The Pope and the Virgin Mary
THE Pope has emphatically reasserted Roman Catholic claims that Mary the mother of Jesus had no other children. Indeed, many Protestant writers have understood the passages in the Gospels which refer to His brethren (James and Joses and Simon and Judas) and His sisters as referring to other close relations such as cousins – although it seems more natural to understand that they were Joseph and Mary’s four sons and their daughters. The Pope, however, has gone further. In line with Roman Catholic ideas he has also repeated the assertion that Mary remained a virgin to the end of her days. For this there is not one shred of Scriptural evidence. In fact, the suggestion is preposterous in the light of such a scripture as: “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled.” (Heb 13:4). But such claims are very much in line with the dangerous Roman Catholic teaching that celibacy is a higher state of spirituality than marriage.
On the other hand, a Church of England spokesman, referring to “His brethren . . . and His sisters”, said that most New Testament scholars, including some Roman Catholics, “see no need to speculate about their being half-brothers, half-sisters, or cousins”. Obviously he believes that Jesus was the natural son of Joseph and therefore denies the doctrine of the Virgin Birth of Christ, as clearly revealed in Scripture. The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God”; and the relationship of Joseph and Mary is thus described: he “knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son”. Whatever modern scholars may write in their unbelieving speculation, the One who came to be the Saviour of the world must not be tainted with original sin; He must be holy, harmless and undefiled.
It is always the tendency of Rome, when she proclaims a doctrine of Scripture like the Virgin Birth, to add to the truth. The present Pope has been a particularly enthusiastic promoter of the cult of Mary. He claims it was due to Mary that he survived the assassination attempt against him in 1981. That attempt was made on “the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima”, and he donated the bullet to the shrine at Fatima.
As to her soul, Mary is indeed in heaven, a sinner saved by grace, through the merits of Christ — although as recently as 1950 the then pope ruled that the doctrine of her bodily assumption to heaven (that is, both her soul and body were taken to heaven at the time of her death or shortly afterwards) was a dogma of the Roman Catholic faith. There is no suggestion whatever in the Scriptures that this was to take place. We can therefore be sure that it never happened. O that those who are deceived by Rome’s false doctrines would follow the faith of Mary, who exclaimed, “My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour!”
The evil of enforced celibacy
THE ordination of former Anglican clergy, who are married, as priests of Rome, has had a double effect on many Roman Catholic priests. It has lowered the morale of those of them who have been struggling with the problems caused by compulsory celibacy. Secondly, it gives hope to some of them that celibacy will yet be dropped as a requirement.
How realistic their hope is remains to be seen, but the fact is that “forbidding to marry” marks out the Roman Catholic church as a body that has long departed from the faith.
Increasing reports of sexual abuse
WHATEVER Rome may say about celibacy being a higher state of spirituality than marriage, it is a fact that were it not for enforced celibacy, far fewer priests would stand convicted of vile crimes of a sexual nature.
Far from being a rarity, as an editorial in The Herald would have us believe, sexual abuse cases in the Church of Rome are being reported more frequently. The National Conference of Priests recently considered a report which accused the Roman hierarchy of sweeping such cases under the carpet by, for example, moving offending priests to another parish, and some of the priests at the conference are concerned about what the report condemns as a “culture of disbelief” among them regarding these cases.
It would be their wisdom, in their concern, to heed the call of Scripture, “Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.”
Vatican influence in the United Nations
A report to the World Alliance of Reformed Churches criticises the “unique and certainly questionable” status enjoyed at the United Nations by the Vatican. No other religious body, Christian or otherwise, has the same privileges there as the Vatican. Its right to have a voice (although not a vote) allows it to influence debate at the highest level and impose its own political and moral agenda.
Of course, the Papacy has meddled in the affairs of nations for centuries. Its power is seen today in the European Union also, where it constantly and effectively influences social policy especially. Let us not underestimate the influence of the power-hungry Man of Sin.