as true. We have this from Jesus himself, who promised the apostles and their successors the bishops, the magisterium of the church: “He who hears you hears me” (Luke 10:16)
So they agree that we are all sinners, including the pope, the bishops, etc., but when it comes to doctrine we are to believe that infallibility belongs to the body of bishops as a whole because “We have this from Jesus himself, who promised the apostles and their successors, the bishops, the magisterium of the Church: ‘He who hears you hears me.’ ” The only problem with them quoting, "He who hears you hears me" is, as far as I can tell, Jesus wasn't even speaking to the apostles but to the seventy he sent out before him! Read Luke 10 for yourself to see who Jesus was speaking to. The Catholic church is right on one point. Papal infallibility is generally misunderstood by those outside the church because we can see past their deceptions.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that these men "the magisterium of the Church" or the teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church, have some special authority over any and all believers and are infallible when it comes to the Word of God and His truth. I need to say again so it is understood that Jesus didn't address these words, "He who hears you, hears me" to his apostles. The Bible tells us he was talking to the 72 "others" or disciples that he sent forth two by two to where he was going ahead of Him, not to the apostles themselves.
If the claim for papal infallibility is true, why have we had more than one pope reverse a pronouncement of a previous pope? That doesn't make any sense because truth never changes. Don't listen to their mere man-made doctrine. God tells us in Mark 7:7-9 "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men..." He says we "Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." We can't let the evil one get his way and lay aside the commandments of God so that we can keep our own tradition. Don't let that be you.
The Catholic church claims, based on Christ's mandate, that Christ instructed the church to preach everything he taught. They site Matthew 28:19-20 known as the Great Commission. I always believed that the Great Commission was for everyone to follow and that His church are the people, not an institution. Next they site John 16:13 that says "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." The Spirit of truth is the Holy Spirit that every true born again Christian has inside of them, not these select few. Can you still adhere to the thought that the pope is infallible and can speak for God on earth?
In December 2019 it was splashed all over the internet about Pope Francis responding to a question about how to deal with atheists and people of other faiths. His answer was quite lengthy so I will try and paraphrase. He said with an unbeliever the last thing we need to do is try and convince him. He said we need to live consistent with our faith and that it will be our testimony to awaken the curiosity of others. And yes, then you can speak. But he says never, never bring the gospel by proselytizing (attempting to convert). The next words are hard to believe they came out of his mouth, but here it goes. If someone says they are a disciple of Jesus and comes to you with proselytism, they are not a disciple of Jesus. He said the church doesn't grow by proselytism but by attraction and testimony. But without pressure.
I agree with part of that statement. Absolutely people will be drawn to Jesus through our testimony and actions, but it can't stop there. What was Paul doing preaching in the synagogue week after week? He wasn't trying to convince believers but unbelievers! The Bible says he tried to persuade them about Jesus. Actions might speak louder than words, but words are necessary in order to communicate the message. In order to fulfill the Great Commission, words are imperative and indispensable to understanding His message. We don't live in the Dark Ages anymore where there is pressure to convert or die. The only pressure there is, is the pressure we put on ourselves due to our culture, family and the way we are brought up. The only pressure is to know the truth and not let man or Satan subtlety corrupt His word and blind you to His truth.
Pope Francis himself has said that Satan is stalking the Catholic church. He has said that we should not think of the devil as a myth which would lead us to the mistake of letting down our guard. He said the devil is alive and well and is actively working to undermine the Roman Catholic Church. I don't believe the pope really understands the depth of that statement. He was referring to the sex abuse crisis in the church, but it goes far deeper than that. The sex abuse crisis in the church is absolutely depraved and of the devil there is no doubt, but does the pope or any other bishop, priest or clergymen of the church see what else is of the devil?
According to https://www.vaticannews.va/en.html on Sept. 29, 2018 Pope Francis called on Catholics worldwide to pray the Rosary during the month of October, asking the Mother of God and St. Michael the Archangel “to protect the church from the devil, who always seeks to separate us from God and from each other." I have a real problem with that. Why are we asking Mary or Michael the Archangel to protect us from the devil? He asked to spread this appeal to all the faithful throughout the world, inviting them to conclude the recitation of the Rosary with the ancient invocation “Sub Tuum Praesidium,” and with the prayer to Saint Michael Archangel that he protect us and help us in the struggle against evil. With this request for intercession the Holy Father asks the faithful of all the world to pray that the Holy Mother of God place the church beneath her protective mantle...
The invocation “Sub Tuum Praesidium” is recited as follows: “We fly to thy protection, O Holy Mother of God; do not despise our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O Glorious and Blessed Virgin. Amen."
The Holy Father has also asked that the recitation of the Holy Rosary during the month of October conclude with the prayer written by Leo XIII: “Saint Michael Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.”
The pope is right about one thing. The devil is alive and well and is attacking the Word of God and wants your focus off of Jesus and onto Mary or Saint Michael the Archangel or anyone but Him. Always remember and keep in mind that he is the father of lies! Don't fall for his subtle lies and deceptions.
Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Our minds can be deceived too easily when we put our trust in anything or anyone else but Jesus and His word. Only the Bible is totally trustworthy. When religious traditions conflict with the plain meaning of Scripture, then we need to discard those traditions. We cannot afford to do otherwise, because our eternal destiny is at stake.
We can’t have a discussion on the Catholic Church or the clergy without mentioning the widespread corruption within the church that has been covered up and swept under the rug as much as possible. The exposed scandals against numerous priests accused of pedophilia, child trafficking and the repeated raping of nuns sound like Satan’s work to me. The fact that those words can be all in one sentence proves it’s the work of the devil. Evil has penetrated the Vatican and has been exposed for all to see, except people just seem to turn a blind eye.
Billions of dollars have been paid to victims of crimes committed by priests. How does the Church handle the issue? They attempt to cover it up by transferring the offending priests to different parishes so it can happen all over again. We could discuss this at length, but it is sickening to contemplate.
Look up the history of the popes for yourselves. If even a tiny portion of the history of the depravity of past popes is true, I hope it drives home that these people who call themselves men of God are not!
This is another disturbing picture
