To most people in the world, especially in the western hemisphere (United States, Canada, etc.), Christianity is the belief that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God and only through him are our sins forgiven. He did say that He is the way, and only through Him can we get to the Father. Pope Francis, on the other hand may have something else to say because according to him, the only way to God is through the Roman Catholic Church.
According to an article by Now The End Begins , Pope Francis enforced this view that the only way to God cannot be done without the Virgin Mary and the Church of Rome. Without both, you are simply condemned to burn for all eternity in hell. The statement that Pope Francis uses that the article brings up is as follows:
“Dear friends, let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, for the grace to never fall into the temptation of thinking we can make it without others, that we can get along without the Church, that we can save ourselves alone, of being Christians of the laboratory. On the contrary, you cannot love God without loving your brothers, you cannot love God outside of the Church; you cannot be in communion with God without being so in the Church.”
Simply going by that statement, there are three things that should be noted for what they state salvation should require. First, there needs to be an intercession of the Virgin Mary. Second, you cannot love God outside of the Church. And third, you cannot be in communion with God without being so in the Church. Going with the Holy Bible, there is no scripture that supports this. As a matter of fact, the article even goes further and states that Pope Francis is the False Prophet, mentioned in the book of Revelations.
However, such exclamations are not new with the Roman Catholic Church. For years, which also includes the years they slaughters millions of Christians simply because they weren’t Catholic, they have expressed their agenda, as stated by Christian Beliefs (End Times Deceptions) . According to their article, the most explicit statement about this came from Ope Eugene IV, in the Bull Cantate Domino in 1441, when he proclaimed ex cathedra:
“The Most Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, also Jews, heretics, and schismatics can ever be partakers of eternal life, but that they are to go into the eternal fire ‘which was prepared for the devil and his angels’ unless before death they are joined with Her…
No one, let his alms giving be as great as it may, no one, even if he pour out his blood for the Name of Jesus Christ can be saved unless they abide within the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church.”
As of now, multiple End Times news sites have become more active in their reporting, especially since many people who have studied the subject believe it is going to happen soon far more than any time in history. All that could be said is to simply look at all the signs in the Bible that need to be fulfilled before the tribulation starts. Sure there are Jesus’s signs such as earthquakes, false prophets, famines, and signs in the sky, but there are also more specific signs such as Israel coming back to life, especially around the Dead Sea.
In the end, most people are going to see Pope Francis as an amazing man that wants to bring peace among religions. I mean if people can look over the Vatican’s blemishing news pertaining to pornography and drugs , then people will surely overlook when Pope Francis twists the Bible.