Church

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henrikhank

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Ave Maria!
I don’t think the church is as good as it should be. What are the reasong why Catholic Doctrine say that the church is perfect? if it even does that?
 
The teachings of the Church are free from error, and are the Fullness of Truth. The Grace of God that flows through the Church in His sacraments is perfect.

But the Church is filled with sinners, and as such, will fail because of the failings of man.
 
henrikhank said:
Ave Maria!
I don’t think the church is as good as it should be. What are the reasong why Catholic Doctrine say that the church is perfect? if it even does that?
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The Church has been in a desperate state the past 50 odd years - you might have noticed this - not since the Arian heresy have we seen such a despairing state within the body of Christ. That being said; there is no doctrine that professes that the Church Militant is “perfect”. This would certainly be a difficult doctrine to defend in light of historic facts.
 
The church isn’t perfect - yet. It’s filled with sinners, but when we will all be made perfect, and when we are resurrected, it’ll be perfect. 🙂
 
As the unblemished Bride of Christ, the Church is perfect in Her nature:
The Church is distinguished and differs from civil society; and, what is of highest moment, it is a society chartered as of right divine, perfect in its nature and its title to possess in itself and by itself through the will and loving kindness of its Founder, all needful provision for its maintenance and action.
Pope Leo XIII in his Encyclical Immortale Dei (1 November, 1885)
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In the case of the Church, the whole is not equal to the sum of its parts - in fact, the whole is infinitely greater than the sum of its parts (meaning us sinners, and even wretched sinners, who grow alongside the good wheat until the harvest time).

The Church is not perfect because of Her sinful members, but because of the perfection of Her Founder and Groom.

The Church is perfect, although only a few of Her members have achieved spiritual perfection while on earth.

(for those who wish to blindly jump in and challenge the notion that anyone can achieve spiritual perfection on earth, I refer you to three Doctors of the Church who maintain otherwise (and were named Doctors for this teaching) - St. Thersa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and St. Therese of the Child Jesus. If you wish to challenge these Doctors, please open a new thread so this thread may remain on-topic)
 
DavidFilmer said:
As the unblemished Bride of Christ, the Church is perfect in Her nature:

In the case of the Church, the whole is not equal to the sum of its parts - in fact, the whole is infinitely greater than the sum of its parts (meaning us sinners, and even wretched sinners, who grow alongside the good wheat until the harvest time).

The Church is not perfect because of Her sinful members, but because of the perfection of Her Founder and Groom.

The Church is perfect, although only a few of Her members have achieved spiritual perfection while on earth.

(for those who wish to blindly jump in and challenge the notion that anyone can achieve spiritual perfection on earth, I refer you to three Doctors of the Church who maintain otherwise (and were named Doctors for this teaching) - St. Thersa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and St. Therese of the Child Jesus. If you wish to challenge these Doctors, please open a new thread so this thread may remain on-topic)
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:clapping: Great reply.

To add to, citing from the CCC paragraph # 796

“The Church is the spotless bride of the spotless Lamb.”
 
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