Unfortunately, there are some Catholics who believe that everything the current occupant of the Chair of St. Peter, Bergoglio (Francis), speaks, writes -- or gives during impromptu interviews while flying high and wild across the globe, must be believed -- and obeyed without question!
These folks lack a basic understanding of their precious
faith and turn this blind obedience into a weapon to attack and accuse
those faithful Catholics of disobedience --
and treason to Christ, our Lord...
Nothing could be further from the truth!
In fact, the unjustly cancelled Bishop
Joseph Strickland (a non-rad-trad, by the way!), gives an important and
commonsense approach to what a well-informed Catholic must obey and what not to
obey even what it concerns the emanations of the pope.
Please read the following substack article
from the good bishop: The Issue of Authority and Obedience in Today's Church
(substack.com)
"Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
“Roma locuta; causa
finita est!” “Rome has spoken; the matter is finished!”
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"In these pastoral letters that I
have been publishing, I have been writing about many issues that we are facing
in what is an ever-growing crisis in the Church and in the world. As a Catholic
bishop, my primary concern is always the Church—the Mystical Body of Christ—but
it is clear that the present crisis in which we find ourselves touches not just
the Church, but every aspect of humanity. When the Church is weak and her
earthly leadership is seriously corrupted, it leaves every aspect of the human
community vulnerable to evil, and we are seeing that vulnerability at every
turn. As serious as all the issues are about which I have written, there is
nothing more serious than the distorted understanding of authority and
obedience which we now find so rampant. When we lack a clear understanding of
the source from whence legitimate authority flows, then obedience is in grave
danger of becoming arbitrary and compromised. When this happens, the very
obedience which was divinely-instituted by God to point all people to truth may
actually be weaponized by some to serve their own interests and to lead the
unsuspecting away from truth. Therefore, we must always remain in the
truth and be on guard for such a deception.
The history of the Church is replete
with accounts of incidents and events in which a conflict arose, and Rome, with
the proper use of authority, spoke out and settled the matter. “Roma
locuta; causa finita est.” Catholics have wisely held onto this anchor
of divine authority in the Catholic Church. Divinely-created authority, which
is fully present only within the Catholic Church, should be a refuge for the
faithful. Obedience to divine authority is obedience to Christ, as He is the
one who has called that person into that position of authority. Obedience to
divine authority is necessary within the holy structure of the Church, and it
is important in helping us to grow in holiness. Unfortunately, however, the
fact that divine authority has been viewed as “a given” in the Church has also
served in many cases to make the faithful lazy or complacent in their
obedience, and many have forgotten that, as St. Thomas Aquinas declared, God is
to be obeyed in ALL things, but human authorities are to be obeyed in CERTAIN
things.
As significant as this erosion of
authority is for the state, the family, and society in general, when it
afflicts the Church it takes us to a whole new level of concern. The Catholic
Church is established on the Truth that comes from Almighty God and is fully
revealed in Jesus Christ, His Divine Son—Truth Incarnate. When a confused
understanding of authority invades the Church, then the very foundations of
civilization are shaken, and we are now witnessing these tremors every day.
Jesus Christ tells us that “all
authority in heaven and on earth” has been granted unto Him; thus, we must
recognize that all earthly authority must look to Christ for its light because
ultimately this light flows from a single source—the One who is the source of
all authority in heaven and on earth. Only with this proper understanding of
authority can we establish a firm foundation for obedience. Simply put, all
obedience must always find its source and its end in obedience to Christ and
the truth that He reveals. Authentic obedience to truth ultimately brings us to
God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the ultimate authority. As we navigate the
path of obedience, if we ignore the truth that Christ has revealed to us then
we short-circuit the very meaning and essence of obedience.
Today we find ourselves immersed in a culture which, influenced by postmodernism, is unable or unwilling to recognize valid authority. We are in fact immersed in a culture influenced by Nihilism, and this can be traced back to the fall of our first parents in the Garden of Eden. Nihilism, a philosophy that proclaims all values are baseless, focuses on the use of the will to dominate. It is a rejection of absolute truth, and it puts forth the false idea that “truth” is merely the expression of the will, and pure & unadulterated truth does not exist. In this context, each person can make up truth as he sees fit, or he can determine that truth is whatever the authority figure he recognizes determines it to be. This deadly belief (or similarly, the belief that each individual is an authority unto himself) has even invaded the Church, and it has become a festering, purulent wound within the Mystical Body today.
