#1. “The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God.”
(#1. “Papa tantae est dignitatis et cesitudinis, ut non sit simplex homo, sed quasi Deus, et Dei vicarius.”)
#13. “Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions.”
(#13. Hinc Papa triplici corona coronatur tanquam rex coeli, terre et infernoram.”)
#18. “As to papal authority, the Pope is as it were God on earth, Sole sovereign of all the faithful of Christ, chief king of kings, having a plentitude of unbroken power, entrusted by the omnipotent God to govern the earthly and heavenly kingdoms.”
(#18. “Deveniendo ad Papae auctoritatem, Papa est quasi Deus in terra unicaus Christifidelium princeps, regum omnium rex maximus, plenitudinem potestatis continens, cui terreni simul, ac coelestis imperii gubernacula ab omnipotenti Deo credita sunt.”)
#30. “The Pope is of so great authority and power, that he is able to modify, declare, or interpret even divine laws.”
(#30. “Papa tantae est auctoritatis et potestatis, ut possit quoque leges divinas modificare, declarare, vel interpretari, ad num.”)
Blasphemy
ABSOLUTE BLASPHEMY
“The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth.” Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Chapter XXVII, p. 218, ” Cities Petrus Bertanous
“The priest does not have to ask God to forgive your sins. The priest himself has the power to do so in Christ’s name. Your sins are forgiven by the priest the same as if you knelt before Jesus Christ and told them to Christ Himself.” Quoted in Lorraine Boettner, Roman Catholicism, p. 197
“But the supreme teacher in the Church is the Roman Pontiff. Union of minds, therefore, requires, together with a perfect accord in the one faith, complete submission and obedience of will to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff, as to God Himself.” (Pope Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, “On the Chief Duties of Christians as Citizens”, dated January 10, 1890, trans. in The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII, p. 193
“All names which in the Scriptures are applied to Christ, by virtue of which it is established that He is over the church, all the same names are applied to the Pope.” On the Authority of the Councils, book 2, chapter 17
“That the Roman Church never erred, nor will it, according to the Scriptures, ever err.” (Gregory VII, Cesare Baronius, Annales, year 1076, secs. 31-33, vol 17 (1869 ed.), pp. 405, 406, translated)
“The Saviour Himself is the door of the sheepfold: ‘I am the door of the sheep.’ Into this fold of Jesus Christ, no man may enter unless he be led by the Sovereign Pontiff; and only if they be united to him can men be saved, for the Roman Pontiff is the Vicar of Christ and His personal representative on earth.” Pope John XXIII in his homily to the Bishops and faithful assisting at his coronation on November 4, 1958
“It was not necessary for the Redeemer to die in order to save the world; a drop of his blood, a single tear, or prayer, was sufficient to procure salvation for all; for such a prayer, being of infinite value, should be sufficient to save not one but a thousand worlds. … And God Himself is obliged to abide by the judgment of His priests, and either not to pardon or to pardon. Were the Redeemer to descend into a church, and sit in a confessional to administer the sacrament of penance, and a priest to sit in another confessional, Jesus would say over each penitent, “Ego te absolve,” the priest would likewise say over each of his penitents, “Ego te absolve,” and the penitents of each would be equally absolved… Thus the priest may, in a certain manner, be called the creator of his Creator, since by saying the words of consecration, he creates, as it were, Jesus in the sacrament, by giving him a sacramental existence, and produces him as a victim to be offered to the eternal Father… let the priest,” says St. Laurence Justinian, “approach the altar as another Christ.” St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Dignities and Duties of the Priest (1927)
“All names which in the Scriptures are applied to Christ, by virtue of which it is established that he is over the church, all the same names are applied to the Pope.” (Robert Bellarmine, Disputationes de Controversiis, Tom. 2, AControversia Prima, Book 2 (ADe Conciliorum Auctoritate [On the Authority of Councils]), chap. 17 (1628 ed., Vol. 1, p. 266), translated
“And God himself is obliged to abide by the judgment of his priest and either not to pardon or to pardon, according as they refuse to give absolution, provided the penitent is capable of it.” Liguori, Duties and Dignities of the Priest, p.27
“The Pope takes the place of Jesus Christ on earth…by divine right the Pope has supreme and full power in faith, in morals over each and every pastor and his flock. He is the true vicar, the head of the entire church, the father and teacher of all Christians. He is the infallible ruler, the founder of dogmas, the author of and the judge of councils; the universal ruler of truth, the arbiter of the world, the supreme judge of heaven and earth, the judge of all, being judged by no one, God himself on earth.” Quoted in the New York Catechism
“The infallibility of the pope is the infallibility of Jesus Christ Himself. . . whenever the pope thinks, it is God Himself, who is thinking in him.” (Fritz Leist, Der Gefangene des Vatikanus, p. 344. Quoted in Symposium on Revelation, pp. 340-341)
“This judicial authority will even include the power to forgive sin.” The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol xii, article ‘Pope’ pg 265
“Not the Creator of Universe, in Genesis 2:1-3,-but the Catholic Church can claim the honor of having granted man a pause to his work every seven days.” S. C. Mosna, Storia della Domenica, 1969, pp. 366-367
“Have no fear when people call me the “Vicar of Christ,” when they say to me “Holy Father,” or “Your Holiness,” or use titles similar to these, which seem even inimical to the Gospel.” Pope John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope (New York: Alfred A. Knoff. 1995): 6
“The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed…the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority.” Canon and Tradition, p. 263
“We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.” (The Great Encyclical Letters of Leo XIII, p. 304)
“The priest is the man of God, the minister of God. . . He that despiseth the priest despiseth God; he that hears him hears God. The priest remits sins as God and that which he calls his body at the altar is adored as God by himself and by the congregation. . . It is clear that their function is such that none greater can be conceived. Wherefore they are justly called not only angels, but also God, holding as they do among us the power and authority of the immortal God.” A. Nampon, Catholic Doctrine as Defined by the Council of Trent, pp. 543,544
“The Pope by reason of the excellence of his supreme dignity is called bishop of bishops. He is also called ordinary of ordinaries. He is likewise bishop of the universal church. He is likewise the divine monarch and supreme emperor, and king of kings. Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions. … Moreover the superiority and the power of the Roman Pontiff by no means pertain only to the heavenly things, to the earthly things, and to the things under the earth, but are even over angels, than whom he is greater. So that if it were possible that the angels might err in the faith, or might think contrary to the faith, they could be judged and excommunicated by the Pope. For he is of so great dignity and power that he forms one and the same tribunal with Christ. So that whatever the Pope does, seems to proceed from the mouth of God, as according to most doctors, etc.” (a recognized Roman Catholic encyclopedia, Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica, Juridica, Moralis, Theologica nec non Ascetica, Polemica, Rubricistica, Historica, article, “Papa”.)
