If a new Pope states that the Church is going to reverse the stigma of priests molesting children, does not the Church respond affirmatively? If he states that the Church is going to stop ostracizing homosexuals, does not the Church respond likewise?
Priests, on the whole, are not involved with politics. Nor do they ask people for birth certificates, visas, passports, etc. If someone asks for help, they help--no politics involved. Priests turn no one from their congregation or their church. It has nothing to do with a pope's political views. Nor does the pope ask this of them.
Politics is not part of the pope's role. He can certainly share his own beliefs, and some do. That does not change the views or procedures in local parishes.
What does that have to do with Church policy? Answer: Nothing. Catholics can share the pope's political views and they can disagree with the pope's political views. Political views have nothing to do with Church policy.
Are you asking when a pope can be censored and who censors him? Would you censor a pope? Why? And over what?
He does not set political policy any more than a Hollywood star sets political policy.
I am not mischaracterizing them, and you know splits happen. I did not single out a single Protestant church, I just pointed to a well-known reason for new churches starting up. I understand that on any given year, that number can reach into the thousands.
Not at all what I am saying.
No, he doesn't.
Yet the world waits breathlessly to see the new Pope's political and moral beliefs. You can claim he doesn't have that authority, but millions upon millions of people believe he does.
Yes. Who has authority to tell the Pope that he got something wrong? He's human and he's fallible. Where are his checks and balances? Peter had the other Apostles of equal stature who could call him on the carpet if he got something wrong, and Paul did exactly that over the issue of making Gentile believers follow the Law.
If I had authority to do so and he was wrong about something, absolutely. I would do it for my pastor if he got something wrong from the pulpit because in our churches, lay members can challenge the pastor if he is wrong.
I'm leaving that open. The point is, one man can be wrong and should not have the immense power that the Pope has.
I have seen that kind of attitude expressed several times, usually by Catholics who like to claim that the Catholic Church has it all figured out and everybody else is wrong.
So? The world also waits to see who agrees with him and who disagrees with him politically. So what?
This tells me you haven't a clue about the pope or his duties. What, exactly, are you imagining any pope does wrong? In two thousand years, only two or three infallible decisions have been made. This was after the entire church had given them their data and their opinions and are asking the pope for a decision. Are you saying someone above the pope should have told him whether the decision was right or wrong? Are you saying no one, not even a cardinal, ever disagrees with a pope? Who is providing you with this information?
So? Go challenge the pope, if you would like.
How much power does a servant have? You've built up your own image of a pope and his duties/responsibilities. Are you imagining that every parish priest talks about the Pope during the Mass or church meetings? In a Catholic Church, hell is rarely the topic in a homily--I've heard only three in my entire life. I've never heard a homily that features the pope. Never. We do pray for the Pope, bishop, and all the clergy at each Mass, but they are not topics of a homily. Homilies feature Biblical readings.
That's part of #6 because it occurred due to #6
Remember, Jesus was sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. There were more lost sheep from that House than those remaining in Israel at the time of Jesus. Think of the significance of Zebulun and Naphtali, and deportations that happened throughout that region. Jesus was not there simply to gather those who had remained and had descendants who lived where once the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali resided. He gathered Twelve Apostles. There is significance in that as well, as 'apostle' is a missionary who goes forth. Jesus was setting up his Church long before some unbelief among the Jews.
