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Why Do Traditionalists Disapprove of
Ecumenism? Doesn't This Go Against the Vatican Council?
Primary Sources May Include:
Amerio, Davies |
Traditionalists may disapprove of a false
ecumenism because the Church has always disapproved of false
ecumenism. For example, consider the following condemnations
applicable to false ecumenism...
"No
one shall pray in common with heretics and schismatics."
(Council of Laodicea, 365 A.D.)
"None
must either pray or sing psalms with heretics; and whomsoever
shall communicate with those who are cut off from the Communion of
the Church, whether clergymen or laic, let him be
excommunicated." (Council of Carthage, 398 A.D.)
"Can.
2316 Whoever in any manner willingly and knowingly helps in the
promulgation of heresy, or who communicates in things divine with
heretics against the prescriptions of Canon 1258, is suspected of
heresy." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Know
them by their fruits and avoid them. Every familiarity should be
avoided, not only with those impious libertines who openly promote
the character of the [Masonic] sect, but also with those who hide
under the mask of universal tolerance, respect for all religions,
and the craving to reconcile the maxims of the Gospel with those
of the revolution. These men seek to reconcile Christ and Belial,
the Church of God and the state without God." (Pope Leo XIII,
"Custodi Di Quella Fede", 1892 A.D.)
"But,
all the same, although many non-Catholics may be found who loudly
preach fraternal communion in Christ Jesus, yet you will find none
at all to whom it ever occurs to submit to and obey the Vicar of
Jesus Christ either in His capacity as a teacher or as a governor.
Meanwhile they affirm that they would willingly treat with the
Church of Rome, but on equal terms, that is as equals with an
equal: but even if they could so act, it does not seem open to
doubt that any pact into which they might enter would not compel
them to turn from those opinions which are still the reason why
they err and stray from the one fold of Christ. This being so, it
is clear that the Apostolic See cannot on any terms take part in
their assemblies, nor is it anyway lawful for Catholics either to
support or to work for such enterprises; for if they do so they
will be giving countenance to a false Christianity, quite alien to
the one Church of Christ." (Pope Pius XI, "Mortalium
Animos", 1928 A.D.)
"This
being said, what must be thought of the indiscriminate mingling in
which young Catholics will be caught up with heterodox and
unbelieving folk in a work of this nature? Is it not a
thousand-fold more dangerous for them than a neutral association?
What are we to think of this appeal to all the heterodox, and to
all the unbelievers, to prove the excellence of their convictions
in the social sphere in a sort of apologetic contest? Has not this
contest lasted for nineteen centuries in conditions less dangerous
for the faith of Catholics? And was it not all to the credit of
the Catholic Church? What are we to think of this respect for all
errors, and of this strange invitation made by a Catholic to all
the dissidents to strengthen their convictions through study so
that they may have more and more abundant sources of fresh forces?
What are we to think of an association in which all religions and
even Free-Thought may express themselves openly and in complete
freedom? For the Sillonists who, in public lectures and elsewhere,
proudly proclaim their personal faith, certainly do not intend to
silence others nor do they intend to prevent a Protestant from
asserting his Protestantism, and the skeptic from affirming his
skepticism. Finally, what are we to think of a Catholic who, on
entering his study group, leaves his Catholicism outside the door
so as not to alarm his comrades who, 'dreaming of disinterested
social action, are not inclined to make it serve the triumph of
interests, coteries and even convictions whatever they may
be'?" (Pope St. Pius X, "Our Apostolic Mandate",
1910 A.D.)
"So,
Venerable Brethren, it is clear why this Apostolic See has never
allowed its subjects to take part in the assemblies of
non-Catholics: for the union of Christians can only be promoted by
promoting the return to the one true Church of Christ of those who
are separated from it, for in the past they have unhappily left
it. To the one true Church of Christ, we say, which is visible to
all, and which is to remain, according to the will of its Author,
exactly the same as He instituted it. During the lapse of
centuries, the mystical Spouse of Christ has never been
contaminated, nor can she ever in the future be contaminated, as
Cyprian bears witness: 'The Bride of Christ cannot be made false
to her Spouse: she is incorrupt and modest. She knows but one
dwelling, she guards the sanctity of the nuptial chamber chastely
and modestly.' The same holy Martyr with good reason marveled
exceedingly that anyone could believe that 'this unity in the
Church which arises from a divine foundation, and which is knit
together by heavenly sacraments, could be rent and torn asunder by
the force of contrary wills.' For since the mystical body of
Christ, in the same manner as His physical body, is one, compacted
and fitly joined together, it were foolish and out of place to say
that the mystical body is made up of members which are disunited
and scattered abroad: whosoever therefore is not united with the
body is no member of it, neither is he in communion with Christ
its head." (Pope Pius XI, "Mortalium Animos", 1928
A.D.)
"But
some are more easily deceived by the outward appearance of good
when there is question of fostering unity among all Christians. Is
it not right, it is often repeated, indeed, even consonant with
duty, that all who invoke the name of Christ should abstain from
mutual reproaches and at long last be united in mutual charity?
Who would dare to say that he loved Christ, unless he worked with
all his might to carry out the desires of Him, Who asked His
Father that His disciples might be 'one.' And did not the same
Christ will that His disciples should be marked out and
distinguished from others by this characteristic, namely that they
loved one another: 'By this shall all men know that you are my
disciples, if you have love one for another'? All Christians, they
add, should be as 'one': for then they would be much more powerful
in driving out the pest of irreligion, which like a serpent daily
creeps further and becomes more widely spread, and prepares to rob
the Gospel of its strength. These things and others that class of
men who are known as pan-Christians continually repeat and
amplify; and these men, so far from being quite few and scattered,
have increased to the dimensions of an entire class, and have
grouped themselves into widely spread societies, most of which are
directed by non-Catholics, although they are imbued with varying
doctrines concerning the things of faith. This undertaking is so
actively promoted as in many places to win for itself the adhesion
of a number of citizens, and it even takes possession of the minds
of very many Catholics and allures them with the hope of bringing
about such a union as would be agreeable to the desires of Holy
Mother Church, who has indeed nothing more at heart than to recall
her erring sons and to lead them back to her bosom. But in reality
beneath these enticing words and blandishments lies hid a most
grave error, by which the foundations of the Catholic faith are
completely destroyed. Admonished, therefore, by the consciousness
of Our Apostolic office that We should not permit the flock of the
Lord to be cheated by dangerous fallacies, We invoke, Venerable
Brethren, your zeal in avoiding this evil" (Pope Pius XI,
"Mortalium Animos", 1928 A.D.)
