Was the Pope absolutely correct when he said all Protestant Churches are not "TRUE CHURCHES" ?

Question

"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.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/pope_other_christians;_ylt=Ai91b0mA..o3P33gwQ0d0GLkeO0A




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Answer 1

Unfortunately according to the Bible the catholic church is not the true church either.

There are 17 points to the true church as outlined in the Bible. There is only one church that has ALL these points & can be considered the true church of Jesus Christ & that is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This church is the only church to have the full name of Jesus Christ in the name of the church. Unfortunately the catholic church is excluded from being the true church by #6. Jesus Christ didn't have a paid ministry & neither does his true church.

The 17 points of the true church are:
1. Christ organized the Church (Eph 4:11-14)
2. Must bear the name of Jesus Christ (Eph 5:23)
3. Must have a foundation of Apostles and Prophets (Eph 2:19-20)
4. Must have the same organization as Christ's Church (Eph 4:11-14)
5. Must claim divine authority (Heb 5:4-10)
6. MUST HAVE NO PAID MINISTRY!!! (1 Cor 9:16-18; Acts 20:33-34; John 10:11-13)
7. Must baptize by immersion (Matt 3:13-16)
8. Must bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands (Acts 8:14-17)
9. Must practice divine healing (Mark 3:14-15)
10. Must teach that God and Jesus are seperate and distinct individuals (John 17:11; 20:17)
11. Must teach that God & Jesus Christ have bodies of flesh & bone (Luke 24:36-39; Acts 1:9-11
12. The officers must be called by God (Heb 4:4; Ex 28:1; 40:13-16)
13. Must claim revelation from God (Amos 3:7)
14. Must be a missionary church (Matt 28:19-20)
15. Must be a RESTORED church Acts 3:19-21
16. Must practice baptism for the dead (1Cor 15:16&29)
17. By their fruits ye shall know them (Matthew 7:20)

Why are these things important? Hebrews 13:8

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does have the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ's original apostles. I have a listing of my priesthood traced back to Peter & Jesus Christ himself. When Peter died he took that authority with him & didn't give that authority to anyone until the priesthood was restored in 1830 when Peter, James & John bestowed that priesthood on Joseph Smith by coming down from heaven, laying their hands on Joseph & giving him the authority to speak in Jesus name with the Melchezedek priesthood.

Answer 2

Apostolic succession does not mean tracing the blood lines of their bishops back to the original apostles. The Pope is not descended from the apostles and he had to be a bishop before he became a cardinal and then a pope.

Rather apostolic succession means the transfer and conference of authority as a spiritual leader through prayers and laying on of hands. In other words, the apostles laid hands on or ordained people for ministry, and those people did it to others and on an on to the present day.

The Anglican Communion claims apostolic succession as well. Perhaps the former Cardinal Ratzinger missed that.

Answer 3

Here's what I think:

I think the Catholic church forfeitted any right it may have had to call itself the "true" Church and make the assertion that it alone had the "means of salvation" when it started adding a whole lot of extrabiblical dogma to the lot (purgatory, rosary, Mary this and that) and demanding that people believe it or become "anathema." Oh, and then there was that little matter of "selling indulgences." Or how about the "merits of the saints" issue? Or persecuting other Christians and those of other religions to their death? Or how about popes keeping their own personal harems? I could go on and on all day. But I'll tell you one more thing: I have been to the Vatican, and it glorified man a WHOLE lot more than it glorified God. When I left I felt contaminated by idolatry and in need of a hot bath.

The Church has no head but the Lord Jesus Christ. I follow HIM alone. He is sufficient. And anyone who says He's not, well, that person is antichrist.

Answer 4

No. The Pope is just trying to promote Catholicism which is a corrupt sect of Christianity. Back in the day, the emperor Constantine merged Babylonian paganism with Christianity and the Catholic Church was born. The "protestant" movement came out of true priests who protested the corruption by the Pope and all of its agencies. For a taste of the goods I suggest that read "the bad popes." I don't know the author, but it has a black cover and it sells for approximately $15.
That is the short and long of it.
Mr. M on "true churches."

