A Magisterium Unto Themselves

 The Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), Bishop Williamson's "St. Marcel Initiative" and other "recognize and resisters" (R&R) wind up becoming an "uber-Magisterium." They acknowledge Francis as pope, yet they decide what they will and won't accept. Their "pope" makes a declaration (Amoris Laetitiae), or "canonizes" someone (John Paul the Great Apostate) and they decide if they will obey or accept them. This is not Catholicism, as I've demonstrated many times before. However, there is a far worse idea out there, namely, "we acknowledge Francis is not the pope, and we will decide what Church teaching is according to our own private interpretations of various Church documents." Rather than being guided by the approved pre-Vatican II theologians, which the Magisterium uses to expound Her teachings, they reject--and even condemn!--them. They are not an "uber-Magisterium;" they become their own teaching authority and you better follow them or stand "condemned." I'm thinking of Fred and Bobby Dimond, the fraudulent "Benedictine" Feeneyites  as a prime example.

 Last week, I was issued a challenge via the comments section of one of my prior posts. It came from "Jerome," the owner of a blog entitled "Against All Heresies And Errors." Rather than publish the comments and answer them there, I chose to dedicate a post to it. Why, you may ask? He takes the "self-appointed Magisterium" idea to new lows I didn't think possible. My readers know I try to be charitable to all, but Jerome might want to seriously consider re-naming his blog "Against All Reason And Logic." He exemplifies the craziness that takes place when you jettison the approved theologians of the Church for your own private interpretations. Jerome, your challenge is accepted below. WARNING! Jerome brings up moral topics of a sensitive nature that need to be addressed. Some graphic language/descriptions will be used. His blog post can be read at https://against-all-heresies-and-errors.blogspot.com/2017/02/are-pre-vatican-ii-approved-theologians-free-from-error.html. Jerome, while attacking me, did not have the courtesy to cite my web address.

Did Theologian Heribert Jone Teach Heresy?

 After an initial attack against the Traditional Catholic principle that the approved pre-Vatican II theologians must be followed, he quotes my response to one of my kind, intelligent, and regular readers in the comments section on one of my posts. This person had asked me who are the "good theologians" I recommend to study and what books to get. One of the theologians I cited was Fr. Heribert Jone and his one volume manual, Moral Theology. 

Jerome attacks theologian Jone as a "pervert" citing his teaching, "I. Imperfect Sodomy, i.e., rectal intercourse, is a grave sin when the seminal fluid is wasted: Excluding the sodomitical intention it is neither sodomy nor a grave sin if intercourse is begun in a rectal manner with the intention of consummating it naturally or if some sodomitical action is posited without danger of pollution…" (3. The Sins of Married People, Section 757)" 

Jerome comments: "Here we can see the pervert Fr. Jone say that rectal intercourse between a husband and wife is not a grave sin as long as the husband does not spill his seed when sodomizing his wife. And according to the pervert Fr. Jone, this is not even sodomy! One must ask, then, “What is it?” and “What is the purpose of this filthy and perverted act?” It is sodomy, plain and simple! And the purpose is to mock God and to degrade and disgrace the wife. Not only is this sodomitical act by the spouses contrary to nature and cries out to God for vengeance, but it is also physically destructive to the health of both spouses."

I have never claimed to be a theologian, and have therefore urged others to follow those experts approved by the Church. Here, an unknown blogger, with an (obvious) lack of any theological training opines that Fr. Jone, an erudite theological giant approved by the Church, is a "heretic" and a "pervert." Jone teaches that a married couple may begin intercourse in a rectal manner if and only if (a) there is no sodomitical intention (i.e., it is a means of foreplay), (b) the intention is to consummate intercourse the natural way and open to procreation, and (c) the act must not be placed in any danger of pollution (i.e., ejaculation). 

