A book of apologetics by Saint Thomas More

On my recent flight across the Pacific Ocean, I finished reading Saint Thomas More's Dialogue Concerning Heresies (New York: Scepter Publishers, Inc., 2006), an intriguing account of a dialogue More had with the servant of a friend concerning the teachings of Martin Luther, William Tyndale, and other Protestants.

After the conversation, the servant was to return to his master and relate what More said. In case the servant either misremembered or misrepresented More's responses, he decided to write out the conversation and sent it to his friend.

It was a fascinating read because More, who was beheaded in 1535, provided early, substantial, and logically irrefutable responses to many of the Protestants objections about the Sacred Scriptures, the veneration of Saints and relics, the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and numerous other objections besides. He even discusses the personality of Luther in various places.

Because the book is the record of a conversation, it is not organized explicitly according to a thematic structure (which is perhaps its only downfall), but reads in the manner of an actual conversation, with a back-and-forth between More and the servant. The servant first asks More's opinion about a certain topic (as instructed by his master); after More makes his response, the servant expresses his agreement, asks additional questions, or makes his own objections, each of which furthers the conversation along and to which More responds.

This is a book that should be in the hands of anyone involved in or interested in the work of apologetics. The answers More provides are not very different from those in more contemporary works, but they are often more thorough and often more blunt.

Dolan: Keep at it, Bill [Donohue]! We need you!

His Excellency the Most Reverend Timothy Dolan , recently encouraged the work of The Catholic League, which oftens speaks out in defense of the Catholic Church and her faith. Archbishop Dolan's words follow, with my emphases and comments:

It almost seems to be an unspoken rule that Christians, and Catholics in particular, are not supposed to respond to criticism, insults, and slights towards their faith with anything more than a smile. Certainly we shouldn’t actually say anything. For some reason, this is not expected of our other religious neighbors – Jews and Muslims – or of any other group, such as blacks or gays.

If you doubt this to be true just take a look at the reaction inspired by Catholic League president William Donohue’s now widely covered statement on an exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

The exhibit, “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture,” features a video that includes the image of ants crawling all over the body of Jesus on the cross. Dr. Donohue wrote a letter asking the members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committee to re-consider funding the Smithsonian; the federal government funds the Smithsonian Institution while exhibits are funded privately.

Dr. Donohue, for daring to articulate that this use of an image of the crucified Christ was offensive, was denounced as a “blowhard,” “a self-appointed censor,” “right wing publicity mill,” a “bully,” “American Taliban” and one who “immediately and opportunistically seized” on the occasion for some kind of self-promotion, among other things.

Apparently, Catholics shouldn’t take offense when our sacred objects are depicted disrespectfully in the name of art. And we certainly shouldn’t let anyone know we are offended if we are.

Bill Donohue hardly needs me to defend him. He’s well-able to do it himself, and has a lot of experience doing so. But, he’s stood up for a lot of us before, and I am glad to express my encouragement for the work he does. Some may take occasional issue with his style. Fair enough, and he’s open to such criticism. Some might even discuss whether the image is offensive. However, no one should doubt the high value and necessity of his efforts, or dismiss him in crude terms. Even the recent high-volume critiques of his stand on this controversy exhibit nasty anti-catholic canards. Keep at it, Bill! We need you!

Our duty to defend our faith is grounded in the true understanding of freedom: the ability to do what we ought to do, not simply what we want to do. Popular opinion may demand that Catholics suffer in silence, or more, embrace an insult as a work of art, but that doesn’t mean that we should, no matter how many in public and private expect us to do so. That is why I appreciate Dr. Donohue and the work done by The Catholic League. I look forward to the day when the work done by the Catholic League is no longer necessary [What are you doing to bring that day closer? Do you speak out in defense of the faith? If not, why? Fear of criticism is a sad reason to remain silent]. Sadly, as recent events have proven once again, that day still seems far in the future.

