From Ecumenism to final apostasy. 25 years of Pontificate.pdf

me to reach the particular Churches in every conł

tinent, continually focusing attention on the develł

oping of ecumenical relations with the Christians

of diﬀ erent confessions 6 Ñ;

• John Paul II called ecumenism the charł

acteristic trait of the Jubilee year 7 .

In all truthfulness, Ðone can say that all the activities

of the local Churches and of the Apostolic See these last

years have been inspired by ecumenism 8 Ñ. Twent yłÜ ve

years have passed, the Jubilee is over, it is now time to

take stock.

1. The 25 th anniversary of the election of JohnłPaul II

is an occasion to reÝ ect upon the fundamental orientał

tion that the Pope has given to his pontiÜ cate. In the afł

termath of the Second Vatican Council, he has wished to

place his pontiÜ cate under the sign of unity: ÐThe restoł

ration of unity of all Christians was one of the principal

purposes of the Second Vatican Council Ňcf. UR n» 1ň and

since my election I have formally committed myself to

promote and execute its norms and its orientations, conł

sidering that as my primordial duty 1 .Ñ For the Pope, this

Ðrestoration of the unity of ChristiansÑ is but one step toł

wards a greater unity, that of the whole human family: Ðthe

unity of Christians is open to a unity ever more vast, that

of all humanity 2 .Ñ

3. For a long time, John Paul II has believed that his

pontiÜ cate would be a new Advent 9 , allowing Ðthe dawn

of this new millennium to break upon a Church that has

found again her full unity 10 .Ñ Thus the ÐdreamÑ of the

Pope would come true: Ðthat all the peoples of the world

from diﬀ erent parts of the globe, would come together

to unite themselves to the one God as one family 11 Ñ. But

the reality is completely diﬀ erent: ÐThe time in which we

live seems to be a time of falling away ŉwhereŊ many men

and women seem confused 12 Ñ. A Ðsort of practical agnosł

ticism and religious indiﬀ erentismÑ reigns over Europe to

such a degree that ÐEuropean culture gives the impression

of a Òsilent apostasyÓ 13 .Ñ Ecumenism is not unconnected to

this situation. This analysis of John PaulÓs way of thinkł

ing ŇPart Iň will show us, not without a deep sadness, that

the ecumenical practices come from a nonłCatholic way

of thinking ŇPart IIň and have lead to a Ðsilent apostasyÑ

ŇPart IIIň.

Part I

Analysis of Ecumenical Thought

2. As a result of this fundamental choice:

• John Paul II has deemed it a dut y to Ðta ke

into hand the conciliar magna carta , the Dogmatic

Constitution Lumen Gentium Ñ, 3 which deÜ nes the

Church as Ða sacrament, that is to say, at the same

time a sign and means of intimate union with God

as well as of the unity of the entire human race 4 Ñ. This

Ðtaking into handÑ had been done in order to Ðbetł

ter bring about a vital communion in Christ of all

those who believe and hope in him, but also in orł

der to contribute to a greater and stronger unity

of the whole human family 5 Ñ;

