Is Feeneyism Catholic? - Society of St. Pius X

T HE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH 63
Notice how St. Augustine considers the catechumen as being
within the Catholic Church (in Latin: in ipsa intus Catholica),
though his bond with the Church is not complete. In the next
paragraph he continues:
That the place of Baptism is sometimes supplied by suffering
is supported by a substantial argument which the same Blessed
Cyprian draws from the circumstance of the thief, to whom, although
not baptized, 93 it was said: “Today thou shalt be with Me
in paradise” (Lk. 23:43). Considering this again and again, I find
that not only suffering for the name of Christ can make up for
the lack of baptism, but also the Faith and conversion of heart,
if it happens that lack of time prevents the celebration of the sacrament
of baptism. For neither was that thief crucified for the
name of Christ, but as the reward of his own deeds; nor did he
suffer because he believed, but he believed while suffering. It was
shown, therefore, in the case of that thief, how great is the power,
even without the visible sacrament of baptism, of what the
apostle says, “With the heart man believeth unto righteousness,
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”(Rom.
10:10). But the want is supplied invisibly only when the administration
of baptism is prevented, not by contempt for religion,
but by the necessity of the moment. 94
In the City of God, the same St. Augustine says:
All those who, even without having received the laver of regeneration
(Tit. 3:5), died for the profession of faith in Christ,
(this passion) does for them as much to remit their sins, as if they
were washed in the baptismal font. Indeed the same One who
said: “Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost,
he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (Jn. 3:5), the same
said in another sentence with no less generality: “Everyone therefore
that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before
my Father who is in heaven” (Mt. 10:32) and in another
place, “Whosoever will lose his life for my sake, shall find it”(Mt.
16:25). And this explains the verse, “Precious in the sight of the
Lord is the death of His saints” (Ps. 115:15). For what is more
93 In his Retractations, II, 44, St. Augustine says: “when I said that ‘martyrdom
could take place of baptism’ I put an example that is not enough to the
point, that of the thief, since it is unsure whether he was baptized or not”; as
St. Bernard remarks in letter 77, §7, St. Augustine here corrects the
example, but does not put in question the doctrine itself.
94 De Baptismo, IV, 22, 29; R.J., No.1630, BAC, p.560.