Reclaiming the Strayed Sheep
© Prax Maskaren. 23nd May 2003.
Dear Friends of the Unity Dialog Initiative.
Following the Great Apostasy, souls are thrown into turmoil and a great many came to doubt the Catholic Faith and its immunity from total destruction or failure. As a result, many souls have decided that the rivals of the Church are right, and have joined them. Some joined the Byzantine Schismatics while others joined the Antiochene Jacobites, Nestorians, Anglicans, Old-Catholics, Feeneyites, Palmarians, etc.
Today, many of them are drawn to the Catholic Resistance, sometimes by curiosity and sometimes by the rising hope that Catholicism is not finished-off after all.
Many of these come in with priestly and episcopal ordinations. And most of them come in with some or the other ideological baggage brought back from the sects to which they had strayed.
Indeed, it is often that these individuals or groups have not entirely made the mental trip back and are trying to sit on two stools - continuing to remain formally within those sects, while at the same time attempting to be part of the Catholic Resistance.
However, Resistance lacks a Central Authority to regulate and direct. And many in the Resistance seemingly have no compunction in fraternising with the sects.
[Indeed, I have noticed, to my chagrin, that many 'reliable' and 'reputed' groups are either careless or worse(?), for they list in their links page Feeneyite sites such as the 'From the Housetops' newsletter...]
Therefore, instead of a formal and up-front reversion to Catholicism, these revertees subtly and clandestinely inveigle themselves into Resistance ranks, passing themselves of as being of us, priests and bishops in the good standing of the Church.
This is an unacceptable state of affairs.
Moreover, it is dangerous, for such individuals and groups tend to draw off the unwary members or neophytes of the Catholic Resistance to those sects.
It is therefore necessary to be on the guard against these tendencies.
However, at the same time, I believe that the Catholic Resistance must adopt a policy of mixed austerity and of mercifulness towards these revertees.
We must be strict with them in requiring them to entirely abandon the sects and all of their ideological baggage, conforming entirely to the Catholic Church without compromise.
On the other hand, out of pastoral concern for their souls, we must make them welcome with prudence and caution, into our ranks, but only after they have formally abjured heresy and schisms.
A further question arises as to the orders received and exercised by these revertees.
We must follow without compromise the official Church policy regulating the worthiness of those chosen for the sacred ministries and the norms and procedures of their ordinations and consecrations.
Therefore we reject ALL Old-Catholic Orders as extremely doubtful, and insist that those who received such orders ABSOLUTELY not exercise them excepting those judged to be very worthy, who must conditionally be re-ordained or re-consecrated, as the case may be, by Resistance bishops with indubitable orders.
Those of these (ex-Old-Catholic) revertees who wish to continue to live life as religious must be permitted, being admitted into the established groups or erected into new ones under the watchful guidance of some leading Resistance figure or the other.
On the other hand, individuals who received ordinations or consecrations from the more mature sects and cults, where the proper norms have been maintained so that the Church recognizes the validity of these orders, must be permitted to continue in the ministry after formally abjuring their errors and being received into the Church. (Just as Bishop Yurii Yurchyk, formerly of the Autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church under Filaret, was received back into the Church by Bishop Pivarunas).
I would suggest that we erect a formal mechanism or group, which can invite and receive these revertees into the Church in accordance with its rules.
I would like debate on this proposal.
Prax Maskaren
Date: Fri, 23 May 2003
Dear Prakash,
You have hit on one of the main reasons we need a Pope. The only one competent to receive a cleric into the Church, who was ordained outside of it, is the Pope. Throughout history, various methods have been employed, depending on the case. I can agree with everything, but allowing them to function, until they submit to Us, as Pope. No authority on earth, except the Pope, is allowed to restore their faculties. This is what has caused the confusion in the first place.
Therefore such a cleric must abjure his heresies, and make the Profession of Faith. After that, then We, as Pope, can receive him into the Church as a layman. If he wishes to be restored to the clerical state, then he must demonstrate sufficient knowledge. His orders must be investigated, missing orders supplies in the case of per saltam ordination, and then finally We remove the irregularity for heresy, which all have incurred. (See my recent post to the egroup) What has happened, is that these people (some in good faith) have proceeded to a solution to the Church problems, without getting to the root of the problem, the necessity of a Pope.
We look forward to see a discussion on this, however, and be assured, We shall be presenting the Church's position.
Pope Michael