Apparently Pope Benedict disagrees with Vatican II and doesn’t view Protestants as “separated brethren.” His reasons may be many but the new announced one is that we do not recognize the primacy of the Pope. In fact, the rift from the Roman side takes it further and finds it very difficult even to acknowledge non-Roman Catholics as being the Church. The wording from the Vatican says something to this effect, "Despite the fact that this teaching has created no little distress ... it is nevertheless difficult to see how the title of 'Church' could possibly be attributed to them.”

In reality, and with a certain degree of respect for the bishop of Rome, the sitting pope’s opinions haven’t really affected me one way or the other. He is entitled to disregard the heritage out which I come and summarily dismiss the Faith of Christ to which I hold; that’s his issues, not mind. I certainly don’t feel “wounded,” as the document says, and even though he thinks my little church is not a full church of Jesus Christ, the God we meet each week in worship begs to disagree.

The pope believes that Roman “Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation.” Already many Roman Catholics are seeking to defuse this errant thinking. As Rev. Vincent Cushing, president of Washington Theological Union from 1975- 1999 says, "From a careful reading of the documents of Vatican II, it is clear that the Roman Catholic Church wished to affirm the ecclesial reality of the Protestant churches.”

The Pope believes that Protestants churches (I suppose we need to find a word other than church; maybe the bishop of Rome can speak for God on this matter, also) are “merely ecclesial communities” and that we don’t have “the means of salvation” within the Faith of Christ to which we hold.

As a Protestant minister I really thought Rome was bigger than this. I guess I was wrong. At any rate, I’m told the bishop is headed out for vacation this week. That’s a good thing, I think.