Agree in that Catholics do some things that are surprising, praying to Mary, repetetive prayers, etc. One has to admit they have organization. I was talking to a pastor recently asking him how he thought Christians should be responding to current events in our country and he responded part of our problem is our leadership, that we don't have a "Pope". When men do try to rise up and be spokesmen too easily they are destroyed by the media and not recognized with any authority by Protestants, hence we get politicians like McCain making comments like he did about Falwell and Robertson.

I am not saying Protetants need a Pope but just pointing out that some things Catholics seem to be "doing right".

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"I am not saying Protetants need a Pope but just pointing out that some things Catholics seem to be "doing right". "

Isn't it commonsense that if you're going to establish a society intended to last forever when you're gone that you establish a leader for it?

I am not saying Protetants need a Pope but just pointing out that some things Catholics seem to be "doing right".

One thing Protestants (and most Catholics) don't realise is that the Pope is not the "king" as many of the 15th and 16th century Protestant leaders made the office out to be. Instead the Pope is the first among equals -- the "seniormost" of the Patriarchs: and in the Catholic Church we have other Patriarchs like those leading the Maronite Catholic Church, the Syro-Malabar, the Chaldean etc. who are of equal "rank" as the Pope. Ditto for the Patriarchs of the Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Churches -- they are all of equal respect and the Pope is the first among them -- primus inter pares.

The office of the Papacy is not one to be taken up lightly -- remember that the road to hell will be lined with priests who were not mindful enough of their flocks. It is a burden to be responsible for ensuring that the world's Christians are true to the one true faith and each pope will be judged for it, so any actions will be judged more harshly than for the rest of us who do not hold that office.