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JOHN PAUL II FORMAL
Fr. Francis E. Fenton
J ohn Paul II has occupied the Chair of Peter for well over
eight years now. During that period his words and deeds
on various occasions have brought on the charge of heresy
preposterous? The man who is supposed to be the head of the
Church, the Vicar of Christ, is not a formal heretic because of
his ignorance of the teaching of the Church and what
against him from some traditional Catholics. Nor is this a constitutes heresy? Incredible! If John Paul II is a material
farfetched charge by any means. On the contrary, it is a well- heretic, as he assuredly is, then he is likewise a formal heretic
founded one. Certainly his support and promotion of the false because he most certainly knows what he is doing! But a
and non-Catholic Declaration on Religious Liberty of Vatican formal heretic is not a Cf!tholic. Hence, John Paul II, since he
Council II (a position condemned by Pope Pius IX) in itself is not a Catholic, is not a valid pope. He is the head of the
provide reasonable justification for the accusation of heresy. Conciliar Church-the non-Catholic "pope" of a non-Catholic
There are other examples. And now we have the latest Church.
abomination: the false ecumenism and heretical religious indif-
ferentism openly espoused by John Paul II at Assissi, Italy, on But what is to be said in answer to those who contend that,
October 27, 1986, when he permitted the once-Catholic even though a person may be firmly convinced (as I most
churches of Assisi to be used for pagan and other non-Catholic certainly am) that John Paul II is a non-pope because of heresy,
worship services, and even encouraged such worship. What that person must keep his conviction to himself and may not
more, pray tell, is needed to make John Paul II open to the publicly make such a statement? An individual who openly
legitimate accusation of heresy? declares his conviction that John Paul II is not a valid pontiff is
(so the objection goes) assuming to depose the pope-and that
Some few months back an article appeared in a conservative, is a judgment which only the proper authorities in the Church
quasi-traditional publication of the Conciliar Church which can make. In other words, the deposition of a pope must await
voiced the opinion that John Paul II might be a material the formal and definitive action of the Church. True enough.
heretic. (To see even that admission in the publication in But is a Roman Catholic, be he priest or layman, who is abso-
question was a bit of a surprise.) Now a material heretic may be lutely certain of the invalidity of John Paul II, thereby for-
described as one who, though objectively involved or engaged bidden to voice his conviction and the reasons for it in order to
in heresy, is not guilty of the sin of heresy because of his lack of persuade and convince others? To maintain that this is for-
knowledge or because, we may say, he is "in good faith." A bidden makes no sense to me. Such a person is not deposing
formal heretic, on the other hand, is a person who consciously the pope but merely striving to make known his blatant record
and willingly and obstinately maintains a position which he of heresy, a record which itself invalidates John Paul II. The
knows to be heretical according to the mind of the Church. A following quotation is very much to the point:
Roman Catholic who is guilty of formal heresy thereby ceases
to be a Roman Catholic. A pope can only be deposed for heresy, expressed or im-
plied, and then only by a general council. It is not strictly
Canon 2316 of the Code of Canon Law (1917) reads in part: deposition, but a declaration of fact, since by his heresy
"One who spontaneously and with full knowledge helps in any he has already ceased to be head of the Church …
way in the propagation of heresy .. .is suspect of heresy." Can (Donald Attwater, ed., A Catholic Dictionary, Imprima-
there be any question but that this is applicable to John Paul tur: Patrick Cardinal Hayes, Macmillan, 1942, p. 412,
II? Canon 2315 gives the procedure to be followed regarding a "Deposition of a Pope")
person suspected of heresy and states that, if the cause of
suspicion is not removed within a specified period of time, that So, only a General Council of the Church can formally depose
person "shall be considered a heretic and be subject to the a pope. Assuredly, then, those who hold that the Chair of Peter
penalties for heresy." The procedure indicated would, in is currently vacant (the "sedevacantists") cannot depose John
normal times, be carried out by the proper Church authorities. Paul IL But that does not mean, nor can it mean, that we must
Since, however, the Conciliar Church is not Catholic, no remain silent and ignore the glaring fact that, by his heresy,
binding action can be expected from that source. Nor, in any John Paul II "has already ceased to be head of the Church."
case, has such action, to my knowledge, ever been attempted Such is the stark and utterly woeful reality. The heretical
by that Church. record of John Paul II speaks for itself-and that record loudly
and clearly declares that he is no more a valid pontiff than I
To contend that John Paul II is, or may be, a material heretic am. Were I to remain silent on the matter, I am absolutely con-
but not a formal heretic is ridiculous for this is equivalent to vinced that I would be seriously remiss in the fulfillment of my
saying that, although he has said and done things which are duty as a Roman Catholic priest and would be doing a grave
manifestly heretical, he is not guilty of heresy because he has disservice to the Roman Catholic Church. John Paul II is a for-
not consciously and willingly and obstinately (pertinaciously) mal heretic and, as such, he cannot be a valid pope. I await his
maintained a heretical position. In other words, he really formal deposition by a General Council of the true Church in
means well and just doesn't know any better. Is not this utterly the future but do not expect to see this happen very soon. t
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