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>>Turning the Bible into a legal document ain’t the only game in town, you know.<<

Not sure what you mean by this comment.

I've studied a little, not extensive. Is this in extra-biblical writings such as the Apocrypha <- did I spell that correctly.

I've always been taught that no one is holy except the Lord.

Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty. Referring to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Wouldn't this deify the pope by referring to him as holy?

Again, not challenging you, just earnestly curious of the biblical context.

I'm also stunned that the Vatican would call for a world body of anything, seeing as the connotation drums end times prophecy talk.

Do you have an opinion in regards to this?

I absolutely respect your curiousity and intend to answer you in the spirit of equanimity you've already brought with your post.

Nevertheless, I do tend to the acerbic by nature and ask you to bear with me if I should ruffle your sensibilities.

I've always been taught that no one is holy except the Lord.

I understand. This is a fairly standard non-Catholic criticism of Catholics, and bear in mind i also understand you are not critizing per se, at this point.

This teaching comes from a legalistic reading of Luke 18:19 :
And Jesus said to him, Why call you me good? none is good, save one, that is, God

Now keep in mind, the same people who teach this as a criticism of Catholicism, and add Matthew 23:9 for good measure...(And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven) to criticize the Catholic tradition of giving priests the title "Father," don't seem to have any problem with Paul calling men holy in many places such as Titus 1:8 and 1Thes 5:27, nor do they grieve over NT writers repeatedly referring to Abraham as father all through the NT, not the least of which are the 4 or 5 examples just in Romans 4.

In summation, what I am telling you is those who have taught you, whether explicitly or implicitly, are looking for "problems to have" to justify their rejection of the Church that Jesus commissioned so long ago.

This is the import of my statement that had you wondering at the beginning of your post. Does a narrow reading of Scripture to bring accusation against the piety of another strike you as "grace" or "legalism?"