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Introduction It
is a dogma of the Catholic Faith, which all Catholics are obliged to believe
and to profess, or else lose their own salvation, that all who die as
non-Catholics are damned. Indeed, there has been three solemn definitions of
this article of the Faith. However, man is disobedient, and calls into
question God’s word, as did our first father, Adam. Today, I shall concern
myself to document from clear and authoritative sources, that the Eastern
so-called “Orthodox” are damned, too, unless they leave off their schism and
submit to Our Holy Father the Pope, and accept all Catholic teaching. Really,
they are no better than any non-Catholic, even the pagans, and indeed, they
are worse in several respects, due to their sacrilegious misuse of the
Church’s sacraments, and their abuse and insult of Our Holy Father the Pope,
and their rending of the Faith and the Church. But we are getting ahead of
ourselves. We shall present our documentation of the damnation of the Eastern
Schismatics under the following four headings: ii)
testimonies that no one can be saved outside of the obedience
toward Our Holy Father the Pope; It
should be noted that all of the above also apply to the Western Schismatics,
the so-called “Protestants”, and so the documentation provided will prove
conclusively that the Western Schismatics are all damned, too. But we shall
not discuss them directly much here, as we shall provide another essay
concentrating on them. Needless to say, there is a mass of documentation to
draw upon regarding the damnation of heretics and schismatics, and we shall
present but a part of it here. Direct Testimonies that
They are Damned First
we shall present some documentation directly testifying to the damnation of
the Eastern Schismatics. The Eastern Schism of the so-called “Orthodox”,
followed in large part upon the errors of the heretic and schismatic Photius.
His Holiness, Pope Hadrian II (A. D. 867-872) oversaw the Eighth
Ecumenical Council of the Holy Catholic Church to condemn the errors of this
wretch who denied Papal Primacy; he and his followers were condemned by the
Council, and in particular, they were warned that no one can withdraw from
adherence to Papal Primacy and Infallibility, or from any part of the Catholic
Faith and still be saved: “The first thing required for
salvation is to keep the norm of correct faith and to deviate in no
way from what the Fathers have established, because it is not possible to
lay aside the words of our Lord Jesus Christ who said, `You are Peter, and on
this rock I will build my Church.’ These words are proved true by their
effects because, in the Apostolic See, the Catholic religion has always been
preserved immaculate.” (Council Unfortunately
for them, the Eastern Schismatics did not heed this infallible warning, from
the Holy and Venerable Ecumenical Council under His Holiness, Pope Adrian,
warning of their damnation for their heresy from Catholic truth about the
Sacred Papacy, and for their schism from the Holy Roman Catholic Church; two
centuries later, they broke away from adherence to the Faith, in particular
regarding the Papacy, and left the Church through refusing submission to the
Roman Pontiff. They
were then informed by the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Saint Leo IX, (A. D.
1049-1054) and his legates, that they were set to burn forever in the fires
of Hell with all heretics and schismatics, for dissenting from Papal Primacy
and thereby expelling themselves from the Church; both their leaders, the
archheretics, impious Michael and Leo, and all their followers in their
schism would be damned unless they returned to the obedience of Rome and the
Unity of the Faith and Church: “If you live not in the body which is
Christ, you are none of His. Whose, then, are you? You have been cut
off and will wither, and like the branch pruned from the vine, you will
burn in the fire - an end which may God’s goodness keep far from you.” “So little does the Roman Church stand
alone, as you think, that in the whole world any nation that in its pride
dissents from her is in no way a church, but a council of heretics,
a conventicle of schismatics, and a synagogue of Satan.” “As far as the pillars of the empire are
concerned and its wise and honoured citizens, the city is most Christian and
orthodox. But we, not enduring the unheard-of offense and injury done to the
Holy Apostolic and First See, wishing to defend in every way the Catholic
Faith, by the authority of the Holy and Undivided Trinity and of the
Apostolic See, whose legates we are, declare that Michael, patriarch by
abuse; [...] Leo called
bishop of Achrida; [...] and all
their followers in the aforesaid errors and presumption shall be: anathema,
maranatha [...] with all
the heretics and with the devil and his angels, unless they repent. Amen.”
(Sancta Romana Prima) Hence,
we see that it has always been taught, from the beginning of their schism,
that the Eastern Schismatics are outside of the Church and are damned. The
Schismatics persevered in their schism and their heresy, with generation upon
generation of them damned to burn “with all the heretics and with the
devil and his angels”. Another
couple of centuries later, His Eminent Reverence, Pope Boniface VIII (A.
