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Article: Papalism and religious liberty. (The Political Power of the Catholic Church) (Cover Story)
- Article from:
- The Humanist
- Article date:
- September 1, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 American Humanist Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Roman Catholic church today is not a completely monolithic enterprise. There is an official church, dominated by the pope and his appointed prelates. There is also a group of more independent or liberal Catholics who think for themselves. This group is frequently described as the Vatican II Catholics, partly because they take more seriously the religious liberty of Protestants, Jews, and humanists, and partly because Vatican II seemed to promote ecumenism, including dialogue with and listening to those of other faiths.
Actually, genuine religious liberty and ecumenism are not authorized by the official documents of Vatican II. Non-Catholics as well as ...