'Protestant Churches aren't real' says Pope; world tells him to STFU

[Grimmlok]

PROTESTANT churches have reacted with dismay to a new declaration approved by the Pope insisting they were mere "ecclesial communities" and their ministers in effect phonies with no right to give communion.

Coming just days after the reinstatement of the Latin Mass, Tuesday's document left no doubt about the Pope's eagerness to back traditional Catholic practices and attitudes, even at the expense of causing offence.

The view that Protestants cannot have churches was first set out by Pope Benedict seven years ago when, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he headed the Vatican ministry for doctrine. A commentary attached to the latest text acknowledged that his 2000 document, Dominus Iesus, had caused "no little distress".

But it 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 Pope's old department, which issued the document, said its aim was to correct "erroneous or ambiguous" interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, which ended in 1965. Quoting a text approved by the council, it said Protestant churches, "because of the absence of the sacramental priesthood", had not "preserved the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic Mystery".

However, other Christians saw the latest document as another retreat from the spirit of openness generated by the council, which laid the basis for talks on Christian unity. Bishop Wolfgang Huber, head of the Protestant umbrella group Evangelical Church in Germany, said: "The hope for a change in the ecumenical situation has been pushed further away by the document published today."

He said the new pronouncement repeated "offensive statements" in the 2000 document and was a "missed opportunity" to improve relations with Protestants. The president of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Italy, Pastor Domenico Maselli, called it a "huge step backwards in relations between the Roman Catholic church and other Christian communities".

The Church of England reacted cautiously. A spokesman for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said: "This is a serious document, teaching on important ecclesiological matters and of significance to the churches' commitment to the full, visible unity to the one church of Jesus Christ."

The Vatican's statement had fewer misgivings about the Orthodox Church, which had "true sacraments" and a genuine priesthood. But its failure to acknowledge the Pope's authority meant it suffered from a "defectus", politely translated from Latin as "a wound".

Last Saturday the Pope freed Catholics to ask for Masses to be celebrated according to the Latin rite abolished by the Second Vatican Council. This meant the reinstatement of a Good Friday prayer describing Jews as blind to the Christian truth.

You are not real churches, Pope says to Protestants - World - smh.com.au

Finally, he's not picking on the gays.. he's picking on other 'fake' christians.

Maybe they'll eat each other.

[LynnieD]

What is up with this Pope guy??? Is he high?

Religion is the root of all things evil.....

[Grimmlok]

He's just an old, narrowminded ex-nazi trying to drag the catholicism back to the stone age, from whence it barely crawled.

[LynnieD]

He's a fucking retard....but, we already knew that. This just makes it a bit more clear.

[msdeb]

i've never cared for this pope.... and now i have more reason to hate him.

[McJag]

Genuine asshole. Right to the core. This ought to set the Catholics I know back 50 years.

[A*O]

When conservative John Paul 2 died the Catholic Church had a golden opportunity to elect a Pope who would drag the church kicking and screaming out of the middles ages and into the 21st century. There are plenty of cardinals who would do just that because they are vaguely in touch with reality. Instead, they elected this fossil who is even MORE conservative than JP2 and who displays all the warmth and human compassion of a block of concrete.

[Bonham]

Wow, so he's made insulting remarks about Muslims, Native Americans and now Protestants. He's gotten Jews worried because he's brought back the Latin Mass that asks God to convert Jews to Catholicism.
Wow. That leaves the Eastern religions. I'm curious to see how he'll insult them. I bet a lot of Catholics are furious too. It'll be interesting if one man can piss off all the world's religions. That'll be quite a feat. My fingers are crossed.

[Lily]

Genuine asshole. Right to the core. This ought to set the Catholics I know back 50 years.

I liked the last Pope. Conservative as he was, he also did a lot of good. His best friend was JEWISH for crying out loud. This Pope is a joke.

Does this man not realize that C.S. Lewis--one of the greatest Christian minds of the 20th century--was ANGLICAN?

[Retro]

What is up with this Pope guy??? Is he high?

Religion is the root of all things evil.....

Ah, Christopher Hitchens disciple.

[witchcurlgirl]

That protestant churches are not real has always been the Catholic churchs position.....nothing new here.....it's just that this man speaks it out loud....Roman Catholicism has always called itself "the one true church"...

Catholics are no more intolerant than any other of the worlds major religions.......Islamic fanatics want all Jews and Christians dead.....Hasidim want all Jews to come back to orthodoxy.....they're all little dictatorships...

Catholicism is no better or worse than the others

Although Church of England was founded to give one man a divorce......the Protestant part was added in later by Elizabeth

[Grimmlok]

The point is not that the catholic church is no worse than the others (saying "we'll they're doing it too!" is no excuse), it's that this man is a fucking idiot.

[witchcurlgirl]

The point is not that the catholic church is no worse than the others (saying "we'll they're doing it too!" is no excuse), it's that this man is a fucking idiot.

My point was he did not come up with this stuff.....It's Catholic doctrine.......

he is just speaking it out loud......

Theres nothing new in his comments.....

and i didn't present "oh they're all doing it" as an excuse....but thats what all organized religion is all about.....


Now lets trash the Jews

[Picara]

Although Church of England was founded to give one man a divorce......the Protestant part was added in later by Elizabeth

Henry had some big balls, didn't he?

[witchcurlgirl]

Henry had some big balls, didn't he?

the biggest.......and he made quite a bit for his treasury when he took everything from the Churches and monastaries....

Gotta admire a man that comes out of his divorce with more money