A Brief Study demonstrating how this truth regarding when the baptized children of heretics become heretics is perfectly compatible with all other dogmas on salvation (PART 2)

NOTE: In recent months, this individual R.I. has actually denounced canonized Catholics saints as heretics.  Specifically, he has denounced St. Alphonsus and St. Thomas Aquinas as heretics.  This proves what I have said about him, that he is a non-Catholic heretic who has literally founded his own sect.  Some people couldn’t see it then, but perhaps they see it now.  By denouncing as heretics canonized saints, he actually has put himself on the level of the Protestant reformers.  He is now in the category of Protestant revolutionaries Martin Luther, John Calvin and other heretics (such as Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormons) who founded their own “Churches.”  He would literally have to hold that the Catholic Church fell into apostasy for centuries, by honoring and declaring as saints those he considers non-Catholic heretics, and that it is he who must come to “restore” the purity of the Gospel.  He even said that, if he could, he would “bring St. Thomas Aquinas back from Hell, put his skin on him, rip it off, and then pour vinegar on his wounds!”  Yes, R.I. actually said this while claiming to be Catholic (listen to part 4 of the audios below).

Part 1- Introduction and quick background on these radical schismatics [9 min audio.]

Part 2 - In depth refutation of their false arguments regarding the Council of Basel and the salvation dogma [50 min. audio]

Part 3 - Refutation of the Argument that Canonizations are not infallible by virtue of the teaching of Vatican I [20 min. audio]

Part 4 - Exposing the demonic and shocking statements of the schismatic RI – the source for many strains of "traditionalist" schism [16 min. audio]

By Bro. Peter Dimond, O.S.B. All who die without baptism are lost Eugene IV defines that all who die as pagans, Jews, heretics and schismatics are lost Regarding when and which people are heretics and schismatics The Catholic Church teaches that infants baptized in heretical churches are Catholics The Catholic Church teaches that infants baptized in heretical churches are also within the government of the Catholic Church The Catholic Church teaches that infants baptized in heretical and schismatical churches are also subject to the Roman Pontiff What is the “Catholic Faith” in its simplest components? This truth is proven on the Mission Fields Further demonstrating the utter stupidity of the position of R.I. So, when do the baptized children of heretics become heretics? Finally, this truth shows us something very important about the visibility of the Catholic Church in the times of the Great Apostasy

The following points demonstrate how this teaching of when the baptized children of heretics become heretics is perfectly in line with all of the other dogmas on the absolute necessity of the Catholic Church and Catholic Faith for salvation.   

ALL WHO DIE WITHOUT BAPTISM ARE LOST 

It is a defined dogma that all who die without the Sacrament of Baptism cannot be saved.

Pope Paul III, The Council of Trent, Sess. 7, Can. 5 on the Sacrament of Baptism, ex cathedra: “If anyone says that baptism [the Sacrament] is optional, that is, not necessary for salvation (cf. Jn. 3:5): let him be anathema.”

Not only this, but all of the following eleven arguments from the infallible teaching of the Catholic Church prove that only the sacramentally baptized can be saved.  These points are proven and expanded upon in my book Outside the Catholic Church There is Absolutely No Salvation.  Thus, all the pagans, Jews, Muslims, infidels, etc. who die without baptism, which incorporates one into the Catholic Church, are lost.

1) The Catholic Church teaches that the Sacrament of Baptism is necessary for salvation (de fide, Trent, Sess. 7, Can. 5). 2) Unless we are born again of water and the Spirit, we cannot enter heaven (de fide, Florence, Exultate Deo). 3) The Church understands John 3:5 literally every time, as it is written (de fide, Trent Sess. 6, Chap. 4), and with no exceptions (de fide, Florence: Denz 696; and Trent: Denz. 791, 858, 861). 4) The Spirit of Sanctification, the Water of Baptism and the Blood of Redemption are inseparable (de fide, Pope St. Leo the Great). 5) All Catholics must profess only one baptism of water (de fide, Clement V, Council of Vienne). 6) There is absolutely no salvation outside the one Church of the faithful (de fide,Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council), which only includes the water baptized. 7) Every human creature must be subject to the Roman Pontiff to be saved (de fide, Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam), and it is impossible to be subject to the Roman Pontiff without the Sacrament of Baptism (de fide, Trent, Sess. 14, Chap. 2). 8) One must belong to the Body of the Church to be saved (de fide, Eugene IV and Pius XI), and only the water baptized belong to the Body of the Church. 9) The Church is defined as a union of sacraments (de fide, Eugene IV, Cantate Domino; Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam), which means that only those who have received the Sacrament of Baptism can be inside the unity of the Church. 10) All true Justification meets up with the Sacraments (de fide, Sess. 7, Foreword to the Decree on the Sacraments). 11) The Sacraments as such are necessary for salvation though all are not necessary for each individual (de fide, Profession of Faith at Trent and Vatican I; and the Profession of Faith for converts), which means that one must at least receive one Sacrament (Baptism) to be saved but one doesn’t need to receive them all.

