1. How does the Catholic Church describe the heart of the gospel?

“The Catholic Church stands for the God who is madly in love with you, who has a plan for you and wants you to be happy — the God who even sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die for you, who wants to forgive you and help you in your life, and who, most of all, wants an intimate, personal relationship with you so that you can be with him forever in heaven.”[1]

2. With so many Christian denominations teaching various messages, how can we know which church Jesus established?

We know from the words of Christ and the witness of early Christians that Jesus established the Catholic Church.[2] As during the apostolic era, so continuing today, Catholic bishops, priests, and deacons lead believers in the Mass, which consists of the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the eucharist.[3] In the words of St. Pope John Paul II, the Catholic Church guards the deposit of faith and proclaims the gospel “to lead all people to seek and receive Christ’s love which surpasses all knowledge.”[4]

3. With respect to the eucharist, how does the teaching of the Catholic Church compare with the words of Christ?

They agree. Jesus said: “This is my body which is for you,” . . . “[t]his cup is the new covenant in my blood,” . . . and “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”[5] Likewise, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “The mode of Christ’s presence under the eucharistic species is unique. It raises the eucharist above all the sacraments as ‘the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend.’ In the most blessed sacrament of the eucharist ‘the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.’”[6]

4. What does the Catholic Church say about the inspiration of Scripture?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “God is the author of Sacred Scripture because he inspired its human authors; he acts in them and by means of them. He thus gives assurance that their writings teach without error his saving truth.”[7]

5. Through what primary means did Jesus choose to spread the gospel?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: “Christ sent forth the apostles he had chosen, commissioning them to proclaim the gospel: ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.’”[8] The apostles responded in faith, and the Catholic Church grew, spreading to all the world. For the first 1500 years, most people learned about Jesus and the gospel by listening to Catholic evangelists, studying at the feet of Catholic catechists, and celebrating the liturgy of the word and the liturgy of the eucharist during Mass led by Catholic priests. Contrary to the notion of sixteenth century reformers, the Bible did not — and could not — serve as the sole Christian rule of faith.[9] For, even after the Catholic Church confirmed the canon of Scripture at the Council of Rome in A.D. 382 and began to reproduce and distribute copies of the Bible, the exorbitant investment in parchment and labor required to produce hand-written codices made the purchase of personal copies of the Bible impossible for most individuals.[10] The production of inexpensive copies of the Bible only became possible in 1439 with the invention of the printing press. From that date, the Catholic Church began to publish affordable Bibles in Latin, German, French, Italian, English, Dutch, Czech, Hungarian, and other languages, leading to widespread private ownership of the Bible.[11] Today, some people learn about Christ from private reading of the Bible and listening to non-Catholic evangelists, yet the primary means by which Jesus continues to spread the gospel is the teaching of the Catholic Church.[12]

6. What does the Catholic Church say about private reading of the Bible?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “The Church forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful . . . to learn ‘the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ’ by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. ‘Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.’”[13]

7. How does the Catholic Church respond to the claim that Catholics worship Mary and the saints?

The Catholic practice of praying to Mary and the saints resembles prayer requests directed to family and friends, and is both scriptural and ancient.[14] The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: “The Church rightly honors ‘the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs. . . . This very special devotion . . . differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.’”[15] The Catechism also says: “Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness. . . . [T]hey do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus. . . . So by their fraternal concern is our weakness greatly helped.”[16]

8. How does the Catholic Church respond to the claim that Catholics worship images?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “Christian iconography expresses in images the same gospel message that Scripture communicates by words.”[17] Quoting St. John of Damascus, Monk and Priest († A.D. 749), the Catechism continues: “The beauty of the images moves me to contemplation, as a meadow delights the eyes and subtly infuses the soul with the glory of God.”[18] The Catechism concludes: “The Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment which proscribes idols. Indeed, ‘the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype,’ and ‘whoever venerates an image venerates the person portrayed in it.’ The honor paid to sacred images is a ‘respectful veneration,’ not the adoration due to God alone: ‘Religious worship is not directed to images in themselves, considered as mere things, but under their distinctive aspect as images leading us on to God incarnate. The movement toward the image does not terminate in it as image, but tends toward that whose image it is.’”[19]

9. How does the Catholic Church respond to the claim that mendicant orders, such as Dominicans, Franciscans, Carmelites, and Augustinians, represent schismatic movements?

