Pope Emeritus Benedict says Church is now facing a two-sided deep crisis

Life Site News ^ | March 16, 2016 | Maike Hickson

[piusv]

Understood. I thought you were referring to the forum.

It does help to actually have a relationship with someone first...but we should never fool ourselves into thinking that these other discussions are just as important.

[utahagen]

Ah...got it. Thx.

[TradicalRC]

And yet Christ tells us that we will be judged according to our deeds.

[.45 Long Colt]

Those unsaved will be judged according to their deeds for their eternal punishment.

The saved are judged according to their deeds for rewards, not salvation. In terms of salvation, His perfect deeds are imputed to the account of those who believe. So, in a sense, salvation is in fact by works—the works of Christ.

[Iscool]

We all just need to come up with a platform for reunification that isn’t based on liberalism. (By the way, does the Catholic Church really teach that Protestants are going to hell? I thought the Vatican II declarations about ecumenism put that to rest.)

That's what Benedict is whining about...Apparently he didn't go for that one...

[Genoa]

The Church's statements on ecumenism repeatedly use the term "our separated brethren" to refer to non-Catholic Christians. This indicates that salvation exists both in and out of the Roman Catholic church. To use the term "brethren" and not acknowledge salvation would be extremely misleading.

In the words of Unitatis Redintegratio, ... For men who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect. The differences that exist in varying degrees between them and the Catholic Church - whether in doctrine and sometimes in discipline, or concerning the structure of the Church - do indeed create many obstacles, sometimes serious ones, to full ecclesiastical communion. The ecumenical movement is striving to overcome these obstacles. But even in spite of them it remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ's body, and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

You continue to miss the point I am trying to make.

Are you just trying to be annoying?

[Zionist Conspirator]

Growing up Catholic in the US, we were never encouraged to proselytize. If anything, we were actively discouraged. Catholics were surging in ranks by having relatively larger families and from immigration. No need to annoy the Protestants, etc.

Yeah, proselytism one of things Catholics can't bring themselves to do because they associate it with Protestantism (two others are total Biblical inerrancy and young earth creationism). It doesn't matter what the ancient church fathers believed or did; if American Protestants do it or believe it then Catholics simply can't!

Catholicism (Orthodoxy too) have for centuries been nothing but ethnic religions, sort of counterfeit Judaisms without Sinai.

I know back when I converted I had to take the initiative every step along the way.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

The one advantage that Catholic Churches have over Orthodox is flexibility. A Catholic Church that starts out catering primarily to Italians can, over time, shift to catering to Filipinos for example.

I can't see how a Greek Orthodox church can do anything but try to keep up its numbers or close the doors.

As the old European-based ethnic communities disperse and dissolve there seems little hope for those religious communities that place ethnicity at or above religious beliefs.

There seems to be a lot of talk about Catholics joining Orthodox churches in protest of Pope Francis's recent outbursts. I really don't see that working out too well for anyone.

[Zionist Conspirator]

The one advantage that Catholic Churches have over Orthodox is flexibility. A Catholic Church that starts out catering primarily to Italians can, over time, shift to catering to Filipinos for example.

Which is just replacing one traditionally Catholic ethnic group with another. It's still a counterfeit Judaism without Sinai.

My point was simply that the ancient churches are ethnic and anti-missionary by their very nature. Trying to convert anyone is "Protestant," so (aside from a few people who come in entirely on their own, as I once did), all they have to count on is that Irish people (and Italians, Hispanics, Vietnamese, French, Austrians, etc.) reproduce sexually.

I wonder how churches with such attitudes can condemn Jews for not wanting to be proselytized.

[Coleus]

he was too ill, frail and tired