Return to Traditionalism

Contents

• Ecclesiology and Ecumenism
• Inter-Faith Dialogue
• Human Dignity, Freedom of Conscience and Religion
• Universalism
• Liberalism
• Bibliography

In trawling through them I found that quite a number of the "quotes" are distortions and that others seem to be nothing more than inventions. I have not checked more than a small minority, after finding so much distortion I didn't think it worth pursuing the matter more rigorously. The reader is warned. Moreover some of the sources (e.g. [LOR], the L'Observatore Romano Newspaper!) are of little authority. Other sources are recognizibly partizan and antagonistic to the Contemporary Church - like me! The "heresies" were all supposed to be those of John Paul II. In fact many of them are (mis)quotes from documents of the Second Vatican Council.

A bibliography is appended. I have found a number of errors in it and have corrected them. I doubt that it is even now accurate. I have refrained from editing down the list of "heresies" so as to avoid the accusation that I wanted to evade answering some of the points. I am sorry that this unavoidably makes this text tedious. Somewhere along the way, I have lost a few "heresies". This is partly intentional, partly an accident.

Just because a Pope or Council positively teaches something, even solemnly, does not mean that it is orthodox or helpful. There are countless examples to the contrary. Many statements have to be taken in their historical context in order for their intended import to be understood. Others are simply inaccurate or premature attempts to articulate imperfectly understood doctrine. Negative, anathematised, teaching is a different matter: this is presumably definitive and its content "de Fide".

The main value in this exercise has been to allow me to express my own views by implication and in contrast. My comments are in bold face. On those occasions where I largely agree with the compiler of the original list, my comments are in bold red. It has also made me more aware of the extreme danger involved in taking short phrases and "proof texts" out of context. Lastly, it has confirmed me in my view that Sacred Tradition is a dynamic process, not a static monolith.

Those readers who like this sort of thing may care to peruse my brief treatment of Pius IXth's landmark encyclical Quanta Cura.

