Many religious leaders have gotten carried away with the ecumenical spirit. A case in point is that of John Paul II's historic visit to a Jewish synagogue on April 13, 1986.

He quoted from Second Vatican Council's revolutionary 1965 document on non-Christian religions, "Nostra Aetate " (In Our Times), which officially rescinded the accusation that the Jews killed Christ (Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, April 14, 1986).

The only reason why this accusation would need rescinding would be that it had been proven false. But who made this accusation? The Apostle Peter, whom Catholics believe was the first pope!

On Pentecost, in Acts 2, Peter said:

Men of Israel . . . hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth was a man approved by God among you . . . Him, . . . you have crucified and slain by the hands of wicked men (vv. 22,23).

Therefore, let all the house of Israel know most assuredly that God has made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified (v. 36).

At the healing of the lame man in Acts 3, Peter charged:

Men of Israel, . . . you disowned the Holy and Just One, and asked that a murderer should be granted to you; but the author of life you killed, whom God has raised up from the dead; whereof we are witnesses (vv. 12-15).

At the house of Cornelius (Acts 10) Peter again accused the Jews: "And we are witnesses of all that he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem; and yet they killed him, hanging him on a tree" (v. 39).

Even Jesus accused the Jews of trying to kill him (Jn. 8:37-40). What's more, thousands of Jews admitted the charge and obeyed the gospel (Acts 2:36-41; 6:7). The pope lays a stumbling block that will discourage Jews from obeying the gospel by rescinding Peter's accusation.

Who Blundered?

If Peter was also a pope, which pope was infallible? The one who was bodily present and was an eyewitness to what happened, or the one who is nearly 2000 years removed from the event?

Incidentally, the preceding Scripture quotations are from The New Catholic Version and printed by P.J. Kennedy and Sons, printers for the Holy Apostolic See. The first sentence in the introduction to this translation says:

THERE ARE THREE things about the Bible which Catholics must believe.- that it has God as its author, that its various books are all inspired, and that, because God is the author, no formal error can be admitted within the sacred pages.

The pope and those responsible for "Nostra Aetate" join the ranks of skeptics who claim to know more about what happened than those who 1 were there, including Simon Peter!

How can any conscientious person remain indifferent to such blasphemy and contradiction? The pope not only contradicted the Apostle Peter in the Scriptures, he also contradicted the introduction to an official Catholic translation which affirms the infallibility of the Scriptures. This must not be swept under the rug. Every Catholic should sit up and take notice of this glaring contradiction.

Now notice another strange turn of events.

Pope John Paul II said Saturday that the church should not follow any ideological or political banners because they are "foreign to the Bible" (Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, July 6, 1986).

The pope opposes clear Bible statements when he doesn't agree with them, but he holds it up as authority when he thinks it is on his side.

Your Reaction To This Article

Some who are reading this are Catholics. "Have I become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?" (Gal. 4:16) I mean no unkindness to you by focusing on these unpleasant matters. The last thing in the world I want, is to make you mad. Getting mad usually clouds our thinking, causing us to close our minds. I don't want that to happen. We should not fear to give an honest and fair investigation to views which differ from those we have long cherished. The greatest kindness one can do for others is to warn against danger and deception (2 Cor. 11:13-15). This is what motivates this article. We must be jealous for the Word.

Guardian of Truth XXX: 18, pp. 545, 567
September 18, 1986