I have been asked to sign the Filial Correction, I signed the letter of the 45 academics and pastors last year, and almost immediately found Cardinal Nichols' tanks parked on my lawn to inform me of his displeasure, which was quite mild unlike other lay signatories, who were sacked from their jobs in Catholic institutions for their pains, Dr. Josef Seifertis being the most high profile. I admit it, I am afraid to sign and I know other priests who share my fear. Many of those who might have signed have in the last four years have a certain fear about their place in the Church.Rome and those surrounding the Pontiff have certainly become more vicious in defending him, never ever engaging in intellectual arguments, merely attacking like ravenous wolves or child bullies those who pose questions. The climate is bad throughout the Church, in Rome it is positively toxic. Under Francis the Vatican has become a place of fear and arbitrary oppression, there was a public glimpse of that in the sacking of Cdl Mueller by the Pope, and earlier in the dismissal of a couple of priests from the CDF and amongst laymen of Libero Milone, former Auditor General and many others. It is not just in theology that 2+2=5, or whatever number the Pope chooses that day, it extends to morality and ordinary human decency, ultimately it is a serious attack on the rationality of the Catholic faith and intellectual rigour.
The abusive attacks on any one who asks legitimate filial questions or even of people like Cardinal Burke and the other "Dubia Cardinas" or even Cdls Sarah or Mueller by the likes Austen Ivereigh, Rosica or Spadaro merely echo the statements of the notoriously immoderate Cardinal Madriaga the senior member of the Pope's Council of Nine or the shocking insults always aimed at faithful Catholics by the Pope himself. Let us not even go to the shenanigans and manipulation surrounding the Synod on the FamilyThe men who rule the Church are not even in the worldly sense good, as the former Prefect of the CDF has said "power has become more important than truth". It would be easy to dwell on the gay chem-sex parties hosted in the Vatican City itself and the advancement of those with a gay agenda, which produces apparently no reaction, not even a dismissal. In the matter of financial mismanagement and corruption, there appears to be window dressing masking inaction, John Allen seems to think this is the big issue above others. In fact, maybe because Francis centralises and 2+2 = whatever he decides, many of those in Rome suggest things have never been worse, a 'kingdom of brigands' as one former Nuncio described it.
Dioceses are not Rome but they do reflect Rome, Cardinals and bishops intimidate clergy and others who are faithful, if Francis has done anything it is to highlight a deep rift in the Church, marked by the quite extraordinary rise of an Ultramontane/Liberal faction against those who are faithful. Many bishops, who are often chosen for not for fidelity to Christ nor depth of learning nor moral fibre, not even their pastoral abilities but for their admin skills are quite happy to side with that faction which has power at the moment, moving Vicar of Bray-like from convinced Wojtyłaians to Ratzingeriansw to Bergoglianians..Therefore one of the chief reasons for my reticence in signing is my fear and cowardice.
Another reason is that I like any other Catholic have a deep reverence for the person of the Sovereign Pontiff, it is not Ultramontane and unquestioning but I have a problem in directly accusing him of heresy or of promoting it, or even of tolerating it. Some might say the evidence is overwhelming, I can't dispute that but there is a bit of me that hopes against hope, because frankly having a Pope who is heretical, promoting or tolerating heresy is so horrific for the Church I would prefer to put off admitting it. I feel more comfortable with that idea that the Pope is weak, ill, manipulated by his ministers. Certainly, the days of John Paul inadvertently misspeaking and ordering the destruction of whole editions of L'Osservatore are long gone with the coming of the internet.
I admire those who have signed, a friend who has signed said the question is WWSJFSTMD, What Would St John Fisher and St Thomas More Do?
At the moment I am like the majority of the priests I know, who remain silent and praying that the question is not put to them,
I know it is not worthy of Christ, conscience says one thing, fear and self-serving, what some might call prudence, says something else.
