Heresy – The Heart of Sedevacantism - True or False Pope

JMJ

I have been asked to contribute some articles to the http://www.trueorfalsepope.com/.

Reproduced below is my first article that I wrote discussing the core issue behind the sedevacantist theory: Heresy.

I have to admit that I have not yet had to opportunity to read the book, but rest assured I will once it appears on the shelves of my chapel's bookstore!

My article appears with others under the Sedevacantist Watch link.

P^3

Heresy – The Heart of Sedevacantism

Heresy is the heart which pumps life into all sedevacantist theories. Without a Pope that has either lost or never held the office of the Vicar of Christ the entire sedevacantist structure crumbles to dust.

This makes understanding what the Church means by the word heresy key to evaluating the arguments and opinions proferred by sedevacantists.

The Church has summarized its teaching concerning heresy in canon law, according to which heresy is:

... an error in judgement in consequence of which a baptized person obstinately denies or doubts a truth revealed by God and proposed by the Church for belief. (Canon 1325 1917)
... the obstinate denial or obstinate doubt after the reception of baptism of some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith;... (Canon 751 1982)

The critical elements that constitute heresy are summarized in the illustration below. If any of these elements are missing, then the accusation of heresy evaporates.

Illustration 1: Critical Elements of Heresy

Criteria #1: The person must be baptized. It is normally a foregone conclusion that Priests, Bishops, Cardinals and Popes have been baptized.

Criteria #2: The person must either doubt or deny a teaching of the Church. To be acted upon, this doubt or denial must have been done externally.

Criteria #3: The teaching of the Church must be a Dogma of the Catholic Church. Meaning that it is a teaching that Catholics must believe with Divine Faith as having been revealed by God. In short, no dogma, no heresy.

Criteria #4: The final criteria is that, in the face of correction by Church authorities, the person must be obstinate in their doubt / denial.

These criteria form the basis for examining most agruments put forward by Sedevacantists.

In my next article, I'll discuss the Sedevacantism Kill Chain.

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Comments

Rome,the SSPX and this time of Crisis - Updated

+ JMJ Obviously there's lots of events right now. First we have the April 1st - I almost thought it was April Fools - meeting between Pope Francis and Bishop Fellay. Nothing really news worthy as this is a natural progression as Rome appears to be considering fulfilling Archbishop Lefebvre's wish to 'accept us as we are'. Second we have the April 8th publication of what will be a verbose exhortation of the Synod of the Family. I'm willing to bet that the Pope will give with one hand (unilateral regularization of SSPX) and take with the other (ambiguous document that opens the flood gates of sin further). Much to pray for. P^3

The Vatican and SSPX – An Organizational Culture Perspective

Introduction The recent and continuing interactions between the Vatican and the SSPX have been a great opportunity for prayer and reflection. The basis for the disagreement is theological and not liturgical. As noted by Dr. Lamont (2012), the SSPX theological position on the four key controversial aspects of the Second Vatican Council are base on prior theological work that resulted from relevant magisterial pronouncements. So it is difficult to understand the apparent rejection of the theological position of the SSPX.

A Reply to Martin Blackshaw’s FLAWED Remnant article titled: FLAWED: SSPX Advice on Abortion-tainted Vaccines

+ JMJ An article has appeared in the Remnant (link to article) and I am afraid that there are a number of flaws in it that need to be addressed. The author, Martin Blackshaw, believes that both the Church and the SSPX are misapplying the principle of Moral Theology called 'Cooperation In Evil'. Unfortunately, Mr. Blackshaw rests most of his arguments on citing authors that support his position, without considering the possibility that they are wrong. This highlights a key factor in this crisis: ignorance of the faith and its application . I don't am not singling out Mr. Blackshaw for this criticism, I have observed that it applies to laity and religious, superior and subject a like. No one seems immune in this enduring crisis, myself included. I further believe that this ignorance is why so many Catholics, both traditional and non, rely on their gut feeling or "Catholic conscience" for charting their way through this crisis of the faith. While...

Battle Joy

+ JMJ I was listening to a Cd of John Vennari on Battle Joy ( Recapture the Flag: Dedication and Battle Joy - by John Vennari ) and it really captures a key point that Catholics (Traditional and otherwise labelled) need to adopt. We should see this conflict as a chance to prove our mettle for our King and to earn our unending reward. As veterans we'll be able to talk about the old battles in which we fought and the honour we gained in fighting for our King! Attached is a preview of course that, although secular, contains some of the elements of Battle Joy. P^3 https://www.coursera.org/learn/war/lecture/VDwfk/the-joy-of-battle

SSPX and the Resistance - A Comparison Of Ecclesiology

Shining the light of Church Teaching on the doctrinal positions of the SSPX and the Resistance. Principles are guides used to aid in decision making. It stands to reason that bad principles will lead to bad decisions. The recent interactions between Rome and the SSPX has challenged a number of closely held cultural assumptions of people in both sides of the disagreement. This has resulted in cultural skirmishes in both Rome and the SSPX. Since it is the smaller of the two, the skirmishes have been more evident within the SSPX. The cultural fault-line that Bishop Fellay crossed appears to be linked to two points of Catholic Doctrine: Ecclesiology and Obedience. The cultural difference of view points is strong enough that it has resulted in the expulsion of a number of members. It should also be noted that some other priests expelled since the beginning of the latest interactions (starting in 2000) held the same view points and have joined with the l...

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