The Catholic Church and Salvation

by
Fr. Lucian Pulvermacher, OFM Cap.
December 8, 1978

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All Catholics know and believe what was defined at the Lateran Council IV in 1215, namely that, "One indeed is the universal Church of the faithful, outside of which no one at all is saved." We must believe that there is baptism of water, and the desire for that baptism, plus baptism of blood. We are greatly indebted to Monsignor Joseph Fenton for proper terminology to explain this dogma of the faith.

In his wonderful book entitled, "The Catholic Church and Salvation," Msgr. Fenton analyzes "Suprema Haec Sacra," a letter from the Holy Office issued on August 8, 1949 to Archbishop Cushing of Boston in response to the problem at St. Benedict Center at Cambridge. There, baptism of water alone was accepted as being within the Catholic Church.
Here is a thumbnail sketch of the document "Suprema haec sacra:"
The teaching that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church is a dogma of the Catholic faith.
This dogma has always been taught, and will always be taught, infallibly by the Church's magisterium.
The dogma must be understood and explained as the Church's magisterium understands and explains it.
The Church is necessary for salvation with both a necessity of precept and a necessity of means.
Because the Church is necessary for salvation with the necessity of precept, any person who knows the Church to have been divinely instituted by Our Lord and yet refuses to enter it or to remain within it cannot attain eternal salvation.
The Church is a general and necessary means for salvation, not by reason of any intrinsic necessity, but only by God's own institution, that is, because God in His merciful wisdom has established it as such.
In order that a man may be saved "within" the Church, it is not always necessary that he belong to the Church, actually as a member, but it can sometimes be enough that he belong to it as one who desires or wills to be in it. In other words, it is possible for one who belongs to the Church only in desire to be saved.
It is possible for this desire of entering the Church to be effective, not only when it is explicit, but also (when the person is invincibly ignorant of the true Church) even when that desire is merely implicit.
The Mystici Corporis reproved both the error of those who teach the impossibility of salvation for those who have only an implicit desire of entering the Church, and the false doctrine of those who claim that men may find salvation equally in every religion.
No desire to enter the Church can be effective for salvation unless it is enlightened by supernatural faith and animated or motivated by perfect charity.
"Within" or "Outside" the Church
Let us consider number (7) above. Here Father Fenton give us the word "within." The dogma of faith says, "Outside the Church there is no salvation." Here we have two important words as wonderful tools to work with. They are, "within" and "outside" the Catholic Church.
In his most important encyclical, Mystici Corporis Christi, Pope Pius XII defined what membership in the Church meant. It means that one is baptized with water, has the true faith, is subject to the true Pope and is not excommunicated. Here, the key word is "member." A member, of course, is "within" the Church.

Now we have two more steps to make. One can be "within" the Church as a member and by true desire. Next we consider two important words of number (8) above, namely, "explicit" desire and "implicit" desire. Both these conditions of soul put one "within" the Catholic Church. In such a state of soul, one can receive forgiveness of sin and receive sanctifying grace.

"Explicit" and "Implicit" Desire to Enter the Church
We shall explain what "explicit" desire means. When a catechumen knows about the Church, about baptism and the like, he then has the choice to desire to enter the Church by baptism of water or not. If he turns with the help of grace to God and His Church in such a desire, he is then "within" the Church, with what we call an "explicit" act of desire. With that desire in his heart, he can make an act of perfect contrition. The result would be that he is freed from his sins, and he receives sanctifying grace. In that state he is ready for heaven.
Next, we explain the term "implicit" as it is found in number (8) above. Note that the term is modified by the word merely. Many thought that "implicit" desire to enter the Church was not enough. Let us explain the meaning of "implicit" desire to enter the Church. It means that a person who knows and believes explicitly the four things necessary for salvation is already in a state of soul which is pleasing to God. Let us say that the person is taken away after that instruction to a prison camp. There, no one will give him any more instruction. However, he desires the instruction with all his heart. Hence, his ignorance of the other truths of the faith is an invincible ignorance. He sincerely wants the knowledge and the reality Christ's true Church has for him. With that desire and with the movement of actual grace that man or woman can make an act of perfect contrition. The effect of that act of perfect contrition will be that he or she will receive forgiveness of sins and also sanctifying grace. Again, in that state one is ready for the everlasting joys of heaven.

Four Things Necessary for Salvation
Lest some persons reading this be confused about the four things necessary for salvation, I shall say what they are in just four words:
Creator
Remunerator
Trinity
Savior
Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews), so he must have supernatural knowledge and faith in God the Creator who rewards the good and punishes the evil. That is absolutely necessary. Then we must always follow in the new dispensation (New Testament) that one must also believe in the Blessed Trinity and in the Savior, Our Lord Jesus Christ. After that explicit faith, where there is invincible ignorance, one can have merely "implicit" knowledge and faith as explained above.
Efficacious Desire to Enter the Church
We must consider another very important factor. The desire, whether it is explicit or merely implicit, must be truly efficacious. Let us take a simple example of an efficacious desire. A person desires to go to Australia. He gets a passport, a visa, a ticket, a flight reservation, and so forth. Even though he is not yet in Australia, he has an efficacious desire to get there, known by all the preparations.
Another person with an in-efficacious desire is a person who merely wants to go to Australia, but he does nothing about it at all. He has the money, and he has the time, but he does nothing about getting ready.