"For
since they hold it for certain that men destitute of all religious
sense are very rarely to be found, they seem to have founded on
that belief a hope that the nations, although they differ among
themselves in certain religious matters, will without much
difficulty come to agree as brethren in professing certain
doctrines, which form as it were a common basis of the spiritual
life. For which reason conventions, meetings and addresses are
frequently arranged by these persons, at which a large number of
listeners are present, and at which all without distinction are
invited to join in the discussion, both infidels of every kind,
and Christians, even those who have unhappily fallen away from
Christ or who with obstinacy and pertinacity deny His divine
nature and mission. Certainly such attempts can nowise be approved
by Catholics, founded as they are on that false opinion which
considers all religions to be more or less good and praiseworthy,
since they all in different ways manifest and signify that sense
which is inborn in us all, and by which we are led to God and to
the obedient acknowledgment of His rule. Not only are those who
hold this opinion in error and deceived, but also in distorting
the idea of true religion they reject it, and little by little, turn aside to naturalism and atheism, as it is called; from which
it clearly follows that one who supports those who hold these
theories and attempt to realize them, is altogether abandoning the
divinely revealed religion." (Pope Pius XI, "Mortalium
Animos", 1928 A.D.)
Furthermore, false ecumenism is not biblical.
For example, consider the following:
[Jesus
commissioned the apostles:] "He said to them, 'Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony
against them.'" (Mk. 6:10-11) Note: Jesus did not instruct them to
stay and dialog with those who would not accept His message or to
"package" the message in terms they might find more
preferable or to simply ignore their differences and work together
in the name of "peace", understanding, or
"tolerance". Rather, he tells them to shake the dust off
their feet in testimony against them.
[Jesus
instructed the apostles,] "And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet
in testimony against them." (Lk. 9:5) Note: Jesus has made it clear that those who fail to
receive the persons He has sent will incur reproach or
condemnation. In contrast to the ecumenical movement, Jesus does
not discuss "dialoging", "coming to the truth
together" (as if it was not already possessed), or
"seeking to find the good" in the belief systems of
those who reject the truth.
[Jesus
told those whom he sent ahead,] "Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
(Lk. 10:16) Note: Once again, Jesus did not instruct
his disciples to stay and dialog with those who would not accept
His message or to "package" the message in terms they
might find more preferable or to simply ignore their differences
and work together in the name of "peace", understanding,
or "tolerance". He clearly shows that those who fail to
receive the persons He has sent will incur condemnation.
"I
urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create dissensions
and obstacles, in opposition to the teaching that you learned;
avoid them. For such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their
own appetites, and by fair and flattering speech they deceive the
hearts of the innocent." (St. Paul, Rom. 16:17-18) (emphasis
added) Note: In contrast to the "spirit of ecumenism"
which attempts to mingle all faiths under one umbrella, Scripture
tells us plainly that we should avoid those who create dissentions
in opposition to the true teachings of the Catholic Church.
"Do
not be yoked with those who are different, with unbelievers. For
what partnership do righteousness and lawlessness have? Or what
fellowship does light have with darkness? What accord has Christ
with Beliar? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the
temple of the living God; as God said: 'I will live with them and
move among them, and I will be their God and they shall be my
people. Therefore, come forth from them and be separate,' says the
Lord, 'and touch nothing unclean; then I will receive you and I
will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to
me, says the Lord Almighty.'" (St. Paul, 2 Cor. 6:14-18)
"But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach (to you) a gospel other than the one that we preached to you, let that one be
accursed! As we have said before, and now I say again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed!
Am I now currying favor with human beings or God? Or am I seeking to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of
Christ." (Gal. 1:8-10) Note: While the Bible teaches us
that those who pervert the gospel of Christ are accursed - even if
the one doing so was an angel from heaven - the ecumenical
movement wants us to gather together with them as if nothing was
wrong with their accursed doctrines in the name of
"peace", "tolerance" and understanding. But, as Scripture says,
"Am I now currying favor with human beings or God? Or am I
seeking to please people? If I were still trying to please people,
I would not be a slave of Christ." We must please God, not
human beings and reject perverted gospels. The modern ecumenical
movement, however, generally spurns accusatory statements such as
those contained in Scripture and seeks to allow others to preach
their different gospels to us in the name of
"dialoging".
"After a first and second warning, break off contact with a heretic,
realizing that such a person is perverted and sinful and stands self-condemned."
(Ti. 3:10-11) Note: In this rather "unecumenical"
statement, we are told to "break off contact
with a heretic, realizing that such a person is perverted and
sinful and stands self-condemned" after a first and second
warning. The modern ecumenical movement prefers rather to
"dialog" with heretics rather than admonish them as we
are instructed to do in Scripture.
"There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master who ransomed them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their licentious ways, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled. In their greed they will exploit you with fabrications, but from of old their condemnation has not been idle and their destruction does not sleep."
(2 Pt. 2:1-3)
"Anyone who is so
'progressive' as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God; whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son.
If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him in your house or even greet him; for whoever greets him shares in his evil works."
