All Roads May Lead to Rome, But the Best One Lead Out of It - A Reformation Day Sermon

All Roads May Lead to Rome, But the Best One Lead Out of It [Text: Ephesians 2:8,9] , by Rev. Ian Brown
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Here are some things to think about as you Celebrate Reformation Day!
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"[To Roman Catholic priest and scholar, Erasmus]...you alone have attacked the real thing, that is, the essential issue. You have not worried me with extraneous issues about the papacy, purgatory, indulgences and such like, trifles, rather than issues, in respect of which almost all men to date have sought my blood...you, and you alone, have seen the hinge on which the vital turns, and aimed for the vital spot. For that I heartily thank you, for it is more gratifying to me to deal with this issue [does man have a free will?]" -Martin Luther (1483-1546)
 
The following quotes are from Dr. R. C. Sproul's great book, Faith Alone: An Evangelical Doctrine of Justification by Faith:

"Has Rome changed? If fact, it has not. The Vatican documents, as well as The New Catechism of the Catholic Church, re-invoke the theological position of the Council of Trent, condemning the gospel of justification by an imputed righteousness. If it is not Rome that has altered its position in favor of the gospel, then it must be the other partner that has moved from its earlier position." - Dr. Michael Horton in the preface to Faith Alone

"Does saving faith require a trust in the righteousness of Christ alone as the grounds of our justification? Or may a person have a different view of the gospel and still be a Christian?" - Dr. R. C. Sproul

"The Reformation was waged, not over the issue of justification by faith, but over the issue of justification by faith alone. It was the Sola of Sola Fide that was the central point of dispute." - Dr. R. C. Sproul

" Agreement between Rome and Evangelicals can be reached in several ways. One is for Evangelicals to abandon their historic position of Sola Fide. A second is for Rome to adopt Sola Fide as its official doctrine. The third is for agreement to be reached that Sola Fide is not essential to the gospel." - Dr. R. C. Sproul

Here is how Pastor Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) felt about the importance of the Reformation (in the 1500s, the 1800s, and in 2017!

"It is today as it was in the Reformers’ days. Decision is needed. Here is the day for the man, where is the man for the day? We who have had the gospel passed to us by martyr hands dare not trifle with it, nor sit by and hear it denied by traitors, who pretend to love it, but inwardly abhor every line of it….Look you, sirs, there are ages yet to come. If the Lord does not speedily appear, there will come another generation, and another, and all these generations will be tainted and injured if we are not faithful to God and to His truth today. We have come to a turning-point in the road. If we turn to the right, mayhap our children and our children’s children will go that way; but if we turn to the left, generations yet unborn will curse our names for having been unfaithful to God and His Word." (From The Forgotten Spurgeon, by Iain Murray

The above quotations are all from Protestants. In fairness to Roman Catholics, I wan to quote a short excerpt from an article that appeared The Remnant - Obama Wins: A Chance For Us to Become Free Again (posted on November 7, 2012):

"Barack Obama is not the problem. We are! Abortion is. Public schools are. A rotting pop culture is. Modernism in the Catholic Church is. Divorce and homosexual 'marriage' are. Obama has been reelected simply because America, like any nation, will always only get the leaders she deserves. We told God to go to hell a long time ago, and God is now allowing us to see what life is like without him. So lead on, Mr. Obama!" (Emphasis mine)"

Recommended sermons:

Total Depravity, by Rev. Paul Den Butter
The Black Pope and His Murdermen - An Exposition of the Jesuits (2007), by Dr. Ian R. K. Paisley (1926-2014)

Recommended reading:

Neo-Caths In Wonderland

Neo-Caths In Wonderland - remnantnewspaper.com

Excerpt from this article:

"If you don't think, you shouldn't talk...In case you’ve been under a rock for the past year, you have noticed that Francis has been an absolute PR nightmare, constantly giving off-the-cuff commentaries without thinking anything through. This has caused equally constant headaches in the Vatican Press Office as the Vatican Press Secretary has had to continually qualify Francis’ remarks."
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The book of Revelation talks about a "Beast" and a "False Prophet" (Revelation 16:13) who will appear on the earth during the time just preceding our Lord Jesus Return. If I were to speculate on who this might be (and I won't!), I might be tempted to say I think the beast (aka Antichrist) will be a leader of ISIS, and the false prophet will be a present or future head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Recommended reading:

