Well, Pope Benedict XVI has released a document that has the entire Protestant community up in arms. Some examples include the following:

• A spokesman for Egypt’s Coptic Church, the largest Christian community in the Middle East, warned today that comments such as those expressed in the Vatican document “fan tensions and arouse negative emotions”. [1]
• The World Alliance of Reformed Churches, which represents over 200 Protestant churches, said the document “goes against the spirit of our Christian calling towards oneness in Christ”. [2]
• The liberal Catholic movement Wir Sind Kirche in Germany said the document was a “fresh and unnecessary slap in the face of the ecumenical community” and questioned whether the Vatican was serious about interfaith dialogue. [3]
• The Evangelical Church in Germany also termed it “a snub” for the interfaith community and “a major set-back” for the dialogue between Churches. [4]

Catholics dismiss these statements, telling the people involved to read the document for themselves. So I did, and it is exactly what I expected it to be. It is not, however, what the majority of the Protestant community thinks it is. Read the rest of this entry »