|
BOOK
IV, CHAPTER SIX THERE
CAN BE NO COMMUNION
WITH NON-CATHOLICS If a man will not hear the Church
let him be to thee as the heathen and publican. (St.
Matthew 18:17) Some people hope that nations, in spite
of their differing religious viewpoints, may unite as brothers in the
profession of certain doctrines as a common foundation. Certainly, efforts
such as these cannot receive the approbation of Catholics, for they rest on
the false opinion that any religion whatever is more-or-less praiseworthy and
good. Those who hold this opinion are in gross error! Is it permitted for
Catholics to be present at conventions, gatherings, meetings, or societies of
non-Catholics which aim to associate everyone who in any way lays claim to
the name of Christian? In the negative! This Apostolic See has never allowed
its subjects to take part in the assemblies of non-Catholics. (Pope Pius XI)
1 Do not work together with unbelievers, for
what does justice have in common with injustice? (II
Corinthians 6:14) Whoever is separated from the
Church must be avoided and fled from; such a man is a sinner and is
self-condemned. (St. Cyprian) 2 It is an illusion to seek the
company of sinners on the pretence of reforming them, or of converting them;
it is far more to be feared that they will spread their poison to us. (St.
Gregory Nazianzen) 3 Therefore, it is unlawful, and an
act the punishment of which is death, to love to associate with unholy
heretics. (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 4 If you embrace the errors of the
nations that dwell among you, and make marriages with them, and join
friendships with them, know ye for a certainty that
they shall be a pit and a snare in your way, and a stumbling block at your
side. (Josue 23:13) Saints Peter and Paul loathed
heretics, and warned us to avoid them. (St. Cyprian) 5 If any man, who is called a
brother, be a server of idols, with such a one do not keep company, not so
much as to eat. For what fellowship does light have with darkness? Or what
part do the faithful have with the unbeliever? Wherefore, go out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord.
(Corinthians I, 5:11; II, 6:14-17) Such was the horror which the
Apostles and their disciples had against holding even verbal communication
with any corrupters of the truth! (St. Irenaeus of
Lyons) 6 In respect to their guilt whereby
they are opposed to God, all sinners are to be hated, even one's father, or
mother, or kindred. For it is our duty to hate in the sinner his being a
sinner. (St. Thomas Aquinas) 7 He who hates not his father and
mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters cannot be My
disciple. (St. Luke 14:26) He who loveth
father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
(St. Matthew 10:37) If any man come to you and bring
not this doctrine, do not receive him into the house nor say to him:
"God speed you." For, he who says to him "God speed you"
communicates with his wicked works. (II St. John 1:10-11) Since these wretched souls will
have to be separated from God and Heaven for all eternity because their place
will be in Hell, already here on earth they have to be separated from the
company of Christ and His servants. (St. Louis Marie de Montfort) 8 It is impossible for us to hold
communion after their death with those who have not been in communion with us
during their life. (Pope Innocent III) 9 If any man shall be friendly to
those with whom the Roman Pontiff is not in communion, he is in complicity
with those who want to destroy the Church of God; and, although he may seem
to be with us in body, he is against us in mind and spirit, and is a much
more dangerous enemy than those outside. (Pope St. Clement I) 10 I pray to God that, as high as we
seem to sit treading heretics under our feet like ants, we live not to see
the day we would gladly wish to be at league and composed with them, to let
them have their churches quietly to themselves so that they would be content
to let us have ours quietly to ourselves. (St. Thomas More) 11 We charge you, brethren, in the
name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother walking
disorderly and not according to the tradition received from us. And, if any
man does not obey, note that man, and do not keep company with him. (II
Thessalonians 3:6,14) If any ecclesiastic or layman
shall go into the synagogue of the Jews or to the meeting-houses of the
heretics to join in prayer with them, let them be deposed and deprived of
communion. If any bishop or priest or deacon shall join in prayer with
heretics, let him be suspended. (III Council of Constantinople) 12 One must neither pray nor sing
psalms with heretics, and whosoever shall
communicate with those who are cut off from the communion of the Church,
whether clergy or layman: let him be excommunicated. (Council of Carthage) 13 I will not pray with you, nor
shall you pray with me; neither will I say "Amen" to your prayers,
nor shall you to mine. (St. Margaret Clitherow) 14 These men are Protestants; they
are heretics! Have nothing to do with them! (St. Anthony Mary Claret) 15 Heretics deserve not only to be
separated from the Church by excommunication, but also to be severed from the
world by death. For it is a much more serious matter to corrupt the faith
than to counterfeit that which supports temporal life. Wherefore, if counterfeiters
and other evil-doers are immediately condemned to death by secular
authorities, there is much more reason for heretics to be put to death. (St.
