The Pope

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alot of protestants i know have a problem with the pope and say we worship him and pray to him when we should only be doing those things to god… what should i say to dispute those claims, and how could i show them proof for the popes authority ?
 
John89 said:
alot of protestants i know have a problem with the pope and say we worship him and pray to him when we should only be doing those things to god… what should i say to dispute those claims, and how could i show them proof for the popes authority ?
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The claim that we
worship the Pope
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No we do not pray to the Pope. He does pray with us when he conducts Mass and consecrate the Body and Blood of the Lord.
Pray to Him
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Correction, we pray with him. Same answer as above.

My final remarks, these claims are finded to be bias against Catholicism. They apparently have no clue about what the Papacy is or the function of the Pope is.

To them it is foreign. This is the second time I heard about these ridicules claims which are not true.

Go to this website:

scripturecatholic.com There is a section in their regarding the Papacy
 
John89 said:
alot of protestants i know have a problem with the pope and say we worship him and pray to him when we should only be doing those things to god… what should i say to dispute those claims, and how could i show them proof for the popes authority ?
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Well, I would ask them why they think that. What evidence do they say they have for what they claim? Personal opinion? What they’ve “heard”?

It will be easier to refute what they say if you know the source of their confusion.
 
Newbie2 said:
Well, I would ask them why they think that. What evidence do they say they have for what they claim? Personal opinion? What they’ve “heard”?

It will be easier to refute what they say if you know the source of their confusion.
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I think this is a good approach. When people believe something that is so totally disconnected from the facts, we should try to find out how they came to believe these fables before we address them.
 
John89 said:
alot of protestants i know have a problem with the pope and say we worship him and pray to him… what should i say to dispute those claims…?
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One possible answer is to say that Catholics worship the pope in the same manner that that person worships his own pastor. When he gets done vehemently denying that he worships his own pastor, just say “same here”.
 
Do you know of a single time when you have been taught by the Catholic Church that you are to worship the pope or pray to him? I don’t think so.

As for the rest of that attack…give a listen to this MP3 Bible study called
The Communion of Saints
Code: 
Biblical foundations and explanations to common questions
The text of his notes is here.
 
Explain that the pope is our servant. His Holiness John Paul II’s favorite title for his office was, “Servant of the Servants of Christ.”

We respect him because of his extraordinarily special position. Most popes demonstrate a pretty healthy attitude toward their all-too-human occupancy of their sacred office. Try showing them these quotes:

“If someone had told me I would be pope one day, I would have studied harder.” Pope John I

“It often happens that I wake up at night and begin to think about a serious problem and decide I must tell the Pope about it. Then I wake up completely and remember that I am the Pope.” Pope John XXIII

Do these sound like guys who seek “worship?”
 
John89 said:
alot of protestants i know have a problem with the pope and say we worship him and pray to him when we should only be doing those things to god… what should i say to dispute those claims, and how could i show them proof for the popes authority ?
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First off, I would gently tell them how insulting it is to be accused of idolatry. Next I would ask them what caused them to believe such a falsehood.

I use this ‘tactic’ often here in the south. I use a tone of voice which is neither confrontational nor meek, but one of sincere surprise 🤷 .

You’d be surprised how surprised they are to learn they were taught wrong about Catholics. I usually end the conversation with something like: if your (pastor/friend/parent, etc) was wrong about this, what else do you think they’ve told you is incorrect?

The conversations can be poignant.
 
John89 said:
alot of protestants i know have a problem with the pope and say we worship him and pray to him when we should only be doing those things to god… what should i say to dispute those claims, and how could i show them proof for the popes authority ?
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Ask them specifically what their problem is with the pope.

You can be armed with tons of information to debate, but if you dont know what they are concerned with, you may be spreading yourself too thin by trying to be ready for all attacks.

Get the accuser to be specific, and then- work from there.

Remember, its best to answer the question only.

Not to go off on to tangents.
 
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