Ecclesiology and Ecumenism

1. The Catholic Church Lacks Unity.  [UUS : 7-10]
• Christian unity is the Catholic Church. [Pius XI, MA : 3,15.]
• But its perfect formal unity is impaired in its practical realization.
2. The Catholic Church has sinned against unity. [UUS : 34, 05/25/1995]
• The Modernists say: the Church has erred. [Pius XI, MA : 8]
• But just because heretical Modernists said this doesn't mean that it isn't true!
3. Christian unity is possible if we say the Catholic Church failed. [UUS : 34, 05/25/1995]
• The modernists hold that the Church has erred. [Pius XI, MA : 13]
• But see previous comment.
4. Christ's Body is not only the Catholic Church. [LOR, 07/08/1980]
• Christ's Body is only the Catholic Church. [Pius XII, MC : 17-18]
• But this depends on what you mean by "The Catholic Church": either the formal Church, which is identically the same as the Mystical Body of Christ; or the Roman Jurisdiction, which participates in the form of the Mystical Body but which is not identical to it. Other communions also participate in the form of the Mystical Body, though none can do so in the special way that the Roman Jurisdiction does, by virtue of its historic, sociological and geographical Apostolicity.
5. Christian unity subsists in the Catholic Church. [CCC : 820, 10/11/1992]
• Christian unity is the Catholic Church. [Pius XI, MA : 7]
• But John Paul's statement should be seen as a clarification of Pius XI's. Pius XI was not making the distinction between the formal and jurisdictional Catholic Church.
6. The Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church. [CCC : 816, 10/11/1992]
• The Church of Christ is the Catholic Church. [Pius XII, MC : 17-18]
• But see previous comment.
7. The Catholic Church is present in all its elements in 'heretical sects'. [CN, 05/28/1992]
• Outside the Catholic Church there is no holy unity. [St. Leo I, DJP : 129, II : 3]
• But the statement attributed to John Paul II is ambiguous. See previous comments.
8. The Catholic Church and the eastern schismatic churches are one in faith. [UUS : 59, 62]
• Heretics are not members of the Catholic Church. [St. Pius V, CCT : 101]
• But these statements are not contradictory. Schism concerns a breakdown of charity, not of faith. Schismatics are not heretics. Moreover, schism is generally not just the fault of one of the parties involved.
9. John Paul II did not profess the filioque with eastern schismatics. [UUS : 24, 12/06/1987]
• John Paul II was anathematized for patronizing heretics.  [Innocent III, RCH : 1 : 441]
• But eastern rite Catholics do not use the 'filioque' liturgically!
10. Heretical sects have an apostolic mission.  [LOR, 06/10/1980]
• The Catholic Church is the only apostolic mission.  [Leo XIII, SCG : 35]
• But any christian community has some (perhaps very limited) participation in Catholic unity and to that extent (and that extent only) shares in the single apostolic mission of Christ. See next comment also.
11. The Holy Spirit uses sects as means of salvation. [CT : 32, 10/16/1979]
• The Holy Spirit does not give life to heretics. [Leo XIII, SCG : 18]
• But not all "heretics" are in bad faith. Those who are "invincibly ignorant" may be friends of God, and be graced with the indwelling Spirit. Holy Spirit can use many things as means to salvation, even things that are thoroughly awful in themselves (e.g. the Crucifixion of Christ): hence it is no great compliment to "sects" to make this statement. Nevertheless, it would be taken to mean that schismatic bodies were of themselves (and not by virtue of the hidden participation in Catholic Unity) means of grace. John Paul II is very unwise in this statement, which savours of heresy. It is reiterated at [CCC: 719].
12. Salvation is not only for those who are explicitly in the Church. [Rmi : 10, 12/07/1990]
• Salvation is found only in the Catholic Church. [Boniface VIII, D.468-469]
• But these statements are not contradictory.
13. The sphere of salvation includes those not in the Church. [CH : 140, 1994]
• No one can be saved who is not in the Church. [Pius IX, D.1716]
• But see previous comments.
14. Outside the Church there is remission of sins. [LOR, 11/20/1989]
• Outside the Church there is no remission of sins. [Boniface VIII, D.468]
• But see previous comments.
15. Outside the Church there is no salvation is not Catholic exclusively. [CH : 141, 1994]
• The Catholic Church is the only way of salvation. [Eugene IV, D.714]
