Catholic Clarifications

Bible
The bible is composed of the Old Testament (Septuagint) and New Testament
We accept all 73 books
The seven apocryphal books are actually called deuterocanonical
Catholics believe the bible is inspired, inerrant and holy
Scripture and Tradition are both considered sacred
Church
Catholics believe that their church is the one Jesus established
Its the Pillar of Truth and the gates of hell will not prevail against it
The Church was not founded by Constantine
He did legalize Christianity, but he was born centuries after The Church already began
The Church is considered visible and invisible, and its members form the body of Christ
It is composed of the Church Militant (those living on Earth) the Church Triumphant
(those eternally living with God) and the Church Suffering (souls on their way to heaven
via purgatory)
Although most Catholics are in the Western/Roman Rite, there are also Eastern Rite Catholics
(Maronite, Coptic, Armenian, etc.)
Protestant and Orthodox Christians are in communion with The Church to some degree through
baptism
Confession
Christ gave His apostles the power to forgive or retain sins, and this grace was passed down
through Holy Orders
It is Christ, not a priest, who actually absolves sins
A priest can never break the seal of confession (e.g. reveal someones sins) for any
reason
Repentance is necessary for forgiveness
Dont think God will accept insincere apologies
Dont give up or think that God wont forgive you
Venial sins dont have to be confessed, but its encouraged
Mortal sins (i.e. gravely sinful acts done with full knowledge and consent) should be confessed
as soon as possible, within a year, in order to return to a state of grace
If you deliberately avoid confessing mortal sins, then your confession is invalid; if you
forgot to confess a mortal sin then do so next time
Going to confession often can ease your conscience, help you avoid sin in the future, give you
more opportunities to receive Gods grace, etc.
In certain circumstances, non-Catholics can go to confession
Refusing to repent for any sin jeopardizes ones salvation
Eucharist
It is considered by Catholics to be the full body and blood, soul and divinity, of Christ
It is not half bread and wine + half Christ
It is not merely a remembrance of the Last Supper, a symbol of unity, etc.
It still looks like bread and wine but their substances/essences have completely changed
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Catholic Clarifications
Cannibalism involves killing/maiming people or damaging corpses; it should n
ot b
e
associated with the divine, life-giving, and grace-filled Eucharist
Catholics are obligated to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, particularly during
the Easter season
Catholics in good standing are free to receive the Eucharist up to twice a day
Orthodox Christians in good standing can technically receive the Eucharist because they fully
accept/understand it, but Protestants and non-Christians can only receive it in extremely limited
circumstances

Excommunication
Separates someone from The Church until they repent for extremely serious sins (heresy,
murder, desecrating the Eucharist, etc.)
Such sins only qualify for excommunication if theyre done with full knowledge and
consent
It can be given automatically (latae sententiae) or by a bishop through formal decree
It does not condemn someone to hell, and an excommunicated person can choose to reunite
with The Church at any time
Excommunication is usually resolved by a local bishop but sometimes by a priest
Faith vs Works
Both are necessary for salvation
Faith without works is dead
Doing good deeds to brag or appear righteous/holy is wrong
Saying you have faith but not truly following Christ and serving others is wrong
Lukewarm faith is not e
nough
Indulgences
They are usually some kind of deed or event that can reduce (partial indulgence) or eliminate
(plenary indulgence) the consequences for ones sins
Common indulgences are reading scripture, praying, adoring the Eucharist, receiving a
papal blessing, etc.
Plenary indulgences require going to confession, receiving the Eucharist, praying for the
Pope, and having no attachment to any sin
If you cant meet all these requirements then youll end up with a partial
indulgence
They can be for you or someone in purgatory, but not for another person living on Earth
The Church does not sell indulgences
Mary
She is the mother of God (the Son), but she is fully human and not G
od
Catholics believe she had no sin whatsoever and was a perpetual virgin
She is dearly loved and respected by Catholics but she is n
ot worshiped
Pope

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Catholic Clarifications

Jesus gave St. Peter, whos considered the first pope, certain graces which were passed down
to his successors
The pope is the Bishop of Rome and is the highest ranking member of The Church
He is its visible head, but its ultimate head is Christ
He is considered the Servant of Servants and his position is not s ome kind of
dictatorship
He works with others to maintain and lead The Church
The pope is only infallible when speaking e
x cathedra (from the chair of Peter) on some matter
of faith, morals, or The Church
The best examples would be Pius IX declaring Marys Immaculate Conception and Pius
XII declaring Marys Assumption
No pope has the power to infallibly declare whatever he wants because papal infallibility
prevents him from teaching error
Someone elected pope can decline the position, and popes are free to step down

Purgatory
Its a process that cleanses saved souls from any remaining venial sins or flaws
No trace of sin can enter heaven and most people dont die 100% sinless
It is not a third destination where souls permanently reside
It is not limbo
Catholics pray for the souls experiencing purgatory to help them on their way to heaven
Saints
They have eternal life with God in heaven
You can ask for their help because the prayers of the righteous are powerful and they are closer
to God than we are
They are not God so they cant save people
Any miracle associated with a saint is done by the power of God, n
ot t he saint
Catholics revere/respect saints but dont worship them
Prayer is not restricted to worship only, its also a way to communicate with those in
heaven
No one in heaven is higher than God
Bowing is a general sign of respect and shouldnt be misinterpreted as worship
Salvation
Christs death on the cross gave everyone the chance for salvation, but salvation is not
guaranteed
You cant do whatever you want in life and then expect to go to heaven
Salvation is considered a process that requires devotion to God and perseverance
Some people will not be saved because they condemned themselves to hell by turning to sin or
by consciously rejecting God in some way
People who never had the chance to follow Christ or even hear the gospel are not necessarily
condemned if its not their fault
Non-Catholics are not automatically condemned because it depends on their situation

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Catholic Clarifications

Catholics have everything they need to go to heaven but they can lose their salvation through
sin just like anyone else

For more information, please refer to the citations below and to official sources (Bible*,
Catechism, Canon Law, etc.):

CCC 138, 1 Tim 3:15, Matt 16:18, John 20:23, Can. 983 1, Can. 987, Can. 988 and
989, CCC 1376, CCC 1463, James 2:26, Can. 992-996, Matt 1:16, Matt 16:18-19, CCC
1030-1031, CCC 946-948, James 5:16
*biblehub.com makes it much easier to find scripture quotes

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