Feeneyism is a heresy Christian theology, associated with Leonard Feeney, which advocates for the dogma extra Ecclesiam nulla salus ("outside the Church there is no salvation") which is that only Catholics can go to heaven. Feeneyism opposes the idea of baptism of desire and baptism of blood as well as the view that non-Catholics can go to heaven.

Feeneyism is considered a heresy by the Catholic Church. Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus is considered a dogma by the Catholic Church; but some refer to Feeneyism as the Boston heresy. Feeneyism is explicitly condemned by the Holy See as heretical.

Leonard Feeney

Main article: Leonard Feeney

Feeney was a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Jesuit order. The order dismissed Feeney in 1949 for disobedience; later, on 4 February 1953, the Holy Office declared him excommunicated "on account of grave disobedience to Church Authority, being unmoved by repeated warnings."[1][2]

Feeney co-founded the group known as the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with Catherine Goddard Clarke.[citation needed]

Feeney reconciled with the Catholic Church in 1972 without any recantation from his part.[3][2]

Doctrine

The heresy of Feeneyism is associated with the position of Leonard Feeney (1897–1978), a Jesuit priest of Boston, on the doctrine extra Ecclesiam nulla salus. Feeney’s interpretation of the doctrine extra Ecclesiam nulla salus ("outside the Church there is no salvation") which says that only Catholics can go to heaven. Feeneyism opposes the doctrines of baptism of desire and baptism of blood as well as the view that non-Catholics can go to heaven.[4][5][6][7]

Feeneyism is considered a heresy in the Catholic Church. Extra ecclesiam nulla salus is considered a dogma by the Catholic Church; some Catholics refer to Feeneyism as the Boston heresy.[4][5][6]

Feeney rejected what was the definition of the Catholic Church of baptism of desire at the time, i.e. the idea that people who openly are affiliated with the Catholic Church as well as those spiritually linked to the Catholic Church through an implicit desire could be saved.[5][6]

Fr. Feeney wrote in his 1952 book Bread of Life:[8]

[T]alking about the "soul of the Church," of "salvation outside the Church through sincerity"—apart from the teachings and Sacraments of Jesus Christ; and calling this arrangement "Baptism of Desire" and expecting men to be members of the Catholic Church without even knowing they are members.

What kind of teaching is that?

That is Christmas without any manger; Good Friday without any God bleeding; Easter Sunday without any Flesh and Blood coming out of the tomb. That is the Christian Faith without any Pope,—the most visible religious leader in the world! [...]

When the Council of Trent was discussing the problem of justification, it had to remember that it was possible for one to have been justified in the Old Testament as well as in the New, and that is why the Council allows the distinction between the actual reception of Baptism and the eager willingness to receive it. A man in the Old Testament waiting and wanting Baptism to be instituted, and a man in the New Testament waiting and wanting Baptism to be administered could both be justified. [...]

I have said that a Baptism-of-Desire Catholic is not a member of the Church. He cannot be prayed for after death as one of "the faithful departed." Were he to be revivified immediately after death—were he to come to life again—he would not be allowed to receive Holy Eucharist or any of the other Sacraments until he was baptized by water. [...]

Suppose a non-baptized person had his choice between Baptism of Water on the one hand, and what is called "Baptism of Blood" on the other. Were he not to choose Baptism of Water, the shedding of his blood would be useless and he would lose his soul.

Condemnation of Feeneyism

In a 1949 letter to Cardinal Cushing, Archbishop of Boston, the Holy Office condemned Feeney's teaching that only those formally baptized in the Catholic Church can be saved. The Holy Office affirmed that those baptized by their desire can be saved. This letter was sent by Cardinal Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani to Cardinal Cushing. This letter stated among other things:[9][10]

The same in its own degree must be asserted of the Church, in as far as She is the general help to salvation. Therefore, that one may obtain eternal salvation, it is not always required that he be incorporated into the Church actually as a member, but it is necessary that at least he be united to Her by desire and longing. However, this desire need not always be explicit, as it is in catechumens; but when a person is involved in invincible ignorance God accepts also an implicit desire, so called because it is included in that good disposition of soul whereby a person wishes his will to be conformed to the will of God. These things are clearly taught in that dogmatic letter which was issued by the Sovereign Pontiff, Pope Pius XII, on June 29, 1943, On the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ (AAS, Vol. 35, an. 1943, p. 193 ff.). For in this letter the Sovereign Pontiff clearly distinguishes between those who are actually incorporated into the Church as members, and those who are united to the Church only by desire.

— Letter of the Holy Office

This letter is referenced in a footnote of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in its section "Outside the Church there is no salvation", paragraph 847,[11] as well as in a footnote in Lumen gentium.[12]

Feeneyite groups

Further information: Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

See also

References

  1. ^ The Holy See. "ACTA APOSTOLICAE SEDIS COMMENTARIUM OFFICIALE ANNUS XXXX V - SERIES II - VOL. XX" (PDF). vatican.va.
  2. ^ a b "Leonard Feeney, Jesuit Priest, 80; Ousted in Dispute Over Salvation". The New York Times. 1978-02-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  3. ^ Madrid, Patrick; Vere, Pete (2004). More Catholic Than The Pope: An Inside Look At Extreme Traditionalism. Our Sunday Visitor. p. 72. ISBN 9781931709262.
  4. ^ a b Mick, Lawrence E. (2007). "Baptism – Call to Carry On the Mission". Baptism. Liturgical Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-8146-3188-1.
  5. ^ a b c Feldberg, Michael (2012). "American Heretic: The Rise and Fall of Father Leonard Feeney, S.J." American Catholic Studies. 123 (2): 109–115. ISSN 2161-8542. JSTOR 44195416.
  6. ^ a b c Carey, Patrick (2007). "Avery Dulles, St. Benedict's Center, and No Salvation outside the Church, 1940-1953". The Catholic Historical Review. 93 (3): 553–575. ISSN 0008-8080. JSTOR 25164314.
  7. ^ "Why is the Vatican taking action against the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary?". Catholic Herald. 2019-01-17. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  8. ^ "Bread of Life: Chapter 2". 2010-07-15. Archived from the original on 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  9. ^ "Letter of the Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office". August 8, 1949. Archived from the original on March 11, 2000.
  10. ^ "Archbishop Richard J. Cushing". 2019-04-03. Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-10-11.
  11. ^ St Ignatius (December 1993). The Companion to The Catechism of the Catholic Church: A Compendium of Texts Referred to in The Catechism of the Catholic Church. Ignatius Press. pp. 361–. ISBN 978-0-89870-451-8.
  12. ^ "Library : Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus: Father Feeney Makes a Comeback". www.catholicculture.org. Retrieved 2021-12-27.

Further reading

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