This twisted view of authority and
obedience has been a brilliant but deadly weapon of the fallen, for they have
been able to influence men in the hierarchy of the Church to use their
accompanying “authority” to cause immense harm to souls. By proclaiming that
obedience is still due to these who serve falsehood and who have forfeited
their God-given authority, obedience has been used as a weapon and has forced
tolerance of situations such as the horrific sex abuse scandals that have so
devastated the Church and have caused harm to so many individuals who have
fallen victim to these men who abuse power.
One thing that has been lost in the
confusion regarding authority and obedience is the fact that whenever the use
of authority causes harm to a divine truth, such as when a priest or a bishop
calls into question the Deposit of Faith (which includes the immutable Dogmas
and Doctrines of the Church), then anyone has a right, in fact even a solemn
duty, to resist that error—regardless of the potentially negative consequences
they may face. And rather than violating the Catholic tenet of obedience,
this resistance to an abuse of authority actually solidifies and strengthens
the tenet of obedience because it is obedience to the highest authority—Jesus
Christ.
Something else that is often
misunderstood regarding authority in the Church concerns papal infallibility
and submission of faith. Papal infallibility is present only in the face of an
infallible pronouncement regarding faith and morals which emanates from the
Pope or from a doctrinal council with the approval of the reigning
Pontiff. Such an infallible pronouncement is always, in simple terms, an
affirmation of truth that is already a part of the Deposit of Faith—and to
which there have been no additions or changes since the close of Public
Revelation with the death of St. John in the First Century A.D. When an
infallible pronouncement is made, such a proclamation requires submission of
faith by the faithful; i.e., the faithful are assured of the truth of such a
proclamation and are obliged to hold this belief as a matter of faith. Other
statements made by the Pope, the bishops, or other authorities—though they may
be true—do not fall under the very narrow charism of papal infallibility. As
such, prudence dictates that we may and must evaluate all statements in light
of the divinely revealed truths contained in the Sacred Deposit of Faith. If a
statement from anyone appears to contradict these unchanging truths, we must
first seek clarification. If clarification is not given, or worse, if error is
confirmed, we must refute the error and look to the Deposit of Faith as our
sure guide to truth.
When addressing the issues of
authority and obedience in today’s Church, we must remember that the ultimate
source of authority and truth is God. The dilemmas we face will always find
their answer in the truth that God has revealed to us. We must constantly ask,
“Is this authentic to Christ?” and “Does it correspond to what He and His
Church have always taught?” When we answer these questions affirmatively, then
we arrive at the truth we must obey. However, if one in “authority” has not
received his authority from Christ, then no obedience is required. We should
remember that authority is given by Christ to those in the hierarchy of the
Church for the sake of the souls entrusted to their care. It is never
given for the sake of the person himself who is in authority.
There have been many saints and
doctors of the Church who have told us of a time that would come when it will
be necessary for the faithful to oppose those who seem to be in “authority”
within the hierarchy. If we complacently continue to obey without asking the
source of the authority, then we will find ourselves in a dangerous
place.
On October 13, 1973, our Blessed
Mother appeared to Sister Agnes Sasagawa in Akita, Japan. This occurred on the
56th anniversary of our Blessed Mother’s final apparition at
Fatima, Portugal in 1917. Our Blessed Mother spoke these words to Sister
Sasagawa: “The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a
way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops.
The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres…
churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept
compromises . . . “
Archbishop Fulton Sheen said in 1948:
“He will set up a counter church which will be the ape of the Church, because
he, the Devil, is the ape of God. It will have all the notes and
characteristics of the Church, but in reverse and emptied of its divine content.
It will be a mystical body of the Antichrist that will in all externals
resemble the mystical body of Christ . . .”
Pope St. John Paul II said in 1976:
“We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the
anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel.”
For those who might think this could
occur in regard to the hierarchy of the Church but surely never in regard to a
Pope, history reminds us of Pope Honorius I, who was pope from 625 to
638. The Council of Constantinople condemned him posthumously, and Pope
Leo II condemned him by stating that Honorius “did not attempt to sanctify this
Apostolic Church with the teaching of Apostolic tradition, but by profane
treachery permitted its purity to be polluted.”
