[tasteslikegold]

Originally Posted by countmeworthy

Welcome tasteslikegold,

I don't know how 'recent' the RCC made this statement..but in 2007, Pope Benedict XVI publicly said Christian denominations outside the Roman Catholic Church were NOT full churches of Jesus Christ. He added the churches are "wounded" since they do not recognize the primacy of the pope.

Does it have an errie ring to it or not?

An eerie ring? Not really, since most, if not all, Christians groups recognize among themselves some form of supremacy over others, and use them as means of criticizing those other groups. In our battle against the enemy there are far more casualties as the result of "friendly fire."

I was actually referring to the "Dominus Iesus," in which it states the following:

The Catholic faithful are required to profess that there is an historical continuity — rooted in the apostolic succession53 — between the Church founded by Christ and the Catholic Church: “This is the single Church of Christ... which our Saviour, after his resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care (cf. Jn 21:17), commissioning him and the other Apostles to extend and rule her (cf. Mt 28:18ff.), erected for all ages as ‘the pillar and mainstay of the truth' (1 Tim 3:15). This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in [subsistit in] the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him”.54 With the expression subsistit in, the Second Vatican Council sought to harmonize two doctrinal statements: on the one hand, that the Church of Christ, despite the divisions which exist among Christians, continues to exist fully only in the Catholic Church, and on the other hand, that “outside of her structure, many elements can be found of sanctification and truth”,55 that is, in those Churches and ecclesial communities which are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church.56 But with respect to these, it needs to be stated that “they derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church”.57

17. Therefore, there exists a single Church of Christ, which subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him.58 The Churches which, while not existing in perfect communion with the Catholic Church, remain united to her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by apostolic succession and a valid Eucharist, are true particular Churches.59 Therefore, the Church of Christ is present and operative also in these Churches, even though they lack full communion with the Catholic Church, since they do not accept the Catholic doctrine of the Primacy, which, according to the will of God, the Bishop of Rome objectively has and exercises over the entire Church.60

With regard to the bolded portions, it appears what this is saying is, "although we are the true church, the 'churches' [ie, all who are not Catholic] are connected to us." Despite the obvious offensiveness of the statement that the churches "suffer from defects" the RCC is acknowledging the fact that Protestants derive our "fullness of grace" from them.

“Therefore, these separated Churches and communities as such, though we believe they suffer from defects, have by no means been deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church”.66

(SOURCE: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/co...-iesus_en.html )