Why I Left The Roman Catholic Church

By Dudley Davis

The following is a summary of why I am now a Reformed Protestant and no longer a Roman Catholic. My decision to leave Roman Catholicism was not an easy one. I will say it took courage to do so; I was turning my back on the faith I had lived by all life. However I acted on my conscience especially after I read the New Testament. As I read the New Testament I began to see that many of the things I was taught to believe as a Roman Catholic were not only not biblically supported, but many were in direct contradiction to the scriptures. Because of those contradictions is why I initially left the Roman Catholic church. However as I studied further the history of the early church and the Reformation of the 16th century I realized that contrary to what I was taught as a Roman Catholic, that Protestantism and the Protestant church communities left the catholic church, meaning universal church founded by Jesus Christ; I began to believe that the opposite was really true. I began to see that Roman Catholicism drifted from the true Gospel and true Church by adding many things that were not supported in scripture and as I said even contradicted the scriptures. I found that the 16th century reformers who were also Roman Catholic like I was really returned the church communities to the Gospel told in the scriptures and the early Church founded by Christ and the apostles.

I began to see fully as did the Reformers who were, like me, also Roman Catholic and studied the scriptures that from a Roman Catholic perspective, the concept of saving faith is far removed from the biblical teaching of commitment to and simple trust in Christ alone for salvation.

As a Reformed Protestant Christian, a Presbyterian, I know now I am saved by God’s unmerited grace. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast (Eph. 2:8-9).

When I was a Catholic I was required to work by meriting the graces needed for salvation. The RCC teaches we can merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for the attainment of eternal life (CCC 2010).

A Reformed Protestant Christian is saved for good works. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10).
On the contrary a Roman Catholic is saved by good works. Roman Catholics are taught that the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation (CCC 1129).

I am no longer a Roman Catholic because I know by reading the scriptures, God’s word; what Rome teaches is contradictory to the scriptures regarding our salvation.

I am a Presbyterian today and a Reformed Protestant because the Reformed faith teaches the truth of salvation according to the Scriptures. The Reformed Protestant faith teaches that Salvation is ALL of Christ. No one may ascribe their repenting and believing (even partly) to their own wisdom, humility sound judgment or good sense … but to Christ alone (1 Cor 1:29, 30). Salvation is of the Lord.

We affirm salvation it is by Christ alone – it’s all of grace. We reject anything beyond this for salvation: Good will, works, obedience and merit add nothing to our just standing before God (Rom 9:16; Gal 3:3; Eph 2:9). Neither these nor anything else can help us attain or maintain our just standing before God. It only as we are joined to Christ by the Holy Spirit that we have a living faith and are declared righteous in His sight – and all our sins, both now and forever are forgiven on account of His name alone.

The Reformed Protestant theology teaches Justification is by faith alone for we cannot merit salvation; if we could Christ would not have had to die on Calvary to save all who believe. However the process of justification coincides with sanctification whereby we do good works because we are Justified in the righteousness of Christ. The point is that we must distinguish between good works and meritorious works, there are no meritorious works we could do to achieve salvation. We are saved by faith alone and because of our faith alone we do good works.

I am today a Reformed Protestant, a member of the Presbyterian church and no longer a Roman Catholic because I know that it is by grace alone we are saved by faith alone in Christ alone. I know this is true because the scriptures teach this and they as the Word of God are our only and final authority, not the bishop of Rome, the pope.

As a Protestant I give all glory and honor to God alone and no other. ~ Dudley Davis ~

Pope Francis places flowers near a statue of Mary as he prays in the Little Chapel of the Apparitions in Fatima. PAUL HARING | CNS

In May of this year, Pope Francis traveled to Fatima, Portugal for the centennial celebration of the alleged appearance of Mary, the mother of Jesus, to three children in 1917. The Roman Catholic church claims an angel appeared three times to the three children, Lucia Dos Santos (age 9), and her cousins Francisco Marto (age 8) and Jacinta Marto (age 6), beginning in 1916; followed by six appearances of Mary to the children (plus an additional appearance of Mary accompanied by Jesus to Lucia after she had become a nun).
During the ceremony, Pope Francis made an offering of a silver vase containing 24 karat gold roses to a statue of Mary, after which Francis bowed to the statue and prayed,
“Hail Holy Queen, Blessed Virgin of Fatima, Lady of Immaculate Heart, our refuge and our way to God!” Francis continued, referring to himself as a “prophet and messenger,” “With your hands lifted in prayer to the Lord, draw all people together into one human family. … Hail, Mother of the Lord, Virgin Mary, Queen of the Rosary of Fatima! … you are the image of the Church robed in paschal light, you are the honor of our people, you are the victory over every assault of evil. … teach us, in this valley of joys and sorrows, the eternal truths that the Father reveals to the little ones. Show us the strength of your protective mantle. In your Immaculate Heart, be the refuge of sinners and the way that leads to God. In union with my brothers and sisters, in faith, in hope and in love, I entrust myself to you. In union with my brothers and sisters, through you, I consecrate myself to God, O Virgin of the Rosary of Fatima. And at last, enveloped in the Light that comes from your hands, I will give glory to the Lord for ever and ever. Amen.”1