Therefore it is important to realize
that it is possible that members of the Church’s hierarchy—which does not
exclude even Popes—can indeed cause harm to the Church and the faithful, even
if unintentionally. Furthermore, as we look to the words of saints, scholars,
and in particular the words of our Blessed Mother in numerous Church-approved
apparitions, we must also recognize the possibility that a member of the
Church’s hierarchy could intentionally seek to destroy the Faith and the
Church. For this reason, we MUST NOT become lazy or complacent in regard to
authority and obedience, even when it involves the Holy Father.
Francisco de Vittoria, a Dominican
friar, canonist, and theologian from the Sixteenth Century, stated: “If (a
Pope) desired to hand over the treasury of the Church . . . if he desired to
destroy the Church, or other similar things one should not permit him to act in
such a manner, but one would have the obligation to resist him. The
reason for this is that he has not the power to destroy. Therefore, when it is
known that he does so, it is licit to resist him.”
St. Robert Bellarmine wrote: “Just as
it is licit to resist a Pontiff who attacks the body, so it is licit to resist
him who attacks souls, or who disturbs the civil order, or, even more, who
tries to destroy the Church. It is licit to resist him by not doing what he
orders, and by impeding the execution of his will. It is not licit, however, to
judge him, to punish him, or to dispose him, for such acts belong to a
superior. Catholic obedience to a superior, therefore, should never be what has
been called ‘blind obedience.’”
Also, just as we should be aware of
the warnings we have been given about a counter church that will have been
emptied of its divine content and over which the Anti-Christ will preside, we
must also be aware of the possibility that at some point God may permit that an
imposter might sit upon the chair of Peter. We must be on watch always
that, should this occur, we obey Jesus Christ alone who is Truth Incarnate and
who has revealed His Truth to us in the Sacred Deposit of Faith which is
unchangeable. Authentic obedience dictates that we must not obey anyone
who opposes Truth and whose desire is to destroy the Church. We can be assured
though that even if this dire situation were to occur, the true Church will
remain intact, although perhaps it will, for a time, return to the
catacombs.
As we discuss the dangers of false
authority and misplaced obedience, it is important to note that the laity in
the Church do not exist for the sake of the clergy in the Church. The
clergy exist to provide the sacraments necessary for salvation to the laity.
The paramount concern of all clergy should always, ALWAYS, be the salvation of
the souls entrusted to them.
I would also note that bishops are
called by God to be shepherds of their flocks, as well as “fathers” to the
priests. However, in a profound abuse of authority, we now see situations in
which bishops attack and silence priests who are simply speaking truth and
defending the Sacred Deposit of Faith. Consequently, many priests remain silent
rather than preaching the fullness of Christ’s truth, and many have distrust
and even fear of their bishops. We must always remember that a father is called
to lead his family by love, not to rule over them by fear.
Furthermore, we have recently seen
situations where religious communities throughout the world have been put under
duress by their bishops in what sometimes even has the appearance of a “land
grab” or a desire to control, rather than a genuine concern for the souls in
their care. We have also seen situations where bishops, in being notified about
purported messages and locutions from heaven being given in certain locations
and communities within their dioceses, immediately attempt to shut down these
communities and declare messages false without a thorough and proper
investigation. In many of these cases, the lack of proper investigation has
given rise to questions regarding authority and disobedience. We must pray that
bishops—with prudence and discernment, but also with hearts of supernatural
faith—prayerfully and dutifully perform thorough investigations when such
situations arise so that the faithful will have a sure guide and know they can
look to their shepherds with trust and confidence.
In closing, let us pray without
ceasing for the Church, the prelates who lead her, and the faithful who belong
to her Mystical Body. May we seek authentic obedience to the authoritative
truth that Jesus Christ has revealed to us, and may we recognize and resist any
authority that has not Christ as its source as we walk always in profound
obedience to Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Bishop Joseph E. Strickland
Bishop Emeritus, Diocese of
Tyler"
End of article...
One more comment: This article points
out one of the main reasons why Bishop Strickland was unjustly dismissed
from his diocese: for speaking the truth about Christ and
what true obedience really means!
Viva Cristo Rey! Bl. Fr. Miguel
Pro, Fr. Emil Kapaun and Fr. Vincent Capodanno, pray for us...
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us
in battle...
St. Joseph pray for us...
Gene
DeLalla
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