D. 1294-1303) issued the papal Bull, Unam Sanctam, which concerned
itself wholly to outline papal primacy over every human creature, in both the
spiritual and temporal realms. In the bull, he discussed the Eastern
Schismatics, whom he referred to as “The Greeks”, due to the influence had
among them by those of Grecian name, after showing that there is but One
Catholic Church, comprising only those subject to the Pope: “We are compelled, our faith urging us, to
believe and to hold; and we do firmly believe and simply confess; that there
is one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, outside of which there
is no salvation or remission of sins; her Spouse proclaiming it in the
canticles, “My dove, my undefiled is but one, she is the choice one of her
that bore her;” which represents one mystical body, of which body the head is
Christ, but of Christ, God. In this Church there is one Lord, one Faith,
and one Baptism. There was one ark of Noah, indeed, at the time of the
flood, symbolizing one Church; and this being finished in one cubit had,
namely, one Noah as helmsman and commander. And, with the exception of
this ark, all things existing upon the earth were, as we read,
destroyed. [...] “Therefore of this one and only Church
there is one body and one head; not two heads as if it were a monster:
Christ, namely, and the vicar of Christ, Saint Peter [who are one
head, Christ and His Vicar:] “Feed
my sheep.” My sheep, He said, using a general term, and not designating these
or those particular sheep; from which it is plain that He committed to him all
His sheep. “If, then, the Greeks or others say
that they were not committed to the care of Peter and his successors, they
necessarily confess that they are not of the sheep of Christ; for the Lord says, in John, that there
is one fold, one shepherd, and one only.” (Unam Sanctam) Hence,
the Eastern Schismatics are not the sheep of Christ, are outside of the
Church, and cannot be saved, unless they should abandon their schism and
submit to the Holy Father, the Pope. After
the expositional preamble, in which he had explicitly said that he was also
talking about the Eastern Schismatics, as well as all others, the Chief
Shepherd infallibly defined that only those subject to the Roman Pontiff can
be saved: ***
INFALLIBLE ***: Ex cathedra: “We
declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is wholly necessary for
the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman
Pontiff. The Lateran, November 14th, in our eighth year. As a perpetual
memorial of this matter.” (Unam Sanctam) So
we see that it has been infallibly defined that the Eastern Schismatics
cannot be saved, as, being not the sheep of Christ in their schism, they are
not “subject to the Roman Pontiff”, to whom “it is wholly
necessary for the salvation of every human creature to be
subject.” The
Eastern Schismatics are, without a doubt damned forever, as countless
generations of them have been already, unless they repent of their stubborn
and proud schism, accept the Catholic Faith regarding Papal Supremacy and Infallibility,
accept all infallible Catholic teaching, such as that of the Eighth and all
later dogmatic Ecumenical Councils (not the pastoral, non-dogmatic Vatican
II), and, above all, submit to His Holiness the Pope as to their Most Holy
Father and Supreme Ruler, appointed over them by God Himself to govern and
feed all of the flock. That
they must so submit for their salvation, is a solemnly defined dogma of the
Catholic Faith, as we have just seen, and all who profess the name of
Catholic are obliged to believe and to profess that dogma, or else lose their
own salvation. The
Greeks briefly returned to the flock at the Holy and Ecumenical Council of
Florence (A. D. 1438-1445) when their bishops accepted Papal Supremacy, the
Dual Procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and from the Son, and
other articles of Catholic Faith: as the Church required, and still requires
them to, as the absolute condition of being reunited to the Holy and Roman,
Catholic Church, outside of which there is no salvation. When they came to
the Council, they professed to the pope that they cannot be saved unless he
readmits them to the Church: “We have come to you our head. You are the
foundation of the Church. Every member that has left you is sick, and wild
beasts have devoured the flock that has separated itself from you.
[...] You who have the power of the
heavenly keys, open to us the gates of eternal life.” Due
to political and laical influence, however, the rule of the reconciled
bishops was usurped, and the Greeks refused to rejoin the flock, persevering
in their damned schism. However,
it is a cause of great rejoicing in Heaven and on Earth, that others of the
Eastern Schismatics admitted their fault, anathematised the heresy of their
schismatic fathers, and were readmitted to the Church. The
Church has continued to warn the Eastern Schismatics, and to appeal to them,
to return to Papal Obedience, without which they are outside of the Church
and of salvation: Pope
Pius XI,
A. D. 1922-1939: “Furthermore, in
this one So,
we have established that the Church has always taught, ever since the origin
of the Eastern Schism, that the Schismatics are damned unless they return to
the Obedience and Unity of the Holy Catholic Faith; and we have established,
above all, that that has been defined as an infallible dogma of the Holy
Catholic Faith, necessary to be believed by all Catholics for their
salvation. For the Schismatics are outside of the Church by their separation
from Papal Supremacy, but the Catholic Faithful are fortunate enough to be
joined to the flock; if however they should deny any infallible Catholic
teaching, once they know of it, they are damned unless they repent and seek confession. Testimonies that No One
Can be Saved Outside of Obedience toward Our Holy Father the Pope We
shall now consider that the Eastern Schismatics are necessarily and evidently
damned due to their not being subject to the Pope as Supreme Shepherd of the
Flock. Of course, we just saw that in the infallible definition of Pope
Boniface VIII in Unam Sanctam; for the sake of completeness, we
shall quote the final definition again, as it equally belongs in this section
and is of the utmost import: ***
INFALLIBLE ***: Ex cathedra: “We
declare, say, define, and pronounce that it is wholly necessary for
the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman
Pontiff. The Lateran, November 14th, in our eighth year. As a perpetual
memorial of this matter.” (Unam Sanctam, A. D. 1302) So,
really, the matter is already decided: it is conclusively demonstrated that
the Eastern Schismatics are damned unless they become Catholics by submitting
(as far as justice allows) to the Most Holy and Reverent Pope of Rome. But we
shall further show that that has always been the teaching of the Church. Saint Ambrose (A. D. 397), Doctor of Holy Church made it plain
that the Church is essentially those in communion with Rome, and that it is
specifically there, as opposed to anywhere else, that eternal life may be
obtained: “Peter is he to whom the Lord said: “You
are Peter, and on this rock I will build the Church.” Therefore where
Peter is, there is the Church; where the Church is, there is no
death but only eternal life. And therefore Christ added: “And the gates of
hell shall not prevail, and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven.”“ (On Psalm XL) As
the Eastern Schismatics are not where Peter is in his successor, but have
departed from obedient communion with the Pope, they are outside of the
Church and cannot have life. Saint Jerome, Doctor, (A. D. 420) professed to His Most
Holiness Pope Damasus, likewise, that only those in communion with the Holy
Bishop of Rome are the Church and can be saved; all else are damned: “As I follow no leader save Christ, so I
communicate with none but your blessedness, that is, with the Chair of Peter.
