Saturday, March 30, 2013

So many reports on the Internet assume that the baptism of desire is visible- 3

1
Because of the abuse of the notion of "Baptism of Desire," a good and holy priest, Father Leonard Feeney (d. 1978), came to deny this teaching altogether. His position, which became known as "Feeneyism," was formally condemned under the pontificate of Pope Pius XII in 1949; he was excommunicated in 1953, and then the excommunication was lifted in 1972. His spiritual children, known perjoratively as "Feeneyites," tend to be, other than regarding this one issue, wonderful traditional Catholics who act out of a misunderstanding and a noble desire to fight the watering down of Catholic teaching by those who abuse the idea of "Baptism of Desire" and deny the dogma of extra ecclesiam nulla salus ("outside the Church there is no salvation"). Their extreme wariness of the denial of extra ecclesiam nulla salus was prescient, especially in light of the harm caused by the post-conciliar Church's false ecumenism.

2.
Feeneyists or Nulla Salists: Believe “extra ecclesiam nulla salis” (EENS, outside the Church no salvation) but reject baptism of desire. Proponents accept the heretical teachings of Fr. Leonard Feeney, S.J., M.I.C.M. Rejection of BOD and the heresy of Americanism, are distinguishing marks, which, they claim (despite evidense to the contrary,) indicate the only Faithful Catholics.


3.
People will sometimes ask, "Does this means non-Catholics are going to hell?" Not necessarily.

Invincibly Ignorant
The Church recognizes that God does not condemn those who are innocently ignorant of the truth about his offer of salvation. Regarding the doctrine in question, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (quoting Vatican II document Lumen Gentium, 16) states:

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 Gospel 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. (CCC 847)
Jim Blackburn is a Catholic Answers staff apologist.

4.
This same teaching was echoed by Pius IX's successor, Pope Pius XII, in his 1943 encyclical , to which the 1949 protocol also makes reference. The protocol summarizes the pope's teaching by saying that while membership in the Church is indeed an absolute requirement for salvation, such membership does not necessarily have to be visible to the human eye, and can be characterized by even "desire and longing," whether explicit (in the case of catechumens) or implicit (in the case of the invincibly ignorant).
EWTN

5.
Seriously, I will say what I said clearly elsewhere. God can save whom it pleaseth God to save. How He does that apart from the sacraments and formal membership of the Church is a mystery to me. All I know is that if someone can be saved at all, he is saved solely through the merits if Christ’s Sacrifice. The merits of Christ’s Sacrifice, all graces, everything for our salvation is mysteriously mediated through the Church Christ founded, the Catholic Church. Any person who doesn’t belong to the Church but comes to salvation nevertheless receives whatever was sufficient through the mysterious mediation God has willed through the Catholic Church. In that sense, outside the Church there is no salvation.
Fr.John Zuhlsdorf, What Does the Prayer Really Say ?http://wdtprs.com/blog/2010/11/quaeritur-salvation-outside-the-church-again/

6.
The reason I mention all of this is because Michael Liccione has posted some wonderful stuff on all of this--not just "Extra Ecclesiam" but the whole question of the development of doctrine--over on Pontifications. Michael is both a fine philosopher and an admirable apologist, and I cannot recommend his posts highly enough. The comments (over 30 so far) are also very good, making for a fine dialogue.

7.
Pius IX clearly expressed the full teaching a century ago. His writing distinguishes between those who are invincibly ignorant and those who have willfully separated themselves from the Catholic Church:
"There are, of course, those who are struggling with invincible ignorance about our most holy religion. Sincerely observing the natural law and its precepts inscribed by God on all hearts and ready to obey God, they live honest lives and are able to attain eternal life by the efficacious virtue of divine light and grace. Because God knows, searches, and clearly understands the minds, hearts, thoughts, and nature of all, His supreme kindness and clemency do not permit anyone at all who is not guilty of deliberate sin to suffer eternal punishments. Also well-known is the Catholic teaching that no one can be saved [without] the Catholic Church. Eternal salvation cannot be obtained by those who oppose the authority and statements of the same Church and are stubbornly separated from the unity of the Church and also from the successor of Peter, the Roman Pontiff, to whom the custody of the vineyard has been committed by the Savior."

8.
But after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s, not the idea that non-Catholics (including non-believers) could attain salvation through their good deeds and take root?
So how to get these two doctrines reconciled?
Sound contradictory to me.

9.
So here is where invincible ignorance comes into play. I will let the Supreme Pontiffs (notably those who predate Vatican II and, therefore, are beyond the Feenyites' reproof) to explain this doctrine:

Blessed Pius IX wrote in Quanto conficiamur moerore:

There are, of course, those who are struggling with invincible ignorance about our most holy religion. Sincerely observing the natural law and its precepts inscribed by God on all hearts and ready to obey God, they live honest lives and are able to attain eternal life by the efficacious virtue of divine light and grace since God who clearly beholds, searches, and knows the minds, souls, thoughts, and habits of all men, because of His great goodness and mercy, will by no means suffer anyone to be punished with eternal torment who has not the guilt of deliberate sin."

10.
Fr. Feeney began preaching the axiom of Pope Boniface VIII "Outside the Church, no salvation". For him, formal membership (that is one NEEDS to be baptized) of the Catholic Church was necessary for salvation. The Holy See rejected his restrictive view by distinguishing between those who really belong to the Catholic Church and those who belong by desire.

