Pope Francis Advisory Council To Reform Church With Permanent Panel Of 8 Cardinals

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47. Why not do them a favor and spell it out for them? Below is what I learned in catechism class

as a kid in school:

The pope is infallible only when he officially announces as Head of the Church
some doctrine concerning faith or morals for all Catholics to believe in. Those
who don't accept it are no longer Catholics (automatically excommunicated,
even when no official excommunication has ever been issued by church
authorities). The doctrines are mostly something that the Church has been
following for centuries anyway. The pronouncement, usually already accepted
by Catholics in general, and recommended by the pope's advisers in particular,
makes it formal. Needless to say, new pronouncements are something very
rare.

Examples to allay some common misconceptions:

1. Let's suppose the pope is teaching religion to a group of adults, or of
children. He could make mistakes. He isn't making any official pronouncements
for the whole Church to follow.

2. A doctrine concerning faith: There are three Persons in one God - the Father
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Those who don't believe it are no longer Catholics.
It is an article of faith.

Jesus ascended body and soul into heaven. This, too, is an article of faith.

3. About morality: The Inquisition was practiced by the Church for six centuries.
It certainly was immoral. But the popes never made any official pronouncements
about all Catholics having to believe in it as a doctrine. The Catholic Church
simply practiced the Inquisition for six hundred years. This has nothing to do with
the popes' infallibility whatsoever.

Some popes did keep mistresses and have fathered children. This, too, was immoral,
but it, too, has nothing to do with the popes' infallibility whatsoever. It was the
personal immorality of the popes concerned.

I personally think that many of the doctrines are about matters that are
important in the eyes of the Church, but are of not much value to people, or
perhaps not important to God Himself. Does He really care much one way or
another if you believed He is made up of three persons (Father, Son and Holy
Spirit), and would He condemn you to hell for all eternity if you did not believe
this?

I think it's much more important to Him that human beings treated one another
with kindness and respect. Jesus Himself said of the Commandments: The
greatest of these is: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, thy
strength ...... and the second is equal to this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself.

The Inquisition certainly was not an example of acts of kindness and love! Jesus
would have condemned it, if He had been on earth at that time. These Church
clerics had become mad with power, and their sadism showed through.

As with politics, it was often the ambitious and sick ones lusting after power, who
got into the top positions within the Church. Things became better when the
people rebelled, and Church clerics have far less worldly power today than they
used to have in the past. Their behavior improved correspondingly. "Power
corrupts. And absolute power corrupts absolutely." This adage applies to all
humans, whether in politics or in religion.