EUGENE IV ALSO DEFINES THAT ALL WHO DIE AS PAGANS, JEWS, HERETICS AND SCHISMATICS ARE LOST WITHOUT ANY EXCEPTION

Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, “Cantate Domino,” 1441, ex cathedra: “The Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes and preaches that all those who are outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans but also Jews or heretics and schismatics, cannot share in eternal life and will go into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels, unless they are joined to the Church before the end of their lives; that the unity of this ecclesiastical body is of such importance that only those who abide in it do the Church’s sacraments contribute to salvation and do fasts, almsgiving and other works of piety and practices of the Christian militia productive of eternal rewards; and that nobody can be saved, no matter how much he has given away in alms and even if he has shed blood in the name of Christ, unless he has persevered in the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church.”

It is de fide that who die as pagans, Jews, heretics and schismatics go to hell. 

REGARDING WHEN AND WHICH PEOPLE ARE HERETICS OR SCHISMATICS

But, as we will see, the Catholic Church doesn’t define exactly what persons are heretics or schismatics.  Nor does the Catholic Church teach anywhere that all who are present in a heretical church building are heretics. The Catholic Church doesn’t teach that all who are present in a heretical church building are heretics because, in fact, She teaches just the opposite.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH TEACHES THAT INFANTS BAPTIZED IN HERETICAL churches ARE CATHOLICS

The Catholic Church teaches that the baptized infants of heretics are actually Catholics, even though these infants are baptized by heretics in a heretical church building and are taken to the heretical church every week.  This is de fide.

Pope Innocent IV, Council of Lyons I, March 6, 1254: “Moreover, if anyone without repentance dies in mortal sin, without a doubt he is tortured forever by the flames of eternal hell. – But the souls of children after the cleansing of baptism, and of adults also who depart in charity and who are bound neither by sin nor unto any satisfaction for sin, at once pass quickly to their eternal fatherland.” (Denz. 457)

It is de fide that all baptized infants without exception who die go straight to the “eternal fatherland” (heaven).  So, infants born to heretics or schismatics and baptized by heretics or schismatics, and present in a heretical church building which contains heretics, are actually Catholics; and anyone who denies this is a heretic.

Pope Paul III, Council of Trent, Sess. 6, Can. 13 on Justification: “If anyone shall say that infants, because they have not actual faith, after having received baptism are not to be numbered among the faithful… let him be anathema.” (Denz. 869)

THE CHURCH TEACHES THAT INFANTS BAPTIZED IN HERETICAL churches ARE ALSO WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

These baptized infants in heretical churches are also within the government of the Catholic Church, even though they are present in a heretical church building which is separated from the government of the Catholic Church.  We know that these baptized infants in such buildings are within the government of the Catholic Church because no one can be a Catholic in the Body of Christ, as these infants are (de fide), without being inside the government of the Church (de fide).

Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis Christi (# 22): “As therefore in the true Christian community there is only one Body, one Spirit, one Lord, and one Baptism, so there can be only one faith.  And therefore if a man refuse to hear the Church let him be considered – so the Lord commands – as a heathen and a publican.  It follows that those who are divided in faith or government cannot be living in the unity of such a Body, nor can they be living the life of its one Divine Spirit.”

No one can be in the Body (the Catholic Church) if he is divided in government from Catholics.  The baptized infants in heretical churches are inside the Body, the Catholic Church (de fide).  Thus, the baptized infants in heretical churches are within the government of the Catholic Church, even though they are present in a heretical church building (de fide).

