Vatican Says Other Christian Faiths Are Not `Proper
Churches'
By Chris Staiti - bloomberg.com
September 27, 2000
Vatican City, Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Christian religions
that differ from Roman Catholicism cannot be considered
"proper churches," the Vatican said today, reaffirming its
stance that it is the one, true Christian faith.
"The ecclesial communities which have not preserved the
valid Episcopate," and do not recognize the Pope as their
spiritual leader "are not Churches in the proper sense,"
said the Declaration Dominus Iesus, or Lord Jesus.
Roman Catholics believe St. Peter, who founded the church,
received a mission from Jesus to administer exclusively the
Christian faith and has passed this power through the popes.
Issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
the Vatican body formerly known as the Inquisition, the
document is already drawing criticism from Protestant church
leaders.
"Of course, the Church of England, and the worldwide
Anglican Communion, does not for one moment accept that its
orders of ministry and Eucharist are deficient in any way,"
Archbishop of Canterbury George Leonard Carey said in a
prepared statement. He expressed concern the church's
position will cause a setback to recent efforts at
interfaith relations.
Pope John Paul II is slated next month to meet with Queen
Elizabeth II, the head of the Church of England, partly to
apologize for the church's past sins toward Britain over the
past millennium.
Today's declaration is the latest controversial
pronouncement by the Catholic Church. On Sunday, the Pope
beatified Pius IX, a 19th century pontiff whose anti-Semitic
policies drew criticism from Jewish leaders and human rights
groups.
The document released today reiterated that the Catholic
Church does recognize the baptisms of other Christian
churches. "Those who are baptized in these communities are
in a certain communion, albeit imperfect, with the Catholic
Church," the declaration said.