OK, Now I'm Confused
...and when I'm confused, I yell FECK!!

From the Catholic World News service, we have the headline; Church Must Defend Truth Against Unbelievers, Pope Says. Here's a few tid-bits...

Apr. 05 (CWNews.com) - The Catholic Church must defend the truth, and break sharply with those who deny the faith, Pope Benedict XVI told his weekly audience on April 5.

The Holy Father remarked that in the New Testament, the first epistle of St. John stands out for its emphasis on the love among Christians. Still, he observed, "the same voice addresses itself with drastic severity to those who were once members of the community, but are no longer."

If necessary, to safeguard the faith the Church must break off ties with those who reject Catholic doctrine, the Pope said. The Church must always defend the true communion of believers, which "arises from the faith inspired by apostolic preaching." To do otherwise, the Pontiff said, would be to risk estrangement from the Holy Spirit.

WOW! The Holy Father certainly isn't pulling any punches. To borrow from the McDonalds ad, "I'm Lovin' It!".

And sadly, I just so happened to stumble across the following headline from the official website for the USCCB; “Christian Churches Together in The USA” Officially Organized, Nation’s Broadest Fellowship of Christian Churches and Traditions.

WASHINGTON (April 7, 2006) -- Thirty-four churches and national Christian organizations, representing over 100 million Americans, have formed the broadest, most inclusive fellowship of Christian churches and traditions in the USA in a gathering at Simpsonwood Conference and Retreat Center near Atlanta, Georgia, March 28 – 31, 2006. National leaders from five Christian families --- Evangelical/Pentecostal, Historic Protestant, Historic Racial/Ethnic, Orthodox and Catholic—made the historic decision to organize officially as “Christian Churches Together in the USA” (CCT). Its mission is “to enable churches and Christian organizations to grow closer together in Christ in order to strengthen our Christian witness in the world.”

[One of the three Catholic members of the CCT Steering Committee] Father Ronald Roberson said he believes the decision taken in Atlanta to establish CCT will eventually be seen as a watershed moment in the history of ecumenism in the United States.

Hold on... back the truck up. The Big Papa hisself tells us that we must "break off ties with those who reject Catholic doctrine", but the USCCB embraces those who reject Catholic doctrine. And with all due respect to Father Roberson, this is a watershed moment in history... a watershed moment in the further decline of Catholicism in the United States.

Hmmm.... who's outta line here?