65 comments:
Dear Fr. Blake, I have never commented on your blog before, but I felt moved to by your post. I have just prayed for you & all priests who are in your position - certainly not a position I would like to be put in. Whatever decision you and your brother priests & deacons make in this matter, they will encounter no criticism from me. Nor will I allow any criticism offered by others to whom I speak to go unchallenged.
May your guardian angel guide you in your work. And for my part, thank-you for all you and your fellow clergy do. I will remember you all in my prayers at Mass this evening.
Andrew
Dear Father
What a very sad posting! I am truly sorry for the predicament you find yourself in. It is a scandal that faithful priests feel so intimidated for simply remaining true to the Faith. What an indictment of this papacy!
Thank you for sharing your concerns and for your honesty and courage in exposing the true situation.
With my prayers.
Father. I quite understand as I also fear the liberals in my own parish. I am not a priest so I don't have as much to lose however, I throw caution to the wind as Jesus says fear those who can destroy your soul. Bullies will continue to bully if they are allowed to. May God bless and keep you.
Father, you are very honest. God will give you the necessary courage to do His will if you ask Him for it. Does the opinion of superiors override His Will? My prayers are daily with all the Priests like yourself. May God bless and guide you and give you all the courage to do what you know Sts Thomas More and John Fisher would have done. Perhaps a Novena to these two Saints?
Father, the question IS put to you. The answer might be found in Fr. Bryan Houghton's epistolary novel, Mitre & Crook.
God bless you, Father Blake.
Prayers for you Fr. I pray every single day for all of our priests who are on the front lines of this war. But, I'm just wondering how many are actually faithful to Christ in His Church that would defend Him and those who have actually lost the faith and have no interest? It would be (maybe) beneficial to be able to even loosely organize our faithful clerics in order to stand up to this travesty we are living, the idea being there are more of us than there are of them. I mean, yes, individually the persecution would be intense, but how can they fight half of the Church or more that stand for Christ? The more signatories there are, the harder it will be for them to persecute large numbers. Maybe my theory is too simplistic, but hey, it will be worth it to stand on Christ's side in the end. Satan's signature card is fear. I am praying that the more signatories there are (and they are accumulating daily) the more it will bolster the courage of others. They can't sack all of you.
Careerist first, priest second....good to know. There's a reason they call Francis "the Great Clarifier"
We all stand alone before God for our final Judgment. Let that be your guide.
A superb piece, Father, one to shame the hierarchies. God Bless You. p.s. a Liverpool PP friend of mine could tell you a thing or two about the 'tank commander'!
When I was a little boy, I was taught an Evangelical mission hymn with the chorus:
Dare to be a Daniel
Dare to stand alone
Dare to have a purpose firm
And dare to make it known.
It has often come back to me, even when I have been weak and pusillanimous, as a reminder that the Lord expects a degree of gumption.
I cannot say, however, that I have not suffered as a result. Including a merciless dismissal from a job I did extremely well.
Dear Father,
God bless you for your honesty.
Remember the words of St. Paul, in First Corinthians:
Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God. Here now it is required among the dispensers, that a man be found faithful. But to me it is a very small thing to be judged by you [Your Eminences/Your Holiness], or by man's day; but neither do I judge my own self. For I am not conscious to myself of anything, yet am I not hereby justified; but he that judgeth me, is the Lord.
You're in my prayer today Father.
Your good work here is indeed courage enough.
In circumstances such as these, I often think also of a line from Kierkegaard: “If a man in truth wills the Good, then he must be willing to suffer all for the Good."
+get rid of the novel priestly vow and return to the pre vatican 2 vow to defend the churh. Priest friends have told me that they dread every year on Mandy Thursday placing their hands in their BOSS'S hands.
it is the pressure of knowing that if they disobey the boss and his minions will bring dreadful pressure on them to leave the priesthood
Remembering you in my prayers Father.