• But see previous comments. I am not responsible for the non-grammatical nonsense!
16. 'Heretical sects' can have the life of the Church. [CT : 32, 10/16/1979]
• Heretical sects cannot have the life of the Church. [St. Gregory I, EP5]
• But this depends on whether one means the sects as sects or the sects as their individual members.
17. Sanctification and truth can be found in 'heretical sects'. [CCC : 819, 10/11/1992]
• It is heresy to say "all religions are true". [St. Pius X, P:14]
• But these statements are not in opposition. Both are true.
18. The Catholic Church is joined to 'heretics'. [CCC : 838, 10/11/1992]
• Heretics are separated from the Catholic Church. [Pius XII, D.2286]
• But the first is true in as far as a "heretic" is in invincible ignorance, the latter in as far as (s)he is not. An inspection of the context is crucial.
19. 'Heretics' are Christians.  [LOR, 12/23/1982]
• Only Catholics can be Christians.  [Pius VI, D. 1500]
• But not all non-Catholics are "heretics". Very many who are jurisdictionally separated from Rome have a hidden participation in Catholic Unity.
20. 'Heretics' have the Apostolic Faith. [US : 62, 05/25/1995]
• True Faith cannot be found outside the Church.  [Pius IX, SQSQ]
• But see previous comments. Clearly if someone holds the entirety of the Catholic faith (s)he cannot be a heretic, by definition.
21. 'Heretics' are our brothers in Christ. [LOR, 09/16/1980]
• Heretics are sons of the Devil. [Clement I, EIC : 42, 46]
• But see previous comments.
22. God's Church is build up when heretics receive the Eucharist. [UUS : 12, 05/25/1995]
• Heretics sin when they receive the Eucharist. [Leo XIII, ENL]
• But see previous comments.
23. The faith of 'heretics' praises and thanks God. [UUS : 74, 05/25/1995]
• It is heresy to say: "heretics can praise God." [Pius IX, D.1718]
• But see previous comments.
24. A communion of faith exists between 'heretics' and Catholics. [UUS : 75, 05/25/1995]
• Catholics and heretics share no unity of faith. [Leo XIII, SCG : 18, 27-18]
• But see previous comments.
25. 'Heretics' honour Holy Scripture with a true religious zeal. [UUS : 12, 05/25/1995]
• Heretics dishonour the Holy Scriptures. [Pius IX, D.1788]
• But see previous comments.
26. The Holy Spirit gives "sanctifying power" to heretics. [UUS : 12, 05/25/1995]
• Heretics cannot live in the life of the Holy Spirit. [Pius XII, D.2286]
• But see previous comments.
27. Today's 'heretics' are not to be blamed for their heresy. [CCC : 817, 10/11/1992]
• Today's heretics have despised the True Faith. [Pius XI, MA : 16]
• But this will vary from person to person!
28. 'Heretics' are not our enemies, but our brothers. [UUS : 42, 05/25/1995]
• Heretics are our enemies. [St. Clement I, EIC : 42, 46]
• But I find no such statement in the Epistle of St Clement to the Corinthians, either in Ch 42 or 46.
29. The Catholic Church rejoices when heretics preach. [CH : 141, 1994]
• The Catholic Church condemns a heretic's talk. [Paul IV, ACA]
• But this depends on whether the heretic is talking heresy or not!
30. 'Heretics' can be Christian martyrs outside the Church. [UUS : 84, 05/25/1995]
• Outside the Church there are no Christian martyrs. [Pelagius II, D.247]
• But what of someone who dies for his faith in Jesus while suffering from invincible ignorance?
31. Catholics must rejoice when 'heretics' shed their blood. [UUS : 47, 05/25/1995]
• Catholics must anathematize all heretics. [St. Martin I, D.271-272]
• But see previous comment. I will refrain from commenting at length on the multiple ambiguity of the supposed quote from [UUU : 46] I have presumed one interpretation.
32. God inspires heretics to shed their blood for Him. [UUS : 12, 05/25/1995]
• All heretics who shed their blood go to Hell. [Eugene IV, D.714]
• See previous comments. Pope Eugene's purpose is to point out that dying for a bad cause does not of itself signify anything of value.
33. 'Heretics' legally can receive the sacraments from us. [UUS : 46, 05/25/1995]
• Heretics cannot legally receive the sacraments. [Leo XIII, ENL]
• But this is a matter of law, not faith. Nevertheless, heretics and schismatics (even those in invincible ignorance) should not be allowed to receive the sacraments legally. I consider it to be scandalous that the Roman Jurisdiction has deviated from this principle.
34. We must pray with 'heretics' for unity.  [UUS : 21, 05/25/1995]
