Catholic Info
Traditional Catholic Faith => Crisis in the Church => Topic started by: HeidtXtreme on April 27, 2025, 12:32:33 PM
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If you only have access to only one Mass in your area and the priest says a heresy or an egregious error during the homily, can you walk out and still fulfill your Sunday obligation?
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Or just not attend that priest's mass and keep your Sunday Holy by reading the Mass and praying the Holy Rosary.
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Oh, this past Christmas Day I heard one poor (young) SSPX priest utter one Christological heresy after another ... but realized that he was just confused and certainly had no pertinacity about him. So a mere utterance of a heresy clearly does not suffice.
Now, depending on the degree, and the pertinacity behind it, some cases might suffice for walking out without sinning against the Sunday obligation ... but just be careful not to elevate a personal theological conclusion without the Church's backing to the level of heresy.
At the end of the day, not enough info, but in general a priest who professes Traditional Catholicism is unlikely to be a pertinacious heretic, IMO.
Perhaps you could cite the alleged heresy. It's possible you could have been mistaken in your assessment of heresy.
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Perhaps you could cite the alleged heresy. It's possible you could have been mistaken in your assessment of heresy.
It’s moreso just a general question about what one might do in this situation.
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The case is not cut and dry. If the heresy slides also unto sacrilege or blasphemy, you SHOULD head for the nearest exit. Certainly, if it is to the extent it invalidates the Mass or reveals the invalidity of the Eucharist or the priest, there’s no sin, rather merit, in walking out. Exercise prudence. It may or may not be your place to publicly correct the priest. A complaint and evidence to his superior may be in order.
If you know God is offended and/or your faith is at risk, depart. Go elsewhere or stay nearby to offer prayers of reparation.
If this is your regular source of Mass and Sacraments, you must speak up or take action in the matter. If you’re just a one-time visitor passing through, pray before you act. It may or may not be your job to “clean the swamp,” or to sound the alarm.
Find another source of Mass or keep the Faith on your own.
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It’s moreso just a general question about what one might do in this situation.
I would think you'd confront the priest about it later ... to rule out some misunderstanding, slip of the tongue, etc. ... and if he persists, then raise the issue with his superior (if any). If the priests them remains pertinacious in something that's clearly heretical, at that point I'd think you'd stay away.
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Whether it is permissible to receive communion from heretical, excommunicate, or sinful priests, and to hear mass said by them? (Summa Theologiæ III q. 82 a. 9) (https://isidore.co/aquinas/summa/TP/TP082.html#TPQ82A9THEP1)
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Whether it is permissible to receive communion from heretical, excommunicate, or sinful priests, and to hear mass said by them? (Summa Theologiæ III q. 82 a. 9) (https://isidore.co/aquinas/summa/TP/TP082.html#TPQ82A9THEP1)
Well, this is uncharacteristically a bit unclear from St. Thomas, where he's lumping together sinful priests and heretical priests ... as different principles apply for sure.
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Whether it is permissible to receive communion from heretical, excommunicate, or sinful priests, and to hear mass said by them? (Summa Theologiæ III q. 82 a. 9) (https://isidore.co/aquinas/summa/TP/TP082.html#TPQ82A9THEP1)
And therefore whoever hears their mass or receives the sacraments from them, commits sin. But not all who are sinners are debarred by the Church's sentence from using this power: and so, although suspended by the Divine sentence, yet they are not suspended in regard to others by any ecclesiastical sentence: consequently, until the Church's sentence is pronounced, it is lawful to receive Communion at their hands, and to hear their mass
This is a bit like the Pope drama. A material heretic, a formal heretic? There has been no sentence against them from the Church.
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Whether it is permissible to receive communion from heretical, excommunicate, or sinful priests, and to hear mass said by them? (Summa Theologiæ III q. 82 a. 9) (https://isidore.co/aquinas/summa/TP/TP082.html#TPQ82A9THEP1)
Wow, it's fascinating how he implies heretics can be part of Christ's mystical body.
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Wow, it's fascinating how he implies heretics can be part of Christ's mystical body.
Where he says: "until the Church's sentence is pronounced, it is lawful to receive Communion at their hands, and to hear their mass."?
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Wow, it's fascinating how he implies heretics can be part of Christ's mystical body.
See, I don't think he does that ... but is just asking whether it's permissible to assist at the Mass of a heretic priest. He undoubteldy knew the unanimous Patristic teaching that they're not members of the Church, but considered it a different question wheter to receive the Sacraments from them. St. Pius X, for instance, permitted Catholics in Orthodox territories to receive the Sacraments from the Orthodox provided there was no other option and no danger of sin or scandal. That stands to reason. Even with heretics, it's the Church that has authority over the Sacraments and the Church can even command the heretics to provide the Sacraments to the faithful ... whether or not they'd obey being a different matter altogether.
What this does do, however, is undermines a bit the dogmatic anti-una-cuм position where receiving Communion from a heretic would render someone a heretic by association, or contagion by communion.
in any case, St. Thomas was very unclear in blending heresy, schism ... with other sin such as fornication. He does admit at one point that there's a difference, but he still attributes that difference to ecclesiastical law, where the Church has forbidden heretics from confecting the Sacraments, and putting these on the same level leaves the question confused and unresolved. This just goes to show you that St. Thomas was human too ... and may have been having a bad day, not feeling well, tired, experiencing brain fog, etc.
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St. Thomas was very unclear in blending heresy, schism ... with other sin such as fornication.
The article wasn't even about membership in the Mystical Body.