cardinal Kasper admitted. The new president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity is the right man to resume dialogue with Protestants affected by the declaration Dominus Iesus published by Cardinal Ratzinger last September. In Geneva, Konrad Raiser, general secretary of the World Council of Churches, welcomed Cardinal Kasper's appointment.