Is Feeneyism Catholic? - Society of St. Pius X

A NSWER TO ADDITIONAL OBJECTIONS OF FR .
ANSWER TO ADDITIONAL
OBJECTIONS OF FR. FEENEY
THE PRECISE ERROR OF FR. FEENEY
The error in Fr. Feeney’s excessive reaction precisely lies in
this, that, though he admitted that God could infuse sanctifying
grace before baptism, yet he said: “God would not allow one to
die in the state of grace, but not yet baptized.” “Fr. (Feeney)
taught that God would have seen to it that those few martyrs who
were reported to have died without baptism would not have left
this life without baptism.” 129
Such an affirmation makes liars of the very persons who reported
the martyrdom of these martyrs! This is a gratuitous affirmation,
in opposition to the first-hand knowledge and teaching
of the Fathers, as seen above. Remember St. Cyprian went
through three persecutions: he knew personally many martyrs
and confessors; when he speaks of “catechumens apprehended before
their baptism and slain for the name of Christ,” he does not
speak in the air. He knew some of them personally.
Fr. Feeney himself was aware of the novelty of this very opinion
of his, thinking that on this point he was “improving (sic)
upon the teaching of some of the Doctors.” 130
In the Bread of Life, p.137, Fr. Feeney wrote:
Q. What are we to say to those who believe there are such
souls [souls that die in the state of justification but have not received
baptism of water]?
A. We must say to them that they are making reason prevail
over Faith, and the laws of probability over the Providence of
God.
The answer should rather be: We must say that they make the
teachings of the Fathers of the Church, of the Doctors of the
129 Letter to Dr. Coomaraswamy, February 3, 1983.
130 Bro. Michael, ibid.