Alan
Father you have already given generous witness and there is no doubt of where you stand. Signing the Filial Correction is praiseworthy, but not a moral imperative, and you are not letting your side down by remaining prudent and opting to retain your ability to remain effective. We all know that taunting the authorities to "come and get me, copper" was not the practice of the Church in her first three hundred years, nor indeed during the Tudor terror.
Parrhesia ....
Thank you, Father; your candor about how fear factors into this is brave.
God bless you, Father, whatever you decide.
Of course, it must have taken a considerable amount of courage to write this particular post, and I don't doubt that you wavered before pressing the button which put it online. You have burnt your boats on this now: if you do sign, it's unlikely to cause any more problems than you may have already incurred (though I, like everyone else here, will be praying for you).
Thank you for your courage.
These are indeed disturbing times in our world. Satan is rampant as predicted by Our Blessed Lady.
But this crisis extends to all areas of life and the whole sham of debt/fake money is all on the point of collapse.
With sexual immorality taken as normal and viciously promoted to destroy vast numbers of souls some big chastisement seems inevitable. It's difficult to stay strong but as St. Therese said God +1= an army each person must put Jesus first🙏🙏🙏
God bless and keep you,The true will come out.
Dear Father,
What you have written of your past experience and your present fear, reflecting the reality of life in the RC Church, is surely much more damning of the hierarchs who willingly serve The Bishop of Rome as Pope Bergolio prefers to be called in his humility. His treatment of the FFI has been cruel, and continues to this day with no charge of their supposed crimes or misdeeds having been laid against them. His treatment of bishops is similarly despotic, and even Cardinal Burke who was blamed in the Boerselager scandal with "The Pope advised dialogue, not dismissal!" is not permitted an audience with this Pope of Mercy. There is no respect for Truth, or Reason or Law in the administration of the Church, and the overseers are beating their fellow servants while the Master delays His return. There is no evidence of Charity or Faith, only hypocritical talk of non-existent Mercy and carping on a Green/Marxist political agenda which will bring no salvation to anyone, and ruin many in eternity. The faithful whether clerics or laymen are having their patience tried by fire, and those who survive will shine like pure gold. God give you physical endurance, recovery of strength, and faith to persevere to the end. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus.
Dear Father - the fact is that every one of us, layman and priest alike is going to face this today or tomorrow. Christians in the wedding business, lawyers, Catholics working at large corporations, all of us. This is all of a piece. The secularists in and out of the church want their pinch of incense. We cannot avoid it.
What would Thomas More do, you ask? (You’re setting the bar pretty high, here. A hair shirt-wearing saint and martyr). Well, he wrote to the King congratulating him on his “marriage” to Anne Boleyn and was content to accept their issue as the legitimate heirs. He wasn’t gagging to be killed. His line in the sand was the Oath of Succession, which additionally involved the signatory’s approval of Henry’s repudiation of papal authority.
You’ve done your bit, sir. Everyone knows where you stand. You’re a whole lot braver than the rest of us, as this post demonstrates.
Dear Father,
A brave and honest post.
I agree with the sentiments expressed by 'Romulus'.
Praying for you and all priests.
God bless.
The path to Sainthood is a fearful and rocky one. Offering mortifications and prayers for your journey, Father.
Father, writing this piece with its reference to tanks on the lawn and their owner demonstrates great bravery as he will almost certainly become aware of it. Is there much more to lose now?
Time for Benedict to sign. Bergolio can't give him the finger.
Dear Father Blake, I admire your frankness. I confess, however, when I read the following remark in your discourse it gave me a jolt. You said:
"...Some might say the evidence is overwhelming, I can't dispute that but there is a bit of me that hopes against hope..."
I don't believe I've mentioned it before, but prior to my retirement I was an administrative law judge for 20 years. During that time I presided over dozens and dozens of child abuse cases and many times became indignant when what was manifestly abuse (sexual in particular) was not promptly reported to the authorities and immediately decried notwithstanding the existence evidence any reasonable person would have felt sufficient to raise the public alarm.
