Papal Pardon
or Seductiveness? Century 21:
Biblical Unity or Papal Conformity? by Richard Bennett and Michael
de Semlyen Papal
Penitence On Sunday,
March 12, the first Sunday of Lent, the Pope presided over a solemn
ceremony called "The Day of Pardon" in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, in
which he asked God for forgiveness for the historical wrongs of the Roman
Catholic Church (RCC). The ceremony was presented as another profoundly
significant event in the RC Church’s "Millennium Jubilee Holy Year" and a
further step, unprecedented but necessary, in the process of unity. It was
a modern media event staged for maximum impact to encourage "unity". The
impression given is that it is a genuine attempt to wipe the slate clean
and to apologize for the past wrongs of the Church. Careful examination, however, shows that the Pope’s "Day of Pardon" was
in fact not an apology, but rather a day of deception. In this service,
the Pope continually prayed, purportedly as a Christian, while never
admitting any of the horrendous sins of the Church of Rome. An egregious
example from the prepared text that was used is found in Section III,
"Confession of Sins Which Have Harmed the Unity of the Body of
Christ".1 The set prayer of the representative of the Roman
Curia was as follows, "Let us pray that our recognition of the sins which
have rent the unity of the Body of Christ and wounded fraternal charity
will facilitate the way to reconciliation and communion among all
Christians." This was followed by silent prayer, and then the prayer of
"The Holy Father" addressed to the "Merciful Father", "Merciful Father, on the night before his
Passion your Son prayed for the unity of those who believe in him: in
disobedience to his will, however, believers have opposed one another,
becoming divided, and have mutually condemned one another and fought
against one another. We urgently implore your forgiveness and we beseech
the gift of a repentant heart, so that all Christians, reconciled with you
and with one another will be able, in one body and in one spirit, to
experience anew the joy of full communion. We ask this through Christ our
Lord." If the Pope and the Roman Curia were really serious about their prayer
offered to Holy God, they must face the fact that condemning curses of
their Council of Trent were not mentioned nor repented of, including the
condemnation of the Biblical Gospel and historical biblical Christianity,
which led to the wholesale slaughter of millions of Christians during the
667 years of the Inquisition, and which have never been revoked, Vatican
Council II notwithstanding. If this prayer were answered, it would be
necessary to dismantle the RCC with its false gospel, papal infallibility,
and "irreformable"2 ways, which clearly the Pope and his Curia
have no intention of doing. "The Week of
Christian Unity" The gathering of mainstream churches at St. Paul’s Basilica in Rome
earlier this year is thought to have been the largest assembly of
Christian leaders with a Pope since the Vatican Council II in the early
1960s. On January 18th, the Tuesday of the week which had been designated
‘The Week of Christian Unity’ in the ‘Holy Year, 2000’, leaders
representing four fifths of Eastern Orthodoxy gathered alongside
Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists and Pentecostals. They were participating
in celebration of the opening of the ‘Holy Door at St. Paul Outside the
Walls’. Archbishop George Carey, Primate of the Church of England, and
Metropolitan Athanasius, representing Bartholomew, Patriarch of
Constantinople and head of the Orthodox Church, knelt on either side of
Pope John Paul II before the newly opened door. Only one cushion had been
provided as it was thought that only the Pope would kneel, but when they
both fell to their knees, too, the Pope called out, "Unity! Thank you!" It
was a highly symbolic moment. The Pontiff had every reason to express his gratitude to the Churches
represented and the two men flanking him. After all, in May 1999, the
joint Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) had issued
a statement "recognizing the Pope as the overall authority in the
Christian World" and describing him as "a gift to be received by all
Churches", (a gift yet to be accepted by the Synod of the Church of
England and the wider Anglican Communion, however). Five months later in
October, 1999, on Reformation Day, the Roman Catholic and Lutheran
Churches had signed a joint declaration announcing that their opposing
