100 Years Old & Still Relevant

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the issuing of the encyclical PASCENDI DOMINICI GREGIS (On the Doctrines of the Modernists) by Pope St. Pius X. & it is just as relevent today (unfortunately) as it was when it came out.

Why do I say that? When you read it you will notice that the very errors he warned about are still being promoted by people within the Catholic Church today. Before I share a bit from the encyclical itself, I'd like to give a little background for the encyclical as well as what 1st led me to read it in the 1980s.

Pope St Pius X was born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto. On 4 Aug 1903 he was elected Pope. Seeing the false doctrines being promoted by those within the Church in the name of modernizing the Church, he issued Lamentabili sane exitu on 3 July 1907. This document, also known as the Syllabus Condeming the Errors of the Modernists, listed 65 tenents proposed by the Modernists that were in error. The encyclical was issued on this date to expound on why Modernism was wrong.

Fast forward to the days after Vatican II. In 1967 the Vatican issued a document warning about things being done in the name of the "Spirit of Vatican II" that actually were a betrayal of what Vatican II was really about. What the document was talking about was good old "Modernism" disguising itself as this false spirit.

Fast forward again to the 80s & the explosion of 1 of the fruits of "Modernism", The New Age Movement. Constance Elizabeth Cumbey was on a program (I think Mother Angelica Live) talking about her book on the New Age Movement, The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow. During the interview she recomended that everyone read a book issued in 1907 called A Catechism of Modernism. She said that this book was based on Pope Pius' encyclical Pascendi & that it exposed what was wrong with the New Age movement. That is when I 1st got the encyclical & read it.

Now, 100 years later, Papa Benedetto, following in the footsteps of Pope John Paul the Great, continues to speak out against the errors of modernism, just as he did when he was head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith. He is working to show the difference between what the real Spirit of Vatican II is. As Fr. John Trigilio Jr. PhD ThD puts it, "The Spirit of Vatican II is found in the letter of Vatican II". In other words, the true spirit of Vatican II was (& is) the Holy Spirit who, working through the Council Fathers, ensured that what He wanted was what was put into the Documents, no more, no less. It may be put in a new wrapper, but it is the same old "modernism" that Pope St. Pius rightly called the "synthesis of all heresies" (Par 39).

Now, let us look at a few sections of the encyclical & see if anything sounds familiar. (Bold print = emphasis mine)

Par 2: "That We make no delay in this matter is rendered necessary especially by the fact that the partisans of error are to be sought not only among the Church's open enemies; they lie hid, a thing to be deeply deplored and feared, in her very bosom and heart, and are the more mischievous, the less conspicuously they appear. We allude, Venerable Brethren, to many who belong to the Catholic laity, nay, and this is far more lamentable, to the ranks of the priesthood itself, who, feigning a love for the Church, lacking the firm protection of philosophy and theology, nay more, thoroughly imbued with the poisonous doctrines taught by the enemies of the Church, and lost to all sense of modesty, vaunt themselves as reformers of the Church; and, forming more boldly into line of attack, assail all that is most sacred in the work of Christ, not sparing even the person of the Divine Redeemer, whom, with sacrilegious daring, they reduce to a simple, mere man."

Let's start with the term "reformers", isn't that exactly how those who are trying to change the doctrines of the Church presenting themselves? Pope St. Pius listed this in Lamentabili as error #65: "Modern Catholicism can be reconciled with true science only if it is transformed into a non-dogmatic Christianity." Isn't this exactly what many are trying to do in the name of Vatican II? They are trying to throw out 2000 yrs of truth taught by the Catholic Church & replace it with errors rooted in gnosticism & the other heresies the Church has fought for 2000 yrs.

& between the Jesus Project & so many others who claim to be Bible Scholars, there has been a major effort to make over Jesus into a "mere man". They try & prove Jesus didn't say what the Gospels say He did. They deny the miracles having really happenned. In doing so they turn Jesus into a good teacher who taught by example, not the Son of God that He really was & is. Papa Benedetto attacked this so-called Biblical scholarship in the intro to his book Jesus of Nazareth.

I could stop here & know that I have made my point that the battle against "modernism" continues. Instead, lets look at part of another section where he talks about science v faith.

Par 6: "But how the Modernists make the transition from Agnosticism, which is a state of pure nescience, to scientific and historic Atheism, which is a doctrine of positive denial; and consequently, by what legitimate process of reasoning, starting from ignorance as to whether God has in fact intervened in the history of the human race or not, they proceed, in their explanation of this history, to ignore God altogether, as if He really had not intervened, let him answer who can. Yet it is a fixed and established principle among them that both science and history must be atheistic: and within their boundaries there is room for nothing but phenomena; God and all that is divine are utterly excluded. We shall soon see clearly what, according to this most absurd teaching, must be held touching the most sacred Person of Christ, what concerning the mysteries of His life and death, and of His Resurrection and Acension into heaven."

Do I even have to comment on the parts I put into bold print? Doesn't this sound exactly like what the ACLU & others are doing in denying the right to teach "intelligent design" by the claim that it is teaching religion & thus is against their false interpretation of the 1st Amendment?

Par 7: "However, this Agnosticism is only the negative part of the system of the Modernist: the positive side of it consists in what they call vital immanence. This is how they advance from one to the other. Religion, whether natural or supernatural, must, like every other fact, admit of some explanation. But when Natural theology has been destroyed, the road to revelation closed through the rejection of the arguments of credibility, and all external revelation absolutely denied, it is clear that this explanation will be sought in vain outside man himself. It must, therefore, be looked for in man; and since religion is a form of life, the explanation must certainly be found in the life of man. Hence the principle of religious immanence is formulated."

the 1st step is to deny anything supernatural. 2nd that any religion comes from inside man himself. This leads to this conclusion:

Par 8: "Hence, Venerable Brethren, springs that ridiculous proposition of the Modernists, that every religion, according to the different aspect under which it is viewed, must be considered as both natural and supernatural." In other words "relativism". This is exactly what Cardinal Ratzinger said in his homily at the Mass right before the Conclave that elected him Pope!

& thus if everything is relative. So it doesn't matter whether you are Catholic, Wiccan, into Yoga, Astrology, reincarnation, etc. So, why not raise yourself up to a self-made god as the New Age Movement tries to do?

I could go on & on. Instead, read both documents (Pascendi & Lamentabili). Read the documents of Vatican II, study the Catechism, the Papal encyclicals & learn the truth so that when "Modernism" rears its ugly head you will recognize it & be able to battle it with the truth.

"Meanwhile, Venerable Brethren, fully confident in your zeal and work, we beseech for you with our whole heart and soul the abundance of heavenly light, so that in the midst of this great perturbation of men's minds from the insidious invasions of error from every side, you may see clearly what you ought to do and may perform the task with all your strength and courage. May Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, be with you by His power; and may the Immaculate Virgin, the destroyer of all heresies, be with you by her prayers and aid. And We, as a pledge of Our affection and of divine assistance in adversity, grant most affectionately and with all Our heart to you, your clergy and people the Apostolic Benediction." Par 58

Amen, even so, Lord Jesus, may this be done as Pope St. Pius X has asked!