• John Paul II has consecrated the essence

of his pontiÜ cate to the fulÜ lment of this unity, by

repeated interreligious meetings, public apologies

and ecumenical gestures. This has also been the

principal reason for his voyages: Ðthey have allowed

The Unity of the Human Race and Inter-religious dialogue

Christ, united to every man

4. The basis of the PopeÓs way of thinking is found in

the statement that ÐChrist Òhas united himself in a cerł

tain way to all menÓ Ň Gaudium et Spes n» 22ň, even if these

men are not aware of it 14 .Ñ John Paul II explains, that the

Redemption wrought by Christ is actually universal not

only in the sense that it is superabundant for the entire

human race, and that it is oﬀ ered to each of its members

in particular, but moreover that it is de facto applied to all

men. If, then, from one point of view, Ðin Christ, religion

is no longer a Òsearch for God by trial and errorÓ ŇActs 17,

27ň, but a response of the faith to God who reveals Himself

society saint pius x

ŉÈŊ, a response made possible by this unique Man ŉÈŊ in

whom every man is made capable of responding to GodÑ,

from another viewpoint, the Pope adds, Ðin this Man, the

whole creation responds to God 15 .Ñ In fact, Ðeach man is

included in the mystery of the Redemption and Christ has

united himself for ever with each individual through this

mystery. ŉÈŊ Which is, man in all the fulness of the mysł

tery of which he has become a sharer in Jesus Christ, the

mystery of which each one of the four thousand million huł

man beings living on our planet has become a sharer from

the moment he is conceived 16 .Ñ And this happens in such

a way that Ðin the Holy Spirit, each person and all peoples

have become, by the Cross and resurrection of Christ, the

children of God, participators in the divine nature and the

heirs of eternal life 17 .Ñ

ion with the Father 28 Ñ. The Church of Christ is thus the

Communion of Saints, above all divisions: ÐThe Church

is the Communion of Saints. 29 Ñ In fact, Ðthe communion

in which Christians believe and hope in is a profound realł

ity, their union with the Father by Christ and in the Holy

Ghost. Since the day of Pentecost, this union is given and

received in the Church, the Communion of Saints 30 .Ñ

The divisions in the Church

7. According to John Paul II, divisions in the Church

which have occurred during the course of history never

aﬀ ected the Church of Christ, that is to say that the funł

damental unity of Christians amongst themselves has

been left inviolate: ÐBy the grace of God, that which beł

longs to the structure of the Church of Christ has not yet

been destroyed, nor the communion which endures with

the other churches and ecclesial communities 31 .Ñ These

divisions are in reality of another order, they only conł

cern the manifestation of the communion of saints, that

which makes it visible: the traditional bonds of the proł

fession of faith, the sacraments and the hierarchical comł

munion. In refusing one or other of these links, the sepał

rated churches aﬀ ect only the visible communion with the

Catholic Church, and even then only partially: this said

communion is lesser or greater according to the number

of ties that have been safeguarded. Thus one talks of the

imperfect communion between the separated churches and

the Catholic Church, whilst the communion of all in the

unique Church of Christ remains intact 32 . The term Ðsisł

terłchurchesÑ is often used 33 .

8. According to this conception, that which unites the

diﬀ erent Christian churches is greater than that which

separates them 34 : ÐThe common spiritual dimension surł

passes all the confessional barriers which separate us from

one another 35 Ñ. This spiritual dimension is the Church of

Christ. If this Church only ÐsubsistsÑ 36 Ðin a unique subł

jectÑ 37 in the Catholic Church, she keeps at least an Ðactive

presenceÑ in the separated communities by reason of the

Ðelements of sanctiÜ cation and truthÑ 38 which are present

in them. It is this alleged common spiritual dimension that

John Paul II wished to ratify by the publication of a marł

tyrology common to all churches: ÐThe ecumenism of the

saints, of the martyrs, is perhaps that which is the most

convincing. The voice of the communion of saints is stronger

than that of the troublemakers of division 39 .Ñ

The Meeting at Assisi

5. An immediate application of the universality of

Redemption is the manner in which John Paul II considł

ers the relations between the Church and other religions.

