1 NOVEMBER 2011

Suspended Priest
"Not to oppose error is to approve it, and not to defend the truth is to suppress it" - Pope St. Felix III Note: In this report I may occasionally use bold print, CAPS, Italics, or word underlining for emphasis. This will be my personal emphasis and not that of the source that I am quoting. Numbers beginning my footnotes are my personal library numbering system.

Q:

(Paraphrased): The Episcopal Vicar of a diocese in my country put out a letter concerning a suspended priest. He said the following in the letter: A priest cannot perform pastoral services without being appointed by a bishop. A priest cannot perform pastoral services according to personal whims and fancies. The bishop had the right to cancel this priests faculties within that diocese since he would not obey the head of his Religious Congregation or the bishop. Priests must obey the orders and teachings of a diocesan bishop. If parishioners disobey their bishop and follow the suspended priest they risk not getting baptisms for their children, not getting married within the Catholic Church, no Catholic funerals, etc. If anyone disobeys the teachings of the Catholic Church they may not be treated as a member. I want to know if these aforementioned points agree with Canon Law (or other Church laws). Francis Sunil Lobo, Bangalore, India.

A:

I begin with a biblical quotation which relates how some people will follow those who preach an unsound doctrine. "Now the Spirit manifestly saith, that in the last times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to spirits of error, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, and having their conscience seared (1 Timothy 6:1-3)."1 "For there shall be a time, when they will not endure sound doctrine; but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: and will indeed turn away from their hearing from the truth, but it will be turned into fables (2 Timothy 4:3-4)."2 "THE FIRST RESPONSIBILITY OF THE FAITHFUL is to remain firmly established in the faith, in the sacraments AND IN COMMUNION WITH THE POPE AND BISHOPS."3 "Faithful: The faithful are baptized Catholics in full communion with the See of Rome (Can. 204), who make together the same Profession of Faith and thus enjoy a right to the sacraments and to the worship of God according to ones own liturgical rite. Incorporated into the Church through Baptism, the faithful are constituted as the People of God; sharing in Christs priestly, prophetic, and royal office, they are called to exercise the mission given by God to the Church of working for the salvation of souls. The faithful are thus obligated to a holy life; to promote the growth of the Church, her continual sanctification, and the spread of the Gospel; TO OBEY LEGITIMATE ECCLESIAL AUTHORITY; to provide for the needs of the Church; and to promote social justice."4 "The Christian faithful are those who, inasmuch as they have been incorporated in Christ through baptism, have been constituted as the people of God; for this reason, since they have become sharers in Christ's priestly, prophetic and royal office in their own manner, they are called to exercise the mission which God has entrusted to the Church to fulfill in the world, in accord with the condition proper to each one."5

1 2

Eclipse of Truth P)art 1 The Law of Worship, (1997), Stephen C. Mahowald, MMR Publishing, Omaha, NE., P. 32 Eclipse of Truth P)art 1 The Law of Worship, (1997), Stephen C. Mahowald, MMR Publishing, Omaha, NE., P. 31 3 Apparitions/Private Revelation, (04/2001), Eternal Word Television Network Questions & Answers Experts, Colin Donovan, STL, Irondale, AL., P.P. 7-8 4 Catholic Dictionary, ISBN. 978-0-87973-390-2, (2002), Fr. Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Ph.D, S.T.D., Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., Huntington, IN., P. 318 5 Code of Canon Law, ISBN. 0-943626, (1983), Canon Law Society of America, Washington, DC., Canon 204, P. 69

"Obedience: The moral virtue by which one submits to the will or law of one in exercise of legitimate authority. Obedience may be demanded for a variety of reasons: a vow, a contract, religious piety, or the office of one in authority."6