For this, I know, is the rock on which the Church is built. This is the house
where alone can the paschal lamb be rightly eaten. This is the ark of
Noah, and he who is not found in it shall perish when the flood
prevails.” (Letter to Pope Damasus) The
Eastern Schismatics are outside the ark of salvation, being separated from
obedient communion with Noah, in other words the Roman Pontiff, and will
perish unless they return from their schism. Pope Saint Leo the Great, Doctor, (A. D. 440-461) wrote that the
Pope has chief charge of the Church, and that only those in obedient
communion with him receive sanctifying grace; those who are separate from his
obedience can have no salvation: “But this mysterious function, the Lord
indeed wishes to be the concern of all the apostles, but in such a way that
he has placed the principle charge on the blessed Peter, chief of the
apostles: and from him as from the Head wishes His gifts to flow to
all the body: so that any one who dares to secede from Peter’s
solid rock may understand that he has no part or lot in the divine
mystery.” (Letter X) The
Eastern Schismatics have seceded from obedient communion with Pope Hormisdas, (A. D. 514-523) prescribed the following, as
part of a profession to be made by the whole Church, in which it is
specifically stated that the first condition of salvation is to accept the
Catholic Faith, including specifically and necessarily, the Faith about Papal
Primacy and Infallibility; the reader will notice that it is closely the
substance of the later infallible statement by Pope Hadrian II with Council
IV Constantinople already cited in the first section: “The first thing required for salvation
is to keep the norm of correct faith and to deviate in no way from what the
Fathers have established, because it is not possible to lay aside the
words of our Lord Jesus Christ who said, `You are Peter, and on this rock I
will build my Church.’ These words are proved true by their effects because,
in the Apostolic See, the Catholic religion has always been preserved
immaculate. Desiring in no way to be separated from this hope and faith
and following in all things what has been established by the Fathers, we anathematize
all heretics.” (Inter ea quae) Although
it is not possible to, the Eastern Schismatics have laid aside the words of
Christ regarding Papal Supremacy; they have rejected the Catholic religion as
preserved in Rome; and are separated from the only true Faith and hope,
failing at the very first thing that is necessary for their salvation:
obedient submission to Our Most Holy Father, the Pope. Saint Bede the Venerable O.S.B., Doctor, (A. D. 735)
made the following statement: “Blessed Peter in a special manner received
the keys of the kingdom of heaven and the headship of judiciary power,
that all believers throughout the world might understand that all
those who in any way separate themselves from the unity of this
faith and communion, - such can neither be absolved from the bonds of their
sins, nor enter the gate of the heavenly kingdom.” (Homily on the
Feastday of Saints Peter and Paul) As
they have rejected the Pope’s headship of judiciary power, and have separated
themselves from his faith and communion, they have all their sins and will be
damned with them; such is the unbearable lot of the proud schismatic. Blessed Rhabanus Maurus (A. D. 856) adopted the Venerable Bede’s
profession as his own: “Peter received in a special manner the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and
a supremacy of judicial power, that all the faithful throughout the
world might understand that all who in any manner separate themselves
from the unity of the faith, or from communion with him, should
neither be able to be loosed from the bonds of sin, nor to enter the gate of
the heavenly kingdom.” (cf. Catena
Aurea by Saint Thomas Aquinas, Mt. 18:18) The
Roman Pontificate is the unity of the Faith, but the Eastern Schismatics have
separated from communion with him; unless they repent, they will die in their
sins. Pope Clement VI, A. D. 1342-1352 asked if the Armenians accept
that all those not subject to the Bishop of Rome are damned unless they leave
their schism and submit, and that all those who have died in schism from Rome
are damned; we could well ask the present rebellious generation the following
question in the same words: “We ask if you believe and the Armenians
obedient to you, that no man of those travelling outside the faith
of the same Church and obedience to the Pontiff of the Romans can
finally be saved; [...and] if
you have believed and believe that all those who have set themselves
up against the Faith of the Roman Church and have died in final
impenitence have been damned and have descended to the perpetual torments of
hell.” (Super Qibusdam) As
prescribed by Our Holy Father, Pope Clement, I profess that all of the
Eastern Schismatics who have persevered in their proud and rebellious schism
have descended into the everlasting torments of Hell; and that none of the
Eastern Schismatics alive today, can finally be saved, unless they obediently
submit to the Pope, and accept the faith as infallibly taught by his
predecessors at all the previous infallible, dogmatic Ecumenical councils
(that is, not including the pastoral, non-dogmatic and non-infallible Council
Vatican II.) I urge readers to make the same profession of Faith, unless they
wish to have the same eternal lot, for setting themselves up against the
infallibly taught Faith of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Pope Leo XIII (A. D. 1878-1903) warned that outside of Papal
communion, there is no salvation, as follows; it is difficult to imagine more
urgent words from the divinely appointed Head of the Christian Church: “This is Our last lesson to you: receive
it, engrave it in your minds, all of you: by God’s commandment
salvation is to be found nowhere but in the Church; the strong and effective
instrument of salvation is none other than the Roman Pontificate.”
