Catholic Church doesn't grant or deny salvation

Egad. Two blogs in one week. I guess I just have too much to say and no one to listen. I've submitted this as a letter to the editor of our local newspaper, the Greenville News. I know it's too long, so I asked if it could be a guest oped. I'm assuming that because of the topic (religion), it won't be. Hope I'm pleasantly surprised, but not expecting to be.

So, I thought I should get it in print anyway, because it is relevant in so many ways. Here it is:

The Associated Press article in the July 11 edition of the Greenville News, “Pope reasserts other Christian denominations not true churches” needs clarification. As is the trend in the secular media to persecute the Catholic Church, this headline and the content of the article are both misleading and contain numerous inaccuracies that serve to divide, rather than unite, believers in Christ.

First and foremost, Vatican II neither changed nor intended to change the Catholic doctrine of Faith. Rather it developed, deepened and more fully explained it. Pope Benedict XVI himself states, “"There is no better comment to make than to say that this promulgation really changes nothing of the traditional doctrine. What Christ willed, we also will. What was, still is. What the Church has taught down through the centuries, we also teach.”

The pope’s clarification is just that: a clarification. The Catholic Church has never claimed to be in union with other denominations, and continues to strive for the goals set by Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago, when He made Peter the leader of His church on earth. Those that then separated from the Catholic Church, through reformation or for other reasons, are no longer in communion, and are separated from the faith.

No where in the document does it say those separated from the Catholic Church do not have salvation. Strategically omitted from the article are the pope’s own words, “It follows that these separated churches and communities, though we believe they suffer from defects, are deprived neither of significance nor importance in the mystery of salvation. In fact the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as instruments of salvation, whose value derives from that fullness of grace and of truth which has been entrusted to the Catholic Church."

The doctrine also clarifies why other Christian communities are not called “Church” with a capital “C.” In the document, it clearly states that this nomenclature is denied because being born of the reformation, these worshipers “do not enjoy apostolic succession in the sacrament of Orders, and are, therefore deprived of a constitutive element of the Church. These ecclesial Communities which, specifically because of the absence of the sacramental priesthood, have not preserved the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic Mystery cannot, according to Catholic doctrine, be called Churches in the proper sense.”

Unfortunately, it has become the norm for the media to spread divisive and misleading information that causes great uproar over inaccuracies. Not one of us is perfect; all of our churches are made up of imperfect humans. What matters is that we have faith; that we strive to follow the edicts of Christ and live in a manner pleasing to Him.

I know it is difficult for those separated from the Catholic Church, who have grown up in a region—and perhaps religion—that does not view the faith favorably, to understand the depth and mystery of the tradition we share. In His three-year ministry, Jesus worked with the 12 apostles and the many disciples to lay the groundwork for His mission. The outcome of that mission is, through the succession of apostles beginning with its first pope, Peter, the Catholic faith.

Catholics take literally the scripture passage from Matthew (16:18-19), where Jesus says, “And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.”

I invite all those who are concerned or worried about any issues regarding the Catholic Church to not be afraid of what you don’t know, and don’t make judgments on half-truths. There are several easy ways to educate yourself:

1) Listen to Catholic radio in South Carolina. There are a number of open forum question and answer shows where you can get the facts, based on scripture, about the Church, its history, tradition and teaching. In the Upstate, listen on WCKI 1300-AM or via the Web at http://www.catholicradiosc.com/

2) Find a nearby Catholic Church and ask about the classes offered for those interested in learning more about the faith. You can ask any question you want, and find out what Catholics believe and why; and

3) Go to the library or bookstore and read “Catholics for Dummies.” It is a basic, step-by-step book that provides scripture-based answers about the faith.