Why is this not considered sodomy? Because it is part of foreplay, with the intention to procreate naturally, and avoiding danger of pollution. There is no unanimous consent of the theologians in this matter. Being a Franciscan, Jone takes a stance that is more open to human liberty of action than would a Dominican like theologian Prummer.  I agree that since the time of Jone (1962) medical and scientific knowledge has progressed where we realize that using the rectum as foreplay is almost always unhealthy, and for such reason Jone (or the Church) most probably would have reversed that teaching. However, we have no magisterial authority, so it remains simply an opinion one may follow. There is absolutely no heresy. Jone does not deny openness to procreation, avoidance of pollution, and correct marital intention.

Jerome accuses Jone of contradicting himself. He again quotes Jone: "230. – II. Sodomy. 1. Definition. Sodomy is unnatural carnal copulation either with a person of the same sex (perfect sodomy) or of the opposite sex; the latter of heterosexual sodomy consists in rectal intercourse (imperfect sodomy). Either kind of sodomy will be consummated or non-consummated according as semination takes place or not."

Jerome comments, "Therefore, whether the seed is spilled during sodomy or not, it is still sodomy, but one is called consummated sodomy and the other is non-consummated sodomy. Hence in Section 230 he correctly teaches that a husband who sodomizes his wife but does not consummate the sodomy is still guilty of sodomy, which he correctly classifies as non-consummated sodomy. His teaching in this section contradicts what he teaches in Section 757 when he says that the husband’s non-consummated sodomy is not sodomy at all. Nature itself tells even a pagan that any form of rectal intercourse for any reason as well as any kind of sexual activity outside what is necessary for procreation is intrinsically evil and selfish."

To claim that a theologian as brilliant as Jone contradicted himself is laughable. Section 230, is the general definition of sodomy. The latter section (which Jerome places first in his post) qualifies the definition within the context of marriage open to procreation. Big difference. Before Jerome labels theologians "perverts" and "heretics," may I respectfully suggest that he learn to read texts in their proper context? Notice what he says at the end of the last sentence, "...any kind of sexual activity outside what is necessary for procreation is intrinsically evil and selfish." There will be plenty of wacky ideas Jerome and some others on a website he recommeds have that will be discussed later in this post. 

Rejecting the Theologians = Rejecting The Universal and Ordinary Magisterium

1.  Catholics are bound to believe the teachings of the Universal and Ordinary Magisterium of the Church.
 Proof: "Further, by divine and Catholic faith, all those things must be believed which are contained in the written word of God and in tradition, and those which are proposed by the Church, either in a solemn pronouncement or IN HER ORDINARY AND UNIVERSAL TEACHING POWER [magisterium], to be believed as divinely revealed." Vatican Council I, Dogmatic Constitution on the Faith (1870), DZ 1792; Emphasis mine.

The Code of Canon Law (1917) imposes the same obligation. ( See Canon 1323.1)

2. The universal and constant agreement of the theologians that something belongs to the faith is not a case of some erudite priests or bishops who can be wrong, nor is it a fallacious appeal to authority. It is how the Church teaches us free from error. It is the Universal and Ordinary Magisterium at work.

Proof: "For even if it were a matter concerning that subjection which is to be manifested by an act of divine faith, nevertheless, it would not have to be limited to those matters which have been defined by express decrees of the ecumenical Councils, or of the Roman Pontiffs and of this See, but would have to be extended also to those matters which are handed down as divinely revealed by the ordinary teaching power of the whole Church spread throughout the world, and therefore, by universal and common consent are held by Catholic theologians to belong to faith." Pope Pius IX, Tuas Libenter (1863),DZ 1683 (Emphasis mine)

Jerome must reject the Universal and Ordinary Magisterium as a natural consequence of his position.