(Allocution for the 25th Anniversary of His Election, February 20, 1903) If
the Eastern Schismatics will not break with the proud errors of their
fathers, and embrace the Roman Pontificate, there will be no other assistance
possible for their eternal souls. The Lord only offers one gate through which
to approach Him, and one way to enter through; those who persevere in absence
from the flock can have only have one final and eternal destiny. Pope John XXIII, (A. D. 1958-1963) also professed that no one
can be saved outside of obedient union with “The Saviour Himself is the door of the
sheepfold: “I am the door of the sheep.” Into this fold of Jesus Christ, no
man may enter unless he be led by the Sovereign Pontiff; and only
if they be united to him can men be saved, for the Roman Pontiff is the Vicar
of Christ and His personal representative on earth.” (Homily to the
Bishops assisting at his Coronation on November 4, 1958.) Accept
the divinely appointed Sovereignty of the pope, O ye Schismatics; kiss the
Shepherd’s hand and confess yourselves sheep; for only if united to him can
men be saved; he is Christ’s Vicar, the Personal Representative of the Most
High God. It is useless and insane for you to continue in your schism;
countless generation have already been lost; think of the future generations,
and leave off your schism. Repent. Hence
we see that the Church has ever maintained that, “it is wholly necessary
for the salvation of every human creature to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.”
(Unam Sanctam) But as already noted, no such demonstration was
necessary, as it has already been shown that Pope Boniface infallibly defined
the matter, once and for all, in his bull Unam Sanctam. So, we see
that, as the Eastern Schismatics are not obediently subject to Our Most Holy
Father, as all must be in order to be saved, they cannot be saved unless they
leave off their schism. Testimonies that all
Schismatics, such as the Eastern Schismatics, are Damned So,
we have already established conclusively that the Eastern schismatics are
damned unless they return to the Faith and Obedience of the Holy Roman
Catholic Church; and we have seen that the Church has always maintained that
submission to the Holy Pope is wholly necessary to salvation. We shall now
concern ourselves with that the Eastern schismatics are schismatics, and
that, as schismatics from the One True, Holy Catholic Church, they must needs
be damned, unless they return to the fold. Firstly, we shall establish that
the Eastern Schismatics are schismatics; and we shall do that by direct
testimonies, and by the general, true principle that those who are baptised
but are not subject to the Roman Pontiff are schismatics; and firstly, we
shall draw upon some of the material that we have already presented in the first
two sections. And then we shall see that all schismatics, and therefore the
Eastern Schismatics, too, are damned. We
have already seen that the Church, under Pope Leo IX, informed them
that they are “schismatics”, at the very time of their schism: “If you live not in the body which is
Christ, you are none of His. Whose, then, are you? You have been cut
off and will wither, and like the branch pruned from the vine, you
will burn in the fire - an end which may God’s goodness keep far from
you.” “So little does the Roman Church stand
alone, as you think, that in the whole world any nation that in its pride
dissents from her is in no way a church, but a council of heretics,
a conventicle of schismatics, and a synagogue of Satan.” Schism,
is to separate, to be separate; the Eastern Schismatics are “cut off”
from the Church, are not of Christ’s, and will be damned. They have dissented
from the Roman Church, in refusing faithful obedience to the Pope and denying
his Sovereignty, and consequently are “heretics [and] schismatics.” We
have already seen Pope Boniface VIII make the same point, too, though
somewhat poetically, in Unam Sanctam; he explained that only those
subject to the Pontiff are the Church, the One Flock: and so the Eastern
Schismatics are not the Flock, but are necessarily and evidently separated,
being in schism: ““Feed my sheep.” My sheep, He said, using
a general term, and not designating these or those particular sheep; from
which it is plain that He committed to him all His sheep. “If, then, the Greeks or others say
that they were not committed to the care of Peter and his successors, they
necessarily confess that they are not of the sheep of Christ; for the Lord
says, in John, that there is one fold, one shepherd, and one only.”
