What is and what is not BXVI’s job…
Right after the MP brouhaha, we get a new one regarding the Church being the “only Church” or the only way to get to Heaven. As in, we’re right and you’re right. (Well, at least that’s how the media portrays it.) And as I’ve been reading columns and letters to the editor in various papers, I have become (surprise!) more and more irritated with the mindset some people have regarding the job of the Pope, and what religion is about, in general.
First and foremost, the job of the Pope is to lead the Catholic Church. He is to espouse Catholic doctrine and teach it clearly and faithfully to Church members and to articulate it to the world. He teaches what we actually believe, and he teaches it unapologetically. This is one of the things I love about B XVI. And if the idea that the Church is the “one true Church” offends people, well I’m sorry. If your belong to a church that was founded by Luther, Knox, Calvin, the Wellesley, et al., I don’t think you can really claim to be the “one true church.” You’ve divided from the Catholic Church, which “the gates of hell will not prevail against.” Your choice, but then don’t say it’s not fair when we say that we are the one way to Heaven.
And that isn’t even, really, what the doctrine says. It says all Christian churches have some aspects of the Truth. But only in Catholicism will you find all of it. Why? Because we didn’t get rid of anything. We have the unbroken line of apostolic succession going back to Peter. Yeah ok there was that business with anti-popes and all that, but there was always a “real” pope in residence. But if you’re Lutheran, or Presbyterian, or whatnot, you don’t have everything the church teaches. To use a very, very crude analogy, it’s like whole milk versus skim milk. They’re both milk, but one has a lot more going on than the other.
I read letters and articles that say the Pope should foster tolerance, love, peace, blah blah blah. As I always say, Jesus did not come to Earth so we could all hold hands and sing “Kumbaya.” Sorry. The Bible gives us enough evidence to know this to be true. So why are so many Christians so wishy-washy, and think that Christianity is all about love and tolerance? Surely, Love is important. But a lot of Christianity is difficult. It’s supposed to challenge us, to make us think, to go beyond our comfort zone. And like I said, B XVI’s role isn’t to be Head Christian Cheerleader. It’s to teach the Truth. And that’s what he does. That what Popes do. (well, the good ones. ) So enough of this uproar about how the Pope is divisive and doesn’t care about ecumenism and all that. Ecumenism is great. But you can’t sacrifice truth for the sake of unity.
