Thursday, March 28, 2013
Christopher Ferreira, The Remnant & Catholic Family News
Christopher Ferreira writing in the Remnant and Catholic Family News, concerning the abdication/resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, needs to be reminded of what Vatican Council I dogmatically taught concerning the power of the Supreme Pontiff. If any shall say that the Roman Pontiff has the office merely of inspection or direction, and not full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the Universal Church, not only in things which belong to faith and morals, but also in those things which relate to the discipline and government of the Church spread throughout the world – or assert that he possesses merely the principal part, and not all the fullness of this supreme power – or that this power that he enjoys is not ordinary and immediate, both over each and all the Church and over each and all the pastors of the faithful – let him be anathema.
Pope Benedict has not just resigned the office of the Papacy, - he has abdicated and tacitly denied the supreme power of the Papacy as defined by the First Vatican Council in its dogmatic definition of that power. According to Christopher Ferreira’s opinion, the Pope acts as if he did not have the power that the Church has conferred upon him. He has not the faith of previous councils – obviously. God help us.
This statement of Vatican I disposes at once of “collegiality” of the Bishops. The Bishop is always and everywhere subordinate to the Pope. Robert Siscoe quoted the Council of Florence in a footnote in Catholic Family News. The three early medieval councils do not mention salvation by desire or blood – only Trent does. The Church will have to settle this dispute in the future.
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Dear Miss Haigh,
ReplyDeleteThank you once again for setting your thoughts down on paper and thanks to those who transcribe them and put them on the Internet.
In describing the hierarchical order, which in these days of public sanctioned disorder, you remind us that we are never alone, no matter how physically isolated we are. We may live amongst pagans and pan-Christians but we may have peace because the Invisible structure created by God exists.
The Church may be in eclipse but She is still there; She may be residing in the catacombs right now and obscured by the very public Church of the Vatican but which is truly the Church of the Modernists. You may say, Miss Haigh, that the Church Militant is dead -that may be so if our life -our active body -imitates Our Lord. We can barely make any headway in conversions even if we attack with the most sublime arguments and ardent prayer. The activity is so slight as to be imperceptible to the vast majority. Our Lord's body on this very particular day, Holy Saturday, was quite dead, but His soul was quite active in consoling the souls in the Limbo of the Just. Today, like on the first Holy Saturday, we must take consolation in His Precious Blood and His Divine Order and know that He has opened the doors to Heaven. Our suffering and tears are not for nought! Our heaven can begin here too with the knowledge of His grand Love and plan.
May all good Catholics reside and find peace in His Sacred Heart. Some are so fortunate as to still be able to find the tabernacle lamp still lit. Deo Gratias.
A grateful friend