(Unam Sanctam) And
we have seen Pope Pius XI state that no one is in the Church unless he
recognizes and obeys Papal Supremacy; he said specifically that the Eastern
Schismatics “left” the Church, to which they need to “return”
and to “enter”; indeed, he very clearly taught that the Eastern
schismatics are outside of the Church: “Furthermore, in this one Indeed,
as we have already seem, the Eastern Schismatics themselves professed that
they were “separated” from the Papacy, and so, in schism from her,
when they came to the Council of Florence: “We have come to you our head. You are the
foundation of the Church. Every member that has left you is sick, and
wild beasts have devoured the flock that has separated itself from
you. [...] You who have the
power of the heavenly keys, open to us the gates of eternal life.” The
reader may wish to further look back over the material presented in the first
two sections, to locate for himself further relevant statements; we shall now
present some further documentation. Saint Cyprian (A. D. 258) made it quite plain that only those
who are subject to the Pope are in the Church, and that he who leaves his
communion, leaves the Church, and is therefore in schism: “But if any one considers these things
carefully, he will need no long discourse or arguments. The proof is simple
and convincing, being summed up in a matter of fact. The Lord says to Peter,
“I say to thee, that thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of hell shall not overcome it. It will give to thee the keys to
the kingdom of heaven. And what thou shalt bind upon earth shall be bound
also in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed also
in heaven.” And He says to him again after the resurrection, “Feed my sheep.”
It is on him that he builds the Church, and to him that he entrusts the sheep
to feed. [...] If a man does
not hold fast to this oneness of Peter, does he imagine that he still holds
the faith? If he deserts the Chair of Peter upon whom the Church was
built, has he still confidence that he is in the Church?” (On
the Unity of the Catholic Church) The
Eastern Schismatics have deserted the Shepherd, and are strayed far from the
salvific pasture. The
words of St. Maximus the Confessor (A. D. 650) confound the
Schismatics in their claim to orthodoxy; he tells them that in refusing
obedience to the Pope, they protest in vain, and are “heretics”;
further, as thoroughly disobedient, they are not “in communion”; they
are schismatics: “Therefore if a man does not want to be, or
to be called, a heretic, let him not strive to please this or that man
[...] but let him hasten before all
things to be in communion with the Roman See. If he be in
communion with it, he should be acknowledged by all and everywhere as
faithful and orthodox. He speaks in vain who tries to persuade me of
the orthodoxy of those who, like himself, refuse obedience to his Holiness
the Pope of the most holy Church of Rome: that is to the Apostolic See.”
(Quoted by Pope Leo XIII in Satis Cognitum) Saint Anthony Mary Claret (A. D. 1870) explained the matter quite
clearly; only those subject to the Pope are in the Church: “But by those words of the Creed, we affirm
belief in the Church as the society or congregation of the faithful,
united by the profession of one and the same Faith, united also by
participation in the same Sacraments, and by submission to the
legitimate prelates, principally to the Roman Pontiff. [...] In all times, in all countries, and in all
groups of people where She is found, She has held, and will continue to hold,
one and the same Faith, one and the same doctrine or morality, and one
and the same form of government under the Roman Pontiff.” (The
Catechism Explained) In
rejecting submission to the Pope, the Eastern Schismatics have separated from
the Church, are in schism, and are outside of the Church of the Faithful. Pope Pius XII, A. D. 1939-1958, taught the same thing: “And therefore if a man refuses 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. [...] “They, therefore, walk in the path of
dangerous errors who believe that they can accept Christ as the head of the
Church, while not adhering loyally to His Vicar on earth. They have
taken away the visible head, broken the visible bonds of unity and left the
Mystical Body of the Redeemer so obscured and so maimed, that those who are
seeking the haven of eternal salvation can neither see it nor find it.” In
not adhering loyally to the Pope, the Eastern Schismatics are divided from
the flock, they are separated, in schism and are outside of the haven of
salvation. And
as they are schismatics outside of the Church, they most certainly cannot be
saved, on that count, too. Indeed, we have an infallible definition that all
of those who are outside of the Church, including specifically those who are
in schism from the Roman Pontiff, cannot be saved. It was made by His Most
Holiness, Pope Eugene IV (A. D. 1431-1447) at the very Council of
Florence, at which some of the Eastern Schismatics were reunited to the Church
as Faithful Catholics: ***INFALLIBLE***:
Ex cathedra: “It [the Holy,
Catholic, and Apostolic Church] firmly believes, professes, and proclaims
that none of those outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans,
but also Jews, and heretics and schismatics, can become
participants in eternal life, but will depart “into everlasting fire which
was prepared for the devil and his angels” [Matt. 25:41], unless before the end of life they have
been added to the Church.” (Cantate Domino) So,
as the Eastern Schismatics are schismatics, as well as heretics, it is,
again, absolutely certain that they are damned unless they become faithful
obedient Catholics. They are outside of the Church, outside of which no one
is saved, not any non-Catholic. All Catholics are obliged to believe and to
profess this infallibly defined Truth of the Holy Catholic Faith, or else
lose their own salvation. The
Church has always taught that schismatics are damned; though we shall not
overly labour the point, which is already firmly established, and which one
could quote a mass of documentation to support: Saint
