Tammy, I’m sorry but that just doesn’t make sense. There should be no dichotomy between belief and act. I’m afraid sometimes our non-catholic friends are so afraid of “good works” that they have made “good works” a bad thing.

Plus, it’s simply that the Holy Father is busy, you know, doing good works and believing in Christ. He had not intended to see the movie, says the article.

I don’t believe that acting pietistic is the answer.

There is a difference between being sinful and repentant and sinful and unrepentant. Biblical admonitions dictate different approaches to each, for the sake of the unrepentant and for the sake of scandalizing others. If avoiding leading others into sin by not giving the impression that unrepented sinful acts are unimportant, is pietistic then I disagree with your statement. Jesus repeatedly warned that one must be careful in his acts not to lead others into sin. This includes by one’s actions, avoiding implying that sinful acts are unimportant or even acceptable. It is often a difficult matter to discern the most prudent action in any given situation. However, what I would suggest is unacceptable is for Christians to criticize other Christians for considering this obligation in their actions and uncharitably judging their motivations. Having said this, I do not think that this situation attains here.

Preach Christ and not good works.
This is a false dichotomy. To preach Christ is to preach conversion not simply in intellect but in the whole person including his actions. Jesus over and over preached that one who does not keep His commandments cannot be saved. It is not an either/or proposition. The biblical admonition is that for salvation it is “both/and”; we must have faith and we must cooperate with grace and keep the commandments.

His sin shows in his acts just as much as mine shows in my acts..

Since not going to a movie is not a sinful act, you must be judging the interior state of the Pope’s soul by intuiting his motivation as sinful. This is an act that Jesus warns against (judge not lest you be judged). In this passage, Jesus does not warn against judging actions but against judging the person’s state of soul.

In the end, if you read Shelray’s linked article you will see that the Vatican said that B16 had never planned to go to the movie.

That means the girl playing Mary might have used drugs or maybe pregnant and unmarried. She might has sworn or used God’s name in vain. She is IMPERFECT and in need (as you and I are) of a Savior.

Preach Christ and not good works. If the Pope refuses to see this movie based on the sinful act of one of the actors in the movie then he best not ever see another movie for the rest of his life.

He is reassuring the non-believers in the world that your a Christian by the way you ACT when he should be telling them that you are a Christian by the way you BELIEVE. Actions don’t always dictate what you believe because of our sinful condition, we mess up daily. EVEN THE POPE.

His sin shows in his acts just as much as mine shows in my acts.