The Church is what Christ instituted. We enter the Church by our Trinitarian baptism. So with our deeper understanding of what constitutes the Church, no, we don't require a person to be in full communion with the Catholic Church. Besides, I actually wonder if anyone, even professed Catholics are really in full communion with the RCC, considering that we believe our teachings are Christ's teachings...
Hello Jessie!
How is it that you as a Roman Catholic have a deeper understanding of THE CHURCH ?
Since Christ is the Head of the Church, and you say you believe your teaching is Christ's teaching, do you believe Christ was Roman Cathloic?
Christ was from Judea,he was a Jew.
Historically the RCC has had a different idea of the Jewish people,far more harsh than any other Christian religion that I know of.
The Children of Isreal was God's chosen people,with the promise of the Gentiles being grafted in through Christ Jesus.
Even though the Apostle Paul stated there is neither Jew nor Greek/ Gentile in the Body of Christ,God with us came as a Jew,as well the Apostles and Peter too.
Following is a partial list of Papal Bulls and other relevant documents regarding the Jewish question, illustrating both the partial protection offered the Jews at different times and the institutionalization of
Anti-Semitism.
Where protection was offered, it was often done in a condescending manner, asserting the Christian duty to have mercy on the Jews even though they were collectively guilty of killing Jesus (or in modern times, "forgiving" the Jews for killing Jesus) or was simply rescinding previous decrees. Catholic persecution of Jews - and protection - began in the Middle Ages, but the persecution continued and was intensified well after the Middle Ages, notably in the
Inquisition and in the formation and regulation of
ghettos, which began in the 1500s, well after the end of the Middle Ages. The Papal bulls and encyclicals that advanced and supported anti-Semitism included the following sorts of decrees:
- Special badges or dress for Jews
- Special taxes for Jews
- Forcing Jews to remit debt of Christians
- Banning, confiscating or burning Jewish law books and other writings.
- Encouraging or forcing conversion of Jews
- Expelling Jews from Papal territories or forcing Jews to live in ghettos.
- Inquisition for backsliding converted Jews,
Many believed and hoped that Catholic persecution of Jews had ended in the period of Pope John XXIII. Recent Bulls and Encyclicals of Pope Benedict XVI that reinstate anti-Semitic prayers and Catholic societies do not augur well.
Pius V was perhaps the worst of the anti-Semitic Popes. He was nonetheless canonized and the canonization was not rescinded.
In addition to the actual regulations depriving Jews of livelihood or home or forcing conversions, the Bulls often were prefaced with language of racist incitement that indicated the attitude of the Catholic Church to Jews.
The Bull
Cum Nimis Absurdum ("How completely absurd") of Paul IV, 1555, which created the ghetto of Rome, began with these words:
As it is completely absurd and improper in the utmost that the Jews, who through their own fault were condemned by God to eternal servitude,
The Bull
Hebraeorum gens ("The Jewish Race") 1569, of Saint Pius V, which expelled Jews from some of the Papal states, began with these words:
"The Jewish people fell from the heights because of their faithlessness and condemned their Redeemer to a shameful death. Their godlessness has assumed such forms that, for the salvation of our own people, it becomes necessary to prevent their disease. Besides usury, through which Jews everywhere have sucked dry the property of impoverished Christians, they are accomplices of thieves and robbers; and the most damaging aspect of the matter is that they allure the unsuspecting through magical incantations, superstition, and witchcraft to the Synagogue of Satan and boast of being able to predict the future. We have carefully investigated how this revolting sect abuses the name of Christ and how harmful they are to those whose life is threatened by their deceit. On account of these and other serious matters, and because of the gravity of their crimes which increase day to day more and more, We order that, within 90 days, all Jews in our entire earthly realm of justice -- in all towns, districts, and places -- must depart these regions."
The above is quoted in modern anti-Semitic works, including Catholic publications and the Stormfront Website.
To the modern reader, the Papal bulls seem to present a conflicting picture. Sometimes privileges were revoked and sometimes extended. Often the same Pope would order protection of the Jews from bodily harm but enact discriminatory laws of various kinds. Thus, the church would encourage hatred of Jews, but then it would discourage violence against Jews. For Catholic theology there was no contradiction. The role of the Jews was to serve as an example of the wages of sin to Christians. Therefore, the Jews must be tortured and ridiculed, but never killed.
The documents listed below are Papal Bulls unless otherwise noted. The Bulls get their titles from the initial words, generally the first three words, of the text of the document, which are known as the
incipit. Note that there may be several Bulls with the same title by different Popes, and on entirely different subjects.
It seems that a better understanding of Christ would begin with his heritage.