The Catholic Church established mendicant orders to pursue particular ministries, such as evangelization, teaching, prayer, and charity.[20] The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: “In the consecrated life, Christ’s faithful, moved by the Holy Spirit, propose to follow Christ more nearly, to give themselves to God who is loved above all and, pursuing the perfection of charity in the service of the Kingdom, to signify and proclaim in the Church the glory of the world to come.”[21]

10. How and when did Protestant denominations originate?

Martin Luther rejected the authority of the Catholic Church in 1520, and King Henry VIII followed suit in 1530.[22] These parallel movements then splintered into numerous other Protestant denominations.[23]

11. How reasonable is the claim that Jesus inspired Martin Luther and King Henry VIII to leave the Catholic Church and establish Protestant denominations?

We conclude that it is unreasonable to believe that Jesus established, protected, and blessed the Catholic Church for 1500 years, promising that nothing would destroy the Church, only to abandon the Church for the creations of Martin Luther and King Henry VIII.[24] Divisions among believers that naturally flow from Protestant movements seem contrary to the will of Christ as expressed in his prayer for unity: “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”[25]

12. What does the Catholic Church say about the relationship between Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox believers?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “‘The [Catholic] Church knows that she is joined in many ways to the baptized who are honored by the name of Christian, but do not profess the Catholic faith in its entirety or have not preserved unity or communion under the successor of Peter.’ Those ‘who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in a certain, although imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church.’ With the Orthodox churches, this communion is so profound ‘that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord’s eucharist.’”[26]

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“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.” (Eph 1:17-19)

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References

[1] Edward Sri, Love Unveiled: The Catholic Faith Explained (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2015).

[2] Matt 16:13-19. “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’”

For the significance of “the keys of the kingdom of heaven,” see Isa 22:20-25. “On that day I will call my servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and will clothe him with your robe and bind your sash on him. I will commit your authority to his hand, and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open. I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his ancestral house. And they will hang on him the whole weight of his ancestral house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons. On that day, says the Lord of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way; it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will perish, for the Lord has spoken.”

For the witness of early Christians, see St. Clement, Pope of the Catholic Church († A.D. 99), 1 Clem 44:3. St. Clement exercised papal authority over the congregation at Corinth with the following lines, instructing church leaders to reinstate bishops appointed by Rome and removed by Corinth. “For it will be no light sin for us, if we thrust out those who have offered the gifts of the bishop’s office unblameably and holily.” See also 1 Clem 57:1. “Ye therefore that laid the foundation of the sedition, submit yourselves unto the presbyters and receive chastisement unto repentance, bending the knees of your heart.”

See also St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon († c. A.D. 202), Against Heresies, 3:3:2. “Since, however, it would be very tedious in such a volume as this, to reckon up the successions of all the Churches, we do put to confusion all those who, in whatever manner, whether by an evil self-pleasing, by vainglory, or by blindness and perverse opinion, assemble in unauthorized meetings; [we do this, I say,] by indicating that tradition derived from the apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized in Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; and also [by pointing out] the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of bishops. For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church [of Rome], on account of its preeminent authority, that is, the faithful everywhere, inasmuch as the apostolical tradition has been preserved continuously by those [faithful men] who exit everywhere.”

See also St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage († A.D. 258), The Unity of the Catholic Church. “The Lord says to Peter: ‘I say to you,’ He says, ‘that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. And to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever things you bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, they shall be loosed also in heaven.’ And again He says to him after His resurrection: ‘Feed my sheep.’ On him He builds the Church, and to him He gives the command to feed the sheep; and although He assigns a like power to all the Apostles, yet He founded a single chair, and He established by His own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were that also which Peter was; but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. So too, all are shepherds, and the flock is shown to be one, fed by all the Apostles in single-minded accord. If someone does not hold fast to this unity in Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church is built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?”

See also St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo († A.D. 430), Epistle, 43:7. “That city (Carthage) had a bishop of no slight authority, who was able not to heed the multitude of enemies conspiring against him, when he saw himself united by letters of communion, both with the Roman Church, in which the primacy (principality) of the apostolic chair [apostolicae cathedrae principatus] has always been in force — and with other lands — whence the gospel came into Africa itself, where he might be ready to plead his own cause, if his adversaries should attempt to alienate those churches from him.”

[3] 1 Tim 3:1-7. “The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way — for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.”

See also Rom 15:15-16. “Nevertheless on some points I have written to you rather boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

See also Eph 4:11-13. “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”

See also 1 Tim 3:8-13. “Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them first be tested; then, if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons. Women likewise must be serious, not slanderers, but temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be married only once, and let them manage their children and their households well; for those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.”

