If you ain't Catholic, you ain't a church?

Question

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19692094/

Pope Benedict XVI has reaffirmed that the Catholic Church is the ONLY church, all other demoniations, Orthodox and Protestant are not true churches. That has to hurt, coming from God's one true spokesman.

They are not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the “means of salvation.”

Answer 1

Catholicism is based on the idea that governing of the church was handed to Peter...and so on to Benedict XVI. This somewhat negates the purpose of the death of Christ.
Jesus Christ died in order to give direct access to heaven without having to go through any man.
Nothing against Catholics, but I need no man telling me that he is the mediator between myself and God. I have a direct line, much thanks to Jesus Christ.

Answer 2

You are mistaken. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued the document (with Pope Benedict XVI's approval) that said, "Christian Communities born out of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century," cannot be called churches, rather they should be called ecclesial communities because, " According to Catholic doctrine, these Communities do not enjoy apostolic succession in the sacrament of Orders, and are, therefore, deprived of a constitutive element of the Church. These ecclesial Communities which, specifically because of the absence of the sacramental priesthood, have not preserved the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic Mystery cannot, according to Catholic doctrine, be called 'Churches' in the proper sense."

So it did not say anything about the Orthodox Church because it has apostolic sucession, and therefore it can be called a Church.

P.S. Don't always go by what the secular media has to say about Church affairs.

Answer 3

Here is the full text of the new document that states nothing new: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070629_responsa-quaestiones_en.html

Most Christian denominations believe that each of them is the fullest version of the Church of Christ.

While the Catholic Church also believes that she is "the highest exemplar" of the mystery that is the Church of Christ, she does not claim that non-Catholic Churches are not truly Christian. The Catholic Church teaches:

Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements.

Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church.

All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 819: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect2chpt3art9p3.htm#819

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

I used to be Protestant, have many Protestant friends that I am certain will go to heaven, I doubt that all Catholics will go to heaven.

And after 20 years of studying the Catholic Church and Theology, have to agree with the Pope.

That does not mean that we think non-Catholics are not Christians or that Christ is not present in their lives.

Sounds confusing, it is really simple if you do the homework.

(Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Peace and God Bless!

Answer 5

When I read the Bible I do not see the things that the Catholic Church teaches. I have not seen anything about purgatory in the Bible or that we can pray the dead into heaven. We are told to confess one to another--the catholic church insist that you go to a priest. The Bible states that we all priest & Jesus is our HIgh priest.

Answer 6

Where the Bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be;
even as where Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church'' Ignatius of Antioch, 1st c. A.D

Answer 7

Well, lets just sensationalize something that has been doctrine forever huh? This is not new. The article just clarifies it and people should be reading the article itself and not some hatchet job the anti- Catholic Media puts on.
http://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=80676

Answer 8

You & the pope are right I'm not a church I'm a christian who glows in the light of the church which is JESUS not religion or a building

Answer 9

Darn i thought they were maybe going to get closer to some kind of reunification. Oh well lets wait for the next 'Gods one representative on earth' and see if God changed his mind.

Answer 10

no it doesn't hurt at all. the only true Church is a bible based one.