Is Roman Catholicism Unraveling from Its Scandals?
By Richard Bennett and Jim Whitley
People Are Departing the Roman Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church faces a grim future in today’s Ireland, formerly one of the most devout Catholic countries in Europe:
“In 2009, the Murphy report on the sexual abuse of children in the archdiocese of Dublin revealed that the Catholic Church’s priority in dealing with pedophilia was not child welfare, but rather secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of its reputation and the preservation of church assets.
In 2011, the Cloyne report found that Bishop John Magee, acting on a “secret letter” from Rome, covered up child sex abuse rather than reporting it to authorities. The Ferns report, the Raphoe report, the Limerick report – all have revealed cover-ups, callous disregard for child welfare, and concern predominantly for the character and coffers of the [Catholic] Church…
In Magdalene laundries, women were incarcerated and forced to perform backbreaking work without pay, although they had committed no crimes. In mother and baby homes, women’s children were taken from them, illegally adopted, or put into abusive institutions where they could be neglected [until] death [ensued] and [then] thrown into unmarked graves. Brutal symphysiotomies carried out in Irish hospitals traumatized and disabled women for life, because the church had some insane objection to caesarean sections…”[1]
Apparently, the Catholic Church has been planning for backlash years ago. In Ireland, it simply won’t permit people to formally defect from Rome!
“A website which sought to provide advice on how people could formally leave the Catholic Church is shutting down. Countmeout.ie was based on a declaration of defection statement which could be sent to one’s local parish… However… in late 2010 the church changed canon law to effectively remove this option for someone wishing to defect.”[2]
Regardless, Irish Catholics are staying away. Pope Francis endured low turnout and caused financial losses for vendors attempting to profit from his recent visit.[3]
The United States also shows the growing backlash against Rome’s scandal and false teaching.
“Modern exodus: Catholicism has lost more of its faithful than any other religion in the U.S. About 13 percent of American adults are former Catholics – representing more departures than any other religion has experienced in the U.S., a survey says.”[4]
God Has Abandoned the Apostate Roman Catholic Hierarchy
The Catholic Church officially teaches that the Pope is the substitute for Christ Jesus:
“The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter’s successor, ‘is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful.’ “For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise.”[5]
The pyramid of power that constitutes Pope Francis’ office as the “Vicar of Christ” consists of Cardinals, Patriarchs, Archbishops, Coadjutor Archbishops, Diocesan Bishops, Coadjutor Bishops, Episcopal Vicars, Apostolic Vicars, Apostolic Prefects, Apostolic Administrators and Vicars’ Generals.[6]
In the Papacy, wealth and pomp join hands with poverty and pain. The Pope Francis’s religion is the religion of man. People who love worldly things desire to have it so. They pay great honor and veneration paid to the Pope. The world wonders after him; they admire his power, policy, and success. So great is the darkness and degeneracy of the world!
Pope Francis acts as if he were the “Vicar of Christ.” Horrendous, indeed, is that fact.
The Pope and hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church are in stark contrast to Christ’s true Church. The true Church; i.e., the Lord’s people, are one Assembly. The Pastor of the local church, in the words of Scripture is, “the servant of the Lord… gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient.”[7]
The Roman Catholic Church, in effect, has no such blessing. Rather, Rome sports its false hierarchy of the Pope, such as Cardinals, Bishops and Priests.
Dear Catholic, Seek Out the True All-Holy God!