For the liturgy of the word, see Matt 28:18-20. “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

For the liturgy of the eucharist, see 1 Cor 11:23-26. “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

See also St. Pope John Paul II, Catechism of the Catholic Church (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2011), 1345. “As early as the second century we have the witness of St. Justin Martyr for the basic lines of the order of the eucharistic celebration. They have stayed the same until our own day for all the great liturgical families. St. Justin wrote to the pagan emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161) around the year 155, explaining what Christians did: ‘On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place. The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read, as much as time permits. When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things. Then we all rise together and offer prayers for ourselves . . . and for all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain eternal salvation. When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss. Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who presides over the brethren. He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and for a considerable time he gives thanks (in Greek: eucharistian) that we have been judged worthy of these gifts. When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an acclamation by saying: ‘Amen.’ When he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom we call deacons give to those present the ‘eucharisted’ bread, wine and water and take them to those who are absent.’”

See also Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1346. “The liturgy of the eucharist unfolds according to a fundamental structure which has been preserved throughout the centuries down to our own day. It displays two great parts that form a fundamental unity: the gathering, the liturgy of the word, with readings, homily and general intercessions; the liturgy of the eucharist, with the presentation of the bread and wine, the consecratory thanksgiving, and communion. The liturgy of the word and liturgy of the eucharist together form ‘one single act of worship.’ The eucharistic table set for us is the table both of the Word of God and of the Body of the Lord.”

[4] Catechism of the Catholic Church, Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum.

[5] John 6:47-69. Jesus said to them, “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.’ This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’ But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, ‘Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you that do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that should betray him. And he said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.’ After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Will you also go away?’ Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.’”

See also 1 Cor 10:16-17. “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”

See also 1 Cor 11:23-26. “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.’”

For the witness of early Christians, see St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch († c. A.D. 107), Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 6-7. “Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ, which have come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God. . . . They abstain from the eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh that suffered for our sins and that the Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes.”

See also St. Justin Martyr, Philosopher († A.D. 165), First Apology, 66. “We call this food eucharist, and no one else is permitted to partake of it, except one who believes our teaching to be true and who has been washed in the washing that is for the remission of sins and for regeneration [i.e., has received baptism] and is thereby living as Christ enjoined. For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we have been taught, the food that has been made into the eucharist by the eucharistic prayer set down by him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nurtured, is both the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus.”

See also St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon († c. A.D. 202), Against Heresies, 5:2:2-3. “He has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own body, from which he gives increase to our bodies. When the mixed cup [wine and water] and the baked bread receive the Word of God and become the eucharist, the body of Christ, and from these the substance of our flesh is increased and supported, how can they say that the flesh is not capable of receiving the gift of God, which is eternal life — flesh that is nourished by the body and the blood of the Lord, and is in fact a member of him?”

See also St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem († A.D. 386), Catechetical Lectures, 19:7. “[As] the bread and wine of the eucharist before the invocation of the Trinity, which is holy and worthy of adoration, were simple bread and wine, after the invocation the bread becomes the body of Christ, and the wine the blood of Christ.”

See also St. Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan († A.D. 397), The Mysteries, 9:50, 58. “Perhaps you may be saying, ‘I see something else; how can you assure me that I am receiving the body of Christ?’ It only remains for us to prove it. And how many are the examples we might use! . . . Christ is in that sacrament, because it is the body of Christ.”

See also St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo († A.D. 430), Explanations of the Psalms, 33:1. “Christ was carried in his own hands when, referring to his own body, he said, ‘This is my body.’ For he carried that body in his hands.”

See also St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo († A.D. 430), Sermons, 272. “What you see is the bread and the chalice; that is what your own eyes report to you. But your faith obliges you to accept that the bread is the body of Christ and the chalice is the blood of Christ. This has been said very briefly, which may perhaps be sufficient for faith; yet faith does not desire instruction.”

[6] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1374.

[7] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 136.

[8] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2. See also Matt 28:19-20.

[9] Reformers adopted the doctrine of sola scriptura (Scripture alone) to replace the teaching authority that Christ gave to the Catholic Church. Sola scriptura is unscriptural and unhistorical.

See Catechism of the Catholic Church, 85. “‘The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living, teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ.’ This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.”

See also John 21:24-25. “This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”

See also 2 Peter 1:20-21. “First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

See also Acts 8:30-31, 35. “So Philip ran up to [the chariot] and heard [the Ethiopian] reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.” . . . “Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.”

See also 1 Cor 11:2. “I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you.”

See also 2 Thess 2:15. “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.”

For the witness of early Christians see, St. Basil, Bishop of Caesarea († A.D. 379), De Spiritu Sancto, 27. “Some [Catholic beliefs and practices] we possess derived from written teaching; others we have received delivered to us in a mystery by the tradition of the apostles; and both of these in relation to true religion have the same force.”

See also St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo († A.D. 430), On Baptism, Against the Donatists, 5:23. “There are many things which are observed by the whole Church, and therefore are fairly held to have been enjoined by the apostles, which yet are not mentioned in their writings.”