Left Behind: "It's A Money Scheme Now, And It's Evil!"
Words Of Wisdom From A Catholic Newspaper
The Black Pope and His Murder Men

Rick Warren Calls For Christians To Unite With Catholics

Rick Warren Calls For Christians To Unite With Catholics - christiannews.net

Excerpt from this article:

"In a new video, megachurch leader and author Rick Warren is calling for Christians to unite with Roman Catholics and 'Pope Francis,' who Warren recently referred to as the 'Holy Father'—a move that is raising concerns among Christians nationwide and is resulting in calls for Warren to repent.
Warren made the comments following his visit to the Vatican last month, where he spoke at an interfaith conference on the 'Complementarity of Man and Woman.' 'We have far more in common than what divides us,' he said in the two-minute video released by the Catholic News Service on Wednesday, described as being an outline for 'an ecumenical vision for Catholics and Protestants to work together to defend the sanctity of life, sex and marriage.'”
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What divides the Church of our Lord Jesus from that of the Roman Catholics is not not our views on Mary, or the Mass, or Purgatory, or a lot of other doctrines, which the Reformer Martin Luther would call "Trifles, rather than issues." No, what separates us is the gospel. There is only one gospel, and Rome doesn't have it.

R.C. Sproul put it this way in his wonderful book, Faith Alone: An Evangelical Doctrine of Justification by Faith:

"Does saving faith require a trust in the righteousness of Christ alone as the grounds of our justification? Or may a person have a different view of the gospel and still be a Christian?"

"The Reformation was waged, not over the issue of justification by faith, but over the issue of justification by faith alone. It was the Sola of Sola Fide that was the central point of dispute."

" Agreement between Rome and Evangelicals can be reached in several ways. One is for Evangelicals to abandon their historic position of Sola Fide. A second is for Rome to adopt Sola Fide as its official doctrine. The third is for agreement to be reached that Sola Fide is not essential to the gospel."

And Dr. Michael Horton writes in the introduction to the above book:

"Has Rome changed? If fact, it has not. The Vatican documents, as well as The New Catechism of the Catholic Church, re-invoke the theological position of the Council of Trent, condemning the gospel of justification by an imputed righteousness. If it is not Rome that has altered its position in favor of the gospel, then it must be the other partner that has moved from its earlier position."

The world is very fortunate that Rick Warren was not around 500 years ago. No doubt, he would not have agreed with Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) who wrote:

"It is today as it was in the Reformers’ days. Decision is needed. Here is the day for the man, where is the man for the day? We who have had the gospel passed to us by martyr hands dare not trifle with it, nor sit by and hear it denied by traitors, who pretend to love it, but inwardly abhor every line of it….Look you, sirs, there are ages yet to come. If the Lord does not speedily appear, there will come another generation, and another, and all these generations will be tainted and injured if we are not faithful to God and to His truth today. We have come to a turning-point in the road. If we turn to the right, mayhap our children and our children’s children will go that way; but if we turn to the left, generations yet unborn will curse our names for having been unfaithful to God and His Word." (From The Forgotten Spurgeon, by Iain Murray


Recommended reading:

Words of Wisdom From A Catholic Newspaper (my post)
Faith Alone: An Evangelical Doctrine of Justification by Faith, by R. C. Sproul
What Is The Gospel? (my post)

Recommended sermon:

Total Depravity, by Rev. Paul Den Butter

2% of Clergy Are Pedophiles: Pope Francis

2% of Clergy Are Pedophiles: Pope Francis - newser.com

Excerpt from this article:

"Pope Francis has offered an estimate on "the level of pedophilia in the Church," Sky News reports: He puts it at 2%, basing his information on aides' figures. "That 2% includes priests and even bishops and cardinals," the pope tells La Repubblica newspaper of Italy. "Others, more numerous, know (about the problem) but keep quiet. They punish without giving the reason," he says, per the BBC. The figure would suggest that some 8,000 out of 414,000 clergy members worldwide are pedophiles, the BBC notes."

