The
Church and the Papacy
"I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through
their word, that they may all be one; even as thou,
Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the
world may believe that thou hast sent me. The glory which thou hast
given me I have given to them, that they may be one even
as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may become
perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and
hast loved them even as thou hast loved me."--John 17:20-23
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to
the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.--Ephesians
4:4-6
Questions and Answers
Q:
Is "Catholic Church" an historical name for the original Church?
A:
See Chapter 8 of:
St. Ignatius of Antioch's Letter to the Smyrneans 110 A.D.
at www.NewAdvent.org
Q: Can the
Catholic Popes really be traced from St. Peter to the present?
A:
List of Popes from the Catholic Encyclopedia
at www.NewAdvent.org
Q: Did Christ
establish the Papacy as the source of unity for all Christians?
A:
See Paragraph 4 of:
St. Cyprian's "Unity of the Catholic Church" 251 A.D.
at CCEL.org
Q: Did the
Early Church ever have female priests?
A:
"Women and the Priesthood"
by Catholic Answers at www.Catholic.com
Q: Was the Pope's
statement against the ordination of women an infallible decree?
A: "Ordinatio
Sacerdotalis: An Exercise of Infallibility"
at www.EWTN.com.
Q: Can the Church
lack a Pope for an extended period of time?
A: "A
Refutation of the Heresy of Sedevacantism"
by I. Shawn McElhinney at
Matt's Catholic Apologetics Page
.
Related Dialogues
Abercius24 on "The Prime Minister of the Kingdom" -- Message Board Response.