THE CHURCH ALSO TEACHES THAT INFANTS BAPTIZED IN HERETICAL AND SCHISMATICAL churches ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO THE ROMAN PONTIFF

These baptized infants in heretical and schismatical church buildings are also made subject to the Roman Pontiff.  The Church teaches that valid baptism makes an infant subject to the Church, and therefore to the Roman Pontiff who possesses supreme authority in the Church, until the infant severs that subjection by heresy or schism, which infants cannot do:

Pope Leo XIII, Nobilissima (# 3), Feb. 8, 1884: “The Church, guardian of the integrity of the Faith – which, in virtue of its authority, deputed from God its Founder, has to call all nations to the knowledge of Christian lore, and which is consequently bound to watch keenly over the teaching and upbringing of the children placed under its authority by baptism…”

We also know that these infants baptized in heretical or schismatical church buildings – with heretical and schismatical family members – are subject to the Roman Pontiff because they are saved if they die as such (de fide, Council of Lyons I above), and no human creature can be saved without subjection to the Roman Pontiff:

Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam, Nov. 18, 1302, ex cathedra: “Furthermore, we declare, say, define, and proclaim to every human creature that they by absolute necessity for salvation are entirely subject to the Roman Pontiff.”

Thus, I have established the following points without a doubt from the teaching of the Catholic Church:

Baptized infants are made subject to the Roman Pontiff, not by knowledge of who the Roman Pontiff is, which none of them have, but by their reception of baptism, as Pope Leo XIII teaches above.  Baptism is the key component in initial subjection to the Roman Pontiff.  An infant’s reception of baptism makes him a subject of the Church and the Roman Pontiff (who has supreme authority in the Church) even in schismatical church buildings until they themselves sever that subjection by heresy or schism.

By the way, this important truth also refutes baptism of desire, because no one is subject to the Church or Roman Pontiff without the Sacrament of Baptism (de fide, Leo XIII above and Julius III below) and no one can be saved without such subjection (de fide, Boniface VIII above).  Thus, no one can be saved without the Sacrament of Baptism.

Pope Julius III, Council of Trent, On the Sacraments of Baptism and Penance, Sess. 14, Chap. 2, ex cathedra: “… since the Church exercises judgment on no one who has not previously entered it by the gate of baptism.  For what have I to do with those who are without (1 Cor. 5:12), says the Apostle.  It is otherwise with those of the household of the faith, whom Christ the Lord by the laver of baptism has once made ‘members of his own body’ (1 Cor. 12:13).”

To summarize what has been established thus far: I have proven the following three points without any doubt from the dogmatic teaching of the Catholic Church:

1)    It is de fide that certain persons baptized in heretical and schismatical church buildings are Catholics in the state of grace;

2)  It is de fide that certain persons baptized in heretical and schismatical church buildings are within the government of the Catholic Church;

3) It is de fide that certain persons baptized in heretical and schismatical church buildings are subject to the Roman Pontiff; and that certain people are subject to the Roman Pontiff without any knowledge of the Papacy or who the Pope is.

WHAT IS “THE CATHOLIC FAITH” IN ITS SIMPLEST COMPONENTS?

No one can reject even one dogma without ceasing to be Catholic and losing his salvation.

Pope Leo XIII, Satis Cognitum (# 9), June 29, 1896: “… can it be lawful for anyone to reject any one of those truths without by that very fact falling into heresy? – without separating himself from the Church? – without repudiating in one sweeping act the whole of Christian teaching?  For such is the nature of faith that nothing can be more absurd than to accept some things and reject others.  Faith, as the Church teaches, is that supernatural virtue by which… we believe what He has revealed to be true, not on account of the intrinsic truth perceived by the natural light of human reason [author: that is, not because it seems correct to us], but because of the authority of God Himself, the Revealer, who can neither deceive nor be deceived… But he who dissents even in one point from divinely revealed truth absolutely rejects all faith, since he thereby refuses to honor God as the supreme truth and the formal motive of faith.”

But every person above the age of reason is not bound to positively know all articles of the Catholic Faith to be saved.

Pope Benedict XIV, Cum Religiosi (# 1), June 26, 1754: “We could not rejoice, however, when it was subsequently reported to Us that in the course of religious instruction preparatory to Confession and Holy Communion, it was very often found that these people were ignorant of the mysteries of the faith, even those matters which must be known by necessity of means; consequently they were ineligible to partake of the Sacraments.” Pope Benedict XIV, Cum Religiosi (# 4): “See to it that every minister performs carefully the measures laid down by the holy Council of Trent… that confessors should perform this part of their duty whenever anyone stands at their tribunal who does not know what he must by necessity of means know to be saved…”

Notice here that there are certain mysteries of Catholic Faith that all above reason must know to be saved.  But all aspects of Catholic Faith one does not have to know.  Pope Pius X reiterates the same truth:

Pope St. Pius X, Acerbo Nimis (# 2), April 15, 1905: “And so Our Predecessor, Benedict XIV, had just cause to write: ‘We declare that a great number of those who are condemned to eternal punishment suffer that everlasting calamity because of ignorance of those mysteries of faith which must be known and believed in order to be numbered among the elect.’”

