The Pope is Not Catholic

By Cliff Kincaid | December 30th, 2023

Just in time for Christmas, Pope Francis tried to water down the church’s teaching on homosexuality, to accommodate those who practice and film anal sex in the Senate chambers. No wonder various Roman Catholic dioceses are going bankrupt because of child sex abuse scandals.

Still, outlets like Fox News featured Christmas interviews with such characters as “His Eminence” Timothy Cardinal Dolan, without raising the issue of what exactly is happening with the moral teachings of the church he represents. “God is with us,” he said. But apparently the Pope is not.

We can expect either more bankruptcies under this latest proclamation from the Roman Catholic Pope or more of an exodus of conservative Catholics, who will justifiably refuse to contribute one red cent to this morally bankrupt institution.

The release of a Vatican document that permits the blessing of same-sex unions runs directly contrary to a March, 2021, document from the Vatican’s doctrinal office. It said “the Church does not have, and cannot have, the power to bless unions of persons of the same sex…” Suddenly, this has all changed.

Even before this flip-flop, anti-communist Professor Renato Cristin had commented that Pope Francis had emerged as the leader of the global left. The only question is whether Francis is a Marxist masquerading as a Catholic, or whether he has somehow in his own mind synthesized Christianity and Communism into a bizarre philosophy of “Christian communism.”

It appears that Francis is auditioning for the role of what many religions (other than Christianity) believe is a “World Teacher” who is to come, also known as the “Coming One.” Groups like Lucis Trust say he is known under such names as the Lord Maitreya, the Imam Mahdi, the Kalki avatar, and so forth.

Lucis Trust is an occult Theosophist group in charge of the United Nations’ Meditation Room which sponsors the group known as World Goodwill.

Theosophy teaches that man can become God through mystical experiences, and can even perform miracles. Its original publishing house was named Lucifer Publishing and was changed in 1924 to “Lucis Publishing.”

I once visited the New York City headquarters of World Goodwill, noting books on the shelves that included several by Russian mystic Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831–1891), Mikhail Gorbachev, and the influential The Coming of the Cosmic Christ by Matthew Fox. A United Nations flag greeted visitors.

Whatever the case, as I noted in a previous column, Francis has become a significant impediment to the restoration of the fundamental values of Judeo-Christian civilization.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith taught in 2003, with the authority of Saint John Paul II, that “Catholics are obliged to oppose the legal recognition of homosexual unions” and that “Catholic politicians are obliged to do so in a particular way, in keeping with their responsibility as politicians.”

If church leaders have lost their way morally, it is no surprise that politicians are morally confused as well.

Consider the outrage on the right that has greeted the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to throw Trump off the presidential ballot when he questioned the 2020 election results and urged people to protest peacefully and patriotically.

It is certainly true that Trump was never convicted of insurrection and not even charged with such an offense.

By the same token, the Supreme Court once legalized gay marriage for no rhyme or reason, and very few “conservatives” put up a stink.

In our report, “The Deep State Wears Black Robes,” we examine the non-existent grounds for the Supreme Court’s gay marriage decision. It was Justice Anthony Kennedy who gave us gay marriage, writing, “At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.”

This New Age gobbledygook lies at the heart of the pope’s recent declaration.

Kennedy will go down in history as “the first gay justice” for his bizarre rulings in favor of homosexual rights. Perhaps Francis will go down as the first pope to turn the Vatican over to the Lucis Trust and the United Nations.

A writer for the leftist Center for American Progress acknowledged that Anthony Kennedy “wrote an opinion that was constructed largely from discarded Age of Aquarius lyrics…” and he added “that will make it much easier for the Court’s new majority to blow this right away.”

We are still waiting.

There is no right to gay marriage in the Constitution, just as there was never a right to abortion in that document. Kennedy had also upheld Roe v. Wade, leading to more than 60 million abortions.

So let us protest the Colorado Supreme Court while demanding that the so-called “conservative” Supreme Court discard Kennedy’s gay marriage decision.

