Father Francois Laisney, SSPX Response to Archbishop Capalla's Open Letter

Your Excellency,

We, priests of the Society of Saint Pius X, are very much aware of the principles you remind us: in normal times, priests receive their jurisdiction from the local bishop who is in charge of all the apostolate in a diocese. But it is sad to notice that you completely ignore the higher principles which we have reminded you, viz. that the unity of the Church is based on the unchangeable Catholic Faith, and when that Faith is attacked and put in danger… by the very bishop himself, then there is a situation of crisis, in which visiting priests, like the Good Samaritan, can – and should – minister to the local sheep to help them keep the faith and thus save their souls.

We read your declaration in the newspapers: “We know there is such a thing as extra-Biblical revelation, that God in many mysterious ways reveals himself to these people, and that’s why they are also believers, not atheists,” referring to practitioners of non-Catholic faiths. It is quite clear from this that you have a very subjective understanding of faith: whatever people believe, they have “faith”. This is NOT the Catholic Faith. In order to have the right faith, that alone can save, it is necessary to believe what God objectively revealed and is taught by the Catholic Faith. Wrong beliefs do not lead to Heaven. It seems that, for you, there is only one “wrong belief” , viz. the “doctrinal errors” that the SSPX teaches, though you are absolutely incapable of determining which are these “errors” ! Any other belief is acceptable for you. Well, this is not Catholic.

Do you believe that “Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith; which Faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity… it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Athanasian Creed) Who “is the Way, the Truth and the Life”, and “no one goes to the Father but by Him” (Jn 14:6-7)? Do you believe that “there is no salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved” (Act 4:12)?

Do you believe that “though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema! As we said before, so now I say again: If any one preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema” (Gal 1:8-9)? Do you believe that “the Catholic faith is not changeable in any way” (St Leo the Great, ep. 52)? Do you believe that “the Holy Ghost was promised to Peter and his successors, NOT to teach a NEW doctrine, but to keep entirely and expose faithfully the Deposit of Faith” (1st Vatican Council)?` Do you believe that “outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation” (St Cyprian, ep. 73), which is a “Dogma of Faith” (Pius IX)? Are you ready to swear St. Pius X’s anti-modernist oath? If not, does that not convince you of modernism? If yes, we will be very happy to hear you publicly swear it, as it used to be required for all Priests and Bishops. Now your vague notion of faith is precisely “another gospel” , which was never taught by the Church, and which the Church, the Saints, the Popes denounced before: see St. Pius X’s anti-modernist oath.

May I remind you that falsely accusing your neighbour of grave sin is itself a mortal sin of calumny? You accuse us of such grave “doctrinal error” that it would deserve automatic excommunication, yet you are not capable to identify this error – which does not exist. You vaguely mention that we would be “against the authority of the Pope and the Vatican Council”: this is not true. We have always and still do recognise the authority of the Pope, and the fact that the second Vatican Council was a general council of the Church. However we simply point out what the Council Fathers themselves said, viz. that this Council has not defined any new doctrine, that it was a pastoral council that did not publish doctrinal definitions; now the first Vatican Council has defined precisely that the Pope (and Councils) are infallible when they define doc- trine. Hence the second Vatican Council was NOT infallible, and therefore rejecting the novelties that may be found in it does not make someone “against the authority” of the Council. It rather makes someone faithful to the rules of interpretation of ordinary Church teaching, which rule is clearly set by St Paul to the Galatians as quoted above. Did not St Paul write: “Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God. Now it is required among the dispensers, that a man be found faithful ” (1 Cor. 4:1-2)?

As for us, we take consolation in the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ: “Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you” (Mt. 5:11-12).

Yet, we “do not want the death of the sinner, but rather that he be converted and live” (Ez. 18:23). The purpose of the above questions is not to condemn any one, but rather to exhort to an honest examination of conscience, and to an honest correction of errors that you have perhaps followed without enough reflection, not realising how far they were from the One True Faith. When you will be able to answer an honest yes to all the above questions – for which we ardently pray – then you will easily realise that there is a real crisis in the Church, precisely be cause you will realise that many are not ready to answer such an honest yes to these questions. And you will find yourself much closer to us, nay you will be most happy to have us in your diocese to help you correct these errors that may be found in some of your own clergy and faithful, and you will have no difficulty in giving us the normal faculties.

For this, we pray especially the Blessed Virgin Mary, Guardian of the Faith, and Mother of the Church.

Yours sincerely in Jesus and Mary,

Father François Laisney

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Renel B. Peña on December 5, 2011 at 11:06pm

Very well explained Father Francois Laisney. Bravo!!!

May God continue to guide all the SSPX priests assigned in the diocese of Davao especially the prior, Rev.Fr. J.Timothy Pfeiffer, and his collaborators, Fr. Joseph C. Pfeiffer, Fr. Alexander Hora and Father Francois Laisney as well as the faithful who continue in their perseverance despite the persecutions from their liberal and modernist bishop.