Is Feeneyism Catholic? - Society of St. Pius X

98 IS F EENEYISM C ATHOLIC?
4. Bro. Robert Mary accuses: “Fr. Laisney completely disregards
the traditional teaching of the Church on the necessity of the
baptismal seal impressed only by the sacrament.” 139 I challenge
him to show it! The Church in her documents is very careful to
place the absolute necessity precisely not on the sacrament of faith,
but on the faith of the sacrament as we have seen above (see Innocent
III, p.43, and the Council of Trent in footnote 70). This is
because that which is absolutely necessary is sanctifying grace
(faith living through charity), and not the exterior sacrament.
This one (and its character) is necessary relatively to this sanctifying
grace and not by itself. Thus it is necessary re aut voto. Truly,
the followers of Fr. Feeney say of the baptismal character that
which the Church teaches of baptismal grace, i.e., sanctifying
grace.
5. “The ‘desire for baptism,’ if properly made, may put a person
in the state of sanctifying grace. If the person perseveres in
and dies in that state, he still cannot enter the kingdom of God.
He lacks the one thing that only the sacrament can provide–the
indelible mark or spiritual character imprinted on his soul.” 140
That goes explicitly against the Council of Trent saying that “the
justified have everything necessary for them,” as we shall see now.
JUSTIFICATION AND SALVATION
Since the Council of Trent teaches that baptism was “necessary
for justification…re aut voto–in fact or in desire,” it is clear
that the character of baptism is not absolutely necessary for justification.
Thus Fr. Feeney taught that the character of baptism was
absolutely necessary, not for justification, but for salvation.
The distinction between justification and salvation is classic
in the Church’s teaching: Justification is the passage from the state
of sin to the state of grace; salvation is the passage from the state of
grace in this world to the state of glory in heaven (either directly
or through purgatory). Thus justification is the beginning of the
spiritual life, salvation is its end.
139 Op. cit., p.202.
140 Bro. Robert Mary, op. cit., pp.116, 117.