When people love the Pope....

"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."

This is the teaching of Vatican II. Lumen Gentium, No. 25 teaches us that:

'In matters of faith and morals, the bishops speak in the name of Christ and the faithful are to accept their teaching and adhere to it with a religious assent of soul. This religious submission of will and intellect must be shown in a special way to the authoritative magisterium of the Roman Pontiff, even when he is not speaking ex cathedra."

Now, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reflects the teaching of this authoritative magisterium. In his Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum: On the Publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II said that: "The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I approved June 25th last and the publication of which I today order by virtue of my Apostolic Authority, is a statement of the Church's faith and of catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, the Apostolic Tradition, and the Church's Magisterium. I declare it to be a sure norm for teaching the faith and thus a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion..." (No. 3).

And this same Catechism, which Pope John Paul II said was "..the object of extensive consultation among all Catholic Bishops, their Episcopal Conferences or Synods, and of theological and catechetical institutes" (Fidei Depositum, No. 1), teaches authoritatively on the subject of the well-known axiom Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus:

"'Outside the Church there is no salvation' How are we to understand this affirmation, offten repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body: Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church, He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.'" (No. 846, citing Lumen Gentium, No. 14).

But this same Catechism also teaches us that:

"This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church: 'Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gosel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.'" (No. 847, citing Lumen Gentium, No. 16).

The Saint Benedict Center cult in Richmond, New Hampshire does not accept this authoritative magisterial teaching. Instead, as with most dissidents both "liberal" and "conservative," they prefer the teachings of persons whose ideas clash with the authoritative Magisterium of the Pope and Bishops.

In a letter to Mrs. Terri O'Rorke, a Catholic laywoman from the Monadnock area, the Rev. Edward Arsenault had this to say:

I write to you in reply to your letter dated May 24, 2007. I share your concern about the ongoing controversy and difficulties with the Saint Benedict Center. As you know, the Saint Benedict Center has no permission or authority to exercise any Ministry on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church in New Hampshire.

Bishop McCormack has and will continue to do all that he can to encourage people to refrain from participating in any of the spiritual exercises at the Saint Benedict Center. For my part, I will continue to make it clear that Saint Benedict Center has no affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church in any way. Please know that I will continue to pray for you and all those who are affected by difficulties that have been created by the Saint Benedict Center.

With every good wish,
I remain sincerely yours in Christ
Edward J Arsenault
Moderator of the Curia
Manchester NH

There is really no way around this. The Saint Benedict Center cult has no affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church in any way. Louis Villarrubia, who likes to portray himself as both a Religious Brother and a Deacon in the Catholic Church, is actually neither. His cult has no standing in the Church. And his refusal to accept and adhere to the authoritative magisterial teaching of the Church regarding the correct interpretation of Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus is shameful.