And of course we see, every day, how FRomanist disagree with the Pope, their own Catechism. How they disagree with each other.
And then we are told by the same bunch that Sola Scripture is unworkable.
Aside from the fact that nobody who calls Catholics “Romanists” can really be taken seriously, lock-step with the pope’s personal opinions is not required of Catholics. Maybe it is required in the false Catholicism that Protestants have build up and attempt to use to discredit the Church, but reality is, predictably, different.
Your observation is reasonable. There are Catholics who belief themselves more Catholic than the Pope. There are Catholics who have never critically examined their faith, much less cracked the Catechism. And of course, everything in between.
The reality is, for Catholics, a few basic things are expected. The first is belief in what the Nicene Creed calls out. The second is the dogmatic teachings of the Church. Finally, the Church requires obedience in matters of faith and morals.
As the writer mentioned, there are very few parts of Scripture that the Church takes a definite stand. Rather, as it is the inspired word of God, each man is able to “hear” the Spirit at any particular time, presenting a particular message. For example, I may be facing a specific challenge in my life. I go to my Bible, ask the Holy Spirit to enliven my mind and heart, and begin to read. Usually, the particular passage I am reading, sheds new light on my situation. It often allows me to think of the passage in a new context. In other words, it is living, and nourishing.
I think the author’s use of the sandbox analogy was quite good.
Ultimately, we must choose to do right or wrong. To love our neighbors or not. Hopefully, we will all abide in the Spirit.