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May 1, 2007 · That is, it consisted of all people everywhere who believed in Jesus, and that the true members of the Church were known to God alone. This is true, but there is more to it than that. Invisibility and visibility make up the fifth paired set of characteristics that mark the truly authoritative church.
- The Source of the Issue. The source of the issue is found in Vatican II's dogmatic constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, where we read: 8. This Church [the Church of Christ] constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him, although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure.
- "Subsists In"? The matter would be much clearer if the Council had used the traditional language of saying that the Church of Christ is the Catholic Church.
- Addressing the Matter. The controversy over the meaning of this passage in the Council grew to such a point that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith decided to address it in 2007 in this document.
- Why Didn't They Just Say "Is"? The document also addresses this: Why was the expression “subsists in” adopted instead of the simple word “is”? The use of this expression ["subsists in"], which indicates the full identity of the Church of Christ with the Catholic Church, does not change the doctrine on the Church.
- Authority. Jesus gave specific instructions regarding dealing with members of the Church who were in sin. Matthew 18:15-18 says “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
- History. The Roman Catholic Church is the oldest and original Christian Church; therefore, the beliefs and teachings of the Church were directly passed onto the leaders of the Catholic Church by the apostles.
- The Catholic Church Gave Us the Bible. The first official list of books contained is what is now the Bible was done at the Council of Hippo in 393, and then again in Carthage in 397 and 419.
- The Sacraments are Biblical. The Apostles were given the power to ‘forgive sins’ in John 20:23. Peter taught in I Peter 3:21 that ‘baptism now saves you.’
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Catholic ecclesiology professes the Catholic Church to be the "sole Church of Christ"—i.e., the one true church defined as "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic" in the Four Marks of the Church in the Nicene Creed.
And yes, the successors of the apostles do include our own bishop, Bishop Kagan. Finally, we know that the Catholic Church is the one true Church because the Catholic Church’s teachings have remained untarnished and unchanged since the very beginning. Everything the Church believes was believed by the early Church (and we have testimony to ...
Feb 5, 2013 · Apostolic: The Catholic Church can truly claim to be apostolic because she continues to look to the authority of the successor of Peter – the first Pope – and the bishops who are direct ...
The Roman Catholic Church claims to be the only true church. So does the Mormon Church. Protestants reject those claims of exclusivity and view the church as all people who have faith in Jesus Christ. Even among Protestant denominations, there is diversity regarding beliefs and practices.
