Pope John Paul seemed to respect everyone. The present Pope thinks non-catholics are inferior. Why bigotry?

Answer 1

Actually, what the Pope said was an old doctrine of the Church. After Vatican II, the Church kept quiet about it for the sake of ecumenical dialogue.
You should have read the story before you posted your question. Here is the story.

Pope: Other Christians not true churches
By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer Tue Jul 10, 3:59 PM ET

LORENZAGO DI CADORE, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI reasserted the primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says other Christian communities are either defective or not true churches and Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation.

The statement brought swift criticism from Protestant leaders. "It makes us question whether we are indeed praying together for Christian unity," said the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, a fellowship of 75 million Protestants in more than 100 countries.

"It makes us question the seriousness with which the Roman Catholic Church takes its dialogues with the reformed family and other families of the church," the group said in a letter charging that the document took ecumenical dialogue back to the era before the Second Vatican Council.

It was the second time in a week that Benedict has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-1965 meetings that modernized the church. On Saturday, Benedict revived the old Latin Mass — a move cheered by Catholic traditionalists but criticized by more liberal ones as a step backward from Vatican II.

Among the council's key developments were its ecumenical outreach and the development of the New Mass in the vernacular, which essentially replaced the old Latin Mass.

Benedict, who attended Vatican II as a young theologian, has long complained about what he considers its erroneous interpretation by liberals, saying it was not a break from the past but rather a renewal of church tradition.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which Benedict headed before becoming pope, said it was issuing the new document Tuesday because some contemporary theological interpretations of Vatican II's ecumenical intent had been "erroneous or ambiguous" and had prompted confusion and doubt.

The new document — formulated as five questions and answers — restates key sections of a 2000 text the pope wrote when he was prefect of the congregation, "Dominus Iesus," which riled Protestant and other Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the "means of salvation."

The commentary repeated church teaching that says the Catholic Church "has the fullness of the means of salvation."

"Christ 'established here on earth' only one church," said the document released as the pope vacations at a villa in Lorenzago di Cadore, in Italy's Dolomite mountains.

The other communities "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense" because they do not have apostolic succession — the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ's original apostles — and therefore their priestly ordinations are not valid, it said.

The Rev. Sara MacVane, of the Anglican Centre in Rome, said that although the document contains nothing new, "I don't know what motivated it at this time."

"But it's important always to point out that there's the official position and there's the huge amount of friendship and fellowship and worshipping together that goes on at all levels, certainly between Anglicans and Catholics and all the other groups and Catholics," she said.

The document said that Orthodox churches were indeed "churches" because they have apostolic succession and enjoyed "many elements of sanctification and of truth." But it said they do not recognize the primacy of the pope — a defect, or a "wound" that harmed them, it said.

"This is obviously not compatible with the doctrine of primacy which, according to the Catholic faith, is an 'internal constitutive principle' of the very existence of a particular church," said a commentary from the congregation that accompanied the text.

Despite the harsh tone, the document stressed that Benedict remains committed to ecumenical dialogue.

"However, if such dialogue is to be truly constructive it must involve not just the mutual openness of the participants, but also fidelity to the identity of the Catholic faith," the commentary said.

The top Protestant cleric in Benedict's homeland, Germany, complained the Vatican apparently did not consider that "mutual respect for the church status" was required for any ecumenical progress.

In a statement titled "Lost Chance," Lutheran Bishop Wolfgang Huber argued that "it would also be completely sufficient if it were to be said that the reforming churches are 'not churches in the sense required here' or that they are 'churches of another type' — but none of these bridges is used" in the Vatican document.

The Vatican statement, signed by the congregation prefect, American Cardinal William Levada, was approved by Benedict on June 29, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul — a major ecumenical feast day.

There was no indication why the pope felt it necessary to release it now, particularly since his 2000 document summed up the same principles.

Some analysts suggested it could be a question of internal church politics or that the congregation was sending a message to certain theologians it did not want to single out. Or, it could be an indication of Benedict using his office as pope to again stress key doctrinal issues from his time at the congregation.

In fact, the only theologian cited by name in the document for having spawned erroneous interpretations of ecumenism was Leonardo Boff, a Brazilian clergyman who left the priesthood and was a target of then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's crackdown on liberation theology in the 1980s.

Peace and blessings!

Answer 2

If you have not read the actual article, please do so, as it isn't very long and it explains the Catholic teaching more clearly than the headlines have done. Pope John Paul II did an excellent job of entering into ecumenical dialogue with other churches. While Benedict XVI doesn't seem to have the amount of good press that JPII had, ecumenism is still a very important part of the Roman Catholic fatih. What Benedict DID say was that churches separated from the RCC are lacking in something because they do not have a sacramental succession of clergy. For instance, in the Catholic faith, all Bishops were ordained by other Bishops and so on up the line up to the original Apostles. Hence, we believe that all our clergy come from Apostolic succession. Benedict was clear to say that other churches are used as instruments of salvation, again, he was just reaffirming the belief that the true fullness in Christ's church is found exclusively in the Catholic Church. There's nothing new in this encyclical, just a reminder. However, I think that the misinterpretations are causing more damage than this letter was intended to produce. Peace.

Answer 3

Pope John Paul the 2nd did respect and love everyone, which is why he was popular among all Christians AND Jews.
The current pope is a former Nazi, so bigotry comes quite naturally to him.

Answer 4

The current Pope simply re-iterated teachings expressed by the Second Vatican Council and found in a formal teaching document entitled "Dominus Iesus" (The Lord Jesus), which was promulgated during the papacy of John Paul II.

Answer 5

Since the new Pope was chosen, and was well known by the Cardinals that chose him, I guess that is what they wanted. Sad.

I'm not Catholic...but I thought Pope John Paul was wonderful. This one is a throw-back to times past. But they chose that.

Answer 6

This present pope set the agenda for the past pope. John Paul warned us of what was to come-most missed it.

Answer 7

Don't listen so closely to the anti-Catholic media.

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 8

The way I see it, he's the pope. His only concern is for the Catholic community, and it's certainly not his job to be politically correct. It would be different if a prominent politician said that all non-catholics are going to hell. But honestly, it's his job to interpret scripture as he sees fit. As offensive as that may be to the rest of us, he would be doing Catholics a disservice if he tried to sugar coat it.

Answer 9

Because Pope John Paul was a Badass. He was so cool because he was openminded and yet still a firm believer.

Answer 10

the thread almost says it all.

i will just add this simple phrase

RESPECT BEGETS RESPECT. WHAT MATTERS IS WE DO GOOD TO OUR FELLOWMEN REGARDLESS OF RELIGION. i think God will agree on this

i am a catholic myself. but OTHER RELIGIONS ALSO THINK THEY ARE SALVATION, which think we catholics are non genuine.

so if pope benedict insist as stated, this will certainly cause argument.

i have non catholic friends yet we do get along.