Dear Editor,

I was taken aback by a recent statement by Pope Benedict XVI who
reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church.  The
statement went on to say that Protestant and other Christian
denominations were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities
and therefore did not have the "means of salvation."

That really stunned me because, as a Christian, the Bible taught me
that:  "... he [Jesus Christ] became the author of eternal salvation
unto all them that obey him."  [Heb.5:9] The Vatican goes on to say that
"Christ 'established here on earth' only one church.  The other
communities cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense because they
do not have apostolic succession" - the ability to trace their bishops
back to Christ's original apostles.

To all believers in Christ, this is indeed a stunning statement.  While
I respect my Roman Catholic brethren for their beliefs, there is no way
I could be persuaded to become a Catholic in order to gain their
definition of salvation.  I need no forgiveness through a fallible
priest, nor do I need to pray to Mary, the earthly mother of Christ.  I
have no need to plead my case before one of hundreds of man-made saints
nor do I need to do penance.  The Bible not only teaches that, as a
saved Christian, I am already a saint because of my belief in the saving
grace through Christ, it teaches that, "... there is one God, and one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," [1Tim.2:5].  Until
all men recognize that God provides salvation through the Lord, Jesus
Christ, it doesn't matter which church or religion they rely on.  Church
membership never saved a single soul.

The only path to salvation is clearly spelled out in the Bible:  "That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe
in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved.  [Rom.10:9].

Derick S. Hartshorn
Conover, NC