Inside Catholic has a list of twelve common - and false - claims that every Catholic ought to be able to refute. And they give the knowledge to do so.

Were books excluded from the Bible?

Jimmy Akin does a masterful job answering this frequently asked question:

More apologetics

Over at Unam Sanctam, Andrew's back at it with another apologietic post, this time on the Church herself.

Are you saved?

One of our readers asked our thoughts on the ever-popular question, "Are you saved?" (Who needs the royal "we" when you have the editorial "we"?)

It is a question that each of us should be prepared to answer, especially given the frequency of which it is asked.

In addition to what I write below, I would very much recommend that you take a look at Pope Benedict XVI's Encyclical Spe salvi, paragraphs 45-48, and this from Catholic Answers. If you don't subscribe to their magazine, The Catholic Answer, you really should. You should also subscribe to This Rock. You might also this article by Paul Thigpen, or this one (for subscribers of The Catholic Answer).

Are you saved?

Most Catholics grow uncomfortable with this question because they aren’t quite sure what to say, or what the questioner means. It seems to me that many of the people who ask this question understand “salvation” in a different way than does a Catholic.

Catholics see salvation as a process while those who ask the question, “Are you saved?” generally see it more as a one-time event. It is almost as though one person sees the question in full color and another sees it in black and white.

Those who ask this question seem to believe that once you “accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior” (to which I’m always tempted to say sarcastically with a maniacal laugh, “Yes, he’s mine, all mine, and you can’t have him!), your place in heaven is assured. Such a presumption rightly makes a Catholic uncomfortable – even confused – because it flatly denies the possibility of sinning mortally, of completely breaking the relationship with God through grave sin.

The Letter to the Hebrews addresses this possibility thus:

For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened [Baptized], who have tasted the heavenly gift [Eucharist], and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit [Confirmed], and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt (Hebrews 6:4-6).

Clearly, it is not simply about a one-time event.

A question very much like this was posed to Saint Joan of Arc during her trial. She was asked, “Are you in a state of grace?” Her reply: “If I am, may God keep me so; I am not, may God make me so” (or something very close to that), a brilliant answer, really, and one that may serve as a model for us here.

Whenever I am asked, “Are you saved?” I answer, “I hope so.” This response is usually greeted with a quizzical and unexpected look and the question, “What do you mean?” Well, I say, “Saint Paul says that we should ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2:12). That’s what I’m trying to do.” If salvation were simply dependant on a decision we made once in our life, the Apostle would have no reason to write this statement to the Church at Philippi. Naturally, all of this presupposes faith in the Paschal Mystery, without which salvation is unattainable.

If this explanation does not satisfy the well-meaning inquirer (the ill-meaning inquirer isn’t worth speaking with because they won’t listen to reason), we can point out further still that salvation is indeed a process by turning to additional writings of Saint Paul and to some of Saint Peter.

The Prince of the Apostles writes:

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls (I Peter 1:6-9, emphasis mine).

A little bit further on, he writes. “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation; for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord” (I Peter 2:2-3, emphasis mine).

In the eyes of Saint Peter, salvation is the reward for a persevering faith, a faith that suffers patiently.

To the Church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul writes, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (I Corinthians 1:18, emphasis mine). In his second letter to the Corinthians, he says, “For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life” (II Corinthians 2:15-16, emphasis mine). Yet again, Paul says that through the Gospel “you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain” (I Corinthians 15:1-2, emphasis mine).

If your friend says that salvation comes through faith alone, which he or she is likely to do, kindly remind them of what Saint James says:

What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

But some one will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works, and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone (James 2:14-24, emphases mine).

This last verse was the reason why Martin Luther sought to remove the Letter of James from the canon of Sacred Scripture; it flatly contradicts his basic premise, but that is another matter for, perhaps, another day.

Clearly, then, salvation is not assured by faith alone. Even the Lord himself says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

Salvation, then, is not a one-time event but a process, for “the love of many will grow cold. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:12-13).

