True Authority of the Church

True Authority of the Church

This Is not the first time questions regarding the Catholic Church and the pope have arisen and many Catholics have stepped away from their former religion.  The very broad statement of Jesus handing the keys of the kingdom to Peter still confounds many who insist that Jesus was not handing the control of authority to Peter.  (Mt 16: 19).  To whom was Jesus giving authority to?  If it was meant to be given to all of the apostles, then would there have been a free-for-all as to whom would the rest refer to with questions of leadership?  Even in the least environment such as families, small businesses, or national governments, someone must be the person or entity that has the responsibility of answering for everyone else.  

Recently, a network affiliate presented this same theory and showed matters of disclaiming the Roman Catholic Church from presenting to the world reasons why viewers should consider this possibility of Christ’s choice to be number one of his church.  

“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  (Mt 16: 19).  Putting this scenario into practice, can become a situation for each individual to make decisions on spiritual matters according to their own ideas of right or wrong.  Someone must be the head of anything or anyplace where multitudes of people depend on a reliable head.  

Now we must look a little deeper at the realistic environs of our faith and the understanding of the Church that separates Catholics from the other denominations that disagree with our traditions.   How many Christians denominations have communion that parallels our True presence of Christ in the species at the Transubstantiation?  

Here is where the first spiritual outstanding event becomes a realistic truth instead of just a symbol.  Some religions may claim their communion is the same as ours without the ritual of what we adhere to.  Lutherans believe in the real presence of the bread and wine until the people leave.  What type of truth is that?

Or which denomination has seen a host bleed real blood, or through scientific examination determine the blood is AB which is rare?  And the flesh of the host has been determined to be from a human heart.   We could go on with so many instances of the humanity of the risen Christ is still real.  No denominations other than Catholicism can or will tell their people about these realities.  Do the religions that denounce Catholic dogmas have an answer for the Truth they discount?  

As I wrote before about a relative who left the Church to join a spiritual type of church asked her pastor what about communion?  He answered her with what you want to believe when taking their communion is alright.  Really?  

One TV ministry claims their communion of any type of bread or crackers and grape juice will bring healing from many illnesses.  We must separate the truth from the make-believers without any substantiation to their false understanding of true faith in the Church Jesus spoke about when naming Peter to be the holder of the keys of the kingdom of heaven.  (Mt 16: 19).

One question needs to be clarified regarding the infallibility of the pope.  The Holy Father does not speak infallibly each time he opens his mouth, and even his encyclicals are not infallible statements.  We follow his teaching, but when he speaks Ex-Cathedra which means from the chair or authoritative then his words are infallible.  Accordingly there are only two ex cathedra teachings in the Church; Mary’s Immaculate Conception (declared by Pope Pius IX in 1854, and her bodily assumption into heaven declared by Pope Pius XII in 1950).  Hopefully this puts to rest the idea that the pope speaks infallibly every time he promotes a thought or even truths regarding the faith of the Catholic Church.

Ralph B. Hathaway