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magisterium
I recently came across your reply to a Miss Heather Knight, and I thought
it was very interesting. However, there
were various points you seemed to miss.
First, the Catholic Church has always taught
that abortion is intrinsically evil — under
no circumstances can it be OK whereas, the
Church has not always taught against the death
penalty, and even now, under Pope John Paul
II, the Church does not stand fully against
it.
In fact, many, if not most, of
the bishops and cardinals that are anti-death
penalty, are the same liberal bishops and
cardinals that would like to see the Church's
stance on contraceptives and pre-marital sex
changed.
I would also like to note that many of the
radically liberal views we get today, stem
from that infamous Ecumenical Council — Vatican
II. As John XXIII was dying, he was recorded
begging the cardinals: Stop the Council!
Stop the Council! yet his successor,
Paul VI did not. Instead, he prolonged and finished the Council "opening
the windows" of the Church to all. It
was not until his death bed that he saw the
error in his teachings. His Holiness, Paul VI, died on August 6, 1978, admitting that
Satan has entered into the sanctuary of the
Church. Now with John Paul II as the Vicar
of Christ on earth, we see these liberal views
even more. Many teachings of the Church that
have stood for centuries are now beginning
to be weakened, so as not to offend liberals,
homosexuals, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Protestants,
and any other groups that are opposed to the
true teachings of the Faith.
I believe it
was within the last two weeks that Cardinal
Law was reported to have worshiped Allah with
his "Muslim brothers" in a mosque.
I do believe the smoke of Satan has entered
the Church and it is only a matter of time
before the Catholic Church becomes so corrupt
that people will have no one to turn to, except, as
some people would put it, "schismatic" branches
of the Church, such as the Society of St.
Pius X which I proudly belong to. (My
family does go to a Society Mass.) We must
pray for the Church, especially as our current
Pontificate grows close and closer to death
even as we speak. We must pray
that God will bring a strong leader that will
oppose modern views and lead all stray sheep
back to our Lord Jesus Christ.
I am a 15 year old sophomore who attends a
Jesuit School in Missouri. I know both sides
of the argument — Liberal and Conservative.
I have been brought up conservative and am
now learning the liberal approach from the "defenders" of
the Magisterium — the Jesuits! I have
debated this with myself, talked to priests
from both sides and can only conclude that
modern Catholics are very, very wrong in their
interpretation of Jesus' message and the teachings
of the Church.
— Patrick Rhea
{
Can I correct your answer about abortion and the death
penalty; and comment on Church culture? }
Mike
replied:
Dear Patrick,
Thank-you for taking the time to
e-mail me.
You said: First, the Catholic
Church has always taught that abortion
is intrinsically evil — under
no circumstances can it be OK
I re-read my answer and never implied
that abortion was ever OK. If I have
overlooked something, please reply
and show me where I have implied
abortion is permissible.
In reference to the Death Penalty:
Over the past few years Pope Francis (on May 11, 2018) changed a key paragraph in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2267, dealing with the Death Penalty. In lieu of St. Thomas Aquinas' view of self defense, I still prefer the previous version of the Catechism.
I believe Francis may have been given some bad advice on the effectiveness of penal sanctions and systems of detention. Nevertheless I accept what the revised Catechism says today!
The Church now teaches this on the subject:
Legitimate defense.
.
.
2267: Recourse to the death penalty on the part of legitimate authority, following a fair trial, was long considered an appropriate response to the gravity of certain crimes and an acceptable, albeit extreme, means of safeguarding the common good.
Today, however, there is an increasing awareness that the dignity of the person is not lost even after the commission of very serious crimes. In addition, a new understanding has emerged of the significance of penal sanctions imposed by the state. Lastly, more effective systems of detention have been developed, which ensure the due protection of citizens but, at the same time, do not definitively deprive the guilty of the possibility of redemption.