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Recommended reading:

 We Cannot Let the Left Normlize This

Saving those Damned Catholics, Part 1

Saving those Damned Catholics, Part 2

Saving those Damned Catholics, Part 3

This Sunday as Catholics Are Attending Mass, Muslims Are Praying At the Vatican

This Sunday as Catholics Are Attending Mass, Muslims Are Praying At the Vatican - thedailysheeple.com

Excerpt from this article:

"For the first time in history, Islamic prayers and readings from the Quran will be heard at the Vatican on Sunday, in a move by Pope Francis to usher in peace between Israelis and Palestinians."
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For the first time in history, Islamic prayers and readings from the Quran will be heard at the Vatican on Sunday, in a move by Pope Francis to usher in peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Fran
- See more at: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/this-sunday-as-catholics-attend-mass-muslims-are-praying-at-the-vatican_062014#sthash.ypng9F7l.dpuf

For the first time in history, Islamic prayers and readings from the Quran will be heard at the Vatican on Sunday, in a move by Pope Francis to usher in peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Fran
- See more at: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/this-sunday-as-catholics-attend-mass-muslims-are-praying-at-the-vatican_062014#sthash.ypng9F7l.dpuf

For the first time in history, Islamic prayers and readings from the Quran will be heard at the Vatican on Sunday, in a move by Pope Francis to usher in peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Fran
- See more at: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/this-sunday-as-catholics-attend-mass-muslims-are-praying-at-the-vatican_062014#sthash.ypng9F7l.dpuf

Recommended reading:

Saving Those Damned Catholics, Part  3
What Muslims Fear Most: Smart Bombs & Smart Girls
Pastor Joel Osteen, Mormon Senator, Other US Leaders Meet With Pope Francis in Rome [Video]

Rick (Purpose Driven Church) Warren Calls for Unity With Rome

Rick Warren Calls for Unity With Rome - wayoflife.org

Excerpt from this article:

This month, Rick Warren of Saddleback Church gave an exclusive interview with Catholic television channel EWTN, complete with effusive praise for the Catholic Church and the popes and a  call for unity with Rome."
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Everyone who calls for unity with the Roman Catholic Church today is saying the Protestant Reformation was a big mistake. I disagree. So did Pastor Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), who said:

"We admire a man who was firm in the faith, say four hundred years ago...but such a man today is a nuisance, and must be put down. Call him a narrow minded bigot or give him a worse name, if you can think of one.

"Yet imagine that in those ages past Luther, Zwingli, Calvin and their compeers had said, 'The world is out of order,  but if we try to get it right we shall only make a great row, and get ourselves into disgrace. Let us go to our chambers, put on our night caps, and sleep over the bad times, and perhaps when we wake up things will have grown better.'

"Such conduct on their part would have entailed upon us a heritage of error. Age after age would have

gone down into the infernal deeps, and the pestiferous bogs of error would have swallowed all. These men loved the faith and the love of Jesus too well to see them trampled on.

"It is today as it was in the Reformer's days. Decision is needed. Here is the day for the man, where is the man for the day? We who have had the gospel passed to us by martyr hands dare not trifle with it, nor sit by and hear it denied by traitors, who pretend to love it but inwardly abhor every line of it...look you, sirs, there are ages yet to come.

"If the Lord does not speedily appear, there will come another generation, and another, and all those generations will be tainted and injured if we are not faithful to God and to his truth today. We have come to a turning point in the road. If we turn to the right, mayhap our children and our children's children will go that way. But if we turn to the left, generations yet unborn will curse our names for having been unfaithful to God and to his Word."

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Recommended reading and listening:


Saving Those Damned Catholics, Part 3
Pope Joins Charismatics In Call for One World Church

Saving Those Damned Catholics, Part 3

We Ain't Saints. John XXIII and John Paul II Are. Here's Why - foxnews.com

Excerpt from this article:

"The problem with saints is halos. That nimbus encircling their heads has been used by artists to denote saints since the third century. While useful for quick recognition, halos separate saints from the rest of us, who, let’s face it, ain’t."
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Recommended reading:

Saving Those Damned Catholics, Part 1 (my post)
Saving Those Damned Catholics, Part 2  (my post)
Two Popes Canonized as Saints But... - beforeitsnews.com [Note: take this link with a grain of salt!]

