Anathema and the Roman Church

Catholic Church Bell Wingham NSW

Anathema

noun: anathema; plural noun: anathemas

1. 1.

   something or someone that one vehemently dislikes.

   
   

   "racial hatred was anathema to her"

   
   

   synonyms:

   abhorrent, hateful, odious, repugnant, repellent, offensive; More abomination, abhorrence, aversion, monstrosity, outrage, evil, disgrace, bane, bugbear, bête noire, pariah "racial hatred was anathema to her"

2. 2.

   a formal curse by a pope or a council of the Church, excommunicating a person or denouncing a doctrine.

   
   

   "the Pope laid special emphasis on the second of these anathemas"

   
   

   synonyms:

   curse, ban, excommunication, damnation, proscription, debarment, denunciation, malediction, execration, imprecation "the Vatican Council expressed their view without an anathema"

For this blog we will be looking at the second dictionary explanation above regarding the Roman Catholic Church.

Statue of Mary Catholic Church Wingham

First Catholics worship Mary as Intercessor (Ave Maria) and also as Co-Redemptor along with Jesus. Pope Francis prayed to Mary in Lampedusa,
 http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-s-marian-prayer-at-lampedusa

Infant regeneration is part of the CCC#1250 at the Vatican site: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a1.htm

Indulgences are real...and back. Pope Francis encouraged time off in purgatory if you follow his tweets. This was July 2013,
 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/16/vatican-indulgences-pope-francis-tweets

Yes catholics with a small 'c' means universal. The Catholic Church with a capital 'C' means the one true church according to them. According to Rome, anyone who is not a Catholic is cursed. (anathema).

The true issue is, "what do Catholics believe"?
The RCC teaches its members that the Church is infallible, most pointedly identified in the Pope. Yet only Christ is infallible.

The RCC teaches its people that the source of truth is the bible AND its church tradition. Yet the bible is the only source of truth.

The RCC teaches its people that grace comes in man-initiated ritual (anointing of oil, eucharist, etc). Yet only the Spirit dispenses grace.

The RCC teaches that its priests are 'alter Christus' or 'another Christ" but Christ alone is Christ. In the same way, the Pope is not Christ's substitute on earth (vicar of Christ means Substitute of Christ).

The "original" universal church was not the Catholic church of Rome, but the ragtag bunch of followers converted at Pentecost in Jerusalem.

RCC  =  Roman Catholic Church

Images @ Eminpee Fotography