The Vatican Says Catholics Are Number One!

Gary: Now, Religion in the News, a report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media. This week’s item is from the Portland, Oregon, Oregonian, September 6, 2000, with the headline, “Vatican Declares Roman Catholic Primacy: The Vatican, asserting the primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, issued a declaration Tuesday, rejecting what it said are growing attempts to depict all religions as equal. The 36-page declaration accused some Catholic theologians of manipulating fundamental truths of the Church to justify religious pluralism as a principle. ‘The idea that one religion is as good as another endangers the Church’s missionary message,’ the declaration said. ‘If it is true that the followers of other religions can receive divine grace, it is also certain that, objectively speaking, they are in a gravely deficient situation in comparison with those who, in the Church, have the fullness of the means of salvation.’

“The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican’s orthodoxy, declared. Other Christian denominations, the document said, derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Roman Catholic Church.

“Anglicanism’s spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, said, “The idea that Anglican and other churches are not proper churches seems to question the considerable gains we have made.”

Tom: Dave, this is confusing for some people. I know in my own case, I grew up Roman Catholic prior to Vatican II. So our view had always been, before Vatican II, that you are only saved through the Church.

Dave: Well, Vatican II says it also, and today’s Catechisms say so.

Tom: Yeah, but a lot of Catholics tell me, “Oh, no! Everything’s changed. We’re now—(evangelicals or protestants, as they would say)—separated brethren.” And certainly the ecumenically minded Pope John Paul II—he is out there encouraging all faiths.

Dave: Well, he speaks out of both sides of his mouth, just to put it bluntly. In Mexico, in South America, he tells the Catholics down there—he warns them against these protestants, evangelicals. “This is a sect and the enemies of…”

Tom: Right. That’s the Catholic term for “cult.”

Dave: Right. But in North America, they’re embracing them, signing documents together and so forth. It’s ironic—we’ve mentioned this in the past—that while the Lutheran World Federation and Vatican theologians, Vatican officials, were finalizing this joint declaration on justification, which the whole thing, the separation between the Lutherans and the Catholics began over indulgences, the pope is offering more indulgences! He opened four “Holy Doors” in Rome, and it’s ironic again—here’s the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey—he’s complaining now about the pope, saying that the Catholic Church has the fullness of the means of salvation (and we need to come back and talk about that), but anyway, he has in the past said we ought to get together; we should come under the pope. He should be the head.

And, by the way, when the pope opened the first holy door there in St. Peter’s, he knelt down—he looks to his right, and George Carey is kneeling down with him! Now, does George Carey really believe that the pope has the power to open holy doors, and pilgrims come from all over the world to walk through this so-called holy door…

Tom: Yeah, to get indulgences…

Dave: To get forgiveness of sins! Now, if the doctrine…

Tom: To get out of purgatory, Dave, sooner.

Dave: Right. It’s—the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith is quoted in this article. By the way, that was once called the Inquisition—“The Holy Office of the Inquisition.” Now, it’s interesting again what they say. The Catholic Church “has the fullness of the means of salvation.” In other words, salvation is through the Catholic Church! It’s not through Christ, but the Church has the means of gaining salvation!

But then it goes on, and it says…well, other Christian denominations, they have some efficacy, but they derive it from the very fullness of grace and truth and entrust it to the Roman Catholic Church. If you read Vatican II, it tells you that the Muslims worship the same God that the Christians do. No! Allah is not the God of the Bible. We’ve gone over that in the past; we don’t need to go into it again, unless somebody wants to write in a question or whatever. The Catholic Church says the Muslims worship the same God, and everybody—pagans—everybody, can come under the umbrella of the Catholic Church. And this is really what the pope has been doing. One of his good friends is the Dalai Lama, he meets with Muslims and Buddhists and Hindus and North American witch doctors. He embraces them all. Because it doesn’t really matter so much what you believe, so long as you acknowledge that salvation comes through the Church, and you come under the leadership of the pope.

So, there’s a whole confusing situation out there, but, Tom, what is most confusing is that leading evangelicals, like Charles Colson, J.I. Packer, Bill Bright, Pat Robertson, and so forth, would sign a joint declaration with the Catholics—Evangelicals and Catholics Together—and say, “We thank God for the discovery of one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.”

It really gets confusing, because there’s a difference in the gospel they preach. So, once again, what are we going to do? Search the Scriptures daily. Get back to the Bible and see what God himself has said. Never mind what men are saying!