3. Jerome's pitiful objection

Jerome claims that the pope cannot read every book in the world (true enough) and cites to Pope St. Pius X's encyclical Pascendi. "Let no Bishop think that he fulfills this duty by denouncing to us one or two books, while a great many others of the same kind are being published and circulated. Nor are you to be deterred by the fact that a book has obtained the Imprimatur elsewhere, both because this may be merely simulated, and because it may have been granted through carelessness or easiness or excessive confidence in the author as may sometimes happen in religious Orders." (Emphasis Jerome's). 

Yes, Jerome. We are not talking about some simple priest who writes a book, or a lower level theologians. The theologians who have their works approved for use in the seminaries are indeed reviewed by the Holy See.At the very least, their works are used in the seminaries of the world with the approval of the bishops and without censure from the pontiff or a Roman Congregation. Those are the theologians whom we cite. Also included are those whose works are published as part of their doctoral dissertation and are reviewed in detail by the entire theological faculty and the bishop. The decisions of the Roman Congregations (especially the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office) must have their decisions approved by the Pontiff. So in no case here is there a danger of a simulated (false) Imprimatur, an approval granted through carelessness, or confidence in a particular author by his Order. 

4. Who are the adversaries of the theologians?

Theologian Salaverri, after having explained the important and unique role of the theologians, goes on to list their adversaries, to wit; Humanists, Protestants, Rationalists, Modernists, and Jansenists. (See Sacrae Theologiae Summa I B [1955], pg. 327-328). Jerome clearly places himself in their evil company.

5. A query answered

Jerome asks, "I would like to ask Introibo how he think the great apostasy even came into being if everything taught before Vatican II was safe and sound to follow? Is it not obvious that many teachings and practises (sic) before Vatican II must have been heretical, unsafe, and displeasing to God since He allowed the apostasy happen? Obviously. Why else would God allow the Vatican II apostasy to happen, unless, again, the majority of Catholics were displeasing to him?"

Answer: The Great Apostasy came about as the result of people (like Jerome) who don't know the Faith. The Modernists were driven underground, but not extirpated. People were "going through the motions" in the era just prior to Vatican II. The love of God had grown cold in many. Jerome wrongly assumes that "teachings and practices" of the Church were displeasing to God. This is impossible because the One True Church is the Mystical Body of Christ and is Indefectible. It is a dogma that the Church cannot teach error or give that which is evil. In addition, the proposition that the Church could err in Her universal disciplinary Laws was condemned by Pope Pius VI (Auctorum Fidei), Pope Gregory XVI (Mirari Vos and Quo Graviora), Pope St. Pius X (Pascendi Domenici Gregis), and Pope Pius XII (Mystici Corporis).  The Church cannot err in Her disciplinary Laws, much less Her dogmatic and moral teachings! To state otherwise is heresy.

Jerome rejects the dogma of the Indefectibility of the Church.

Jerome's Substitutes For The Theologians 

• Jacinta "The Prophetess." Jerome states, "Indeed, we learn from Jacinta herself – the Prophetess of Fatima – that even before Vatican II, almost all people were in a state of damnation; and it is just a fact that the people of that time were many times more virtuous than the "Catholics" of our own time. "Jacinta, what are you thinking of?" Jacinta, the prophetess and seer of Fatima replied: "About the war which will come. So many people will die, and almost all of them will go to hell!" Consider that this statement by Jacinta was made before the Vatican II revolution." Which pope declared Jacinta of Fatima a "prophetess"? Private revelations need not be believed by anyone. Even Church approved private revelations may be denied without sin (as long as it is not done out of contempt for ecclesiastical authority). I can literally pile a stack of books on Fatima several feet high, each of which contains different words attributed to the seers. How can Jerome be sure he has the accurate words? There are so many contradictory statements claimed for "what was really said" as if our salvation depends on getting private revelations correct! I refuse to even go down that useless path. 

