Pope Benedict now says Protestants are "not Christian"?

Question

I am so happy I left the Catholic Church. Their corruption is becoming more and more evident now. Protestants, be happy that you are not part of this abomination. And Catholics, please choose the same road I did and escape this Hell.

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56612

Meg M-

Please read the article and please spare me your Catholic propaganda. I had enough of it after I finally left that snakepit.

Answer 1

Glad you recognize the folly of... their ways... The Catholic church has always left me in awe... and not the good kind

Answer 2

Just as a kind suggestion, perhaps you are unaware of the Eastern Orthodoxy Byzantine Church (known also as Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox, etc.). They are not in communion with the Pope of Rome, and reconciliation between Rome and the Orthodox Church is a long long way off if it could ever happen. Their faiths are too different.

Points about the Orthodox Church:
1. There is no Infallible Pope, only a 'first among equals'. The Ecumenical Councils alone are considered infallible, as they represent the entire Church universally in agreement as to what the Church's doctrine has always been.

2. Apostolic succession is not a line of people appointed by an Apostle alone, but it is the line of appointed patriarchs which have not deviated from the doctrinal understanding of the Church. If a Patriarch, bishop, or whatever, deviates from the doctrine which the Church has upheld since its beginning in 33 AD, that clergy member is no longer in Apostolic Succession and may be removed from his position in the Church if he does not submit to the Church's historical understanding.

3. There is no Filioque. We read the Nicene-Constantinopalian Creed as it is written. This does not affect the validity of Jesus being equally God as the Word Incarnate.

4. The Virgin Mary is not considered to have remained totally sinless through the entirety of her life, but only during that period when she bore the Christ-Child in her womb.

5. The Orthodox Church accepts not the Latin Vulgate, which used the Masoretic(sp) Jewish text of the Old Testament, which the Jews had been changing and rewording to exclude Christ from the Bible at the time the Vulgate was being translate. It rather recognizes the Greek Septuagint, which was preserved by the Church and quoted from by all of the Epistle writers in the NT exclusively when they refered to the OT Scriptures. The Septuagint has been translated into English. The Orthodox Church will finish a modern English translation with commentary on the Septuagint by this Spring (we expect).

6. Our understanding of Original Sin is very different from Rome's understanding. You are not born guilty, but born with a tendency towards sin. Therefore, unbaptized infants are not necessarily Hell bound. This is more involved though, and would encourage that you talk to an Orthodox Priest to get the comparison here if you are interested. Don't worry, the priest wont beat you with the Bible or with Church Doctrine (in my experience). He'll just give you straight answers.

7. Those outside the Church aren't necessarily damned. We do not limit God's work to the Church alone, but we testify that the Orthodox Church does receive the Fullness of the Grace of God (in that it lacks nothing necessary to aid you in your efforts towards salvation).

So the point is, Protestantism is not the default choice if you have a problem with Roman Catholicism. Eastern Orthodoxy is worth looking into.

Answer 3

Ok....all protestants came from the Catholic church, so it's not like you truely escaped...just stepped to the side...

When you were Catholic, you didn't have to listen to that. It's called free will....if your church now says "every church but us are not christians" are you going to say they're corrupt and that church is an abomination? No....

There is something else between you and the Catholic church, but what?


And I agree with Meg M....why read what someone else thinks about the document when you can read the document it'self....


Example, I can say "In a recent document released by the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI stated that the moon is heaven, and the angels are the little green creatures!"

does that make it true? with your logic it does....and no this isn't Catholic propaganda, I'm not Catholic.

Answer 4

No. The Pope did not even speak. He simply approve a 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 5

i could read the news article or go directly to the official site to read the whole document,where i will find the entire document free of secular opinion or free from protestant bias in any way.

the catholic church has always maintained that it is the one true church. the pope is reiterating a long held truth. non catholics are considered our seperated brothers and sisters in christ. they are free to salvation just like we are and hold some truth but not the fullness of truth the catholic faithfull belief can be found only in the roman catholic church.
try these sites
www.scripturecatholic.com
www.catholiceducation.org
www.fisheaters.com
www.vatican.va
www.askmeaboutgod.org

Answer 6

I don't see why this story is making the headlines.

Protestants say "Catholics aren't Christians" every day.

Whether or not they state it publicly, both sides view the other as a band of heretics. If they didn't, they would still be the same church.

The Pope has done nothing but restate old doctrine. There is nothing new about it at all.

Answer 7

>>Pope Benedict now says Protestants are "not Christian"?<<

Please do not bear false witness. The document says nothing of the sort. Non-Catholic Christians are referred to as just that -- Christians.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070629_responsa-quaestiones_en.html

>>Please read the article<<

Are you for real? Why would I need to read an article ABOUT the document when I can read the ACTUAL DOCUMENT?

Answer 8

It is not a new doctrine. The Catholic Church just kept silent about it after Vatican II for the sake of ecumenism.

Answer 9

If thats not a cry of ego, I dont know what it is. All I can say is I hope God blesses him and that he finds the Bible and follows it, rather than being one of the false prophets that the bible itself talks about.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Answer 10

You don't read very well. Neither the news article nor the original document say any such thing.

Answer 11

And I quote: "Christ 'established here on earth' only one church",said the document..............

That He did, and nowhere in my Bible do I see Him mention Catholics or any other denomination. The "true church" is the body of Christ. Personally, the Pope's document means nothing to me. He isn't the first to make such claims, nor will he likely be the last.