What is owed to the Pope and bishops by the faithful?

Mission Lab

The Pope and the bishops are owed honor, respect, obedience and love by the faithful. We obey the fourth commandment of God, and thus serve Him and His Church, when we honor, love, respect, and obey the Pope and the bishops in union with him. To be a Catholic means to believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, established …

Why is respect owed to everyone in the Church?

Mission Lab

Everyone in the Church deserves our deepest respect since, through Baptism, we are united to Christ in His Mystical Body and become His brothers and sisters. Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God and is precious in His eyes. Our Lord said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the …

Why is the Catholic Church a community?

Mission Lab

The Catholic Church is a community since its members share Christ’s life with one another; it is a people brought together by God. The Church is a community of those throughout the world whom God has called to give witness to Christ and to the new life He has brought to man. This assembly is called the “People of God” …

Is everyone in the Church equal?

Mission Lab

All the members of the Church are equal, but they have different duties and roles. They are united to each other as the one People of God whose Head is Christ. Describing the Church as the “People of God” emphasizes the fact that the Church is composed of people, including the Pope, bishops, priests, deacons, and the laity. As the …

Who in the Church is called to a life of holiness?

Mission Lab

In the Church each member has a vocation to lead a life of holiness. When God created man, He gave him the gifts of supernatural life, of divine sonship. Man was alive with the very life of God, but by sin, he lost this gift of divine life. Left to himself, man was incapable of winning back the divine life. …