What do you think about the Pope's decree about the Catholic Church being the only one true church !?

Question

He said only Catholics were able to gain Salvation. Also that other churchs weren't really churches because their leaders did not evolve from a succession of apostles.

The use of this expression, which indicates the full identity of the Church of Christ with the Catholic Church, does not change the doctrine on the Church. Rather, it comes from and brings out more clearly the fact that there are “numerous elements of sanctification and of truth” which are found outside her structure, but which “as gifts properly belonging to the Church of Christ, impel towards Catholic Unity”.[11]

Thanks to all who went to the document prepared by the pope and Cardinal Levada. I pasted here what I used for my question. The gift of salvation is a gift to the Catholic Church (Church of Christ)and other churches don't have the gift offered to them.That is my conclusion. Wonderful Dialouge everybody. Beyond my wildest dreams. Thank You All So Much !!

Answer 1

It's really nothing NEW. But hey, more animosity mean more questioning minds. In principle, every Christian church has a right to insist that only they are fully Christian, but from an atheistic perspective all are equally Christian. Atheists consistently have to deal with Christians telling us that this or that group aren't "really" Christian (because they are violent, because they accept gays, etc.). Cases like this, though, where the Vatican is officially denying the validity of all other claims to being equally Christian help reveal why we outsiders just can't accept such claims at face value.

Father Augustine Di Noia, Under-Secretary for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, insists that "The Church is not backtracking on ecumenical commitment," but this document should make clear to everyone involved that "ecumenical" here simply means "getting others to eventually recognize the supremacy of the pope and the Church of Rome." That's always been the position of the Vatican and it would be wrong to expect them to change it now. They are not interested in compromise, except when it's others doing the compromising.

Everyone is making a big deal about this, even though there technically isn't anything new in the recent statement. All in all, it's mainly a restatement or confirmation of what was already stated in the document Dominus Iesus issued in 2000 under the supervision of Pope John Paul II. At the time, it was made unambiguous that churches outside Catholicism were not "true churches" but merely "ecclesial communities" because they lack the "means of salvation."

Since Jesus is the "means of salvation" in Christianity, this means that churches outside of Catholicism lack Jesus — only the Catholic Church, under the direction of Pope Benedict XVI, "has" Jesus. Since Christianity itself is conceived of as being the only true religion, the only true ideology, and the only valid means of living, claiming to be the sole Christian church is necessarily a claim to being the only legitimate source of the only legitimate way for human beings to live.

This means that the Vatican document may appear to be solely the concern of Catholics or perhaps of Christians generally, but it's relevant to us all. Catholics aren't typically a source of Christian Supremacist ideology, but this insistence on defining one's own organization as the only genuinely Christian one is an integral part of Christian Supremacy. The Catholic Church is thus feeding the underlying ideology behind extremist and even violent Christian behavior. Is it any wonder that some atheists argue that moderate and liberal Christians inadvertently provide cover to fundamentalists, extremists, and even terrorists.

Answer 2

The Pope most certainly did not say "only Catholics were able to gain salvation". The document says that the Catholic Church is the church Jesus founded upon the rock that is Peter. This is what the Catholic Church has been saying for 2000 years. Nothing new to see here.

Answer 3

The Pope did not speak on the subject. He simply approved 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 4

My ruminations: if we are all members of the Body of Christ through Baptism, we are church. If we can be saved by being members of our own particular communions, then we are church, the sacrament of salvation. If the Holy Spirit blows where she will, then wherever she is, there is church. She cannot be contained in one cult, or another. If you enter into God's time, then our Jewish forefathers are saved by virtue of what was to come. And if salvation does not exist outside church, then they were church in maybe a way that we linear folks may not understand. I believe St. Paul said those who did not have the law, but had the natural law and followed it would be saved. They certainly are in the church of Christ, as my definition of goodness would certainly be another definition of Christ. When you get to the pearly gates, I do not think you will be asked what church you were a member of, but - did you do God's will. Did you love enough. If you are Muslim, or whatever, when you get to heaven, what will you be doing, if not doing God...loving. Does church cease in heaven? All the good souls whe will join us there, are in every way equal to all the members of the RC Church that they see with them, so, why compare? This separates us, and God sees us as one. Only man has divided himself. The greater good is that we are all one. We should strive for that. Church structures should not limit love.And since they have become corrupt, and are man-made, and are not always of God, I would follow my heart before I would try to define the one true church. There are no more church pedestals, only fallen and misguided humans. Where are the servants of the servants of the Lord? Can all the King's men put Humpty together again?

Answer 5

You obviously have not read the text: try www.zenit.org/article-20090?I=english. The document Clarification On The Doctine Of The Church definitely did not say that only Catholics are able to gain salvation;in fact, it says the opposite.

Protestant Churches are not full churches because they do not have apostolic succession,etc but they have"numerous elements of sanctification and truth",'importance in the mystery of salvation" and are"instruments of salvation" ,as the misquoted and disparaged text states

Answer 6

Same question asked a couple days ago. Here's my answer to that question and the link so you can get a lot of other people's opinions too.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AohvCSGBwXoFXErnN8wubSrty6IX?qid=20070711083711AAjTycc&show=7#profile-info-9dd81e94fca7d13b4f9eb3383477e584aa

The only people that should be concerned with what the Pope says are Catholics. If you're "Protestant or whatever" don't worry about it. He is not your Pope.

The Catholic Church has been doing this for hundreds of years. Today's society is just so uptight with everything that we always overreact to things. If you're not Catholic, don't pay attention. I don't listen to what Osama Bin Laden tells his followers about America because I am not one of his followers and I don't agree with it. I am Catholic, so I listen to what the Pope says, but the great thing is that the God I believe in gave me Free Will with Adam and Eve, so I still have the choice to make my own actions, and believe what I want to believe. If you don't like it, don't listen to it and ignore it.

Here is part of someone else's answer too that answers yours more directly;

what are you talking about?!?!

did you actually read the document?

It follows that these separated churches and Communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives from that fullness of grace and of truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church

the only thing even remotely close to what you said was the statement that said Protestant churches couldn't be called churches under the Catholic definition because there is no apostolic succession.

Answer 7

since people here are so fond of biblical verses, the answer for this was written before the question:
(Ecclesiastes 1:9-14 NIV) What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. {10} Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. {11} There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.

Answer 8

Let me say this;
the catholic church believes it is the true "church" but that outsiders can be saved by grace;
the Bible states that we are saved by grace through faith; it is a gift of God not of works lest any man should boast
Ephesians 2:8+9

you take it from there

Answer 9

He reiterated centuries old doctrine that there is no salvation outside of the church, not that only Catholics are saved. You have to understand all of Catholic dogma and doctrine to grasp the full meaning and as always, God does all of the judging and retains all rights as to whom is saved and whom is not.

Answer 10

I don't have a problem with them saying that they are the true church. Live and let live, but when they say that salvation is ONLY through the catholic church...I have a problem with that. Salvation is ONLY through Jesus, not some church.

BTW...as Christians, WE are the Church.