• If anyone prays with heretics, he is a heretic.  [St. Agatho I, SCN : XXI : 635]
• But it is possible with care, to pray with those who are misguided but in good faith without compromise. Nevertheless, my sympathies are with Agatho I.
35. Catholics can legally receive the Sacraments from heretics. [UUS : 46, 05/25/1995]
• No one can pray with heretics and be a Catholic. [St. Agatho, SCN : XI : 635]
• But see previous comment.
36. Love is when we join in prayer with 'heretics'. [UUS : 21, 05/25/1995]
• Heresy is when we join in prayer with heretics. [Pius XI, D.2199]
• But this is just word-chopping.
37. Worship in common with heretics is good. [UR : 8, 1965]
• Worship in common with heretics is condemned! [Benedict XV, C.1258]
• But the summary of [UR : 8] is extremely biased, ignoring all the conditions and commentary.
38. John Paul II prayed with Anglicans in 1982. [UUS : 24, 05/25/1995]
• If anyone prays with heretics: he is a heretic. [Benedict XV, C.2338.2]
• But this is overly restrictive. Nevertheless, I strongly disapprove of what happened at Canterbury as it was calculated  to (and in fact did) give the impression that the Pope and putative Archbishop were vaguely equivalent leaders of vaguely equivalent Christian Communions.
39. In 1991, John Paul II prayed with Lutherans for "unity." [UUS : 25 05/25/1995]
• Praying with heretics for "unity" is heresy. [Pius IX, D.1685-1687]
• But see previous comments.
40. John Paul II gave a blessing to Lutherans in 1991. [UUS : 73, 05/25/1995]
• If anyone patronizes heretics: he is a heretic. [Innocent III, RCH : I : 441]
• But see previous comments.
41. "Dialogue" is required to bring unity to the Church. [CCC : 821, 10/11/1992]
• The Catholic Church forbids meetings for "unity." [Pius XI, MA : 15]
• But this is a matter of policy, not doctrine. The Oecumenical Council of Florence was a meeting called for unity and involved a lot of dialogue.
42. Dialogue meetings can bring Christian unity. [UUS : 31, 32, 05/25/1995]
• These "assemblies" for "unity" are condemned. [Pius XI, MA : 15]
• But this is just a repeat: see previous comment.
43. Luther had a profound religious spirit. [PM : 105]
• If anyone does not condemn heretics, let him be anathema. [Vigilius, D.223]
• But saying that a heretic "had a profound religious spirit" is not incompatible with condemning him! Moreover, Luther, while eventually guilty of grave heresy, was initially of a Catholic faith. His Augsberg Theses are not unequivocally heterodox. His eventual apostasy was largely the fault of the Catholic hierarchy.
44. God loves heretics, pagans, etc.  [PA : 48, 1978]
• Without the Catholic faith, it is impossible to please God. [Paul III, D.787]
• But God is Love and wills that all be saved.  Both Popes are correct.
45. One can be saved outside the Church by a moral life. [VS : 3, 08/06/1993]
• True morality and salvation are only in the Church. [Gregory XVI, D.1613]
• But many who are apparently outside the Church are in fact within Her. Living a moral life is not enough. St Paul teaches that it is necessary to believe that God exists and rewards those who serve Him: I suppose that this belief might be implicit. One way or another, all three Theological virtues: faith, hope and charity must be involved; and all of these are supernatural graces not aspects of "natural morality".
46. Infidels can be saved for : "May Ghandi live forever!" [SME : 9]
• All infidels are damned. [St. Pius X, GOH : 13]
• But was Ghandi an "infidel" in Pius X's sense?  Both references are strange.
47. Infants can be saved without baptism.  [EV : 99, 3/25/1995]
• Infants need Baptism for salvation.  [St. Zosimus I, D.102.]
• But we do not know how God may deal with them at their Particular Judgement.
48. There is hope for infants who die without baptism. [CCC : 1261, 10/11/1992]
• Outside the Church there is no hope for salvation. [Pius IX, D.1717]
• But this is an outrageous misapplication of Pius IX's words!
49. Unbaptized catechumens are members of the Church. [LG : 14, 11/21/1964]
• The unbaptized are not members of the Church. [Paul III, D.895]
• But this is a misquote from [LG : 14] which rightly and accurately asserts that catechumens are "joined to" and "embraced by" but not that they are "members of" the Catholic Church.
50. All men are saved. [LOR, 05/06/1980]
• All outside the Catholic Church cannot be saved. [Eugene IV, D:714]
• But I do not believe that John Paul II said this.

