More from the Vatican July 2007. Are Non-Catholics "wounded" by not recognizing pope?

Question

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/07/10/pope.churches.reut/index.html

The Vatican said Christian denominations outside the Roman Catholic Church were not full churches of Jesus Christ.

Answer 1

I could not care less what the Vatican says or thinks. It doesn't speak for Christianity.

Answer 2

Most Protestants i know say the same thing but it is Rome that is not a full church .
Then ,there are the legions of FundaProts who say that the Catholic Church is not a church at all or that Catholics cannot be saved if they stay Catholic.

Orthodox and Old Catholic Churches are full churches because they have not just the many ecclesial elements that Protestant churches have but also Apostolic Succession ordination and a full sacramental self understanding that the Protestant ecclesial communities do not have.

The document calls Protestant churches" instruments of salvation". I'm waiting for the largest American Protestant church_whoops,"ecclesial communion"- ,the Southern Baptist , to say the same about the Catholic Church.

I hope that this document will bring more realism and honesty into local church talk since this is nothing new in official ecumenical dialogues.

Do you think the Protestant Churches are not wounded by their divisions?
Do not Protestants-if they are among those willing to say anything positive at all about Catholics-consider Catholicism "wounded"?
How many consider the Catholic Church, Mother of All Churches, to be "dead" at best or even the "Whore of Babylon' or "AntiChrist"?

How many Protestant Churches reject Catholic Baptism as valid when the Catholic Church accepts their Baptism as enterance into the Body? How many Protestant Churches reject the infant baptisms of Lutherans,Presbyterians and Methodists? Why should there be rage over the Catholic insistence that Apostolic Succession is necessary for full churchood?

I still use "church",as you can see, for any body what uses that term to describe itself. I only use the Latin ecclesia for Catholic,Orthodox and Old Catholic Churches.

The Catholic Church does not believe all churches and religions are equal and it has always maintained that the Cath Ch is the original,full and true Church. That the Catholic Church is the true Church does not mean that the others Trinitarian Churches are false or worthless or non Christian or unholy. Vatican II speaks highly not only of other Christian denominations but of non Christian Religions as well(Nostra Aetate)

All Trinitarian Christians are in"real but impaired communion " with each other. We are all part of the Family of Christ and need to get to know each other and what our churches really teach.

Answer 3

>>Are Non-Catholics "wounded" by not recognizing pope?<<

I have no idea where CNN is getting its information. Neither the word "wound" nor "wounded" appear in the document.

>>The Vatican said Christian denominations outside the Roman Catholic Church were not full churches of Jesus Christ.<<

Also not true. To be a "Church" in the sense it is used in the document, there have to be valid orders. The Orthodox Churches HAVE valid orders, and are recognized as Churches, even though they are outside the Catholic Church.

Answer 4

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 5

Did you just wake up?

Sorry, but this is old news.

The Pope said, that the Protestants do not have the same fullness of faith because they have turned their back on some of the sacraments. What do you expect him to say "Non Catholics have all the same graces as the Catholics even thought they threw out many of our beliefs"? Get real!

He did NOT say that non-Catholics can't go to heaven you really need to read HIS remarks, not the reported remarks.

The AP reported it the worst.

Answer 6

This is from a half-a....d Catholic: "To err is human...forgiveness is devine." Even though the pope is considered infallible, allow him to make a tiny, little mistake, now and then. I think he just meant to say, "Catholics are better than non-Catholics", and, although I don't agree, he is entitled to his opinion. Maybe he had a "crabby" day!

Answer 7

When are all the denominations going to go into civil war? I'm glad I'm an Atheist, I'll just sit on the sidelines and sip a drink or something while they kill each other off.

New pope is much akin to Dubya. Hes a real hard liner religious nutjob.

Answer 8

Wow a religious leader disparaging other faiths to help promote his faith as the one true calling and this is new how? Where's Martin Luther when you need someone to take the catholic church down a peg or two.

Answer 9

It really does not matter to us whom do not follow this man and his business.

We follow God and the Son that he sent to save us from ourselves.

Answer 10

The Vatican is wrong, as it often is.