AmericanPapist Comments
I haven't a clue who this person really is, not being American, but it looks like he's been through a lot and has made a considered decision. I see no reason to say anything other than "best of luck" to him. The Church has fumbled the scandal in many instances, and we have to expect that we will lose some people, good and not-so-good, in the process.
Some of these sagas sound a bit like something from _Melmoth the Wanderer_ though, I must say--a monk escaping from a mental institution!
This is the problem that Protestants have - the continue appearance of when things go bad in a church, they leave and join another. Although he left Protestantism years ago, he still practices one of its core beleifs - me and God.
Catholics online do a great disservice to the Church when we don't call a brother on to holiness. The fullness of faith subsits in the Roman Catholic Church, regardless of sin or appearance of sin. Rod Dreher has committed an act of schism and is taking his entire family into a different realm - one that separates himself from the historical church of Jesus Christ. By his acceptance of chrismation, he formally rejects the validity of the sacraments of the church. What he has done is a grave offense to millions of Catholics and his conversion to Orthodoxy is just another nail in our crucified Lord. Jesus gave the authority to Peter and to his successors, and while Orthodox bishops share in that authority, they do so in a very limited way.
The question I have - does this man place his salvation in jeapordy? He has abondoned the fullness of apostolic faith.
Vatican II taught"Anyone who believes that the Catholic church is the Church of Jesus Christ and refuses to enter it or fails to remain in it cannot be saved."
Amen.
Oh - do read the entire entry, especially the last paragraph. Excellent point and another good use of philosophy by Ed Peters.
If a few raping preists turn him into a Russian Orthodox just wait until he finds out that the offical Russian Orthodox Church was a tool of the KGB and sent many faithful to their deaths.
How does one go from Catholic (believing Our Lady of Fatima calling for the converstion of Russia) to Russian Orthodox? Will he be old or new calanderists? What about Old Believer Russian Orothodox
Your pope didn't respect to Muslim people.He must apologise from Muslim people immediately.Otherwise this may cause unexpected bad results between relations.
Anon, the Pope respects the Muslim people. The Catholic Church recognizes that whatever is good or true in other religions comes from God and is a reflection of his truth. The Pope already apologized, and I don't think the bad results were all that "unexpected".
It shame to find out that your patron is More and not Aquinus.
Don't want to rain on your triumphalist parade, but in 1917, when, so far as I can tell, Our Lady of Fatima called for the conversion of Russia, Orthodox Christianity wasn't Russia's real problem.
Judge not. Let Mr Dreher go.
Salome: it's hardly "triumphalist" for someone in a lifeboat to yell out to his drowning friend that he should get back in the boat before it's too late.
Nice quote! St. Thomas More is great!
A liferaft full of holes is no liferaft at all. A church, even Rome, that is not hearkening to the Word ("IF you keep my word, then ye shall be my disciples!"),
and furthermore has, in large, jettisoned holy Tradition ("Hold fast to that which has been handed down to you by the Apostles!") has forsaken the great twofold stream of revelation that comes from Christ. Benedict XVI himself has said that the pope is only as good as he bends the neck and hearkens to the word of God. Catholics have but relied on arbitrary power for generations. Enforced and mandatory celebacy is a sick joke that directly contradict's the apostolic word ("forbidding marriage"). I am weary of catholics defending the inexcusable, and content with ignoring both Scripture and Tradition. The novus ordo is the modern-day equivalent of Zwingli, while the Orthodox continue with the immutable counsels of God's worship.
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