“The position that the priest or minister must be free from sin before he can administer sacrament.”
This is false. The sacraments are efficacious even if the priest is sinner. Every priest is a sinner. Every person within the church is a filthy sinner in need of Christ and redemption.
“However the question arises what if serious sins are prevalent among the priest and bishops FOR CENTURIES?”
Better question - has there ever been a time when sins were not prevelent among the priests and bishops
“God can withdraw from such a people.”
Then what do you make of this?
I see what you are saying - however, I don’t see it that pastors are immune from sin and that this argument would apply only to the Catholic church. What do you think Jesus would think of today, the folks who, in his name, claim that homosexual actions are laudable acts? Who encourage young women to abort their children?
Would you stand back and say that these churches have lost their way and that any sincere Christian has an obligation to leave these churches?
You did not read my post closely. I stated I was aware that the Donatist position was rejected. I did not state I accepted the doctrine they promulgated. I merely brought up the question of apostasy through wide spread sin in the church leadership. When one finds out that ones individual priest is engaging in anal intercourse with a twelve year old boy one is horrified but agrees the church survives. If one finds out it is widespread and the leadership participates and covers up the wrongdoing over an extended period of time; that I submit is quite a different set of facts. Apostasy can happen, indeed Christian apostasy is predicted. Of course, apostasy applies to Protestant ministers. I would not join many “mainstream” Protestant branches that have accepted Sodomite “marriage.” Indeed, St. Paul advised us to “come out from among them.” Which the early Protestants in fact did by reason of widespread church sin.