(2 Jn. 1:9-11) (emphasis added) Note: In this
highly "unecumenical" Scripture passage, we are warned
about those who are "progressive" and do not remain in
the teaching of Christ and instructed that "If anyone comes
to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him in
your house or even greet him; for whoever greets him shares in his
evil works". Scripture does not tell us to "dialog"
or to "seek out the good" or to gather for religious
activities with anyone who brings another doctrine, despite the
encouragement by the ecumenical movement to do just these things.
In fact, to do so is contrary to this passage of Scripture.
More "lessons on ecumenism from the Bible"...
MT
16:5-12: Jesus here warns us to beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees and Sadducees - that is, their corrupt teaching. In the
modern ecumenical movement, however, we - that includes laity as
well as priests/bishops - are called to "dialog" with
those promoting corrupt doctrine and are even called to "find the good"
in their belief systems.
MT
18:15-17: Jesus did not instruct his followers to simply ignore
the faults of one's brother or to continue association with the brother regardless
of his refusal to change his ways. Rather, Our Lord
says that if the brother ultimately "refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax
collector" (Mt. 18:17). In other words, his company is to be avoided.
JN
6:22-6:69: We see here the first 'protest-ants', as it
were. Scripture clearly shows us that many of Jesus' disciples left
him because of his Eucharistic teaching. When this occurred, Jesus did not stop and "dialog"
or "repackage" his teaching so that they would find it
more acceptable. On the contrary, he let them separate from him
and asked his apostles if they also wanted to leave. Would the
ecumenical movement dare to reprove Jesus for acting "unecumenically"?
For it is the very same thing today that many of those outside the
Church still find too hard to believe - that the Eucharist is
Jesus' true flesh. In response to disbelief outside the Church,
the ecumenists have dramatically altered the
Mass, formerly
thought untouchable (except for occasional, appropriate, and minor
additions), to better please those who don't believe. The result
is not that the disbelievers now believe, but that those who once
believed find it harder to accept this truth or they now reject it
altogether.
ACTS
13:44-52: When Paul and Barnabus found their
teaching rejected, they did not "dialog", "come to
an agreement with", "find the good in", "or
peacefully coexist, error with truth". They told those who
rejected their teachings straight out and in no uncertain terms
that they "condemn [themselves] as unworthy of eternal
life". Then they shook the dust from their feet and went on
to others. They seem to have transgressed all the precepts of the
modern ecumenical movement. Shall we "be imitators of me
[that is, St. Paul]" (1 Cor. 4:16) or imitators of the proponents of
ecumenism?
ACTS
19:8-9: Once again, disbelief and obstinacy in
Scripture is not countered with "dialog" or
"finding the good" in false beliefs, but rather a
withdrawal from those who reject the truth.
ACTS
22:17-18: Here we are told that the Lord told St. Paul to
"Hurry, leave Jerusalem at once, because they will not accept your
testimony about me." Again, Jesus does not tell his disciples to
stay around and dialog when
people do not accept the testimony of those He has sent or to
"repackage" his testimony to obtain more believers, but
simply to leave.
ROM
1:18-32: This Scripture passage appears "unecumenical".
Rather than "dialoging", "finding the good
in", and "coexisting peacefully, truth with error",
Scripture states that those who suppress the truth by their
wickedness are subject to the wrath of God and "deserve
death".
1COR
5:1-13: Here St. Paul clearly teaches that a sinner
should be expelled from the midst of the believers and warns that
a little least leavens all the dough. His teachings clearly apply
to adherents of other faiths whose doctrines can infect the minds
of believers. While the ecumenical movement seeks to mingle
believers of all faiths, St. Paul tells us that our duty is to
dissociate from those who may harm us.
2COR
10:3-6: Here Scripture speaks
of battling, destroying arguments, and punishing disobedience. The
ecumenical movement, however, preaches tolerance and
"dialog". It even calls us to "find the good"
in false faiths and encourages us to 'join in fellowship' with those whose
arguments we should be destroying.
2COR
11:1-15: Once again, the ecumenical movement finds
itself in opposition to St. Paul. In this passage, St. Paul is
concerned that the faithful may be corrupted from a sincere
commitment to Christ and put up with a different gospel. He calls
those who bring a different gospel "false apostles, deceitful
workers, who masquerade as apostles of Christ" and warns that
"their end will correspond to their deeds". In contrast,
the ecumenical movement avoids admonishing those who are
"false apostles, deceitful workers, who masquerade as
apostles of Christ" but instead admonishes those who would
call them such. We are told to "dialog" and to
"seek the good" in the belief systems that
"masquerade as [faiths] of righteousness" - including
those belief systems that approve of divorce, birth control, and
abortion - because they "contain elements of truth". We
are also encouraged not only to "put up with them" but
may even be encouraged to 'join in fellowship' with them.
EPH
5:1-17: Holy Scripture instructs us that we should not be associated
with the disobedient and that we should expose the works of
darkness. In contrast, the ecumenical movement encourages us to
mingle and "dialog" with those of any and all belief
systems, even those who endorse divorce, abortion, birth control,
euthanasia, etc.
HEB
10:25: In another "unecumenical"
passage from Scripture, we are told not to stray away from our
(Catholic) assembly. Despite this, the ecumenical movement would have us -
from laity to priests to bishops - participate in religious
activities with
those of false faiths.
We see clearly in Scripture that Jesus does
not instruct 'dialog' with those who reject his teachings. We also
see that we are to expect danger from false teachers (cf. Acts
20:25-30, 2 Cor. 11:1-15, 1 Tm. 6:3-15, 2 Pt. 2). We further see
that we are not to associate with heretics and evil-doers (Ti
3:10-11, Mt. 18:17-17, 1 Cor. 5:1-13).