Ignatius of Antioch,
a disciple of Saint Peter and Saint
Irenaeus
(A. D. 202): “Since therefore we
have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it
is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man
[depositing his money in a bank,] lodged
in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth: so that every
man, whosoever will, can draw from her the water of life. For she is the
entrance to life; all others are thiefs and robbers. On this
account we are bound to avoid them, but to make choice of the things
pertaining to the Church with the utmost diligence, and to lay hold of the
tradition of the truth.” (Against the Heresies) Saint
Ambrose,
Doctor, (A. D. 397): “And He
[Christ] affirms that they act with
devilish spirit who divide the “The Lord severed the Jewish people from
his kingdom, and heretics and schismatics are also severed from the Saint
Fulgentius
(A. D. 533): “Most firmly hold and
never doubt that not only all pagans, but also all Jews, all
heretics, and all schismatics who finish this life outside of the
Catholic Church, will go into the eternal fire which was prepared for the
devil and his angels.” (To Peter on the Faith) Pope
Pelagius II,
A.D. 578-590: “Consider the fact
that whoever has not been in the peace and unity of the Church
cannot have the Lord. [...] Although
given over to flames and fires, they burn, or, thrown to wild beasts, they lay
down their lives, there will not be that crown of faith but the
punishment of faithlessness. [...] Such a one can be slain, he cannot be crowned. [... If] slain outside the Church, he cannot attain
the rewards of the Church.” (Dilectionis Vestrae) Pope
Saint Gregory the Great, Doctor, A. D. 590-604: “Consider that therefore whoever is not in the peace and
unity of the Church cannot have God.” (Epistle to Schismatic
Bishops) Saint
Peter Canisius S.J.,
Doctor, (A. D. 1597): “Outside of
this communion, as outside of the ark of Noah, there is absolutely no
salvation for mortals: not for Jews or pagans who never
received the faith of the Church, nor for heretics who, having
received it, corrupted it; not for schismatics who left the peace
and unity of the Church.” (Catechismi Latini et Germanici) Saint
Alphonsus Maria Liguori CSSR., Doctor, (A. D. 1797): “We must believe that the Roman Catholic Church is the only true
Church; hence, they who are out of our Church, or they who are separated
from it, cannot be saved.” (Instructions on the
Commandments and Sacraments) “How thankful we ought to be to Jesus Christ
for the gift of faith! What would have become of us if we had been born in Pope
Leo XII,
A. D. 1823-1829: “It is impossible
for the most true God, who is Truth Itself, the best, the wisest Provider,
and rewarder of good men, to approve all sects who profess false teachings
which are often inconsistent with one another and contradictory, and to
confer eternal rewards on their members. For we have a surer word of the prophet,
and in writing to you We speak wisdom among the perfect; not the wisdom of
this world but the wisdom of God in a mystery. By it we are taught, and by
divine faith we hold, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and that no other
name under heaven is given to men except the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
by which we must be saved. This is why we profess that there is no
salvation outside the Church.” (Ubi Primum) Pope
Gregory XVI,
A. D. 1831-1846: “For in fact, you
know as well as We do, Venerable Brothers, with what constancy our Fathers
endeavoured to inculcate this article of faith which these innovators dare to
deny, namely, the necessity of Catholic faith and unity to obtain
salvation. This is what was taught by one of the most famous of the disciples
of the Apostles, Saint Ignatius Martyr, in his Epistle to the Philadelphians:
“Do not deceive yourselves,” he wrote to them, “he who adheres to the author
of a schism will not possess the Pope
Pius IX,
A. D. 1846-1878: “The true Church is
one, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman; unique: the Chair founded on Peter
by the Lord’s words; outside her fold is to be found neither the true faith
nor eternal salvation, for it is impossible to have God for Father if
one has not the Church for Mother, and it is in vain that one flatters
oneself on belonging to the Church, if one is separated from the Chair of
Peter on which the Church is founded. There could be no greater crime, no
more detestable injury than opposition to Christ, than the rending of
the Church purchased and engendered in His divine Blood, than the furious
attacks of pernicious discord against the peaceful and single-minded people
of God, to the detriment of evangelical charity.” Pope
Pius XII,
A. D. 1939-1958: “O Mary Mother of
Mercy and Refuge of Sinners! We beseech thee to look with pitying eyes on
poor heretics and schismatics. Do thou, who art the Seat of Wisdom,
enlighten the minds wretchedly enfolded in the darkness of ignorance and sin,
that they may clearly recognize the Holy, Catholic, Roman Church to be the only
true Church of Jesus Christ, outside of which neither sanctity nor salvation
can be found.” (The Raccolta, Benzinger Brothers, Hence
we see that, like all schismatics, and like all those outside of the Church,
the Eastern Schismatics are damned unless they submit to Our Holy
Father the Pope. That the Sacraments, and
the Priesthood, are of Absolutely No Good to the Eastern Schismatics It
should now be obvious to all who wish to be known as, and to be, Catholics,
that the Church has infallibly taught the Eastern Schismatics cannot be
saved, as they are not subject to the Roman Pontiff, to whom it is wholly
necessary for salvation to be subject, and as they are schismatics and
heretics. Thus, it should also be evident that those who persist in claiming
that the Eastern Schismatics can be saved because they have the sacraments
due to having maintained the Apostolic Succession of the Priesthood, are
heretical whiners, who are not Faithful Catholics, but who are rebellious and
proud deniers of the Holy Faith, anathema and outside of salvation.