As Bible believers and have turned to Jesus Christ for salvation from sin unto the All-Holy God, thus our relationship is precious. Thus, as Christ Jesus has revealed Him, the All-Holy God as distinctively our Father. The Scripture encourages us to commune with our Father through prayer: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”[8] “The Father is the great spring and fountain of all gracious intercommunications and fruits of His love. This is whom Jesus Christ came to reveal; namely, God as the Father us in the loving, endearing term, “Abba Father.” We are emphatically instructed, “God is love.”[9] The name of God in this statement is taken personally for the Father. Since our fellowship with God is really deed, relishing in prayer that which His Word proclaims, “The Eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”[10] The Eternal God, who eternally existed before He created the heavens, the sun, moon, stars, and our earth, is our refuge and our habitation, how awesome is that precious fact
The Lord Jesus Christ’s Judgment Is Coming
Nothing cuts so deeply, nor causes so grievous pain, as the sword of the Lord that comes forth from the Lord Christ Jesus’ mouth. We truly pray that the truth of the Word of God touches the conscience of those who have sinned, are sinning, and leading others into sin. Thus, we truly pray that the Word of God will take hold of sinners, so that we all, “hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised.”[11]
Flee from Rome to Christ’s True Church
The foundation of Christian unity is the position of believers “in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ.”[12] This is the foundation and source of all Christian unity. There is no Christian unity apart from the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no Christian oneness apart from His work of redemption. To speak about Christian unity without this essential foundation of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus is futile. Distinct faith and trust on the Lord Jesus Christ is essential and frequently highlighted in Scripture, for example: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”[13] Everlasting life it is indeed because of the love of God that finds and saves men and women. Salvation is our loving God’s gift to the believer. It is credited to the believer, based on Jesus Christ’s finished work on the Cross. Quite simply, justification is the Lord God’s merciful and righteous judgment of the believer declaring the believer guiltless in regards to sin and righteous in regards to the believer’s moral standing in Jesus Christ.
This salvation by our Loving God is possible because the justification merited by Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection is credited to the believer. Justification is first and foremost our Lord God’s legal judgment of the believer. The believer is, as Scripture states: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus.”[14] Those who receive the abundant grace given by Jesus Christ are not only redeemed from the empire of death, they live and reign with Him as they are sanctified daily through His Word by the Holy Spirit, and by constant fellowship with Him in prayer. Also with Him, they will forever live and reign world without end.
The Lord God always purposes to glorify Himself “in the Church by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end.”[15] He has glorified Himself in the faith and suffering of true believers before and after the Reformation as His own people. Thus we proclaim, “The Lord reigns; let the people tremble.”[16]
To you Dear Catholic, with doubts about your faith in the Roman Catholic Church, the voice of Almighty God speaks in the final chapter of the Bible saying, “Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.”[17] Thus turn to the Lord God by faith alone, through Jesus Christ’s grace alone for your salvation, based on Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for you who would believe on Him alone. “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast”[18] “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved.”[19] Yes indeed, through Christ Jesus, grace reigns with glorious freedom, power, and bounty! “Blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.”[20]
If the Lord has touched your heart by His glorious grace please let Jim Whitley or me Richard Bennett hear from you, using my email address: rbennett@temp.bereanbeacon.org, or Jim Whitley’s at wjimwhitley@aol.com
Thank you, Richard
[1] Emer O’Toole, “The church brutalized Ireland. People have a right to protest against the pope’s visit.”, The Guardian, Opinion, 9 July 2018 on https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/09/catholic-church-ireland-pope-francis-visit-abuse accessed on September 12, 2018.
[2] “Church defection website shuts ‘due to change in canon law”, The Irish Times, August 8, 2013 on https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/church-defection-website-shuts-due-to-change-in-canon-law-1.1488263 accessed on September 12, 2018. Authors’ emphasis.
[3] See John Patrick Kierans, “Pope Francis Ireland visit 2018: Outrage after thousands of sandwiches are thrown out following papal mass at Phoenix Park”, Irish Mirror, 28 August 2018, on https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/pope-francis-ireland-visit-2018-13155062 accessed on September 12, 2018.
[4] Valerie Bauman, “Modern exodus: Catholicism has lost more of its faithful than any other religion in the U.S.”, Daily Mail.com, 5 September 2018, on http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6136581/Modern-exodus-Catholicism-lost-faithful-religion-U-S. accessed on September 9, 2018.
[5] Catechism of the Catholic Church; Second Ed, 1994 Para 882
[6] For more details, see Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Almanac 1998 (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, Inc) pp. 141-142.
[7] 2 Timothy 2:24
[8] Ephesians 6:18
[9] 1 John 4:8
[10] Deuteronomy 33:27
[11] Hebrews 10:23
[12] I Thessalonians 1:1
[13] John 3:16
[14] Romans 3:24,26
[15] Ephesians 3:21
[16] Psalm 99:1
[17] Revelation 18:4
[18] Ephesians 2:8-9
[19] Ephesians 1:6
[20] Psalm 72:19
