Why are the Protestants at R&S so surprised?

Question

Haven't the Catholics here been saying over and over, on a daily basis, that the Catholic Church is the one true Church, founded by Christ?

Did the Protestants think we just made that up? Didn't they realize that what we were saying was our Church's teaching?

So why are the Protestants so surprised at the recent Papal statement, which only reiterates what already was the Church's stance?

I honestly don't get the current uproar here at R&S. It's the same thing Catholics here have been saying every day.

Anyone care to explain why this is such a surprise to some of you here?

Answer 1

Greetings. I don't know why the Protestants are so surprised by the statement either. They tell us Catholics that we had been wrong for eons and then proceed to say some trash about how we are the Whore of Babylon. Interesting thing is I see more love coming from Catholics than these finger-pointers. Guess we are supposed to be doormats to be trampled on. Protestants don't believe in the Catholic Church anyway so why does it matter to them that the Pope said something to clarify and teach the faith to Catholics. Maybe the Protestants are surprised that the Pope decided to call it like it is in the face of the the World.

Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Answer 2

When the Eastern Orthodox claim to be the True Church(es)there is no uproar.
When the myriads of conflicting Fundamentalist Protestants claim to be the true Church ,there is no uproar.
When the Mormons claim to be the True Church ,there is no uproar
When the Cambellite Church of Christ claims to be theTrue Church ,there is no uproar
When the Jws claimto be the true Church, there is no uproar

When Muslims,Jews,Bahais,tec. claim to be the true"Church",there is no uproar

BUT when the Catholic Church repeats what she's been saying for 20000 years that she is the True Church, through which the others have what truth they borrow,there is quite an UPROAR!

Am I suprised? NO Am I suprised thatwhat we see about this is misinformation and distortion and denunciation? NO

Answer 3

It's a curious thing, this reaction. Though as has been happening for centuries, protestants react to what they THINK has been said instead of what has truly been expressed.

The reaction to this statement falls relatively in line with how protestants get fired up about the Catholic Church's teachings when they've never bothered to look them up and understand their meaning or basis. Man, if only they bothered reading our Catechism! The pope is merely revisiting our common beliefs. (By the way- shame on any catholic to whom this is news to or who believes that the pontiff's statement is uncouth.)

This is my favorite assumption, though. Revisited time and time again by protestants: "CLEARLY the Catholic Church believes that all other denominations are going to hell" - Au contraire mon freir! This is a blatant issue of the pot calling the kettle black! From a group of people that prides itself on calling our mother Church a whore, this is despicable. Again- if only someone would read the Catechism. (CCC: 819.) Shame that the one group who believes that there is truth and sanctification outside of its own confines is chided so.

Sad day. I hope that this statement, however, will force people to search for the truth and find it within the confines of Christ's one church!

May you be blessed.

Answer 4

The Catholic Church is the first and original Christian Church, the one that Jesus Himself founded. It was built upon the rock of St. Peter, the first Bishop of Rome (the first Pope) as the scriptures state.
So you are right why would anyone be suprised or offended by the Pope spelling out this fact?
Perhaps they think that Jesus made a stupid mistake when He built His Church on the rock of St. Peter? And maybe they think Jesus also made a stupid mistake when He told St. Peter 'to you do I give the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven' and 'the gates of Hell will never prevail against my Church' and 'whatsoever you bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatsoever you loose on Earth will be loosed in Heaven' ? And do they think Jesus made a stupid mistake when he said to the Apostles 'whose sins you forgive they are forgiven, and whose sins you retain they are retained'?

Apparently all these Johnny come lately's think they know better than Jesus and the original Church He founded. They must think that the likes of king Henry viii and his decendants (or perhaps themselves) are better suited to to decide what Christians should believe, than the doctrine decided by St. Peter, the Apostles and the early Christian Fathers and their lawful successors.
There is only One, Holy and Catholic APOSTOLIC Church. Which was founded by Jesus on the Rock of Peter. This first, original Church is still with us in spite of many attacks on it though the centuries (the gates of Hell have not prevailed against it, even though Satan is constantly attacking and trying to destroy it).

Those who so fond of trying to prove the Catholic Church wrong by quoting the Bible, must have forgotten that exactly what went into the Bible was decided by none other than the Catholic Church.
The Bible therefore is the manual and handbook of the Catholic Church. So these Protestants and other sects have a breathtaking audacity to take the Catholic Church's own book (the Bible) and then try to tell everyone that they know better how to interpret this Bible than the Church that compiled it.
If you want to know what the Bible means, then go ask the Church that compiled it, not the self-styled Johnny come lately's who have the arrogance to think they know better.

Answer 5

Okay, just taking a step back and looking at this objectively...

Many, if not most of our American clerics have given the impression that Protestants--not to mention people of other faiths--need not convert to come to salvation. In other words, they act like everyone is innocently ignorant, which should be up to God to judge. We shouldn't use the hypothetical possibility of innocent ignorance as an excuse to fail in being entirely frank to our separated brethren that they are likely in mortal sin. We fail them if we do.

Now, the Pope comes out and proclaims the immortal teaching of the Body of Christ, and it runs contrary to what most Protestants are used to hearing from Catholic Bishops and Priests. Thus, they are shocked. I understand and sympathize, because I believe that the clergy in America is failing miserably to preach the Catholic Faith.

Answer 6

I'm not quite sure either. Every church out there claims they are following the true path, so the surprise factor should be virtually non-existent.

However, people tend to get easily offended when they are told what they are doing is wrong, especially concerning things that have no evidence supporting the claim (or the opposite).

Is the public statement perhaps a little tactless? Yes. Surprising? Not at all.

Answer 7

Since the Catholic Church is a counterfeit, I am not surprised by anything coming out of the Vatican. Pope Benedict is a front man who does what he's told to do--period.

It would have been impossible for Christ to have founded the Catholic Church, since he had already been resurrected and was seated at the right hand of God when this counterfeit movement began. it is as ridiculous as the Vatican's claim of the Apostle Peter being the first pope. Absolutely ridiculous. But why be surprised? Pope Benedict is just another liar, stemming from a long line of habitual LIARS. If you want to believe that crap, go ahead.

Answer 8

they don't seem to know all that much about the catholic church.

they must have skipped over this when reading the chick tracts and other protestant propaganda against catholics. or the pastor failed to mention it when he was telling them why not to be catholic.

Answer 9

Anyone who has actually read up on the history of Christianity and the origins of the Bible would know this anyway.

Why would you call yourself a Christian if you don't even know how your religion started, or even the definition of a church for that matter?

Answer 10

It is hard to swallow when it is part of a belief system. But it should lead them hopefully into a further truth. The Bible can only take them so far into the faith which leaves them wanting. As Catholics this is what we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who have reverence for the word of God