[10] Charles George Herbermann, ed., The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church (New York: The Encyclopedia Press, 1907), Canon of the Holy Scriptures. II. The Canon of the Old Testament in the Catholic Church. “Two documents of capital importance in the history of the canon constitute the first formal utterance of papal authority on the subject. The first is the so-called ‘Decretal of Gelasius,’ de recipiendis et non recipiendis libris, the essential part of which is now generally attributed to a synod convoked by Pope Damasus in the year 382. The other is the Canon of Innocent I, sent in 405 to a Gallican bishop in answer to an inquiry. Both contain all the deuterocanonical, without any distinction, and are identical to the catalogue of Trent.”

[11] Henry Grey Graham, Bishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh, Where We Got the Bible: Our Debt to the Catholic Church (St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1911).

See also Francis Patrick Kenrick, Bishop of Philadelphia, History and Development of the Kingdom of Christ: Joy of the Christian Journey (Woodbridge, VA: Renatus Press, 2018, original 1848).

[12] Non-Catholic denominations tend to minister to national or local communities, whereas the Catholic Church pursues a global, or universal, ministry, as its name indicates. This difference results in greater Catholic influence on the global population. Further, if membership reflects influence, it is noteworthy that the membership of each non-Catholic denomination represents a fraction of the membership of the Catholic Church. Two comparisons illustrate the point. In 2010, there were 1.079 billion members of the Catholic Church, 83 million members of the Anglican Church, and 70 million members of the Lutheran Church. So, the memberships of the Anglican Church and the Lutheran Church represented about 8% and 7% of the membership of the Catholic Church. See Todd M. Johnson and Brian J. Grim, The World’s Religions in Figures: An Introduction to International Religious Demography (Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013), 14. See also The Lutheran World Federation Annual Report, 2010-2011.

[13] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 133.

[14] 1 Tim 2:1-4. “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

See also Col 4:2-4. “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should.”

See also Rev 5:6-10. “Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. They sing a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth.’”

See also Rev 8:3-4. “Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.”

See also Matt 18:10. “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven.”

For the witness of early Christians, see St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage († bef. A.D. 258), Letters, 56:5. “Let us remember one another in concord and unanimity. Let us on both sides always pray for one another. Let us relieve burdens and afflictions by mutual love, that if any one of us, by the swiftest of divine condescension, shall go from here first, our love may continue in the presence of the Lord, and our prayers for our brothers and sisters not cease in the presence of the Father’s mercy.”

See also St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem († A.D. 386), Catechetical Lectures, 23:9. “[During the eucharistic prayer] we commemorate those who have already fallen asleep: first, the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, and martyrs, that in their prayers and supplications God would receive our petition.”

See also St. Gregory, Bishop of Nazianzus († A.D. 390), Orations, 18:4. “Yes, I am well assured that [my father’s] intercession is of more avail now than was his instruction in former days, since he is closer to God, now that he has shaken off his bodily fetters, and freed his mind from the clay that obscured it, and holds conversation naked with the nakedness of the prime and purest mind.”

See also St. Jerome, Priest and Scholar († A.D. 420), Against Vigilantius, 6. “You say, in your pamphlet, that as long as we are alive we can pray for one another; but once we die, the prayer of no person for another can be heard, and all the more because the martyrs, though they cry for the avenging of their blood, have never been able to obtain their request. If apostles and martyrs while still in the body can pray for others, when they ought still to be anxious for themselves, how much more must they do so when once they have won their crowns, overcome, and triumphed?”

See also St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo († A.D. 430), Reply to Faustus the Manichean, 20:21. “It is true that Christians pay religious honor to the memory of the martyrs, both to excite us to imitate them, and to obtain a share in their merits and the assistance of their prayers.”

[15] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 971.

[16] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 971.

[17] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 956.

[18] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1162.

[19] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2132.

[20] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 917. “Different religious families have come into existence in which spiritual resources are multiplied for the progress in holiness of their members and for the good of the entire Body of Christ.” See also Catechism of the Catholic Church, 918. “From the very beginning of the Church, there were men and women who set out to follow Christ with greater liberty, and to imitate him more closely, by practicing the evangelical counsels. They led lives dedicated to God, each in his own way. Many of them, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, became hermits or founded religious families. These the Church, by virtue of her authority, gladly accepted and approved.”

[21] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 916.

[22] The Catholic Encyclopedia, Martin Luther. See also Ibid., Henry VIII.

[23] Ibid., Lutheranism. See also Ibid., Anglicanism. See also Ibid., Protestantism.

[24] Matt 16:18. “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”

[25] John 17:20-23.

[26] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 838.