Goodness, can we at least agree on this? If the Catholic Church is a man-made tradition, can someone at least tell me when the Catholic Church over-hauled the True Church?
And where was the True Church for the next X-hundred years until the Reformation could bring it back to light?
I read this on a post from yesterday:
Cruel Imbedded in Church History
Not only exceptioally brillant for his academic achievements as a studenr and for his lingiustic ability to speak fluently eight major languages of the world, John Paul II, the Past Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, was exceptionally courageous when he ask forgiveness for his Church’s centuries of mistakes. Speaking after the ceremony to the crowd in St. Peter Square on March 12, 2000, he acknowledged the past misdeeds commited in the name of Catholicism.
One of the errors of Roman Catholic Church that was established as a result of the apostaty of the first century Church of Christ is the creation of the inquisition through which men, women, and children who refused to accept the catholic Church doctrines were tortured to death. (How The Great Religions Began pp. 214)
Pope John Paul II knows that his Church is behind this cruel practice, Rev. Francis S. Betten and Rev Alfred Kaufmann explicitly stated such church involvement in the Modern World:
“ Church Created a Special tribunal, the Papal or Universal Inquisition. The essential features of its method were fixed by a set of laws passed jointly by Pope Lucius III and Emperor Barbarossa in 1184. The minor details had been added by 1230. Such spiritual courts of justice were stablished in localeities most infected by erroneous teachings…” The state, too, considered heresy as a crime, because it determined the foundations of public welfare. The penalty fixed by the secular laws for heresy was death by fire. This was never inflicted by the ecclesiastical judge” (p 344)
Knowledgeable about the persecutions and the sufferings of the first-century Christian and the History of his church, Pope John Paul II cannot separate the Roman Catholic Church from the responsibilities it should take in his church that created such as a special tribunal.
As to how cruel the men behind the inquisition and the responsibility they should answer for, JohnA. O’Brien straightforwardly wrote.
“The First law of history’, declared Pope Leo XIII, as we mentioned previously. ‘is to assert nothing false and to have no fear of telling the truth’. In conformity with that wise principle, we frankly acknowledge the responsibility of thr Popes in the use of torture and in the burning of thousand of Heretics at the stake. Their sanctioning of such cruel and brutal measures is unquestionably one of the blackest stains on the record of the Holy Office and will remain to end of time a cause of Obloguy and shame upon the Papacy. Even when it is frankly conceded as it must be, that their intentions were good and their soliciteude was for the welfare of the victim’s soul, let it stillbe affirmed that the cruel and inhuman methods are beyond all defense.,” (The Truth About the Inquisition, p.49)
O’Brien further wrote more revealing statements thus:
“CHURCH’S RESPONSIBILITY”
“The church cannot escape responsibility for the use of torture nor for the burning of victims at the stake. The Church in the person of her pontiffs was responsible for the use of torture; this cruel practice was introduced by innocent IV in 1252. … The pontiff tries to defend the use of torture by classifying heretics with thieves and murderers, a mere comparison is his only argument. This Law of Innocent Ivwas renewed and confirmed by Alexander IV on November 3, 1265. Neither the Church escape responsibility for sending heretics to be burnt to death at the stake. The mere subterfuge of having the victim turned over to the secular arm cannot hide the fact that the Popes repeatedly insisted under pain of excommunication and interdict upon rules enforcing the death penalty against heretics.” (Ibid p.47)
More than forced conversions, the extremely cruel inquisition and the other sins he mentioned during that Sunday’s special mass, there is something Pope John Paul II should have asked for forgiveness---- the apostasy of the First-century Church that was established by Christ and propagate by the Apostles.
All the event regarding the emergence of the Catholic Church in the second century and the torture and Killing of thousands of people are but fulfillment of one of the prophecies concerning the apostasy of the Church established by Christ in the First-Century. Paul the Apostle revealed this prophecy in one of his epistle, Stating: “ For I know this, that after my departing shall grievious wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.” (Acts 20:29, KJV)
Should John Paul II have the courage needed to admit and apologize for such gravest mistake of the Catholic Church, this would be one of his greatest achievements and make him the most exceptional Pope.
