White Has It Wrong Again

Pope Benedict XVI Continues Rome's Move to Full Inclusivism

So goes the heading on White's website. He accuses His Holiness, Benedict XVI, of "inclusivism," and alleges he's in conflict with Pope Pius IX's "Syllabus of Errors." Well, let's see. White opens with:

That low rumbling sound you've been hearing in the east is the sound of Pope Piux IX spinning in his grave (which, oddly, if the listing I saw at the Vatican is accurate, is not actually at St. Peter's) as the Roman leadership has continued moving ever farther away from his Syllabus of Errors and headlong into embracing pure inclusivism. We had noted more than once John Paul II's statements in this regard. On November 30th, Benedict XVI likewise seemed to give his approval to the viewpoint. From the official Vatican webpage we read,

In elucidating the psalm, the Pope also referred to a meditation on the subject by St. Augustine in which, he said, "the great Father of the Church introduces a surprising note: he knows that even among the inhabitants of Babylon there are people committed to peace and goodness, though without sharing the biblical faith. In the end, then, God will lead those people to the heavenly Jerusalem, rewarding them for their pure consciences."

If we look carefully at what White is quoting from the Vatican webpage, Pope Benedict is referring to something St. Augustine said! White's gripe here is not with Pope Benedict, but with St. Augustine! St. Augustine is the one saying people will be rewarded, outside the biblical faith, for their pure consciences. White in his haste to attack Catholicism seems to have overlooked the facts here, and is really attacking one of his favorite sources!

In JMJ,
Scott<<<
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