The Dispute with the Catholics – The Procession of the Holy Spirit

General Summary of the Lecture

1. Unity of Faith and Thought in the Church

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III emphasizes that the Orthodox Church maintains unity of faith and doctrine, and that Sunday School must reflect this unified thought, avoiding scattered personal interpretations or diverse readings.

2. The Disputes with the Catholics

His Holiness explains several doctrinal differences between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, including:

• The Procession of the Holy Spirit:
  The Orthodox faith teaches that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone, according to the Nicene–Constantinopolitan Creed and as stated in John 15:26. Catholics add the phrase “and the Son” (the Filioque), which is rejected because it does not agree with Scripture or with the doctrine of the Trinity.
• Divorce and Marriage:
  The Orthodox Church allows divorce only for the cause of adultery, as the Lord said in the Gospels. Catholics prohibit divorce entirely and expand the concept of “annulment”, which His Holiness criticizes as inconsistent with the logic of the Gospel.
• Marriage to Non-Christians:
  His Holiness clarifies that St. Paul was speaking about marriages that occurred before faith, not about permitting a Christian to marry a non-Christian within the Church.
• The Virgin Mary:
  His Holiness rejects the doctrine of the “Immaculate Conception,” which states that the Virgin was born without original sin, affirming that this contradicts the doctrine of salvation. The Virgin herself said: “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” He explains that the sanctification of the Holy Spirit upon her was solely for the Incarnation.
• Purgatory and Indulgences:
  His Holiness rejects the idea of purgatory and states that the only purification for humanity is the Blood of Christ as in 1 John 1:7. He also critiques indulgences tied to days or years, because they contradict true repentance.

3. The Primacy of Peter and Rome

His Holiness refutes the idea that St. Peter is the head of the entire Church or that he founded the Church of Rome. He presents scriptural evidence showing:

• St. Paul is the Apostle of the Gentiles and the founder of the Church of Rome.
• Apostolic leadership was collective through the Council of the Apostles.
• The notion of the primacy of Rome is political rather than theological.

4. The Core Spiritual Message

His Holiness stresses:

• Faithfulness to the Orthodox faith.
• Rejecting any additions or modifications to the Creed.
• Relying on Scripture and the ancient Ecumenical Councils.
• Preserving sound teaching within the Church and Sunday School.

• Unity
• Faith

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