Man I love this guy. Calling the evolution vs creation debate absurd Reaffirming controversial Church teachings Excommunicating Chinese Government Puppet Bishops Funding the underground Church in China Calling out Muslims Dissing Commies I don't call him Pope Benny Badass without reason.
I think it's funny that someone who claims to be able to communicate the direct will of god finds anything to be absurd.
I am unaware of any pope who has made such a claim, nor of any Church teaching that would support one who did.
Whoever said the Pope communicates the direct will of God? Certainly not him. You must be confusing Pope Benedict with Jimmy Swaggart.
So when the pope makes decrees and edicts, he isn't communicating the will of god? So why do you confess your sins to priests if they don't communicate the will of god? Obviously, if a priest or pope is forgiving sins at the confessional, he is claiming to communicate the direct will of god, otherwise he doesn't really know if god is actually willing to forgive the person who is confessing, or if god is happy with the prescribed amount of penitance. Where am I wrong with this logic?
Logic? Christ told Peter "Whatever sins you forgive on earth are forgiven in heaven, and whatever sins you retain on earth are retained in heaven." It has nothing to do with discerning the will of God. Priests, in forgiving sins are not claiming any direct communication with God. If a person confesses his or her sin, and is genuinely sorry for it, the sin is forgiven. The Church, acting through the priest, makes the decision. Because of the Petrine Confession mentioned above, the Church believes what sins are forgiven in the confessional are also forgiven in heaven. This is what Christ promised. It is not a question of hoping God is "happy" with the decision to forgive or with the penance. When a pope writes an encyclical, he is not pretending to communicate God's will, although hopefully it does please God. Certainly the pope tries to reflect what he believes to be the will of God in his documents. But this believe is not based on any special communication with God. It is based on the pope's understanding and insight as to what God wants, based on the pope's knowledge of scripture, theology and his own experiences as a priest. But in writing an encyclical or promulgating a decree, the pope is acting on his own authority as leader of the Church.