We are not certain of our salvation, but we certainly hope for it and pray for it. We who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ strive and pray to remain faithful in order to attain salvation, our faith’s goal.

How, then, ought we to answer the question, “Are you saved?” With Saint Joan of Arc: If I am, may God keep me so; if I’m not, may God make me so.”

Of course, you can also say, “I have been saved. I am being saved. I will be saved.” That works, too; and it’s perfectly Catholic.

I expected as much

...though not this soon. One should never underestimate the damage a bit of arrogance, false information and a newspaper can render. It's nice to know the editor of the local paper is not concerned about printing falsehoods in her paper and won't print an apology or a correction because the article wasn't written by one of her reporters. Nevertheless, she is responsible for the contents of the paper.

The following letter was printed in this evening's Effingham Daily News:

Salvation found in Scriptures

On July 10, the Effingham Daily News published an article titled "Other Christians" stating Pope Benedict XVI has declared all Orthodox churches as defective and other Christian denominations are not true churches adn they do not have the "means of salvation." Although that particular statement is in general a true statement [sic], it is made in the premise the Catholic Church is the one and only true church.

First of all, I must state that the "one true church" existed and continues to exist without the need for the Pope's or any other man's approval and that neither have the authority to approve or disprove any institution that God has created. The Pope's approval or dispoval [sic] has no effect on anyone seeking salvation through Jesus Christ. It only has effect on the Pope's soul andthe souls of the Pope's disciples.
So what does constitute the "true church" and what constitutes the "means of salvation."

God choose [sic] the Scriptures (the Bible, the Gospels) as the medium where the true church is described for us today. This is the only place a person can go to find out how to become a member of the true church that Christ established. It is also the only place where a person can find out how to achieve salvation and how to live and maintain a Christian life.

Paul wrote in Romans 16:17-18 to mark and avoid those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine they had been taught. It would have been impossible to do that if that doctrine did not already exist. We, as Christians, can mark and avoid those same people using the same doctrine that they had by holding them up to the Scriptures.

So why should we accept a man-made document rather than the words of God as our guide to salvation. By accepting the documents "approved by Benedict" you are placing your eternal salvation in the hands of a man rather than God. And yet, when the so called "Universal Church" is held up to the Scriptures, it becomes almost totally unrecognizable. This being true, then the "Universal Church" is the one that has caused divisions and offense contrary to Scripture. So how could they be the "one true church"?

The article also says, "The other communities cannot be called churches in the proper sense because they do not have apostolic succession - the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ's original apostles." Will someone please tell me what book, chapter and verse of Scripture requires that the church, that Christ established, have "apostolic succession" as a means of salvation? I cannot find it. Where is the orindation of prests or the primacy of the Pope? If it is not in the Scriptures, it is a distortion or Scripture, it is a lie.

The article did have at least one statement of truth, "Christ established here on earth only one church." So how do you know if you are a member of that "one true church"? Hold it up to the Scriptures. You cannot be born into the church. You can only be born again (John 3:5-7).

If all Scripture (the will of God) is inspired by God (II Timothy 3:16); and we have the knowledge of all things pertaining to life and godliness (II Peter 1:22); and the Scriptures are the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16), and the same Scriptures that save us had already been declared at the time of Paul (I Corinthians 15:11); what do we need the Pope or the Pope's doctrine for?

Paul warned sternly, before any Pope or Catholic church ever existed, not to accept any other doctrine (Galatians 1:6-8). How could we do that if we needed to wait until after the Pope declared "Apostolic succession" as means of salvation? If we are not to accept any other doctrine, as Paul states in this verse, then we must have already been able to receive salvation and to become a member of the church that Christ created. Acts chapter 2 clearly indicates the one and only true church already existed and that as many as 3,000 souls, being baptized, had salvation. This was before any "Apostolic succession" documents existed.

