Journal of Sacred Work

Pope: "Other denominations are not true churches."       – headline – MSNBC    
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19692094/
   In one of the saddest statements I have seen in my lifetime, Pope Benedict has chosen to announce to the world that not only is the Roman Catholic Church the only true church, but that all other Christian denominations are not true churches and their members cannot achieve salvation. Other churches are "defective," he says. This pope is not the first Catholic leader to make such an arrogant pronouncement. However, many believed that Pope John XXIII and Vatican II (1962-65) had taken a different and more enlightened position – one that was far more tolerant and inclusive than the narrow position this Catholic leader is now reasserting.
   My concern about this position is the way it may impact the thinking of various Christian caregivers. The goal of Love is to be inclusive and tolerant of all faiths. To assert, as this Pope is doing, that all other Christian faiths (including Orthodox and all Protestant denominations) are "defective" and "not true churches" and "do not have the means of salvation" is an enormous insult to all other Christian caregivers and must be an embarrassment to enlightened Catholics… 

   One would hope that Catholic hospitals systems and Catholic caregivers would distance themselves from such a divisive position. This pope, it would seem, is trying to lead his church backward to the dark days of the Inquisition (which only concluded, formally, in the late 19th century) rather than forward into the  kind and loving land that Pope John XXIII advanced.
   Christ preached a message of love and inclusiveness. He did not deliver an edict that the only path to salvation was through a church run by popes who, in the past, have claimed infallibility.
   There is, of course, nothing wrong with Catholicism. The problem lies with the statements of its current leader.
   This pope’s statement serves to underscore part of the reason for the entire Orthodox separation and Protestant movement. Millions resented the idea that human beings could set themselves up as infallible and that the only religious truth could come from the mouths of cardinals and bishops during a time (the early 16th century) when the Catholic church was selling indulgences as tickets to salvation.
   Today, riven by scandals involving pedophile priests and massive cover-ups by Catholic hierarchy, it would seem that the Pope would be better off seeking common ground with the world religions. Instead, he is alienating his church from all others with his stunning insults.
   I would hasten to add that, over history, some Protestant denominations have sometimes been guilty of making the same kinds of righteous claims that Pope Benedict is now advancing. Is it ever right to advance hatred and disrespect toward another religion that advances Love?
   Whenever any church leader asserts that every other church is wrong except his (or hers) they are speaking words inconsistent with Love. This kind of anti-ecumenical statement has caused countless wars and endless suffering as nations and faiths have turned to violence to "win" some imaginary battle for God’s favor. Does God ever approve of anyone who kills, attacks or insults innocent people in God’s name?
   It is particularly critical that caregivers adhere to an inclusive Gospel of Love – to pursue their own path of salvation without attacking the pathways others may choose. It is crucial that we respect the beliefs of Jews, Moslems, Buddhists, Protestants, Roman Catholics, Orthodox, and anyone who adheres to a core belief in Love.
   The position taken by Pope Benedict can only reinforce in the minds of some Catholics, and perhaps Catholic caregivers, that since theirs is the only way, all people who are not Catholic are somehow lesser human beings, not members of "real" churches, and doomed to hell. When Protestants have taken this view, they have been wrong. And so is Pope Benedict wrong to say these things. Exclusivity in religion breeds exactly what the word implies – the exclusion of some in favor of others.
   Perhaps the best test of the value of a religion is not its ability to grant a ticket to heaven. Instead, perhaps the best test of faith is how it helps us to live Love in this world.
   Pope Benedict’s reactionary statements remind me of the days when, in childhood, my Catholic friends told me I was doomed to hell because I was a Protestant. It seems as though those days are now destined to be relived by other innocent non-Catholics if Roman Catholics, or members of any faith, choose to doom "outsiders" at the behest of any misguided church leader.
    The biggest reason I feel such sadness about this latest statement  from the pope is that today, as much as any time in history, we need to live language of inclusiveness and caring. The pope’s statements have already succeeded in offending Jews as well as Protestants and those of the Eastern Orthodox faith. If this is an "internal church matter" as some Vatican observers have speculated, why has the pope chosen to attack other faiths? In demeaning others others, the pope has, ironically, demonstrated his own fallibility. A remarkable "defect" in public expression.
   Christianity in general, and Catholicism in particular, are beautiful expressions of faith when practiced with the open arms of Love instead of the closed doors of intolerance.  Millions of caregivers practice love under the sign of the cross. But where is the Love in a leader who would preach arrogance? Can this really be what Jesus meant in his message to all of us that, above all else, we love one another?

-Erie Chapman

*The opinions expressed here are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Baptist Healing Trust