John Paul II “blessed” by the largest group of Rabbis ever in a private audience in the Vatican

Heresy of the Week, Week of 2/11/05

ZENIT- Jewish Leaders Thank John Paul II for Fighting Anti-Semitism At Historic Audience in Vatican- “VATICAN CITY, JAN. 18, 2005 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II called for reinforcement of dialogue between Catholics and Jews when he received in audience a group of about 160 Jewish leaders, rabbis, cantors and their relatives. The unprecedented meeting -- never before had so many rabbis gone to the Vatican for a private audience with the Pope -- was requested by the New York-based Pave the Way Foundation.  Today's event aimed to help commemorate the 40th anniversary this year of the Second Vatican Council declaration "Nostra Aetate," which marked a key turn in Judeo-Christian dialogue. In addition, Gary Krupp, president of Pave the Way, proposed the meeting as an opportunity to thank John Paul II for the extraordinary effort made in his life, especially during his 26-year pontificate, to combat anti-Semitism. “The Holy Father, in a brief address to his guests in English, said: "May this be an occasion for renewed commitment to increased understanding and cooperation in the service of building a world ever more firmly based on respect for the divine image in every human being." "Upon all of you, I invoke the abundant blessings of the Almighty and, in particular, the gift of peace," he said. "Shalom aleichem." “Greeting the Pope on behalf of those present, Gary Krupp reviewed the gestures of this pontificate that have advanced the dialogue between Catholics and Jews. "Soon after your ascension to the throne of St. Peter, you made a telling trip to Auschwitz in order to pay homage to victims of the Holocaust," Krupp said. "You have defended the Jewish people at every opportunity, as a priest in Poland and during your 26-year pontificate.  You have denounced anti-Semitism as a 'sin against God and humanity.' This tone of reconciliation has been the cornerstone of your papacy and its relations with the Jewish people." “Krupp recalled that John Paul II has been the first Pope since St. Peter to visit a synagogue." He continued: "Your pilgrimage to Israel and the Holy Land on March 21, 2000, was immortalized in the hearts and minds of the Jewish people around the world, when you placed your prayer asking for forgiveness in the Western Wall." "For your acts of love of all humankind and your implacable pursuit of peace and reconciliation of all faiths," the Jewish representative said, "Your Holiness truly is the personification of these ideals and spirit of Aaron, the high priest of ancient Israel."      "My prayerful wish," Krupp added, "is that Jews, Christians and Muslims, the three children of Abraham, may soon bond together in one common cause and voice, to defend all humanity against those who defame God by committing wanton acts of violence in his holy name." He concluded by thrice saying "Thank you" and "Shalom." “On the eve of the meeting, Krupp announced that the Vatican has given permission for the loan of the manuscripts of the great Jewish philosopher and theologian Maimonides (1138-1204), along with other writings, to the Israel Museum for its 40th-anniversary exhibit this spring.  At the audience, three rabbis pronounced a blessing on John Paul II, and the meeting ended with a chant. (Here is a link to the article)

Comment: So, John Paul II receives a “blessing” from the largest group of Christ-rejecters ever to attend a private audience at the Vatican.  And contrary to the idea which is becoming increasingly popular in “traditionalist” circles, actions such as this do constitute heresy and apostasy.  Many “traditionalists” say that actions such as this are scandalous, but not heretical.   On the contrary, those who claim that such actions are not heretical are in fact heretical.

Canonists and theologians teach that external heresy consists not only in words, but also in “signs, deeds, and the omission of deeds.” (Merkelbach, Summa Theologiae Moralis 1:746.)

John Paul II’s actions have proven him to be a heretic and an apostate countless times over.  Understanding the Catholic teaching that “signs, deeds” and even the omission of deeds can constitute heresy refutes the heretical nonsense taught by many in the traditional movement.  They teach that John Paul II’s statements and actions – such as his statement “May St. John the Baptist protect Islam” – are not heretical because they do not word-for-word contradict a dogma.

Thomas Woods and Christopher Ferrara, The Great Façade, p. 57: “Now, for someone who is willing to overlook crucial distinctions and leap to unwarranted conclusions about the present crisis, it would be easy to say, with the sedevacantists, that all of these novelties and apparent contradictions of past teaching are ‘heresy,’… But a careful examination of these novelties and apparent contradictions, one by one, shows that none of them involves the formal denial of an article of divine and Catholic faith… Not even John Paul II’s recent statement ‘May St. John the Baptist protect Islam’ is heresy, properly speaking, since the Pope’s public expression of a wish that a false religion receive divine protection, while certainly scandalous and even stupefying, does not translate into a direct denial of any article of divine and Catholic faith.”

This heretical nonsense is also refuted by St. Thomas Aquinas – not to mention Catholic common sense.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Pt. II-II, Q. 11, Art. 2: “Now a thing may be of faith in two ways, as stated above, in one way, directly and principally, e.g., the articles of faith; in another way, indirectly and secondarily, e.g., those matters, the denial of which leads to the corruption of some article of faith; and there may be heresy in either way, even as there can be faith.”

Thus, those statements and actions of John Paul II which are not a direct denial of Catholic dogma – and we have many that are – are heretical if they have a meaning which is clearly equivalent to denying a dogma.  For instance, asking St. John the Baptist to protect Islam is clearly equivalent to denying the dogma Outside the Church There is No Salvation. (That would probably be the understatement of the year.)  Asking St. John the Baptist to protect Islam is also equivalent to saying that Islam is a good religion, not a false religion, which is clearly a denial of the dogma that the Catholic Church is the only true religion.  Asking St. John the Baptist to protect Islam is without a doubt apostasy – period.  The same is true of: kissing the Koran; arranging for false religions to worship false gods (Assisi I and Assisi II); sending representatives to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Synagogue; and, most recently, being “blessed” by Rabbis. Go back to Heresies of the Week of John Paul II and the Vatican II sect regarding Pagans, Jews and Infidels