Recommended sermon:

John Paul and John Knight: Two Unprofitable Servants, by Pastor John McKnight

Saving Those Damned Caholics, Part 2

Here is an excerpt from an article on the Roman Catholic doctrine of Purgatory:

"Among the friends of God who enter the next life, there are some who loved the Lord with all their hearts during this life, and there are some who truly loved Him, but imperfectly, with a divided heart; they need healing and purification before entering Paradise, and they have a preparation to make. Divine Mercy created Purgatory to accomplish this purification. 'All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven' (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030).  But this is a family affair. We can help our sisters and brothers who find themselves amongst the poor souls. We can do so by our prayers, our sacrifices and our participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice...the least pain of Purgatory is greater than any pain of earth, no matter what they may be. The author of the Imitation expresses this teaching by a practical and gripping sentence: “There, he says, one hour in torment will be more terrible than a hundred years here of the most rigorous penance.” - from A Warning About Purgatory and the Next Life (Emphasis mine)
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 There is no such thing as Purgatory. This is one of the many myths taught by the Roman Catholic Church, which teaches that Jesus blood shed on the cross is not sufficient to save sinners. That after a believer has died, he or she must still suffer in purgatory to pay for the sins Jesus' blood couldn't wash away. Blasphemy!

The Bible says: "It is appointed unto man once to die, and after that the judgement." - Hebrews 9:27

But while the doctrine of Purgatory is not true, the doctrine of hell is. In his classic gospel sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards says this about hell:

"It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God for one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your souls, and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverances, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all; and you will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions and millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this Almighty merciless vengende; and then when you have so done, when many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that it is all but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite."


Recommended reading:

Saving Those Damned Catholics! (my post)

Recommended sermon:

How to Benefit from a Funeral, by Dr. David P. Murray

Italy: Is There Something in the Water?

The Roman Catholic Church is still selling "Get-Out-Of-Purgatory-Free" Cards (see Father Paul Nicholson: You Can Get An Indulgence Today!), and now Italy's Supreme Court overturns the conviction of a 60 year old paedophile because he and his 11 year old "victim" were "in love!" (see: Italy Court Overturns Paedophile conviction As 11-Year-Old 'In Love')

Recommended reading:

Saving Those Damned Catholics
Two Men Married at West Point Chapel for First Time

Pope Francis Making Social Conservatives Scream 'Holy S ... !'

My New Joy: The Holy See Making Social Conservatives Scream 'Holy S ... !' - fcnp.com

Excerpt from this article:

"... it’s much easier to bash the homos than help the homeless, or scream “baby killer” than lift wages so that families can afford to raise children. On some level, the Pope seems to “get” that one of the great cons of our age is modern social conservatism."
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According to Wikipedia, Social Conservatism is:

"...a political ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values."

The Bible says: "My little children, let us let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth."
 1 John 3:18

I'm not a Catholic, but like Pope Francis, I also believe Christians need to be deeply concerned about the social problems of our age. Is there are Typhoon in the Philippians? Christians should be at the forefront in donating their time and money to help out. And while Christians must speak out against abortion, they should also be doing all they can to support alternatives to abortion (such as adoption, financial help for single mothers, etc.)

Recommended reading (my posts)

Saving Those Damned Catholics
Pope Francis Says Atheists Can be Good. I Stand Corrected. Sort Of!

That Old Time Religion

Controversy Rocks Pope’s Effort to Clean Up Vatican Bank

Controversy rocks pope’s effort to clean up Vatican Bank:

"Pope Francis’ decision to replace the Vatican secretary-of-state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, a close friend of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, has prompted speculation among seasoned Vatican observers that the dismissal announced Friday was a fallout of efforts to reform the Vatican Bank. Secretary of state is arguably the most powerful Vatican office, second only to that of the pope."

For more on the fascinating (or revolting!) relationship between the Pope and the Vatican Bank, read:

The Vatican Exposed: Money, Murder and the Mafia, by Paul L. Williams

Also, you may want to check out the following audio recording from Irish Pastor Dr. Ian R. K. Paisley:

The Black Pope and His Murdermen: Exposing the Jesuits, Roman Catholicism

Recommended reading (my post)

Lightening Strikes St. Peter's After Pope's Announcement

Pope Vows to Clean Up or Close Vatican Bank

Pope vows to clean up or close Vatican Bank:

"Pope Francis has announced he will intensify his fight against corruption at the Vatican by strengthening supervision of the Vatican Bank through a special commission of inquiry to investigate and oversee the Institute for the Works of Religion, or IOR, the formal name of the Vatican Bank."