But can the Court be counted on to rule the right way?

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a law clerk for Justice Anthony Kennedy, replaced Kennedy. There were rumors that Kennedy decided to retire only if one of his law clerks, such as Kavanaugh, were picked to replace him.

So Kavanaugh, nominated by Trump, is an unsteady conservative, at best.

The Supreme Court is a political institution, just like the Roman Catholic Church of Pope Francis. It cannot be counted on to do the right thing. It cannot be counted on to obey the Constitution.

Franklin Graham says that “none of us, including the Pope, has the right to ‘bless’ what God calls sin.” He is right.

To think that homosexual couples, like the kind performing in the Senate chambers on film, are entitled to official church blessings is abominable and sick.

Still, the Pope’s decision, as one homosexual journalist wrote, is the equivalent of an atom bomb. He notes that the Vatican, which functions as a government internationally, “has global influence, at the United Nations and with heads of state who meet regularly with the pope.”

For traditional Catholics, this means more than just that the church has lost its way. It means the Vatican has entered into an alliance with the “Powers of Darkness,” a growing group of people in America and around the world who have broken with the Judeo-Christian tradition to instead endorse the notion of God as a mystical force inhabiting humans, the earth, or spiritual “masters.”

As we have seen with the Pope or Anthony Kennedy, one of 15 Roman Catholics to have served on the Supreme Court, being “Catholic” doesn’t mean obedience to moral teachings of the Christ and the Bible.

© 2023 Cliff Kincaid – All Rights Reserved

E-Mail Cliff Kincaid: kincaid@comcast.net

• Cliff Kincaid is president of America’s Survival, Inc. usasurvival.org

About the Author: Cliff Kincaid

Cliff Kincaid, a veteran journalist and media critic, Cliff concentrated in journalism and communications at the University of Toledo, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Cliff has written or co-authored nine books on media and cultural affairs and foreign policy issues. One of Cliff’s books, "Global Bondage: The UN Plan to Rule the World" is still available. Cliff has appeared on Hannity & Colmes, The O’Reilly Factor, Crossfire and has been published in the Washington Post, Washington Times, Chronicles, Human Events and Insight. Cliff Kincaid is president of America’s Survival, Inc. E-Mail: Kincaid@comcast.net

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Related blogposts from Luke 9:23 Evangelism:

• ‘HOLY WAR’ Against South Africa by Shaun Willcock | Luke 9:23 Evangelism (wordpress.com)
• Catholic Sacraments: A Ruthless Trafficking in Human Souls | Luke 9:23 Evangelism (wordpress.com)
• The Gospel According to Rome | Luke 9:23 Evangelism (wordpress.com)
• The Gospel According to Rome ~ Part 1 Index | Luke 9:23 Evangelism (wordpress.com)
• The Gospel for Roman Catholics | Luke 9:23 Evangelism (wordpress.com)

The Luciferian Plot to Steal Christmas

13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him. ~ Proverbs 18:13 KJV

2  When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. ~ Proverbs 29:2 KJV

This article deals with the deceiving and devilish infiltration of communism within the Roman Catholic religion that is taking billions of Romish believers to their destruction. The reference in the title “to Steal Christmas” does not make reference to the pagan day of the false birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, but the deceived Roman Catholics who attend the mass of a false Christ; that is “The Luciferian Plot.” In South Africa the same communism infiltrated the Roman Catholic religion through the African National Congress and South African Communist Party’s political alliance. In fact the Vatican/ANC/SACP alliance peddle a false gospel through their “liberation theology”. This can be read at this link: ‘HOLY WAR’ Against South Africa by Shaun Willcock | Luke 9:23 Evangelism (wordpress.com). Also do not be hoodwinked into believing that Roman Catholicism is Christianity and vice verse. True Christianity preaches the true gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ while the RC works’ faith is false. Therefore they can never be the same faith based on their theologies!!  ~ Repent and Believe South Africa

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By Cliff Kincaid | December 23rd, 2022

Until I read The Devil and Bella Dodd, I thought the greatest defector from communism was Whittaker Chambers, who fingered Alger Hiss as a communist spy for Soviet Russia and identified a communist network in the highest levels of the U.S. Government. But former high-ranking communist Bella Dodd, a teacher, lawyer, and union activist, exposed communist clergymen in the Roman Catholic Church and identified Lucifer, the fallen angel in the Bible (Isaiah 14:12-17), as being the agent of destruction.