If we are to follow the pattern that Paul stated in Philippians 3:16-17, then that pattern must have already existed. Philippians 2:12 indicates that they had the ability to "work out their salvation." So how can we know what the true church is and how to have true salvation? The same way the Bereans did in Acts 17:11; they studied the Scriptures.

Jesus states in Mark 16:16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned." We have all the documentation we need in the Scriptures in order to believe - John 20:31.

We have all the documentation we need in the Scriptures to know how we are added to the one true church, Acts 2:38, Acts 2:41, and Acts 2:47. The Church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22), and we are baptized into that body (Romans 6:3-5). Therefore, if we believe in Christ and have been baptized into Christ, into His body, into the Church, and we walk in newness of life; we will be raised again just as He was. That is God's promise. Once again I ask "What do we need the Pope or the Pope's doctrine for"?

Any person on this earth can pick up the Bible, the Scriptures, and study how to be saved, how to become a member of the "one true Church." No one will find salvation in the Pope's doctrine.

It is way past time we held our churches up to the Scriptures. If the Apostles and the 3,000 souls on the first day of the church can have salvation without "Apostolic succession," so can we.

Of coarse [sic], as usual, the newspaper article and the television news (and I assume the documents the Pope released) did not have any Scriptural references to back up their claims. The obvious reason is that Scriptural references oppose the Pope's doctrine and would expose the Pope's doctrine as an untruth.

Name printed in paper

Withheld by me

My response, as of this moment, is as follows. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.

Papal

Primacy and Apostolic Succession in the Scriptures

Mr. Michael Antrim [yes, I know; I realized it after I posted this and hoped nobody would notice; maybe you haven't ;)] posits several erroneous claims in his letter, “Salvation found in Scriptures,” published in the 20 July 2007 issue of the Effingham Daily News titled.” Many of his questions are, no doubt, rhetorical. Nevertheless, they do have answers and these I will endeavor to provide. If these prove unsatisfactory, he would do well to consult Catholic Answers at www.catholic.com/library/ or to consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church. There he will find at least, on average, eight Scriptural references per page (and in the Catholic Mass 90% of the Scriptures are proclaimed, recited and sung).

Before rushing to rash conclusions about what somebody or some group says in a particular or in general, the wise person always reads first what the other says and then responds, rather than relying on hearsay or somebody else’s account.

Mr. Antrim claims that “By accepting the documents ‘approved by Benedict’ you are placing your eternal salvation in the hands of a man rather than God.” The same could be said of those who following Mr. Antrim’s teachings in this letter, his own document. The same could be said of those who follow the teachings of Saint Paul – as all Christians do, or should; his claim is unfounded.

If what Mr. Antrim says is true, that “If it is not found in the Scriptures, it is a distortion of Scripture, it is a lie,” then the mode through which he reads the Scriptures– that of sola Scriptura - is also a lie. This phrase, “Scripture alone”, so beloved of Martin Luther and the “reformers” is not found in the Scriptures. Mr. Antrim would do well to recognize that Christ established a teach Church (Matthew 28:19-20), not the principle of Scripture alone. Even within the New Testament there seems to be a clear preference for teaching orally rather than through the written text (II John 12 and III John 13).

It is the Protestant denominations who have “caused divisions and offenses contrary to Scripture” when they broke away from the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century. The Catholic Church – together with the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches - is the only Church that can trace itself –authentically and accurately – to the Apostles. No Protestant denomination existed prior to the sixteenth century. An truthful search of history alone will clearly and easily demonstrate this.

Mr. Antrim asks, “Will someone please tell me what book, chapter and verse of Scripture requires that the church, that Christ established, have ‘apostolic succession’ as a means of salvation?” Very well. He need look no further than II Timothy 2:2: “…and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”

Notice that Saint Paul does not tell Saint Timothy to hand on what he has read, but rather what he has heard. If these sayings were unimportant there would be no need to hand them on. Here, then, is a Scriptural basis for the Apostolic succession. The Apostle does not tell Timothy to tell everybody but only some so that Paul’s own teaching may continue after him. These passages might also be consulted: I Corinthians 11:2; II Thessalonians 2:15 and 3:6.