At this point it is necessary to be clear on the definitions of the terms worship and veneration, so as to avoid any confusion regarding what the pope did at Fatima. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary website, the term worship refers to reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also: an act of expressing such reverence; or, [the] extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem; or, [the] excessive admiration of or devotion to a person. Synonyms (words which mean the same thing) for “worship” include: adoration, reverence, and veneration. Thesaurus.com adds to this list of synonyms: devotion, adulation, and reverence. Not surprisingly, the meaning of the word “veneration” is: “veneration early 15c., from M.Fr. veneration, from L. venerationem (nom. veneratio) 'reverence,' from venerari 'to worship, revere'.” (according to Thesaurus.com).
Clearly, by making offerings and prayer to the statue of Mary, and by extension, Mary herself, the pope was worshiping Mary, the mother of Jesus. This is a form of idolatry; and again we turn to the dictionary to have a clear understanding of the term. Idolatry is defined as the worship of idols; or, the extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone. Synonyms include idolization, idol worship, adulation, adoration, reverence, and veneration. Therefore, when someone offers extreme admiration, love, reverence, adulation, adoration, or veneration of a thing or a person, then that someone is engaging in idolatry, the worship of an idol. And again, this is what Pope Francis was doing in Fatima.
God Himself spoke very clearly on this subject in Exodus 20:4-5 when He said, “4'You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,'” [emphasis added].

This is the exact same thing the children of Israel did in Exodus 32 when they had Aaron, the brother of Moses, fashion for them an idol to worship in the form of a golden calf; and just as Pope Francis did, they also made an offering to their idol. (verse 6). And what was the Lord's response to their idol worship? The Lord's wrath burned hot against them for they had corrupted themselves (verses 7-10); and they, like Francis, sinned greatly. (verse 30)
Scripture also speaks clearly regarding God's response to such unrighteousness in Romans 1:18-25, which states, “18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” [emphasis added]

Idolatry is an abomination to the Lord (Deuteronomy 7:26; Isaiah 44:9-20; Galatians 5:19-21), and there is no other way to describe it; but perhaps just as abominable is the prayer Francis made to the statue of Mary. Note again the words of his prayer:

“Hail Holy Queen, Blessed Virgin of Fatima, Lady of Immaculate Heart, our refuge and our way to God!” This is in direct contradiction to Jesus' words in John 14:6, Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” There is no mention of Mary being the way to God, and this is because only Jesus is the way to God. But rather than adhering to Scripture, to the words of the Savior Himself, Pope Francis rejects Jesus as the way to God, and replaces God the Son, the Creator, with the created saying Mary, a mere human, as the way to God.

Francis then goes on to not only deny Jesus again, but God the Father as well, and also the Holy Spirit, when he prays, “Hail, Mother of the Lord, Virgin Mary, Queen of the Rosary of Fatima! … you are the victory over every assault of evil. … teach us, in this valley of joys and sorrows, the eternal truths that the Father reveals to the little ones.” Again, this contrary to God's Holy Word. It is not Mary who is the source of “victory over every assault of evil,” but rather God Himself, through Jesus Christ as His inspired Word tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:56-57: “56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Nor is Mary the one to teach us “the eternal truths that the Father reveals,” as that role is reserved for God the Holy Spirit who is the Spirit of Truth. The Apostle John wrote under the inspiration of God, “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:17) and, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
The Pope goes on to pray, “Show us the strength of your protective mantle. In your Immaculate Heart, be the refuge of sinners and the way that leads to God.” Once again, Francis removes God from His rightful place, and replaces Him with Mary. Psalm 46:1 states, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” and Psalm 91:2 reiterates this with, “I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.'” God is our refuge, not Mary. As sinners in desperate need of a savior, we do not turn to another human being. Scripture does not tell us to seek protection, strength, or refuge in Mary. On the contrary, Scripture tells us our refuge is in God Himself! (cf. Ex. 33:22; Deut. 33:27; Ps. 18:2; Ps. 27:5; Ps. 31:20; Ps. 71:3; Prov. 14:26; Prov. 18:10; Is. 25:4; Zech. 9:12; Jere. 16:19).
Additionally, Francis repeats his false teaching that it is Mary's “immaculate heart” that is the way to God. As noted before, there is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus. Not Mary, but only Jesus. Period. (John 14:6)
Francis finishes his prayer by entrusting himself not to God, and not to Jesus, but to Mary. He “consecrates” himself to God, but not through Jesus, but again through Mary; and he prays he will be “enveloped” in the Light that comes not from God, but from Mary. Three times in succession in the conclusion of his prayer to Mary, Francis elevates Mary above God and above Jesus, similar to the statement of Satan to Eve in the Garden of Eden: “You will be like God.” (Genesis 3:5)
Throughout his prayer to Mary, Pope Francis blasphemes God repeatedly through his anti-biblical and anti-God, and anti-Jesus Christ statements. They are, however, completely in line with his idolatry, which is amply expressed in making offerings to the graven image of another human, then bowing to it and praying to it. Mary is, for Pope Francis, his golden calf.


1. The pope's entire prayer is too long to include here, but may be read at the Vatican's official website at, https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/prayers/documents/papa-francesco_preghiere_20170512_fatima.html)