God is offended by the errors of the new conciliar religion, of the feeneyites, and of the sedevacantists. Whatever invincible ignorance might possibly afflict particular individuals (making them somehow not culpable for their grave errors), nonetheless the persons in those groups are objectively (materially) outside the Catholic Church.1
With Bishop Williamson having promoted attending the new mass and the services of feeneyites and sedevacantists,2 he now also extends his ecumenism by promoting the (supposed) truth and worship of another false religion, viz., the Anglicans.
Bishop Williamson tells people that Anglicans possess some truth and some of “the true worship of God”. Here are his words:
If you look for the truth, and you look for the true worship of God, you may find some of it in an Anglican Church. But you start talking to the minister, probably his principles are—most likely are—not completely true.3
As discussed below, Bishop Williamson’s scandalous words are ecumenical and false for four reasons:
Bishop Williamson causes the grave scandal of telling his followers that the “true worship of God” can be found in the Anglican “church”. This is false!
Anglicans cannot have “true worship of God” (as Bishop Williamson claims they can), because the worship of all heretics offends God because they are heretics.
The reason for this is obvious: heretics (and schismatics) are outside the Catholic Church and so they maintain the posture of being enemies of God, since all those not in the Catholic Church, are enemies of Christ.4
Vatican II is wrong that there can be any “partial communion”. We are either with Our Lord, or against Him. St. Matt., 12:30. Only Catholics can be with our Lord because only they are part of His Mystical Body.
Heretics do not have Sanctifying Grace. Summa, IIa IIae, Q.5, a.3, Sed contra. God is not moved by the prayers of those who are not in the state of Sanctifying Grace. Summa, IIa IIae, Q.178, a.2, ad 1. This is because:
whosoever has not charity is wicked, becausethis gift alone of the Holy Ghost distinguishes the children of the kingdom from the children of perdition, as Augustine says (De Trin. xv, 18).
Summa, IIa IIae, Q.178, a.2, Sed contra.
Further, heretics do not have Charity,5 so whatever good works heretics do, profit them nothing. As St. Paul said, [I]f I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
1 Corin. 13:3.
Also, as the Council of Florence and Pope Eugene IV taught about heretics (among whom are the Anglicans):
[S]o important is the unity of this ecclesiastical body [viz., the Catholic Church] that only those remaining within this unity ... can receive an eternal recompense for their fasts, their almsgivings, their other works of Christian piety and the duties of a Christian soldier. No one, let his almsgiving be as great as it may ... can be saved, unless he remain within the bosom and the unity of the Catholic Church.
Cantate Domino.
St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, further explains why the heretics (including the Anglicans) can never have true worship of God, i.e., worship which pleases Him:
[I]f they [viz., heretics] distribute of themselves their own substance to the poor, as many do, … in the different heretical bodies [i.e., sects] … they cannot attain to eternal salvation, even with all those good things, which profit them not.
On Baptism, against the Donatists, Bk. 1, ch.9 (bracketed words added).
The Anglicans and other heretics have no “true worship of God” because they are outside the Catholic Church, outside of which, it is impossible to please God or worship Him as He wants to be worshipped.6
First, notice the grave harm Bishop Williamson causes by teaching something favorable about Anglican worship (viz., you can find the “true worship of God” there). And he does not warn people to stay away from that heretical group and completely avoid their “worship”.
However, a superficial reading of Bishop Williamson’s words might cause a person to think that Bishop Williamson did not encourage anyone to worship with the Anglicans. He “merely” said they have some “true worship of God”. But look at the context of Bishop Williamson’s false and ecumenical statements about the Anglican heretics:
The reasonable understanding of Bishop Williamson’s words is that a person should attend the (supposed) “true worship of God” of the Anglican heretics, just as with the three other false religions (viz., conciliar, feeneyite, sedevacantist), if that is what “you need to nourish your faith”.
Bishop Williamson’s ecumenical words about the Anglican heretics are an echo of Vatican II’s promotion of interreligious “worship” with Anglicans and other heretics, whom Vatican II calls “separated brethren”. Here is what Vatican II teaches:
[I]t is allowable, indeed desirable, that Catholics join in prayer with their separated brethren. Unitatis Redintegratio, §8.
This is the opposite of the consistent teaching of the Church before Vatican II. The Catholic Church has constantly forbidden Her children to hold any communication, in religious matters, with those who are separated from her communion
including the Anglican heretics.9
From the earliest times, the Church has decreed that: If any bishop, or priest, or deacon, shall join in prayers with heretics, let him be suspended from communion
.10 Thus, we must not pray with the Anglicans!
Further, If any clergyman or laic [i.e., layman] shall go into the synagogue of the Jews or the meetings of heretics, to join in prayer with them, let him be deposed and deprived of communion
11
So also,
in one of Her [viz., the Catholic Church’s] most respected councils, held in the year 398, at which the great St Augustine was present, She speaks thus:None must either pray or sing psalms with heretics; and whosoever shall communicate with those who are cut off from the communion of the Church, whether clergyman or laic [i.e., layman], let him be excommunicated,Council of Carthage, iv, §§72 & 73.
