Is the Roman Catholic branch of the universal Church imploding? That’s a fair question to ask considering all of the current controversies pertaining to that branch of the Church.
Before answering the question, we need to consider some facts that Roman Catholic leaders may or may not acknowledge.
First, the universal Church is far bigger than its Roman Catholic branch. Thus, one can be a member of the universal Church without ever being a member of its Roman Catholic branch.
Second, according to the teachings of the New Testament, a person isn’t saved spiritually by being a member of any church. Instead, as the Apostle Paul writes, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God,” and “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
So, if the Roman Catholic branch of the universal Church were to cease to exist, then the universal Church would still exist, and people would still be able to obtain spiritual salvation.
Now, back to the question asked.
It’s answer cannot be determined at this time.
However, such an implosion would be overall harmful if it were to disrupt the good work performed by Catholic Charities.
Yes, there is good coming out of the Roman Catholic branch of the universal Church even if its leadership has moral gangrene.
Besides, the current international leader of Roman Catholic Christians is actually trying to reform the Roman Catholic branch. Even if one doesn’t agree with everything that Francis says, he is still a decent guy. He inherited a problem not of his making, and it will take time for him to clean house.
Let’s just hope that he succeeds in cleaning house.
To learn about the origin of the Roman Catholic branch of the universal Church, read Schism of 1054 by Encyclopedia Britannica.
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