views on justification have been reconciled.3 With this
declaration of reconciliation and unity, the way seems clear for the
Lutherans to join the Anglicans in accepting Papal primacy. The frosty
relationship of earlier years with the Russian Orthodox Church has warmed
up and a Papal visit to Moscow and a meeting with Patriarch Alexy II is
being discussed. Pentecostals and Charismatics have accelerated their
Romeward journey and Evangelical leaders who have signed ECT
("Evangelicals and Catholics Together") have led very large numbers of
Evangelicals to kneel before the open "holy" door that the Roman Catholic
Church offers them. The Pope’s words that day were couched in the language associating
equality with freedom. Carefully concealed in his response was the
non-negotiable agenda of the Roman Catholic Church, for rather than
looking for unity based on truth, the Papacy, as ever, is seeking to
secure conformity through compromise. The "ecumenical dialogue" referred
to by the Pope during the January 18th ceremony, is clearly governed by a
special set of rules. Vatican Council II’s post conciliar Document No. 42
on ecumenism states that "…dialogue is not an end in itself…it is not just
an academic discussion."4 Rather, "ecumenical
dialogue...serves to transform modes of thought and behavior and the daily
life of those [non-Catholic] communities. In this way, it aims at
preparing the way for their unity of faith in the bosom of a Church one
and visible."5 That the papacy expects this process of dialogue to take time to
accomplish its stated aim of bringing all Christian churches under its
authority is clear when she says, "….little by little, as
the obstacles to perfect ecclesial communion are overcome, all
Christians will be gathered, in a common celebration of the Eucharist [the
Mass] into that unity of the one and only Church.…This unity, we
believe, dwells in the Catholic Church as something we can never
lose."6 The "little by little" approach of the Vatican II document are now
giant steps. How many present at the January 18th gathering understand what is
really happening? The Pope’s official position is that "ecumenical
encounter is not merely an individual work, but also a task of the [RC]
Church, which takes precedence over all individual
opinions."7 Thus the opinions of others present on January
18th are "individual opinions" and worthless. The final goal of any
dialogue with the RCC is, first and foremost, "unity" in a visible and
specific ritual under the authority of the Roman Catholic Church,
"all Christians will be gathered, in a common celebration of the
Eucharist into that unity of the one and only Church….unity we believe
dwells in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose." She could
hardly state it more clearly. Unity: True and
False Very different from this man-made spurious unity is the true unity of
believers in Christ. The foundation of Christian unity is the position of
believers "in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus
Christ."8 The Lord’s prayer in John 17:21 for unity is
answered in the life of an individual who is justified by God’s saving
grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The fact that the Lord
Jesus Christ prayed for unity means that unity of believers is actual.
God, the Father of His people, Who before the world existed chose the
believers to be in Christ His Son, justified them through His
righteousness, and upon saving them, places them in Him, and will preserve
them in that unity unto the culmination of all things. Believers are
placed into the unity which is in Christ Jesus, a unity which they
themselves did not establish, but which they are commanded to maintain. In
the words of the Apostle Paul, they are "to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace."9 True
Ecumenism The same Apostle shows clearly the ground of true unity: "There is
one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your
calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who
is above all, and through all, and in you all."10
Believers, therefore, who adhere to God only and His Written Word, as did
the Lord and the Apostles after Him (‘Sola Scriptura’) are one in body, in
Spirit, and in truth. They are saved before the all-Holy God by grace
alone (‘Sola Gratia’), through faith alone (‘Sola Fide’), and in Christ
alone (‘Solo Christo’) and all glory and praise is to God alone (‘Soli Deo
Gloria’). These five biblical principles together show the foundation of
true unity in the Lord. They have helped the persecuted church through the
