Papal Bull

You know, I like the Catholic Church. I really do. I think it does me some good to go hear Mass said and so I go visit the Catholic Church down the street from me from time to time. I slip in, hear Monsignor's homily, put a 20 in the plate and slip out. Every now and again I think about taking instruction.

I don't know if this is proof that God is Methodist but I every time I think about switching teams, somebody in the Vatican does something stupid and I am once again brought mercifully to my senses.

The bearer of lamebrain theology this time was Pope Benedict XVI himself who decreed that other Christian churches were not really churches-although he concedes that the Greek Orthodox Church comes close-and do not have the "means of salvation." This is because these other "communities' as the statement issued today refers to the other greatly surprised denominations, cannot trace back to the original disciples in the doctrine known as Apostolic Succession.

Well, guess what? Neither can the Catholics.

Here's what Roman Catholic historian Garry Wills says about Apostolic Succession in his book "Why I Am a Catholic."

"One sequence will define the problem. In 1012, the Tuscolani overthrew the Crescenzi by electing Benedict VIII, upon wich the Crescenzi created their own pontiff, Gregory VI. When Benedict died, his layman brother was put in as John XIX, and when John XIX died, his brother elevated his own son as Benedict IX, in 1032. Benedict, dissolute and unpopular, was deposed and fled Rome. The Crescenzi were able to supplant him with their own man, Silvester III, upon which Benedict returned to Rome with an armed force, expelled his successor, and again took up residence in the Lateran Palace. But after a brief time he turned over the papacy, in return for a large sum of money, to his godfather, who became Gregory VI. There were now three popes whose legitimacy was was in dispute-Benedict, Silvester and Gregory (cite omitted). When Henry III went to Rome for his coronation, there was no obviously legitimate pope to crown him, so he deposed all three and put in a fourth man, Clement II. Question: who, at each point in the process, was the real pope?

Who indeed? I redeveloped the original headache that was visited upon me the first time I read that passage years ago.

In any event, if that's the best argument a supposedly big shot theologian like Benedict has for saying I got no real shot at salvation because I don't belong to Holy Souls, I will take my chances with the Methodists. Besides, our history is a little tidier.



If you are a Protestant, or a Baptist even, hit the link to the story in today's New York Times and read of your disenfranchisement:http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Pope-Other-Christians.html?em&ex=1184212800&en=36147a79e5a31789&ei=5087%0A