Is Feeneyism Catholic? - Society of St. Pius X

52 IS F EENEYISM C ATHOLIC?
ishment. However, also well-known is the Catholic dogma that
no one can be saved outside the Catholic Church, and that those
who obstinately oppose the authority and definitions of that
Church, and who stubbornly remain separated from the unity of
the Church and from the successor of Peter, the Roman Pontiff
(to whom the Savior has entrusted the care of his vineyard), cannot
obtain salvation. 71
Fr. Feeney himself belittles this papal teaching:
…one or two carelessly worded sentences in an encyclical of
Pope Pius IX…An incidental sentence in a letter of Pope Pius
IX…a lengthy letter which was devoid of the chastity of Papal
infallible pronouncement… 72
This kind of treatment of a blessed Pope, great adversary of
the Liberals, as soon as he says one word against their false thesis,
is something we will see again and again, with sadness, among the
followers of Fr. Feeney when they deal with any Father, Doctor or
ecclesiastical writer that goes against them. This is no proper argument!
This passage of Pope Pius IX shows clearly: 1) baptism of desire
is not opposed to the dogma outside the Catholic Church there
is no salvation, 2) baptism of desire is not without divine light and
grace, i.e., sanctifying grace, which includes faith and charity, 3)
baptism of desire is incompatible with indifference to God, to religion,
to resistance to the Catholic Church.
Pope Pius IX is famous for having convoked the First Vatican
Council. He had asked trusted theologians to prepares Schemas,
i.e., drafts to be studied by the Council fathers. These schemas
teach the commonly taught Catholic doctrine; though they do
not have the same authority as the promulgated chapters nor the
71 Quanto conficiamur moerore, Dz. 1677, The Church Teaches, No.178.
72 Bread of Life, p.53. Catherine Goddard Clarke, in The Loyolas and the
Cabots, p.237, has similar belittling language: “Because of three or four weak
sentences in his encyclicals, Pope Pius IX had left dogmatic utterance
unsafeguarded, unprotected, and the only thing the Liberals quote from him
are the three or four well-chosen sentences that serve their purposes. It is
through ill-will that the Liberals do this, but, again, if we may respectfully
say so, Pope Pius IX should have seen this when he made the statements.
Pope Pius IX sensed somewhat that he had spoken occasionally
unguardedly...” It does not occur to them that Pope Pius IX may have been
right, and that they are those who should correct themselves!