How many times persons with a duty to report and stand up for the child offered the excuse 'the evidence is overwhelming, I can't dispute that but there is a bit of me that hoped against hope it couldn't be true...it would have shattered me if it were'.
Vincent Nichols has no business parking his tanks on your lawn. You are not in the diocese of Westminster.
Dear Father, try not to be overly hard on yourself,despite the enormous grace bestowed on you as a consecrated servant of Our Lord, you are, like St Peter a man. Perhaps a meditation on Our Lord's correction of Peter when Peter unwittingly allowed his fears and worldly thought to counteract God's plan for Christ's suffering and death? I'd venture that our weakness as men causes almost all of us to sometimes focus on our careers,possessions or security at the expense of God's message. You are not alone Father,God bless you and may St John Vianney pray for you.
Isn't writing this equivalent to signing?
Father, the kind of obedience the people you fear require, extends into your innermost thoughts. You may send them a signal - I am scared to anger you - but they now know that you can not be trusted.
Do you really want to believe that 2+2=4? Haven[t you heard of situational math?
Please, do not worry what you will say or do, when they come for you. It is better to do what is right when it counts.
One of the things the signatories call out in this correction is the denial of grace which provides the strength and courage for us to carry our crosses. Consider this your cross and place your trust in that same divine grace. Rest assured of my prayers, Father.
I signed it. Come and get me, Francis, I dare ya!!!
Seriously though, this is why the laity must once again, save the Church. We're out of the reach of these thugs. The only thing they can do is try to unload some bogus excommunication on us but that won't faze us. We'll stop writing cheques. See how they like that.
The hell with these apostates.
I always enjoy Fr Blake's Blog. My advice is to not sign at this time. There will be plenty of time for that later. Right now, What Father has written here might well have more impact than the Filial Correction itself. It is for the retired Bishops and over age 80 cardinals to now sign, and in large numbers. That will force the active Bishops and under age 80 cardinals to act.
Dear Father Blake, I am sorry that you and so many other priests are in this situation
Especially with your health not so good, I can imagine how much frear you must feel.
Please know that I am praying daily for priests who are fearful and for you. I am also praying daily for the signatories.
Gof bless you and may Our Lady cover you with her mantle of protection. I will also recite the Memorare daily for your snd the signatories intentions.
Unlike Thomas More, who tried to keep silent, you indict yourself in your guilt by your admittance. What was the point? Now you will receive the penalty without the reward.
Father, there's nothing wrong with choosing your battles strategically.
No one has ever said a soldier had to recklessly expose himself to enemy gunfire only to be shot dead on the spot.
Ask God (and the Blessed Mother!) to clearly inspire you at that very juncture when He DOES expect you to act, and then don't resist the inspiration of Grace... His protection and Providence will follow you in all that results from your fidelity at that moment.
Moreover, you will experience a liberation, not regret, when acting under the inspiration of God's grace in this way when the right time comes to resist publicly...in God's timing.
It's only when we don't stand up for God's honor at the time HE chooses that we go down into a slavery which deadens the soul.
Even Saint Thomas More would have accepted a way out until it became evident there was none without losing his soul. Now he is adorned with the glory of martyrdom for all eternity.
Father, you know what you must do. Consider your post your own personal "Agony in the Garden" moment. But, now, you must take up your cross and walk...willingly and enthusiastically because of your love for Jesus, our Brother, who was born of Mary, lived amongst us and died as a criminal...TO GOLGOTHA!!!
Godspeed, brother. Remember, (Luke 12:4-9), "And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of those that kill the body and, after that, have no more that they can do. 5But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who, after being killed, has power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. 6Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? 7But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows. 8Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God; 9but he that denies me before men shall be denied before the angels of God!!!"
Also, (Ephesians 6:10-17), "10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." You are an "alter Christi," you can do it...or more accurately, you *AND* He can do it, together. Don't count the cost, Father. "QUO VADIS, RAY?"
