I think warm and fuzzy is nice.... and I'm kind of warm and fuzzy myself when it comes to my brothers and sisters in Christ. My theology of the church permits that.
On the other hand, I preferred the earlier Popes who clearly said, "Non-Catholics are wrong about some stuff." Without all this implied relativism, Kum-by-yah - ism, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood stuff, all this kissing of the Koran but ignoring the Augsburg and Westminster Confessions, all this "many roads to heaven" stuff.
I think the Pope is wrong about some stuff. Not a lot of stuff, nothing that remotely will keep him out of Heaven, nothing that remotely makes him a heretic - but wrong about some stuff. I still love him as a full, unseparated brother in Christ with whom I'll be spending eternity in Heaven because of the Blood of the Lamb - but wrong about some stuff. It's okay, when he gets to Heaven Jesus will make a Lutheran out of him. I can wait for that.
I think we can end the HATE and discrimination and (literal) wars and shouts of "You need to get saved!" and all the perpetual FALSEHOODS that get shouted on both sides.... yet admit the obvious: We don't agree on EVERYTHING. I can live with that. Heck, I don't agree with myself on everything. We SHOULD discuss what separates us - I'm VERY much in favor of that, and I don't think we do that NEARLY enough - but I'm honest enough to realize we probably won't all ever agree with all until we get to Heaven and Jesus makes Lutherans of everyone. Our brains are puny and fallen - that we don't all articulate our human attempts to wrap our brains around the Mysteries of God honestly doesn't surprise me. Meanwhile..... I love Catholics, affirm them as my full, unseparated, in-every-way equal and equally blessed Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Just wrong about some stuff (then again, it could be I'm wrong about some stuff, too, LOL)
- Josiah