Id. Thus, the Council of Carthage is telling us that any prayer or worship, however good in itself, is ruined when said with heretics and that this worship offends God. Notice that the Council of Carthage’s condemnation (of praying with heretics) does not make any exception for such prayers which (supposedly) “nourish your faith”!
Further, the Council of Laodicea decreed the same thing: No one shall pray in common with heretics or schismatics
. Council of Laodicea, Canon 33.
Even the Sacraments of the Catholic Church (as pleasing to God as they are in themselves) are offensive to God among the heretics (such as the Anglicans). As St. Augustine teaches:
For all the sacraments of Christ, if not combined with the Charity which belongs to the unity of Christ [i.e., the unity of the Catholic Church], are possessed not unto salvation, but unto judgment.
St. Augustine, ad Petilian, the Donatist, Bk. III, ch.40, ¶46 (bracketed words added).
These Councils and Canons all condemn Bishop Williamson’s erroneous promotion of the (offensive) “worship” of the Anglican heretics. Further, those Catholic authorities also all condemn Bishop Williamson’s evil promotion of praying with the conciliar religion (in the new mass), and with the feeneyites and sedevacantists.
The councils and canons of the Catholic Church condemn Bishop Williamson’s promotion of the worship of the Anglicans and other groups which are objectively heretical and schismatic. It would be complete stupidity to attempt to please God or “worship” Him by joining with those who are postured as His enemies.
As quoted above, Bishop Williamson teaches that a person looking for the truth “may find some of it in an Anglican church”. This is scandalous and un-Catholic!
Because the Anglicans are heretics, their faith is merely human and is not even supernatural. Summa, IIa IIae, Q.5, a.3, Respondeo.
Further, not only is the Anglican “religion” merely human (and inspired by the devil), but this “religion” is inherently a mixture of many poisons, i.e., heresies. Bishop Williamson’s teaching that people might find the truth in the Anglican “church” is like telling people that they might find nutrition in a pie which contains a mixture of many poisons.
As quoted above, Bishop Williamson teaches that “probably” an Anglican minister’s principles are “not completely true”. Bishop Williamson’s assertion is false and evil. That statement means that it is possible that the Anglican minister’s principles are completely true. This is like saying that a person who dies in mortal sin “probably” won’t go to heaven, whereas the truth is that no Anglican minister has the complete truth and no one who dies in mortal sin goes to heaven.
Among principles held by every Anglican minister are that: 1) the Catholic Church is not the one and only true Church of Christ; and 2) that the Anglican “religion” is not false and is not a man-made tool of the devil. In other words, all Anglican ministers deny the truth that there can be no salvation in the (false) Anglican “religion”. For, if any Anglican minister held the Catholic Truth on this matter, he would not be Anglican.
In other words, in this and many other matters, all Anglican ministers hold heresy. It is impossible for an Anglican minister to ever have principles that are “completely true”, as Bishop Williamson teaches to be possible.
Let us pray for the Anglicans, who are poor, lost sheep who are outside Christ’s one true Sheepfold. They need to be told the truth, viz., that the only truth and the only true worship of God are in the Catholic Church.
Let us also pray for Bishop Williamson, that he returns from his grave ecumenical errors against the Faith!
HomeIt is unreasonable and un-Catholic to call such individuals “Christian” or speak about them as truly following Christ. For a detailed explanation, see, “Catholics should never call non-Catholics by the name ‘Christian’ ”—or see, Lumen Gentium Annotated, by Quanta Cura Press, note beginning on p.119, © 2013, available at scribd.com (free) & at amazon.com (sold at cost). p.119 et seq.
Of course, we don’t judge the interior culpability of particular individuals who are outside the visible Church, and we don’t declare we know they are going to Hell, even though it is true that outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation. See the explanation of rash judgment.
↑Because the prayers of non-Catholics do not please God and non-Catholics receive no merit or spiritual benefits from their prayers and works, a person could wonder how Anglicans could ever receive the Grace to convert to the Catholic Faith. The answer is that they can benefit from the prayers and good works of Catholics, which are offered for them, just as the souls in Purgatory benefit, and as the pagans (and everyone else) can also benefit from the merits of Catholics.
All heretics and all others outside the Catholic Church are unable to help themselves to get into God’s Grace and favor. All Graces and gifts which God gives to any persons outside the Catholic Church, are given to them without their merits, to bring them into the Catholic Church, to live the Catholic life and live it abundantly. Summa, Ia IIae, Q.109, a.2; & Q.114, a.5.
This explanation also answers a question which is confusing Bishop Williamson, who (wrongly) supposes that the new mass must give Grace because, otherwise, how can people ever convert to Catholic Tradition from the conciliar religion unless they previously receive Grace from the new mass? Eleison Comments #445.
Of course, a conciliar Catholic can receive Grace from the merits of Traditional Catholics, (as can the Anglican heretics, the souls in Purgatory, etc.). Also, if that conciliar Catholic is invincibly ignorant of the grave evil in which he participates in the conciliar religion, he could possibly be in the state of Grace and therefore could also merit by the family rosary, by fasting, and other Traditional prayers and good works.
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