“With regard to the power of the priests over the real body of Jesus Christ, it is of faith that when they pronounce the words of consecration the Incarnate Word has obliged himself to obey and to come into their hands under the sacramental species. We are struck with wonder when we hear that God obeyed the voice of Josue- The Lord obeying the voice of man- and made the sun stand when he said move not, O sun, towards Gabaon. , . . . and the sun stood still. … But our wonder should be far greater when we find that in obedience to the words of his priests “HOC EST CORPUS MEUM” God himself descends on the altar, that he comes wherever they call him, and as often as they call him, and places himself in their hands, even though they should be his enemies. And after having come, he remains, entirely at their disposal; they move him as they please, from one place to another; they may, if they wish, shut him up in the tabernacle, or expose him on the altar, or carry him outside the church; they may, if they choose, eat his flesh, and give him for the food of others.” St. Alphonsus de Liguori, The Dignity and Duties of the Priest or Selva, pp. 26-27
“Thus the priest may, in a certain manner, be called the creator of his Creator, since by saying the words of consecration, he creates, as it were, Jesus in the sacrament, by giving him a sacramental existence, and produces him as a victim to be offered to the eternal Father. As in creating the world it was sufficient for God to have said, Let it be made, and it was created -He spoke, and they were made- so it is sufficient for the priest to say, “Hoc est corpus meum”, and behold the bread is no longer bread, but the body of Jesus Christ. The power of the priest, says St. Bernardine of Sienna, is the power of the divine person; for the transubstantiation of the bread requires as much power as the creation of the world.” St. Alphonsus de Liguori, Dignity and Duties of the Priest or Selva, pp. 33-34
You cite four quotes, probably from Ferraris’ Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica (1763), to claim the Pope is equated with God, crowned as king of heaven and hell, and able to change divine laws. These are classic anti-Catholic tropes, often misquoted by Adventists to echo White’s The Great Controversy (p. 50), which brands the papacy as the Antichrist. Let’s dismantle how daft these are, just like Seventh Day Adventism:
Your Source’s Dishonesty: These quotes, likely from Ferraris, are not papal encyclicals or dogmatic decrees but from a canon law compendium, reflecting medieval hyperbole, not official teaching. Adventists, following White, rip them out of context to slander the Church. The Catechism (CCC 880-892) clearly defines the Pope’s role as Christ’s vicar, not a divine usurper. Your accusation of blasphemy is a lie, Phil, rooted in Adventist propaganda, not truth.
You imply the Catholic Church’s “blasphemy” includes changing the Sabbath to Sunday, echoing Daniel 7:25’s “times and laws.” This is White’s fiction, not Scripture:
“He will… try to change the set times and the laws” (Daniel 7:25).
Phil, your “blasphemy” charge and anti-Catholic rants echo Ellen G. White’s demonic lies, not Scripture. Seventh-day Adventism is a satanic cult, built on her false prophecies:
| Adventist Error | Details | Biblical Refutation |
|---|---|---|
| False Prophecies | White’s 1856, 1844, 1845 predictions failed (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, p. 131-132; A Word to the Little Flock, p. 14). | Deuteronomy 18:22: False prophets fail. |
| Investigative Judgment | White’s 1844 doctrine denies Christ’s atonement (The Great Controversy, p. 421-422). | Hebrews 9:12: Christ’s work is complete. |
| Sabbath Idolatry | White’s salvific Sabbath lacks New Testament support (The Great Controversy, p. 605-612). | Colossians 2:16-17; Romans 14:5-6. |
| Anti-Catholic Hatred | White calls the Church Babylon (The Great Controversy, p. 50). | Matthew 16:18-19: Christ’s Church endures. |
| Plagiarism | White stole from authors (The White Lie by Walter Rea). | Revelation 22:18-19: Don’t add to Scripture. |
Adventism’s lies make it a demonic cult, not God’s remnant. Your “Jesuit” slander is White’s garbage, not truth.