Consequently, the Church teaches, in the light of the Gospel, that "the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person", (Pope Francis, Address to Participants in the Meeting organized by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, 11 October 2017: Romano, 13 October 2017, 5.) and she works with determination for its abolition worldwide. [Pope Francis, Oct. 11, 2017]
The main point I was bringing up
to Heather is that one life, the
fetus, is innocent life, and the
other life, if anything, is guilty.
So the two situations are very
different.
In reference to the rest of your e-mail, it did sadden me. It sounds like we are forgetting Jesus' Promise in Matthew 16:13-19, that the gates of Hell will not prevail against His Church. The Holy Father has said that the Catechism which he approved is a sure norm for the Catholic Faith. If you are disagreeing with statements in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, then you are not disagreeing with me, you are disagreeing with Our Blessed Lord.
Do you believe the Catechism of the Catholic Church has errors in it?
<There is only one Catholic answer
to this question: No!>
It means that on issues of Faith
and Morals the Church in her official
teachings cannot
err!
The Pope may not always teach truthful
matters in the best way for the Church,
but he will not err. It
is a negative safeguard. Yes,
there may be confusion at times within
the Church; but that may due to second
or third hand information you have
received from unreliable sources,
like the main stream media: T. V.,
radio, internet sites, or even some Catholic religious orders where religious are weak in the faith.
You said: As John XXIII
was dying, he was recorded begging
the cardinals: "Stop the Council!
Stop the Council!"
This is irrelevant. A Catholic in
good standing is one that believes in
the letter, not spirit,
of all the Councils and Official
Teachings from the First Council of Nicea up to, and including,
Vatican II!
You said: I do believe the smoke of Satan has entered
the Church and it is only a matter of time
before the Catholic Church becomes so corrupt
that people will have no one to turn to, except, as
some people would put it, "schismatic" branches
of the Church, such as the Society of St.
Pius X which I proudly belong to.
You are confusing infallibility
with impeccability.
infallibility is the inability
to err on issues of truth
impeccability is the inability
to sin. e.g. issues of bad behavior.
The pope is infallible.
he
the
cardinals
bishops
priests
deacons and
the lay faithful
are not impeccable;
meaning we are prone to sin and
bad behavior.
If you and your family are going
to a schismatic church:
you have broken faith with Rome
you have broken faith with Jesus,
and
are no different than Protestants
who broke from the Church in the
1600's.
The bishops [who had their excommunication
lifted] belong to a fraternity
officially known as the Priestly
Fraternity of Saint Pius X. This
is a traditionalist Catholic institution
that rejected some of the findings
of Vatican II, such as the abandonment
of the Mass in Latin and ecumenism.
It sounds like you have been persuaded
by other schismatic people and/or priests who
have broken with Rome. In a Joe Biden way, you are rationalizing:
I'm taking a non-Catholic stance
but, I'm still a Catholic!
Duplicitous people like these (e.g. Mr. Biden and Ms. Pelosi) are the smoke of Satan!
Unlike the "pro-choice" people
who have excommunicated themselves on the left, you have willingly broken
from the Teachings of Jesus on the
right. People in similar faith circles
tend to think they know more than
the Pope.
You and your family should reconsider.
What I would recommend:
Attend a Mass celebrated by the Fraternity of St. Peter that has been
allowed by the bishop, then you will
be in union with Peter and Jesus.
If he will not allow one, the Novus
Ordo Mass is, and has always been,
valid, if said correctly.
The Church liturgically breathes
with two sets of lungs:
one, the
Tridentine, authorized by the local
bishop,
the other, the Novus Ordo,
said at most local Catholic parishes
in America.
The Novus Ordo Mass was not a change
from the Tridentine Mass as schematics
will say. It was a New Mass, and
since Pope (Paul VI) was
Pope, he had every right
to do it! On issues of faith and
morals, we must not dissent, but
believe!
The Church will bounce back, but
you and the Rhea family have to decide
whether you want to be builders and
fighters, or destroyers and false,
phony "catholics". Some of those
who were part of the Society of St.
Pius X have reconciled with Rome,
but others have not!
Please show this to your father and
mother.
Thanks again and let's pray for each
other.
Mike
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