Is Feeneyism Catholic? - Society of St. Pius X

44 IS F EENEYISM C ATHOLIC?
Thus, had he died, in spite of an invalid baptism, he would
still have been saved because of the faith of the sacrament. Such is
the teaching of Pope Innocent III, who did not consider such a
soul outside the Church.
BONIFACE VIII: UNAM SANCTAM
The second text often referred to by the followers of Fr.
Feeney is the bull Unam Sanctam of Pope Boniface VIII. Here is
the text:
We are compelled in virtue of our faith to believe and maintain
that there is only one Catholic Church, and that one apostolic.
This we firmly believe and profess without qualification.
Outside this Church there is no salvation and no remission of
sins. [...] Further we declare, say, define, and pronounce that it
is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature
to be subject to the Roman Pontiff (Dz. 468, 469).
Since baptism of desire as defined by St. Thomas (in conformity
with the whole Tradition) includes the remission of sin, and
baptism of blood forgives all sin and all penalty due to sin, it follows
logically according to the above principle taught by Pope
Boniface that such persons do belong to the Catholic Church,
though their bond is not complete.
Indeed the essential bond with Our Lord Jesus Christ and
His Church is sanctifying grace, a share in the life of Christ,
which can only be had within the Body of Christ; the character of
baptism is not the essential bond, it can be had outside the
Church, and all the souls of the saints of the Old Testament are in
heaven without that character. It is a sign of the belonging to
Christ, not the belonging itself; it is a source of grace for the faithful
in the Church, but denounces the unfaithful outside the Church.
As for the submission to the Roman Pontiff, it is explicit in
the catechumens who die for the Faith of Peter. It is also in those
catechumens who receive faithfully the instructions in the Faith
of Peter and out of obedience to the authorities of the Church
wait for the appointed day of their baptism: if an accident happens
to them, their submission to the Roman Pontiff is undeniable.
It is the common teaching that this subjection exists also,
though it may be only implicit, in those who have charity, but
whose knowledge of the Faith is limited without fault on their