Big Mike;368601 wroteBut not the super-duper-die-hards. They would consider the Pope infallible, wouldn't they? :)
A true Catholic would not be too fussed about the press that the Holy Father seems to be generating. As for Papal infallibility, that is only the case when the Pope is speaking "ex cathedra". In other words, when the Pope is making his Super Bowl picks, he is NOT infallible.
Catholicism does not need me to defend it. Part of the problem with reports about Pope Francis is how his statements are being parsed and interpreted. No thought seems to be given to how his words correspond to Catholic teachings. Depending on the quote the various authors simply seize on one aspect of his text, and ignore the context. Nothing, in all of this Pope's speeches, letters, sermons, etc. has altered the basics of Catholic belief in any way. Authors who would suggest otherwise are not paying attention.
trigs;368603 wrote
what are the big three that catholics necessarily have to believe? infallibility of the pope, the immaculate conception of mary, and transubstantiation (the literal change of bread and wine into the body and blood of christ).
The infallibility of the Pope is no where near the top of the list . . . just google the Apostle's Creed, and that will give you the basics.
trigs;368605 wroteyeah, after reading the whole quote by the pope, it does seem that he did not quite say that atheists can achieve salvation. it seems (to me at least) that he was saying that they could be saved if they continued to do good deeds because they will meet and be with catholics (in the place of good deeds), and as a result it's possible they could also be saved.
still not too bad though i guess. at least he's opening the dialogue and is willing to discuss.
The bolded portion is why this Pope will be a great one . . . he is forcing people to think more about their Faith than about their politics. The extremists in ALL faiths have, for too long, been driving political agendas (particularly in the US of A) disguised as Faith, rather than religious agendas that ignore politics. Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, but also render unto God. Too many people of "Faith" forget the second portion of that quote, and it is the more important part.