Nevertheless, let us document also, that the sacraments will not profit the
Eastern Schismatics, unless they return to Catholic unity and submit to Our
Holy Father the Pope. The
Lord Bishop of Rome Pope Eugene IV infallibly defined that the “sacraments”
are of no profit unto salvation, for anyone who is outside of the Church,
such as the Eastern Schismatics; we shall give the definition in full, which
we have only quoted in part above: ***INFALLIBLE***:
Ex cathedra: “It [the Holy,
Catholic, and Apostolic Church] firmly
believes, professes, and proclaims that none of those outside
the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews, and heretics and schismatics,
can become participants in eternal life, but will depart “into everlasting
fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels” [Matt. 25:41], unless before the end of life they have
been added to the Church; and that the unity of the ecclesiastical body is so
strong that only to those remaining in it are the sacraments of
the Church of benefit for salvation, and do fastings, almsgiving, and other
functions of piety and exercises of Christian service produce eternal reward,
and that no one, whatever almsgiving he has practised, even
if he has shed [his] blood
for the name of Christ,
can be saved, unless he has remained in the bosom and unity of
the Catholic Church.” (Cantate Domino; Council of So,
only to those within the Church are the sacraments “of benefit for salvation”.
So the matter has been conclusively demonstrated: the Eastern Schismatics
cannot benefit from the sacraments unto salvation unless they first return to
the unity of the Church, outside of which there is no salvation for anyone.
That has been infallibly defined as part of the Catholic Faith, and all are
obliged to believe and to profess it, or lose their own salvation as an
unfaithful heretic. The
Church has always believed and professed that the sacraments cannot profit a
man outside the Church; we shall only quote a few of the documents that could
be quoted to demonstrate that fact:
“The comparison of the Church with “This indeed is true, that “baptism is not
unto salvation except within the Catholic Church.” For in itself it can
indeed exist outside the Catholic Church as well; but there it is not unto
salvation, because there it does not work salvation; just as that sweet
savour of Christ is not unto salvation in them that perish, though from a
fault not in itself but in them.” (On Baptism against the Donatists) ““Can the power of baptism,” says Cyprian,
“be greater than confession? than martyrdom? that a man should confess
Christ before men, and be baptized in his own blood? And yet”, he goes on to
say, “neither does this baptism profit the heretic, even though for
confessing Christ he be put to death outside the Church.” This is most
true. [...] “Salvation,”
he says, “is not outside the Church.” Who says that it is? And
therefore whatever men have that belongs to the Church outside the
Church, it profits them nothing toward salvation outside the Church.”
(On Baptism against the Donatists.) Pope
Saint Leo the Great,
Doctor, A. D. 440-461: “For they who
have received baptism from heretics are to be confirmed by the
imposition of hands with only the invocation of the Holy Ghost, because they
have received the bare form of baptism without the power of sanctification.”
(Letter CLIX) Saint
Fulgentius
(A. D. 553): “Anyone who has received the Sacrament of
Baptism but remained away from the Catholic Church is never
prepared to obtain eternal life. Such a person, even if he is very generous
with almsgiving and even pours out his blood for the name of Christ,
because of the fact that in this life he has not held tightly to the unity of
the Catholic Church, he will not have eternal salvation. [...] Hold most firmly and never doubt that any
heretic or schismatic whatsoever, baptized in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, if he will not have been
gathered into the Catholic Church, no matter how many alms he may have given,
even if he shed his blood for the name of Christ, can never be
saved.” (To Peter on the Faith) Pope
Saint Gregory the Great, Doctor, A. D. 590-604:”And indeed we have learnt from the ancient institution of the Fathers
that whosoever among heretics are baptized in the name of the Trinity,
when they return to Holy Church, may be recalled to the bosom of mother
Church either by unction of chrism, or by imposition of hands, or by
profession of faith only. Hence the West reconciles Arians to the Catholic
Church by imposition of hands, but the East by the unction of Holy chrism.
But mono-physites and others are received by a true confession only, because
holy baptism, which they have received among heretics, then acquires
in them the power of cleansing, when either the former receive the
Holy Spirit by imposition of hands, or the latter are united to the bowels of
the holy and universal Church by reason of their confession of the true
faith.” (Epistle LXVII) Saint
Bruno of Segni
(A. D. 1123): “Consequently, baptism
cannot be given and cannot benefit [the person] outside the Church. For although baptism
which is given outside the Church does have the form of the sacrament, it
does not have the virtue of the sacrament; it has the form, of course,
because it is done in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It does not
have the virtue, because it does not effect the remission of sins. Why then
are those who come from the heretics not rebaptized? Do you want to hear why?
Because they have the form of baptism, i.e. because they have already been
reborn from the water at the invocation of the Trinity. It still remains for
them to be reborn as well in the Holy Spirit who effects the remission of
sins in them � something which the visible form cannot give.
For “unless someone should be reborn from the water and the Holy Spirit,
he shall not enter the “We have also stated that all sacraments
outside the Church have the form, to be sure, but they do not have the virtue
[of the sacrament]. We have also
said that no one is saved outside the Church.” (On Simoniacs) Pope
Innocent ***INFALLIBLE***:
Ex cathedra: “One indeed is the
universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all
is saved.” (IV Lateran Council, A. D. 1215) Saint
Thomas Aquinas O.P.,
Doctor, (A. D. 1274): “The Church’s
intention in baptizing is to cleanse from sin in accordance with Isaiah,
“This is full fruit that sin be taken away.” Thus, as far as the Church is
concerned, it does not intend to give baptism except to those who have
[the] true faith, without which
there is no forgiveness of sins. And for this reason, the one being baptized
is asked whether he believes. If, however, a person without [the] true faith receives baptism outside the
Church, the sacrament does not work to his salvation. Hence, Augustine
says, “The Church compared to “And because the consecration of the
Eucharist is an act based on the power of Holy Orders, those
[validly ordained priests] who are
separated from the Church by heresy, schism or excommunication, are
able to consecrate the Eucharist, which when consecrated contains Christ’s
true body and blood; yet they act not rightly and sin by so doing.
