alt Hacker NewsThere's way too much misdirected emphasis on the pope and ecclesiastical hierarchy imo. I wouldn't think too hard about it. You can be catholic and not like the pope just the same as you can be french and not like the king. Or american and not like the president. There is only one divinity on earth today and that's the holy spirit (consubstantial with the father and son), indwelling and guiding humanity on many levels
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>You can be catholic and not like the pope
Quick, read the Nicene creed aloud right now...
I appreciate your comment and I understand. My struggles are not about whether or not I like the man who is in the seat.
> You can be catholic and not like the pope
I come from a Protestant background, so I view Catholicism as just Protestants with a pope. What does it mean to be catholic but without a pope?
> you can be french and not like the king
Famously the French got rid of theirs, several times. Maybe not the best example.
> can be french and not like the king.
I don’t think you can? You know how that worked out? It’s the OG ‘No Kings’.
> You can be catholic and not like the pope
You can be christian and not like the pope.
But to catholics, the pope is the terrestrial embodiment of the holy spirit, and as such considered infaillible. Not recognizing the pope as such is incompatible with catholicism.
Papacy is a core part of catholicism, it's not a "pick and choose buffet".