Again, all of this is based on the Church’s fundamental principles, on the fact that the Church is truth, the only truth. This is the way it is; you either believe it or you don’t, of course, but when you believe, then you have to draw the consequences. That is why, personally, I do not believe that the declarations of the Council on liberty of conscience, liberty of thought, and liberty of religion can be compatible with what the popes taught in the past. Therefore we have to choose. Either we choose what the popes have taught for centuries and we choose the Church or we choose what was said by the Council. But we cannot choose both at the same time since they are contradictory. (Archbishop Lefebvre, Religious Liberty Questioned)
We are forced to choose. Naturally, in our time of liberalism many people cannot understand that we can defend opinions that can seem “outdated,” “antiquated,” “mediaeval,” etc. But the doctrine of the Church is the doctrine of the Church. When the Popes condemned liberty of thought, liberty of conscience, liberty of religions, they explained why they condemned them. Leo XIII wrote long encyclicals on the subject. One only has to read them [to understand the reasons for these condemnations]; the same applies for Pope Pius IX and Pope Gregory XVI.
Again, all of this is based on the Church’s fundamental principles, on the fact that the Church is truth, the only truth. This is the way it is; you either believe it or you don’t, of course, but when you believe, then you have to draw the consequences. That is why, personally, I do not believe that the declarations of the Council on liberty of conscience, liberty of thought, and liberty of religion can be compatible with what the popes taught in the past. Therefore we have to choose. Either we choose what the popes have taught for centuries and we choose the Church or we choose what was said by the Council. But we cannot choose both at the same time since they are contradictory. (Archbishop Lefebvre, Religious Liberty Questioned) Virgin and martyr, d. at Rome in the third century. The old Itineraries to the graves of the Roman martyrs, after giving the place of burial on the Via Nomentana of St. Agnes, speak of St. Emerentiana. Over the grave of St. Emerentiana a church was built which, according to the Itineraries, was near the church erected over the place of burial of St. Agnes, and somewhat farther from the city wall. In reality Emerentiana was interred in the coemeterium majus located in this vicinity not far from the coemeterium Agnetis. Armellini believed that he had found the original burial chamber of St. Emerentiana in the former coemeterium. According to the legend of St. Agnes Emerentiana was her foster-sister. Some days after the burial of St. Agnes Emerentiana, who was still a catechumen, went to the grave to pray, and while praying she was suddenly attacked by the pagans and killed with stones. Her feast is kept on 23 January. In the "Martyrologium Hieronymianum" she is mentioned under 16 September, with the statement: In coemeterio maiore. She is represented with stones in her lap, also with a palm or lily We must struggle daily to do the Will of God if we wish to attain Heaven; in this consists perfection. Herein are presented some thoughts from the Saints and others, who sought the Will of God to a heroic degree, in order to give useful insights on how to continually strive towards our purpose in our daily life. Humility: The virtue of humility is deemed by the saints the foundation and the safeguard of all the other virtues. St. Augustine says that humility must accompany all our actions, must be with us everywhere; for as soon as we glory in our good works they are of no further value to our advancement in virtue. There are many quotes from Our Lord and the Bible emphasizing the importance of humility. Who will be great in God's eyes? "At that hour the disciples came to Jesus saying, 'Who then is greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?' And Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in their midst, and said, 'Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever, therefore, humbles himself as this little child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.'" (Matt. 18:1-4). "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6). "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you." (James 4:10). "Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart." (Matt. 11:29). Charity: St. Margaret Mary, who received from our Divine Lord many communications relative to Charity, was shown the soul of a deceased person who had to undergo but a light chastisement, and Our Lord told her that among all the good works which this person had performed in the world, He had taken into special consideration certain humiliations to which she had submitted in the world, because she had suffered them in the spirit of charity, not only without murmuring, but even without speaking of them. Our Lord added that, as a reward, He had given her a mild and