Why sign? You might loose everything. If you truly believe this to be the Church then your fidelity to this pope and the hierarchy are required. Besides, the Filial Correction will likely go the way of the Ottavani Intervention at Vatican 2. If you don't want your livelihood and lifestyle threatened--keep silent.
I have decided that this whole
Church of Vatican 2 is no longer the Catholic Church. I doubt the validity of all the revised sacraments especially the new Mass and the new priestly ordination and bishop consecration rites.
So I left a very good paying job as a Novus Ordo music director and am suffering financially as a result. I now attend an independent traditional Catholic chapel with a priest ordained in the old rite by a bishop consecrat d in the old rite. I felt my salvation was at stake if I did not leave.
Seattle kim
I salute your courage in writing this article.We the lay faithful need clarity and this is what the post synodal letter does not provide.Clarity is not provided by silence or ignoring requests for an audience or dialogue.What did Jesus himself do...he spoke and taught and criticized the pharisees.You and I cannot remain silent....the Pope may mean no harm but his words,silence and tolerance of wolves in sheep clothing causes great harm to us all.Please be courageous as the Lord alone is the God we worship and he will judge each one for his actions and omissions.I have been greatly blessed by your article.Please do not be silent...
Dear Father, 29/7
Romulus has put it just right. I understand your precarious position as a diocesan priest, having myself come out from minor seminary (in 1951 when times were good) to join the Jesuits. I’ll be 85 in November, still have a job though not much of a future, and have tried through 2 websites to get my name with SJ attached onto the Correction---without success. The difference in our positions is ironic.
Martin McDermott, sj
Martin McDermott, sj said:
Dear Father,
Romulus has put it just right. I understand your precarious position as a diocesan priest, having myself come out from minor seminary (in 1951 when times were good) to join the Jesuits. I’ll be 85 in November, still have a job though not much of a future, and have tried through 2 websites to get my name with SJ attached onto the Correction---without success. The difference in our positions is ironic.
Martin McDermott, sj
Father Blake,
Your blog strengthens my faith and lets me know there are good an holy priests out there. Today's posting is as courageous as signing. I will be including you in my prayers.
We are the Church Militant and our priests are called to be our leaders, defending the one truth of Jesus Christ and His Church.
From a comment on Father Z's Blog on your article: "I am ashamed to see priests, the Fathers of the Church, hiding behind the women and children, the laity. - - chantgirl
I agree with her. Where are our leaders when it comes to defending the Catholic faith, without and especially within the Church. This is why so many lay blogs, Catholic news sites, etc. have been started to fill the void from so many lackluster leaders. Take some advice from Father Hunwicke on his latest blog on fear. May God grant you and all priests the fortitude to stand up for Jesus Christ and His Church, and not be afraid of the world.
On this Feast Day of the Archangels, may the glorious St Michael defend you, Father, in the battle. You are in my prayers.
Dearest Father,
My family and I will continue to pray for the situation in the Church and especially for all clergy and religious to be granted all the graces and virtues necessary to help bring the Church out of the ruin that the devil himself has tried to bring upon the Church. We all know that the Church will never fail, but we were also warned that two-thirds of the stars of heaven would fall and that only a remnant of Faithful will remain. I've been taught this from a little child, and I have prayed the naive way a child prays to be able to be a martyr and repay Jesus some of the blood that He shed for me and for many. My great-grandmother taught my mother, who taught me that in the end there will only be enough Faithful left in the world to fit under a wagon tarp. That's not very many. That's all it will take. The devil will never succeed, although to some accounts it may appear so. One priest being Faithful to his Vows and being Faithful to the true teaching of the Church is worth 1000s who apostatize. Won't you put your head on the chopping block with all the rest of us, Father? We are going to be called and the question won't be whether you heard the call but whether you remember that He told us they hated Him first and we should expect no better than He got. Thinking of history and time makes me realize that it will take the blood of many, many martyrs to cleanse the Church of all the evil, heresy, and smoke of satan that has snuck in through the cracks. WWSJFSTMD? We must line up so that our blood can cleanse the Church if/when the time comes. It is the least we can do. I speak as someone of no account. Until I can get my Sacraments in order I cannot even be counted in the number of the Faithful except maybe by Our Lady who is my mistress. I cannot receive Holy Communion at this point in time, but I would still lay my head down when asked even though my sins may overshadow even that small token that I have to offer My Lord. I love you Father. God bless you and help you. Our Lady please be with you and be your comfort. JMJ
First, let me thank you for everything that you do in the service of Christ and His Church.
