By Fr. Dominique Boulet, SSPX
Several important announcements were made in Rome during the Month of July. It began on July 1, with the appointment of Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez as new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF). Then, on July 9, it was announced that Pope Francis will appoint 21 new cardinals. It was no big surprise to find out that the name “Fernandez” appeared among the future cardinals to be appointed by Pope Francis during the Consistory that is to be held September 30.
What will be the job of Abp. Victor Manuel Fernandez, speedily promoted to high responsibilities in Rome, near the pope? The answer to that question can be found in a letter sent by Pope Francis to his future cardinal and prefect of the DDF, which could serve as an interesting roadmap of the role given to the Archbishop:
“As the new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, I entrust to you a task that I consider very valuable. Its central purpose is to guard the teaching that flows from the faith in order to “to give reasons for our hope, but not as an enemy who critiques and condemns’”.
We may wonder how the new prefect of the DDF will be able to “guard the teaching that flows from the faith” if, at the same time, he is warned against criticism and condemnation of errors?
The document goes on to draw the line even more clearly:
“The Dicastery over which you will preside in other times came to use immoral methods. Those were times when, rather than promoting theological knowledge, possible doctrinal errors were pursued. What I expect from you is certainly something different.”
To put it politely, we are stunned by such accusations! In fact, the words of Pope Francis in this letter seem to call into question the work of all of Abp. Fernandez’
predecessors, back to the beginnings of the Holy Office in the 16th century!
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As a matter of fact, the ancestor of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith used to be called Holy Office of the Inquisition and was established in 1542. The Holy Office of the Inquisition (referred to hereafter as simply the “Holy Office”) was given by the Pope the mandate "to maintain and defend the integrity of the faith and to examine and proscribe errors and false doctrines." It is noteworthy that, before his election, Pope St. Pius V was the head of the Holy Office in Rome.
The work of the Holy Office was so critical that, up to 1968, the Pope himself was the Prefect of the Holy Office, while the cardinal in charge kept only the title of Pro-Prefect. Keeping this in mind, it would seem to imply that the accusation of the use “immoral methods” by the Holy Office is also directed against all the popes up to Paul VI, who controlled the Holy Office and thus condoned the use of the said “immoral methods”!
Even though we are deeply shocked by these words, which express a wholesale criticism of the past of the Church, there is nothing new in the wording of Pope Francis. The rejection of the condemnation of errors was already taking root at the time of the Second Vatican Council. In his “Message to the World” given October 20, 1962, at the opening of the Council, Pope John XXIII stated that “she (the Church) prefers today to make use of the medicine of mercy, rather than of the arms of severity.” She resists error “by showing the validity of her teaching, rather than by issuing condemnation.” Commenting on the talk given by John XXIII, theologian Romano Amerio makes an interesting statement: “This setting up of the principle of mercy as opposed to severity ignores the fact that in the mind of the Church the condemnation of error is itself a work of mercy, since by pinning down error those laboring under it are corrected and others are preserved from falling into it.”
Let us answer the common objection which claims that when in the past the Church condemned errors, she used immoral methods that should be reproved in our modern age.
Up until the time of the Second Vatican Council, the popes took very seriously
their duty to protect their flock against errors that endangered their Catholic faith, which is necessary for salvation.
For example, it was out of mercy that in 1864 Pope Pius IX wrote to the bishops the Syllabus of Modern Errors, in which he stated: “But now, as is well known to you, Venerable Brethren, already, scarcely had we been elevated to this Chair of Peter (by the hidden counsel of Divine Providence, certainly by no merit of our own), when, seeing with the greatest grief of Our soul a truly awful storm excited by so many evil opinions, and (seeing also) the most grievous calamities never sufficiently to be deplored which overspread the Christian people from so many errors, according to the duty of Our Apostolic Ministry, and following the illustrious example of Our Predecessors, We raised Our voice, and in many published Encyclical Letters and Allocutions delivered in Consistory, and other Apostolic Letters, we condemned the chief errors of this most unhappy age, and we excited your admirable episcopal vigilance, and we again and again admonished and exhorted all sons of the Catholic Church, to us most dear, that they should altogether abhor and flee from the contagion of so dire a pestilence.”
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It was also out of mercy that Pope St. Pius X condemned modernism.
Here is a quote from the decree Lamentabili Sane from the Holy Office, published by order of Pope St. Pius X in 1907. “These errors are being daily spread among the faithful. Lest they captivate the faithful's minds and corrupt the purity of their faith, His Holiness, Pius X, by Divine Providence, Pope, has decided that the chief errors should be noted and condemned by the Office of this Holy Roman and Universal Inquisition.”
Let us make reparation for the betrayals of our modern age and remain faithful to the heritage of the holy popes from the past who took very seriously the mandate given by Our Lord to St. Peter, the first Pope, to “feed my lambs” with the food of good doctrine.
Father Dominique Boulet