favourable judgement. "Charity covereth a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8) St. Jane Frances, desiring that all actions of her daughters might proceed from a spirit of charity, had written upon the walls of the halls through which they most frequently passed the qualities which St. Paul gives to this sublime virtue: "Charity is patient, is kind; charity envieth not; dealeth not perversely; is not puffed up; is not ambitious; seeketh not her own; is not provoked to anger; thinketh no evil." If it happened that one of her spiritual daughters failed in charity, she sent her to read this sentence, which she called the mirror of the monastery. Eternity, the Great Thought: "In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin." (Ecclus. 7:40). The honors, riches and pleasures of the world are transitory things. Nothing is truly great but that which is eternal. Even the most hardened sinners have often been converted from their wicked ways to a penitential life by the terror of these thundering truths: Death, judgement, hell, eternity. Keep in mind the eternal years. "What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?" (Mark 8:36). "The best way to prepare for death is to spend every day of life as though it were the last. Think of the end of worldly honor, wealth and pleasure and ask yourself: And then? And then?" (St. Philip Neri). Devotion to Mary: One of the greatest means of salvation is devotion to the Most Blessed Virgin Mary. The saints are unanimous in saying that, "A devout client of Mary shall never perish." St. Thomas Aquinas said that "many souls are now in Heaven through the prayers of Mary who otherwise would not be there." St. Alphonsus de Liguori says that "devotion to Mary is morally necessary for our salvation." St. Louis de Montfort said, "I have no better way of knowing if a man is for God than if he likes to say the Hail Mary and the Rosary." The Church teaches us to honor Mary as the patroness of a good death by means of the last words of the Angelic Salutation: "Pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death." Whoever says this prayer piously, will die as happily as he will die holily. A dying man once asked: "Whence comes the joy which beams on your face at the moment when you see you are about to expire?" "It is," he replied, "because having prayed so often during all the days of my life to the Blessed Virgin for a holy and a happy death, I cannot believe that she will refuse me a favor I have asked for so often." Let us say the Hail Mary with equal attention and fervor, and we shall have the same consolation at our last hour. Resignation to the Will of God: Like Our Lord, we must yield ourselves as living sacrifices to God, content, as far as our will goes, to accept health or illness, wealth or poverty, interior peace or the conflict with temptation. God knows what is best, and He can and will provide the necessary means of sanctification for each of the souls that are so dear to Him, and this thought should help us to cast all our care on Him. Prayer: "Prayer is nothing else than speaking to God; and to speak to God without concentrating our attention upon Him is a thing most odious to His Divine Majesty. Being a good servant of God does not mean always being spiritually consoled, or always feeling sweet and calm, or never feeling repugnance or aversion to what is good. If this were so, neither St. Paul nor St. Catherine of Siena could have served God well. Surely sin, and sin only should cast us down and grieve us. If we have sinned, when once our act of sorrow has been made, there ought to follow in its train joy and holy consolation." (St. Francis de Sales). False peace: "We may be misled in many ways by worldly peace. For instance, some people have all they require for their needs, besides a large sum of money shut up in their safe as well; but as they avoid mortal sin, they think they have done their duty. They enjoy their riches and give an occasional alms and never consider that their property is not their own, but that God has entrusted it to them as His stewards for the good of the poor, and that they will have to render a strict account of the time they kept it shut up on their money chests, if the poor have suffered on account of their hoarding and delay." (St. Teresa of Avila) Fear of offending God: "Have a holy fear of consciously doing anything that may grieve the Holy Spirit; a holy fear of going anywhere, entering into any engagements, amusements, societies, friendships, intimacies, which can come between God and your soul. I have been often asked whether it is lawful to go to theater. My answer has been always, 'I cannot forbid you. If you ask what I advise, I say without hesitation, Do not go. I would to God that those who can refrain from such things, as an offering to our Divine Redeemer, would refrain forever." (Cardinal Manning, 1808-1892). Mortification: "Mortification in eating is the alphabet of a spiritual life; and he who knows not how to subdue his gluttony will find