If the order of unity previously described Ðis that which

goes back to the creation and the redemption, and is thus,

in a sense, ÐdivineÑ, these diﬀ erences and divergences, even

religious ones, are rather a Òhuman consequenceÓ 18 Ñ which

ought to be Ðleft behind in the progress towards the realił

sation of the grandiose design of unity which was present

at the creation 19 .Ñ From this follows the interłfaith meetł

ings such as Assisi, 27 October 1986, during which the Pope

wanted to see Ðin a visible way the fundamental but hidden

unity which the divine Word ŉÈŊ has established amongst

all men and all women of this world 20 .Ñ By these acts, the

Pope wishes to proclaim to the Church that ÐChrist is the

fulÜ lment of the yearning of all the worldÓs religions and,

as such, he is their sole and deÜ nitive consummation. 21 Ñ

The Church of Christ and Ecumenism

The Unique Church of Christ

6. The divine unity remains intact, the historical divił

sions come from human elements; this double scheme is

applied to the Church considered as a communion. John

Paul II distinguishes, in fact, the Church of Christ, the

divine reality, and the diﬀ erent churches, fruits of Ðhuł

man divisionsÑ 22 . The limits of the Church of Christ are

fairly loosely deÜ ned as they overÝ ow the visible boundał

ries of the Catholic Church 23 . The Church of Christ is an

interior reality 24 . The Church gathers together at least

all Christians 25 , no matter what church they belong to:

all are Ðdisciples of Christ 26 Ñ, Ðin a common membership

with Christ 27 Ñ; they Ðare one, because, in the Spirit, they

are in communion with the Son, and in Him, in communł

Neither absorption nor fusion, but reciprocal

giving.

9. Hence, Ðthe ultimate end of the ecumenical moveł

mentÑ is simply Ðthe reestablishment of the full visible unił

From Ecumenism to silent apostasy

ty of all the baptized 40 .Ñ A unity so conceived will no longł

er be rea lized by the Ðecumenism of returnÑ 41 : ÐWe reject

this method of searching for unity. ŉÈŊ The pastoral action

of the Catholic Church, both Latin and Eastern, no longer

tries to make the faithful convert from one Church to anł

other 42 .Ñ In fact this would be forgetting two things:

• These divisions, which Vatican II analyses

as a breach of charity 43 , are attributable to both

parties: ÐEvoking the division of Christians, the

Decree on Ecumenism does not ignore Òthe fault

of men of both partiesÓ, recognising that the reł

sponsibilit y cannot be attributed Òonly to one part y

Ň Unitatis Redintegratio , n 3ňÓ 44 .Ñ

• Ecumenism is also an Ðexchange of

gifts 45 Ñ between the churches: ÐThe exchange of

complementary gifts between the churches makes

the communion fruitful 46 .Ñ

12. Once the obstacle of a Catholic liturgy that exł

pressed dogma too clearly had been thus put aside, there

remained the problems posed by the liturgies of the sepł

arated communities to be overcome. Reform then gave

way to recognition: the Assyrian ŇNestorianň anaphora of

Adda and Mari was declared valid by a document clearly

approved by John Paul II, in spite of the fact that it does

not contain the words of consecration 51 .