So what mysteries does everyone above reason have to positively know, without any exceptions for anyone, to be saved?  The answer is very clear in the dogmatic teaching of the Church, as well as in Church Tradition.  The answer is that the Catholic Faith, if defined by its simplest mysteries, is belief in the Trinity and the Incarnation.  These are the essential mysteries of the Catholic Faith which all persons above reason must positively know to be saved without any exceptions for ignorance.  Those above reason who are ignorant of these mysteries cannot be saved.

Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, Sess. 8, Nov. 22, 1439, ex cathedra: “Sixthly, we offer to the envoys that compendious rule of the faith composed by most blessed Athanasius, which is as follows: “Whoever wishes to be saved, needs above all to hold the Catholic faith; unless each one preserves this whole and inviolate, he will without a doubt perish in eternity.– But the Catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in the Trinity, and the Trinity in unity; neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance; for there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Spirit, their glory is equal, their majesty coeternal...and in this Trinity there is nothing first or later, nothing greater or less, but all three persons are coeternal and coequal with one another, so that in every respect, as has already been said above, both unity in Trinity, and Trinity in unity must be worshipped.  Therefore let him who wishes to be saved, think thus concerning the Trinity. “But it is necessary for eternal salvation that he faithfully believe also in the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ...the Son of God is God and man... This is the Catholic faith; unless each one believes this faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.”

Notice that the dogmas of the Trinity and the Incarnation are even defined as the Catholic Faith by this dogmatic Creed.  This is because these are the two essential mysteries of the Catholic Faith that everyone above reason must know to be saved with no exceptions for ignorance.  And this truth is reflected again and again in Holy Office decrees and the teaching of the Doctors of the Church.  Again and again we see that the absolute bare-minimum is the Trinity and the Incarnation Below we see that the Holy Office under Pope Clement XI responded that a missionary must, before baptism, explain these absolutely necessary mysteries to an adult who is at the point of death.

Response of the Sacred Office to the Bishop of Quebec, Jan. 25, 1703: “Q. Whether a minister is bound, before baptism is conferred on an adult, to explain to him all the mysteries of our faith, especially if he is at the point of death, because this might disturb his mind.  Or, whether it is sufficient, if the one at the point of death will promise that when he recovers from the illness, he will take care to be instructed, so that he might put into practice what has been commanded him. “A. A promise is not sufficient, but a missionary is bound to explain to an adult, even a dying one who is not entirely incapacitated, the mysteries of faith which are necessary by a necessity of means, as are especially the mysteries of the Trinity and the Incarnation.”

Another question was posed at the same time and answered the same way.

Response of the Sacred Office to the Bishop of Quebec, Jan. 25, 1703: “Q. Whether it is possible for a crude and uneducated adult, as it might be with a barbarian, to be baptized, if there were given him only an understanding of God and some of His attributes… although he does not believe explicitly in Jesus Christ. “A.  A missionary should not baptize one who does not believe explicitly in the Lord Jesus Christ, but is bound to instruct him about all those matters which are necessary, by a necessity of means, in accordance with the capacity of the one to be baptized.”

The same truth is taught by St. Thomas Aquinas.

St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica:  “After grace had been revealed, both the learned and simple folk are bound to explicit faith in the mysteries of Christ, chiefly as regards those which are observed throughout the Church, and publicly proclaimed, such as the articles which refer to the Incarnation, of which we have spoken above.” Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica:  “And consequently, when once grace had been revealed, all were bound to explicit faith in the mystery of the Trinity.”