it no easy matter to triumph over other vices which are much more difficult to conquer." (St. Vincent de Paul). Four graces: St. Alphonsus Liguori insists repeatedly that in all our devotions, at Mass, at Holy Communion, in all our visits to the Blessed Sacrament, we should pray for these four graces for ourselves, namely: the forgiveness of our sins, the love of God, the love of prayer, and final perseverance. When these graces are secured, our salvation is assured. The Mercy of God: "I am a God of love... never doubt My readiness to forgive. I am a Father full of compassion and never harsh. Knowing human frailty and infirmity, My Heart stoops to poor sinners with infinite mercy. I love those who after a first fall come to me for pardon. I love them still more when they beg pardon for their second sin, and should this happen again, I do not say a million times but a million million times, I still love them and pardon them, and I will wash in my blood their last sin as fully as their first. Does not a father love a sick child with special affection and greater care and solicitude? So too, is the tenderness and compassion of My Heart for sinners. Tell them that the mercy of My Heart is inexhaustible." (Our Lord's words to Sr. Josefa Menendez, June 1, 1923). St. Gertrude once heard these words in a vision, "My child, there are many more saved than thou thinkest; I condemn no one who does not willfully resist My grace." This is taken from June 1988. Consecrations of 4 Bishops. 'It was not only the good Pope Leo XIII who said these things, but Our Lady prophesied them as well Just recently, the priest who takes care of the priory of Bogota in Colombia, brought me a book concerning the apparition of Our Lady of "Buen Suceso", of "Good Success", to whom a large church in Ecuador, at Quito, was dedicated. They were received by a nun shortly after the Council of Trent, so you see, quite a few centuries ago. This apparition is thoroughly recognised by Rome and the ecclesiastical authorities; a magnificent church was built for the Blessed Virgin Mary wherein the faithful of Ecuador venerate with great devotion a picture of Our Lady, whose face was made miraculously. The artist was in the process of painting it when he found the face of the Holy Virgin miraculously formed. And Our Lady prophesied for the twentieth century, saying explicitly that during the nineteenth century and most of the twentieth century, errors would become more and more openly widespread in the Holy Church, placing the Church in a catastrophic situation, a catastrophe! Morals would become corrupt and the Faith disappear. It seems impossible not to see it today. I excuse myself for continuing this account of the apparition but she speaks of a prelate who will absolutely oppose this wave of apostasy and impiety - saving the priesthood by forming good priests. You can make the application if you like, I do not wish to make it myself (Applause). I was stupefied when reading these lines but I cannot deny them, since they are recorded and filed in the archives of this apparition." A Letter of Entreaty to Fr. Morgan and the Clergy of the British District
21st May, 2013 (St. Godric; Bl. John Haile) Dear Fr. Morgan, Dear Fathers, We beg of you in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, high priest and lover of souls, in the name of his Blessed Mother, in the name of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, and in the name of all the wonderful, holy ideals which led you to answer the call to become a shepherd and a lover of souls – aid our souls now, in our moment of need. The Subversion of the Society of St. Pius X For some time now, we have felt betrayed by one portion of the SSPX and let down and abandoned by the lack of response from another portion. The leadership of the SSPX are wilfully pursuing a new direction and a new agenda, remaking the Society in their own image with reckless disregard for the souls which Divine Providence has placed in their care. Every month, sometimes it seems every week, some new, fresh piece of evidence emerges of the liberalism at the top which is being forced downwards upon the lower members and faithful of the Society. We have heard not one single convincing explanation, nothing to put our minds at rest, although it is not uncommon for Menzingen or DICI to issue “clarifications” or for Bishop Fellay to claim that his words have been misrepresented in some way. What concerns us especially is that we see what amounts to a new direction officially enshrined in the SSPX. Recently we have seen proof of the liberalism of Bishop Fellay in the form of a modernistic “Doctrinal Declaration”, a declaration of the his own doctrinal position, presented to Rome with his signature as supposedly representing us also. Amongst other things, we are now able to see that Bishop Fellay accepts the legitimacy of the New Mass which Archbishop Lefebvre and the SSPX always held to be illegitimate; he accepts the idea of collegiality which Archbishop Lefebvre fought against