Posted on 10/11/2006 7:02:55 AM PDT by Pyro7480
Arian Heresy Still Tempts, Says Cardinal Bertone
Sees Example in "Da Vinci Code"
ROME, OCT. 9, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the new Vatican secretary of state, says that the Church continues to be tempted by the Arian heresy, the idea that Christ is not God.
In an interview with the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, the Italian cardinal acknowledged that "one of the main problems of our time is the problem of Christology," according to which Christ is considered only as "a great man."
"If Christ's divinity is doubted," the foundation of Christianity is doubted, he said.
The Vatican official recalled the doctrine of Arius (256-336), a priest of Alexandria and later a bishop, who, beginning in 318, denied the divinity of the Word, the Second Person of the Trinity.
Symptoms of this denial of Jesus' divinity include the support received by "The Da Vinci Code," despite its "absolutely shameful fictional inventions," said Cardinal Bertone, 71.
"But we see in addition that even in the elaboration of certain theology, doubt is cast on the divinity and salvific unicity of Christ, the only Savior," he continued. "This Christological reduction betrays the faith of the nascent Church and of the great Christological councils of Nicaea, Constantinople and Chalcedon.
"It is an authentic betrayal and a denial of the faith of our fathers."
According to the cardinal, "it is necessary, therefore, to return to Christological faith, to the centrality of Christ, true God and therefore only Savior."
Pelagianism
However, according to the Vatican secretary of state, the Church not only faces the threat of Arianism, but also of a new Pelagianism, one of the worst heresies, which arose in the fifth century.
"This hinges on thinking that we can build a Church ourselves and in believing that it is possible to save ourselves, without the Lord's grace and help," he noted. "They are recurring dangers which appear successively in history."
These two challenges were addressed in the 2000 declaration "Dominus Iesus," signed by the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, in their capacity as prefect and secretary, respectively, of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
I know I'm a little late on response to this as I have been out of town on business. An act of gratitude? To receive a book that denies the Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His death and Resurrection? That confuses His Holy Mother with being the sister of Moses? He was grateful for THAT??
At length she brought (the babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms), They said: "O Mary! Truly a strange thing has thou brought! "O sister of Aaron, thy father was not a man of evil, nor your mother a woman unchaste!"-- Sura 19:27-28
And publicly judging innocent actions as sinful used to be matter for Confession.
This wasn't innocent. He was a highly educated man and he knew exactly what was in that book. Gee, what would I have to confess? Forgive me God, because I don't like it when the Pope presses his lips to a book that calls for killing Jews and Christians, denies your Divinity, and is highly confused about your Blessed Mother. Yeah.. I am sure that God would put one thousand black marks in the Book of Life against me for that one!
Well, it used to be in Traditional Catholicism but Traditional Catholicsm now appears to have been distilled into its modern essence - bitter attacks and accusations against he who holds the Keys.
Hmm.. I'm sitting here thinking that St. Peter, who held the Keys originally, wouldn't have put his mouth on that piece of crap. Yep..pretty darned sure he wouldn't have. I think St. Peter is probably about as Traditionalist as they come.
How can one tell the difference between the public attacks against the Pope made by a So. Baptist and public attacks against the Pope made by a soi disant traditionalist? The one wearing the scapular is the traditonalist.
ROFLOL! I would rather side with the Southern Baptists on this one than to side with error. BTW, I am a Traditionalist that is in full communion with the Church as I go to an Indult Mass approved by my Bishop in the area that I live. In post #37 you seem to lump anyone who has the courage to speak out against this as a SSPX follower.
Well, you are sadly mistaken because there are many Catholics that are in full communion with the Church who didn't like it when he did that and who have said so publicly.
Let's examine a query you made in post #37:
"How does this new tradition differ from the old Pharisaical tradition of publicly attacking and falsely accusing Jesus?"
WHO has falsely accused the Pope? Did he or did he not kiss the Koran? It is also not an "attack" to publicly announce that those actions were wrong. They were. To say otherwise, or insist that we keep silence, you might as well tell us that we should just follow blindly whatever actions the Pope makes!
Are you aware that a kiss is reserved for the books of the Gospel and on equal par with the holy kiss given to the altar? Do you see the implications in this at all?? If not, then I am wasting my breath and talking into thin air.
I wonder if that information will change any hearts.
No, it won't change mine. I've seen it a thousand times by apologists who attempt to defend this.
Why should we have great "respect for Islam?" It's a heresy! It's a blasphemy against God, IMO. Denigrating our Lord, putting Him beneath that false prophet Mohammed. As if our Lord Jesus would be the Messenger of the coming of a sexual pervert like Mohammed who married a nine year old child! Who dreamed up sexual orgies being promised in "heaven" to those who followed his demonic sect.
Pope John Paul II did many wonderful things, but this wasn't a bright spot in his papacy.
*The planes carrying the Pope to foreign countries were landing on Gospels and Altars, I guess, because Johannes Paulus Magnus always kissed the runway.
* Being a traditionalist measn is is Never too late to hate
Bornacatholic's response:
Being a traditionalist measn is is Never too late to hate.
Per the Religion Moderator's rules:
Always argue the issues – theology, philosophy, history, etc. – and never make it personal.
I've simply run out of patience, Bornacatholic. I hate to rat on people, but your name calling was bad enough when you started private e-mailing me calling me names in language you wouldn't dare get by with on the board. As a result of those I didn't respond to your last private e-mail to me as I didn't even read it, I deleted it.
You have falsely accused me of hatred of a Catholic Pope. I don't believe attributing motives to individual posters or reading their minds is permissable either.
The issue here isn't my personality, whether I am a Traditionalist, a banker, a baker, or a candlestick maker. The issue here is whether it was right or wrong for the Pope to kiss the Koran. It's really that simple.
Runways don't have the corrupt texts of the unholy Koran printed on them either.
*You made a error. Just admit it.
ROFLOL! I made an error? Baloney! You, as a Catholic, ought to know that a holy kiss is given to the Gospels and to the altar.
From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
This is particularly true of the Book of the Gospels which is venerated above all the books of readings by Churches of both East and West. So clearly is the Book of the Gospels a sign of Christ present in the liturgy, that it is revered with the same holy kiss given to the altar.
For this reason it is desirable that "cathedrals and at least the larger, more populous parishes and the churches with a larger attendance possess a beautifully designed Book of the Gospels, separate from any other book of readings."
The point I was trying to make is that Catholics who know this might get confused or highly offended when the Pope kissed the Koran since the only HOLY book in the Church that deserves that kind of sign of respect and reverence is the Book of the Gospels.
Arian Ping...
Perhaps the recurrence of these heresies is not so much the fault of man's fallen nature and its inclination to deny God as it is the failure of the Church to prove her case convincingly whether in theory or in practice.
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