• More private revelations--La Salette. Jerome writes, "Also consider our Lady’s prophecy in the Church approved apparition of La Salette“In the year 1864 Lucifer, together with a great number of devils, will be loosed from hell; little by little they will abolish the faith, and that even in persons consecrated to God; they will so blind them, that without a special grace, these persons will take on the spirit of these evil angels; a number of religious houses will lose the faith entirely and cause many souls to be damned. Bad books will abound over the earth, and the spirits of darkness will everywhere spread universal relaxation in everything concerning God’s service: they will have very great power over nature; there will be churches to serve these [evil doctrines or] spirits... and even priests, because they will not have lived by the good spirit of the gospel, which is a spirit of humility, charity and zeal for the glory of God.” (Prophecy of La Salette, 19th of September 1846)" Isn't it interesting that Jerome goes out of his way to emphasize that the apparition is church approved? Is he sure the pope himself looked over every word? Where did he get that quote? Did the book have a valid Imprimatur? As a matter of fact, on December 21, 1915, The Holy Office forbade anyone to discuss, disseminate, or investigate ".. the so-called Secret of La Salette, its diverse forms and its relevance to present and future times" Poor Jerome!

• A Website of Wacky--and False-- Ideas. Jerome recommends trusaint.com for advice on sexual ethics. The site is run by three anonymous persons (I don't know if Jerome is one of them). They are Feeneyites (no surprise there), and condemn (literally) everyone, except themselves and maybe Jerome, to Hell. Just a partial list of those condemned: SSPX, SSPV, CMRI, Novus Ordo Watch.Org, etc. They are sedevacantists and would seem to have the Home Aloner position since everyone is Hell-bound. They remind me of cult leader Richard Ibranyi (who is also on the list of those whose errors are sending them straight to Hell as heretics). Trusaint condemns Natural Family Planning or "NFP" (approved by the Church), using the following principle, taken out of context:

"The first reason is that the Natural Law teaches that “the conjugal act is destined primarily by nature for the begetting of children” (Pope Pius XI, Casti Connubii, #54) and that “the act of marriage exercised for pleasure only” is condemned as a sin for both the married and unmarried people alike (Pope Innocent XI, Denz. 1159). Since even the normal, natural and procreative “act of marriage exercised for [the motive of] pleasure only” is condemned as a sin even though this act is directly procreative in itself, and the only intention and motive that excuses the marital sexual act from sin is the procreation of children, according to teachings of the Popes, Saints and Doctors of the Church, it is totally obvious that every single marital sexual act must be excused by an explicit act of the will of having children before one performs the marital sexual act."(Emphasis in original). The idea that the marital act is sinful unless "excused" is abhorrent, un-Catholic and results in patent absurdity.

Let's take the example of a couple married thirty (30) years, and had ten children. The wife reaches her late 40s and goes through menopause. She can no longer conceive. Under trusaint.com and Jerome's strange "principle" they must abstain from the marriage act for the rest of their lives because it can't result in procreation and would be done "for pleasure only." Why has the Church always permitted the infertile and elderly who are widows/widowers to marry knowing full well they cannot procreate? Procreation is in the nature of the union. Apples are by nature good to eat. That fact that a particular apple may be rotten, does not detract from the nature of the apple. In this sense, marriage is procreative even when circumstances render a particular marriage barren. Of course, no married couple may, without sinning, purposefully exclude begetting children permanently by using NFP when they are capable of having children. This, however, is not what they are saying. 

Conclusion

 Jerome, by abandoning the teachings of the theologians has rejected the Universal and Ordinary Magisterium of the Church. As a result, he becomes a magisterium unto himself.  On what does Jerome rely? Private revelations that no one must believe and no one can be sure what was said in many cases anyway. Websites that condemn everyone as heretics going to Hell and come up with strange and false ideas about marriage that will cause needless concern for good yet uninformed people thinking everything is a "sin," including the marital act, "unless excused"!

Pray for Jerome's conversion. Let him be a reminder why we must hold on to the teachings of the Church as explained by Her approved theologians. Otherwise you reject the Universal and Ordinary Magisterium of the Church to the detriment of your soul--and your sanity.