Chapter 13
The Papal Encylical of 1995 and Religious Liberty
ONE of the most important papal encyclicals in modern
times, promulgated on May 25 1995, was entitled Ut Unum Sint [That They
May Be One]. Unlike most encyclicals, which have special relevance to
the Roman Catholic Church, this was meant to have broad implications for
the whole of Christendom, including all the Protestant and Orthodox
communities. The encyclical made clear reference to the issue of religious
freedom.
At the same time, it takes into account everything
affirmed at the [Second Vatican] council’s declaration D/H on Religious
Freedom Dignitatis Humanae. Pope John Paul II, They May Be One,
Electronic form, Trinity Communications, 1995, p. 5
The encyclical also proclaimed,
The Council’s declaration of Religious Freedom Dignitatis
Humanae attributes to human dignity the quest for truth,
"especially in what concerns God and His Church," and adherence
to truth’s demands. A "bringing together" which betrayed the
truth would thus be opposed both to the nature of God who offers His
communion and to the need for truth found in the depths of every human
heart. Ibid., p. 8
Yet this basis in truth has to be understood from the
Roman Catholic perspective. It is not established upon the primacy of the
Word of God but upon the primacy and authority of the Roman Catholic
Church. The encyclical reads as follows:
Catholic theologians engaged in ecumenical dialog,
while standing fast by the teachings of the Church and searching together
with separated brothers and sisters into the divine mysteries, should act
with love for truth, with charity, and with humility. Ibid., p. 14
In spite of the appealing language of the pope, we
cannot escape the implications of the contemporary Roman Catholic
catechism.
The task of interpreting the Word of God authentically
has been intrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church, that is, to
the pope and to the bishops in communion with him. Catechism of the
Catholic Church, 1994, p. 35
Protestants hold that the only valid basis for truth is
the Word of God. The Reformers proclaimed "Sola Scriptura." It
is plain that the only way that Protestants can be brought into the
ecumenical unity that John Paul II proposes in his encyclical, is to
surrender their fundamental belief in "Sola Scriptura." One
thing is certain: that not all Protestants will surrender this basic
principle of their faith. Surely the words of Jesus’ prayer for unity
are absolutely unchallengeable. Thus in this prayer, preserved in John
chapter 17, we read,
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
John 17:17
We find that Jesus places the Word alone as the basis
of unity. That Word of course is the Scriptures. This allows for no
inclusion of tradition, as the Roman Catholic Church holds.
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines
the commandments of men. Matthew 15:9
Peter also warned against the traditions of men.
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation
received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 1 Peter 1:18, 19
In his unity prayer, Paul, like Jesus, emphasized that
unity is predicated upon the Word of truth.
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to
deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all
things, which is the head, even Christ. Ephesians 4:13–15
Faithful Christians cannot move away from the paradigm
of Holy Scripture as the basis of truth, sanctification, and unity. But
the Roman Catholic Church teaches that such unity comes from passively
following the directions from the priests of the Church.
Mindful of Christ’s words to His apostles: "He
who hears you, hears me," the faithful receive with docility the
teachings and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.
Catechism, p. 33, emphasis added
Surely the doctrine of papal infallibility is an
insuperable barrier to unity. In reaffirming the Catholic position on the
primacy of the pope, Pope John Paul said,
Among all the Churches and Ecclesial communities, the
Catholic Church is conscious that she has preserved the ministry of the
Successor of the Apostle Peter, the Bishop of Rome, whom God established
as her "perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity"
and whom the Spirit sustains in order that he may enable all the others to
share in this essential good. John Paul II, p. 33
The issue is put more plainly in the catechism.
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 definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith or morals. Catechism,
p. 256
In the whole of the encyclical there is not the
slightest hint that the Roman Catholic Church might be willing to discard
any of its non-biblical doctrines in its desire to attain unity in the
Christian faith. Though not explicitly stated, the intention is plain that
Roman Catholics have the responsibility of more carefully and more clearly
explaining their beliefs to those of other faiths, but never to change
them.
Therefore the encyclical leaves no other conclusion but
that the unity that the papacy seeks, is a unity that can be established
only upon the surrender of Protestant and Orthodox churches to the
doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Roman Catholic doctines are built
upon not only the Word of God but also upon the ever expanding traditions
of the Church.
