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Dear Don,
There will always be sinners in the Church, and the leaders of the church will be among them (perhaps even chief among them). The higher levels of the Catholic Church have often (if not always) been noted for their corruption. But Jesus said,
“The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice.”
(Matthew 23:2-3 RSV2CE) |
"Moses's seat" was a tradition that had been passed down; it was a position of authority held by the rabbis and handed down from Moses's time, something like our Apostolic Succession. So even then, Jesus said to obey the religious leaders, even as they were disobedient to God. A similar principle can be applied today. Scripture also says,
“Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
(Hebrews 13:17, RSV2CE) |
Scripture even says to submit to the emperor:
“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing right you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”
(1 Peter 2:13–17, RSV2CE) |
So the corruption of the clerics is no excuse for disobeying them.
St. Ignatius of Antioch, in A.D. 107 A.D., said,
"Take care to do everything, the Bishop sitting in the place of God, and the Presbyters (priests) in the place of the session of the Apostles, who are entrusted with the ministry of Jesus Christ; who before the worlds was with the Father, and in the end was manifested."
(To the Magnesians) |
He repeated this idea several times to several churches in different forms.
Martin Luther, the Protestant Reformer and heresiarch (not to be confused with Martin Luther King, the civil rights leader), was indeed a functioning Catholic priest, and monk, at the time he broke with the Catholic Church.
Eric
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