at the council since it undermines any previous notion of the Church's Magisterium, replacing it with a sort of 'teaching democracy' in the form of the modern Bishops; he accepts the 'hermeneutic of continuity' and the idea that Tradition and the revolution can be thought of as consistent with one another; he accepts all of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, which John-Paul II said was Vatican II translated into law, and which includes Canon 844 which provides for the giving of the sacraments to non Catholics; he states explicitly that diabolical modern ideas such as ecumenism and religious liberty are reconcilable with the true teaching of the Church and with Tradition; and finally he also explicitly states that Vatican II “enlightens and deepens... the life and doctrine of the Church.” Father, you can see as clearly as we that this Doctrinal Statement is a serious insult to Almighty God, and a total betrayal of the mission of the Society founded by Archbishop Lefebvre. It is also a personal betrayal of every soul who has reposed confidence in the SSPX and worked to build it up and strengthen it, and of course a personal insult to the Archbishop who, far from accepting the New Religion of the conciliar church, declared that it “begins in heresy and ends in heresy, even if not all of its acts are formally heretical.” Let me remind you, Father, that this document in question is not a throwaway remark, a bad translation, or an unfortunate choice of words made in the heat of the moment – it took months to prepare, and once handed over two months were waited to see whether it had been accepted or not. This document, furthermore, is a Doctrinal Declaration: its purpose is to declare doctrine. If one declares something, surely one declares it in public and not in secret? How can one have 'secret doctrine'? Furthermore, since it is a declaration of doctrine, i.e. Bishop Fellay's “Declaration of what I believe”, it is perfect nonsense for him to say that he has “withdrawn it” - in what meaningful sense can one possibly “withdraw” doctrine? If Bishop Fellay was prepared to believe those things recently, but claims to have “withdrawn” his secret document now that it has come to light, then we can take it that he as good as believes them still today. Since he has been caught betraying the Society, it would be “optimistic” to the point of reckless irresponsibility simply to pretend to ourselves that he is one of us once again. Neither he nor any of his allies can be trusted, and we think that if you are honest with yourselves you must admit that. How are we to remain faithful to Tradition? Taken together with all the other signs of the past year, and especially the General Chapter's scandalous “three conditions” (and “three desirable conditions – which in effect amounts to “three things we are not prepared to fight for, and are thus quite happy to lose”) which took the revolution in the SSPX and the Superior General's disobedience to the 2006 Chapter and legitimised it and made it the official position of the Society – what we now see is the revolution inside the SSPX fully established in power. Ideas not personalities are what concern us most. And in the persons of Bishop Fellay, Fr. Pfluger, and a large number of Superiors and members of the General Chapter we see new ideas which we abhor, and with which we wish nought to do. We do not wish to be underneath these clerics, whose ideas and doctrinal position are so much at variance with our own, and we do not wish there to be any risk or danger to the Faith by continuing under priests with whom we disagree. We cannot help but be reminded of the simple but insightful words of Archbishop Lefebvre: it is the superiors who form the subjects, not the subjects who form the superiors. It is clear to us that the SSPX is now a sinking ship. The men who hold authority over it are the problem, and yet they cannot be removed from their positions (the only real opportunity to do so would have been at the last General Chapter). The very thing on account of which Almighty God blessed the SSPX, its faithful adherence to Tradition and its determination not to compromise with modernism, has been officially jettisoned and is now gone. Its absence is the one essential difference between the SSPX of yesterday and the SSPX of today. The good priests opposed to compromise who remain inside the SSPX are now good in spite of their being in the SSPX and not because of it. Since you cannot serve two masters, you must ask yourselves this: to which SSPX do you wish to remain loyal? Although you may have been left comparatively unmolested by Menzingen thus far, you cannot be unaware of what is happening all around the world in the Society. Which being the case, it is now only a matter of time: sooner or later if you do not choose to remain traditional at the cost of SSPX membership, you will find that you chose to remain SSPX members at the cost of your fidelity to Tradition. Fathers, please consider: at your judgement Almighty God will