# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1916_S35
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

of the Ev. Luth. Synodical Conference of North America. 1916. 35

godless had been taken away, and that they were given over to the way of their lusts. Therefore they were such rogues as the Pope now is with his cardinals and bishops, who are not only called gracious lords and princes and hold the kingdoms, but also presume the name of the Church, so that they hold us for heretics and may safely condemn us. Tyrants, godless men, church-robbers they will not be called, but want to be called the most gracious, most holy, most venerable lords . . .; for just as the world does not call the Pope the Antichrist, but gives him the name of the Most Holy and admires him, as one who with his fleshly creatures is wholly full of the Holy Spirit and cannot err, wherefore it also humbly worships him, whatever he commands and bids: so these giants also had a famous name, and the whole world was especially amazed at them. But Noah, on the contrary, is condemned with his people as a rebel, heretic and slanderer of worldly and spiritual majesty, as in our time we who teach the Gospel are held by the Pope and his bishops." (I, 479.) The world admires the papacy, holds it full of the Holy Spirit, calls the Pope the Most Holy: so Luther judges, and his judgment still applies today. The world, the great masses of the people, when it comes into closer contact with the papacy, especially also the distinguished, respectable world, the world that wants to count for something in the world and also does count, these people admire in many cases the papacy and the Roman Church. They regard it as something very valuable, as something holy. The Pope has always understood, and still understands today masterfully, how to give himself a fine Christian appearance. "Tyrants, godless men, church-robbers they will not be called," though they are so in truth, "but the most gracious, most holy and most venerable lords." It pleases the Pope, it belongs to the power of his seduction, that he surrounds himself with a great appearance of Christianity, indeed of special piety and holiness. That is the sheep's clothing in which this ravening wolf wraps himself. The Roman Church boasts of being the Church, the one true Church, founded by Christ, which alone saves, outside of which there is and can be no salvation. It boasts that it alone holds fast to God's Word, to the right doctrine, and has always held fast to it, from the apostles' times until now. It boasts of the only way to salvation, as the sole bearer of divine truth. It boasts of being the firmest and only sure bulwark against the incoming floods of modern unbelief, as the only rock on which one can still gain a foothold in the surging waves of these floods, which swallow up everything else. In this the Roman Church takes its mouth very full. And this impresses the masses of the people, it also impresses many who call themselves Christians, especially in the sectarian churches. In these circles people like to call the Roman Church