What Will Catholics Do with Pope Leo XIV?

The new pope appears to be well qualified to be the head of an international organization. He can speak five languages including English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese and he can also read Latin and German. He is well educated with advanced degrees in Mathematics and Theology. But is he qualified to be the head of the church that Catholics believe was founded by the Lord Jesus Christ? The short answer is a resounding "No!" Jesus Christ, God's perfect man and man's perfect God, is the only one qualified! He is the One who purchased His church with His own blood and He is its only Head and only foundation (Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:23; 1 Cor. 3:11).

Catholics have foolishly replaced Christ as Head of the church with the pope. This is why the Reformers referred to the Pope as the antichrist, which means, the one who replaces or stands in the place of Christ. The Bible has many warnings concerning antichrists and trusting in mortal men. “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands...But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him” (Jer. 17:5–7). "Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation" (Psalm 146:3). 

Will the Pope Be Liberal, Conservative or Biblical?

Many Catholics are wondering if Pope Leo XIV will be liberal or conservative on social and political issues. Yet, they should be more concerned with biblical issues that have eternal consequences. If he continues to preach a false gospel that keeps 1.4 billion Catholics on the wide road to destruction, he is accursed (Gal. 1:6-9). His gospel is more distorted than that of the Judaizers, who were accursed for adding only circumcision. To be accursed is to be put away from the presence of Christ and thrown into an eternal fire prepared for the devil (Mat. 25:41). According to God's Word, those who teach a way of salvation other than through the perfect, finished, all-sufficient work of Jesus Christ alone are to be damned. That is because the most wicked thing anyone can ever do is deceive people about life’s most critical issue: "How a sinner can become right with God and receive the gift of eternal life." This pope, along with all his predecessors, have withheld this life saving truth for centuries. They are like doctors who withhold the only cure for a deadly disease from their patients.

Questions for Catholics to Consider

There are some serious questions about the pope that Catholics need to consider. Why did Pope Leo XIV pray to Mary when no God fearing man in the Bible ever prays to anyone other than almighty God? The true Head of the Church instructed us to pray to the Father in His Name (Mat. 6:5-15; John 16:23). Another question that begs an answer is why did the Apostle Paul list the offices of the church as apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers and not popes, cardinals, bishops, and priests (Eph. 4:11)? Jesus purposefully forbade the establishment of an authoritative hierarchy for the church when He said: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant (Mat. 20:25–26). The pope must think he is great because he has usurped the titles and authority given to God alone: Holy Father, Head of the Church and Vicar of Christ.

The Minds of Catholics Have Been Led Astray

Have you noticed that pure devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ is not characteristic of many Catholics? Their devotion has been redirected to Mary and the papacy. It really did not matter who would be introduced as their new pope. Thousands of Catholics gathered in St. Peter's square to give him all the praise and honor and glory that should be reserved for the Lord Jesus. The new pope then directed their devotion to Mary when he prayed to her instead of the one and only Holy Father. A few days later he wasted no time in praying to an icon of Mary, in a church named after her, thanking her for his election as pope. While he was a Cardinal, he expressed his devotion to the Virgin, urging the faithful to be inspired by Mary to spread peace and reconciliation in the world. Clearly, the pope has not taken Paul's warning seriously when he wrote: "I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3).

What Will Christians Do with the New Pope?

The question for Christians is not, who will wear the papal crown, but who will wear the armor of God and contend for the true faith that was signed, sealed and delivered at the close of the first century? We cannot remain silent and allow Rome’s false doctrines and perpetual idolatry to go unabated. We must have the courage to fight the good fight of faith because the eternal destiny of many souls are at risk. Let us pray that the Lord would grant His Church the discernment and desire to protect the purity and exclusivity of God's Gospel!

Mike Gendron - Proclaiming the Gospel