This article is being written for a number of reasons, not least to refute inaccuracies I have read over the past few days about Catholicism; more specifically to refute mis-information in an article which suggests that Catholicism is a polytheistic religion. I write it as a Christian who belongs to the Roman Catholic faith.

The First Commandment: Exodus 20:2-11

‘ I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the place of slave-labour.

You will have no gods other than me.

You must not make yourselves any image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth;

you must not bow down to these gods or serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God and I punish the parents* fault in the children, the grandchildren and the great*grandchildren, among those who hate me.’

2110- The first commandment forbids honouring gods other than the one Lord who has revealed Himself to His people.

2112- The first commandment condemns polytheism. It requires man neither to believe in,nor to venerate, other divinities than The One True God. Scripture constantly recalls this rejection of ‘idols,(of) silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see’

2113- Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. Idolatry consists of divinising what is not God.

2114- Man commits idolatry whenever he honours and reveres anything in place of God,whether this be gods or demons,power,pleasure,race,ancestors,the state, money.

Idolatry is perversion of man’s innate religious sense. An idolater is someone who ‘transfers his indestructible notion of God to anything other than God.

So,according to the strict tenets of the Catholic church; we worship God and God alone.

The terms ‘dulia’ and ‘latria’ are as far apart in meaning as creature and Creator.

Yes as Catholics we do believe in intercessory prayer; we pray for each other. We also ask the intercession of those souls who have gone before us to God; the saints and holy souls.

We do not pray to dead people; we pray to those who are alive in Christ. Isn’t life after death a fundamental belief of all Christians? However, all prayer is directed to God and only God can answer prayer.

Our special reverence to the blessed saints who have gone before us is ‘dulia’.

Our Blessed Mother, the Mother of our church is revered above all the saints, She is after all the Mother of God , The Virgin. She was born without original sin.Her ‘Fiat’ ,through Her own free will , to be the Mother of God ,made Her a unique part of the divine plan for the salvation of humanity.For that we are forever grateful.

She is not a god, we do not revere Her as a god/goddess. We do revere Her as the Mother of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. We believe Our Blessed Mother intercedes for us through Christ our Lord.

Hyperdulia-is the term used for the special reverence we as Catholics, have for Our Lady.

The term Latria, is used to describe the worship we have for Our Lord Jesus Christ.’Latria’ stands alone-it has no superlative –it needs no superlative; We only worship The one true God and God alone.(One hubber recently used the term hyper-latria in connection with Our Lady).

This term simply does not exist. God Is God .There cannot be a more or less godly God; a God deserving of more or less worship: A God deserving of more or less adoration..God is God.

As an example of contemporary Catholic teaching on this subject one could hardly quote anything better expressed than the "Catechism of Christian Doctrine" used in England by command of the Catholic bishops .In four points, this book sums up the whole Catholic position exactly.

1/ It is forbidden to give divine honour or worship to the angels and saints for this belongs to God alone."

2/ "We should pay to the angels and saints an inferior honour, for this is due to them as the servants and special friends of God."

3/ "We should give to relics, crucifixes and holy pictures a relative honour, as they relate to Christ and his saints and are memorials of them."

4/ "We do not pray to relics or images, for they can neither see nor hear nor help us.

(Catholic Encyclopaedia)

Finally I will finish with The Apostles’ Creed as said daily by Catholics.

I believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day, He rose again.
He ascended to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.Amen

 Catholicism is clearly a monotheistic religion.

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