The concept of “Lucifer” is considered by Christians to be the devil or Satan.

The implication of Bella Dodd’s statement is that a church representing more than 1.2 billion Catholics has been dangerously compromised by evil.

The complete title, The Devil and Bella Dodd: The Story of One Woman’s Struggle Against Communism and Her Redemption, documents the problem and the solution in personal terms. We know individuals can be redeemed. But as we contemplate the impact of this important book, published by TAN Books, we wonder if whole nations – indeed, the world — can be saved.

Bella Dodd, who wrote her own book, School of Darkness, isn’t just an ordinary communist who testified before congressional committees about communism’s influence in American society, especially the educational system, as important as that is. She described communist infiltration of the Roman Catholic Church and identified their ultimate goal as world government.

Her story helps explain, in a dramatic way, why this powerful church based in Rome continues to experience scandals that have enormously damaged its credibility as a religious institution and driven many away from the church.

The Capitalists Behind Communism

There are many revelations in this important book, including how she told a close friend by the name of Frank Savile that as she rose in the ranks of the Communist Party USA, she realized that the communists were agents of a higher power, not only Lucifer, which she identifies by name, but elites with power and money. She names them as the representatives of the Rockefellers, the Lehmans, and the Harrimans – capitalists and politicians who made possible the rise of the Soviet state into a terrible fact of life that still haunts the world to this day. They financed the rise of communism, including the Soviet Union and Communist China.

The communists, she said, were part of a larger conspiracy.  The co-authors Mary Nicholas and Paul Kengor report that W. Cleon Skousen, a former FBI special agent, attorney, and researcher, interviewed Bella Dodd several times in the 1960s and asked her the question “Who is trying to take over the world?” She replied, “I think the communist conspiracy is merely a branch of a much bigger conspiracy!”

The Bella Dodd Cover-Up

Bella Dodd’s friend, Frank Savile, gave his explosive interview about the capitalists behind communism to the late conservative commentator Stan Monteith, a radio host who wrote Brotherhood of Darkness.

In another revelation, Savile says that Dodd’s book on the communists, School of Darkness, was apparently edited before publication to withhold some of her most explosive charges. The book instead focused on “pieces” of her testimony, he said, and her reconversion to the Catholic faith.

Although the Nicholas and Kengor book goes into some detail about these additional charges, confirmed in general terms by Bishop Fulton Sheen, there are no names of the communist clergymen she had knowledge of. For certain reasons not yet entirely clear, Sheen advised her not to name names in public. It is possible these names were provided in confidence to top Catholic officials and covered-up.

At the same time, the book quotes Sheen, who helped in Bella Dodd’s reconversion to the Catholic faith, as saying at a church in Rome that communists had in fact infiltrated the church and he was apparently aware of one, a Jesuit priest by the name of Father Alighiero Tondi, who had been a communist mole in the Vatican.

The FBI Cover-Up

What’s also significant is that a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the FBI about Bella Dodd produced a massive file that the Bureau seemed reluctant to divulge and waited decades to disclose. It was as if the secrets that Bella Dodd had possessed were too terrible even for the FBI to reveal.

Bella Dodd’s allegation that she recruited more than a thousand communists to infiltrate the seminaries is shocking enough. But could this scandal be related to the admission by a top Catholic official about the homosexual nature of the sex abuse scandals in the church? And has a combination of both scandals effectively destroyed the church’s credibility, leading to the period some Christians regard as the “End Times” and Christ’s return?