We are also warned that "Bad company corrupts good
morals" (1 Cor. 15:33), and told that persons
who sin should be "Reprimand[ed] publicly" (1
Tm. 5:20). Keeping mind that Protestant sects reject the
papacy, reject the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist,
reject the Immaculate Conception of Mary, reject the ministerial priesthood, and that they may approve of divorce, abortion, contraception,
euthanasia, etc., we are also confronted with Scripture passages such as...
(emphasis added)
"The
way we may be sure that we know him is to keep his commandments.
Whoever says, 'I know him,' but does not keep his
commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (1
Jn. 2:3-4)
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but
whoever
disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains
upon him. (Jn. 3:36)
[Jesus] said in reply, "Every plant that my heavenly
Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are
blind guides (of the blind). If a blind person leads a blind
person, both will fall into a pit." (Mt. 15:13-14)
As indicated above, it is clear in St. John's
Gospel (Chapter 6), how Jesus reacted to those who were resistant
to his teaching - the first 'protest-ants'. He clearly did not engage in dialog, nor did he
introduce a "protestant version of the Eucharist".
Rather he allowed those who rejected his teaching on the Holy
Eucharist to leave him (Jn. 6:66) and asked his apostles if they wished to do the same
(Jn. 6:67). One may legitimately ask, "Should we not
follow our Lord's example?"
Even the Second Vatican Council admitted that
certain ecumenical actions were positively forbidden by divine
law:
"Common
participation in worship (communicatio in sacris) which harms the
unity of the Church or involves formal acceptance of error or the
danger of aberration in the faith, of scandal and indifferentism,
is forbidden by divine law." (Second Vatican Council)
We can also learn from the consistent
teachings and practices of the saints. For example, consider:
"Pan-Christians
who strive for the union of the churches would appear to pursue
the noblest of ideals in promoting charity among all Christians.
But how should charity tend to the detriment of the faith?
Everyone knows that John himself, the Apostle of love, who seems
in his Gospel to have revealed the secrets of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus and who never ceased to impress upon the memory of his
disciples the new commandment 'to love one another', nevertheless
strictly forbade any intercourse with those who professed a
mutilated and corrupt form of Christ's teaching: 'If any man comes
to you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into the
house, nor say to him, God speed you.' (2 John 1:10)" (Pope
Pius XI, "Mortalium Animos", 1928 A.D.)
"And
yet this same gentle and loving Saint [John the Apostle] was the
inflexible enemy of heresy; for heresy, by destroying Faith,
poisons Charity in its very source. It is from this Apostle that
the Church has received the maxim she gives to us, of shunning
heresy as we would shun a plague: If any man come to you and bring
not the doctrine of Christ, receive him not into the house, nor
say to him 'God speed thee', for he that saith unto him 'God speed
thee', communicateth with his wicked works (Jn. 1:10-11). St. John
having one day entered one of the public baths, he was no sooner
informed that the heresiarch Cerinthus was in the same building,
than he instantly left the place as though it were infected. The
disciples of Cerinthus were indignant at this conduct of the
Apostle, and endeavored to take away his life by putting poison
into the cup from which he used to drink; but St. John having made
the sign of the cross over the cup, a serpent was seen to issue
from it, testifying both to the wickedness of his enemies and to
the divinity of Christ, This apostolic firmness in resisting the
enemies of the Faith made him the dread of the heretics of Asia;
and hereby he proved how justly he had received from Jesus the
surname Son of Thunder" (Dom Gueranger)
"Fly
from them and from their doctrines; do not go near them, for you
know that whoever is found in a place where outrage has been
offered to the king has to come into court to be questioned
according to law. Even if he can prove he was not guilty he will
be condemned for want of zeal. Do not sit with heretics nor
associate with apostates. It would be better to dwell with a demon
than with a renegade. For if you abjure the demon he will flee,
for he cannot stand before the name of Jesus, but even were you to
exorcise the apostate ten thousand times he would not cease from
his wickedness or renounce his folly. It would be better to teach
demons than to try to convince heretics." (St. Ephraem the
Syrian, Doctor of the Church)
"I
exhort you, then, to leave alone the foreign fodder of heresy and
keep entirely to Christian food... For heretics mingle poison with
Jesus Christ, as men might administer a deadly drug in sweet
wine...so that without thought or fear of the fatal sweetness a
man drinks his own death." (St. Ignatius of Antioch, 2nd
century A.D.) [Note: St. Ignatius of Antioch was a hearer of
the Apostle St. John]
"I
have learned however, that certain persons from elsewhere, who
have evil doctrine, have stayed with you; but you did not allow
them to sow it among you, and you stooped your ears so that you
would not receive what they sow... Do not err, my brethren: the
corrupters of families will not inherit the kingdom of God. And if
they who do these things according to the flesh suffer death, how
much more if a man corrupt by evil teaching the faith of God, for
the sake of which Jesus Christ was crucified? A man become so foul
will depart into unquenchable fire; and so also will anyone who
listens to him." (St. Ignatius of Antioch, c. 110 A.D.) [Reminder: St. Ignatius of Antioch was a hearer of
the Apostle St. John]
How
St. Polycarp, a disciple of St. John the Apostle, reacted to
heresy: "I could point out the very spot where sat blessed
Polycarp while he conversed with us; I could describe exactly his
bearing, his address, his manner of life, his every feature, and
the discourses he made to the crowd. Thou rememberest how he used
to tell us of his intercourse with John [the Apostle] and the rest
of those that had seen the Lord, and with what a faithful memory
he repeated their words; what he had learnt from them respecting
our Lord, his miracles, his doctrine, all these things Polycarp
transmitted to us, as having himself received them from the very
men that had beheld with their eyes the Word of life; all of what
he told us was conformable to the Scriptures. What a grace from
God were these conversations of his! I used to listen so eagerly,
noting everything down, not on parchment, but on my heart; and
now, by the grace of God, I still live on it all. Hence, I can
attest before God, if the blessed apostolic old man [St. Polycarp]
had heard [heretical] discourses ... He would have stopped his
ears, saying, as was his wont: 'O God most good, to what sort of
times hast thou reserved us!' Then would he have got up quickly,
and would have fled from that place of blasphemy." (St. Irenaeus,
disciple of St. Polycarp, 2nd Century A.D.) Note St. Polycarp
also told a heretic he was the "first-born of
Satan" (see below).