centuries to hold fast to the simplicity of the Gospel. True ecumenism is
fellowship or working together in adherence to the five basic biblical
principles that maintain the foundation of true unity in the Lord. To the
degree to which these key basic biblical standards are embraced, true
unity will be evident. False
Ecumenism On the other hand, false ecumenism, typically institutionalized, is the
joining together for common causes of professing Christian groups, when in
fact one or more of the parties involved are unconverted. While purporting
to confess the Lord Jesus Christ according to the Scriptures, for the most
part the five biblical principles that display the basis of true unity in
the Lord are compromised. The extent to which these principles are not
upheld usually shows the inclination of the church or group to submit to
Rome. The World Council of Churches is such an institution. Within it, there
is no agreement on any of the five principles that demonstrate the fact
that the foundation of true unity is in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. The
Pope and his Church, likewise in apostasy from the true Gospel, are also
without any of the five biblical standards. Counterfeiting the body of the
Lord Jesus Christ, they are intent on finding successful ways to bind all
to the very visible, active and attractive pontifical
throne. Pope Defines
Conformity In his official letter, "That they May Be One", the Pope defines full
unity, "The Catholic Church,
both in her praxis and in her solemn documents, holds that the communion
of the particular Churches with the Church of Rome, and of their Bishops
with the Bishops of Rome is, in God’s plan, an essential requisite of full
and visible communion."11 To arrive at that point of full unity, a different set of five
principles must be adopted, principles that actually deny all five
parameters of biblical truth. According to the Pope, "It is already
possible to identify the areas in need of fuller study before a true
consensus of faith can be achieved: (1) the relationship
between Sacred Scripture, as the highest authority in matters of faith,
and Sacred Tradition, as indispensable to the interpretation of the Word
of God; (2) the Eucharist, as
the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, an offering of praise to
the Father, the sacrificial memorial and Real Presence of Christ and the
sanctifying outpouring of the Holy Spirit; (3) Ordination, as a
Sacrament, to the threefold Ministry of the episcopate, presbyterate and
diaconate; (4) the Magisterium of
the Church, entrusted to the Pope and the Bishops in communion with him,
understood as a responsibility and an authority exercised in the name of
Christ for teaching and safeguarding the faith; (5) the Virgin Mary, as
Mother of God and Icon of the Church, the spiritual Mother who intercedes
for Christ’s disciples and for all humanity." 12
The Pope’s objective in declaring his five principles is that a
ubiquitous visible conformity to the Church of Rome should be forged in
accordance with and manifested through her institution alone. Thus the
Pope decrees, "…it is now necessary
to advance towards the visible unity which is required and
sufficient and which is manifested in a real and concrete way, so that the
Churches may truly become a sign of that full communion in the one, holy,
catholic and apostolic Church which will be expressed in the common
celebration of the Eucharist."13 The RCC is attempting to forge a man-made unity, visible by means of an
institution to which all must conform. Such a conception stands in direct
contradiction to the reality of believers who, having been placed
invisibly in Christ by God, are to maintain the bond of unity given them
by the Holy Spirit. External Unity to be
Attained by Power and Penalty What is this conformity now so passionately advocated by the Pope? How
would it be applied in practice? From all previous experience, and the
official teaching of the same Pope in his Canon Law, those fully
participating will be obliged to submit their faculties of both mind and
will to ‘the Holy Father’ [the Pope], to his decrees, and to the dogma of
his Church. Thus present day Roman law decrees, Canon 752 "A religious
respect of intellect and will, even if not the assent of faith, is to be
paid to the teaching which the Supreme Pontiff or the college of bishops
enunciate on faith or morals when they exercise the authentic magisterium
even if they do not intend to proclaim it with a definitive act..."