The Bella Dodd book brings the sordid story of corruption in the church up to date by citing a 2019 article titled “The Catholic Case for Communism” in a Jesuit publication, written by a so-called Catholic Communist.

Marxists in the Church

The Jesuit article about Catholic Communism is a starting point for naming the names. The author quotes extensively from the writings of Dorothy Day, a Marxist Catholic being promoted for sainthood by American Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan, considered by some a “conservative” clergyman.

Indeed, it started to dawn on many in and out of the church many years ago that Jesuit Pope Francis had come down on the side of the “progressive,” and even Marxist, forces in the world today.

• The attached report goes into substantial detail about this book and its ominous implications for the church and the world.

© 2022 Cliff Kincaid – All Rights Reserved

E-Mail Cliff Kincaid: kincaid@comcast.net

Cliff Kincaid is president of America’s Survival, Inc. www.usasurvival.org

About the Author: Cliff Kincaid

Cliff Kincaid, a veteran journalist and media critic, Cliff concentrated in journalism and communications at the University of Toledo, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Cliff has written or co-authored nine books on media and cultural affairs and foreign policy issues. One of Cliff’s books, "Global Bondage: The UN Plan to Rule the World" is still available. Cliff has appeared on Hannity & Colmes, The O’Reilly Factor, Crossfire and has been published in the Washington Post, Washington Times, Chronicles, Human Events and Insight. Cliff Kincaid is president of America’s Survival, Inc. E-Mail: Kincaid@comcast.net

Catholic Sacraments: A Ruthless Trafficking in Human Souls

The following video by Richard Bennett (Berean Beacon) and Stuart Quint give a detailed analysis of the pitfalls of the Roman Catholic sacraments that pose as a snare for the human soul.

The many helps of a similar nature that you will find at this blog website have been placed here to expose the Roman Catholic religion that leads multitudes into damnation through the papacy’s false teachings.

This is a merciful cry to the Roman Catholic people to flee and escape the claws of the synagogue of Satan, a.k.a. the Whore of Babylon (see Rev. 17:5). Being a Roman Catholic does not make you a Christian! A true Christian is a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, not a follower of the Roman Popes and the mother church!

4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. ~ Revelation 18:4

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Related post: The Gospel According to Rome (15 July, 2018)

The Gospel According to Rome ~ Part 4:13

Please first read the Introduction as to why these blog posts are necessary. Back to Part 4 Index.

SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY: Error versus Truth

The Catholic Church Teaches (ERROR)

13. Scripture and Tradition together are the Church’s supreme rule of faith [RC Catechism 80, 82].

80 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal."40 Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age".41

40 DV 9.
41 Mt 28:20

82 As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."44

44 DV 9.

The Bible Teaches (TRUTH)

Scripture is the church’s only rule of faith (Mark 7:7-13; 2 Timothy 3:16,17).

7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.
10 For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:
11 But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.
12 And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;
13 Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. ~ Mark 7:7-13

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. ~ 2 Timothy 3:16,17

The Gospel According to Rome ~ Part 4:12

Please first read the Introduction as to why these blog posts are necessary. Back to Part 4 Index.

SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY: Error versus Truth

The Catholic Church Teaches (ERROR)

12. Scripture and Tradition together are the Word of God [RC Catechism 81, 85, 97, 182].

81 "Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit."42

"and [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching."43

42 DV 9.
43 DV 9.

85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."47 This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the
bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

47 DV 10 # 2.

97 "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God" (DV 10) in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches.

182 We believe all "that which is contained in the word of God, written or handed down, and which the Church proposes for belief as divinely revealed" (Paul VI, CPG # 20).

The Bible Teaches (TRUTH)

Scripture is the Word of God (John 10:35; 2 Timothy 3:16,17; 2 Peter 1:20,21). Tradition is the words of men (Mark 7:1-13).