"Irenaeus himself
relates with regard to his master Polycarp
[who was a disciple of St. John the Apostle], how, when being
asked by the heretic Marcion if he knew him, he replied: 'I know
thee to be the first-born of Satan.' He also tells us that St.
John [the Apostle] hearing that Cerinthus was in the same public
edifice into which he had just entered, fled precipitately, for
fear, as he said, that because of this enemy of truth the walls of
the building would crumble down upon them all: 'so great,' remarks
the bishop of Lyons, 'was the fear the apostles and their
disciples had of communicating, even by word, with any one of
those who altered truth.'" (Liturgical Year)
St.
Jerome, Doctor of the Church, to Rufinus: "There is one point
in which I cannot agree with you: you ask me to spare heretics -
or, in other words - not to prove myself a Catholic."
"[St.
Antony] would not speak to a heretic, unless to exhort him to the
true faith; and he drove all such from his mountain, calling them
venomous serpents." (Butler)
"Let us
hate them who are worthy of hatred, withdraw we from them whom God
withdraws from; let us also say unto God with all boldness
concerning heretics, 'Do not I hate them O Lord, that hate
Thee?" (St. Cyril) Note:
Should this passage seem harsh, one should note that "there
is no lack of quotations from other Fathers of the Church
expressing similar sentiments" (Davies)
"As
[St.] Jerome
(Glossa Ordinaria in Osee [Hosea]
2:16) says, 'words spoken amiss lead to heresy'; hence
with us and heretics the very words ought not to be in common,
lest we seem to countenance their error." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
"[I]t
is a greater thing to employ spiritual arms in defending the
faithful against the errors of heretics and the temptations of the
devil, than to protect the faithful by means of bodily
weapons." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and
"greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
As St.
Basil the Great, Doctor of the Church points out: "Let those, therefore, who would reproach us for
not desiring
pacification, mark well who are the real authors of disturbance,
and so not point the question of reconciliation on our side any
more."
Certainly one would not condemn the popes,
the councils, and the saints - including martyrs who have lost
their lives rather than participate religious activities with
heretics - for their stance against a false ecumenism.
One must remember also that there is much to
be feared from false ecumenism. For example, consider that false
ecumenism...
False ecumenism may harm the Church by..
Encouraging
her to "water down" her teachings - "The underlying
principle of these new opinions is that, in order to more easily
attract those who differ from her, the Church should shape her
teachings more in accord with the spirit of the age and relax some
of her ancient severity and make some concessions to new opinions.
Many think that these concessions should be made not only in
regard to ways of living, but even in regard to doctrines which
belong to the deposit of the faith. They contend that it would be
opportune, in order to gain those who differ from us, to omit
certain points of her teaching which are of lesser importance, and
to tone down the meaning which the Church has always attached to
them. It does not need many words, beloved son, to prove the
falsity of these ideas if the nature and origin of the doctrine
which the Church proposes are recalled to mind. The [First]
Vatican Council says concerning this point: 'For the doctrine of
faith which God has revealed has not been proposed, like a
philosophical invention to be perfected by human ingenuity, but
has been delivered as a divine deposit to the Spouse of Christ to
be faithfully kept and infallibly declared. Hence that meaning of
the sacred dogmas is perpetually to be retained which our Holy
Mother, the Church, has once declared, nor is that meaning ever to
be departed from under the pretense or pretext of a deeper
comprehension of them.'" (Pope Leo XIII, "Testem
Benevolentiae Nostrae", 1899 A.D.)
Hampering
her missionary activity - If those outside the Church are not seen
to be in a dangerous position, why bother trying to convert them?
Encouraging
her to change certain elements of her rituals - For example,
consider the harmful, ecumenical Mass changes made in the wake of the Second
Vatican Council. Note: Click
here for more information
Causing
her to be dragged down to the level of an "equal" - Most
likely, non-Catholics engaged in ecumenism will only be interested
in "dialoging" with the Church if the Church is
brought down to the same level, as "an equal", rather
than as the one true Church, necessary for salvation
Causing
disunity and division within her own ranks
Alienating
her own children - "The changes made to accommodate ecumenism
may be thought to have alienated rather than brought over
people"
Causing
her children to lose the faith (as indicated below)
Wasting
her time and money - "The time and money wasted on ecumenical
activities could be better put towards the Sacraments and the teaching
of her own people!"
Causing
her to remove safeguards, so necessary for the preservation of the
faith and the protection of the flock
Weakening
the faith of her own members (e.g. "by removing best means of strengthening our faith - i.e. the
traditional Mass and traditional emphasis in Church teachings"
- Note that "the Church has 'repackaged' her Sacraments to seem
more
acceptable to those who reject the Church's teachings, which has resulted in a weakening of faith
among members of the Church itself")
False ecumenism may harm Catholics by...
Leading
them to religious indifferentism - "religious indifference,
viz., thinking one religion to be as good or as bad as another...
