Pope Francis should tread carefully when speaking of non-Catholic religions

[rug]

by Bill Tammeus | May. 29, 2013

Ever since the start of the Protestant Reformation nearly 500 years ago, Protestants have been understandably dismissive of the idea that the Roman Catholic church is the only true Christian church.

And yet the leaders of the Catholic church have made that claim persistently over time in various ways.

The one that stirred up the most resentment under Pope John Paul II was contained in Dominus Iesus, issued in August 2000 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, then headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI.

The declaration said churches outside the Catholic church "are not Churches in the proper sense." It added: "... the Church of Christ, despite the divisions which exist among Christians, continues to exist fully only in the Catholic Church."

http://ncronline.org/blogs/small-c-catholic/pope-francis-should-tread-carefully-when-speaking-non-catholic-religions

Here's the text of Dominus Iesus.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000806_dominus-iesus_en.html

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

1. I remember when Dominus Iesus came out,

my reaction was "that's the way to win friends and influence people, gratuitously insult them."

It's part and parcel of Catholic Triumphalism, which I have defined as the attitude, "My Church, right or wrong; except that she is never wrong!" Of course, such an attitude can only be sustained by either ignoring history or else by lying.

[IrishAyes]

3. Why does that old saw,

"Pride goes before a fall" come to mind?

[hedgehog]

2. The effect of this teaching is that American Catholics are

imprinted not to consider other denominations if they find themselves unhappy in the Roman Catholic Church. The reult is that they become unchurched people.