Posted on 07/10/2007 8:57:47 AM PDT by f150sound
LORENZAGO DI CADORE, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI has reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian denominations were not true churches.
In the latest document — formulated as five questions and answers — the Vatican seeks to set the record straight on Vatican II's ecumenical intent, saying some contemporary theological interpretation had been "erroneous or ambiguous" and had prompted confusion and doubt.
It restates key sections of a 2000 document the pope wrote when he was prefect of the congregation, "Dominus Iesus," which set off a firestorm of criticism among Protestant and other Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the "means of salvation."
"Christ 'established here on earth' only one church," the document said. The other communities "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense" because they do not have apostolic succession — the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ's original apostles.
Actually, as I’ve learned on this forum, Protestants chose the word for themselves. It meant then what Protestants mean by “confessing” now, as opposed to Catholics, which they regarded as failing to have made personal commitments to Christ; there was no inferred sense of protesting “against” anything.
Actually, it’s spelled “Hippocracy,” and it literally means, “rule by RINOs.”
pectech:
The Mass has nothing to do with my salvation.
Jesus:
“Unless you eat of my flesh and drink of my blood, you shall not have life within you.”
Paul:
“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?”
Luke:
“And [Jesus] took bread, and gave thanks, and brake [it], and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me; Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup [is] the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
Sorry, pctech, but the bible is quite clear: the “mass”, as the partaking of the bread and wine is now called, is the form of the salvific covenant.
Because, in your “church”, you don’t believe that, it is very plain that your “church” does not mean the same thing when it calls itself a “church” that the Catholic Church means.
>> Does that mean that the indulgences I just purchased from the Methodist Church are no good? <<
Nope. Carbon credits are absolutely worthless.
I think a Latin High Mass on special occasions to recall the rich heritage of the church is wonderful, but for ordinary masses — it would lose my participation. I’m lucky I can make my prayers coherent in English — Latin — I’m just out of luck. ;-)
Actually, ex-catholics aren’t heretics, either. “Heretics” present or hold as Catholic doctrine false doctrines. Those who deny the authority of the Catholic Church altogether are “apostates.”
AMEN. As long as I have Christ in my heart and I follow HIS ways, I don’t need any Pope or any other Catholic telling me I’m not a Christian. Not all Catholics are Christians either. It wholly depends on their relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ. Church will never take the place of Jesus Christ.
I’m not a member of any organized religious group, I’m a Baptist............
Yeah, and also for the Protestant bashers. THAT road goes BOTH ways, my friend.
There is only ONE true church and that’s the Body Of Christ. Period.
AMEN. ME, TOO!
The anti-Christ will do that...
Yeah, right. See you in heaven, baby.
Uh huh, a labor of love if you’re catholic. The rest of us aren’t included.
I’m very concerned about people’s salvation and the error that prevents many of them from coming to Christ.
You are SOOOOO wrong. How arrogant you folks have become, thinking your church is the ONLY church. You will be shocked to see us protestants in the same line as your are in heaven. Cheez.
I don’t know of anyone who worships tv evangelists. Don’t be ridiculous.
>> The word used for the second “rock” means “boulder” whereas the word used for the first “rock” actually means “little stone”. <<
You don’t even state the lie correctly. The lie is that the bible intended “Petros” to refer to “hewn rock,” as opposed to “Petra,” meaning “motherlode.” Greek words have “gender”, meaning some are used in conjunction with male pronouns, while others are used in conjunction with female pronounse. There are some instances of Greek poetry which Petra when referring to the motherlode, but Petros when referring to hewn rock, because the poet intends to play apon the gender of the words, as if “Petra” gives birth to “Petros.”
Jesus re-named Peter, “Cephas,” not Peter. Peter comes from the Greek translation of “Cephas,” which is Petrus or Petra. “Petros” has absolutely meaning other than what “Petra” means, and if it did, the translation would be faulty, because in every other instance, the Greek bible uses “Petra” for “Cephas.” Because Cephas is used for both motherlode stone and dewn stone, there is no poetic distinction possible in the bible; Jesus said: you are “Cephas,” and apon this “Cephas,” I will build my church. Also, the word translated as “this” indicates Jesus is referring to the very “Cephas” he had just mentioned.
The sole reason that the Greek bible refers to Simon Cephas as “Petros” and not “Petra” is a very simple, obvious reason: “Peter” is a man, and “Petra” is a feminine noun. It would be gramatically incorrect to use a masculine verb in context with a feminine noun like “Petra,” but to use a feminine verb would be to imply that Peter was a woman.
There is, in fact, a Greek word for a hewn or loose rock, and it is NOT “Petros.” It is “lithos.” And it is used every time that the bible intends to refer to a hewn or loose rock.
ORTHODOX PING!
There you go brothers. What HAVE I been saying all this time?
It is obvious the Latins are NOT going to give up their “Primacy” doctrine.
So much for reunion.
I don’t even know where to start.
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