Truth and error, good and evil, cannot be reconciled. Hence
intolerance of what is in itself wrong or evil is a virtue"
(Catholic Dictionary)
Leading
them to emphasize community above truth - "This overemphasis
on community, on unity among men, this tendency to put unity above
the truth and orthodoxy, is a consequence of the disastrous
this-worldliness which is analogous to emphasizing love of
neighbor at the expense of love of God. To hold that love of neighbor is the only manifestation of love
of God and Christ, that they are both identical - one speaks
hardly at all of the direct love for Christ, but makes up for this
by speaking all the more of love of neighbor - is strictly
analogous to placing community above orthodoxy." (Von
Hildebrand)
Endangering their faith - By voluntarily exposing oneself to errors of
non-Catholics, there is a danger of seduction. As Pope Clement
XIII says, "The faithful - especially those who are simple or
uncultivated - should be kept away from dangerous and narrow paths
upon which they can hardly set foot without faltering. The sheep
should not be led to pasture through trackless places. Nor should
peculiar ideas - even those of Catholic scholars - be proposed to
them. Rather, only those ideas should be communicated which are
definitely marked as Catholic truth by their universality,
ambiguity, and harmony... The faithful should obey the apostolic
advice not to know more than is necessary, but to know in
moderation. The popes clearly understood this. They devoted all
their efforts not only to cut short with the sword of anathema the poisonous buds of growing error, but
also to cut away certain developing ideas which either could
prevent the Christian people unnecessarily from bearing a greater
fruit of faith or could harm the minds of the faithful by their
proximity to error. So the Council of Trent condemned those
heresies which tried at that time to dim the light of the Church
and which led Catholic truth into a clearer light as if the cloud
of errors had been dispersed... For where it is not midday
and the light is not so bright that truth can be clearly known,
error can easily be mistaken for truth because of its appearance
of truth and can be distinguished from truth only with difficulty
in the darkness. They knew that there were before and would again
be people who attract those who seek food by the promise of more
abundant pastures of wisdom and knowledge and that many people
would come to those pastures because stolen waters are sweeter and
hidden bread more delightful. Therefore, in case the Church should
be deceived and wander after the flocks of the companions who are
themselves wanderers and unsettled with no certainty of truth, who
are always learning but never arriving at the knowledge of truth,
they proposed that only what is necessary and very useful for
salvation be clearly and plainly explained in the Roman Catechism
and communicated to the faithful." (Pope Clement XIII,
"In Dominico Agro", 1761 A.D.)
Leading
them into error - "The uncleanness of leprosy betokened the
uncleanness of heretical doctrine: both because heretical doctrine
is contagious just as leprosy is, and because no doctrine is so
false as not to have some truth mingled with error, just as on the
surface of a leprous body one may distinguish the healthy parts
from those that are infected." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of
the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the
Church")
Permitting
the deception or confusion of the faithful - "The denial of a
scheme wholesale is not heresy, and has not the creative power of
a heresy. It is of the essence of heresy that leaves standing a
great part of the structure it attacks. On this account it can
appeal to believers and continues to affect their lives through
deflecting them from their original characters. Wherefore it is
said of heresies that 'they survive by the truth they
retain.'" (Belloc)
Causing
the loss of grace - Communicating with those outside the Church
(and who believe in divorce, abortion, contraception, etc.) may
cause the loss of grace. As St. John Bosco says, "No matter
how good food is, if poison is mixed with it, it may cause the
death of him who eats it. So it is with conversation. A single bad
word, an evil action, an unbecoming joke, is often enough to harm
one or more young listeners, and may later on cause them to lose
God's grace."
Leading
them into temptation - "getting Catholics to worship and
associate with non Catholics increases the opportunity to be led
into temptation - it is presumptuous to assume that Catholics all
have the knowledge and moral strength to overcome these
temptations - especially when the doors to salvation seem open to
those outside the Church who engage in sinful acts with
impunity"
Allowing
non-Catholics to proselytize to Catholics - possibly leading to
their abandonment of the Catholic faith. Remember that their
'experts' may present arguments that confuse Catholics or are difficult
to answer. It would also be wrong to assume that all
persons engaged in dialog are of "good faith"
Weakens
faith through dialog - "The more one dialogs and attempts to
subject the mysteries of God to human reason, the less room for
faith."
May
cause Catholics to be misled (especially weaker Catholics)
It
may "tax their intellect" and cause them to call their
own faith into question - As Amerio
states, "no individual can be certain that his
own intellectual strength is up to meeting all the objections that
might face it."
Forces
Catholics to listen to falsehoods, rather than follow the practice
of the saints to shun heresy - As St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church,
advises, "receive no strange doctrine, however shrewd and
prudent you may think yourself." (St. Jerome, Doctor of the
Church). Remember also that "it can be dangerous to hear false ideas - once heard, they
cannot be unheard. Those who hear these false ideas may not be
able separate those ideas from the truth and may become
confused."
May
advance Catholics "toward death" -
"[D]iabolical error, when it has artfully colored its lies, easily
clothes itself in the likeness of truth while very brief additions
or changes corrupt the meaning of expressions; and confession,
which usually works salvation, sometimes, with a slight change,
inches toward death." (Pope Clement XIII, "In Dominico
Agro", 1761 A.D.)
May
assist the devil in his quest to carry off the sheep of Christ -
"the devil is well able, if only a single door be left open,
to get in his fierce bands and carry off the sheep." (Pope
Leo XIII, "Providentissimus Deus"). Scripture warns us to "Be
sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around
like a roaring lion looking for (someone) to devour. Resist him,
steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout
the world undergo the same sufferings" (1 Pt. 5:8-9). The
traditional teachings of the Church helped to save Catholics
from the "roaring lion" by prohibiting them from
engaging in religious activities with those who reject the true
faith. The modern ecumenical movement, however, throws Catholics
into the lion's den to "dialog" and "seek the
good" in belief systems of all varieties.
May
harm those who are not properly catechized - In today's world, it
seems that many Catholics have at least some deficiencies of faith
- and those engaged in dialog with professed enemies of the Church
may find that those enemies may attempt to "remedy the
deficiencies" of their faith, an obvious danger of ecumenism.
