The Pope is God? How do I make sense of these?

[FuzzyBunny116]

lightministries.com/id523.htm#pope_1

“Take care that we lose not that salvation, that life and breath which thou hast given us, for thou art our shepherd, thou art our physician, thou art our governor, thou art our husbandman, thou art finally another God on earth.” Christopher Marcellus in Oration addressing Pope Julius II, in Fifth Lateran Council, Session IV (1512), Council Edition. Colm. Agrip. 1618, (Sacrorum Conciliorum, J.D. Mansi (ed.), Vol. 32, col. 761), (also quoted in History of the Councils, vol. XIV, col 109, by Labbe and Cossart).
“To believe that our Lord God the Pope has not the power to decree as he is decreed, is to be deemed heretical.” The Gloss of Extravagantes of Pope John XXII, Cum. Inter, title 14, chapter 4, “Ad Callem Sexti Decretalium”, Column 140, Paris, 1685. (In an Antwerp edition of the Extravagantes, the words, “Dominum Deum Nostrum Papam” (“Our Lord God the Pope”) can be found in column 153).

 "It is quite certain that Popes have never disapproved or rejected this title 'Lord God the Pope' for the passage in the gloss referred to appears in the edition of the Canon Law published in Rome by Gregory XIII." Statement from Fr. A. Pereira.

Theres more at the website. How does someone make sense of all these things?

 

[VociMike]

Without direct access to the alleged documents, I wouldn’t even try to make sense of these assertions. But if we taught that the pope is God, why the heck isn’t it in the Catechism?

Possible answers: Bad translations? Flowery language that we can no longer understand in its original intent? Outright fabrications by Protestant propagandists? False statements made by misinformed (even heretical) Catholics? I mean, either we believe and teach something, or we don’t!

The one impossible answer: That the Church actually teaches that the pope is God. Because she doesn’t.

 

[Reformed1]

Without direct access to the alleged documents, I wouldn’t even try to make sense of these assertions. But if we taught that the pope is God, why the heck isn’t it in the Catechism?

Possible answers: Bad translations? Flowery language that we can no longer understand in its original intent? Outright fabrications by Protestant propagandists? False statements made by misinformed (even heretical) Catholics?

The one impossible answer: That the Church actually teaches that the pope is God. Because she doesn’t.

I used to participate in another forum where this was brought up and it turned out to be a horrendous translation of the original language (Latin). I’m not Catholic so if it would have been true I would have definitely remembered.

I bet you can find the original document out there from a reputable source.

 

[Della]

Sites such as this are very good at making it appear that the Catholic Church is the idolatrous evil they say it is. They do this in a number of ways, none of which are ethical:

They cite passages of obscure Church documents they know none of their fellow Fundamentalists is going to look up for themselves and which most Catholics have never read (including yours truly).

Usually they exclude any words or phrases that do not help the point they are trying to make–in this case that Catholics worship the pope as if he were God.

Sometimes they actually add words/phrases if none are present that will help make their point for them.

And they will not answer any objections to their accusations.

Seasoned apologists have learned to let them go their own way knowing that to challenge them is to cast pearls before swine. They’ve been answered again and again, but most Fundamentalists will not go to Catholic sources to see what the Church teaches about itself, so this sort of ambush attack goes on, as it has gone on for centuries and will go on until Christ returns.

 

[batteddy]

This website debunks it: angelfire.com/ms/seanie/forgeries/zenzelinus.html

However, don’t be too surprised to see what some would say are similar (but orthodox) titles like: sweet christ on earth.

That is a real one, and perfectly acceptable.

 

[VociMike]

Here is a good example of a papal text that can be (and has been) taken out of context (Leo XIII, 1894):

“But since We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty,…”

Oh no, the pope is claiming to be God!

But then we read the rest of the sentence:

“Who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth, and now that Our advanced age and the bitterness of anxious cares urge Us on towards the end common to every mortal, We feel drawn to follow the example of Our Redeemer and Master, Jesus Christ…”

Now wait a minute! If the pope claims to be God, how can he speak of his Redeemer and Master, Jesus Christ?! Does God the Father so speak of Christ? Does the Holy Spirit so speak of Christ? Of course not.

Obviously, “we hold upon this earth the place of God” does not mean what many Protestants assume it means, but is a reference to the authority God has granted the bishop of Rome as His vicar on earth.

 

[I_Leatherman]

…the power to decree as he is decreed, …

Granted all the above posts, but…
For the sake of argument…

Who decreed the Pope?
Whatever ‘decreed’ means in this case, the Pope would be ‘decreed’ by Christ, yes?, and in turn ‘decree’ in His name’.

Seems to me that Christ did give the Popes the authority to speak in His name - by establishing His Kingdom and granting St.Peter the keys to that Kingdom - an eternal Kingdom so by extension a continuous temporal authority on earth, with the ‘Pope’ upholding doctrine as per ‘…he who hears you hears Me’.