Pope irks Indian believers with 'true church' comment

The head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope Benedict XVI, has sparked a controversy by approving a document released, July 10, which reasserts the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, and says that Orthodox churches are defective and that other Christian denominations are not true churches.

A strong defender of the Catholic doctrine, the Pope said, in a July 10 release, that the Orthodox Eastern Church does not recognize papal authority and protestant denominations reject the papal existence and entertain different views on the mass.

Protestant and Orthodox churches may have elements of holiness and truth, but both are defective, the pontiff said. Only Catholicism is the one true church, he added.

The document refers to Protestant denominations as "ecclesial communities" that "cannot, according to Catholic doctrine, be called 'churches' in the proper sense."

"Christ 'established here on earth' only one church," the document said. The other communities "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense" because they do not have apostolic succession – the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ's original apostles.

The document said the Catholic Church alone has "the fullness of the means of salvation."

The Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches separated in the schism of 1054, and since then the Orthodox community does not recognize the Pope's primacy – a defect, according to the document. Protestant denominations, meanwhile, lack "apostolic succession," the ability to trace their bishops back to the 12 Apostles, it said, adding and therefore their priestly ordinations are not valid.

The document said Orthodox churches were indeed "churches" because they have apostolic succession and that they enjoyed "many elements of sanctification and of truth." But it said they lack something because they do not recognize the primacy of the pope – a defect, or a "wound" that harmed them.

"This is obviously not compatible with the doctrine of primacy which, according to the Catholic faith, is an 'internal constitutive principle' of the very existence of a particular church," the document said.

It was "difficult to see how the title of 'Church' could possibly be attributed to them," the statement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said, adding that the Roman Catholicism was "the one true Church of Christ."

Despite the harsh tone of the document, it stresses that Benedict remains committed to ecumenical dialogue.

"However, if such dialogue is to be truly constructive, it must involve not just the mutual openness of the participants but also fidelity to the identity of the Catholic faith," the document said.

The Pope's comment has met with severe criticism and many denominations have strongly refuted the document as an act shattering the maturing atmosphere of dialogue and harmony.

Needless to say, the work began by the Pope John Paul II, who supported dialogue within the Christian community seem to have been endangered by his successor's comment.

The Pope Benedict's controversial views are contained in a 16–page document of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith released last week, in which he has also called for allowing wider use of the Mass in Latin. Many perceive the document as a blow to reforms initiated by the revolutionary Second Vatican Council (1962–65).

The Council is considered a landmark reform movement within the Catholic faith that, among other major theological positions, phased out Latin Mass, allowed folk guitar at Mass instead of Gregorian chants, and effectively stopped looking at Jews, Muslims, and Christians of other denominations as heretics.

The comments have come under harsh criticism in India.

"We don't owe allegiance to the Pope. CNI, which is autonomous, expresses shock at the Pope's observations. All churches are the body of Christ. We are all guided by his teachings, and what the Pope has said is a great blow to the unity movement within the churches," national daily, The Times of India (TOI) quoted Rev. (Dr.) Enos Pradhan, general secretary, Church of North India (CNI), as saying.

"Our religious head, the Bishop of Canterbury, is often invited by the Pope. Had our churches been false, we wouldn't have been invited by the Catholics to join hands or even allowed to proclaim Christianity," P.P. Surin, secretary of Chhotanagpur Diocese of CNI in Ranchi, said.

"A man of his stature should not have commented on the affairs of other churches," Rev. Zhabu Terhuja, general secretary of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council, said.

"No denomination is perfect. To say that Catholic Church is the only true church would mean it doesn’t need any reform, which is unacceptable," said Bishop K.G. Daniel of East Kerala Diocese of the Church of South India (CSI).

The Catholic Church in India, however, sees the situation as an opportunity to enter into greater dialogue instead of creating a rift.

"I understand the reaction and would ask people to go deeply into the document. The fact is it is positively worded. It calls for dialogue and not increasing differences. The call for Latin Mass is because the people have themselves been clamouring for it," Archbishop Oswald Gracias of Bombay Catholic archdiocese explained.

"There are some who are confused by the post–Vatican II developments, and want clarity. There is no difference between Catholic and Orthodox churches except some of the rites," said Archbishop Vincent M. Concessao of Delhi Catholic Archdiocese. "If they (other churches) are critical, it isn't helpful. But our respect for them does not diminish."

"His Holiness has called for is clarity and dialogue. One doesn't dilute one's position and clarity of thought is a must for dialogue," Fr. Dominic Emmanuel of Delhi Catholic Archdicoese said.