1) About Mary
Q) Protestants say praying in front of a statue of Mary is idol worship. Is that true?
A) In Catholic belief, we worship God only, but we honor Mary.
It’s like when you ask a close friend to pray for you when life is hard.
There’s a spiritual training called the Spiritual Exercises by the Jesuits. In this program, people focus only on Jesus during prayer — even some Protestant pastors join.
Immaculate Conception: This means Mary was born without original sin because of God’s special grace.
Assumption of Mary: Catholics believe that when Mary’s life on earth ended, God took her body and soul into heaven.
It’s not like Jesus’ ascension (He went up to heaven by His own power). Mary was taken up by God — similar to what happened to Elijah or Enoch in the Bible.
So, in Catholic teaching, Jesus ascended by Himself, but Mary was assumed (taken up) by God.
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Q) Protestants worry that honoring Mary might take attention away from God.
A) The Catholic Church teaches that nothing should stop us from having a direct relationship with God. Mary is someone who helps us, not someone who replaces God.
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Q) Protestants ask, “Why not pray directly to Jesus?”
A) Catholics do pray to Jesus directly.
Mary is just a helper, not someone with power like God.
Today, it’s actually rare to see people worshiping Mary in the wrong way.
Protestant belief: Jesus is our one true mediator so we can boldly go to God.
Catholic belief: The most important thing is a direct relationship with God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and within that, we may also ask Mary to pray for us.
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2) Confession (Telling your sins to a priest)
Even in Protestant history, there was a big revival in 1907 in Pyongyang where people confessed sins publicly.
Q) Why do Catholics need to confess to a priest? Isn’t our relationship with God enough?
A) It’s not the priest himself who forgives sins.
The priest has this role because the Church gave it to him, and the Church got this mission from Jesus. Jesus gave Peter and the apostles this authority.
In the Bible:
“Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18)
A Protestant pastor once said he felt sad that even though Protestants say they confess to God, many don’t really do it.
Sometimes people just think about it quietly, justify their actions, and move on. But saying your sins out loud to someone helps you truly let go and change.
In the Bible:
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful” (James 5:16)
Even the Pope goes to confession to an ordinary priest in the Catholic Church.
3) The Pope
Q: Is the Pope perfect or without any mistakes?
A: The Catholic teaching called “Papal Infallibility” does not mean that the Pope is a perfect person.
In fact, many Popes have said, “I am a sinner.”
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What does it really mean?
It means that the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, cannot teach wrong things about faith and morals when making official teachings.
This is often called infallibility, but it’s not about the Pope’s personal life or every opinion. -
When the Pope gives advice or speaks, Catholics are encouraged to listen carefully — but it doesn’t mean you must follow everything blindly.
The 10 Commandments – Catholic vs. Protestant
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In the 1st century, a Jewish teacher named Philo organized the long message God gave to Moses into 10 parts.
In that version, the 2nd commandment was: “Do not make or worship idols.” -
But later, St Augustine and other Church Fathers made a new way to group the commandments.
They believed the “no idols” rule was already part of the 1st commandment, which is:
“Worship only the one true God.”
Catholics and Lutherans both recognize the same biblical content of the Ten Commandments
Catholic Belief About Salvation
In the past, the Catholic Church often said:
“There is no salvation outside the Church.”
People used to think this meant:
“If you’re not Catholic, you can’t go to heaven.”
This idea is still part of Church teaching, but today, the Church explains it in a more thoughtful way.
What Do Protestants Believe About Salvation?
Most Protestants believe:
“If you truly believe in Jesus, you are saved right away — and if you die, you go straight to heaven.”
What Does the Catholic Church Believe?
Catholics also believe:
“If you believe in Jesus, you can be saved.”
But we’re more careful with the word “immediately”. That’s because we believe salvation is God’s work, not something we can decide by ourselves.
We trust that following Jesus is the sure path to salvation.
But because God is all-powerful, completely good, and loves every person, we cannot say that people who are not Catholic will definitely be rejected by God.
So What About Non-Catholics?
Can people who are not Catholic — like Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Buddhists, or even those with no religion — be saved?
The answer is:
Only God knows.
We believe God may save them, too, in ways we don’t fully understand.
This shows our trust in God’s mercy and fairness.
What Did the Church Say About This? (Vatican II Teaching)
The Second Vatican Council (an important Catholic meeting) said:
“If someone does not know the Gospel or the Church through no fault of their own, but sincerely looks for God and tries to follow their conscience with the help of God’s grace, they can receive eternal life.”
Even if someone doesn’t clearly know God, but still tries to live a good life with honesty and kindness, God will not ignore them. All truth and goodness in the world comes from God and prepares people to accept His love.
But Let’s Not Be Confused
This does not mean that all religions are the same, or that salvation through Christ is just one of many equal options.
The Catholic Church teaches that:
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Jesus Christ is the one true Savior.
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The Church carries on His mission on Earth.
So, we Catholics can be proud that salvation is shared through the Catholic Church — passed down from Jesus Himself.
But at the same time, we should pray for others, and love everyone, just as God loves them. That’s how we become more like Jesus — full of mercy and compassion.