Catholics don't worship the pope, but Protestants do
12/18/2024
Last week Carl Trueman, a frequent contributor to First Things, posed an online essay explaining why he is not a Catholic.
If you are a subscriber, you can read my reply on the site, which pointed out that becoming Catholic is often a strugged between one's beliefs and accepting the fact that others may actually know more about the faith. I specifically mentioned John Henry Newman, G.K. Chesterton and Evelyn Waugh as people who possessed far more knowledge than I, and in a context of wisdom, their combined insight was more than a match for mine.
I also that a lot of objections to the Church center on vanity; whether it is good enough as opposed to being valid, and that for many Americans, faith is much like picking out a car - you try the find the one that best suits you.
However, having read other responses (and re-read Trueman), I've noticed that the vast majority of his essay isn't about the lineage of the Church, the wisdom of the Church Fathers, the validity of the sacraments, etc., it's most about a personal dislike of the pope and a disdain for the veneration accorded the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Protestant really seem to have a particular hate for Our Lady, and I'm not sure why. I freely admit that it took me time to get used to Marian prayers, but that was simply because I wasn't very well churched. In time, I realized just how important a figure the BVM is in salvation history.
She's not a rebranded Venus, but a figure foretold in the Old Testament and brought into fruition in the New. I think a lot of Protestants know what they have said about Her, and it would be tough climb down to take all that back.
But the larger issue is clearly the pope, and I think this is not because of arcane arguments about the sweep of papal authority, or his role in the Magisterium, the relative precedence among bishops and patriarchs, but instead Protestantism's unique focus on the holiness of the individual ministers.
For Protestants, ministry is a unique, individual calling, which is why you have major figures emerge like Billy Graham. Their personal charisma is the proof of their divine sanction. In addition to living an upright life, they have to deliver inspiring sermons and constantly preach with confidence as this shows that they have "the spirit within them." Because there is no apostolic succession, no sacrament of ordination, or even sacraments at all, personal charm is all that Protestants can fall back on.
One need not even be formally educated to preach and develop a following. Indeed, such figures are often treated far better than those with doctorates in theology because they are more "authentic." Thus, it may be difficult for someone like Trueman to understand that Catholic clergy can vary greatly in their personalities, knowledge and holiness, but their sacraments are all just as valid.
It also bears mentioning that Catholics have a different understanding of suffering and humiliation. I see Francis not as the pope we wanted, but the one we needed. He has done more to expose the corruption of the church than anyone else. His flirtations with heresy have reinforced the importance of the Magisterium in Church doctrine, demonstrating that the pope cannot simply wake up one day and redefine dogma.
Protestants really seem to believe this, in part because in their churches, it's absolutely the case. Time and again, we have seen televangelists and mega-churches riven asunder in personal and family disputes. The assumption clearly is that Francis is the harbinger of some terrible liberal Catholic future.
In reality, he's likely to be the ignoble last gasp of liberal Catholicism. As I've noted before, the seminaries are packed with very orthodox young men. Francis imagines himself the future, but he is part of a fleeting movement that is already fading into the past.
Trueman does not understand this, and it diminishes his stature, which is unfortunate, as he does have some keen insights into the weakness of Protestantism. As in so many other cases, his pride seems greater than his wisdom.
Comments