Church’s strength tested, proven by human frailties

I am an avid reader of Conrado de Quiros’ columns. But I lost my respect for him after his April 10 column. I don’t know whether De Quiros is an agnostic or a Protestant, but by the manner he expressed his scorn for the homily of Pope Benedict XVI on married priests and women priests, and the illicit affairs of Pope Alexander VI, he exposed his incurable ignorance about the indestructible foundation of the Apostolic Catholic Church which was founded by Christ Himself and for which He gave an inscrutable assurance that the gates of hell cannot prevail over it. Hence, as a way of soul-searching, let the very words that came out of the mouth of Christ be repeated as they might apply to De Quiros: “He who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.”

The truth is, this is a painful subject about which neither Protestants nor Catholics should make intolerant or sweeping statements. There are weak moments in even the purest of institutions. It is a fatal error to renounce faith in the Church of Christ because some of its members are backsliders or hypocrites. This is the great mistake that Luther and other Reformers committed. If we are to repudiate papal supremacy in the Church because some of its popes have been immoral, sinful men, then, to be consistent, we ought to repudiate the glorious company of the apostles who wrote the New Testament even after the Protestants have scrapped the St. James version for their own convenience.

Lest we forget Judas belonged to their company, and their leader, Peter wickedly denied his Lord. Human frailties will always exist in the Church, while it is a church militant. Christ was doubted by one of His disciples, denied by another and betrayed by a third, and forsaken by all. Yet, He finished the work which was given to Him, and He will fulfill His promise to the Church He founded.

The essential dignity and majesty of the papal office itself remain completely unaffected by the personal unworthiness of its individual representatives. Even the first pope, St. Peter, sinned grievously by denying his Lord and Master; yet the exalted dignity which the Lord conferred upon him before all the other apostles remained with him; and Pope Leo the Great truly said: “The worthiness of St. Peter is not lost in one unworthy heir.”

—RECAREDO P. BARTE,

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