Dr. J. Budziszewski

Who even claims to teach with authority?

Some of the Protestant denominations have confessions of faith and for that reason are sometimes called magisterial Protestant churches, but they aren't magisterial in that sense.

They only say this is our confession of faith.

They don't say this is the confession of the faith.

The only communion of believers that seemed to fit what the only possible description seemed to be of what the church would have to be was the Catholic church.

Now, what did that mean about all my objections?

Oh, I did.

But it seemed to me that the authority problem was very telling against orthodoxy there.

Because they lack, and even actually in Catholic-Protestant dialogue, they've talked about this.

Some of the Eastern primates who take the possibility of reconciliation seriously talk about the chair of Peter and the charism of Peter and what form that would take and so forth.

I'm glad.

But it isn't present there.

And so you've got these independent auto-Catholic communions.

And one of the things that that means, since you can't settle any of the disputes among even theological disputes.

There hasn't been an ecumenical council.

Hasn't been an ecumenical council for who knows how long.

And...

Which is funny because a lot of Protestants object that there are still ecumenical councils.

But and it also means that it'll be much easier for the local political power to control you.

Look at Archbishop Kirill in Russia right now, for example.