Inter-Faith Dialogue

1. John Paul II prayed with Jews: "our dearest brothers." [LOR, 04/13/1986]
• The Jews are not "our dearest brothers." [Innocent III, ETN]
• But I cannot believe that this is exactly what Innocent III says. If it is, Innocent does not exclude the possibility that the Jews are "dear brothers!" Moreover, this is manifestly polite flattery and hyperbole on the part of John Paul II. I am sure that he has called may groups this, both informally and formally!
2. Jews are our elder brothers in the faith.  [CH : 99, 1994]
• The Jews reject the One Faith of Jesus Christ.  [Gregory I, ETC]
• But generally do so from invincible ignorance. The Church has sadly failed in its evangelical mission towards the Jewish people. This is the fault of Christians, not of the Jews!
3. The Old Law is alive and working to God's call. [CCC : 839, 10/11/1992]
• The Old Law ceased, and is fulfilled by the New Law. [Eugene IV, D.712]
• But this depends exactly what one means by the Old and New Law. St Paul makes it quite clear that Abraham was justified by faith before the New Law was ever promulgated. The Prophets make it quite clear that justification is not to be obtained by adherence to the Mosaic Law (this is to be an expression of justification, not its cause), but by repentance; trust in and love of God.
4. Jews worship the One True God. [PM : 135, 04/13/1986]
• Jews do not worship the One True God. [Gregory XVI, SJS]
• But this is a complicated subject. Manifestly, according to the explicit testimony of Jesus, the Jews of his day did worship the One True God. It may be that subsequent evolution of the Jewish religion (since the destruction of the Temple and the emergence of Rabbinical Judaism) has been such as to so distort the Jewish faith (in some cases) as to render Gregory's judgement fair. Equally, it is obvious that many Jews do hold to a religion that it would be impertinent to distinguish from that of the Old Testament.
5. Jews and Christians have "a common heritage." [PM : 135, 04/13/1986]
• Jews do not have the Faith of salvation. [St. Gregory I, ETC]
• But even so, Jews and Christians share the common heritage of the Old Testament!
6. The Catholic Church has a bond with false religions. [CCC : 842, 10/11/1992]
• False religions are separated from the Church. [Eugene IV, D.705]
• But, I presume the bond in question is a supposed common concern for the "meaning of life".
7. 'False religions' seek the One True God Who saves. [CCC : 843, 10/11/1992]
• False religions worship the Devil. [Gregory XVI, SJS]
• But this depends how false they are and whether they involve any kind of worship! In any case, religions (false or otherwise) don't worship anything: their adherents may do so! Moreover, not all religions concern themselves with what is recognizably "salvation". It is presumptuous of Christians to force their own paradigm upon others who do not in fact share it!
8. Goodness and truth are found in 'false religions'. [CCC : 842, 10/11/1992]
• It is heresy to say: all religions are good. [Pius XI, MA : 2]
• But these statements are not contradictory. It is very difficult for anything, even a false religion, to be all bad!
9. The Church rejects nothing holy and true in 'false religions'. [CH : 80, 1994]
• Outside the Church the Truth cannot be found. [Gregory XVI, D.1617]
• But see previous comment. In any case, the statement attributed to John Paul II doesn't assert that there is anything holy or true in any religion other than Catholicism! Moreover the alternative would be ludicrous. Consider a false religion that was identical to Catholicism except for one point of doctrine: the Church would have to reject all of its own teachings except for that one point, and so cease to be the Church! Such a position is absurd.
10. The Holy Spirit works effectively a common root in all religions. [CH : 81, 1994]
• It is heresy to say: all religions are true. [St. Pius X, P:14]
• But the first statement is ambiguous. Nevertheless I doubt that there is any single distinguishable common root to all religions.
11. Animist religions prepare many to be Christians. [CH : 82, 1994]
• It is heresy to say: Animists can experience God. [St. Pius X, P:14]
• But these statements are not contradictory. See previous comments.
12. At Assisi, 150 religions "prayed with one voice to the Lord." [UUS : 76, 05/25/1995]
• At Assisi, false religions worshiped the Devil. [Gregory XVI, SJS]
• But obviously Gregory XVI could have said no such thing! Nevertheless, I strongly disapprove of what happened at Assisi for exactly the reason implied here.
13. John Paul II prayed with sorcerers, calling out the "spirits." [LOR, 08/11/1985]
• John Paul II worshiped the Devil. [Gregory XVI, SJS]
• But it is not clear that this is exactly what happened at Assisi. This is a press report! See previous comments.
14. John Paul II prayed with animists and was amazed at it. [LC, 08/23/1985]
• It is heresy to think: all religions are good. [Pius XI, MA : 2]
• But it is not clear that this is exactly what happened at Assisi. This is a partizan press report! See previous comments.
15. Praying with false religions can bring peace. [CH : 81, 1994]
• Praying with false religions for peace is heresy. [Pius XI, MA : 1-17]
• See previous comment. I deprecate shared prayer with those whom it is not clear that I share belief in the same object of prayer!


