catholics, are you tired of having to defend the church because of the pope's recent statements?

Question

i don't mean that to be a hateful statement. personally, i just ignore what he's said about other churches recently. however, there is no denying that his actions have caused quite a stir. a lot of protestants are angry about what the pope has recently said, and if i were catholic, i think i would be a little bit tired of defending the church because of what its leader has said or done. are you a little bit resentful of his recent statements?

protestants- this is not a question that has been asked so that you may have the right to bash the catholic church. this question has been asked specifically to members of the rcc.

catholics- the same thing applies to you. hateful talk will on either side will not be tolerated. not this time.

now that you know the rules, feel free to answer in a civilized manner. i don't usually do it like this, but this time, insulting remarks will be reported. and no, i won't be insulted if you say the rcc is the one true church. just mind your tone.

Answer 1

Read the actual statement before you ask the question. I have answered this many times as have others. All of us have supplied the link to the actual words, so I assume there is no confusion about it anymore. Why then will this question not go away? It's beginning to seem like a weak attempt to discredit a church and perpetuate a lie. And no, I am not a Catholic. However, I am tired of answering this question when it is "sincerely" asked by someone who then gives the best answer to the person who says "all Catholics are crazy" or something equally enlightening.

Answer 2

I do not know what statement of the pope makes you uncomfortable. As much as possible we are very friendly to any religion. If there is a need to depend the church, I as a member if this church would never be tired of having it depended. For as much as I beleive on the spirit of ecuminism I also beleive that I have the obligation to depend my church in such a way that i will never hurt other people. If the pope has done something thatr is not good to some, i hope and pray that everyone would be understanding and would not jump immediately to a hasty judgement. In as much as we are humans the pope too is a human being like us. Yes I beleive that we should expect something more from him but i do understand him for i know that his task is not that easy. By the way it is not only the pope that makes a lot of mistakes some others too. Only that he is more known. Will my only wish is that in what ever church we are i hope for unity, for though we walk in different ways we are going to the same direction. My dear friend peace be with you and to all humanity.

Answer 3

My best friend is Catholic. She was troubled by the Pope's statement and she expressed that to me. She loves her church, but she does not agree with all its beliefs. I think this applies to many Catholics in the US.

I don't agree with the Pope on many issues, but this one is trivial to me. This has always been the belief of the RCC; he is just reiterating it. And all religions think they are the "true church" and have a monopoly on truth and God or gods or no god as the case may be. Look at the Southern Baptists, they believe the same thing. So, if you're going to criticize the Pope for this, just keep in mind that this belief is not unique to Catholicism.

Answer 4

On YA, it's business as usual. When something about the Catholic Church hits the headlines, it brings on a surge of posts here.

A great deal of them are from those who just hate the Church, period, and have another opportunity to spout vitriol. But they only temporarily replace the usual daily round of objections to Mary and the saints and all those statues, confession, infant baptism, praying the rosary, etc. posed as a "why do you do that, it's wrong" question.

I don't mind defending my Church. I do get tired of seeing the same thing asked here over and over, but it's the nature of this forum; if I start getting angry about it, I withdraw from it for a while. This isn't "real life" by any stretch, and thankfully I don't get hammered with anti-Catholic rhetoric anywhere else.

I also don't mind seeing the same type of question repeatedly from people who are sincerely asking, just for information. As for others, the tone of the question makes it obvious they have already made up their minds and are not seeking a truthful answer, even when they get one.

Answer 5

Not a catholic, but why should catholics have to defend the Pope's words? its nothing different than what protestants claim when they say Catholics are wrong. In fact, its alot nicer because he isnt calling protestants and other Christians the anti-Christ like many protestants call the Pope.

Why the heck should they resent his statements simply because people are offended and giving them a hard time?

What the heck ever happened to mutual respect for each other? seriously its not that tough. You don't have to agree with each other. you dont even have to like what the other person says but that doesnt mean you cant treat each with civility.

Answer 6

No.

God is responsible for the Church and it really does not need defending.

I (almost) never tire of explaining what little I know about God, the Church, and similar things.

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 7

whether it be a church document,a comment from the pope to all the questions about prayers to saints,the blessed mother having children,not being the mother of god,catholics practising idolatry etc.........

i enjoy defending my roman catholic faith. hopefully my words and prayers can guide,through jesus, more to the one true faith as i see it.

protestants have held strong to the title, protesting almost everything under the sun that us catholics believe. sadly they have these views from by and large anti catholic sources with an agenda, prime example the chick tracts.

truth be told the pope was simply addressing letters and concerns the faithfull had regarding the matter. the media jumped on it and made it something it didn't have to be. it did open some dialogue but mainly for the negative. the church has always held the opinion that we are the one true faith. we hope and pray always that our seperated brothers and sisters in christ stay strong in their walk of faith, ofcourse preferably they come home to the "one true faith", but this statement does not take away the fact that our brothers and sisters in christ can reach heaven, the statement simply reiterates gods call for us all to be one.

i hope i have stayed within the boundaries you set, this is my humble opinion as a roman catholic. peace

Answer 8

To answer this question you have to look at the rcc's leadership especially its history.
Questions like why the protestant movements or break away factions where formed,answer some of the serious difference.But keeping the mouth shut and correcting mistakes as quickly as posible is at least more approppriate.

Answer 9

>>if i were catholic, i think i would be a little bit tired of defending the church because of what its leader has said or done.<<

Here's what I'm tired of -- I'm tired of reading outrageous lies from non-Catholics about what the document states. I'm tired of having to correct people about what the document actually states. I'm tired of having to ask people to please get their information from the document itself rather than from the news.

>>are you a little bit resentful of his recent statements?<<

Absolutely not! The document is a response to questions people asked. Should their questions have been ignored? I welcome the answers, as I had similar questions myself.

Answer 10

The Catholic Church is the one true Church and what the Pope has said has not upset me, because he has said nothing wrong

I wish people would read the article in its entire context and not just bits and pieces the Pope said nothing wrong