Pope: Methodists Suck.

From the Washington Post:

The Vatican said on Tuesday Christian denominations outside Roman Catholicism were not full churches of Jesus Christ. ***

A 16-page document by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which Pope Benedict once headed, described Christian Orthodox churches as true churches, but suffering from a "wound" since they do not recognize the primacy of Pope.

But the document said the "wound is still more profound" in Protestant denominations.

"Despite the fact that this teaching has created no little distress ... it is nevertheless difficult to see how the title of 'Church' could possibly be attributed to them," it said.

Lord Ganesh was unavailable for comment.

UPDATE - Local religious leaders respond in your Chicago Sun-Times:

The Rev. Paul Rutgers, a Chicago-area Presbyterian leader, said that claims about absolute religious truth aren't unique to Catholics and may be one of the "great theological battlegrounds" of this century.

"We're seeing a resurgence of those claiming absolute truth," he said. "It gives them a refuge against the storms of the modern world." ***

Malik Mujahid, who heads the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, said "This is a matter for our Christian brothers and sisters to dwell on."

And that confusing Sunni/Shiite schism is starting to look kinda familiar...