Fails
to protect the faithful from evil and error - "Our Apostolic
mandate requires from Us that We watch over the purity of the
Faith and the integrity of Catholic discipline. It requires from
Us that We protect the faithful from evil and error; especially so
when evil and error are presented in dynamic language which,
concealing vague notions and ambiguous expressions with emotional
and high-sounding words, is likely to set ablaze the hearts of men
in pursuit of ideals which, while attractive, are nonetheless
nefarious." (Pope St. Pius X, "Our Apostolic
Mandate", 1910 A.D.)
May
make it hard for Catholics to distinguish between truth and error
- Remember that the more familiar 'strange doctrine' becomes, the
less 'strange' it becomes.
The
Catholic may be ridiculed and have to listen to his faith be
attacked by those outside the Church. He may even have hear
blasphemy against the Blessed Virgin or the Holy Eucharist.
Catholics
may be expected to engage in 'ecumenical efforts' that they are
not properly suited for (possibly harming both themselves and
those who listen to them). Note that it may be especially difficult for Catholics to engage in dialog since it is often
easier to formulate questions and objections than it is to provide
solid answers, and Catholics are usually placed on the defensive.
Catholics
might unintentionally adopt erroneous terminology, beliefs, and
practices of non-Catholics. In fact, "rather than causing non-Catholics
to convert to the Church, ecumenism tends to make Catholics indistinguishable from
Protestants."
Puts
those outside the Church above those inside the Church - Scripture says that we should "do good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of the
faith" (Gal. 6:10), whereas it could be argued that the ecumenical movement puts those outside
the Church ahead of those within the Church (for
example, the changed rite of the Mass was
not designed to strengthen a Catholic's faith, but to avoid
offending Protestants).
It
may accustom Catholics to the faulty Bible translations of
Protestants as well as the false concept of personal interpretation
of Scripture - "In short, you are not ignorant of how much
diligence and wisdom is needed to translate faithfully into
another tongue the words of the Lord; so that, surely, nothing
could happen more easily than that in the versions of these
Scriptures, multiplied by the Biblical societies, very grave
errors creep in from the imprudence or deceit of so many
translators; further, the very multitude and variety of those
versions conceal these errors for a long time to the destruction
of many. However, it is of little or no interest at all to these
societies whether the men likely to read these Bibles translated
into the vulgar tongue, fall into some errors rather than others,
provided they grow accustomed little by little to claiming free
judgment for themselves with regard to the sense of the
Scriptures, and also to despising the divine tradition of the
Fathers which has been guarded by the teaching of the Catholic
Church, and to repudiating the teaching office itself of the
Church." (Pope Gregory XVI, "Inter Praecipuas",
1844 A.D.)
It
endangers Catholics - Scripture itself warns us that that the
"ignorant and unstable" will distort Scripture to their
own destruction (cf. 2 Pt. 3:16). If Catholics are encouraged to
"dialog" with those who have distorted Scripture and
even asks us to "find the good" in their doctrines, will
we not be far more likely to fall into error "to our
destruction"? (Keep in in mind that others can be quite
persuasive, even if they are wrong.)
Causes
the safeguards designed for Catholics to be cast aside - "Protector of the Christian people! What other motive hadst
thou, in all thy labors, but charity? What else but a desire to
defend the weak from danger induced thee not only to preach
against error, but to drive its teachers from the flock? How many
simple souls, who were receiving divine truth from the teaching of
the Church, have been deceived by the lying sophistry of heretical
doctrine, and have lost the faith? Surely the Church would do her
utmost to ward off such dangers from her children; she would do
all she could to defend them from enemies, who were bent on
destroying the glorious inheritance which had been handed down to
them by millions of martyrs! She knew the strange tendency that
often exits in her heart of fallen man to love error; whereas
truth, though of itself unchanging, is not sure of its remaining
firmly in the mind, unless it be defending by learning or by
faith. As to learning, there are but few who possess it; and as to
faith, error is ever conspiring against it, and, of course, with
the appearance of truth. In the Christian ages it would have been
deemed not only criminal, but absurd, to grant to error the
liberty which is due only to truth; and they that were in
authority considered it a duty to keep the weak from danger, by
removing them for all occasions of a fall; just as the father of a
family keeps his children from coming into contact with wicked
companions who could easily impose on their inexperience, and lead
them to evil under the name of good." (Dom Gueranger)
False ecumenism may even harm heretics
since...
If
their religion is treated with respect, they
may not realize that being Catholic is necessary for salvation.
Truly, this is a matter of life and death that should be made
readily apparent to them. Note: Click here
for more
information on the necessity of being Catholic for salvation.
If
we treat their false beliefs - their errors - as "worthy of
respect", we do not help them to come to the truth. As
Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church, states, "[W]e do not
hate a thing or fly from it, unless we conceive it to be bad and
deserving of hatred." (St.
Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor of the Church)
If
they are not treated as if they are in spiritual danger, they
may not realize the seriousness of their situation - "it is
the greatest foretaste of the future judgment, when anyone has
sinned so grievously that he is cut off from communication in
prayer and assembly and from every holy transaction." [Tertullian
("an excellent early Christian writer" - although he
would ultimately fall into heresy),
c. 197 A.D.]
They
only know a "false Christ" - If we allow them to remain
uncorrected, they will never know the true Christ or the true
Church that He established.
The
money that has been wasted on ecumenical efforts could have been
better used for the
evangelization of non-Catholics.
Substituting
pleasantries for a healing cure does them no good - "Those who are cut and cauterized for the sake of a cure
are angry with those who are curing them, and they wince in pain
at the incision. But if a cure is effected by these means, and the
pain of the cauterizing pass away, they are grateful to those who
have worked this cure in them." (St. Gregory of Nyssa, c.
384 A.D.) We should remember that "Severity that springs from love is preferable to deceitful
gentleness. He who binds the delirious man and wakes up the
sleeper from his lethargy molests them both, but for their good."