Strongly recommended reading (for those interested in the Vatican Bank):

The Vatican Exposed: Money, Murder, and the Mafia, by Paul L. Williams

The Baptist Bearing Robes and Incense

The Baptist Bearing Robes and Incense | Christianity Today:

"There is a solemn procession to the altar. The choir is chanting. A bishop in a long, black robe and a full, gray beard swings an incense burner back and forth. We bow. We cross ourselves. It's a typical Sunday service at the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia. 'Yes. Baptist.'"

Reading things like this give the impression of compromise - Roman Catholics giving up some ground, Evangelical Christians giving up some ground - trying to meet in the middle. According to Dr. Michael Horton though, this isn't the case at all. Here is a short excerpt from his introduction to R. C. Sproul's Great book: Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification:

"Has Rome's position changed? In fact, it has not. The Vatican documents, as well as the New Catechism of the Catholic Church reinvoke the theological position of the Council of Trent, condemning the Gospel of justification by an imputed righteousness. If it is not Rome that has altered its position in favor of the gospel, then it must be the other partner that has moved from its earlier position."

Recommended reading (my post):

Pope Francis Says Atheists Can Be Good. I Stand Corrected. Sort Of!

Priests Demand Pelosi Renounce Catholicism After Abortion is "Sacred Ground" Comment

Priests Demand Pelosi Renounce Catholicism After Abortion is "Sacred Ground" Comment | LifeNews.com:

"House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s comments that defending late-term abortions is 'sacred ground' to her was apparently the last straw for a national organization of Catholic priests active in pro-life work.  'As a practicing and respectful Catholic, this is sacred ground to me when we talk about this. I don’t think it should have anything to do with politics,' she continued saying about the bill to ban late-term abortions after 20 weeks."

Recommended reading (my posts):


Nancy Pelosi: I'm All In Favor of Balancing the Budget...In A Few Decades
Pope Francis Says Atheists Can Be Good. I Stand Corrected. Sort Of!

Pope Francis Says Atheists Can Be Good. I Stand Corrected. Sort Of!

On May 22, 2013, the Huffington Post came out with the following article: Pope Francis Says Atheists Who Do Good Are Redeemed, Not Just Catholics. Like many bloggers, Christian and otherwise, I jumped the gun and posted a response to this article right away (see my posts: Pope Francis Says Atheists Can Be Good & Billy Graham, Pope Francis, and The Doctrine of Total Depravity).

The Bible says: "A fool uttereth all his mind, but a wise man keepeth it in until afterwards." - Proverbs 29:11. As it turns out, I probably should have sat on that post for a few days. At least until I listened to Pastor Trevor Hammack's podcast, The Pope Said What?  So if I have offended anyone, the Pope or otherwise, I apologize. Well, sort of.

After listening to Pastor Hammack's podcast, I realized that Pope Francis was not teaching that everyone - atheists included - were going to go to heaven. It's a little convoluted, but here is what I think the Pope was trying to say. 1. He believes, like many non-Calvinist Protestants, that our Lord Jesus died for the sins of the whole world. 2. Since Jesus died for everyone's sins, that means everyone has been redeemed. 3. Being redeemed is not the same thing as being "Saved" and only those who are redeemed AND saved will go to heaven. 4. But since atheists have been redeemed, even though they will not go to heaven when they die, they can do good works while they are on this earth.

That is how I understand what the Pope said. Apparently, this was the Pope's attempt to "evangelize" atheist. As one Roman Catholic explained:

"This method of evangelism is no different from the classic method of missionaries from St. Paul onward. We meet the non-believer on his territory, affirm what is good and beautiful about his belief and behavior, and move from there to introduce them to Christ." (See Did Pope Francis Preach Salvation by Works?).

I guess that is one way to go about evangelizing atheists. I prefer the method used by Dr. David P. Murray: "Without Christ, You're Damned!" (When Government Tries to Be God).

