This weekend, the media was ablaze with revelations of Catholic priest cover-ups, back-room deals, and secret hush-hush reprimands. It’s alleged that thousands of children (perhaps more) were subject to mental, physical, and sexual abuse by Catholic priests and nuns and the Roman Catholic church and in some cases the evil covered up. Secret tribunals were held where high level insider meetings decided the fate of pedophile priests, not the law. Could the Pope (then as Joseph Ratzinger) have known about some of this abuse? Some seem to think so and are calling for his resignation. As a missionary deeply concerned for Catholic people in Western Europe, along with the coincidence of moving to Portugal the same month that Pope Benedict visits I’ve been following these stories with fascination.

My thought has been during this entire episode has been how markedly different the strands of Catholicism and Christianity! The Roman Catholic structure, pomp, secrecy, and institutionalization is no where to be found in the pages of the New Testament. The power wielded by the few and the ignorance of the many was not the way Jesus instituted His church nor is it the way his apostles served the church. With all the talk of evangelizing the “unreached” among mission circles I wonder if evangelizing the “lied-to” isn’t as important? Stopping this distortion of Jesus, the church, and scripture was just as important a command as was going into all the world and making disciples. In fact one shouldn’t be done without the other. Roman Catholics are dying without the Gospel and that means it’s time to contend for the Faith. From 2 Timothy 4:1-4:

“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

Jude 1:3:

“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.”

Philippians 1:27:

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel...”

Lastly from Acts 20:25-32:

“’Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.’‘Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.’”

Tags: Roman Catholic, Missions, Why Europe