The Inquisition/ Does the Church Err?

[Josh]

I was flipping radio stations today and happened across a Catholic apologetics program. I wasn't super impressed*, but it was an interesting window into modern Catholicism.

One caller was asking about how to view the Inquisition as a Catholic. While the host admitted that individual Catholics have sinned throughout history, he was in the awkward (but very Catholic) position of having to defend official Church policy, being that Catholic see the official decisions of the Church as without error.

Man, I can't imagine jumping through those kind of hoops. It's actually a bit liberating to have a theology that accounts for mistakes made even by the Church.

* Marcus' [infamous] apologetics post comes to mind

[Douglas]

I have struggled with this belief as well. On the one hand i admire the authority structure of the catholic church as being perhaps better than the rugged individualism embraced by us evangelicals. But an authority structure that go so far as to say that the leaders and specifically the big man at the top cannot err has entered into classic cult mentality. (i am thinking about Coolade here )

I think that for Catholics to have a real impact in today's post modern world they must do away with this thinking and rather champion authenticity and accountability in the church. It does not take a very smart person to point out some of the sins of the church, the inquisition and the current priest abuse scandals are good examples. To maintain that these are not errors is simple foolishness and does the church great harm. They cannot honestly admit sin and error within the church.

How can people experience real repentance and renewal from sin if they cannot admit that they are sinners? If the church cannot confess its sin how can it expect authenticity from its members?

Douglas

[Josh]

While Catholics do admit individual sins (even on the part of priests, or presumably the pope, etc..), it's the official Church entity that they seem to feel they must always defend (or the Pope when he is acting officially as its head). No doubt they attempt to back this up through the use of some Scriptures, but it seems to me that the reality that official Church decisions aren't always the will of the Holy Spirit ought to help us interpret what Scripture indicates we can and should expect of the Bride of Christ- namely, not perfection but straining toward perfection.

So, I think that though individual Catholics may idenitify their sins and seek repentence, the Church itself (as you point out in your last sentence) could probably use to seek repentence as well, just as any Church sometimes needs to.

I guess what's really at stake here is the question of whether God has somehow granted that the Church, as a corporate identity, is always correct. And I just don't see how that can be maintained.

[krhagan19]

I find the Catholic hiearchy disgusting. At my Church here in Georgia congregational imput in invited. If you believe that the pastor has made "extra biblical claims" you can call him on it ( in the privacy of his office, listen to his explanation, reason with him) he has even been known to recant and express the belief held by a member of the congregation if it is better upheld in scripture than what he preached the previous sunday. THAT IS THE LEVEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY that modern pastors should have.