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.”
Understood. I thought you were referring to the forum.
It does help to actually have a relationship with someone first...but we should never fool ourselves into thinking that these other discussions are just as important.
And yet Christ tells us that we will be judged according to our deeds.
Those unsaved will be judged according to their deeds for their eternal punishment.
The saved are judged according to their deeds for rewards, not salvation. In terms of salvation, His perfect deeds are imputed to the account of those who believe. So, in a sense, salvation is in fact by works—the works of Christ.
That's what Benedict is whining about...Apparently he didn't go for that one...
Are you just trying to be annoying?
Yeah, proselytism one of things Catholics can't bring themselves to do because they associate it with Protestantism (two others are total Biblical inerrancy and young earth creationism). It doesn't matter what the ancient church fathers believed or did; if American Protestants do it or believe it then Catholics simply can't!
Catholicism (Orthodoxy too) have for centuries been nothing but ethnic religions, sort of counterfeit Judaisms without Sinai.
I know back when I converted I had to take the initiative every step along the way.
I can't see how a Greek Orthodox church can do anything but try to keep up its numbers or close the doors.
As the old European-based ethnic communities disperse and dissolve there seems little hope for those religious communities that place ethnicity at or above religious beliefs.
There seems to be a lot of talk about Catholics joining Orthodox churches in protest of Pope Francis's recent outbursts. I really don't see that working out too well for anyone.
Which is just replacing one traditionally Catholic ethnic group with another. It's still a counterfeit Judaism without Sinai.
My point was simply that the ancient churches are ethnic and anti-missionary by their very nature. Trying to convert anyone is "Protestant," so (aside from a few people who come in entirely on their own, as I once did), all they have to count on is that Irish people (and Italians, Hispanics, Vietnamese, French, Austrians, etc.) reproduce sexually.
I wonder how churches with such attitudes can condemn Jews for not wanting to be proselytized.
he was too ill, frail and tired
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