Good evening everyone, Save Regina. I am writing from Brazil, so please forgive any possible errors as the text was translated with the aid of a translator. Following the controversy surrounding the confirmations performed by Father Rafael, and being from Campos dos Goytacazes-RJ, it is certain that such controversial issues have been peculiar to us since the 1960s. Therefore, I believe I can contribute, although it is also certain that I will not convince many, nor is that my intention. Father Rafael has never invoked the authority of a bishop for himself, but rather makes use, for the good and salvation of souls, of the power of ordination that was conferred upon him, given the serious need and absence of trustworthy bishops, or even bishops who are not concerned with constructing their own doctrine. As for the question of delegation, I offer the following reflection: should we have requested it from John Paul II during the Assisi gathering, at the feet of the image of Buddha? Or, should we ask for delegation from Francis, invoking the intercession of Pachamama? Well then. I reside in the city of Campos dos Goytacazes, which was once a center of resistance to the prevailing modernism, led by our late Bishop, Dom Antônio de Castro Mayer. It must be known to almost everyone the disastrous agreement that took place between Campos and Rome, and its disastrous consequences. In 2005, troubled by everything, we requested the assistance of the FSSPX. (where he made harsh criticisms of this agreement), where a mission was established, later elevated to a Priorate. However, the same superior of this institution, who once made such severe criticisms of this malignant agreement, now presents himself as if enchanted by a "practical agreement", where he shows himself to be a man of two weights and two measures, and worse, without receiving anything in return, not that receiving an honor could justify the denial of Faith. Should we, therefore, in such serious matters of Faith, submit ourselves to the whims of these priests with "practical interests", in agreements where the revealed Faith is negotiated? We have, thus, a small sample of the chaotic background in which Father Rafael was forced to administer the sacraments. Not all pre-conciliar canonist books are at hand, such as Capello, who defended the adage: "necessitas non obligator Lex", that is, we are in a serious state of necessity, a necessity not subject to the scruples of canonical laws, coined for situations of normality, given that no one is obliged to the impossible. In this context, the canonists refer to the right of necessity, generated as a result of the state of necessity. "Ecclesia Suplet". As Martyr Bishop Fischer declared, before having his head cut off by Henry VIII. I also have in my possession a collection that once belonged to Dom Antonio de Castro Mayer, authored by Bernardo Bartmann, which helped clarify very obscure points, such as the case of the Econe consecrations, before which, Dom Antonio, in a conference with Dom Lefebvre, his priests and seminarians, asked the iconic question: "Where is the visible head of the Church?" Now, if we do not have this figure currently, to whom should we turn for the good of our souls? How could we reconcile this requirement with the good of souls? Would it, therefore, be God's desire that this sacrament ceases from the face of the earth because of disciplinary norms? Or, still, establish the need for us to submit, in sound conscience, to frivolous bishops, as Saint Nilus of Cairo foresaw, who change position like the waters of the sea that come and go, negotiating matters of Faith? These bishops who have no ordinary jurisdiction, then what could they delegate? It is difficult to imagine and believe that such an august sacrament could have been drawn up to be extinguished, this is not possible. Here we have a case: myself, who was confirmed by Dom Galarreta, had the sacrament denied to a member of my family because we are not aligned with the "political issues" imposed by the FSSPX, which we will not collaborate with. I have another case, also in my family, where the person in question suffered from serious illnesses, about which no doctor or remedy brought any relief for many years. When he received the sacrament of confirmation by Father Rafael, he began to enjoy a state of health that he had never before experienced since his birth. Can a bad tree bear good fruit, as explained in Matthew 7:17-20? It is certain, as extracted from the book mentioned above, that from the earliest times, Confirmation was also administered by priests, and that according to the Doctors, it became reserved to the person of the Bishop, for reasons of honor, and also for pastoral purposes, obviously for times when there is no grave necessity, so that the bishop can know all the sheep in his flock (Diocese), a circuмstance that currently does not exist. The power of the Priest ("potestas") comes not from his jurisdiction, but from his Power of Order. Returning to Dom Antonio de Castro Mayer, it was precisely Dom Antonio's understanding of the existence of the extraordinary legal order (of necessity) that prompted him, along with Dom Lefebvre, to consecrate the Bishops in Econe, and let it be clear, lawfully and validly. More than the other sacraments, which no one denies the validity and lawfulness, such as confession and marriage, would not the episcopal consecration, in times of normalcy, have much greater regulations to follow in the issues debated here? So how can they invoke and believe in shallow arguments used for common times, as are used for all of the above (again, confession, marriage, and even episcopal consecration), in order to try to exclude from the face of the earth the sacrament of Confirmation? It is really not understandable, fair, or just. I see that the sacrament is sentenced to death by internet scholars.
Sincerely,
Thomaz Barbosa
Campos dos Goytacazes - RJ
Brazil
Topic: Fr. Raphael Arrizaga Begins Administering Confirmations? (Read 25275 times)