For those wondering which religion is the one true faith, the Vatican
has once again offered its traditional response.
A statement released by the Roman Catholic Church saying Protestant
denominations are not true churches is drawing criticism from other
faith groups, including Seventh-day Adventists, many who say the
sentiments expressed are nothing new.
The document, approved by Pope Benedict XVI July 10, said Protestant
communities "cannot, according to Catholic doctrine, be called
'Churches' in the proper sense," lacking apostolic succession, or the
ability to trace leadership back to Christ's original disciples.
Adventist Church leaders said the statement merely clarified the
Catholic Church's traditional position.
"There's nothing surprising here," said Kwabena Donkor, associate
director of the Adventist Church's Biblical Research Institute.
"Following Vatican II, the modernization meetings of the Catholic
Church in the 1960s, some people had the impression that there were
some significant changes in the Catholic Church," Donkor said. "But
there hasn't been.
"As Seventh-day Adventists, our understanding of the church is
completely different," Donkor said. "We don't identify the church as
being Christ with the pope as the head."
Other Protestant leaders expressed disappointment regarding the
Catholic Church's use of semantics in defining their position.
The Associated Press reported Lutheran Bishop Wolfgang Huber, the top
Protestant cleric in Benedict's homeland, Germany, saying the Catholic
Church could have chosen phrases that would have better maintained
bridges for ongoing inter-faith dialogue.
In a statement titled "Lost Chance," Huber said it would have been
sufficient for the Catholic Church to refer to Protestant communities
as "not churches in the sense required here" or "churches of another
type" the AP reported.
"Such statements from the Vatican do not disappoint or affect
Adventists," said John Graz, director of the Adventist Church's Public
Affairs and Religious Liberty department.
Graz said the Adventist Church has always been reluctant to join in the
ecumenical movement but believes in "unity in spirit, unity in
faithfulness to the scriptures and unity in love.
"Adventists favor good relations and religious freedom for all," Graz
said.
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