Notice that no other mysteries are mentioned as absolute necessities of means for all above reason.  Here is another Holy Office Decree reflecting the same truth:

Errors condemned under Pope Innocent XI, March 4, 1679, #64: “A person is fit for absolution, however much he labors under an ignorance of the mysteries of the faith, and even if through negligence, even culpable, he does not know the mystery of the most blessed Trinity, and of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Denz. 1214) Pope St. Damasus, 382 A.D.: “This, then, is the salvation of Christians: that believing in the Trinity, that is, in the Father, and in the Son and in the Holy Spirit, and baptized in it…” St. Athanasius, Letters to Serapion of Thmuis, 360 A.D.: “… let us note that the very tradition, teaching, and faith of the Catholic Church from the beginning, which the Lord gave, was preached by the Apostles, and was preserved by the Fathers.  On this was the Church founded; and if anyone departs from this, he neither is nor any longer aught to be called a Christian: there is a Trinity, holy and perfect, acknowledged as God, in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… And because this is the faith of the Church, let them somehow understand that the Lord sent out the Apostles and commanded them to make this the foundation of the Church, when He said: ‘Go out and instruct every people, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19). (The Faith of the Early Fathers, Vol 1:782) St. Athanasius, Letters to Serapion of Thmuis, 360 A.D.: “This is the faith of the Catholic Church; for on the Trinity the Lord founded it and rooted it…” (The Faith of the Early Fathers, Vol 1:784)

St. Athanasius is not denying that the Church was founded upon St. Peter; he is rather illustrating that the principal dogma of the Catholic Faith is the Trinity, which is bound up with the Incarnation and Our Lord’s Divinity as the Son of God.  Thus, again and again we see that the Trinity and the Incarnation are shown to be the Catholic Faith in terms of its simplest mysteries and the mysteries that no one above reason can be ignorant of and be saved.

St. Hilary of Poitiers, The Trinity, 356 A.D.: “This, therefore, is the true faith which brings blessedness to men: to acknowledge Him as God and man, to confess Him as the Word and as flesh, neither forgetting His divinity in view of His humanity, nor ignoring His flesh because He is the Word.” (The Faith of the Early Fathers, Vol 1:873)

It should now be well established that not all aspects or dogmas of the Faith must be known by all above reason, but only the Trinity and the Incarnation are absolutely necessary for everyone above reason to know without any exceptions or excuses for ignorance.

THIS TRUTH IS PROVEN ON THE MISSION FIELDS

The truth that baptism and belief in the Trinity and Incarnation is the Catholic Faith (in terms of its simplest mysteries) is proven by the lives of the Church’s greatest missionaries.  Missionaries like St. Francis Xavier and St. Isaac Jogues often only had time to explain to the converts these most essential mysteries before baptizing them.

The Life of St. Isaac Jogues, p. 225: “Two of the Hurons, Jogues learned, were to be burned to death that night at Tionontoguen.  He stayed with them on the platform and concentrated his appeals on them.  Finally they consented.  About that moment, the Mohawks threw the prisoners some raw corn that had been freshly plucked.  The sheaths [of the corn] were wet from the recent rains.  Father Jogues carefully gathered the precious drops of water on a leaf and poured them over the heads of the two neophytes [new converts], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  The Mohawks understood that his [Jogues’] act meant to bring happiness to these hated victims.  They raged at his audacity and beat him down, threatening to slaughter him with the Hurons… That night the two Hurons [whom he had baptized] were burned over the fire.”

Here we see a case where St. Isaac Jogues clearly only had the time to explain to the converted heathen the most essential Catholic mysteries just before baptism.  Yet, these converts became true baptized Catholics [Christians] while knowing this and almost nothing else; and because they did not reject any teaching of the Church of which they were aware. In addition to illustrating that a Catholic is not required to have a positive knowledge of every dogma to be saved, this teaching should illustrate for us how absolutely necessary is knowing the Gospel (the Catholic Faith) and being baptized.  Below is another description of how St. Isaac Jogues and companions could only translate the most essential mysteries of the Faith into the Huron tongue for a certain group of heathen.

The Life of St. Isaac Jogues, p. 98: “From October to the end of January they counted more than two hundred and fifty baptisms that they had administered to those about to die… Now that the stress of the active apostolate had ceased, the Fathers turned to a more intensive study of the Huron tongue.  This was the single occupation from about February 20, just before Lent, till Easter.  Father de Brebeuf was the teacher.  Both he and Daniel had acquired considerable fluency, and together they had labored to compile a dictionary and to discover the rules of grammar and syntax that governed the language.  In conjunction with a Huron boy, Louys de Sainte Foy, who had been taken to France some years before, they had reduced to script the questions and answers essential for baptism, as well as some few necessary prayers.  They had also put into Huron a short narrative of the life of Our Lord.”