The Apostolic succession is necessary for salvation in that Christ has given it to the Church and he does not give useless or needless gifts.

From early historical evidence – which is documented outside of the Scriptures because the Scriptures concern the life of Christ Jesus and the Apostles – we learn for certain that as Christ entrusted his ministry to the Apostles, the Apostles entrusted their ministry to specific men who succeeded them. The Apostles handed on the authority Christ gave them to continue the mission of Christ until he comes in glory. These chosen men in turn handed on the authority given to them by the Apostles. This is the Apostolic succession.

Mr. Antrim asks, “Where is the ordination of priests or the primacy of the Pope?” If Mr. Antrim is looking for the rite of ordination of priests in the Scriptures, he will not find it. Then again, he will also not find the rite of baptism described. What he will find, however, are numerous references to the New Covenant priests (often called presbyters to maintain a distinction with the Jewish priesthood; the New Covenant priesthood has three ranks, bishop, priest and deacon). Some of the references are found in these passages: Acts 6:1-6; II Corinthians 3:6, 6:4 and 11:23; Ephesians 3:7; I Timothy 5:17 and 19-22; II Timothy 4:5; Titus 1:5; James 5:14-15 and I Peter 5:1. There are many others besides and a good knowledge of Greek together with a good knowledge of Old Testament terminology will most useful if not essential.

As for the second part of this question, Saint Peter, as the first Bishop of Rome and the one upon whom Christ established his Church, is the first Pope and there is a large body of evidence demonstrating Peter’s primacy among the Twelve. Peter is always listed first in the lists of the Apostles (Matt. 10:1-4, Mark 3:16-19, Luke 6:14-16, Acts 1:13); the Apostles are sometimes called "Peter and those who were with him" (Luke 9:32). It was Peter who spoke on behalf of the Apostles (Matt. 18:21, Mark 8:29, Luke 12:41, John 6:68-69), and he who is present in the most dramatic passages (Matt. 14:28-32, Matt. 17:24-27, Mark 10:23-28). It was Peter who first preached to the crowds in Jerusalem on Pentecost (Acts 2:14-40), and the first healing in the Church was worked through Peter (Acts 3:6-7). Peter’s faith will strengthen the brethren (Luke 22:32) and Christ Jesus gives his flock to Peter (John 21:17). An angel announced the resurrection to Peter (Mark 16:7), and Christ, risen from the dead, appears to Peter first (Luke 24:34). Peter presided at the election of Matthias to replace Judas (Acts 1:13-26), and he received the first converts (Acts 2:41). Peter inflicted the first punishment (Acts 5:1-11), and excommunicated the first heretic (Acts 8:18-23). He presided over the first council in Jerusalem (Acts 15), and proclaimed the first dogmatic decision of the Church (Acts 15:7-11). It was to Peter that the revelation came that Gentiles were to be baptized and accepted as Christians (Acts 10:46-48). From these passages it is clear that Peter holds the primacy within the Apostles, and because the Pope, the Bishop of Rome, is successor to the ministry of Peter, he retains the primacy of Saint Peter among the successors of the Apostles, the Bishops.

Mr. Antrim asks, “So how can you know if you are a member of that ‘one true church’? Hold it up to the Scriptures. You cannot be born into the church. You can only be born again.” Mr. Antrim is mistaken to say that you cannot be born into the church. You can only become a member of the Church if you are “born of water and spirit” (John 3:5) and this baptism is necessary for salvation (Mark 16:15; John 3:5; I Peter 3:21; and Romans 6:3-4). This is why Jesus commanded the Apostles: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Here, again, is another reference to the Apostolic succession. Jesus does not say to teach what the Apostles have read, but what he has taught them.

