There is a usual slur
that we are uncharitable. This is leveled in general against "Feeneyites" (i.e. Catholics who believe the Church's dogmatic
definitions). Granted there will always be zealots who are overcomed by emotions and the importance of an issue, and they lose patience. But that is not an argument against the validity of their position. The actual fact is, we "Feeneyites" receive way more hatred than we give out.
We at Catholic Vox have tried to be as charitable in language as best we can. "Do unto others as you would have done to you." But when dealing with truth and error, those in error will take offense that we say they are wrong.
Although we at Catholic Vox don't consider ourselves technically Feeneyites. Many Feeneyites do not hold that BoD (Baptism of Desire) is heretical, neither did Father Feeney himself. We at Catholic Vox think BoD is heretical, but also think it is open to debate at the present time. Fr. Feeney clearly characterized his rejection of BoD as his theological opinion-- but a strong one at that.
Many defenders of EENS can get angry because of the importance of the topic. Most who defense of "BoD" ended up claiming that pagans, atheists and heretics could be saved. EENSers have a number of dogmatic Church definitions which clearly and unequivocally teach that heretics and pagans cannot be saved. This whole blog is full of these teachings.
Many attempting to defend "BoD" end up de facto rejecting those dogmas or else applying a Modernist "hermeneutic"(evolution of dogma/doctrine) and refusing to accept dogmas according to the meaning with which they were originally defined.
Pope St. Pius X, Acerbo Nimis (# 2), April 15, 1905:
“And so 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.’”[The Papal Encyclicals, Vol. 3 (1903-1939), p. 30]
We've told people repeatedly that if they want to believe in BoD as St. Thomas, St. Robert Bellarmine, and St. Alphonsus defined it-- pertaining only to those who have the bare minimums required for CATHOLIC faith (belief in the Holy Trinity and Incarnation) [St. Robert limited it strictly to Catechumens since they belonged in a sense already to the VISIBLE Church.], We can tolerate you, but you need to defend your position with doctrine and dogma or other authoritative teachings. But if you try to tell us that a "Hindu in Tibet" can be saved, as he is--without the Catholic Faith...well, yeah we'll call that out for heresy every single time.
Nor would a "Feeneyite" say that you're definitely "damned to hell" even if you believe in one of these objectively heretical interpretations of BoD, due to the fact of the confusion of the times, the spread of this error, many are confused on this subject (even Archbishop Lefebvre). You may be in a material heresy but not formal. We leave that up to the mercy of God. But When one holds material heresy it leads to serious sins one does know. Even if you are not responsible for the material heresy, you are breaking with the Truth which will lead to some bad effects.
We at Catholic Vox have tried to be as charitable in language as best we can. "Do unto others as you would have done to you." But when dealing with truth and error, those in error will take offense that we say they are wrong.
Although we at Catholic Vox don't consider ourselves technically Feeneyites. Many Feeneyites do not hold that BoD (Baptism of Desire) is heretical, neither did Father Feeney himself. We at Catholic Vox think BoD is heretical, but also think it is open to debate at the present time. Fr. Feeney clearly characterized his rejection of BoD as his theological opinion-- but a strong one at that.
Many defenders of EENS can get angry because of the importance of the topic. Most who defense of "BoD" ended up claiming that pagans, atheists and heretics could be saved. EENSers have a number of dogmatic Church definitions which clearly and unequivocally teach that heretics and pagans cannot be saved. This whole blog is full of these teachings.
Many attempting to defend "BoD" end up de facto rejecting those dogmas or else applying a Modernist "hermeneutic"(evolution of dogma/doctrine) and refusing to accept dogmas according to the meaning with which they were originally defined.
Pope Pius IX, First Vatican Council, Sess. 3, Chap. 2 on Revelation, 1870, de fide:In our opponents defense of BoD, they actually do slide into heresies, like Pelagianism (saved by good works) or Gnosticism (God has secret ways to save), or even the denial of Trent's dogmatic teaching that the Sacraments are necessary for salvation (saying they are "normative" and not "necessary"). St. Pius X answered that Catholics must unequivocally and unambiguously accept that infidels are damned, not that 'well, somehow if they are "good" they can be saved.'--which is a form of Pelagianism.
“Hence, also, that understanding of its sacred dogmas must be perpetually retained, which Holy Mother Church has once declared; and there must never be a recession from that meaning under the specious name of a deeper understanding.”[Denzinger 1800]
Pope St. Pius X, Acerbo Nimis (# 2), April 15, 1905:
“And so 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.’”[The Papal Encyclicals, Vol. 3 (1903-1939), p. 30]
We've told people repeatedly that if they want to believe in BoD as St. Thomas, St. Robert Bellarmine, and St. Alphonsus defined it-- pertaining only to those who have the bare minimums required for CATHOLIC faith (belief in the Holy Trinity and Incarnation) [St. Robert limited it strictly to Catechumens since they belonged in a sense already to the VISIBLE Church.], We can tolerate you, but you need to defend your position with doctrine and dogma or other authoritative teachings. But if you try to tell us that a "Hindu in Tibet" can be saved, as he is--without the Catholic Faith...well, yeah we'll call that out for heresy every single time.
Nor would a "Feeneyite" say that you're definitely "damned to hell" even if you believe in one of these objectively heretical interpretations of BoD, due to the fact of the confusion of the times, the spread of this error, many are confused on this subject (even Archbishop Lefebvre). You may be in a material heresy but not formal. We leave that up to the mercy of God. But When one holds material heresy it leads to serious sins one does know. Even if you are not responsible for the material heresy, you are breaking with the Truth which will lead to some bad effects.
