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Unmasking Catholicism Mary Ann Collins, a former Catholic nun |
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Chapter 3 The Council of Trent anathematized every Christian who disagrees with any detail of Catholic doctrine. These anathemas have never been canceled. An anathema means that the Catholic Church has placed someone under a solemn, ecclesiastical curse. (See the chapter, "Ecclesiastical Curses.") The Council of Trent (1545-1564) was the Roman Catholic Church's response to the Protestant Reformation. It denounced every single doctrine that was proposed by the Protestant Reformers. It declared that any person who believes even one of these doctrines is "anathema" (anathematized by the Catholic Church). It also defined Catholic doctrines, detail by detail, and declared that anybody who denies even one of these details is anathema. These doctrines include: the authority of the Pope, the practice of indulgences, veneration of Mary and the saints, the use of statues and other "sacred images," and the belief that Jesus Christ is literally and fully present (body, blood, soul, and divinity) in every crumb of consecrated bread and every drop of consecrated wine. So the Council of Trent anathematized all Protestants. There are 125 anathemas. These are doctrinal declarations of the Council of Trent that are sandwiched between two statements. The opening statement is: "If any man…" The closing statement is: "…let him be anathema." The doctrinal statements and the anathemas are so interwoven that they cannot be separated. I don't have permission to use quotations from the Council of Trent, so I will use a statement about a well-known children's book as an example. Applying the language of the Council of Trent to Mother Goose Rhymes, you could say: "If any man believes that the cow did not jump over the moon, let him be anathema." You can read the declarations of the Council of Trent for yourself. They were published as a book. You can order it through regular bookstores. You can also read it online. (The Notes give Internet addresses.)1 Official Modern Endorsement The declarations and anathemas of the Council of Trent have never been canceled. On the contrary, the decrees of the Council of Trent are confirmed by both the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the official Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992). The documents of the Second Vatican Council cite the Council of Trent as an authority for doctrinal statements, both in the text and in the notes. The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church states that the Second Vatican Council "proposes again the decrees of" three previous councils, one of which is the Council of Trent.2 The Decree on the Training of Priests says that the Second Vatican Council continued the work of the Council of Trent.3 (You can read these documents online.) When the Second Vatican Council began, Pope John XXIII said that he accepted what the Council of Trent declares about justification. (It declares that any person who believes that we are saved by faith alone is anathema.) He also confirmed all past anathemas against "false doctrine"—in other words, the Protestant doctrines that were condemned by the Council of Trent. Every Catholic clergyman who participated in the Council signed a document affirming the declarations of the Council of Trent. (This is online.)4 The Catechism of the Catholic Church was written for the purpose of summarizing the essential and basic teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. It was approved by Pope John Paul II in 1992. It has been published in many languages. The English translation was released in 1994. The Catechism has numbered paragraphs. Therefore, statements can be located in any language, and in any edition of the book. The Council of Trent is mentioned in 75 paragraphs of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is always mentioned in a positive, authoritative way. Some paragraphs mention it two or three times. Paragraph 9 says that the Council of Trent was the origin of Catholic catechisms. The other 74 paragraphs that mention the Council of Trent cite it as an authoritative source that supports their doctrinal statements. (You can verify this online. The Note tells how.)5 The Anathemas of the Council According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Catholic doctrine of infallibility applies not only to the Pope, but also to Catholic Church Councils. This includes the Council of Trent. (Information about this is online.)6 As a result, the official statements of the Council of Trent are considered to be infallible. This means that they cannot be changed. Therefore, the anathemas of the Council of Trent cannot be revoked. The Catholic Church may find it expedient not to call people's attention to these anathemas, but it cannot revoke them. In today's modern world, anathemas would not give the Catholic Church a good image. The word "anathema" does not even occur in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. (Neither does the word "Inquisition.") However, both the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church confirm the decrees of the Council of Trent. These decrees contain the anathemas. So the anathemas are part of the doctrinal package, whether or not the Catholic Church chooses to talk about them. |
Copyright 2003, 2007 by Mary Ann Collins. All rights reserved. |