Signing is not so much as important as talking about things and allowing space for discussion to be had.
We all love greatly being Catholic and being with Christ and growing in holiness together. Faith seeks understanding. There are those who will not allow us to seek understanding. You do.
Secondly, I understand the fear aspect of things. After all, I don't post under my real name. The key though is saving souls, yours included, and passing on the Faith. You don't need to sign for that, necessarily. What you are doing though is better than a signature. You are acting and discussing and praying and wrestling with this monstrosity.
I pray that you may have the actual grace to embrace the White Martyrship being offered. Leave the outcome to Him. And yes, I do not know that I would have the strength to accept such an actual grace. I pray and hope that I would.
Remember, Thomas More never signed.
Less known, he had made all preparations to flee England when the writing was on the wall that Henry VII (father of Henry Eight) wanted his head. Henry the VII died first.
Read too Butler's Lives of the Saints. To rashly stick one's neck out is the SUREST way to apostasize. He gives many examples of martyrs, where the ones who were rash and trusted in their own strength and courage apostasized. Almost every martyr waited until they were forced to the choice. By God's grace alone do martyrs give witness. All glory to Him Soli. God bless. This piece is much needed and I'm sure will encourage very many. I only needed to see TWO signatures myself. Fr. Hunwicke and the good bishop emeritus from Corpus Christi were the only I needed. It would also have been fitting if only one child of eight years had signed. It is not the numbers, nor the titles, but the truth that matters.
Not sign? As others have mentioned, I think you just did. "Secundum quid", as we used to say.
I was interested in John Allen's article and his emphasis on the financial scandal. Most of us laity do not claim to be expert in theology but we can be confused by such matters as Chapter VIII of Amoris Laetitiae. All we can do is ask questions as to what was meant by that document and await for answers which do not seem to be forthcoming. However when it comes to financial matters we laity have a much greater grasp of matters and are quite certain that two and two make four as a matter of definition. So the laity, and particularly lawyers and accountants, were utterly gobsmacked when a leading international firm of accountantss who had been engaged to audit the Vatican finances had their contract terminated half way through without any explanation. If any public company were to do this they would undoubtedly find their share price heading southwards with probable suspension of their listing on the stock exchange until an explanation were forthcoming. At that stage a huge question mark appeared over the probity of Vatican finances and nothing has happened to remove that question mark.
We then have an auditor general being appointed by the Pope. If he found obstruction to his work one would expect the Pope to back him to the hilt. According to this auditor's account he was accused of engaging private detectives to inquire into the lives of certain individuals. If he had suspected gross irregularities or even fraud this might well have been a proper step to take. How that can be described as a crime escapes me. Sandro Magister has published the auditor's account of his dismissal. Whether you believe the auditor's account or not we now have an absolutely scandalous situation reminiscent of financial shenanigans in some South American banana republic. It is a situation that demands explanation and I fear we will never get it. Whatever else can be said about this papacy the existence of this financial scandal cannot be denied. It is there in black and white and set in concrete.
God bless you father in my prayers don't be afraid st John Paul 2 don't be afraid
Mary Eccles
Dear Father Blake,
Thank you so much for this very candid view on the present state of things in Rome. Your observations confirm my own perceptions of what is going on. Personally, I think this does more than signing would have done, as it spotlights not only the very questionable orthodoxy of prevailing trends in the Holy See, but also the climate of fear and intimidation that has taken root there.