On a side note, Mr. Antrim claims that the Scriptures (by which he largely means the writings of the New Testament) “had already been declared at the time of Paul.” He then references I Corinthians 15:11: “Whether then it was I or they [the Apostles], so we preach and so you believed.” As you can see, this passage does not match of his argument. (This is the case with many of his references. His seems to confuse what Paul calls the Gospel with the Scriptures in their totality; he forgets that for Paul the Scriptures meant only the Old Testament.) In point of fact, the writings of the Paul and the Gospels were not recognized as part of the Scriptures at the time of Saint Paul. Not all of the Churches read all of Paul’s letters or all of the four the Gospels in their Liturgies for the first decades of the Church. Paul wrote to particular Churches who copied his letters – because they liked them, learned from them and were inspired by them – and sent them to other Churches, but not to all. The same is true of the four Gospels. There were other letters and other gospels read during the liturgies of the early Churches, but for various reasons not all of these were included in the canon (the measuring rod) of Scripture when it was finalized by the Church in in the fourth century when the matter was disputed (the Catholic Church does not define a teaching until is contested, and even so only defines doctrine to correct heresy). To what were the accepted books and letters compared? To the tradition of the Apostles handed on through the Apostolic succession, all under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Mr. Antrim demonstrates a false understanding of history when he claims “Paul warned sternly, before any Pope or Catholic ever existed, not to accept any other doctrine.” Saint Peter is the first Pope and the Catholic (the universal) Church is founded upon him by Christ, as we have seen. As for the Pope “declaring” Apostolic succession, we have already seen how Saint Paul commands to Timothy to keep the succession and how doctrines are not defined until confronted by heresy (if there is no heresy there is no reason to define a teaching). Even if no “Apostolic documents existed” at this time, it does not at all imply that the notion of the Apostolic succession was present in the mind of Christ and in the minds of the Apostles and disciples; it implies, rather, that Apostolic succession was accepted by all. Christ Jesus was raised from the dead, after all, some twenty years before Paul wrote his first letter and some thirty years before the Gospels were written, and Christians accepted the Resurrection straight away.

Mr. Antrim asks, “Acts chapter 2 clearly indicates the one and only true church already existed and that as many as 3,000 souls, being baptized, had salvation. This was before any ‘Apostolic succession’ documents existed.” He is right that the only true church existed at the Pentecost event because Christ already established the Church on Peter. Mr. Antrim’s timeline is again mistaken.

Mr. Antrim asks, “So how can we know what the true church is and how to have true salvation?” One might well follow the words of Christ Jesus who said to Peter, “Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter [rock], and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:17-19).

Mr. Antrim asks, “What do we need the Pope or the Pope’s doctrine for?” For starters, Christ Jesus gave the Pope to the Church through Saint Peter (see John 21:15-17). What better need have we for the Pope? At the same time, the Pope’s doctrine is not his own but is the teaching of the Church, who speaks on behalf of Christ. We need the Pope to strengthen the brethren (Luke 32:22) and maintain the integrity of the faith, to be the visible sign of our unity in the Body of Christ. Indeed, all people will find salvation in the “Pope’s doctrine” for his doctrine is the doctrine of Christ and not his own.

In the future, Mr. Antrim – and others – might do well to follow the suggestion I gave in my letter to the editor, wrongly titled “Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel,” published 19 July 2007, and read the actual documents of the Church for her teaching. Trusting the secular media for an accurate and correct presentation of the teachings of the Catholic Church is quite foolish and will only lead to lies, falsehood and misrepresentation.

The Scriptural references Mr. Antrim puts forth no more “oppose the Pope’s doctrine and would expose the Pope’s doctrine as an untruth” any more than prove Mr. Antrim’s own claims; in many cases, the passages seem to contradict his positions. It is the true that the Scriptures do refute what Mr. Antrim thinks the Pope teaches; but then again, contrary to the media’s portrayal, that it is not what the Pope teaches.

I will have to split this letter into two parts; your suggests here are certainly requested (if anybody read all of it ;c] ).