The history of the Roman Catholic Church since the time
of Roman Emperor Constantine, and Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, has been
characterized, as we have seen, by strong sacral thinking and action. The
sacral mentality comes originally from paganism, where most pagan
potentates enforced their religion upon their subjects, believing that
should subjects practice a different religion, that would be disloyalty to
the monarch. The "conversion" of Emperor Constantine to
Christianity opened the way for the development of the sacral concepts of
the Roman Catholic Church first systematized by Augustine, but developed
by many theologians including Thomas Aquinas many centuries later (see
chapter 12 entitled, "The Theology of Persecution"). Note the
words of the encyclical:
This journey towards the necessary and sufficient
unity, in the communion of the one Church willed by Christ,
continues to require patient and courageous efforts. Ibid., p. 30,
emphasis added
Of course the "one Church willed by Christ"
refers to the Roman Catholic Church. The sacral mentality sees the church
as involving all the community irrespective of their conscientious
beliefs.
The undoubted vision of John Paul II to bring a
world-wide unity "of the human race" under the papal leadership
is very strange in the light of the letter written by Pope Gregory I,
referred to by the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Pope Gregory the Great,
to Bishop John of Constantinople.
I say confidently, therefore, that whosoever calls
himself Universal Bishop, or even desires in his pride to be called such,
is the forerunner of antichrist. Samuel Cassels, Christ and Antichrist,
Presbyterian Board of Publications, 1864
It may well be that this earlier pope actually
pinpointed the true nature of the Papacy as we come to the time of the
soon return of Jesus. Certainly, to achieve his goals, Pope John Paul II
has clearly thought to use the secular political means to achieve his
goal. Malachi Martin, in his book, Keys of This Blood, stated,
Referring to John Paul’s insistence on Slavic
Christianity, the communist official warned, "This pope is not saying
these things because the spirit moves him. These are calculated statements
designed to pose a direct challenge to governments that no modern nation—especially
you Americans with your separation of church and state—could
tolerate."
Malachi Martin, Keys of This Blood, p. 101
Malachi Martin, a priest of the Roman Catholic Church
and a strong, dedicated supporter of John Paul II, made it plain that even
his humanitarian approaches had a strong political motivation.
Indeed, the note that dominated and animated that
encyclical document [referring to Dignitatis Humanae] was John Paul’s
insistence that the hard, intractable problems of the world—hunger,
violation of human dignity and human rights, war and violence, economic
oppression, political persecution—any and all of these can be solved
only by acceptance and implementation of the message of Christ’s
revelation announced by the papacy and the Roman Catholic Church. Ibid.,
p. 74
No doubt these social issues will become central to the
Pope’s agenda in his desire to win the loyalty of the human race. In
spite of the recent calls for religious liberty, the Catechism is ominous.
The right to religious liberty can of itself be neither
unlimited nor limited only by a "public order" conceived in a
positivist or naturalist manner. The "due limits" which are
inherent in it must be determined for each social situation by political
presence, according to the requirements of the common good, and ratified
by the civil authority in accordance with "legal principles which are
in conformity with the objective moral order." Catechism, p.
568
The Catechism also gives a hint where at least part of
this coercion will be directed.
In respecting religious liberty and the common good of
all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the Church’s holy
days as legal holidays. Ibid., p. 585
The testimony of history is wholly against the prospect
that the message which the pope delivered in his encyclical, might
possibly produce true unity and true peace. The questions that are
immediately raised include, What will happen when every peaceful attempt
has been made to persuade, encourage, and even urge all humanity to unite
under the leadership of the bishop of Rome? Unquestionably there will be
those who will not succumb, through persuasion, bribery, flattery, or any
other method, to what they believe to be a false unity. Will then a
Church, supported by the State, use its influence to encourage the State
to use the sword of steel in a desperate attempt to force all the human
race to pay homage to the papal pontiff? The testimony of history and the
warnings of Holy Scripture both answer the question in the affirmitive.
Therefore we have no confidence that this ecumenical encyclical will lead
to an age of peace and safety for all. Rather we see it as likely to
produce the greatest persecution of dissenters that this world has ever
witnessed.
|