Unity in the Profession of Faith

13. In what concerns matters of faith, John Paul II conł

siders that Ðpolemics and intolerant controversies have ofł

ten transformed what was, in fact, the result of two ways of

investigating the same reality but from two diﬀ erent points

of view, into incompatible statements. Today we must Ü nd

a formula which, recognising this reality thoroughly, allows

us to overcome the halfłreading and to eliminate erroneł

ous interpretations 52 .Ñ This demands a certain latitude in

respect to the dogmatic formulae used by the Church up

until now. A certain historical relativism will be necessary

in order to make the dogmatic formulae depend on their

historical context: ÐThe truths which the Church really

intends to teach in her dogmatic formulae are obviously

distinct from the changing concepts proper to any particł

ular period; but it is not excluded that they might possibly

have been formulated, even by the Magisterium, in terms

which carry some traces of such concepts 53 .Ñ

This is the reason why the unity desired by John Paul

II Ðis neither absorption nor fusion 47 .Ñ Apply ing this prinł

ciple to the relations between the Catholic Church and

the Orthodox, the Pope develops this idea: ÐToday, the

two sisterłchurches of the East and West understand that

without a mutual understanding of the profound underlył

ing reasons which characterise the understanding of each

of them, without a reciprocal giving of the treasures of the

genius they carry, the Church of Christ cannot manifest

the full maturity which she had received from the beginł

ning, in the Upper Room 48 .Ñ

14. Two applications of these principles are often

pointed out as examples. In the case of the Nestorian herł

esy, John Paul II considers that Ðthe divisions which came

about were in large measure due to misunderstandings 54 .Ñ

In fact, once one accepts the principle that ÐPrimarily, it is

probably right to ask whether the words used donÓt actually

say the same thing with regard to doctrinal formulations

which diﬀ er from those normally used by the community

to which one belongs 55 Ñ, the practical application is obvił

ous. From this follows the recognition of the Christological

faith of the Eastern Assyrian Church without any requireł

ment that they adhere to the formula of the Council of

Ephesus that Mary is the Mother of God 56 . Even more

characteristic is the common declaration made with the

World Lutheran Federation. Its concern was not to state

the faith and to stay clear of error, but only to Ü nd a forł

mulation suitable to escape the anathemas of the Council

of Trent: ÐThis common declaration carries the conviction

that the avoiding of condemnations and questions of momenł

tary controversy does not signify that the divisions and conł

demnations should be treated lightly or that the past of

each of our ecclesial traditions be disavowed. Nonetheless,

this declaration carries the conviction that a new discernŃ

The Restoration of Visible Unity

10. ÐJust as in a family possible discords ought to give

way to the restoration of unity, so also, in the greater famł

ily of the whole Christian community, the same should

happen 49 .Ñ This going beyond human dissensions by the

restoration of visible unity is the methodology of the Pope.

One must apply this methodology to the traditional three

bonds of the profession of faith, the sacraments and the

hierarchical communion, seeing that these are what conł

stitute the visibility of this unity.

Unity of the Sacraments

11. It is well known how Paul VI applied this in the

sacraments: in the successive liturgical reforms based on

the conciliar decrees, Ðthe Church has been guided ŉÈŊ by

the desire to do everything to help our separated brethł

ren on the way to union, taking away any stone that could

seem even the shadow of a stumbling block or cause of

displeasure 50 .Ñ

society saint pius x

ment of the history of our Churches has come about 57 .Ñ

Cardinal Kasper summarised it simply with the commenł

tary: ÐWhere we had at Ü rst sight a contradiction, we can

now see a complementary position 58 .Ñ

Church, aﬃ rms: ÐIt is because ŉthe ChurchŊ is a body that

she is visible to our eyes 65 .Ñ Pius XI says the same thing:

ÐChrist Our Lord has established His Church as a perfect

society , exterior by nature and perceptible to the senses 66 .Ñ

Pius XII thus concludes: ÐIt is to depart from the divine

truth to imagine one Church which cannot be seen nor

touched, which would be only ÒspiritualÓ Ň pneumaticum ň, into

which the numerous Christian communities, even though

separated by the faith, could nonetheless be reunited by

an invisible bond 67 .Ñ

The hierarchical communion

15. As far as the Petrine mission is concerned, the deł

sires of the pontiﬀ are known: to Ü nd, in harmony with

the pastors and theologians of diﬀ erent churches, Ðforms in

which this mission could fulÜ l a service of love recognised

by everyone 59 .Ñ A necessitas Ecclesiae 60 is introduced , considł

ered today as the bringing about of the unity of Christians,

to downplay that exercise of the Petrine ministry which

could become an obstacle to ecumenism.

