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Unmasking Catholicism Mary Ann Collins, a former Catholic nun |
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Chapter 2 According to the 1914 edition of The Catholic Encyclopedia, there is a solemn, written ritual that enables the Pope to put ecclesiastical curses (anathemas) on people. The article in The Catholic Encyclopedia describes the ritual in detail, including extensive quotations from it. (You can read this article online.)1 In pronouncing the anathema, the Pope wears special vestments. He is assisted by twelve priests who hold lighted candles. Calling on the name of God, the Pope pronounces a solemn, ecclesiastical curse. He ends by pronouncing sentence and declaring that the anathematized person is condemned to Hell with Satan. The priests reply: "Fiat!" (Let it be done!) and throw down their candles. As we will see, the Catholic Church considers heresy (disagreement with Catholic doctrine) to be a crime. The Council of Trent declared that any person who disagrees with even one of its doctrinal statements is thereby automatically anathematized. When the Pope pronounces an anathema, he is said to be passing sentence on a criminal. The Catholic Encyclopedia says that the anathema ritual is deliberately calculated to terrify the "criminal" and cause him to repent (in other words, to unconditionally submit to the Catholic Church). For those whose crime is heresy, repentance means renouncing everything that they have said or done that conflicts with Catholic doctrine. In other words, they have to renounce their own conscience and discernment, and the conclusions that they reached in their best efforts to understand Biblical principles. They are required to submit their minds and wills unconditionally to every official doctrinal declaration of the Catholic Church. As we will see, modern Canon Law says that this unquestioning submission of the mind and will is required. The Catholic Encyclopedia states that a person's religious beliefs should not be subject to his or her "free private judgment." Because religious beliefs are important, and individuals can make mistakes, Rome says that religious beliefs should be determined by the Catholic Church, rather than by individuals. This attitude is consistent with the spirit behind anathematizing people. (You can read about this online.)2 The new Code of Canon Law was published by the authority of Pope John Paul II in 1983. It claims to be inspired by the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and to put its reforms into concrete form. According to Canon 752, whenever the Pope or the college of bishops makes a declaration concerning faith or morals, "the Christian faithful" are required to submit their intellect and will to it. Furthermore, they are required to avoid anything that disagrees with it. (The new Code of Canon Law is online. You can read this law for yourself.)3 So it is against Roman Catholic Canon Law for "the Christian faithful" to doubt or deny or dispute any Catholic doctrine. If something is against the law, then any person who does it commits a crime. In other words, he or she is a criminal. Canon Law has punishments for such criminals. It refers to these punishments as "a just penalty." This is a broad term that gives immense discretion to the person passing judgment. During the Inquisition and the Protestant Reformation, "just penalties" for disagreeing with Catholic doctrine included imprisonment, torture, confiscation of property, and being burned at the stake. Enforcement According to Canon 1311, The Catholic Church has the right to coerce "the Christian faithful" who do things contrary to Canon Law. Canon 1312 says that penal sanctions can include depriving people of spiritual goods (such as the sacraments) and temporal goods (things that people need for life on this earth). During the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church penalized Protestants by depriving them of their property, their freedom, and their life.4 The Catholic Church has never renounced its past practice of killing people that it considers to be heretics. On the contrary, the Office of the Inquisition still exists. It is part of the Roman Curia (the group of men who govern the Catholic Church). In 1965, its name was changed to The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It is headed by Cardinal Ratzinger. (This information is online.)5 On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. This says that Mary was conceived without the influence of original sin (the sin resulting from the disobedience of Adam and Eve). After defining the dogma, the Pope said that if any person "dares" to disagree with his declaration, then that person shipwrecks his or her faith, and is cut off from the Catholic Church. The Pope declared that such people are "condemned." He said that if any person says, or writes, or in any other way outwardly expresses the "errors" in his or her heart, then that person becomes subject to punishment. (You can read this papal encyclical online.)6 The Pope's reference to punishment is significant, because a man had been executed for heresy 28 years before this papal bull was issued. In 1826, a Spanish schoolmaster was hanged because he substituted the phrase "Praise be to God" in place of "Ave Maria" ("Hail Mary") during school prayers.7 On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII issued a papal bull defining the dogma of the Assumption of Mary. This says that Mary was taken bodily up into Heaven. The Pope ended by saying that it is forbidden for any person to oppose his declaration, or to say anything contrary to it. He said that any person who attempts to do so will incur the wrath of God, and the wrath of the Apostles Peter and Paul. (You can read this encyclical online.)8 Although this papal bull doesn't openly threaten punishment, it still implies the possibility of some form of punishment. The difference in tone between the encyclicals of 1854 and 1950 reflects the decrease in power of the Catholic Church. In 1854, a man had recently been executed for heresy. In 1950, the political power of the Roman Catholic Church had decreased. By 1950, the kind of language that was used in the 1854 encyclical would not have created a good image for the Catholic Church. Conclusion The Roman Catholic Church believes that the Pope has the power and the authority to damn people to Hell. The anathema ritual demonstrates this belief. Many Catholics deny this, saying that only God can condemn people to Hell. But look at the ritual of the anathema, as described in The Catholic Encyclopedia. And look at the following solemn declaration of excommunication, which was pronounced by Pope Innocent III:
The anathema ritual and its wording are a demonstration that popes believed that they could consign people to Hell. The fear that the anathema produced is a demonstration that other people also believed it. So is the power that anathemas gave the popes over civil rulers. (See the chapter, "Spiritual Coercion.") The anathema ritual is still on the books, so we must assume that modern popes still believe that they can do this. The ritual was formulated by Pope Zachary, who reigned from 741 to 752. He is a canonized saint. (This is online.)10 |
Copyright 2003, 2007 by Mary Ann Collins. All rights reserved. |