not judge you faithful servants on account of what you said or thought in secret, but rather what you spoke openly and what actions you did in public. We your faithful have waited now for a year since the liberalism became apparent. We did not wish to act rashly. We have been giving you an opportunity to lead us. If, however, you will not do so, then we must reluctantly part company. It is clear that the situation can only become worse, and in such cicrumstances we can see no alternative but to start again. We can be confident for the future, however, since the only thing being begun again would be the administrative structure. The Faith remains, and that is what matters. If we do the right thing, everything else will be taken care of: God helps those who help themselves, as the saying goes. We beg and implore you to come to our aid and not to abandon souls which need you, especially not on account of a false obedience to superiors who regard you as, at best, a problem and with whom you will have increasingly little in common. God bless you and reward you for your years of work caring for our souls. Gregory Taylor Waltraud Taylor Olivia Bevan Jeremy Bevan Susan Warren Alun Rowland Anna Thompson Michael Morley Paul Whitburn Alex Williams Albrecht Maria Bastian Benedikt Maria Bastian Caecilia Maria Bastian Daniel Starck Clare Starck Tamara I. Martinez Antonio VitielloPeter Biosah Paul AitkenAnnie AitkenMary Fryd Buy Books on Archbishop Lefebvre The feast day to Our Lady Help of Christians has been celebrated in Australia since 1844 but the history to this day dates back to the start of the 1800's. Napoleon Bonaparte had jailed Pius VI who died in jail. When Pope Pius VII was elected he too was jailed by Bonaparte, who kept him prisoner at Fontainbleau. The Holy Father vowed to God that if he were restored to the Roman See, he would institute a special feast in honour of Mary. The military eventually forced Bonaparte to release the Pope and on 24 May 1814, Pius VII returned in triumph to Rome. Twelve months later the Pope decreed that the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians be kept on 24 May. The infant church in Australia had a special reason for turning to Our Lady . No priests were sent to the colony in its early days and Mass was not allowed except for one brief year until 1820. It was largely the Rosary in those early days that kept the faith alive. Catholic Australia remained faithful to Our Lady and was the first nation to choose her under the title Help of Christians, as principal Patroness. St Mary's Cathedral was dedicated in her honour by the Irish pioneer priest, Fr John Therry, who arrived in Sydney in 1820 and assumed responsibility for the planning and initial construction of the Cathedral. When Australia became the first country to have Our Lady Help of Christians as Patroness, it became the first country to have a mother-cathedral under the same title. The altar at St. Mary's, with its statue of Mary Help of Christians, was erected as a memorial to Fr. Therry's name. The statue of Our Lady, Help of Christians, stands in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart in the Cathedral. The Church has traditionally focussed on two aspects of Our Lady's help on this feast day. Firstly, upon the role of Our Lady's intercession in the fight against sin the life of a Catholic. Secondly, Our Lady is one who assists Christians as a community, through her intercession, in fighting against anti-Christian forces. In the Opening Prayer for Our Lady Help of Christians, the Church prays that through Our Lady's intercession God will "grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens", so that "under her protection Australia may be granted harmony, justice and peace". Our Lady Help of Christians patroness of Australia and of the Military Ordinariate Almighty God, deepen in our hearts our love of Our Lady Help of Christians. Through her prayers and under her protection, may the light of Christ shine over our land. May Australia be granted harmony, justice and peace. Grant wisdom to our leaders and integrity to our citizens. Bless especially the men and women of the Australian Defence Force and their families. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen. Our Lady Help of Christians, pray for us. Mildness This gift helps the soul bears suffering with equanimity, that is with an even soul. This gift affects ones initial reaction to evil inflicted on us. When something evil is done to us we can react with anger or bear it with mildness. This fruit of mildness giving us evenness of mind whereby we are neither elated nor depressed. This fruit helps us to curb anger, that knee jerk reaction to annoying things. This fruit is essential for carrying out the virtues of gentleness, temperance, and charity. Long-suffering Having borne that initial instance of evil we still may need to wait a while till the evil has passed. This is where the fruit of long-suffering helps us. This gift helps us patiently suffer evil over a long period, most especially from those with whom we dwell. Kindness will help us to cure the these evils and goodness to forgive the evil, but long-suffering is that boost to do the distance so to speak. So whenever you see some good thing delayed and beyond your reach ask ardently for an increase of this fruit from the Holy Ghost. by McHugh and Callan pre-Vatican II Participation of Catholics in non-Catholic services may happen today in so many ways, and it is so difficult at times to draw the line between lawful and unlawful communication, that it is well before considering these cases to state the general rules that apply here.
