Not all Catholics understand this. One just wrote, "There are writers who, even as they say they are faithful to the Magisterium, attack priests and bishops publicly. Some attack the Pope. That is harmful to the unity of charity."
Now obviously those who attack the Pope are placing themselves in spiritual danger. It was Pope St. Pius X, the Pope of the Eucharist, who said that: "When people love the pope, they do not discuss his orders; they do not question the extent of their obedience, nor in what matters they are to obey. When people love the pope, they do not pretend that he has not spoken clearly enough, as if he were obliged to whisper in each one's ear that which he has often expressed so clearly in words and encyclicals. They cannot cast doubt upon his order under the pretext so commonly adduced by those who are unwilling to obey, that it is not the pope who commands but those who surround him; they cannot limit the ground on which he may and ought to exercise his authority; in matters of authority, they cannot give preference to persons whose ideas clash with those of the pope, however learned these may be, for though they be learned, they are not saints."
That is precisely the creed of this Blog. Which is why I have made so many enemies [and even more friends] over the years. I stand with the Holy Father and those Bishops who are in communion with him. Deacon Nick Donnely of Protect the Pope [himself a real gift to the Church] knows this. He has said that this humble Blog was the inspiration for his website. I stand with the Pope because obedience and loyalty to the Holy Father are the hallmarks of true Catholics. And true Catholics - as opposed to those counterfeit Catholics who are comfortable with the Magisterium being attacked and undermined - fully agree with Pope Pius XII who, in his Encyclical Letter Humani Generis, stated clearly that: "...God has given to His Church a living Teaching Authority to elucidate and explain what is contained in the deposit of faith only obscurely and implicitly. This deposit of faith our Divine Redeemer has given for authentic interpretation not to each of the faithful, not even to theologians, but only to the Teaching Authority of the Church."
But standing with the Holy Father and the Magisterium of the Church does not require us, as faithful Catholics, to look the other way while the seeds of dissent are being sown by clerics who have lost, or are in the process of losing - their Catholic Faith. Which is why when Cardinal Francis George suggested that the Church's teaching relative to homosexuality and same-sex "marriage" may have to change, I took him to task publically. You see, not even a Cardinal may contradict the Magisterial teaching of the Church. And because sodomite priest Father Bernard Lynch is actively engaged in a campaign to promote radical homosexual agitprop, I publically took him to task.
St. Francis de Sales, a Doctor of the Church, in his Introduction to the Devout Lfe, expresses himself: "If the declared enemies of God and of the Church ought to be blamed and censured with all possible vigor, charity obliges us to cry wolf when the wolf slips into the midst of the flock and in every way and place we may meet him." Charity obliges us to oppose the wolf, "in every way and place we may meet him." Both those wolves which attack within the Church. And those wolves which attack from without.
Our attitude should be that of St. Paul: "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed! Am I now currying favor with human beings or God? Or am I seeking to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ." (Galatians 1: 8-10).
Sadly, many Catholics confuse criticism with condemnation - as evidenced in a recent post at this Blog. Even some clerics confuse the two. See here.
Related reading: Fr. Robert Hoatson's constructive criticism for Cardinal O'Malley.
If we only knew what makes for authentic peace. See here.
10 comments:
Saint Thomas Aquinas tells us that, "If the faith is in imminent peril, prelates ought to be accused by their subjects, even in public."
And Pope St. Felix III tells us that, "Not to oppose error is to APPROVE IT; and not to defend truth is to suppress it; and indeed to neglect to confound evil men, when we can do it, is no less a sin than to encourage them."
Let those who are Catholic give heed.
Paul, your fortitude is a shining example to all of the faithful. God bless you! I have another citation which pertains to this thread.
Pope St. Pius X said that, "The greatest obstacle in the apostolate of the Church is the timidity or rather the cowardice of the faithful."
What a shame that those who have succumbed to cowardice cannot even have the good grace to step out of the way of those on the battlefield who have not and are not afraid to fight for Christ, His Pope and the Church.
Saint Augustine, Father and Doctor of the Church, insisted that: "It is better that the truth be known than that scandal be covered up."
