False Shepherds

Surveys of American Catholics and our views on Church teachings often reveal disturbing results. For instance, in an April 2008 survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) entitled, “Sacraments Today: Belief and Practice Among U.S. Catholics”, only 37% of American Catholics responded “Very Strongly” when asked to respond to the statement that “Living my life consistent with Church teachings” is an important factor in “my sense of what it means to be a Catholic.” (http://cara.georgetown.edu/beliefattitude.pdf) Similarly, only 18% “Agreed Strongly” with the statement, “In deciding what is morally acceptable, I look to Catholic Church teachings and statements made by the Pope and Bishops to form my conscience.” A Dec 2008 survey completed by the PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life declared that 84% of White American Catholics believe “that many religions can lead to eternal life.” (http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=380)

Why this growing rejection of Church teachings among U.S. Catholics? Much of the blame lies with the episcopate and with the heretics in their midst. For example, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, the chairman of the Catholic bishops' conference of Germany, recently stated during an interview with a German television network that Christ “did not die for the sins of the people as if God had provided a sacrificial offering, like a scapegoat.” (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042107.html).

Oh, really.

According to Zollitsch Christ’s crucifixion was merely a sign of solidarity with the human race. Christ had “taken up what I have been blamed for, including the evil that I have caused, and also to take it back into the world of God and hence to show me the way out of sin, guilt and from death to life.” Zollitsch’s defective view is contrary to Church teaching:

Christ's death is both the Paschal sacrifice that accomplishes the definitive redemption of men, through "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world", and the sacrifice of the New Covenant, which restores man to communion with God by reconciling him to God through the "blood of the covenant, which was poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins".

(Article 613 - Catechism of the Catholic Church- http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p122a4p2.htm)

When false shepherds like Zollitsch are allowed to lead the flock astray, why are we surprised when we discover the sheep are lost?

Religious leaders who ignore Church doctrine and teach others to do similarly must be purged from the Church. Those in the Church hierarchy who allow religious heretics like Zollitsch to continue their assault on the tenets of Christendom should remember our Lord’s warning:

But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea. (Matthew 18:6)

Donald Tremblay