On June 29, the Vatican released a document approved by Pope Benedict XVI that says:
“Christ ‘established here on earth’ only one church,” … [The other communities] “cannot be called ‘churches’ in the proper sense” [emphasis mine].
The rationale? Any church that does not have apostolic succession — the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ’s original apostles, is a false church. Since only the Roman Catholic Church asserts this claim, then all other churches are wrong. Even if another church would make this claim it would be illegitimate since only one church can claim “bestowed authority” from the Apostle Peter.
The document “Dominus Iesus” (authored in 2000 and was the basis for this latest release), asserted that Protestant and other Christian denominations were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the “means of salvation.” In other words, no “church,” regardless of what it may claim, has the fundamental authority necessary from Christ to offer a way to God outside of the R.C.C.
In an ironic twist-of-arm the document goes on to say Pope Benedict remains committed to ecumenical dialogue with one caveat:
“However, if such dialogue is to be truly constructive, it must involve not just the mutual openness of the participants but also fidelity to the identity of the Catholic faith.”
Translation: You admit you are wrong and confess that we are right and have been all along!
I agree completely with the R.C.C. in regard to there being one and only one true Church of Jesus Christ. However, this one and only Church consists of those who have and are trusting in Christ’s work on the cross alone to provide forgiveness for their sins and provide the needed righteousness that God the Father demands. This righteousness is from Christ as provides the only basis for hope of a relationship with God the Father now and forever. The one true Church of Christ then demonstrates this trust/belief/hope by following Jesus throughout their life.
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‘Completely’? Is that the word you really meant to use? 🙂
Because “I Completely Agree with One Specific Point of Something the Roman Catholic Church Says but Only in the Way I Understand It According to the Bible, Not the Way They Meant It” just didn’t flow.
Here’s a new movie that’s coming out since Benedict’s announcement. 🙂
What Jeffrey said…
Larry, that is very funny!
Greg Peters at the Scriptorium Daily blog posted on this today under the title “Ecumenical Honesty, Finally!“…
I’d be interested in Frank Beckwith’s reaction to the Pope’s statement.
I find the statement to be a masterpiece of equivocation because it allows Catholics to believe that they are members of the one true church, while at the same time Catholics can take comfort that their non-Catholic friends and relatives can find salvation outside the RCC in “ecclesial communities” (i.e., Protestant churches). The authors of the statement have found a clever way to affirm the exclusivity of the RCC and to appear to be ecumenical at the same time.
Al Mohler responds in masterful fashion:
..and…
I really appreciate Mohler’s willingness to mince no words here. That’s a quality sadly lacking among many high profile evangelicals today.
I find it ironic that Mohler would be considered by the Catholic Church to be “incorporated in Christ and thus … in a certain communion, albeit imperfect, with the Church” (Dominus Iesus 17).