Answer 5

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 6

No, Paul talks about forming churches all over the middle east and Europe. He didn't stay to teach at these Churches. The Bible says that a church is a group of 3 or more gathered in the worship of God. That doesn't sound like a Catholic Church. Face it, your pope is a heretic that is not following the Bible.

Answer 7

Since when did "apostolic succession" mean that your church was the true church?

The original church of Christ had a prophet who was Christ, and apostles, bishops, priests and teachers. They had the authority of the Melchizedek and Aaronic priesthood to seal ordinances performed on earth to be valid in Heaven as well.

Since when has the Catholic church blessed anyone to be "blessed forever", and not have death do them part? Isn't God an Eternal being and his laws Eternal as well? Why not his blessings too?

Their authority was taken from them when their church went apostate after Christ's and his apostles' deaths many many moons ago.

Answer 8

The pope isn't God so he shouldn't judge. Maybe the Protestant Church, which I am apart of, is the right church. We will find out in the end. I don't even believe him. He is just a man that has the same connection to God that the rest of us have. I am sicked by what he said though. He had no right.

Answer 9

>>Was the Pope absolutely correct when he said all Protestant Churches are not "TRUE CHURCHES"?...The other communities "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense" because they do not have apostolic succession<<

Protestants, with the exception of the Anglicans, readily admit they do not have apostolic succession (if they even know what it means), so yes, the Pope is correct.

Answer 10

There is no salvation outside of Christ, and the Church is the Bride of Christ -- become His Body, one Flesh in marriage. Therefore, there is no salvation outside of the Church and not belonging formally to the Catholic Church is objectively sinful:

Matthew 18:17
"If he will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as a heathen and a publican"

Luke 10:16
"He that heareth you heareth Me, and he that despiseth you despiseth Me, and he that despiseth Me, despiseth Him that sent Me"

Mark 16:16
"He that believeth not will be condemned"

John 3:18
"He that believeth not is already judged"

Luke 11:23
"He that is not with Me is against Me and he that gathereth not with Me, scattereth"

This does not mean, however, that if one is necessarily damned if one is not a formal member of the visible society of God's Kingdom on earth -- the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. What it means is that: Christ founded one Church with Peter as His Vicar; that this Church was given the powers of binding and loosing, that this Church exists today; that it is the source of the Gospel and the earthly source of the Sacraments without which, normatively, one cannot be saved. Those who are not formal members might be saved and become associated with the soul of the Church if they:


are validly baptized by water and spirit, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (all who are baptized are subject to the Church even if they are not formal members because Baptism belongs to the Church), and

have not committed a mortal sin (or who, if they have committed a mortal sin, have made a perfect act of contrition), which means a sin concerning a grave matter committed with full knowledge and consent of the will, and

are animated by charity and a supernatural Faith in God's existence, and

seek Him, and
firmly believe that their religion is the true religion such that there is no conflict or doubt about such in their ill-formed conscience, and

are not formally outside of the Church in spite of doubts about the possibility that the Catholic Church is the true Church of Christ (if one believes it is possible that the Catholic Church is the true Church of Christ, one is duty-bound to investigate)

In addition, those individuals who, through no fault of their own, have no means to hear of Christ-given Baptism and are invincibly ignorant -- who've never heard the Name Jesus, know nothing of the Church, or misunderstand Church teachings -- but who obey the Natural Law written in all men's hearts and who truly seek God are left to the mercy of Christ Who may save them as He desires. Christ will judge our wills, hearts, intellects, and deeds, and shall have mercy and compassion on whom He will have mercy and compassion (Romans 9:15); those whom He deigns to save He can well give the grace of the Sacraments to in a manner beyond our ken -- perhaps even in their final breath, by illuminating their souls in a supernatural way such that they desire Baptism, even if implicitly, and therefore become associated with the Soul of the Catholic Church, outside of which there is no salvation. This is something we can never presume -- but we can pray for.