Since the translation into the Huron tongue was so difficult, the Fathers reduced to script and translated the essential truths of the Catholic Faith that the heathen had to know before Baptism.  Those truths obviously concerned the Trinity and the Incarnation, as they are the essential mysteries, as declared by the Church time and again.  We see the same thing in the life of St. Francis Xavier in translating the central mysteries of the Catholic Faith into the Malabar tongue.  If the heathen rejected any other truth of the Catholic Faith they would have been heretics, but this – along with being baptized – was all they had to positively know without excuse to be saved.

FURTHER DEMONSTRATING THE UTTER STUPIDITY OF THE POSITION OF R.I.

This enables one to further illustrate the absurdity of R.I.’s false abjuration.  Suppose for a moment that St. Isaac Jogues lived in our day.  Suppose that one of St. Isaac’s converts named Joseph met a non-sedevacantist “traditionalist” who claimed to be a Christian [Catholic] like himself.  Suppose that the non-sedevacantist “traditionalist” informed Joseph that John Paul II is the Pope and showed the new convert a picture of John Paul II.  Suppose, then, that Joseph died shortly thereafter.  Would Joseph be a heretic for believing that John Paul II was the Pope, because he was told this by the non-sedevacantist?  Of course not.  Since Joseph was not aware of John Paul II’s heresies and did not hold the position that John Paul II is the Pope in contradiction to any dogma that he was aware of (such as the dogma that heretics are not members of the Church) he would not be a heretic.  But R.I’s abjuration professes that such a man is lost, because it solemnly professes that all without exception who believe him to be the Pope are heretics!

R. I.’s Abjuration, #31: “… I acknowledge all those in these latter days of the Great Apostasy with the use of reason, who are associated with the Conciliar Church and Antipope John Paul II as non-Catholics who have been latae sententiae excommunicated, and are outside the Catholic Church with no exceptions or excuses for ignorance.”

I pointed this example out to a girl who had taken R.I.’s abjuration.  In first responding to my question whether such a person could be saved, she said no.  This is clearly absurd, but consistent with R.I.’s schismatical abjuration.  Then, changing her position, she wrote back to me and said that she was wrong.  She admitted that such a man could be saved because he was only guilty of a “blooper” and, as she said, he hadn’t taken part in any una cum ceremonies. I wrote back to her and pointed out that by saying that such a one could be saved (who believed that John Paul II is the Pope) she denied #31 of R.I.’s abjuration.  She wrote back and (showing bad will) stated that she had not denied #31 of his abjuration because #31 only applies to those who partake in una cum ceremonies with John Paul II. I wrote back and said that that is not true and that #31 applies to all who are associated with John Paul II (see above), not only those who partake in una cum ceremonies.  I further proved the point by pointing out that #32, not #31, deals with una cum ceremonies.  Thus, #31 deals with something different than una cum ceremonies (namely, any association with John Paul II).

R. I.’s Abjuration, #32. “I reject and condemn any sect or person that teach that “Catholics” can attend the Masses of manifest/notorious heretics, or Masses of those who are in communion with manifest/notorious heretics. Therefore, I reject, in these latter days of the Great Apostasy, all priests who pray in communion (una cum) with Antipope John Paul II in the Te Igitur prayer of the Canon of the Mass. I reject and condemn all the laymen who attend these churches and chapels, and acknowledge them as apostates and heretics who are outside the Catholic Church.”

So, if she were an honest person, she would have admitted that R.I.’s #31 is false and that she cannot believe in it.  But she didn’t acknowledge the error in the abjuration and continued defending the schismatic who has led her outside the Church.  And I could just as easily have proven that she denies #32 of his schismatical abjuration.  For suppose that Joseph went to Mass a few times with the non-sedevacantist friend he met, where they prayed for John Paul II as the Pope.   Could he be saved?  Obviously he could, since he was not aware of John Paul II’s heresies and did not hold the position that John Paul II is the Pope in contradiction to any dogma that he was aware of (such as the dogma that heretics are not members of the Church).  Thus, #32 of the abjuration is proven to be nonsense. Let’s take another example.  It is well known that Bishop Lefebvre was a heretic who believed that souls could be saved in false religions and, in fact, in any religion (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, etc.)  Yet, it is also true that as a missionary in Africa he converted numerous people.  So, were all the people he converted in Africa non-Catholic heretics because the man who converted them was actually a non-Catholic heretic?  They were associating with a non-Catholic heretic, praying with him and even receiving instruction and blessing from him?   So, were they all heretics because they were evangelized by a heretic, even if Lefebvre never brought the issue up with them?  No, of course not.  It would be utterly false to say that they were heretics because they were evangelized by a heretic such as Bishop Lefebvre.  They would only become heretics when they obstinately embraced his heresy after seeing the dogma Outside the Church There is No Salvation!  This and countless other examples that one could give demonstrate the utter stupidity of the abjuration of R.I.  Those who have actually signed it should be totally ashamed of themselves.  They should be ashamed of how they have been lured in by Satan into such an illogical schism.  They have been totally blinded by his emotional, illogical and non-factual arguments.  One lady who came out of it confessed that when following his heretical views it was like she was a zombie.  She was correct. In the following quote we again see the same truth about what are the central mysteries of the Faith summed up.