"The word obedience comes from the Latin word ob-audire which means to hear or to listen to. As baptized Catholics we are obligated to obey God and to obey the teachings of His Church. Obedience to God and obedience to His Church is the most liberating experience known to the human person."7 "Obedience is a difficult virtue because sometimes the truth really does hurt. But, WE NEED TO CONFORM OUR LIVES TO GODS WILL, NOT OUR OWN (this applies to the ordained and to the non-ordained)."8 "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send (apostle/bishop) receives me (Jesus), and whoever receives me receives the one (God the Father) who sent me."9 "WHOEVER LISTENS TO YOU LISTENS TO ME. WHOEVER REJECTS YOU REJECTS ME. AND WHOEVER REJECTS ME REJECTS THE ONE WHO SENT ME."10 "Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."11 "In Matthew 18:18 all the disciples (apostles) are given the power of binding and loosing, but the context of the verse suggests that there the power of excommunication alone is intended."12 "The Christian faithful, conscious of their own responsibility, are bound by Christian obedience to follow what the sacred pastors, as representatives of Christ, declare as teachers of the faith or determine as leaders of the Church."13 "The faithful must adhere to the authentic teaching of their own bishops with a sense of religious respect."14 "As the bishops are entrusted with these responsibilities stemming from the nature of their office, so there are fundamental responsibilities on the part of the members of the diocese. First, they are to obey their bishops when the latter act as Christ's representatives (canon 212), that is, when they teach formally or establish binding discipline as pastors of a particular church. This obedience owed to the bishops in their capacity as leaders of particular churches is intended to promote the common good. Canon 753 also speaks of the "religious assent" owed to the bishops' teaching authority, which means a special quality of respect and gratitude, along with critical awareness and good will."15 "Bishops, teaching in communion with the Roman Pontiff, are to be respected by all as witnesses to divine and Catholic truth. In matters of faith and morals, the bishops speak in the name of Christ and the faithful are to accept their teaching and adhere to it with religious assent."16 "The Sacred Council teaches that bishops by divine institution have succeeded to the place of the apostles, as shepherds of the Church, and he who hears them, hears Christ, and he who rejects them, rejects Christ and Him who sent Christ."17 "By means of the imposition of hands and the words of consecration, the grace of the Holy Spirit is so conferred, and the sacred characters so impressed, that BISHOPS IN AN IMMINENT AND VISIBLE WAY SUSTAIN THE ROLES OF CHRIST HIMSELF AS TEACHER, SHEPHERD AND HIGH PRIEST, AND THAT THEY ACT IN HIS PERSON."18 "THE SACRED COUNCIL TEACHES THAT BISHOPS BY DIVINE INSTITUTION HAVE SUCCEEDED TO THE PLACE OF THE APOSTLES, AS SHEPHERDS OF THE CHURCH, and he who hears them, hears Christ, and he who rejects them, rejects Christ and Him who sent Christ."19

Catholic Dictionary, ISBN. 978-0-87973-390-2, (2002), Fr. Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Ph.D, S.T.D., Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., Huntington, IN., P. 550 7 (750) Paper titled: Obedience and Rebellion, (03/03/2011, Rev. Fr. James Farfaglia Pastor, St. Helen of the True Cross Church, Corpus Christi, TX., P. 1 8 (750) Paper titled: Obedience and Rebellion, (03/03/2011, Rev. Fr. James Farfaglia Pastor, St. Helen of the True Cross Church, Corpus Christi, TX., P. 2 9 The New American Bible St. Joseph Edition, (1970), Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, NY., St. John 13:20, P. 167 10 The New American Bible St. Joseph Edition, (1970), Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, NY., St. Luke 10:16 , P. 118 11 The New American Bible St. Joseph Edition, (1970), Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, NY., St. Matthew 18:18, P. 42 12 The New American Bible St. Joseph Edition, (1970), Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, NY.,, teaching footnote, P. 38 13 Code of Canon Law, ISBN. 0-943616-20-4, (1983), Canon Law Society of America, Washington, D.C., Canon 212, P. 71 14 Code of Canon Law, ISBN. 0-943616-20-4, (1983), Canon Law Society of America, Washington, D.C., Canon 753, P. 285 15 Norms and Process for Judging Private Revelations, (10/01/2009), The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio, P.P. 1-2 16 The Sixteen Documents of Vatican II Constitution on the Church, (1967), Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, MA., Section 25, P. 135 17 The Sixteen Documents of Vatican II Constitution on the Church, (1967), Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, MA., Section 20, P. 130 18 The Sixteen Documents of Vatican II Constitution on the Church, (1967), Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, MA., Section 21, P. 131 19 The Sixteen Documents of Vatican II Constitution on the Church, (1967), Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, MA., Section 20, P. 130