(St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church) Further, remember that "the reproof of the sinner, as to the exercise of the act of reproving, seems to imply the severity of justice, but, as to the intention of the
reprover, who wishes to free a man from the evil of sin, it is an act of mercy and loving-kindness, according to Proverbs 27:6:
'Better are the wounds of a friend, than the deceitful kisses of an
enemy.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church and "greatest theologian in the history of the Church")
Not
treating their false religion as though it is significantly
different than Catholicism may be potentially dangerous since they
may partake of the Holy Eucharist without distinguishing the Body and
Blood of the Lord, which
as St. Paul says will cause them to eat and drink judgment on
themselves: "For anyone who eats and drinks without
discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself." (1
Cor. 11:29)
Keeps
them in ignorance which may cause "everlasting calamity"
- "Our Predecessor, Benedict XIV, had just cause to write:
'We declare that a great number of those who are condemned to
eternal punishment suffer that everlasting calamity because of
ignorance of those mysteries of faith which must be known and
believed in order to be numbered among the elect.'" (Pope St.
Pius X, "Acerbo Nimis", 1905 A.D.)
Pleasant
dialog - or the "incentive that we have the 'fullness of the
faith'" - is not likely to spark them to conversion, whereas certain
"harsh" statements might have a better effect (e.g. "You're following a road that
can only end in Hell!").
Pleasant
dialog does
not save them from being guided "by the spirit of the
devil" and from "pernicious errors, both doctrinal and
moral" - "That all, therefore, might know which was the Catholic
Church, the Fathers, guided by the Spirit of God, added to the
Creed the word Apostolic. For the Holy Ghost, who presides over
the Church, governs her by no other ministers than those of
Apostolic succession. This Spirit, first imparted to the Apostles,
has by the infinite goodness of God always continued in the
Church. And just as this one Church cannot err in faith or morals,
since it is guided by the Holy Ghost; so on the contrary, all
other societies abrogating to themselves the name of church, must
necessarily because guided by the spirit of the devil, be sunk in
the most pernicious errors, both doctrinal and moral."
(Catechism of the Council of Trent)
Tends
to withhold
from them that which is the greatest good - "How can I love somebody and not ardently desire that he
become acquainted with Jesus Christ, the begotten Son and Epiphany
of God, that he be drawn into His light, believe in Him and love
Him, and know that he is loved by Him? How can I love him without
desiring for him even on earth the blissful encounter with Jesus
Christ, which is the greatest source of happiness?... Truly, all deeds of love from
my neighbor are only the noise of 'sounding brass' if I am
uninterested in his finding the true God, and in his becoming a
member of the Mystical Body of Christ: if I am uninterested in his
greatest good. We see that ecumanitis can lead to the most
horrible errors, and unfortunately it already has in many
respects. This has nothing to do with the spirit of true
ecumenism, and indeed stands in radical contradiction to it."
(Von Hildebrand)
Perceived
acceptance of their false religion allows them to continue in their
sinful practices (e.g. contraception) which may cost them their souls - "Among
the transgressors of this [Eighth] Commandment are to be numbered
those fawners and sycophants who, by flattery and insincere
praise, gain the hearing and good will of those whose favor,
money, and honors they seek, calling good evil, and evil good, as
the Prophet says. Such characters David admonishes us to repel and
banish from our society. The just man, he says, shall correct me
in mercy, and shall reprove me; but let not the oil of the sinner
fatten my head. This class of persons do not, it is true, speak
ill of their neighbor; but they greatly injure him, since by
praising his sins [in this case
his adherence to a false religion (especially those that allow
contraception, abortion, euthanasia, etc.)] they cause him to
continue in vice to the end of his life." (Catechism of the
Council of Trent)
May
cause their destruction - Jesus clearly tells us in Scripture that those who listen and do not act on his
words will be destroyed. In the modern ecumenical movement, those
outside the Church who "do not act" are not warned or
reproved, but instead are called to "peace" with those
of us inside the Church. This ecumenical movement calls us to
"dialog" with and "find the good" in belief
systems which are opposed to the true teachings of the Catholic
Church. Proponents of ecumenism rarely - if ever - wish to
strongly condemn their dangerous beliefs which may lead to their destruction.
Keeps
them from being Christ's friends - Jesus says we are his friends if we do what he
commands (cf. Jn. 15:14). Those who reject His Church - which is called his Body -
are rejecting Him. To point this fact out to them and pray for
conversion is arguably more loving than to permit people remain
outside His friendship in the name of "peace".
Keeps
them unaware of the danger they are in - Since those who resist authority oppose what
God has appointed and bring judgment upon themselves (cf. Rom. 13:2), it is
important that those who are resisting this divine authority know
the danger they expose themselves to. In the ecumenical movement,
those who resist the Church authorities may be unaware that they
are in a precarious situation since they now receive
"understanding" rather than condemnation. In a sense,
ecumenism may be like saying that it's okay not to receive those
He sent or that it's okay to remain in error. (Although the Church
may not be saying that "officially", the lack of
forceful condemnations may give that impression.)
And false ecumenism may offend God since, as the
Baltimore Catechism states, "The first Commandment may be
broken by giving to a creature the honor which belongs to God
alone; by false worship; and by attributing to a creature a
perfection which belongs to God alone." (emphasis added) Note
that ecumenism may tend to foster a Catholic's participation in
false worship.
It also permits insults to continue (e.g. to
the Blessed Sacrament, the Church, the Blessed Virgin, etc.). As Pope
Pius VI says to the shepherds,
"[Y]ou who are the salt of the earth, guardians and shepherds of
the Lord's flock, whose business it is to fight the battles of the
Lord, arise and gird on your sword, which is the word of God, and
expel this foul contagion from your lands. How long are we to
ignore the common insult to faith and Church?" (Pope Pius VI,
"Inscrutabile", 1775 A.D.)
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