Can Evangelicals and Catholics Walk Together?

I remembered how I was told that it's just a matter of interpretation and that both Roman Catholic and Protestant are the same. There was a movement called Evangelicals and Catholics Together. The biggest movement had both the late Billy Graham and the late John Paul II. John Paul II called Graham his brother in Christ. The Catholic Herald openly called Graham as a friend of the Jesuits. I remembered still watching the Trinity Broadcasting Network when I was newly saved and started to see the deadly compromise. I was guilt-induced way too many times that Roman Catholics and Protestants can walk together. Half of me wanted to agree because I had plenty of unsaved relatives. Half of me felt conviction that no, it can't be. It was a very difficult thing after I was crushed with the burden of unsaved relatives, most of my classmates are Roman Catholic (fortunately one of them converted to Christianity with his older brother), and I was getting more attached to Biblical teaching. 

There are some common beliefs between Roman Catholics and Evangelicals. We can consider that these are common beliefs between the two groups:
  • Both religions believe in the Holy Triune God - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 
  • Both religions believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who died for the sins of mankind. 
  • Both religions believe in the need for grace for salvation and that men are sinners in need of a Savior.

It sounds like both can agree, right? However, these vital differences are too contradictory with each other to even be a "just a matter of interpretation":
  • The matter of salvation is a very crucial issue. Evangelicals believe that salvation is by grace through faith which leads to a life of good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). However, Roman Catholicism teaches that salvation is by faith plus works in which the doctrine is condemned by Romans 11:6-8. What works are needed? Well... here are some of them that can be enumerated:
    • A lot of prayers. Prayers to Mary, prayers to saints, pray the Rosary, pray the act of contrition, etc.
    • Rather than confess your sins directly to God - Roman Catholics say that you must confess your sins to a priest. Did they ever bother to read 1 John 1:9 properly? James 5:16 says to confess your sins to each other, not to a priest. Again, verses unanalyzed and taken out of context.
    • Salvation by absolute obedience to the Pope. Pope Boniface VIII even said that obedience to the Pope is necessary for salvation. That's very different from obedience as a result of salvation. 
    • Added is that priests are supposedly there to help save souls. Attending the Mass is mandated for salvation. They must adhere to the bread and wine as if it's the body and blood of Christ in its essence even if they still look the same and taste the same. To say it's merely symbolic or the spiritual presence view (as the Reformers did) is to be declared anathema (Canon 6, p. 80). 
    • Canon 11, 12, 24, 30, and 32 have all declared that salvation by grace through faith is anathema. 
  • The role of Mary in both religions. Evangelicals have a special place for Mary as a sister-in-Christ. However, Roman Catholics have added Mary as a co-mediator with Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5 says there is only one Mediator between God and man. Evangelicals believe Mary is a sinner saved by grace. However, Roman Catholicism has elevated Mary beyond biblical levels. 
  • The very issue of Sola Scriptura is also very crucial. According to Rome, the practice is inapplicable based on the verses used to defend it when the Bible wasn't complete yet. However, the Roman Catholic institution's rejection of it has resulted in a lot of unbiblical doctrines (and they can't be called apostolic either) and practices such as:
    • The celibate priesthood is enforced since A.D. 1079. However, 1 Timothy 3:1-7 says that pastors are to be the husband of one wife. Leviticus 22 requires priests to be married. 1 Timothy 4:1-3 calls enforced celibacy a doctrine of devils.
    • Calling Peter as a visible head of the Church. Is the Church a two-headed monstrosity or does it only have one head? The Popes have claimed themselves to be Peter's successor based on a faulty interpretation of Matthew 16:18-19. The Popes have been elevating themselves higher and higher throughout the centuries. Worse, Papal scandals are well-kept secret if they want to present the image of a man worthy of being called the title of "holy father".
    • The doctrine of Purgatory is also added that people who die in the grace of God must be first submitted to a state of temporal suffering. This would also mean that the sacrifice of Christ wasn't enough on the cross and that you must pay for your sins. Purgatory further adds to the heresy of salvation by works. Prayers for the departed faithful are added as a very powerful goldmine. 

Unfortunately, one great error led to another greater error in the long run. Martin Luther King Jr. was an ecumenical preacher who had an audience with the Pope. King's ecumenism was very well-documented and so are his adulteries. No surprise that King who is a sexually immoral person holds hands with the sexually immoral priests of Rome. Seeking unity with apostate Evangelicals is just one thing. Seeking unity with other religions with even greater contrasts such as Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Jainism, and the anti-Catholic cults has even become greater. 

What is the biggest issue right now? Roman Catholics need to really either repent or perish. All roads lead to the same God? All roads lead to Heaven? Are these differences just minor? Sorry to say but they're not. I may sound harsh and be a bigot but it's the truth that must be heard. But it's truth said out of love for precious souls that may go to Hell any time soon.