Crosswalk: How are Catholics dealing with the scandals involving priests, which some media outlets are highlighting? Is this a problem unique to their faith?

Bailey: It’s not limited to Roman Catholics. There have been people of all persuasions that have been involved in such scandals, at times to epidemic proportions, as it’s been revealed and exposed. That is tragic whether it happens within the Catholic church or outside of it

Crosswalk: Lastly, some of our readers may wonder if it possible for this Pope – or any Catholic – to be saved. Can you comment on that?

Bailey: Some people can find themselves part of a tradition that holds certain truths, but they themselves have come to a personal faith in Christ and are dependent only on Christ for their salvation through what He did on the cross. Our prayer, obviously, is that this Pope had come to that conclusion. And the next pope, we would hope, will place the authority in Scripture and would see the exclusivity of Jesus as the only possibility of salvation and that the death of Christ and not our works is the absolute provision by a gracious God for our sin.

I have known Roman Catholics that are believers. My personal preference would be that they then distinguish themselves from those who hold to a different doctrine. But there are Baptists in bad Baptist churches. There are Presbyterians in bad Presbyterian churches, who have lost the message of the Gospel, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be people who – because of family or because they want to have an impact – stay within that system for the purpose of evangelism and hopefully, renewal.

For more on this topic, visit Albert Mohler's weblog on Crosswalk.com. Learn more about Dallas Theological Seminary at www.dts.edu.