Charismania and Ecumania

Chapter Seven

As can be gathered from our discussion of the Renewal, it is obvious that the Charismatic Renewal in the Catholic Church is an ecumenical movement, meaning that it is a pan-Christian movement that transcends the borders of the Catholic Church.

Ecumenism is a loaded term that has been abused since the Second Vatican Council and has gone far beyond the bounds of what the term has traditionally meant. If you take a glance at Church History, you will find that the Church has held a number of Ecumenical Councils, such as the Council of Trent, the First Vatican Council, and many others. These councils are called “Ecumenical” because they have been convened for the Universal Church, meaning that their decisions pertain to all the ecclesiastical bodies and jurisdictions within the Roman Catholic Church. We say that there are a variety of ecclesiastical bodies within the Church because, in the Church, there are various rites, customs, geographical considerations, and even different codes of Canon Law.

The etymology of the word “ecumenical” is derived from the Greek word oikoumenē, which means “the inhabited Earth” or “whole Earth.” Thus, over time, this word was adopted to mean “the whole Church.” However, as religious indifferentism gained steam in the last century, the term began to be used in an expanded sense to include all Christian “denominations,” and today, we could argue that “ecumenical” activity pertains to interreligious dialogue as such.

Now, for some, the term still has a relatively orthodox meaning, and it is used as a catch-all term encompassing interreligious dialogue with non-Catholics as a way of sharing Catholic truth. Nonetheless, even in the Conservative Catholic milieu where the term refers to a desire to share Catholic truth with non-Catholic religions, the result is still a confusion of the meaning of the term. As was noted, the term, until the era of Vatican II, always referred to a universality of rites and ecclesial bodies within the Catholic Church and did not refer to other religious sects separated from Rome.

Because of this misapplication of the term, Catholics today are largely under the impression that non-Catholic Christian sects, like Lutherans and Anglicans, constitute a part of the “Body of Christ” even if in some imperfect manner. This misunderstanding is typified by the ambiguous phrase used in the Vatican II document Lumen Gentium, where it is stated that the Church of Christ “subsists in the Catholic Church” (emphasis added).¹

Now, the usage of the term “subsists” led to continuous controversy about what Vatican II meant by using the term in place of the more clear “is.” To “subsist” means to continue to exist; therefore, apologists for the term believe that there is no problem using it because they see no issue stating that the Church of Christ continues to exist in the Catholic Church. However, when compared to the words of Pope Pius XII, there seems to be an issue with that line of thinking. Pius XII wrote: “The doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church, was first taught us by the Redeemer Himself,” (Mystici Corporis Christi, 1). So, Pius XII, writing not long before Vatican II, states that the Mystical Body of Christ, and the Catholic Church are the same thing, therefore it is strange to assert that the Church of Christ continues to exist in the Catholic Church. That is like saying, “Johnny continues to exist in Johnny.” Furthermore, Pius XII says that it was Christ Himself — the Redeemer — who taught this. In my humble opinion, we should go with the teaching of Christ, which is obviously infallible, over the confusing statements of a pastoral council that did not attempt to teach infallibly.

In any event, this is not the place to dissect the usage of the term in great detail, as that is a topic for a different study; nonetheless, this passage from Vatican II has been used to justify modern ecumenical fervour, likely because of the contents of the whole paragraph from Lumen Gentium:

This is the one Church of Christ which in the Creed is professed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic, which our Saviour, after His Resurrection, commissioned Peter to shepherd, and him and the other apostles to extend and direct with authority, which He erected for all ages as "the pillar and mainstay of the truth". This Church, constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him, although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure. These elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward catholic unity. (Emphasis added)

It is what comes after the term that has helped to cause great confusion, namely that “elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure… impelling toward catholic unity.” At face value, it is easy to see how one could understand this phrasing to mean that non-Catholic groups contain the means to sanctification and that catholic unity will result from those means. Note also that the term “catholic” is used in the non-specific sense, referring to the general sense of the term that means “universal” rather than the capitalized term — Catholic — which refers to the Roman Catholic Church.

We must assume that the “elements” referred to in the paragraph include the Bible, prayer, and some sacraments that are used by heretical sects, given the fact that submission to Peter and communion with him is obviously missing outside the Church. In any event, even if we interpret this paragraph from Vatican II in the most charitable way, it is still problematic.

This is because of the use of the term “sanctification” in the sense of non-Catholic groups using “elements.” To be sanctified means to become holy, and to become holy, one must live a life of grace, and the pre-Vatican II consensus is that those separated from the Church by faith (doctrine) and governance (communion) do not enjoy the life of grace. Therefore, while it may be true that valid sacraments are used outside the Church, such as baptism in the case of some Protestant groups and others in the case of the Orthodox groups, this does not mean that “elements of sanctification” are present in the equivocal sense used in Lumen Gentium.

Now, we can admit that there are individuals who have never formally joined the Church, in the exterior sense, who have joined in a way that is invisible to us, and therefore through extraordinary means they have been sanctified and saved their souls.

The Church has always taught that all human beings are given the graces sufficient to save their souls, even if they have not been visited by a missionary of the Church. Renowned Thomist Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange writes:

“… Those of us who have been born into… Catholic families have received incomparably more from the divine mercy than the bare essentials God has given to the savage of Central Africa… [Nevertheless], the savage will receive whatever… graces are required for salvation…” (Providence, Chapter 26)

Thomas Aquinas writes:

“…It sometimes happens that God moves a man… suddenly and perfectly to good, and that man receives graces suddenly… And thus it happened to Paul, since, suddenly when he was in the midst of sin, his heart was perfectly moved by God to hear, to learn, to come…” (Summa Theologica, 1-11 q. 112, a. 2)

There have been various stories of missionaries visiting foreign lands only to find whole tribes of people who have been miraculously catechized and evangelized, either by a bilocating person, such as the case with Maria of Agreda in the American Southwest, or other naturally inexplicable ways. So, in this sense, we can say that in some “invisible” way, a soul may be sanctified, and we would not dare to limit God’s mercy in the matter. However, we must also admit that God has entrusted the stewardship of the Deposit of Faith to his Church under the guidance of her popes and approved authors and theologians. What’s more, it is clear that in the case of heresy and schism, the consensus of pre-Vatican II theology stands in judgment of the plain reading of Lumen Gentium.

Heretics Do Not Enjoy the Goods of the Church