Catholicism places itself into the instrumentation of salvation as an equal with God.
The church is there for aiding in sanctification; Christians are justified by faith alone.
Discussion
Christ is aiding in sanctification has He asked His Church to do.
The church would have burned you at the stake for claiming you could be justified by faith alone in Jesus Christ, and did execute many for that very truth.
I can't answer for that ... The "church" burned St. Jeanne d'Arc but they (the bishop) didn't have the actual power to do that and Rome wouldn't have allowed it. The challenge is to sperate the real Church from the people that pretend to be part of the Church. Kind of like Germans of WWII were they all responsible for the atrocities committed ? For the Church in this case it is easier because you can read the published catechism. If you find errors in the counsel of Trent catechism let me know and I'll rethink things. And lets not forget our othrodox brothers and sisters believe very close to the same as Catholics (some would say miles apart but that's a different debate). If you can keep the faith without the sacraments great (I'm not here to condemn people in matters too sublime for me.) But I believe everyone would do better with the additional grace of confession and Holy Communion.
I’m not a Roman Catholic but the commenter is referring to the Eucharist which Christ Himself establishes as normative for salvation. And Paul clearly affirms that the Eucharist (as it was in the first instance in the upper room) is a communal meal shared within the Church. This isn’t to say that salvation is impossible by another means (what is impossible with God?). But Jesus was so clear about this that it scandalized some disciples. He specifies not just belief, but to eat of His Body and Blood to gain eternal life.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?””
â€â€John‬ â€6‬:â€47‬-â€60‬ â€NKJV‬‬
“I speak as to wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.”
â€â€I Corinthians‬ â€10‬:â€15‬-â€17‬