The Pope and One Religion

[Esther]

I have noticed when watching the news that they seem to always publish where he is traveling to, show his arrival and how the people responded.

What concerns me about all this, and it is rarely a brief article but in-dept coverage, is that I don't ever hear the media giving any other denomination leaders schedule.

So has the media declared the Catholic church the one world religion?

How do you feel about this?

[bbyrd009]

AB's "the south will...sorry, 'shall' rise again" comes to mind, for some reason : )
Sorry AB

[Twisp]

Originally Posted by Esther

I have noticed when watching the news that they seem to always publish where he is traveling to, show his arrival and how the people responded.

What concerns me about all this, and it is rarely a brief article but in-dept coverage, is that I don't ever hear the media giving any other denomination leaders schedule.

So has the media declared the Catholic church the one world religion?

How do you feel about this?

They cover the Pope for the same reason they cover any other Head of State. He is a large political figure.

[Dedicated Mind]

Originally Posted by Esther

I have noticed when watching the news that they seem to always publish where he is traveling to, show his arrival and how the people responded.

What concerns me about all this, and it is rarely a brief article but in-dept coverage, is that I don't ever hear the media giving any other denomination leaders schedule.

So has the media declared the Catholic church the one world religion?

How do you feel about this?

i think it is because he is the head of such a large if not the largest and oldest denomination. can you think of any other deominational leaders that are comparable in size? i think there is a mystique to being the religion of the educated.

[Jay]

I think that there are many reasons for this.

1) The RCC can trace their history straight to the Apostolic era (even though the stopped following the doctrine). This makes them one of the oldest continuing religious systems in the world.

2) The RCC used to hold political sway over the entirety of Central and Western Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.

3) They have a constituency that is just short of Islam in population.

4) They have had long term influence in every western style government since the 1700s.

5) The Pope is actually the head of a sovereign state. Vatican City is one of the smallest nations in the world, but it is a a sovereign nation.

[Dordrecht]

The reason:
He's the head of the largest and richest cult.

[bbyrd009]

Originally Posted by Dordrecht

The reason:
He's the head of the largest and richest cult.

Yup; but like any head of state, he does not necessarily rep his followers
in a certain sense, anyway, and this is too dismissive. Many Catholics touch a big part of the elephant, imo.

[AreYouReady?]

Originally Posted by Esther

I have noticed when watching the news that they seem to always publish where he is traveling to, show his arrival and how the people responded.

What concerns me about all this, and it is rarely a brief article but in-dept coverage, is that I don't ever hear the media giving any other denomination leaders schedule.

So has the media declared the Catholic church the one world religion?

How do you feel about this?

Someone once said that the media is the mouthpiece for elitists around the world. People know that religion plays a large part in billions of people's life. The Pope has been going around the world trying to "reconcile" all religions to be one..under the Catholic umbrella. The term catholic means "universal".

I pulled up an article that I remembered that was written about the Pope's views of the protestant religions.

"VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican on July 10 reasserted the primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, calling other Christian churches defective and saying Protestant denominations are not even churches "in the proper sense."

The statement, which was "ratified and confirmed" by Pope Benedict XVI and published with his approval, reiterates some of the most controversial ideas in a 2000 Vatican declaration published under Benedict's authority when he was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger".

And
"Eastern Orthodox churches, though lacking communion with Rome, nonetheless deserve the term "Church" because their priests follow in the succession of bishops and priests that started in the early church, the document explains.

Protestant denominations, however, "because of the absence of the sacramental priesthood, have not preserved the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic Mystery," and are therefore to be termed mere "Christian Communities."

http://www.ucc.org/news/pope-says-protestants-not.html

The Pope is big news and many people sit up and take notice when he travels to other countries.

[bbyrd009]

Ya--never mind all that "...and strong men will ever attempt to control it" (the kingdom), or that you can have communion in your home, or that veil being ripped from top to bottom; or that...lol. Yikes, just call them "father" while you're at it.

[Esther]

Originally Posted by Jay

I think that there are many reasons for this.

1) The RCC can trace their history straight to the Apostolic era (even though the stopped following the doctrine). This makes them one of the oldest continuing religious systems in the world.

2) The RCC used to hold political sway over the entirety of Central and Western Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas.

3) They have a constituency that is just short of Islam in population.

4) They have had long term influence in every western style government since the 1700s.

5) The Pope is actually the head of a sovereign state. Vatican City is one of the smallest nations in the world, but it is a a sovereign nation.

Jay I think #5 makes the most sense that they could use to justify their reasons.

thanks for responding.