Pope: Other denominations not true churches

[RND]

Pope: Other denominations not true churches

"LORENZAGO DI CADORE, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI has reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian denominations were not true churches.

Benedict approved a document from his old offices at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly the office Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office established during the Inquisition) that restates church teaching on relations with other Christians. It was the second time in a week the pope has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that modernized the church.

On Saturday, Benedict revisited another key aspect of Vatican II by reviving the old Latin Mass. Traditional Catholics cheered the move, but more liberal ones called it a step back from Vatican II."

Benedict, who attended Vatican II as a young theologian, has long complained about what he considers the erroneous interpretation of the council by liberals, saying it was not a break from the past but rather a renewal of church tradition.

In the latest document — formulated as five questions and answers — the Vatican seeks to set the record straight on Vatican II’s ecumenical intent, saying some contemporary theological interpretation had been “erroneous or ambiguous” and had prompted confusion and doubt.

It restates key sections of a 2000 document the pope wrote when he was prefect of the congregation, “Dominus Iesus,” which set off a firestorm of criticism among Protestant and other Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the “means of salvation.”

In the new document and an accompanying commentary, which were released as the pope vacations here in Italy’s Dolomite mountains, the Vatican repeated that position.

“Christ ‘established here on earth’ only one church,” the document said. The other communities “cannot be called ‘churches’ in the proper sense” because they do not have apostolic succession — the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ’s original apostles.

A 'heretic' is anyone that is outside the RCC:

"For it has been delivered to us, that there is one God, and one Christ, and one hope, and one faith, and one (Catholic) Church, and one baptism ordained only in the one Church, from which unity whosoever will depart must needs be found with heretics." St. Cyprian, The Epistles of Cyprian, Epistle LXXIII, #11.

"So the Christian is a Catholic as long as he lives in the body: cut off from it he becomes a heretic-the life of the spirit follows not the amputated member." St. Augustine, Sermon cclxvii., # 4 (Quoted by Pope Leo XIII in Satis Cognitum (On the Unity of the Church), Encyclical promulgated on June 29, 1896, #5.

"Heretics bring sentence upon themselves since they by their own choice withdraw from the Church, a withdrawal which, since they are aware of it, constitutes damnation. Between heresy and schism there is this difference: that heresy involves perverse doctrine, while schism separates one from the Church on account of disagreement with the bishop. Nevertheless, there is no schism which does not trump up a heresy to justify its departure from the Church." St. Jerome: "Commentary on Titus 3:10–11."

Heretics cannot gain eternal life outside of the RCC:

"It firmly believes, professes and preaches that all those who are outside the catholic church, not only pagans but also Jews or heretics and schismatics, cannot share in eternal life and will go into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless they are joined to the catholic church before the end of their lives; that the unity of the ecclesiastical body is of such importance that only for those who abide in it do the church's sacraments contribute to salvation and do fasts, almsgiving and other works of piety and practices of the christian militia produce eternal rewards; and that nobody can be saved, no matter how much he has given away in alms and even if he has shed his blood in the name of Christ, unless he has persevered in the bosom and the unity of the catholic church." Pope Eugenius IV, in "Bull of Union with the Copts", Council of Florence, Session 11, on February 4, 1442.

[darinhouston]

"So the Christian is a Catholic as long as he lives in the body: cut off from it he becomes a heretic-the life of the spirit follows not the amputated member." St. Augustine, Sermon cclxvii., # 4 (Quoted by Pope Leo XIII in Satis Cognitum (On the Unity of the Church), Encyclical promulgated on June 29, 1896, #5.

Man, this gets me going... it is by being joined to CHRIST! and not some organization that provides the life of the spirit (even assuming for the argument they can prove apostolic succession, which I reject).

There is one "church," but that church is defined by being "in christ" and not "in RCC." It is not an organization but a relationship with the Lord.

My RCC brethren, please forgive this incendiary comment, but these twists of things that should relate to Christ but instead relate to Mary or the RCC organization, or the Saints, etc. just really have the feel of something that would derive from the Deceiver himself -- use just a bit of truth, twist it to distract from the real object... I'd better stop now...

[Paidion]

I'll go even further than Pope Benedict XVI. I say that not any of the denominations are true churches! The true church is not divided into denominations. Denominations are man-made clubs, as Steve Gregg affirms. Denominations, like other clubs, require membership in order to receive full benefits. They tend to be sectarian. Members of some denominations think they are the only true Christians. Members of other denominations, although admitting that there are other true Christians, nevertheless, believe that their denomination is the best one.

Having said that, I admit that there are many people within denominations which do not have a denominational spirit. When I was a young man, I visited a Nazarene Church. When I was leaving, one brother shook my hand and asked, "And what Nazarene Church do you attend?"

Sheepishly, I replied, "Oh uh... I attend a Baptist Church."

"Oh," the man replied without batting an eye. "That's just as good."

Besides denominations, there are also many non-denominational bodies of believers who meet together, do not require membership but RECOGNIZE people who are members of the true Church. Such groups are true EXPRESSIONS of the One True Universal Apostolic Church of Christ. And just to clear up any possible misundersanding "the One True Universal Apostolic Church of Christ" is not the name of a sect or denomination. It is the name I have just now given to the only Church which exists, the one which Christ founded, and which no one can join, but which has many members added to it daily.

[RND]

And just to clear up any possible misundersanding "the One True Universal Apostolic Church of Christ" is not the name of a sect or denomination. It is the name I have just now given to the only Church which exists, the one which Christ founded, and which no one can join, but which has many members added to it daily.

In that sense, I would most certainly agree with you.

Unfortunately there are some that don't believe this and in turn believe they have every right to burn or otherwise torture those Heretics that don't agree or join with them.