“On May 14th I was received by the Pope, together with a delegation composed of the Shiite imam of Khadum mosque and the Sunni President of the council of administration of the Iraqi Islamic Bank. There was also a representative of the Iraqi ministry of religion. I renewed our invitation to the Pope because his visit would be for us a grace from heaven. It would confirm the faith of Christians and prove the Pope’s love for the whole of humanity in a country which is mainly Muslim. At the end of the audience the Pope bowed to the Muslim holy book the Koran presented to him by the delegation and he kissed it as a sign of respect. The photo of that gesture has been shown repeatedly on Iraqi television and it demonstrates that the Pope is not only aware of the suffering of the Iraqi people, he has also great respect for Islam.”
[Raphael I Bidawid, Patriarch of the Chaldeans: FIDES News Service]

"John Paul II publicly kissed the koran on several occasions. In the hope of encouraging Christian-islamic fellowship, many bishops have also kissed the koran. In April 2002 the Bishop of Hildesheim in Germany met the official representative of the local muslim community. The imam gave the bishop a copy of the koran as a gift, for which the bishop duly and delightedly thanked him. The bishop was then handed a Bible by his assistant and offered it to the imam. The imam recoiled in horror, (shreckte empoert zurueck) and refused the gift of the Bible with the words: I cannot touchit. The Bibel is unclean (Das fasse ich nicht an. Die Bibel ist unrein.)
This was reported by a German-muslim intellectual, Prof Bassam Tibi, who witnessed it."
[A German-Turkish apostate (from Islam) in hiding, quoting "A Christian magazine";
Numerous sites refer to this incident, for example:
http://www.islaminstitut.de/Artikelanzeige.41+M59d23b78d50.0.html
The incident is reported under "Das islamische Selbstverstaendnis" (muslim self-conception, self-image).]
 

"I cannot imagine how a christian - let alone the Pope, the Father of Christendom - could in good conscience, and in ernest, kiss the Koran; or show it any other outward sign of veneration and belief. Such a gesture could only be an act of insincerity, done for some calculated gain. To believe that the Pope - or any other christian - would kiss the Koran out of devotion or conviction is a thought too horrible for me to contemplate, as long as I am a practising Catholic."
[Private Communication from a Catholic Priest (Sept 2006)]
 
"May Saint John the Baptist protect Islam and all the people of Jordan..."
[LOR, March 29, 2000, p. 2.]
16. Muslims worship the One True God.  [CH : 141, 1994]
• Only Catholics can worship God.  [Gregory XVI, SJS]
• But anyone of good disposition has implicit baptism of desire and so is a friend of God. Nevertheless, this statement would be taken to mean that the Muslim appreciation of God is "valid". It  is not, being a significant impoverishment of (even) the Jewish understanding of God as forgiving and compassionate (if not Trinitarian). Mohammed rejected Trinitarian Christianity, creating an image of God according to his own preconceptions. The Jews, as a whole, simply never accepted the fulfilment of their own Tradition. My sympathies are with Gregory XVI.
17. The plan of salvation includes the Muslims. [CCC : 841, 10/11/1992]
• It is heresy to say: "salvation is open to Muslims". [Gregory XVI, VM : 13]
• But this once more neglects the fact that an individual muslim may be suffering from invincible ignorance. Nevertheless, these words (themselves taken from LG) will be taken to mean that Islam is a legitimate religion; a development of Judeo-Christianity. This is simply wrong.
18. The Catholic Church respects the Islamic spiritual tradition. [PP : 2443, 08/19/1985]
• It is heresy to say: "all religions are true". [St. Pius X, P:14]
• But the putative quote from [PP : 2443] is vague. One can respect something that one disagrees with or dislikes or fears! Nevertheless, I deprecate any statement along these lines.
19. The religious experience of Islam deserves respect. [CH : 93, 1994]
• It is heresy to say: "Muslims can experience God". [St. Pius X, P:14]
• But anyone can experience God: should God chose to reveal Himself to them!
20. In Hinduism men take refuge in God with love and trust. [CH : 80, 1994]
• It is heresy to say: "Hindus can experience God". [St. Pius X, P:14]
• But see previous comment. The statement personally attributed to John Paul II is disingenuous at best.
21. Buddhism is a religion of salvation. [CH : 84-85, 1994]
• Buddhism is a religion of damnation [Eugene IV, D.714]
• But I doubt that Eugene IV knew of Buddhism. See previous comments.
22. Buddhists by higher help reach liberty and supreme illumination. [CH : 80, 1994]
• It is heresy to say: "Buddhists can experience God". [St. Pius X, P:14]
• See previous comment. The statement personally attributed to John Paul II betrays a woeful ignorance of Buddhism.
23. Buddhism is a great religion. [PM : 147, 06/17/1984]
• Buddhism is a false pagan religion. [St. Pius X, P:14]
• But this is partizan hearsay. I cannot believe that even John Paul II said this! It is too informal and enthusiastic.
24. Masons are sons of God the Father. [LOR, 05/22/1984]
• The Masons are sons of the Devil. [Pius IX, SQSQ]
• But this is a press report. Moreover all men are "sons of God" in a limited but proper sense.  No one can ever be properly a "son of the Devil" as God is the source of all being and the lover of all He has made, whereas the Devil has no creative principle and hates all that lives. Nevertheless, my sympathies are with Pius IX's impulse.

