Thursday, December 12, 2019

Is "Roman Catholic" or "Roman church" simply a slur invented by Protestants?

In addition to their objections to virtually anything that impugns their self-proclaimed elitist "one true church,"  whose  distinctives are not what is manifest in the only wholly inspired record of what the NT church believed (which is Scripture, in particular Acts through Revelation, which best shows how the NT church understood the gospels), Roman Catholics also object to the very use of "Roman Catholic"  in distinction from others, as being an invented Protestant slur.

However, if this is true than then their church is guilty of making that distinction, for  the use of  the term "Roman" in identifying herself often occurs in her own encyclicals as well as some Bulls, usually in distinguishing her from others, and not counting those referring to the Roman pontiff or cardinals or other prelates, and beginning from before the needed Reformation, including in Latin (eph. mine):

Gregory VII: Dictatus Papae 1090: " the Roman church was founded by God alone... the Roman church has never erred; nor will it err to all eternity, the Scripture bearing witness...he who is not at peace with the Roman church shall not be considered catholic. - https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/g7-dictpap.asp

Fourth Lateran Council 1215: Council Fathers - 1215 A.D.: "the faith held by the Roman church, which is by God’s plan the mother and mistress of all the faithful." "Wishing therefore to remove such a great scandal from God’s church, we strictly order, on the advice of this sacred council, that henceforth they do not presume to do such things but rather conform themselves like obedient sons to the holy Roman church, their [the Greeks] mother, so that there may be one flock and one shepherd." " the Roman church, which through the Lord’s disposition has a primacy of ordinary power over all other churches inasmuch as it is the mother and mistress of all Christ’s faithful..." "In order that privileges which the Roman church has granted to certain religious may remain unimpaired..." - https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/ecum12-2.htm

The Council of Florence (A.D. 1438-1445) From Cantate Domino — Papal Bull of Pope Eugene IV: "The sacrosanct Roman Church, founded by the voice of our Lord and Savior, firmly believes, professes, and preaches one true God omnipotent, unchangeable, and eternal, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; one in essence, three in persons;... the Holy Roman Church...believes firmly, professes, and proclaims that “every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected that is received with thanksgiving.” - https://catholicism.org/cantate-domino.html

Exsurge Domine Condemning the Errors of Martin Luther Pope Leo X - 1520: "Give heed to the cause of the holy Roman Church, mother of all churches... Against the Roman Church, you warned, lying teachers are rising..." "opposed they are to all charity and reverence for the holy Roman Church who is the mother of all the faithful and teacher of the faith..." - https://www.papalencyclicals.net/leo10/l10exdom.htm

Quo Primum Pope Pius V - 1570: "Let all everywhere adopt and observe what has been handed down by the Holy Roman Church, the Mother and Teacher of the other churches...the penalty for nonobservance for printers, whether mediately or immediately subject to Our dominion, and that of the Holy Roman Church, will be the forfeiting of their books and a fine of one hundred gold ducats..." - https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius05/p5quopri.htm

Ineffabilis Deus The Immaculate Conception Pope BI. Pius IX - 1854: "Ordinary Teaching of the Roman Church These truths, so generally accepted and put into practice by the faithful, indicate how zealously the Roman Church, mother and teacher of all Churches...It is the Church in which alone religion has been inviolably preserved and from which all other Churches must receive the tradition of the Faith." - https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius09/p9ineff.htm

Ex Quo On the Euchologion Pope Benedict XIV - 1756: "the Decree for the Jacobites of the Council of Florence reads: “The holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes, and preaches that every creature of God is good and not to be rejected if it is taken with thanks." - https://www.papalencyclicals.net/ben14/b14exquo.htm

Singulari Quidem On the Church in Austria Pope BI. Pius IX - 1856: "There is only one true, holy, Catholic church, which is the Apostolic Roman Church." - https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius09/p9singul.htm

 Decrees of the First Vatican Council Council Fathers - 1868 A.D. SESSION 2 : 6 January 1870 Profession of faith "I, Pius, bishop of the catholic church, with firm faith believe and profess each and every article contained in the profession of faith which the holy Roman church uses, namely:" - https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/ecum20.htm

Grande Munus On Saints Cyril and Methodius Pope Leo XIII - 1880: "We decree that July 5 be set aside in the calendar of the universal Roman Church, as Pius IX ordained." - https://www.papalencyclicals.net/leo13/l13cym.htm

Fausto Appetente Die On St. Dominic Pope Benedict XV - 1921: "has ever been the stout defense of the Roman Church." -https://www.papalencyclicals.net/ben15/b15fadie.htm

Mystici Corporis Pope Pius XII - 1943: "If we would define and describe this true Church of Jesus Christ - which is the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church...nothing surely more honorable can be imagined than to belong to the One, Holy Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church, in which we become members of One Body" - https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius12/p12mysti.htm

Humani Generis Pope Pius XII - 1950: "the Mystical Body of Christ and the Roman Catholic Church are one and the same thing." - https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius12/p12human.htm

Sacramentum Ordinis On the Sacrament of Order Pope Pius XII - 1947: "every one knows that the Roman Church has always held as valid Ordinations conferred according to the Greek rite.." - https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius12/p12sacrao.htm

 And as for what the  New Testament  Church is called,

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. (Acts 20:28)

Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: (1 Corinthians 1:2)

What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not. (1 Corinthians 11:22)

For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1 Corinthians 15:9)

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia: (2 Corinthians 1:1)

For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: (Galatians 1:13)

(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) (1 Timothy 3:5)

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15)

Salute one another with an holy kiss. The churches of Christ salute you. (Romans 16:16)


And contrary to what the deformation  called Catholicism asserts, the church which the Lord promised to overcome the gates of Hell was not one organic organization outside of which no believers were to be found, but the one true church was and is the body of Christ that the Spirit baptizes every believer into, (1Co. 12:13) and to which He is married. (Eph. 5:25)   "the household of faith."  (Galatians 6:10)

For it uniquely only and always consists 100% of true believers, while organic fellowships in which they express their faith inevitably become admixtures of wheat and tares, with Catholicism and liberal Protestantism being mostly the latter.

No comments:

Post a Comment

If I see notifications of comments then I will try to respond to comments within one or two days, however, I may not see notifications (I hardly ever get comments) and this has not been where I usually engage in dialogue.
Please try to be reasonable, willing to examine things prayerfully and objectively, and refrain from "rants" and profane language, especially regarding God and the Christian faith. The latter type are subject to removal on this Christian blog, but I do try to help people no matter who they are. May all know the grace of God in truth.