It is unlawful for Catholics to assist passively at non-Catholic worship, unless there are present the conditions requisite for performing an act that has two results, one good and the other evil (see 104); for even passive assistance frequently involves sin. Hence, the assistance itself must be really indifferent, that is, it must be a merely passive presence without any active participation in the service. Examples: A person who stands in the rear of a Quaker meeting house as an onlooker assists passively; but one who sits quietly among the others present, as if in meditation, assists actively. A person who sits in a pew during a revival in order to see what is going on, assists passively; but, if he joins with the congregation in bowing, groaning, etc., he assists actively. The evil effect that may result from assistance (such as scandal and danger of perversion) must not be prior to the good effect; otherwise, evil would be done for the sake of good. Examples: Titus, a non-Catholic, goes to Mass as a. spectator, with his Catholic friend Balbus. He then asks Balbus to assist as a spectator at the services of his denomination, and thus see for himself that the latter is better. Balbus, in order to be courteous, consents. Here Balbus aims to show politeness, which is good, but the means he uses, namely, the impression he gives that he is not convinced of the superiority of his own religion, is bad. The evil effect (i.e., remote danger of perversion, unavoidable scandal) must not be intended or approved, but only permitted. Example: Caius, a Catholic public official, has to attend funerals and weddings in Protestant churches as a mark of the public respect for notable persons. He knows that a few will take scandal at his action, but he wishes only to do his duty as an official, and not to offend anyone (see on Scandal). The cause of assistance must be in proportion to the kind of assistance. Hence, a greater reason is required for assistance on several occasions than on one, for assistance at infidel than at heretical services, for assistance at the primary than at the secondary act of worship, for assistance by a priest than for assistance by a layman, etc. Example: Graver reason would be necessary to justify assistance at a non-Catholic funeral, if there were signs of anti-Catholicism manifested (e.g., flower designs and regalia of a hostile sect placed on the coffin), than if the service contained nothing offensive. Cases of communication in false sacrificial rites are as follows:(a) Active participation is had in such acts as the slaying and offering of victims, the burning of incense before idols, the eating of sacrificial banquets; (b) Passive participation is had when one merely watches the rite of sacrifice without taking any part therein. Cases of communication in the Sacrifice of the Mass are as follows: (a) Active participation is had in such acts as taking the part of deacon in a schismatical Mass, assisting at a schismatical Mass with the intention of hearing Mass formally (i.e., of offering it with the priest). If on Sunday, one is where there is only a schismatical church, one is excused from the obligation of hearing Mass, and may not hear Mass in that church (Holy Office, December 5, 1608; August 7, 1704). (b) Passive participation is had when one is present merely as a spectator, kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, but giving no other signs of religious devotion. This is permissible under the conditions mentioned above (see 966), if there is no scandal or danger of perversion (Holy Office, April 24, 1894). Cases of participation in the Sacraments or sacramentals, real or reputed, are as follows: (a) Active participation takes place when one receives a Sacrament from a non-Catholic minister, or offers one's child to receive a Sacrament from such a minister, or contracts marriage in the presence of such a minister, or acts as sponsor at a non-Catholic baptism or confirmation or as the religious witness at a non-Catholic marriage, or answers in public non-Catholic prayers, or takes ashes blessed by schismatics. (b) Passive participation is had when one merely looks on at the administration of a Sacrament or sacramental by a non-Catholic minister, without signs of approval or union in what is being done. There are certain cases that seem to be active participations in Sacraments with non-Catholics, and yet are