Pope Francis and the Justification of Conscience

proselytism

(true evangelism)

is solemn nonsense,"

which

By Scott Montgomery

From

v Does the Catholic Church still hold that it is necessary to accept the Catholic Faith whole and entire to be saved? If so, what are we to make of Pope Francis's recent statement that "

"makes no sense. We need to get to know each other, listen to each other and improve our knowledge of the world around us"?

the beginning of the Apostolic age, various heresies have arisen regarding what is necessary to achieve eternal salvation. Within the nation of Israel, which was the first to hear the Gospel message, there was a longstanding belief that what was required to obtain God's favor was circumcision and strict adherence to the Mosaic Law (Justification by Works Alone). To the Pharisees, who believed in an afterlife, adherence to the Law meant finding a place among the Just in God's Kingdom when one's earthly life was through. To the Sadducees, who were convinced that life on earth was all that there was to man's existence, obedience to the Law meant meriting God's favor in the affairs of this world.

Various elements of the Jewish view of Justification would eventually be incorporated into the teaching of some Jewish converts to Christianity, who insisted upon circumcision and observance of the Mosaic Law in addition to proclaiming Jesus Christ as the Messiah. This error was refuted by St. Paul in his Letter to the Galatians where he states that, " Neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision: but faith that works by charity " (Gal 5:6). The question was ultimately put to rest at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), where Paul and Barnabas brought the ongoing dispute concerning circumcision to the attention

~ See Pope Francis/ Page 7

Pope

Francis

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the

Justification

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S. Montgomery/ Continued from Page 1

of Peter and the Apostles for a definitive ruling.

Seizing upon a willful misinterpretation of St. Paul's teaching that we are justified by faith and not by the works of the Law, Martin Luther would swing to the opposite extreme in 1517 by declaring that we are Justified by Faith Alone (Sola Fide). This false teaching is most clearly opposed by St. James in his Epistle when he states that, " For even as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). St. Paul also argues in his Letter to the Romans that what is required for salvation is a circumcision of the heart (Rom 2:29) – one which will manifest itself in acts of charity. This is confirmed by Our Lord in His discourse to the Apostles on the Final Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) when he proclaims that only those who alleviate the sufferings of the least of their brethren will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who do not, even though they have faith, will be condemned to eternal punishment.

Using this discourse of Jesus and His command to love one another as an underlying framework, Pope Francis has recently planted the seeds for what could (if used indiscriminately) blossom into a third heresy concerning Justification. According to Francis, by simply following the dictates of one's conscience and performing good deeds, a person can secure his eternal salvation.

At first blush, this would appear to be an expression of the constant teaching of the Church that we are justified by Faith & Works, and by God's grace working within us. This feeling is reinforced even further when we consider that the works that are so highly prized by Francis are the Corporal Works of Mercy spoken of by Jesus in His discourse on the Final Judgment mentioned above (to feed the hungry, refresh the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, care for the sick, visit the imprisoned, & bury the dead).

But it is when the conversation turns to faith that the Holy Father seems to display a novel approach. Though the first (and perhaps only) encyclical issued by Pope Francis concerns the theological virtue of faith, it would appear that most of the teaching within this document belongs to Benedict XVI. In fact, beyond his oft-repeated admonition that "all are saved through Jesus", the views expressed by Francis concerning faith have been rather superficial. Nowhere is there mention of the Spiritual Works of Mercy to convert sinners, to instruct the ignorant, and to counsel the doubtful. Moreover, if one follows his recent statements to the press to their logical conclusion, it would seem that it is no longer necessary to accept the Catholic Faith whole and entire to be saved because, in the words of the Pope, " Proselytism (true evangelism) is solemn nonsense, it makes no sense. We need to get to know each other, listen to each other and improve our knowledge of the world around us." 1 In another interview, the Holy Father goes even further by suggesting that a general belief in Christ as our Lord and Savior is also not needed, as atheists who follow their conscience and perform good works will also be saved.2

All of this reveals an exaggerated emphasis by Pope Francis on a form of Naturalism over adherence to Divine Truth, and on the clergy addressing the material needs of the poor to the exclusion of nearly everything else. In its essentials, it is a manifestation of the errors of the Second Vatican Council which led to the death of the missionary activity of the Catholic Church and turned many priests into nothing more than glorified social workers; a program of Justification by Conscience & Works.

This spirit has especially infected the Jesuits (from which Francis hails) and the Franciscans, whose current focus has shifted almost exclusively to matters concerning Social Justice.

That this is not the primary role of the Catholic clergy is attested to by none other than our first Pope, St. Peter. In Chapter 6 of Acts of the Apostles, a situation is described in which the Apostles find themselves spending an inordinate amount of time distributing alms and various material goods to the widows and other disadvantaged faithful of Jerusalem. In response to this, the Twelve gather together all of the disciples and enjoin them to select seven men of good reputation and wisdom from among their number who will henceforth assume the task of caring for the needs of the poor. St. Peter and theApostles, who are the first Pope and Bishops of the Catholic Church, will then devote themselves exclusively to " prayer and the Ministry of the Word " (Acts 6:1-6).

By this command, is St. Peter minimizing the plight of the poor and our Christian duty to care for them? Not at all! But what he is saying is that the primary role of the Catholic hierarchy is to teach and defend the complete Deposit of Faith, administer the Sacraments, and convert those outside the Church to the one true Faith given to us by Christ (see Matthew 28:19-20). And while the Church is always solicitous to the needs of the poor and downtrodden, it is the duty of every Christian (both clerical and lay) to ease their suffering. Hence, in the infancy of the Church the seven deacons led by St.

Stephen were chosen for this work. In later centuries, the task would be assigned to charitable orders of monks and nuns.

Today, many lay organizations are also among those caring for the poor – always with the careful oversight of the Pope and College of Bishops, whose primary task remains "prayer and the Ministry of the Word".

That is, until the mysterious abdication of Pope Benedict XVI and the arrival of Pope Francis, who desires to create a Poor Church For the Poor in which Social Justice reigns supreme, God is Love, and everyone is saved (regardless of their religious persuasion), as long as they seek to find common ground with each other and follow the dictates of their erroneously formed conscience.

For at the end of the day, it is not the Magisterium of the Church who Francis believes has the final say in matters of faith & morals, but the individual conscience:

The conscience is autonomous and everyone must obey his conscience.

Each of us has a vision of good and of evil. We have to encourage people to

move toward what they think is good.3

Let us hope that in time the Holy Father will begin to portray the Church as the fortress of Truth established by Christ for the salvation of all men, and not merely as a mystical organ of liberation, peaceandlove. Andletusalsopraythat Our Lady will soon uproot the error of Justification by Conscience & Works and restore the teaching of Her Divine Son to the one Holy, Catholic, & Apostolic Church.

Mary, Queen of our hearts, intercede for us!

Notes:

1 La Repubblica, October 1, 2013.

2 Homily of Pope Francis, May 22, 2013. 3 La Repubblica. October 1, 2013.