The Truth about the Second Vatican Council and the Decline of the Catholic Church – #part 3

Another example of an ambiguous statement can be found in "Lumen Gentium," another text issued by the Council, where the following is said: "The church, however, embracing sinners in its bosom, at once holy and always in need of purification, follows constantly follow the path of Penance and Renewal."

Second Vatican Council - Image Source

So, as in the first example, if the church here refers to its individual members, then this statement is by tradition. Church members always need cleansing because, at the end of the day, we are all sinners. However, because the text identifies the church by clearly referring to its bosom, it follows that the Council is describing the church as the Mystical Body of Christ. If so, this is a very problematic statement because the Mystical Body of Christ does not need purification.

The apostle Paul makes it clear that Christ, when he gave himself for her, that is, for the church, sanctified and purified her "that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, so that she be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:27). Therefore, the church does not need purification, but sinners do. And it is through the holy and immaculate church that this purification of the sinner takes place through the sacraments.

The problem is that these extremely relativistic statements in the conciliar documents confuse more than they clarify, and the Catholic faithful call for a coherent magisterium, not one that conveys ambiguities.

St_Peter's_Square,_Vatican_City_-_April_2007.jpg

St Peter's Square, Vatican City - Image Source

Another example, and this is a statement that makes no sense at all, is also present in "Lumen Gentium." When it is said that "the Church of Christ subsists in the Catholic church," constructions similar to this have parallels in other conciliar documents. I'll put the sources there for you to check later. The point is that the usual understanding is that the Church of Christ is the Catholic church and does not "subsist" in the Catholic church.

The Council's intention in using the expression "subsists" is simply ecumenism. By stating that the Church of Christ only subsists in the Catholic Church, it is, therefore, more significant than the Catholic Church. So, the intention here is to signal schismatics and Protestants. But, once again, this has never been accepted by Catholic orthodoxy.

The infallible teaching of the church is that salvation is impossible outside of it ("Extra ecclesiam nulla salos"). Pope Pius IX, for example, taught that those outside the Catholic church can only be saved if they are invincibly ignorant of the need to be in the Catholic church.

Second Vatican Council - Image Source

And let's be honest, this spirit of ecumenism has never gotten the Catholic church anywhere. The only consequence of this is to make error and heresy tolerated as a secondary issue, whereas, in reality, one of the church's most significant concerns since the beginning has always been the fight against heresy.

In accordance with John XXIII's wishes, which Pope Paul VI later continued, instead of the church combating the enemies of the faith and proclaiming the truth, the documents of the Second Vatican Council merely preach a completely utopian dialogue with the secularized world and with false religions.

One of the Council's central objectives was the unity of all religions. And, as much as this may seem like a cute and politically correct speech to insert the church into the modern world, Our Lord always warned the disciples about precisely this. He says, "If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But since you are not of the world, but I chose you from the world. Therefore the world hates you" (St. John 15:19).

to be continued...

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