It’s weird to me how many people expect the new Pope to not be Catholic.
Oh I don’t expect it. I just hope the Catholic Church can some day return to orthodoxy.
All of them? Or just some of them? Your hope is a bit like a Jewish person saying “I sure do hope Christians some day stop believing that Jesus was the messiah.” Like, maybe a few Catholics might come around to your faith, but would they still be Catholic at that point? If any organization abandoned the points that differentiate their church from other faiths, would the tree land on a bear shitting on the Pope?
Differentiating from others is not a core value of Catholicism. Contrarily, it’s claiming to be the default way of Christianity, which is expressed by the “catholic” in the name. Catholicism claims to continue by apostolic succession from Peter by an appointment of Jesus. So, if top Catholics realize that justification by faith alone is an idea from Jesus spread by the original apostles, it is fitting to accept that officially.
I think that the point of the original post is highly unrealistic, but I wrote this because it seems that you miss the point of Catholicism.
Let’s just start with the top. But yes they would be Catholic since plenty of Catholics before Council of Trent believed in justification by faith alone.
Are you Catholic? I am assuming so, based on your interest in the subject.
But I can’t imagine why you would say “I sure hope the Catholic church stops being Catholic.” If the issue of Sola Fide is that crucial to you, (to the point that signing the JDDJ isn’t sufficient), then it seems more likely that you aren’t actually a Catholic in belief.
I’m not Catholic. I just hope for Catholic reform.
I understood that “faith alone” was one of the founding principles of the Protestant church, and never a part of Catholicism.
Why would he?
And how would that be a “reform?”
Protestantism came from an attempt to reform the Catholic church; it was not meant to be a separate thing until the reformers were excommunicated. You shouldn’t think about Catholicism as necessarily separate from reformed traditions i. e. protestantism. It is clear from what Jesus said that church unity is good, so, if Christians were more united on doctrine, the world would be better IMO.
Why would he? Because it’s what the Bible teaches. It’s an essential of the faith.
I don’t expect him to but you never know what God will do.
What makes you think so?
Catholics are deeply personal-works focused, at least from my own upbringing and education. They see Jesus as having opened the path to salvation, but one that can only be walked by good works, kindness, charity, and generally emulating Jesus’ life on Earth. Faith itself isnt really part of the equation, and at least IME doesnt seem very emphasized overall.
Does the new Pope differ?
Nothing makes me think so. I just hope the Catholic Church will some day return to orthodoxy
