To understand why so many priests (and many future bishops) fell for Modernism in the 1940's, while Scholasticism was apparently king (enjoying a new resurgence), one needs to understand THE INHERENT INCLINATION IN MAN FOR NOVELTY, or "that which is (or seems to be) new".

Priests everywhere were taught Scholasticism -- St. Thomas and all the common sense realism that went along with it -- but many of them hungered for other philosophers in their spare time. They read the works of all the (modernist) theologians of their day, and were fascinated. This was new! This was being developed as we speak! (Nevermind that it would lead ultimately to heresy and loss of souls...)

Scholasticism (St. Thomas in particular) DOES have all the answers, all laid out. It is true philosophy, since it keeps in touch with reality -- it matches reality. However, it IS a bit restrictive, in the sense that a dictionary restricts you to only one (or a few) meanings for a given word. You don't get to make up your own meaning for each word -- sorry! Not quite as exciting, nor is there anything new -- two strikes against it for the average fallen human being. But a person WILL get the true meaning, if he just lets the dictionary do the work. The authors know more about the meaning of words than he does -- so why shouldn't he avail himself of their expertise?

Same thing with St. Thomas. Few men today have a mind even in the same LEAGUE as St. Thomas Aquinas. (Anyone who says otherwise obviously knows little about St. Thomas!) Why not depend on his gifted brain for much of the legwork of philosophy?

Modernism claims to be searching for answers, developing new avenues for theology, redefining dogmas, etc. -- everything exciting and new. It also puffs up man to think that he is more evolved (smarter, more advanced) than all who preceeded him. Hence today's disdain for St. Thomas Aquinas: "He's so 13th century. We've got computers, pasteurized milk, antibiotics, cable TV, and pesticides! We're more advanced than a bunch of peasants from the 13th!"

Modernists are evolutionists by nature. They apply evolution to all aspects of the faith -- which is why they consider that Pascendi, which condemned the Modernists in no uncertain terms, is only relevant for the time it was written (early 20th century). They believe it doesn't apply to today!

Matthew