Discussion of Catholic Criticisms with Matthew D

(Matthew D) “How come many people say that Catholicism is one of the man made sects just like protestantism is ?”

(Cristoiglesia) They are ignorant of the history of the Church or they are intentionally lying to justify their disobedience to the only Church founded by Jesus.

(Matthew D) “Most people on here tell me that the only proper way to follow God is to follow the bible and that one does not need a priest to talk to God and does not need a priest to confess to , because just following God alone is enough and havin a direct connection with him”

(Cristoiglesia) I am pleased that they say to follow the Bible as the NT is written by Catholic Christians and is about the Catholic Church. The best way to follow the Bible is to be taught by the only authority of teaching authorized by Jesus which is His Church the Catholic Church. (Mat 16:19) Protestants have no choice but to say they do not need a priest as it is impossible for them to have priests in their rebellious state against the Church. However, it is Jesus who established the priesthood as an enduring leadership and teaching authority for the Church. The Church does not teach that one cannot talk to God themselves but the Church does teach that Jesus established priestly confession giving the priesthood the authority to forgive sins acting in persona Christi.( John 20:23) Since Jesus clearly gave the authority, which the Scriptures confirm, it seems reasonable to use that authority as the normative way of repentance and forgiveness.

We come into the familial relationship with Christ through Baptism. We lose that familial relationship through sin thus the need for reconciliation through confession. Even the demons believe so this is clearly not a sole criteria to be in the familial relationship Christ’s desires.(Jam 2:19)

(Matthew D) “Many also say that there is no pope in the bible or no mention of Catholics”

(Cristoiglesia) It does seem as if Protestants are missing vast sections of the Bible with these kinds of criticisms. I believe they just ignore any parts of Scripture that contradicts their prejudices. The Bible clearly states that St. Peter was chosen as the prime minister of the Church fulfilling the prophecies of an ongoing leadership found in prophecies of Ezekiel. (Matthew 16:13-19) We call him the Pope from the Latin for Papa.

The entire New Testament is about the Catholic Church. The book of Acts emphasizes the formation of the Church. All of the authors of the New Testament were Catholic Christians.

(Matthew D) “And also the fact that the catholic church has turned a blind eye to a lot of child abuse cases .”

(Cristoiglesia) Nothing could be further from the truth. The Church has been very proactive in ensuring that the Church is the safest place for children with in depth programs. Even though the cases that have been in the press allegedly occurred several decades ago and the alleged perpetrators are dead or elderly, the Church investigates each case and pays restitution if it is merited. The Protestants that gloat at the press these evil priests have received do not even think about the fact that their pastors are 30 times more likely to be child abusers than a priest. They live in glass houses but love to throw stones. They need to take charge of their own problem before deflecting their own problems on Catholic clergy. In fact, priests are the least likely to be child abusers of any identifiable adult group. The Church has been extremely open about these incidences.

(Matthew D) “What do you say to these people?”

(Cristoiglesia) To the liars about the Church I say: (Proverbs 1:7) “The fear of God is the beginning of knowledge.” They should be more careful before bearing false witness against the bride of Christ.

God bless!

In Christ
Fr. Joseph