permitted by the Code. In reality, however, there is no active communication in those cases. Canons 886 and 905 allow the faithful to receive communion and absolution according to a Rite different from their own, so that one who belongs to the Latin Rite may lawfully receive in Communion a Host consecrated according to the Greek Rite, or go to confession to an Oriental priest. But in these Canons there is question of different Rites within the Catholic Church, not of those of non-Catholics. Canons 742 and 882 allow those who are in danger of death to receive Baptism and absolution from an heretical or schismatical minister, and theologians apply the same principle to Extreme Unction and the Viaticum. But there is no communication in non-Catholic ceremonies in these cases, for the Sacraments belong to the Catholic Church, and for the sake of the dying she authorises non-Catholic ministers to act as her representatives, provided there is no scandal or danger of perversion. Cases of participation in non-sacramental rites are as follows: Oaths and Vows.-Participation is active when one swears in words or by other signs which, according to local usage, manifest belief in the creed of some sect; it is not active, when the manner of the oath does not signify adherence to a false creed. Example. If one is required to swear, by touching or kissing the non-Catholic Bible, as a sign of approval of Protestantism or Masonry, one may not consent. But, if the Government presents a non-Catholic Bible with no thought of Protestantism, there is no approval of Protestantism in the one who swears on that Bible, although, if the custom is not general, there might be scandal if no protest were made. A Catholic, may bring his own Bible with him, or ask for a copy of the Catholic Bible. Services - Participation is active when one marches in an Anglican procession, plays the organ or sings at YMCA services, joins in the prayers or responses offered in a Protestant church, etc. (Holy Office, July 6, 1889). Participation is passive if one looks on during a rare visit, Protestant services, or if one is obliged to attend non-Catholic services habitually, not as a profession of faith, but as a matter of civil duty or of domestic discipline, as happens with soldiers or with inmates of public institutions. Participation is not active if one adores the Blessed Sacrament carried in a schismatical Procession which one meets by chance and unavoidably. Examples: Titus belongs to the honorary guard of a state ruler, and has to accompany the latter to non-Catholic services on certain state occasions. Balbus is tutor in a non-Catholic family, and is expected to take his charges to their church and back home on Sunday. Passive participation scarcely differs from passive assistance (e.g., to act as witness at a marriage), or such as carries with it no recognition as an official of the Church (e.g., to act as substitute or temporary organist). Hence, the Church has permitted this kind of participation in particular cases, when the authorities decided that there was urgent necessity And no scandal. Examples: Moralists hold that, when a heretic or schismatic has been designated as sponsor at Baptism and cannot be refused without grave offence, he may be allowed to act as witness. The Holy Office has also declared that heretics should not be used as witnesses at marriage, but may be tolerated as such by the Ordinary, when there is a grave reason and no scandal (August 18, 1891) ; that a non-Catholic organist may be employed temporarily, if it is impossible to secure one who is a Catholic, and no scandal is caused (February 23, 1820) ; that in certain special circumstances girls belonging to a schismatical sect might be allowed to sing with the Catholics at church functions, especially at Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament (January 25, 1906). Proximate participation is the exercise of functions connected with a sacred rite (e.g., to act as server at Mass), or that imply a recognition of the religion of the one who participates e.g., to act as representative of some sect at a funeral and receive liturgical honours). The Church has always refused to tolerate this kind of participation. Examples: Non-Catholics may not act as sponsors at Baptism or Confirmation under pain of invalidity of sponsorship (Canons 765, 795), nor chant the Office in choir (Holy Office, June 8, 1859), nor be employed as singers of the liturgical music (Holy Office, May 1, 1889), nor carry torches or lights in church ceremonies (Holy Office, November 20 1850). Likewise, non-Catholics may not become members of Catholic confraternities, nor assist at Catholic services as official representatives of some sect or sectarian society. NB. PRIVATE PRAYER WITH NON-CATHOLICS NEED NOT BE SINFUL, BUT IS NOT ENCOURAGED BY THE CHURCH AND THE EXAMPLE OF THE SAINTS. IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN BY GOD’S LAW IF THE PRAYER CONTAINS THEOLOGICAL ERROR.. |
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