Protestant churches yesterday reacted with dismay to a new declaration approved by Pope Benedict XVI insisting they were mere “ecclesial communities” and their ministers effectively phonies with no right to give communion.
The latest declaration added: “It is nevertheless difficult to see how the title of ‘Church’ could possibly be attributed to [Protestant communities], given that they do not accept the theological notion of the Church in the Catholic sense and that they lack elements considered essential to the Catholic Church.”
The Vatican’s statement had fewer misgivings about the Orthodox Church, which had “true sacraments” and a genuine priesthood. But their failure to acknowledge the Pope’s authority meant they suffered from a “defectus”, politely translated from Latin as “a wound”.
On one hand, it’s always a chuckle to watch sectarians turn tolerance into profanity. On the other, the desperate violence committed by True Believers in much of the world is a deadly affliction that flows all too often from religious sectarians.
Dude……I LOVE this freakin Pope!
He is so fun to follow in the news.
Every other new story is like “Uh oh……look at who the Pope done pissed of this time!”
Isn’t half of the point of the protestant movement that no one man is any closer to god than the next?
Is this Pope trying to start a holy war??
What’s not mentioned in the blog article above is the re-authorization of a form of the Latin Mass that includes a directive to “go convert the Jews”….
Stu – that was posted here a couple of days ago.
Seems to be more violence within religion then countries. Funny how different beliefs cannot get along. From some survey’s It would seem at least in the US. That many people are leaving a certain religion and becoming independent. I think all religion has tended to show more cult like beliefs lately. Why should the Catholics put down another religion??
Perfect example why people especially young people are becoming disenchanted with religion.
#7 – AMEN!! 🙂
It’s perfectly reasonable for a church to say that other churches aren’t true churches. Otherwise what’s the point of having a theology? If he said “make up your own beliefs” it wouldn’t be much of a rigorous religion.
Although I think he’s probably wrong, and that there was no pope instituted by the apostles. Doh!
The Pope is an idiot. He reminds me of Paris Hilton saying stupid crap to get attention. Just another religious leader amusing his flock at the expense of others. He couldn’t think of a new idea even if it kicked him in the ass, so he drags out all the old ideas again.
Satan has a special place in hell for an idiot like this, the short-bus lava pool.
That’s right! It’s not a real church unless they touch little boys.
Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre?
Hey, alla you wops, a-get offa my-a lawn!!
#7 – Funny how different beliefs cannot get along.
Well… If you aren’t smart enough not to believe in the magic man in the sky who is really concerned about how much sex you are having, then you aren’t really smart enough to be able to get along with others.
Am I patronizing? Yes… But what keeps me from wanting to inflict violence on the religious is always remembering to think of them as having the minds of children. It’s hard to want to hurt children.
But like children, the religious need to be kept out of adult decision making… like policy on gay marriage and stem cell research…
However, if we are gonna start saying that some churches aren’t churches, can we start collecting the taxes that religious institutions should be paying?
Hey, it’s their club and they get to make their rules.
#13 – OFTLO – Having the minds of children just means they’re credulous and unable to see or honor others’ points of view. And in a pinch, they can be incredibly mean. Reread “Lord of the Flies” sometime.
Not that I think you should go around trying to smack sense into their heads. Wouldn’t work anyway. But they lack the saving grace of children, because they’re not cute.
You’re right, though. Keep the religious nuts the hell out of policy making. They don’t belong anywhere near public policy. If the price of keeping them the hell away from public policy is to let them be exempt from taxation, it’s worth every penny lost.
The other side of that coin is that any preacher who makes political statements should forfeit his church’s tax exempt status.
With a guy like him as an asistant, it’s no wonder John Paul II died.
I miss John Paul II
He was a G.
I’m pretty sure if John Paul II saw what this douche is doing, he would give him the holy bitchslap.
I’m a Catholic. I don’t always agree with Church doctrine or dogma, so that means I’m probably gonna burn in Hell. Above all, the doctrine of papal infallibility is a crock, I think. The Pope is human and therefore imperfect and prone to error… even in speaking for the Catholic Church.
That said, I do not think the Pope has ANY right to dictate what any other denomination can or cannot be. Just because others may be Lutheran, or Presbyterian, or Congregationalist, or whatever, does NOT in my opinion mean that the adherents of non-Catholic denominations do not have a Church! That’s bogus, it’s BS, it’s just plain wrong!
#18 – so that means I’m probably gonna burn in Hell.
Worry not, friend, for I am absolutely certain beyond any doubt that you are NOT going to burn in Hell.
This makes perfect sense. The wound he speaks of is that his church has gone in a wrong direction from the Orthodox church is no longer in communion with the Body of Christ. The rest of the Christian communities will not be effected one way or another. I have no clue why this offends or is even news.
Does anyone have that video of the pope throwing holy-water balloons from the Vatican balcony trying to hit the unholy sinners below?
A survey once showed that 80% of American RCs don;t believe in the transubstantiation of the host. I think OvenMaster speaks for the vast majority of RCs in not believing in most of their doctrines.
RC missions in the 3rd world are often handing out condoms. The Vatican does nothing except send letters, they are ignored because they are no longer feared.
There are so few RC priests now that deacons are doing the work that priests always used to do, such as weddings. The number of RC priests gets lower all the time. There’s practically no nuns or monks left at all.
In summary, their is church is hollow and about to implode. I don’t know how much of this the Pope knows but he knows most of it. He’s desperate. He brought back the old mass to increase attendance, every little bit counts. He’s lashing out at the other churches because they are winning. He reportedly spends hours playing at his piano trying to calm himself. After all he already was a member of another failed state: Nazi Germany!
The Pope should spend his entire tenure on his knees seeking forgiveness for the sins of the Catholic priesthood’s pedophilia.
I tend to wonder when these folks are going to elect a pope that ISNT 900 years old, and going thru senility.
Has anyone ever seen this guy and Steve Ballmer at the same time?
#25 – Oh Dude… That isn’t even close to fair… I get that some of us nerds have an anti-Ballmer bent, but Steve never did anything to deserve that comparison.
}}} Steve never did anything to deserve that comparison.
Developers, developers, developers,…
26.
Hah that was like the one guy who takes the joke too far.
“the pope is a douchebag!” “YEAH!”
“What an ass!” “YEAH!”
“He’s like Steve Balmer!” “….woah….dude…….NOT cool!”
#28 – Your valid point is not lost on me… My co-workers are curious about the giggling sound coming from my cube…
Whats the issue here?
The protestant reformation was for the very purpose of leaving the church. So, now the Pope says they are not Cathollics anymore.
GOAL!!!!!!!!!!
Nobody would mind having undocumented Mexicans up here in the U S of A if the weren’t so danged over-POPE-ulated.
(Sorry ;^)