St. Francis Xavier, Dec. 31, 1543: “After all this he [one of the heathen] asked me in my turn to explain the principal mysteries of the Christian religion, promising to keep them a secret.  I replied, that I would not tell him a word about them unless he promised beforehand to publish them abroad [to tell everyone] what I should tell him of the religion of Jesus Christ.  He made the promise, and then I carefully explained to him those words of Jesus Christ in which our religion is summed up: ‘He who believes and is baptized shall be saved’ (Mark 16:16).” (The Life and Letters of St. Francis Xavier by Henry James Coleridge, Vol. 1, p. 162.)

SO, WHEN DO THE BAPTIZED CHILDREN BORN TO HERETICS OR SCHISMATICS BECOME HERETICS AND SCHISMATICS LIKE THEIR PARENTS?

[Please note again, all who die as heretics or schismatics are lost; this is de fide.  We are examining when certain persons actually become heretics and schismatics.] This question has been answered in part 1 and part 2 of this article. The answer is as soon as they obstinately reject a Catholic dogma or the authority of the Catholic Church.  At that point they become heretics who have severed themselves from the Catholic Church and who draw down on their heads damnation (if they die in that state), automatic excommunication and mortal sin for heresy or schism.

Pope St. Celestine I, Council of Ephesus, 431: "... all heretics corrupt the true expressions of the Holy Spirit with their own evil minds and they draw down on their own heads an inextinguishable flame."

But, as I said in my second e-mail to R.I., if they are baptized and they don’t obstinately reject any dogma of the Catholic Faith or the authority of the Catholic Church because they don’t know about any other Catholic dogmas (other than the Trinity and Incarnation) then they are not heretics but Catholics [Christians], unless they hold a position that is incompatible with Faith in the Trinity and the Incarnation or deny a truth that all know about God and the natural law or deny something that they know to be clearly taught in Scripture.  In each of these cases, however, they are still rejecting a dogma by rejecting a truth they know to be taught by God.

REGARDING THOSE FEW YOUNG PEOPLE WHO MAY BE CATHOLICS ABOVE REASON IN HERETICAL CHURCH BUILDINGS

It should be pointed out that those people who are above reason in notoriously heretical or schismatical church buildings, such as Protestant or Eastern Schismatic churches, must be presumed to be heretics in the external forum, even if a few of them aren’t because they have not yet obstinately rejected a dogma or the Church.  This is because malice is presumed in the external forum until the contrary is proven (canon 2200.2).  We cannot say infallibly that all of them are, in fact, heretics because it’s possible that a small number of the younger ones are not heretics, but Catholics, as I have shown.  But they must be presumed to be, and one could determine whether they are obstinate if one simply met them and asked them some questions about what they know about Catholic teaching and what they are willing to accept. Further, those few people who may be Catholics in such heretical or schismatical church buildings will almost certainly become heretics and schismatics if they remain surrounded by heretics and schismatics for a significant period of time.  The chance that they will not obstinately embrace the heresy surrounding them if they spend many years around it is extremely small. Further, just because a very small number of the people above reason at such heretical and schismatical church buildings are not necessarily heretics (because they don’t reject any dogma of the Catholic Faith they are aware of) doesn’t mean that they are free from mortal sin.  On the contrary, it is probable that almost all of such persons are in mortal sin. Those who are not taught more about the Catholic Faith will not be able, barring an extraordinary grace, to avoid the occasions of sin.  If they aren’t taught about the necessity of Confession, avoiding mortal sin and the occasions of sin; if they are not taught about the necessity of devotion to Our Lady and the Rosary; if they are not taught about the necessity of a prayer life, etc., they will most certainly fall into mortal sin in a short period of time. Regarding the people who are in churches which profess to be Catholic but are actually heretical since various heresies are held by the priests (such as the churches of the SSPX), the presumption would not be the same as at the notoriously heretical Protestant and Eastern Schismatic churches.  This is because these churches (the SSPX’s churches, etc.) profess to be Catholic in the external forum, even though the priests violate the Faith.  Thus, one couldn’t presume that all those who go there are heretics; you must have evidence against the individual to presume him a heretic, which is the case with many of those who go there.  If one doesn’t know what a person at such a church believes (the SSPX’s churches, etc.), one would have to get to know him and talk to him about what he believes and is willing to accept to form a judgment about whether he is a heretic.