Recommended reading:

Reprise: The Gospel According to Rome - thecripplegate.com

Pope Francis Says Atheists Can Be Good

Pope Francis says atheists can be good | World news | guardian.co.uk:

 "Just do good, and we'll find a meeting point, says Francis in marked departure from Benedict's line on non-Catholics"

Recommended reading:

Saving those Damned Catholics!
"Puff Graham Murray"

Is Pope Francis Laying The Groundwork For A One World Religion?

Is Pope Francis Laying The Groundwork For A One World Religion? - American Dream

Excerpt:

"Does Pope Francis intend to help the global elite achieve their goal of uniting all of the religions of the world under a single banner?...After he was elected, the cover of Time Magazine declared Pope Francis to be the 'New World Pope', and since his election Pope Francis has made it abundantly clear that he is going to make ecumenical outreach a top priority...Not only has he worked hard to reach out to leaders from various Christian traditions, he has also made it a point to try to acknowledge the mutual bonds that he feels with all other religions.  For example, in one recent address he made it a point to say that he believes that Muslims worship and pray to the 'one God' that he also worships.  This 'all roads lead to the same God' philosophy is a hallmark of the one world religion that the global elite have been slowly building toward for decades.  The global elite know that even with a one world economy and a one world government, humanity will never be truly united until there is a single global religion.  Unfortunately, this one world religion that they are seeking to establish is diametrically opposed to the Christianity that we find in the Bible."

Recommended reading (my post):

Lightening Strikes St. Peter's After Pope's Announcement

Today in the News - March 14, 2013

Here is what is going on in the world today:

One World Mouthpieces Continue Slandering Iran, Pushing War - American Free Press
Denial is Not Just A River in Egypt: 10 Hilarious Examples of How Clueless Our Leaders are About the Economy - The Economic Collapse
25 Disturbing Facts about Psyche Drugs, Soldiers, and Suicides - Natural News
Brooklyn Simmers with Rage in Third Night of Riots - Daily News
Bankruptcy Lawyer Takes Over in Detroit - The Wall Street Journal
Greek Unemployment Reaches 26% - The Associated Press

Podcasts

Majority of Catholics Support Gay Marriage - Evangelicals Waffle on Evolution? by Pastor Kevin Swanson
Biblical Guidelines on What Music to Listen to as a Christian, by Pastor Francis Kaunda
Book Browsing with Joel Beeke, by Pastor Kevin Boling

"Anti-Mafia Police" Raid Offices of Would-Be Pope"

Papal Conclave: Anti-Mafia Police Raid Offices in Diocese of Front Runner - The Guardian

Excerpt:

"Roman Catholic cardinals have been urged to overcome divisions at a special mass ahead of the papal conclave, just hours after anti-mafia investigators carried out a string of raids in the diocese of the leading candidate. In a homily before thousands of pilgrims and the most senior figures in the church, Angelo Sodano, the dean of the college of cardinals, made a last-ditch attempt to banish infighting, as he extolled the virtues of unity amid diversity. But even as preparations for the mass were being made, Cardinal Angelo Scola, the archbishop of Milan – and reportedly the hot favorite to be the next pope – suffered a blow.
Anti-mafia detectives swooped on homes, offices, clinics and hospitals in Lombardy, the region around Milan, and elsewhere. A statement said the dawn raids were part of an investigation into "corruption linked to tenders by, and supplies to, hospitals"

Recommended Reading:

The Vatican Exposed: Money, Murder and the Mafia, by Paul L. Williams


Also recommended reading (my posts/reposts):



Saving Those Damned Catholics!
Lightening Strikes Saint Peters' After Pope's Announcement

Black Smoke: No Pope on First Vote

Watch Live: The Vatican's Smoke-Cam - Breitbart

Excerpt:

"Today, after taking the Oath of Secrecy, the conference of Cardinals closed the heavy wooden doors of the Sistine Chapel to embark on the Conclave that will choose Pope Benedict's successor; the new Holy Father who will lead a Church with nearly 1.5 billion members."

Recommended reading (my post/repost):

Lightening Strikes Saint Peter's After Pope's Announcement

Also recommended reading:

Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification, by R. C. Sproul