3 "This Council is resolved to declare and proclaim before all men the doctrine concerning bishops, who together with the successor of Peter, the Vicar of Christ, the visible head of the whole Church, GOVERN THE HOUSE OF THE LIVING GOD."20 "This power, which they (bishops) exercise personally in the name of Christ, is proper, ordinary and immediate, although its exercise is ultimately controlled by the supreme authority of the Church and can be confined within certain limits should the usefulness of the Church and the faithful require that. IN VIRTUE OF THIS POWER BISHOPS HAVE A SACRED RIGHT AND A DUTY BEFORE THE LORD OF LEGISLATING FOR AND OF PASSING JUDGMENT ON THEIR SUBJECTS, as well as of regulating everything that concerns the good order of divine worship and of the apostolate. The Holy Spirit preserves unfailingly that form of government which was set up by Christ the Lord in His Church."21 "These bishops, succeeding the Apostles, were recognized as shepherds who acted in the name of Christ, and loyalty to Christ was manifested by loyalty to the bishops."22 "This Church, constituted and organized as a society in this world, subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and the bishops in communion with him."23 ("Govern: to exercise continuous sovereign authority over."24) "THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL, CONSCIOUS OF THEIR OWN RESPONSIBILITY, ARE BOUND BY CHRISTIAN OBEDIENCE TO FOLLOW WHAT THE SACRED PASTORS, AS REPRESENTATIVES OF CHRIST, DECLARE AS TEACHERS OF THE FAITH OR DETERMINE AS LEADERS OF THE CHURCH."25 "The relationship between mans freedom and Gods law is most deeply lived out in the 'heart' of the person, in his moral conscience. As the Second Vatican Council observed: In the depths of his conscience man detects a law which he does not impose on himself, but which holds him to obedience. Always summoning him to love good and avoid evil, the voice of conscience can, when necessary, speak to his heart more specifically: 'do this, shun that. For man has in his heart a law written by God. To obey it is the very dignity of man; according to it he will be judged (Romans 2:14-16)."26 "Even if they (priests) are not bound by a Solemn Vow of Obedience, ordinands profess a 'promise' of 'filial respect and obedience' to their own Ordinary and his Successors."27 "The bishop asks from each (ordination to priesthood) a promise of obedience by using one of the formularies given in The Roman Pontifical."28 "Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and Catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him."29 "Every cleric must be incardinated into some particular church or personal prelature or into an institute of consecrated life or society endowed with this faculty, so that UNATTACHED OR TRANSIENT CLERICS ARE NOT ALLOWED AT ALL."30 "CLERICS ARE BOUND BY A SPECIAL OBLIGATION TO SHOW REVERENCE AND OBEDIENCE TO THE SUPREME PONTIFF AND TO THEIR OWN ORDINARY."31 "A CLERIC WHO LOSES THE CLERICAL STATE IN ACCORD WITH THE NORM OF LAW ALSO LOSES WITH IT THE RIGHTS WHICH PERTAIN TO THE CLERICAL STATE; nor is he bound by any of the obligations of the clerical state, with due regard for the prescription of can. 291; HE IS PROHIBITED FROM EXERCISING THE POWER OF ORDERS WITH DUE REGARD FOR THE

20 21

The Sixteen Documents of Vatican II Constitution on the Church, (1967), Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, MA., Section 18, P. 129 Vatican Council II The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, ISBN. 0-918344-39-5, Rev. Fr. Austin Flannery, O.P. General Editor, Imprimatur & Nihil Obstat, Costello Publishing Co., Inc., Northport, N.Y., Section 27, P. 383 22 Our Sunday Visitors Catholic Encyclopedia, ISBN: 0-87973-669-0, (1998), Rev. Fr. Peter Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.D., - Editor, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., Huntington, IN., P. 156 23 Code of Canon Law, ISBN: 0-943616-20-4, (1983), Canon Law Society of America, Washington D.C., Canon 204.2, P. 69 24 Websters Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, (1965), Rand McNally & Co., Chicago, IL., P. 361 25 Code of Canon Law, ISBN. 0-943626, (1983), Canon Law Society of America, Washington, DC., Canon 212, P. 71 26 The Splendor of Truth Veritatis Splendor, ISBN. 0-8198-6964-3, (08/06/1993, Encyclical Letter of Pope John Paul II, The Vatican, P. P. 72-73 27 (656) Vatican Letter to Priests on Obedience, 11/18/2009, Congregation for the Clergy, The Vatican, P. 1 28 Ceremonial of Bishops, ISBN. 0-8146-1828-9, (1989), The Liturgical Press, Collegeviille, MN., Paragraph 528, P. 160 29 Code of Canon Law, ISBN. 0-943626, (1983), Canon Law Society of America, Washington, DC., Canon 751, P. 285 30 Code of Canon Law, ISBN. 0-943626, (1983), Canon Law Society of America, Washington, DC., Canon 265, P. 93 31 Code of Canon Law, ISBN. 0-943626, (1983), Canon Law Society of America, Washington, DC., Canon 273, P. 95

PRESCRIPTION OF CAN. 976; AND BY THE VERY FACT HE IS DEPRIVED OF ALL OFFICES, FUNCTIONS AND ANY DELEGATED POWER."32

"Obedience: Religious, is that general submission which religious vow to God, and voluntarily promise to their superiors, in order to be directed by them in the ways of perfection according to the purpose and constitutions of their order. It consists in a mans allowing himself to be governed throughout his life by another for the sake of God. By Divine law, religious persons are subject to the hierarchy of the Church; first to the pope, then to the bishops. This hierarchy was instituted by Christ in order to direct the faithful not only in the way of salvation, but also in Christian perfection."33 This report prepared on September 19, 2011 by Ronald Smith, 11701 Maplewood Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024-8482, E-mail: <hfministry@roadrunner.com>. Readers may copy and distribute this report as desired to anyone as long as the content is not altered and it is copied in its entirety. In this little ministry I do free Catholic and occult related research and answer your questions. Questions are answered in this format with detailed footnotes on all quotes. If you have a question(s), please submit it to this landmail or e-mail address. Answers are usually forthcoming within one week. PLEASE NOTIFY ME OF ANY ERRORS THAT YOU MAY OBSERVE! Let us recover by penance what we have lost by sin

32 33

Code of Canon Law, ISBN. 0-943626, (1983), Canon Law Society of America, Washington, DC., Canon 292, P. 103 The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. XI, (1911), Imprimatur & Nihil Obstat, Robert Appleton Co., New York, NY., P. 182