Welcome to Summit Theological Seminary
"Teaching God's Word to God's World"
2766 Airport Road, Peru, Indiana 46970, (765) 472-4111
Was Pope John Paul II A Good Man?
George L. Faull
There has been quite
a lot of press about the death of the Pope.
One official said, “Mary was waiting at the gate of Heaven to receive
him.” Others said, “We were
praying for him and now we’re praying to him.”
“The Catholic Church has lost its shepherd, the world has
lost a champion of human freedom, and a good and faithful servant of God has
been called home.”
- President George W. Bush
“Pope John Paul II was unquestionably the most influential
voice for morality and peace in the world during the last 100 years.”
- Evangelist Billy Graham
“King: There is no question in your mind that he is with
God now?” Graham: “Oh, no.
There may be a question about my own, but I don’t think Cardinal
Wojtyla, or the Pope – I think he’s with the Lord, because he believed.
He believed in the Cross.”
- Larry King with Billy Graham
There are many
requests for the church to immediately elevate him to sainthood. The world has judged him worthy of Heaven.
They feel it is fine to judge if you judge and pronounce a positive
verdict. However, if you give a
negative verdict, you are judged
as a bigot and
reminded that Jesus said not to judge. One
wonders why Jesus prohibition on judging applies to the negative but not to the
positive.
One thing is
certain. Jesus said, “the word
that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” John 12:48b.
We
must be reminded that what the Word says now, it will say then.
The pope was a good
man as far as Popes go, but he is not worthy of the admiration he is receiving.
Yes, he was opposed to abortion, homosexuality, and the murder of Terri
Schiavo. However, he showed his ignorance in favor of evolution and
opposition to capital punishment and saying Muslims and Christian’s worship
the same God. But this is true of a
lot of so-called evangelicals who have pronounced him a brother in Christ.
I do not share this
view of Pope John Paul II. Listen
to some of his blasphemous words concerning Mary.
He declared her to be co-redeemer, though he never actually made her so
as Catholic dogma.
"Thus
there is a mediation: Mary places herself between her Son and mankind in the
reality of their wants, needs and sufferings. She puts herself 'in the middle,'
that is to say she acts as a mediatrix not as an outsider, but in her position
as mother." Pope John Paul II, in Redemptoris Mater (On the Blessed Virgin Mary in
the Life of the Pilgrim Church), Encyclical promulgated on March 25, 1987, #21.
"'The
motherhood of Mary in the order of grace,' as the Second Vatican Council
explains, 'lasts without interruption from the consent which she faithfully gave
at the annunciation and which she sustained without hesitation under the cross,
until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. In fact, being assumed into
heaven she has not laid aside this office of salvation but by her manifold
intercession she continues to obtain for us the graces of eternal salvation. By
her maternal charity, she takes care of the brethren of her Son who still
journey on earth surrounded by dangers and difficulties, until they are led into
their blessed home.'" Pope John Paul II, in Dives In Misericordia (The
Father of Mercies and God of All Comfort), Encyclical promulgated on November
30, 1980.
"(Continuing
our catechesis on the Blessed Virgin Mary, we are considering her cooperation in
the redemptive sacrifice of Christ)...Mary...co-operated during the event itself
and in the role of mother; thus her co-operation embraces the whole of Christ's
saving work. She alone was associated in this way with the redemptive sacrifice
that merited the salvation of all mankind. In union with Christ and in
submission to him, she collaborated in obtaining the grace of salvation for all
humanity...In God’s plan, Mary is the 'woman’ (cf. John 2:4; John 19:26), the
New Eve, united to the New Adam in restoring humanity to its original
dignity. Her cooperation with her Son continues for all time in the universal
motherhood which she enjoys in the order of grace. Trusting in this maternal
cooperation, let us turn to Mary, imploring her help in all our needs." Pope John Paul II, in his General Audience of
April 9, 1997, (quoted in "The Virgin Mary as Co-Redemtrix, Mediatrix and
Advocate", by B.A. Robinson).
“Mary, though
conceived and born without taint of sin, participated in a marvelous way in the
sufferings of her divine Son, in order to be Coredemptrix of humanity.” Pope
John Paul II, in remarks made to pilgrims after his General Audience on
September 8, 1982 (quoted in Insegnamenti di Giovanni Paolo II, V/3 (1982) 404,
quoted by Arthur Burton Calkins, “Pope
John Paul II’s Teaching on Marian Coredemption”,
"The
teaching of the Second Vatican Council presents the truth of Mary's mediation as
'a sharing in the one unique source that is the mediation of Christ himself.'"
Pope John Paul II, in Redemptoris Mater (On the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Life
of the Pilgrim Church), Encyclical promulgated on March 25, 1987, #38
"The
truth of the Assumption, defined by Pius XII, is reaffirmed by the Second
Vatican Council, which thus expresses the Church's faith: "Preserved free
from all guilt of original sin, the Immaculate Virgin was taken up body and soul
into heavenly glory upon the completion of her earthly sojourn. She was exalted
by the Lord as Queen of the Universe...For the Mother of Christ is glorified as
'Queen of the Universe'." Pope John Paul II, in Redemptoris Mater
(On the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Life of the Pilgrim Church), Encyclical
promulgated on March 25, 1987, #41.
Pope
John Paul II was presumptuous, like all the other preceding Popes.
Note his titles as Pope:
¨
“Pontifex
Maximus” (The great high Priest) cp Hebrews
4:14
¨
“Holy,
Lord God, the Pope” cp II Thessalonians
2:4
¨
“Vicar
of Christ” cp John 5:43
¨
“The
Holy Father” cp John
17:11, Matthew 23:9
¨
“Successor
to the Prince of the Apostles” Acts
1:20-25
¨
“Chief
Shepherd” cp I Peter 5:4
¨
“His
Holiness” cp Acts 3:14
Do I hate the man himself? No.
Do I admire him?
No
He
was the head of the system that exalts itself above all that is called God.
He was the Head of the Babylonian system. I
do not judge him. God’s Word has
already judged him. I only affirm
that God’s Word is true. He could
not be ignorant that he is not the great High Priest.
He knew he was not God. He
was absolutely the opposite of the one he alleges to be successor.
Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none.” Look at the coffers of Rome.
Peter said, “Stand up, I also am a man.” Did the Pope ever say such words? Here is a man who claims that when he sat in Peter’s chair,
he could not error. Here is a man
that believed the wafer and wine turn into the ACTUAL BODY AND BLOOD OF JESUS,
and then he worshipped it. This is
pure idolatry. If it became
Jesus’ actual body and blood, then he was a cannibal and he ate blood, which
any Christian knows is forbidden, even in the New Testament.
No,
this man was the great enemy of Christ. He
steals His worship, His titles, His work, His ordinances, and perpetuates
division among believers by his presumptuous claims.
Another came in Jesus’ name and men have received him just as Jesus
said in John 5:43.