In this official law Rome enunciates, in clearer terms than any cult
states, the necessity of suppressing one’s God given faculties, that of
mind and will. This is not only demanded, the new Canon Law, the ‘Papal
Code’ codified by the present Pope, includes a section entitled
"Punishment of Offenses against Ecclesiastical Authorities and the Freedom
of the Church". Under the heading, "The Punishment of Offenses in
General", the Inquisition appears again as from old times, for Canon 1311
states, "The Church has an
innate and proper right to coerce offending members of the
Christian faithful by means of penal sanctions."14
A brief acquaintance with history readily reveals that coercion is a
term that the Roman Church understands very well. Naturally, when ushering
all comers into her big tent, she makes light of its implications; but
when once again in direct control of the levers of political power (which
may well be provided by the fast advancing European superstate), Canon
1311 could acquire that same notoriety as those which have so darkened the
pages of history. It is important to remember always that the Roman Papacy is an absolute
monarchy and also a secular government. Enormously wealthy, it has
territorial sovereignty, its court, nobles, and diplomatic corps; its
detective force and secret service; its laws, advocates, and system of
jurisprudence as well as prison; taxes, bank, foreign treaties and
concordats, enormous political influence, ambitious plans and policies,
all as much as any secular kingdom. And it still has the Inquisition, now
styled the Office of the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by Joseph Cardinal
Ratzinger. Bride of the Lamb
understands Apostate Church Believers of old were clear to call the Roman Catholic Church’s imposed
conformity "Satan's seat" or the Antichrist. This was known and spoken of
even through the Middle Ages by Dante Alghieri (d. 1321), John Wycliff (d.
1384), John Huss (d. 1415), Savonarola (d. 1498), and William Tyndale (c.
l536). So Rome’s conformity was described as Antichrist from the time of
Reformation by Martin Luther (d. 1546), Nicholas Ridley (d. 1554), John
Bradford (d. 1555), and John Foxe (d. 1587), and in more recent times by
Isaac Newton (d. 1727) and Jonathan Edwards (d. 1758). Now as the "Holy"
Roman Empire revives in the European Superstate, can believers afford to
remain ignorant of both history and Biblical prophecy as understood
throughout the centuries? Confident believers of old saw that unity is in
Christ and, consequently, warned of the conformity with Rome. They both
knew the true church in Christ, and recognized the apostate Church in
Rome. Understanding that unity with the Roman Catholic Church always meant
submission to her traditions and finally obedience to her Pope, they
rejoiced that their unity was in the Beloved, rather than dallying with
sin. Pope
Identified Extravagantly, apparently without trembling, the Pope has again
fulfilled the Lord’s prophetic Word (II Thessalonians 2:3-12) depicting
the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition. The sitting Pope purports to take for
himself a Divine position. Thus in Section III of the prepared program for
the "Day of Pardon", "The Holy Father" is mentioned eight times.
Nonetheless in the RCC, this title does not denote the All Holy One in
heaven, but rather the sitting Pope. Seen in the light of Scripture, the
RCC Pope who claims to be Christian, clearly is one "Who opposeth and
exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so
that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is
God" (v. 4) The Pope of the RCC goes further when by taking to
himself the title of "The Vicar of Christ", he presumes to take the place
of Christ Himself, teacher, shepherd, and priest. This also is clearly
tantamount to "as God sit[ting] in the temple of God, showing himself
that he is God." The assertion is not simply made, for the Pope's law
gives it teeth in exacting submission of mind and will and promising
punitive action against those who fail to obey, as Canon 752 and 1311
document. He is the worst and greatest enemy of Christ who under the
pretence of service to Christ, presumes to undermine His unique offices by
covertly usurping His position and power. C. H. Spurgeon clearly understood these things. His timely words still
apply, Since he was cursed who
rebuilt Jerico, much more the man who labors to restore Popery among us.
In our fathers’ days the gigantic walls of Popery fell by the power of
their faith, the perseverance of their efforts, and the blast of their
gospel trumpets; and now there are some who would rebuild that accursed
system upon its old foundation. O Lord, be pleased to thwart their
unrighteous endeavors, and pull down every stone, which they build. It
should be a serious business with us to be thoroughly purged of every
error which may have a tendency to foster the spirit of Popery; and when
we have made a clean sweep at home we should seek in every way to oppose
its all to rapid spread abroad in the church and in the
world.15 ¨ Permission is given by the authors to print and
copy this article if it is done in its entirety without any
changes. Permission is also given to place it on WebPages
in its entirety without any changes. The Berean Beacon WebPage
address: http://www.bereanbeacon.org/
Michael de Semlyen: mickdes@hotmail.com Richard Bennett: bereanbennett@juno.com
Footnotes
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