35  If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; ~ John 10:35

16  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. ~ 2 Timothy 3:16,17

20  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 
21  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. ~ 2 Peter 1:20,21

1  Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. 
2  And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. 
3  For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. 
4  And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables. 
5  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? 
6  He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 
7  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 
8  For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. 
9  And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. 
10  For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: 
11  But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. 
12  And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; 
13  Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. ~ Mark 7:1-13

The Gospel According to Rome ~ Part 4:11

Please first read the Introduction as to why these blog posts are necessary. Back to Part 4 Index.

SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY: Error versus Truth

The Catholic Church Teaches (ERROR)

11. The Magisterium has the right to define truth found only obscurely or implicitly in revelation [RC Catechism 66, 88, 2035, 2051].

66 "The Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive Covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ."28 Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries.

28 DV 4; cf. I Tim 6:14; Titus 2:13

88 The Church’s Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.

2035 The supreme degree of participation in the authority of Christ is ensured by the charism of infallibility. This infallibility extends as far as does the deposit of divine Revelation; it also extends to all those elements of doctrine, including morals, without which the saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, explained, or observed.77

77 Cf. LG 25; CDF, declaration, Mysterium Ecclesiae 3.

2051 The infallibility of the Magisterium of the Pastors extends to all the elements of doctrine, including moral doctrine, without which the saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, expounded, or observed.

The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20 2-17

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage.

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant or your maidservant or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you.

You shall not kill.

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or his maidservant or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

Deuteronomy 5:6-21

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt
out of the house of bondage.

You shall have no other gods before me . . .

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain . . .

Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy. . .

Honor your father and your mother . . .

You shall not kill.

Neither shall you commit adultery.

Neither shall you steal.

Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor.

Neither shall you covet your neighbor’s wife .

You shall not desire . . . anything that is your neighbor’s.

A Traditional Catechetical Formula

1. I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange Gods before
me.

2. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

3. Remember to keep holy the LORD’S Day.

4. Honor your father and your mother.

5. You shall not kill.

6. You shall not commit adultery.

7. You shall not steal.

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.

The Bible Teaches (TRUTH)

No one has the right to go beyond what is written in Scripture (1 Corinthians 4:6; Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Proverbs 30:6; Revelation 22:18,19).

6  And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. ~ 1 Corinthians 4:6

2  Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. ~ Deuteronomy 4:2

32  What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. ~ Deuteronomy 12:32 

6  Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. ~ Proverbs 30:6

18  For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 
19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. ~ Revelation 22:18,19

The true Ten Commandments can be read in Exodus 20:2-17 and in Deuteronomy 5:6-21.

2  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 
3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 
4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 
5  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 
6  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 
7  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 
8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 
9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 
10  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12  Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13  Thou shalt not kill.
14  Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15  Thou shalt not steal.
16  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s. ~ Exodus 20:1-17

6  I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 
7  Thou shalt have none other gods before me. 
8  Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: 
9  Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, 
10  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
11  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
12  Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.
13  Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work:
14  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.
15  And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the LORD thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.
16  Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
17  Thou shalt not kill.
18  Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
19  Neither shalt thou steal. 
20  Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. 
21  Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s. ~ Deuteronomy 5:6-21

The Gospel According to Rome ~ Part 4:10

Please first read the Introduction as to why these blog posts are necessary. Back to Part 4 Index.

SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY: Error versus Truth

The Catholic Church Teaches (ERROR)

10. Scripture is to be interpreted in the sense in which it has been defined by the Magisterium [RC Catechism 113, 119].

113 2. Read the Scripture within "the living Tradition of the whole Church". According to a saying of the Fathers, Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church’s heart rather than in documents and records, for the Church carries in her Tradition the living memorial of God’s Word, and it is the Holy Spirit who gives her the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture (". . . according to the spiritual meaning which the Spirit grants to the Church"81).

81 Origen, Hom. in Lev. 5, 5: PG 12, 454D.

119 "It is the task of exegetes to work, according to these rules, towards a better understanding and explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture in order that their research may help the Church to form a firmer judgement. For, of course, all that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgement of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred
commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God."88

88 DV 12 # 3.

The Bible Teaches (TRUTH)

Scripture must be interpreted in the original sense intended by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 3:14-16).