Consequently they do not gather the fruit of the sacrifice, which is a
spiritual sacrifice.” (Summa Theologica, IIIa, 82, 8. As above.) “On the other hand, the power of
jurisdiction is that which is conferred by a mere human appointment. Such a
power as this does not adhere to the recipient immovably: so that it does not
remain in heretics or schismatics; and consequently they neither absolve
nor excommunicate, nor grant indulgence, nor do any thing of the kind, and if
they do, it is invalid.” (Summa Theologica, II, II, 39, 3.) Saint
Bonaventure O.F.M.,
Doctor, (A. D. 1274): “Once these
conditions [intention and Orders] are present, the sacraments may be conferred by either the
good or the wicked, the faithful or the heretical, within the Church or
outside it: but within the Church, they are conferred both in fact and in
effect, while outside it, although conferred in fact, they are not
effective. [...] “Because none may be saved outside
of the communion of faith and love which makes us members of the Church, whenever
the sacraments are received outside of it, they are received with no
effect toward salvation, although they are true sacraments. They may
become effective however, when the recipient returns to Pope
Saint Pius V,
A. D. 1566-1572, issued the Roman Catechism, known also as that of the
Council of Trent by which it was ordered: “Moreover, the Church alone has the
legitimate worship of sacrifice, and the salutary use of the Sacraments,
which are efficacious instruments of divine grace, used by God to produce
true holiness. Hence, to possess true holiness, we must belong to this
Church. [...] All other
societies arrogating to themselves the name of “church,” must necessarily,
because guided by the spirit of the devil, be sunk in the most pernicious
errors, both doctrinal and moral. [...] In Pope
Gregory XVI,
A. D. 1831-1846: “They should
consider the testimony of Christ Himself that those who are not with
Christ are against Him, and that they disperse unhappily who do not
gather with Him. Therefore “without a doubt, they will perish forever, unless
they hold the Catholic faith whole and inviolate.” Let them hear
Jerome who, while the Church was torn into three parts by schism, tells us
that whenever someone tried to persuade him to join his group he always
exclaimed: “He who is for the See of Peter is for me.” A schismatic
flatters himself falsely if he asserts that he, too, has been washed in
the waters of regeneration. Indeed Augustine would reply to such a man:
“The branch has the same form when it has been cut off from the vine;
but of what profit for it is the form, if it does not live from the root?”“
(Mirari Vos Arbitramur) So,
we see that the Church has always taught that the sacraments, baptism,
confession, the Eucharist and all the others, cannot profit anyone to
salvation except Faithful Roman Catholics who obediently abide in the Faith
and Unity of the Church; and that all schismatics and heretics, including the
Eastern Schismatics, cannot profit from the sacraments unto salvation. We
have also seen, that that fact has been infallibly defined by Conclusion We
have established and documented the follow facts: o
That
the Church has directly and clearly taught the Eastern Schismatics cannot be
saved, ever since they went into schism, and indeed warned them that that
would be the case centuries before they left; o
That
it is absolutely certain that the Eastern Schismatics, like all others,
cannot be saved unless they become Faithful Catholics subject to the Roman
pontiff: that has been infallibly defined by Pope Boniface VIII in the
papal Bull Unam Sanctam; o
That
the Church has always taught that no one can be saved outside of the
obedience of the Roman Pontiff; o
That
the Eastern Schismatics are schismatics and heretics; o
That
the Church has always believed and professed that all who do not submit to
the Roman Pontiff are schismatics; o
That
it is absolutely certain that the Eastern Schismatics cannot be saved unless
they leave off their schism and submit to the Our Holy Father the Pope: it
has been infallibly defined by Pope Eugene IV at the Council of
Florence; o
That
the Church has always believed and professed that no schismatics may be
saved. o
That
it is absolutely certain that the sacraments cannot profit the Eastern
Schismatics unto salvation, or any schismatics, unless they first repent of
their schism and submit to the Pope: that has also been infallibly defined by
Pope Eugene IV; o
That
the Church has always believe and professed that the sacraments cannot profit
any schismatic, or any one outside of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. All
Catholics are obliged to believe and to profess that the Eastern Schismatics,
the falsely-called “Orthodox”, are all damned unless they submit to the Roman
Pontiff, leave off their schism, and become Faithful Catholics, believing all
that the Holy Catholic Church teaches: or else lose their own salvation. Athanasian
Creed
circa A. D. 420, and always professed by the Church: “Whoever wishes to be saved, before all things it is necessary that he
hold the Catholic faith, which unless each one preserves whole and
inviolate, without doubt he will perish everlastingly. [...] This is the Catholic faith, which unless
each one believes faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.” Pope
Benedict XV,
A. D. 1914-1922: “Such is the nature
of the Catholic faith that it does not admit of more or less, but must be
held as a whole, or as a whole rejected: This is the Catholic faith,
which unless a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.”
(Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum) God bless you. |
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