Friday, March 26, 2010

What Shall We Do With The Pope?

Headlines slapped across newsfeeds today announced that the recent development of the Catholic Priest child molestation scandal rocking the world links the Pope to the subsequent cover up of the sin. For a decent video clip on the story, click here.
Don't the Catholics consider the Pope infallible? If so, what does that mean? To quote catholic.com:
"The Catholic Church’s teaching on papal infallibility is one which is generally misunderstood by those outside the Church. In particular, Fundamentalists and other "Bible Christians" often confuse the charism of papal "infallibility" with "impeccability." They imagine Catholics believe the pope cannot sin. Others, who avoid this elementary blunder, think the pope relies on some sort of amulet or magical incantation when an infallible definition is due.
Given these common misapprehensions regarding the basic tenets of papal infallibility, it is necessary to explain exactly what infallibility is not. Infallibility is not the absence of sin. Nor is it a charism that belongs only to the pope. Indeed, infallibility also belongs to the body of bishops as a whole, when, in doctrinal unity with the pope, they solemnly teach a doctrine as true. We have this from Jesus himself, who promised the apostles and their successors the bishops, the magisterium of the Church: "He who hears you hears me" (Luke 10:16), and "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" (Matt. 18:18)."

The Catholics believe their leader's teaching is true, and I assume this is something akin to Divine Inspiration, but the leaders are still sinful men. Sin isn't something that is rare; it is something that is expected because, hey, we're all human. But what separates the Christian from the non-believer is what they do after they sin.
Currently the world is dancing over the body of the fallen Catholic Church, gleefully pointing out the hypocrisy and deception in the church. I must admit, although I can go head to head with a Catholic on the matters of faith and theology, I still believe that they are part of the Universal Catholic Church. It saddens me to see fellow brothers fall.
The Papacy, now more than ever, must not show the world a pompous apology ceremony. It must return to the heart of Christianity; to recognize that there has been sin, to fall publicly--with the world as its audience--at the feet of Jesus, and show the world what it means to become restored through the blood of Christ.

1 comment:

  1. you quote more than you wirte yourself. sum up the quote quicker b/c it has a good point but it's not your own.

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