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[reddogs]

This is interesting.....

ROME, UPI - Pope Benedict XVI is preparing to rehabilitate Martin Luther, saying the founder of the Protestant Reformation did not intend to split Christianity but only to purge the Church of corrupt practices. The pontiff will issue his findings in September at his annual seminar of 40 theologians called the Ratzinger Schlerkreis at Castelgandolfo, the papal summer residence. Vatican insiders say the Pope will argue that Luther, who was excommunicated and condemned for heresy, was not a heretic....."

http://www.arcamax.com/religiousnews/s-314004...

Anyone know anything about this?

[reddogs]

Here is a analysis which I came across which is quite compelling and eye openning....

"...Pope Benedict XVI consolidates sweeping changes, reasserting the spiritual supremacy of the Vatican.

"Pope Benedict XVI, is completing a significant theological shift of the Roman Catholic church – a sweeping change that not only eclipses 40 years of a more moderate and collegial Catholicism, but seeks to reassert the spiritual supremacy of the Vatican and more openly proclaim the authority of the office of pope among all Christians.

Some.. years after taking the reins, say Protestant and Catholic theologians and religious experts, the Bavarian-born pope is moving swiftly to affirm orthodox doctrines and medieval church rituals that undermine the spirit of Vatican II, a period of modernization in which the church appeared to be rethinking its centuries-long insistence that it had exclusive claims to matters of grace, truth, salvation, and church structure in the Christian world.

Liberal Catholics go so far as to characterize Benedict as leading a counterreformation in the church – in which fervent backers of traditional Catholic identity and faith are favored, even at the expense of popularity. "While Vatican II said that the Holy Spirit was in operation among the people, now we are saying, no, the holy spirit is operating in the bishops.

It is an enormous change." says Frank Flinn, author of the "Encyclopedia of Catholicism." The "impression [previous Pope] John Paul II gave was to emphasize teaching so that all may be one. But Benedict is turning around and saying to churches, 'you aren't all one.' It is destroying the ecumenical movement....."

"Benedict has fought for the same thing for 30 years and now he is putting it to work," says Frederic Lenoir, editor of Le Monde's religious supplement in Paris. "His main aim in being pope is to unify the true believer groups – and he will lose members or destroy religious dialogues, if that's what it takes."

Benedict has stated his central mission is to restore the Catholic church in Europe and to bridge the gap with Eastern Orthodox churches that more closely share a traditional Catholic suspicion of modernity, the Enlightenment, the Reformation, pluralism, and secularism.....

....the Vatican issued "Regarding Certain Aspects of Church Doctrine." It argued that churches emerging from the Reformation outside the direct authority of Rome "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense." Protestants, in particular, "suffer from defects," are properly called communities, not churches, and must one day recognize "the Catholic church, governed by the successor of Peter and the bishops in communion with him" – a major affirmation of papal authority.....

Many theologians say the shifts under Pope Benedict aren't simply a small matter of rules, rituals, clarifications, and a tidying up of doctrine. ..... Meanwhile, the church is in charge, the pope is the vicar of Christ, and the church has the full truth......"

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0718/p...re.html?page=1

[reddogs]

They are sweeping aside what at least on paper seperated them and bring them all back to the 'mother' church...

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/ecum-commit-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20031111_prolusio-plenary_en.html

Lutherans and Roman Catholics reached historic agreement on a divisive issue that dates back to the sixteenth century.

The Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (JDDJ) asserts that the past condemnations issued by both churches do not apply to their teaching as set forth in that document. Instead, the JDDJ considers the notion of salvation itself.

An "Official Common Statement" was agreed on, to which an "Annex" of clarification was attached.

The Council has given its approval to a theological statement on the doctrine of justification.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/ecum-commit-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20031111_prolusio-plenary_en.html

The Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) has released its latest document in its continuing dialogue....

"The Revd Canon Gregory Cameron, Anglican Co-Secretary of ARCIC, speaking in Seattle said,'This document represents sustained reflection on an aspect of Christian faith in which many Christians have found spiritual strength. It is our hope that all Christians will be helped by this statement to understand why Mary has been a figure of such significance.'"
----------

http://www.wfn.org/2005/05/msg00152.html

quote:
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"What does the text say about Marian devotion?

"The final major section of the document (paragraphs 64-75) addresses the place of Mary in the life of the Church, touching on questions pertaining to Marian devotion. The section begins with a strong affirmation:'We together agree that in understanding Mary as the fullest human example of the life of grace, we are called to reflect on the lessons of her life recorded in Scripture and to join with her as one indeed not dead, but truly alive in Christ'(paragraph 65). The text stresses that Marian devotion and the invocation of Mary are not in any way to obscure or diminish the unique mediation of Christ. It concludes:

'Affirming together unambiguously Christ's unique mediation, which bears fruit in the life of the Church, we do not consider the practice of asking Mary and the saints to pray for us as communion dividing.... we believe that there is no continuing theological reason for ecclesial division on these matters.'"
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http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/article...

A third article, at

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article523291.ece

says the following of note,
quote:
----------
"In the passage likely to cause most dissent, the document says the infallible dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption - the teachings that Mary was herself conceived 'without sin' and that on death she was 'assumed' body and soul into Heaven - are 'consonant with the teaching of the Scriptures'."

[Bob Pickle]

Might want to edit your post above to fix the broken link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0718/p01s05-lire.htm

If a pope had lived in OT times and had been in contact with the dead such as "Mary," what sort of penalty would the law of Moses have imposed? I wish Catholics, including the pope, would consider the fact that the Bible forbids contact with the dead to the degree that those with familiar spirits in OT times were put to death.

Of course, God today permits people to contact the alleged dead if they wish, and postpones the sentence until Christ returns in the clouds of glory.

Your spotlight on Benedict's changes highlights one of the dangers of the papacy that has been seen a number of times through the centuries.

What we have in the papacy is an absolute dictatorship with no checks and balances, no procedures for impeachment, no constitution, and no voice or vote of the people. The papacy claims to have authority over every Catholic church and institution and member throughout the world.

Okay, so what if a new pope comes along and wants to do things differently. He then can remove the head of this college and that diocese and replace them with individuals who are more to his liking. There are plenty of individuals out there who will tow a party line in order to have a position of power and influence, so it is relatively easy to find someone who will be more to one's liking.

In a relatively short time institutions and dioceses around the world can shift from being liberal-minded and congenial to being persecuting.

[Bob Pickle]

I stated that the Vatican has no constitution. However, though I think I pointed out the problem years ago, the CIA's website at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/vt.html still says that the Vatican has a constitution. And a cardinal agrees at http://www.cardinalrating.com/cardinal_176__article_362.htm. But the Rector of the Libera Università Maria Santissima Assunta in Rome says otherwise at the bottom of http://www.pust.edu/oikonomia/pages/2002/2002_febbraio/avv_torre.htm.

And while the alleged constitution is available at http://www.vatican.va/vatican_city_state/legislation/index.htm in Italian, German, and Portuguese, it isn't available in English. Thus all the American subjects of this foreign power are left in the dark as to the laws of the government they choose to be subject to.