The desire would be explicit in those who were catechumens and implicit in those people of goodwill who would join the Church if they knew it to be the one, true Church of Christ

11.The problem with Father Feeney's position was that he would not give any quarter in regards to the possibility that God can be God and use extraordinary means to save someone not visibly united to the Church.

12.
The doctrine on Baptism of Desire is optional

They present it as a freely discussed question in the Church : "an academic difference to be settled by the Church." : each school of thought would then have to be accepted until the Pope later defines that doctrine. This is false.

The error here is to claim that only that which has already been defined belongs to the Deposit of Faith, and everything else is opened to free discussion.

The truth is that one ought to believe everything that belongs to the Deposit of Faith, both that which has already been defined and that which is not yet defined but is unanimously taught by the Church.

Such is the doctrine on Baptism of desire, by their own admission.

13.
The great English Cardinal considered this teaching in his Letter, not directly for the sake of the doctrine itself, but primarily as an example of something which he believed could offer “the opportunity of a legitimate minimizing.” [17] Following this line, he held that the principle “out of the Church, and out of the faith, is no salvation,” admits of exceptions, and he taught that Pope Pius IX, in his encyclical Quanto conficiamur moerore, had spoken of such exceptions. Newman quotes these words of Pius IX.

‘We and you know, that those who lie under invincible ignorance as regards our most Holy Religion, and who, diligently observing the natural law and its precepts, which are engraven by God on the hearts of all, and prepared to obey God, lead a good and upright life, are able, by the operation of the power of divine light and grace, to obtain eternal life’
The Meaning of the Church's Necessity for Salvation By Msgr. Joseph Clifford Fenton (emphasis added)
The following is an exact reproduction of the American Ecclesiastical Review, February, 1951, pages 124-143, published by the Catholic University of America Press.
14.
Catholic dogma, Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus (literally "no salvation outside the Church") has sometimes been interpreted as denying salvation to non-Catholic Christians as well as non-Christians, though constant[citation needed] Catholic teaching has stressed the possibility of salvation for persons invincibly ignorant (through no fault of their own) of the Catholic Church's necessity and thus not culpable for lacking communion with the Church. In the 20th century this inclusive approach was expressed in the condemnation of Feeneyism and in the declaration of the Second Vatican Council, which said that "the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator," although this is ambiguous and numerous interpretations have arisen. Vatican II further affirmed that salvation could be available to people who had not even heard of Christ (cf. Acts 17:23)— but that all who gain salvation do so only by membership in the Catholic Church, whether that membership is ordinary (explicit) or by extraordinary means (implicit).[3]

15.
Outside the Church there is no salvation. Solemnly defined doctrine that says that no one who culpably refuses to become and remain a member of the Catholic Church can be saved. Positively this means that all who reach their eternal destiny are saved through the Catholic Church, of which Christ is the visible head. This is true even though they nay not have lived as professed Roman Catholics (Fourth Lateran Council, A,D, 1215, Denzinger 802). (emphasis added)
Catholic Culture

-Lionel Andrades

Catechumenate Office of the Archdiocese of Sydney is teaching an error

If the Catechumenate Office and that of Religious Education in the Archdiocese of Sydney  said that non Catholics need to convert into the Catholic Church according to Vatican Council II to avoid Hell, there would be an uproar from the secular newspapers.So they do not mention it.They do not even teach this in the RCIA course. Instead they will say a non Catholic in Sydney,Australia can be saved in invincible ignorance and the baptism of desire as if some Magisterial text makes this claim.

RCIA candidates are forced to accept this irrationality to be accepted as Roman Catholics in Australia.

Cathy Dennis, Catechumenate Director; Jeremy Ambrose, Schools' Catechumenate Officer, of the Archdiocese of Sydney ( cathy.dennis@sydneycatholic.org  catechumenate@sydneycatholic.org Tel : (02) 9390 5928 ) would not be willing to say that all Jews and Muslims in Sydney need to convert according to Vatican Council II (Ad Gentes  7) to go to Heaven and avoid the fires of Hell.Instead they will say there are known exceptions. As if they could name them.
Image
Cathy Dennis will instruct catechumens who aspire to be Catholic that  Lumen Gentium 16 is an exception to Ad Gentes 7. Similarly, for her, the Catechism of the Catholic Church contradicts itself because she assumes the dead in Heaven are visible and so are known exceptions to AG 7.

These errors are being taught at the RCIA for political reasons or sincere naivete.Similar is the case with other departments and offices of the Archdiocese of Sydney, especially and sadly, the one for vocations.
-Lionel Andrades
 
http://members7.boardhost.com/TrueCatholic/msg/1364638844.html
 
 
What is the Catechumenate and RCIA?
The Catechumenate is a process of Christian formation offered to those who seek to become members of the Catholic Church. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) refers to the liturgical rites belonging to the Catechumenate, and includes an adaptation for children.
The Catechumenate, also known simply as RCIA, is offered to those who have never been baptised, as well as to those who have been baptised.
The unbaptised who are suitably prepared are joyfully received into the Catholic Church by the reception of the three Sacraments of Initiation, namely Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. The baptised who are suitably prepared are welcomed into full communion with the Catholic Church by the reception of the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.