Posted on 03/16/2016 10:08:09 AM PDT by ebb tide
On March 16, speaking publicly on a rare occasion, Pope Benedict XVI gave an interview to Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian Bishops' Conference, in which he spoke of a “two-sided deep crisis” the Church is facing in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. The report has already hit Germany courtesy of Vaticanist Guiseppe Nardi, of the German Catholic news website Katholisches.info.
Pope Benedict reminds us of the formerly indispensable Catholic conviction of the possibility of the loss of eternal salvation, or that people go to hell:
The missionaries of the 16th century were convinced that the unbaptized person is lost forever. After the [Second Vatican] Council, this conviction was definitely abandoned. The result was a two-sided, deep crisis. Without this attentiveness to the salvation, the Faith loses its foundation.
He also speaks of a “profound evolution of Dogma” with respect to the Dogma that there is no salvation outside the Church. This purported change of dogma has led, in the pope's eyes, to a loss of the missionary zeal in the Church – “any motivation for a future missionary commitment was removed.” Pope Benedict asks the piercing question that arose after this palpable change of attitude of the Church: “Why you should try to convince the people to accept the Christian faith when they can be saved even without it?” As to the other consequences of this new attitude in the Church, the Catholics themselves, in Benedict's eyes, were less attached to their Faith: If there are those who can save their souls with other means, “why should the the Christian be bound to the necessity of the Christian Faith and its morality?” asked the pope. And he concludes: “But if Faith and Salvation are not any more interdependent, even Faith becomes less motivating.”
Pope Benedict also refutes both the idea of the “anonymous Christian” as developed by Karl Rahner, as well as the indifferentist idea that all religions are equally valuable and helpful to attain eternal life. He says: “Even less acceptable is the solution proposed by the pluralistic theories of religion, for which all religions, each in its own way, would be ways of salvation and, in this sense, must be considered equivalent in their effects.” In this context, he also touches upon the exploratory ideas of the now-deceased Jesuit Cardinal, Henri de Lubac, about Christ's putatively “vicarious substitutions” which have to be now again “further reflected upon.” That is to say, Christ's own acts in the place of others in order to save them eternally.
With regard to man's relation to technology and to love, Pope Benedict reminds us of the importance of human affection, saying that man still yearns in his heart “that the Good Samaritan come to his aid.” He continues: “In the harshness of the world of technology – in which feelings to not count anymore – the hope for a saving love grows, a love which would be given freely and generously.” Benedict also reminds his audience that: “The Church is not self-made, it was created by God and is continuously formed by Him. This finds expression in the Sacraments, above all in that of Baptism: I enter into the Church not by a bureaucratic act, but with the help of this Sacrament.” Benedict also insists that, always, “we need Grace and forgiveness.”
I agree with you re: Francis, but I think Genoa was referring to the danger for Benedict if he says too much especially why he (had to) resigned.
OK, but now how do we work with conservative Jews, Protestants, etc. to bring the US back toward its Constitutional roots?
What will the conversations be like? Something like this perhaps...
So we're all agreed that abortion is murder? Check.
We're all agreed that there is no such thing as gay "marriage"? Check.
We're all agreed that you Protestants and Jews are going to Hell unless you convert to Catholicism?
Huh? What? We don't all agree on that? Why are you all yelling at me and leaving?
I don’t believe for a second Benedict stepped down on his own accord.
I agree.
That's the whole point of the article. Benedict is suggesting that Vatican II went too far.
The way it was explained to me is that "no salvation outside the Church" meant that even non-Catholics could be saved just by the fact that the Church continued to exist and preach the truth. Somehow these non-Catholics would hear this truth, internally consent to it without joining the church, and would eventually end up in Heaven.
Benedict is suggesting this might not be helpful or correct. The original meaning of the saying "no salvation outside the church" meant you had to be baptized Catholic to be saved. That position was harsh, but it encouraged missionary zeal to save as many souls as possible, and it gave Catholics a good reason to be Catholic.
Check.
The Church is in deep doo doo, and its name is Francis.
Interesting. I didn’t know an ecumenical council called by proper authority could err.
By the way, would you say Orthodox are saved or going to hell?
I still consider Benedict the real Pope, not the current communist who serves the elites and maybe even Satan himself.
I’m still looking for the prohibition against global warming in the bible.
Pope Che is a bad man.
The conspiracy theory is that a cabal of leftists within the Vatican hierarchy plotted to get rid of Benedict because he stood firmly against their agenda. They plotted to get the current Pope to replace him because he is a radical leftist who will further their agenda.
Pretty sure this has been documented and is the conventional wisdom.
#29 “...the current communist who serves the elites and maybe even Satan himself.
I’m still looking for the prohibition against global warming in the bible.
Pope Che is a bad man.”
I’m sure Francis would not judge you as harshly as you judge him
Just lucid, unambiguous logic which causes no scandal, makes complete sense and reaffirms long-standing Catholic truth.
It feels like a cool spring of water to a man dying of thirst.
Francis does not judge any non-Catholics, whether they may be Protestants, Jews, schismatics, muslims or pagans. He only judges traditional Catholics with his endless insults.
Though we disagree on the papacy, Mary, purgatory, priesthood, Eucharist, imputation (and plenty more), I believe unity on some level would be possible were it not for the fact that the foundation of the division is over the nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ itself. But because the Gospel itself is at stake, unity is impossible. In fact, it’s not biblical. When Rome believes and teaches that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone we will have something to discuss.
There are “big tent” and “pup tent” ways to formulate doctrine. I like this one: Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone.
Good one.
Well hey - I'm not the Pope, I do not have influence over millions of people, and I am not pushing a totalitarian, one world agenda on behalf of the global elites.
The bar, for him, is supposed top set a little higher for a valid reason.
Well, old age is a health issue. My guess is that he didn’t have the right helpers to do the heavy lifting that comes from time to time.
At least this a Pope is Catholic
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