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Archbishop Lefebvre: Must We Always Denounce Error? - Credidimus Caritati

In searching for the attitude or spirit of Archbishop Lefebvre, one site comes to mind Credidimus Caritati.

For those able to read french, or willing to trust robo-translators, it is worth while to keep on eye on this blog.

I have attached below a tradical reviewed robo-translation, primarily because I don't have sufficient time to perform a completely manual translation.

P^3


Courtesy of Credidimus Caritati

Archbishop Lefebvre : Always denounce the error ?


Should any occasion and any time denounce the errors of those around us? The rather dramatic state of the church , the legitimate fears that haunt us we could invite . That is not the response of the founder of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X. In 1975, in a lecture to seminarians Écône , Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre recalls quite rightly that the main mission of the Church lies in teaching faith and the truths revealed by God. Sanctify themselves , meditate , reflect, exercise charity must be essential. This does not exempt , on the contrary, then expose the pitfalls of mistakes that surround us . This must arise from even the preaching of the Gospel truth . But under the pretext that the popes since John XXIII abolished convictions , and indeed the immune system of the Church , should he spend his time to condemn and denounce , even to replace the Holy Office ? The fault does not justify the excess :

"If I personally thought it necessary in the conferences that I have been able to do last year , especially on liberalism, warn you against this error and ask that multiplies books on liberal Catholics, I think these things are necessary . Not that we should have as goal to fight against the errors, our goal is to know the truth , of course. And I think it is important to stress a little about this aspect . You are here seminar precisely know the truth, to know, in your studies , the revelation that the Magisterium of the Church teaches and also what the Church teaches as philosophical principles , not only as theological principles but also as philosophical principles . And this is what is essential . So what should be your concern , the object of your studies in an essential way : study , prayer, everything that can contribute to your sanctification , meditation, silence, reflection and practice of charity among yourselves.


" So do not do what is secondary , which is a negative aspect of your training, do not make the main aspect . Therefore in your conversations also in discussions that may arise between you do not dramatize things . On the other hand , it also requires you to be aware of the errors of your time , modern errors so that you can more easily fight them later when you have to preach the gospel. For preaching the Gospel , preach holiness, preach the Christian virtues , it is also preach far from sin , we can not do one without the other, the distance of the defect. When you preach the truth as you will be obliged to preach the danger of mistakes, to protect the truth. Because God knows the devil takes care of all the way we attract the vice and draw us to the error. So do not be the one hand this obsession of the error so that you almost forget to say the truth, seek, find the perfect way . And secondly that species no longer repulsive to hear mistakes. We do not always talking about it , we do not always put you in front of liberalism and the spirit at the thought . "

Mgr Lefebvre : toujours dénoncer l’erreur ?

Faut-il en toute occasion et en tout temps dénoncer les erreurs de ceux qui nous entourent ? L’état assez dramatique de l’Église, les craintes légitimes qui nous habitent pourraient nous y inviter. Telle n’est pas la réponse du fondateur de la Fraternité sacerdotale Saint-Pie X. En 1975, dans une conférence aux séminaristes d’Écône, Mgr Marcel Lefebvre rappelle assez justement que la mission principale de l’Église réside dans l’enseignement de la foi et des vérités révélées par Dieu. Se sanctifier, méditer, réfléchir, exercer la charité doit être l’essentiel. Cela ne dispense pas, bien au contraire, de dénoncer ensuite les écueils des erreurs qui nous environnent. Cela doit même découler de la prédication de la vérité évangélique. Mais sous prétexte que les papes depuis Jean XXIII ont supprimé les condamnations, et de fait le système immunitaire de l’Église, faudrait-il passer son temps à condamner et à dénoncer, quitte à se substituer au Saint-Office ? Le défaut ne justifie pas l’excès :

« Si personnellement j'ai cru nécessaire dans les conférences que j'ai déjà pu faire l'année dernière, en particulier sur le libéralisme, vous mettre en garde contre cette erreur et demander qu'on multiplie les livres sur le libéralisme des catholiques, je pense que ces choses sont nécessaires. Non pas que nous devions avoir comme premier but de lutter contre les erreurs, notre premier but c'est de connaître la vérité, évidemment. Et je pense qu'il est important d'insister un peu sur cet aspect. Vous êtes ici au séminaire précisément pour connaître la vérité, pour connaître, dans vos études, la révélation, ce que le magistère de l'Eglise vous enseigne et également ce que l'Eglise enseigne comme principes philosophiques, non seulement comme principes théologiques mais aussi comme principes philosophiques. Et c'est cela qui est essentiel. C'est donc ce qui doit faire l'objet de vos préoccupations, l'objet de vos études d'une manière essentielle : l'étude, la prière, tout ce qui peut contribuer à votre sanctification, la méditation, le silence, la réflexion et l'exercice de la charité entre vous.


« Alors ne faites pas de ce qui est secondaire, qui est un aspect négatif de votre formation, n'en faites pas l'aspect principal. Par conséquent dans vos conversations aussi, dans les discussions qui peuvent s'élever entre vous ne dramatisez pas les choses. D'autre part, il faut également que vous soyez au courant des erreurs de votre temps, des erreurs modernes pour que vous puissiez plus facilement les combattre plus tard lorsque vous aurez à prêcher l'Evangile. Car prêcher l'Evangile, prêcher la sainteté, prêcher les vertus chrétiennes, c'est aussi prêcher l'éloignement du péché, on ne peut pas faire l'un sans l'autre, l'éloignement du vice. Quand vous prêcherez la vérité vous serez bien obligés aussi de prêcher le danger des erreurs, pour protéger la vérité. Car Dieu sait si le démon se charge de toute manière de nous attirer au vice et de nous attirer à l'erreur. Alors n'ayez pas d'une part cette obsession de l'erreur au point que vous en oubliez presque d'affirmer la vérité, de la rechercher, de la connaître d'une façon parfaite. Et d'autre part non plus cette espèce de répulsion à entendre parler des erreurs. Qu'on ne vous parle pas toujours de cela, qu'on ne vous mette pas toujours ce libéralisme devant l'esprit et devant la pensée. »

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