19. The Catholic faith thus requires the aﬃ rmation

of the identity of the Church of Christ and the Catholic

Church. Pius XII thus identiÜ es Ðthe Mystical Body of

Jesus ChristÑ with Ðthis veritable Church of Jesus Christ Ń

Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman 68 Ñ. Before Pius XII,

the Magisterium had aﬃ rmed: ÐThere is no other Church

but that which is built upon Peter alone, joined and built

up in one body ŉi.e. ÒvisibleÓŊ, built up in the unity of the

faith and charity 69 .Ñ Lastly, to call to mind the proclamał

tion of Pius IX, ÐThere is only one true and holy religion,

founded and instituted by Christ, Our Lord. Mother and

nursemaid of virtue, destroyer of vice, liberator of souls,

guide to true happiness; she is called: Catholic, Apostolic,

Roman 70 .Ñ Following the constant and universal magisteł

rium, the Ü rst preparatory schema of Vatican I was to put

forward this condemnatory canon: ÐIf anyone says that the

Church, which has received the divine promises, is not an

external and visible society ŉ coetus Ŋ of the faithful, but only

a spiritual society of the predestined or of the just known

only to God, let him be anathema 71 .Ñ

16. According to Cardinal Kasper, this is not enough.

The obstacles present in the separated communities, for

example the decreed invalidity of Anglican orders, 61 must

a lso be overcome. The course that he proposes for this is a

redeÜ ning of the concept of Apostolic succession, no longer

Ðin the sense of a historical chain of the imposition of hands

going back centuries to the Apostles Ń this vision would be

a very individualistic and mechanicalÑ but rather as Ða colł

legial participation in a body which, as a whole, goes back

to the Apostles through the sharing in the same apostolic

faith and the same apostolic mission 62 .Ñ

Part II

The Doctrinal Problems raised by Ecumenism 63

17. The ecumenica l practice of this PontiÜ cate is entireł

ly based on the distinction between the Church of Christ

and the Catholic Church. This division means one can say

that if the visible communion has been injured by eccleł

siastical divisions, the communion of saints, considered

as the sharing of spiritual goods in a common union with

Christ, has not been broken. But this aﬃ rmation does not

correspond to the Catholic faith.

20. By consequence, the proposition of Cardinal

Kasper: ÐThe true nature of the Church Ń the Church inł

sofar as it is the Body of Christ Ń is hidden and can only be

grasped by the faith 72 Ñ is certainly heretical. To add that

Ðthis nature, perceived by the faith alone, is realised unł

der visible forms: in the proclaimed Word, by the adminł

istration of the sacraments, and the ministry of Christian

service 73 Ñ is insuﬃ cient to account for the visibility of the

Church: ÐTo become visibleÑ Ń by simple acts alone Ń is not

Ðto be visibleÑ.

The Church of Christ is the Catholic Church

18. The Church of Christ cannot be separated from the

Catholic Church as this ecumenical practice presupposes.

By the very fact that the Church is considered as an inteł

rior reality, this ÐChurch, Body of ChristÑ, really distinct

from the Catholic Church, goes back to the protestant noł

tion of a ÐChurch invisible to us, visible only to the eyes of

God 64 Ñ. This notion is contrary to the invariable teachł

ing of the Church. For example, Leo XIII, speaking of the

Belonging to the Church by a Triple Unity.

21. Seeing that the Church of Christ is the Catholic

Church, one cannot aﬃ rm, as the supporters of ecumenł

ism do, that the triple union of faith, sacraments and hierł

archical communion is only necessary to the visible comł

munion of the Church. This assertion is understood in the

sense that the absence of one of these bonds, though repreł

From Ecumenism to silent apostasy

senting a rupture in the visible communion of the Church,

does not signify a vital separation from the Church. On the

contrary, one must aﬃ rm that these three bonds are conŃ

stitutive of the unity of the Church, not in the sense that

just one could unite to the Church, but that if just one of

these three bonds is lacking in re vel saltem in voto, 74 one

would be separated from the Church and would not beneÜ t

from her supernatural life. This is what the Catholic faith

obliges to believe, as that which follows will show.

you would still share the lack from which he who has not

charity suﬀ ers 83 .Ñ

Unity of the Sacraments

24. ÐHe that believeth and is baptized shall be saved 84 .Ñ

By these words of Our Lord all recognise the necessity,

apart from the unity of faith and its purpose, of a Ðcomł

munity ŉÈŊ of means appropriate to that purpose 85 Ñ in orł

der to constitute the unity of the Church: the sacraments.