Prophets give us the truth. And they are seldom welcome in their native land as Our Lord said. This Blog has been a prophetic voice crying out in a wildernes of lies and deception.
Much of the Church is now in ruins. Entire nations, such as the United States, are once again mission territories as the faith has disintegrated.
These are very uneasy times. Those Catholics who have the courage to speak out in defense of the Church and her magisterial teaching deserve our support and our prayers.
Great post. Thanks Paul. We will see you at the prayer house tomorrow. God bless!
The Catholic you cite must believe that Bishops who are not in communion with the Pope are still part of the magisterium. Apparently this person is not familiar with the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
"The college or body of bishops has no authority unless united with the Roman Pontiff, Peter's successor, as its head." As such, this college has "supreme and full authority over the universal Church; but this power cannot be exercised without the agreement of the Roman Pontiff." (CCC, 883).
That's pretty clear. No authority unless united with the Roman Pontiff.
Wendy, it is Stacy Trasancos in a Blog post titled "The Unity of Charity." And she does in fact suggest that it is a sign of infidelity to the Magisterium to engage in public criticism of dissenting priests and bishops writing, "There are writers who, even as they say they are faithful to the Magisterium, attack priests and bishops publicly.."
Does Stacy believe that ALL priests and bishops are good and faithful men committed to the Church's teaching and living lives of holiness? Many are, but all?
I guess Stacy hasn't heard about dissenting priests such as Father Richard McBrien or Bryan Hehir or bishops such as Archbishop Vincent Nichols who tolerates "gay Masses" in Soho and who allows an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist - Terry Weldon - to propagandize for homosexuality at his website "Queering the Church," where he has implied that Christ had a "gay orientation."
Evidently in Stacy's world all priests and bishops are "off-limits" when it comes to criticism of any kind and such clerics have a free pass to engage in dissent or any other illicit behavior.
Michael, I don't think it's that she hasn't heard about dissenting priests such as Fr. Richard McBrien or Fr. Bryan Hehir or even Bishops like Armando Ochoa. I think she hates seeing them criticized because they advance the culture of dissent. Because they challenge the Magisterium.
I think we are obtaining some rather interesting glimpses into what Stacy Trasancos believes.
How dare an orthodox Catholic engage in public criticism of a dissenting priest, bishop or theologian? Who does he think he is to defend the Magisterial teaching of the Church?
I am beginning to understand why Trasancos was given a column in the dissent-friendly Catholic Free Press.
Here's an example of the CFP's nonsense -
cf.telegram.com/submissions
/blogs.cfm?record_id=628435
Catholic Truth Scotland has this to say about Archbishop Vincent Nichols, a supporter of the "gay Masses" in Soho...
"Archbishop Vincent Nichols once said those who comment adversely on the Soho (“gay”) Masses should learn to hold our tongues. For those of you who still believe these Masses are to help support homosexuals living by the Church’s teaching, watch their leader, former priest, Martin Pendergast, telling you very differently, on this short film. (click on link below)
When these Masses were first introduced some five years ago, it could be argued that the Church authorities were fooled into believing that the homosexuals who wanted them were trying to be faithful to Catholic sexual morality. That is no longer the case. They openly attend with their partners and make no secret of the fact that they are campaigning for a change in teaching on homosexual activity. This is now out there in the public domain. What possible motive, therefore, could Archbishop Nichols (and the Vatican) have for allowing these hotbeds of public dissent known as the Soho Masses, to continue?"
Link:
http://www.catholictruthsco
tland.com/blog/2012/01/when-
will-martin-pendergast-hold-his-tongue-2/
This is the attitude of Stacy Trasancos. She wants faithful laity to hold their tongues and to avoid criticizing priests and bishops who dissent from Church teaching.
"To recoil before an enemy, or to keep silence when from all sides such clamors are raised against truth, is the part of a man either devoid of character or who entertains doubt as to the truth of what he professes to believe. In both cases such mode of behaving is base and is insulting to God, and both are incompatible with the salvation of mankind."
- Pope Leo XIII, Sapientiae Christianae
More than ever, real Catholics need to reflect on this.
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