I only hope that your candour does not lead to professional retaliation against you.
God bless you!
Fr.Ray for me, your post was an example of heroic virtue. Moved me to tears. You might find some consolation in an Eric Bogle song ‘Singing the Spirit Home’ available live on a utube video.
I agree with all the many above who say that indeed you have signed the correctio. I have signed it but I am a nobody and I have nothing to lose. I do get emails from emeritus bishop of Corpus Christi +Rene Gracida D.D. He posts under the name Abyssus Abyssum Invocat (Deep Calls Unto Deep). Again, I suppose that he has nothing to lose since he is now 94 years old. I see also that Fr. Hunwicke has posted on Fear. All of this has made me increase my prayers for the Pope that he will accept this correctio and publicly say that he has erred.
Father, You have my deepest respect both for your obedience to your bishop in not signing the letter, and for taking your stand here in such a public way. You have undoubtedly helped many of your brothers who have been intimidated into remaining silent. I hope you will gain peace in having done so. You have my prayers.
I respect you and feel for your predicament. But this is exactly what was to be expected after the non-stop scandals---liturgical, doctrinal, and moral---ushered in by Vatican II. It is the abused virtue of obedience that has made the triumph of the Modernists and the persecution of the faithful possible. Nothing else. I fear the worst is yet to come: Bergoglio, being a savvy Marxist manipulator, is, even as we sleep or wring our hands in quasi-despair, stacking the College of Cardinals with his ilk. They will continue, perhaps speed up, the current destruction. Yes, the Gates of Hell will not prevail---but in that assurance Our Blessed Lord did not specify how many of the Faithful would be left at the end; in fact, he indicated that when the Son of Man returns (asked in a rhetorical question) He will hardly find any faith on Earth. I am certain you are better man than I could dream of being, but I cannot admire your fear of signing the document.
This situation is only the predictable result of the false obedience used by the Modernists to conquer positions of authority in the Church and to persecute the orthodox faithful. It is a pity you are, Father, so overcome with fear. Robert Carballo
Fr Ray, I have been re-reading Peter Hebblethwaite's excellent biography of Pope Paul VI, Blessed Battista Montini. In Chapter 16, "Apogee and Fall" (page 255) Hebblethwaite relates the disgraceful background to Don Battista's sacking as "sostituto" and exile to Milan. Invited by his friend the poet Fr David Maria Turoldo to write a preface to Don Lorenzo Milani's "Esperienze Pastorali" (Pastoral Experiences), Don Battista declines, "enigmatically" as Hebblethwaite put it, explaining: "We are going through difficult times, times in which prudence is not enough, but in which prudence must become cunning ("astuzia")."
St Thomas More did not 'sign' because to have signed would have been a rejection of the perennial teaching of the Church. As More stated at his trial, by not signing he indicated to everyone what his position was. It had the effect of publicly witnessing assent to the perennial teaching but did not give evidence that could make him legally guilty of treason.
To avoid signing the Filial Correction is the opposite of St Thomas More's case. If Fr. Blake believes that the Filial Correction represents the perennial teaching of the Church, and he does not sign in order to avoid unfavorable consequences, he may nonetheless, appear to consent to Amoris Letitia.
Remember the time honored concept quoted by St Thomas More at his trial, "Qui tacet consentit" Silence implies consent
Dear Fr. Martin, have you tried signing via the LifesiteNews.com
Website? You may be successful there.
LauralMaryCecilia,
You contradict yourself on More. He stood firmly on the ground that not signing, according to English law, it legally implied his consent, as you say: "Qui tacet consentit" (Who is silent consents).
The most important reason he gave for not speaking out until after he was judged was that he feared being rash. He feared presuming he could withstand the trial of martyrdom, the Fortitude to endure which is from supernatural grace alone. The history is clear (cf. Butler's Lives): those who rashly put themselves forward for martyrdom, in every case, apostatized. I hope that clarifies my statement above. Pax Christi tecum.
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