Such is the ÐCatholic Church ŉwhich Christ institutedŊ,

purchased by His Blood, the unique dwelling of the livł

ing God, ŉÈŊ the unique Body animated and viviÜ ed by a

unique Spirit, kept harmoniously together by the unity of

the faith, hope and charity, by the bonds of the sacraments,

of worship and of doctrine 86 .Ñ

Unity of the Faith

22. If everyone accepts the necessity of the faith 75 , the

precise nature of this faith, which is necessary for salvation

and which is thus constitutive of belonging to the Church,

must be clearly formulated. The faith is not Ðan intimate

feeling engendered by the need of the divineÑ denounced

by Saint Pius X 76 , but rather what was described by the

First Vatican Council: Ða supernatural virtue by which, by

the inspiration and the help of the grace of God, we beł

lieve that which He has revealed to us to be true: we beł

lieve it, not because of the intrinsic truth of the things

seen by the natural light of our reason, but because of the

very authority of God who has revealed these truths to us

and who can neither deceive nor be deceived 77 .Ñ For this

reason whoever refuses even one truth of the faith known

to be revealed loses completely the faith which is indisł

pensable for salvation: ÐAnyone who refuses to assent abł

solutely to the truths divinely revealed, even if only in one

point, renounces the faith entirely, because he refuses to

submit himself to God as the Sovereign Truth, the very

motive of faith 78 .Ñ

Conclusion

25. The necessity of this triple bond thus obliges us to

believe that Ðwhoever refuses to listen to the Church ought

to be considered, according to the command of the Lord,

Òas a pagan and a publicanÓ ŇMt. 18, 17ň and those who have

separated themselves for reasons of faith or government

cannot live in this same Body nor by consequence live by

this same divine Spirit 87 .Ñ

Outside the Church, no Salvation

Are nonŃCatholics members of the Church?

26. In consequence of what has been said, the followł

ing proposition bears careful analysis: ÐThose ŉborn outł

side the Catholic Church and therefore not able to Òbe

accused of the sin of divisionÓŊ who believe in Christ and

have been truly baptized are in a certain communion with

the Catholic Church even though this communion is imł

perfectÑ to the extent that ÐjustiÜ ed by faith in Baptism,

they are members of ChristÓs body and have a right to be

called Christian, and be duly accepted as brothers by the

children of the Catholic ChurchÑ even though Ðthe difł

ferences that exist in varying degrees between them and

the Catholic Church Ń whether in doctrine, sometimes in

discipline, or concerning the structure of the Church Ń do

indeed create many obstacles, sometimes serious ones 88 Ñ.

If this proposition is understood to speak of those who

continue in these diﬀ erences knowingly, it is contrary to

the Catholic faith. The clause aﬃ rming Ðthey cannot be

accused of the sin involved in the separationÑ is at least a

rash statement: since, remaining openly in rebellion, there

is nothing to show that they do not adhere to the separał

tion of their predecessors, indeed all appearances point

Unity of Government

23. ÐIn order to preserve this unity of faith and of docł

trine forever intact in His Church, He ŉChristŊ chose a

man amongst all others, PeterÈ 79 Ñ: so Pius IX introduces

the necessity of unity with the chair of Peter, Ða dogma of

our divine religion which has always been preached, deł

fended, aﬃ rmed with one heart and one unanimous voice

by the Fathers and Councils of all time.Ñ Following the

Fathers, the same Pope continues: Ðit is from this ŉchair of

PeterŊ from which come all the rights of divine union 80 ;

he who separates himself from it cannot hope to stay in

the Church 81 , he who partakes of the Lamb outside of

her does not have part with God 82 .Ñ Whence the famous

word of Saint Augustine addressed to the schismatics:

ÐWhat is yours is this, your impiety in separating yourł

selves from us; for all the rest, though you thought and

possessed the truth, in persevering in your separation ŉÈŊ

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