St. Robert Bellarmine, De Romano Pontifice, II, 30: “… for men are not bound, or able to read hearts; BUT WHEN THEY SEE THAT SOMEONE IS A HERETIC BY HIS EXTERNAL WORKS, THEY JUDGE HIM TO BE A HERETIC PURE AND SIMPLE, AND CONDEMN HIM AS A HERETIC.” St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Pt. II-II, Q. 5., A. 3: “Now it is manifest that he who adheres to the teaching of the Church, as to an infallible rule, assents to whatever the Church teaches; otherwise, if, of the things taught by the Church, he holds what he chooses to hold, and rejects what he chooses to reject, he no longer adheres to the teaching of the Church as to an infallible rule, but to his own will.  Hence it is evident that a heretic who obstinately disbelieves one article of faith, is not prepared to follow the teaching of the Church in all things; but if he is not obstinate, he is no longer in heresy but only in error.” St. Augustine, Against the Manichees: “In Christ’s Church, those are heretics, who hold mischievous and erroneous opinions, and when rebuked that they may think soundly and rightly, offer a stubborn resistance, and, refusing to mend their pernicious and deadly doctrines, persist in defending them.” (quoted by Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Pt. II-II, Q. 11. A. 2.) St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Pt. II-II, Q. 39, A. 2: “Accordingly schismatics properly so called are those who, willfully and intentionally separate themselves from the unity of the Church… Wherefore schismatics are those who refuse to submit to the Sovereign Pontiff, and to hold communion with those members of the Church who acknowledge his supremacy.” Canon 1325, 1917 Code of Canon Law: “After the reception of baptism, if anyone, retaining the name Christian, pertinaciously denies or doubts something to be believed from the truth of divine and Catholic faith, [such a one] is a heretic…if finally he refuses to be under the Supreme Pontiff or refuses communion with the members of the Church subject to him, he is a schismatic.” Pope Pius IX, Quartus Supra (#12), Jan. 6, 1873, Definition of a Schismatic: “For the Catholic Church has always regarded as schismatic those who obstinately oppose the lawful prelates of the Church and in particular, the chief shepherd of all.” Pope Martin V, Council of Constance, Sess. 13, June 15, 1415, Decree on Communion under One Species: “Therefore, to say that to observe this custom or law [of Communion under One Species] is a sacrilege or illicit must be considered erroneous, and those pertanaciously asserting the opposite of the above mentioned must be avoided as heretics and should be severely punished, either by the local diocesan officials or by the inquisitors of heretical depravity.” (Denz. 626)

FINALLY, THIS TRUTH SHOWS US SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT ABOUT THE VISIBILITY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE TIMES OF THE GREAT APOSTASY  In this article I have shown from the dogmatic teaching of the Catholic Church that certain Catholics are present in heretical church buildings.  If certain Catholics belong to the visible Catholic Church while being present in non-Catholic buildings then THE VISIBILITY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS NOT DEFINED BY CATHOLIC BUILDINGS.  If it were, then the baptized infant could not be part of the visible church while attending a building that is heretical. Thus, if the visibility of the Catholic Church is not defined by Catholic buildings, as is certain, then the Catholic Church can still be visible in the time of the great apostasy today, even though there are almost no Catholic church buildings where the fullness of the Faith is preserved.  The Catholic Church is and will always be visible in its members, wherever they are.  The Church is visible in all who are baptized and profess the true Faith and don’t hold to or compromise with any heresy. Hopefully this article has demonstrated when the baptized children of heretics become non-Catholic heretics based on Catholic teaching, relating to the defined dogma that all who die as non-Catholics are lost without exception.