14  Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. ~ 2 Peter 3:14-16

The Gospel According to Rome ~ Part 4:9

Please first read the Introduction as to why these blog posts are necessary. Back to Part 4 Index.

SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY: Error versus Truth

The Catholic Church Teaches (ERROR)

9. The Magisterium alone has the ability and the right to interpret Scripture [RC Catechism 85, 100, 939].

85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ."47 This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the
bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

47 DV 10 # 2.

100 The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him.

939 Helped by the priests, their co-workers, and by the deacons, the bishops have the duty of authentically teaching the faith, celebrating divine worship, above all the Eucharist, and guiding their Churches as true pastors. Their responsibility also includes concern for all the Churches, with and under the Pope.

The Bible Teaches (TRUTH)

Every Christian, aided by the Holy Spirit, has the ability and the right to interpret Scripture (Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16).

11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. ~ Acts 17:11

12  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. ~ 1 Corinthians 2:12-16

The Gospel According to Rome ~ Part 4:8

Please first read the Introduction as to why these blog posts are necessary. Back to Part 4 Index.

SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY: Error versus Truth

The Catholic Church Teaches (ERROR)

8. The Pope is infallible in his authoritative teaching [RC Catechism 891].

891 "The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful – who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals…. the infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter’s successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium," above all in an Ecumenical Council.418 When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine "for belief as being divinely revealed,"419 and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions "must be adhered to with the obedience of faith."420 This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself.421

419 DV 10 # 2.
420 LG 25 # 2.
421 Cf. LG 25.

The Bible Teaches (TRUTH)

God alone is infallible (Numbers 23:19).

19  God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? ~ Numbers 23:19

The Gospel According to Rome ~ Part 4:7

Please first read the Introduction as to why these blog posts are necessary. Back to Part 4 Index.

SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY: Error versus Truth

The Catholic Church Teaches (ERROR)

7. The Magisterium is the infallible interpreter of Scripture [RC Catechism 890-891, 2034-2035].

890 The mission of the Magisterium is linked to the definitive nature of the covenant established by God with his people in Christ. It is this Magisterium’s task to preserve God’s people from deviations and defections and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error. Thus, the pastoral duty of the Magisterium is aimed at seeing to it that the People of God abides in the truth that liberates. To fulfill this service, Christ endowed the Church’s shepherds with the charism of infallibility in matters of faith and morals. the exercise of this charism takes several forms:

891 "The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful – who confirms his brethren in the faith he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals…. the infallibility promised to the Church is also present in the body of bishops when, together with Peter’s successor, they exercise the supreme Magisterium," above all in an Ecumenical Council.418 When the Church through its supreme Magisterium proposes a doctrine "for belief as being divinely revealed,"419 and as the teaching of Christ, the definitions "must be adhered to with the obedience of faith."420 This infallibility extends as far as the deposit of divine Revelation itself.421

419 DV 10 # 2.
420 LG 25 # 2.
421 Cf. LG 25.

2034 The Roman Pontiff and the bishops are "authentic teachers, that is, teachers endowed with the authority of Christ, who preach the faith to the people entrusted to them, the faith to be believed and put into practice."76 The ordinary and universal Magisterium of the Pope and the bishops in communion with him teach the faithful the truth to believe, the charity to practice, the beatitude to hope for.

2035 The supreme degree of participation in the authority of Christ is ensured by the charism of infallibility. This infallibility extends as far as does the deposit of divine Revelation; it also extends to all those elements of doctrine, including morals, without which the saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, explained, or observed.77

76 LG 25.
77 Cf. LG 25; CDF, declaration, Mysterium Ecclesiae 3.

The Bible Teaches (TRUTH)

Scripture is the only infallible interpreter of Scripture (Acts 17:11).

11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. ~ Acts 17:11