I would ask you to take another look at the quote you gave from Pope Benedict XVI. He states:
For this reason Luther's phrase: "faith alone" is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love.That is a big "if." But first we need to point out what are the "works" that Paul puts in opposition to "faith." As Pope Benedict writes in that same address:
And he adds "we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (ibid., v. 28). At this point Luther translated: "justified by faith alone". I shall return to this point at the end of the Catechesis. First, we must explain what is this "Law" from which we are freed and what are those "works of the Law" that do not justify. The opinion that was to recur systematically in history already existed in the community at Corinth. This opinion consisted in thinking that it was a question of moral law and that the Christian freedom thus consisted in the liberation from ethics. Thus in Corinth the term "πάντα μοι έξεστιν" (I can do what I like) was widespread. It is obvious that this interpretation is wrong: Christian freedom is not libertinism; the liberation of which St Paul spoke is not liberation from good works.Just as I have maintained, Pope Benedict points out that the "works" that Paul is referring to is the Torah, i.e. circumcision and the Mosaic Law, not the moral law. He continues:So what does the Law from which we are liberated and which does not save mean? For St Paul, as for all his contemporaries, the word "Law" meant the Torah in its totality, that is, the five books of Moses. The Torah, in the Pharisaic interpretation, that which Paul had studied and made his own, was a complex set of conduct codes that ranged from the ethical nucleus to observances of rites and worship and that essentially determined the identity of the just person. In particular, these included circumcision, observances concerning pure food and ritual purity in general, the rules regarding the observance of the Sabbath, etc. codes of conduct that also appear frequently in the debates between Jesus and his contemporaries.
With Christ, the God of Israel, the one true God, became the God of all peoples. The wall as he says in his Letter to the Ephesians between Israel and the Gentiles, was no longer necessary: it is Christ who protects us from polytheism and all of its deviations; it is Christ who unites us with and in the one God; it is Christ who guarantees our true identity within the diversity of cultures. The wall is no longer necessary; our common identity within the diversity of cultures is Christ, and it is he who makes us just. Being just simply means being with Christ and in Christ. And this suffices. Further observances [of Torah] are no longer necessary. For this reason Luther's phrase: "faith alone" is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love. Faith is looking at Christ, entrusting oneself to Christ, being united to Christ, conformed to Christ, to his life. And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence to believe is to conform to Christ and to enter into his love. So it is that in the Letter to the Galatians in which he primarily developed his teaching on justification St Paul speaks of faith that works through love (cf. Gal 5: 14).Now if this is what you mean by faith alone, being freed from the works of the Torah but fulfilled in love, then we agree. But if we have faith without charity, then as Paul says: "if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing." (1 Cor. 13:2).Paul knows that in the twofold love of God and neighbour the whole of the Law is present and carried out. Thus in communion with Christ, in a faith that creates charity, the entire Law is fulfilled. We become just by entering into communion with Christ who is Love. We shall see the same thing in the Gospel next Sunday, the Solemnity of Christ the King. It is the Gospel of the judge whose sole criterion is love. What he asks is only this: Did you visit me when I was sick? When I was in prison? Did you give me food to eat when I was hungry, did you clothe me when I was naked? And thus justice is decided in charity. Thus, at the end of this Gospel we can almost say: love alone, charity alone. But there is no contradiction between this Gospel and St Paul. It is the same vision, according to which communion with Christ, faith in Christ, creates charity. And charity is the fulfilment of communion with Christ. Thus, we are just by being united with him and in no other way.
I saw it already, and besides, it's not much different than what many Protestants have written, and explained.
So your point is? You don't have one that I can see. Not one strong enough to save yourself from past error of opposing sola fide.
Do I have to explain EACH TIME any of the five sola are mentioned, that none of those are "alone" (save perhaps for 'Christ, alone' being as He is the all-in-all)?
Notice too (at the link) the rest of the list of theologians who subscribed to sola fide???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
You had said;
WHAT Protestant denials???????????????????
I've had about enough Romanist confusion over these SIMPLEST of issues. Years of this has taken a toll. Perhaps now you may better see that portions of your anti-Protestant bigotry has been ill-founded (for years!)???
Just stop with beating, and burning the straw man -- where each sola is isolated not only one from another, but from all other inputs ---from scripture-- from reason itself, and from Christian traditions also. That 'everything in isolation and shallowness' way is not what is widely taught and understood among Protestants.
It's more like modern day Catholics, like Ratzinger and others, --- when they do get it right (or close enough) can't ever make it there without keeping one eye on Protestant exegesis. But even then-- they (Romanists) cannot agree with it unless THEY get to re-word things, if just a little here, and there so they can claim ownership, in effort to maintain their claims of ascendancy over everyone.
WEll, DUH!!!
How many years has it taken for that to sink in???? Geez louise, you people blow me away!
Like those pesky Protestants run around saying love can be done away with, or something? Ha!
One more time ---- the five solas were never ever (any of them) truly "alone". They all worked together. Always did.
Thank you for posting these quotes from Pope Benedict XVI. He is such an erudite writer yet his words can be understood by the common man. I also appreciate your quotation from 1 Corinthians 13. This passage has become very meaningful to me in the past year as it has helped me get through a painful family situation. Faith without love is nothing. Works without love gain nothing. As Paul wrote in closing out the chapter, “so faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:5-7)