Thomas Aquinas) 16 Heresy is a kind of treason, and
if a heretic persisteth in his false belief, he may
be handed over to be burned. (St. Thomas More) 17 Even if my own father were a
heretic, I would gather the wood to burn him! (Pope Paul IV) 18 That it is against the will of the
Spirit to burn heretics at the stake is condemned as false. (Pope Leo X) 19 Make no mistake, my brethren: they
who endeavor to corrupt the Church of Christ shall suffer ever-lasting
punishment. Whosoever sets at nought His doctrine
shall go into Hell, and so shall everone who
listens to him. What communion does light have with darkness, or Christ with
Belial? Or what portion does truth have with falsehood? Or righteousness with
unrighteousness? Or true doctrine with that which is false? (St. Ignatius of
Antioch) 20 I beseech you, brethren, mark
those who made dissensions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you
have learned, and avoid them. (Romans 16:17) A man who is a heretic, after the
first and second admonition, avoid; knowing that such a man is subverted and
sins, being condemned by his own judgment. (St. Titus 3:10-11) Do not treat with a man without
religion. Give no heed to them in any matter of counsel. (Ecclesiasticus
37:12,14) I cannot communicate with unclean
heretics even by a single word! (St. Paphnutius) 21 Predestinate souls, you who are of
God, cut yourselves adrift from those who are
damning themselves! (St. Louis Marie de Montfort) 22 We have become cowardly,
faint-hearted, and, so often, for some reason or another, we keep silence. We
let ourselves be overcome by human respect, and cease to show ourselves as
true followers of Our Lord. Why? Because we are cowards! Oh, how we need to
renew our faith, to rekindle our hearts in the sublime principles of our holy
religion! (St. Frances Xavier Cabrini) 23 REFERENCES BOOK
IV, CHAPTER SIX 1. Pius XI: "Mortalium Animos,"
PTC:854-5, 872; DNZ: 2199 4. Cyril: "On
Leviticus," XVII:3, Bk.1: "Glaphyr. in Levitic.," FOC p.183 5. Cyprian: Epistle 75, FOC p.411;
PL 4:191; CSL vol.III:2, Vienna: 1871 6. Irenaeus: "Against Heresies,"
Bk.III, ch.3:4 and 4:1; PG 7; ANL; Fr. Cornelius O'Leary, SJ, Seattle Univ.,
p.151-152 7. Thomas: STL II-II, Q.25, art.6 9. Innocent III: PL 217, cf. Decr. III, 28:12 10. Clement
I: "Ep. to the Corinthians," RCH vol.I, p.249, col.2 11. Thomas:
"Apologye," STM p.169, 214; THE LIFE
OF SIR THOMAS MORE, Wm. Roper, Hearn edition of 1716, London: Clay &
Sons, Cambridge Univ. Press, 1888 12. III
Constantinople: SCN vol., p.635 14. Margaret:
Cf. MARTYRS, Attwater, NY: Sheed
& Ward, 1965, p.122; The Marytaithful, Fr. Fred
Nelson, Powers Lake, ND: July-August, 1984, p.59, col.1 15. Anthony
Mary: THE MODERN APOSTLE, Claretian Missionaries, Dominguez Seminary,
Compton, CA: 1934, p.28 16. Thomas
Aquinas: STL II-II, Q.11, art.3 17. Thomas
More: Cf. "Debellacyon of Salem and Bizance,"
London: 1533, LIFE AND WRITINGS OF SIR THOMAS MORE, Bridgett, London: 1891 18. Paul IV:
JAMES LAYNEZ, JESUIT, Fr. Joseph Fichter, SJ, St. Louis: B. Herder, 1944,
p.179 19. Leo X:
"Exsurge Domino," XXXIII, BULLARUM: Dipolmatum et Privileg., Turin:
France & Dalmazzo, 1860, vol.V 20. Ignatius:
"Epistle to the Ephesians," ch.16 ff., PG 5:643 21. Paphnutius: TGC vol.6, p.504 |