Human Dignity, Freedom of Conscience and Religion

1. Liberty of conscience is a right of man.  [LOR, 09/01/1980]
• Liberty of conscience is insanity.  [Gregory XVI, D. 1613]
• But liberty is not necessarily license. Freedom from coercion is required for the exercise of conscience and except in grave necessity both the State and Church have the duty to refrain from any form of violence: physical or mental. Equally, conscience should be subject to rational discourse and is not arbitrary. The claim that conscience is sovereign over reason is insanity. On the other hand, reason depends on premises to reach conclusions and these premises are often unresolved matters of conscience: in this case, one would hope, an instinctive (sub-rational) appreciation of Natural Law.
2. All men have the right of religious liberty. [CCC : 2106, 10/11/1992]
• "All have the right of religious liberty" is heresy. [Pius IX, D.1690,99]
• This is a very complicated subject. In brief: one cannot have the right to be wrong, but one has to be given the freedom to make mistakes. Moreover, in as far as by "religious liberty" one means a certain respect from the State, then clearly only the True Religion can expect this respect of right. No false religion or its representatives can have any rights grounded in that religion being what it is. However, its individual adherents do have rights grounded in their dignity as persons.
3. The State cannot forbid non-Catholic religions. [FCR : 2-4, 09/01/1980]
• The State must forbid non-Catholic religions. [Pius IX, D.1777, 1778]
• But this is a matter of secular policy, dependent on political and social circumstances. Historically, Popes didn't forbid Judaism in Rome!
4. Anti-Christs have the human right of religious liberty. [FCR : 2, 09/01/1980]
• Only Catholics have the right to religious liberty. [Pius IX, D.1690, 1699]
• But I do not believe that John Paul said this.
5. All men have a human dignity of equal rights. [PP : 478, 09/01/1980]
• Equal rights for all men is senseless. [Pius VI, QA]
• But what did Pius VI mean by this statement?  It is impossible to interpret without a context!
6. All men are brothers with a human dignity. [PP : 826, 09/05/1983]
• Only Catholics have a human dignity in Christ. [St. Pius X, LFH]
• But the putative quote from Pius X is difficult to understand out of context, especially given the presence of the "a". It would seem that Pius envisages a plurality of "human dignities"!
7. Man's dignity is: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. [ALL, 04/1980]
• Freemasonry is: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. [St. Pius X, LFH]
• But these statements are not contradictory. Nevertheless if this is an accurate quote from a Papal Allocution, it was very unwise given the association of "Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity" with freemasonry and the evils of the French Revolution!

Universalism

1. Each man is united with Christ.  [RH : 13.3, 1979]
• Christ is not in all men.  [St. Pius X, D.2103]
• But "united with" is not the same as "in". As Christ shares our human nature, He is clearly united (in this sense) with every human being. The Blessed Trinity only dwell in those who are God's friends: sadly, a sub-set of the human race. Nevertheless, my sympathies are with Pius X.
2. All men belong to the Catholic Church. [CCC : 836, 10/11/1992]
• Only Catholics are members of the Church. [Pius XII, D.2286]
• But this is just word-chopping.
3. Every human being is the way of the Church. [DM : 3, 11/13/1993]
• Heresy: the Church is a collective conscience. [St. Pius X, P:23]
• But the putative quote from [DM : 3] is nongrammatical nonsense!
4. With God, man creates his personal salvation. [CH : 195, 1994]
• No one can be saved outside the true faith. [Pius IV, D.1000]
• But the statement attributed to John Paul II is ambiguous.
5. All deceased men "are standing before" God as saints. [LOR, 11/01/1993]
• No one can be saved who is not in the Church. [Pius IX, D.1716]
• But summarizing a newspaper article in so few words and then treating this as a theological statement is puerile!
6. The New World Order is holy unity.  [PA : 39, 1987]
• The New World Order is evil.  [Pius XI, MA : 1-2]
• But were the two Popes talking about the same "New World Order?" Nevertheless, my personal sympathy is with Pius XI.
7. All nations form but one community. [CCC : 842, 10/11/1992]
• Heresy: all nations form but one community. [Pius XII, MC : 18]
• But this is simply word-chopping and a matter of policy not faith!
8. The UN is the supreme forum of peace and justice. [PP : 112, 10/02/1979]
• The Church is the supreme forum of peace. [Pius XI, MA : 1-17]
• But this is simply word-chopping and a matter of policy not faith! The first statement is an aspiration after a desired practical reality, the second statement relates to a formal reality.

Liberalism

1. Ecumenical Councils do not need to defend the truth. [CH : 162, 1994]
• Ecumenical Councils must defend the truth. [Pius II, D.717]
• This statement of John Paul II is very queer.
2. Dogmas and doctrines grow and evolve. [EDA, 1987]
• Evolution of dogma and doctrine is condemned. [St. Pius X, P:12-27]
• But not the development of doctrine: this apparent disagreement is a matter of evolving terminology.
3. The understanding of dogmas grow by man's experience. [CCC : 94, 10/11/1992]
• Evolution of dogma is an error of the Modernists. [St. Pius X, P:12-13,25-27]
• But the quote is imprecise and misleading. Equally, what Pius X was condemning was the notion that dogma changes radically: from one thing to something else quite different, as a species of bacterium might evolve into a species of dinosaur; rather than that dogma develops in accordance with its proper form: unfolding originally obscure features and becoming clearer and better defined, as an acorn grows and develops into an oak tree.
4. Christ's miracles do not prove His messianic dignity. [LOR, 11/11/1983]
• Christ's miracles did prove His messianic dignity. [St. Pius X, D.2028]
• But I do not believe that John Paul said this. Quoting newspaper reports is hardly good scholarship!
5. Modernism renews and unites the Church of Christ. [CH : 76, 1994]
• Modernism attempts to destroy the Church. [St. Pius X, P:23]
• But I cannot believe that John Paul II ever approved any such statement. It would have been rank heresy! Note that "Modernism" is a term often used to specifically refer to a movement within the Church that flourished in the first half of the Twentieth Century, not something that has a continuing existence.
6. Evolution is more than just an hypothesis. [LOR, 10/23/1996]
• Evolution is the doctrine of the Modernists. [St. Pius X, P:26]
• But this is a matter of science, not faith. Just because Modernists adopted it for their purposes does not make it wrong!
7. All inter-religious marriages are good. [FC, 11/22/1981]
• All inter-religious marriages are discouraged. [Gregory XVI, SJS : 1-9]
• But I can find no such statement in FC. Note that no section number is given!
8. Vernacular languages should be used for Mass. [SC : 36, 12/04/1963]
• To say that "Popular language should be used for liturgy" is heresy. [Pius VI, D.1566]
• But this is a matter of policy, not faith.
9. The rite of Mass should be simplified. [SC : 34, 50, 1965]
• To say that "The rite of Mass should be simplified" is heresy. [Pius VI, D.1533]
• But this is a matter of policy, not of faith. Nevertheless my sympathies are entirely with Pius VI.
10. It is unevangelical to condemn heretics. [UUS : 15, 05/25/1995]
• It is evangelical to condemn heretics. [St. Martin I, D.271-272]
• I doubt strongly that either supposed quote adequately captures the meaning required by its missing context.

Bibliography