Now apply this to people in the world in regard to our holy religion, the Catholic Church. Many, yes very many desire to be in the true Church that Christ founded. However, not all of them have an efficacious desire, and unless the desire is efficacious, the act of contrition will not effect forgiveness of sins and the obtaining of sanctifying grace. Once again, "Outside the Church there is no salvation," no forgiveness of sin, and there will be no obtaining of sanctifying grace.

A Caution from Pope Pius IX
We have another caution to give, and it is not mine but it is from Pope Pius IX. In "The Sources of Catholic Dogma" by Denzinger, we read some very sharp words from that holy pontiff. In number 1647, the pope chides those who go too deeply into the practical order. Who has that desire? What are the hidden workings of grace? The last words of that paragraph are, "it is unlawful to proceed further in inquiry." Pope Pius IX then goes on to tell us to work and pray that all men may come to the knowledge of the true Church and lovingly join that true Church.
The Age of Reason - Decision Time
I urge those who have Fr. Fenton's wonderful book to read it and re-read it. On pages 71 - 72, we find a wonderful study on un-baptized persons coming to the age of reason. When such a person reaches the age of reason, he must make a decision to enter the divine order (the kingdom of Heaven) or to go contrary to the kingdom of Heaven, namely to enter the kingdom of Satan. As stated above, his efficacious desire takes away original sin and gives him sanctifying grace. The opposite desire (rebellion) puts into his soul his first mortal sin.
Work and Pray for All Mankind
While we thank God for our faith and presence "within" the Church, we must work and pray that all men may find and live "within" the one ark of salvation, the Holy Roman Catholic Church.

on Penance
"Praised be Jesus Christ; now and forever. Amen."

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The Penitential Season of Lent
It will be well for us to look at the religious phenomenon of penance as it appears in the Protestant world. On a former occasion I felt the need to write or preach about penance, and I went to a very detailed concordance on my book shelf. I had used it over and over to find scripture texts, and I expected to find many texts on that occasion. Not so! The name of the concordance is Walker’s Comprehensive Concordance. Unfortunately it is a Protestant concordance, and it does not list even one scriptural text dealing with penance. I have less extensive concordances that are Catholic, and I had to make due with those sources of information.
Dear readers, that defect (non-existence) of the word penance in the entire Protestant Concordance just amazed me. It supplies one with the conclusion that Protestantism is lacking this most important means of obtaining forgiveness and graces (even in their private lives) from almighty God. The devil has taken an important ladder to heaven from each and every Protestant. What a pity!

Penance
By the good fortune of Divine Providence I have a most valuable source for leading us in the study of penance. The book that I shall use most is The Divine of HOLY SCRIPTURE by Rev. Kenelm Vaughan, published by B. Herder (no longer in existence) 1904. It has an equivalent imprimatur (preface) by J. Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, MD. given in November 17, 1893.
The chapter on Penance begins on page 781 and ends on page 790 - all very fine print.

The titles for the various divisions of penance are as follows:

The Virtue of Penance; Its Necessity; Preached by the Prophets; By Our Lord and His Apostles.
Acknowledgment of Sin; Necessity for its forgiveness.
The Love of God to Penitents.
Public Penance Practiced in Calamitous Times to Appease God’s Anger.
The Repentance of Ninive (footnote) Ninive, the capital of Assyria, was 20 miles long, 12 broad, and 60 in compass, and surrounded with walls 100 ft. high, and so broad that three chariots could drive abreast on them.
It should be noted that all the above pages (in fine print) are made up of texts from the Old and New Testaments, that is, the Bible. With the conclusion of this scriptural study, the concordance continues with the Sacrament of Penance. In this study in CARITAS we shall not deal with the Sacrament of Penance. We shall confine out studies to the many uses of the word penance. There are three main divisions. They are:
Prayer
Fasting, and
Alms Giving
In a general way we shall consider the necessity of penance in order to avoid hell and get to heaven. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, does not mince words. He came to the point in the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke. We quote from verse one until verse five.
"(1) And there were present at the very time, some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
(2) And he answering, said to them; Think you that these Galileans were sinners above all the men of Galilee, because they suffered such things?
(3) No. I say to you; but unless you shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish.
(4) Or those eighteen upon whom the tower fell in Siloe and slew them: think you that they also were debtors above all the men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
(5) No. I say to you: but except you do penance, you shall all likewise perish."
Our Lord stressed the absolute need for penance by repeating the third verse again in the fifth verse.
Besides demanding penance, Our Lord also rebuked the beneficiaries of His gifts who neglected to do penance. In Matthew 11, 20 we read,

"Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein were done the most of His miracles, for that they had not done penance."
There is an interesting development in the above quotation. Those who receive more of God's gifts are bound to do more penance than those who have received less of His gifts. All you readers should recall all the gifts and graces you have received and still are receiving. For each and every gift received we shall have to render an account on judgment day.
Next we move from gifts for which we must show gratitude, to sins for which we must do penance. In the Acts of the Apostles in the eighth chapter we have the account of a convert by the name Simon who marveled at the working of the Holy Ghost. After the Apostles confirmed the converts they worked miracles of all sorts. This Simon then wanted to buy that power from the Apostles with money. Peter rebuked him saying:

(verse 20) "Keep thy money to thyself, to perish with thee: because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
(21) Thou hast no part nor lot in this matter. For thy heart is not right in the sight of God.
(22) Do penance therefore for this thy wickedness: and pray to God, that perhaps this thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee.
(23) For I see thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity.
(24) Then Simon answering, said: Pray you for me to the Lord (Do penance - added.) that none of these things which you have spoken may come upon me."
Once again, when we are blessed by God we must do penance, and when we have offended God we must do penance.
I shall comment on the three modes or kinds of penance. We do well to use all of them.

Prayer
In a former CARITAS I gave an explanation of prayer. For the present I shall make some remarks about making sure that we pray. In a monastery certain hours are set aside for prayer. We who do not enjoy that "luxury" must deliberately set time aside for prayer, and that should be in our daily program.
Unless one is sick, one can order ones rising so that there is time for prayers before the duties of the day begin. St. Francis of Assisi used to call his body "brother ass." He made his body perform, even if it was hard for him. Be sure to make the saying of daily prayers at set times as well as you can.

Beside having times for set prayers we should resolve to frequently during the day say short prayers, and generally those prayers should be hallowed with indulgences.

Fasting
By fasting we mean any deprivation that we make for ourselves or are made for us by others for whatever reason. We must distinguish two meanings of the word fasting. The Lenten fast means that those so obliged by the Church to fast may take one full meal a day and the other two meals united (in weight) may not exceed the weight of the whole meal.
In this treatment we use the word fast in a generic sense, namely, the giving up of anything for the love of God and the salvation of souls. Hence, the giving up meat on Fridays is a fasting. The staying away from dancing (say, especially during Lent) is fasting. Not eating candy when it is available, not drinking pop when it is available and the like, is fasting. Strange but true, abstaining from sin is fasting.

The above generic method of fasting applies to each and everyone of us. If we do not fast, that is, give up that what is entirely lawful from time to time we will not be able to give up sin when the occasion presents itself.

I heard a mother tell her child at table, "If you do not like it do not eat it." Wrong! She should have said, "If it does not make you ill, and you do not like it, eat it as a penance." You will profit by the food, and you will learn how to live in society without being "a food snip" at other peoples' tables for all your life.

Methodology -- The secret of fasting (giving up anything) boils down to this. One is attached to God and other spiritual objects to such an extent that he prefers to give up lesser things in order to have the greater good. It comes down to setting our values and priorities. Say it this way: "I prefer the love of God and sanctifying grace in my soul more than a delicious ham supper on Friday." Get even more basic: "I love heaven more than hell." That is why we give up any and all serious sins, no matter how pleasurable the evil acts may be.

Our fasting (also called mortification) has grades of perfection. I remember a young Capuchin telling me, while I was in the U.S.A. on vacation from the Japanese mission, that he could never leave this country to be a foreign missionary. Without any big ado I spent nearly twenty eight years in foreign missionary service - including many of the sufferings that St. Paul tells us he suffered for the love of God and the salvation of souls.

At times I see people who find it very difficult to give up such habits as smoking and excessive alcoholic drinking. Even though some bad and sinful habits entail withdrawal sufferings I have seen men and women who broke with those and worse habits by what is called "cold turkey." Only a good will and the special assistance of God (known as actual grace) can make that happen.

In small imperfections one can advance on the way of perfection by steps. When it is a matter of mortal sin, fasting (giving it up) must always, in intention, be "cold turkey." With the help of God the drunkard, for example, can quit his mortally sinful habit and become a t-totter for the rest of his life. If any of you have never read the life St. Mary of Egypt you would do well to read it. There the worst prostitute in the land, left society to live a solitary life of penance in a forest for many years - to the point that every stitch of her clothing eventually fell from her body.

We must marvel how men left all things to be habitually united to God. A Simon Stylite read in the Church Bible that Christ invited certain ones to give up all things and follow Him. Simon first had a black smith weld a chain around his waist and then weld the chain around a bolder which he could not move. A holy man saw Simon in that condition worshipping God in the open field. He told Simon that the chain was not necessary. He could remain there in prayer and penance if he determined to do so with the help of God. Then Simon had the black smith remove the chain. There after Simon remained in the field in prayer. People began to visit this marvel, so he built a small tower and prayed upon that. Again, worldly distractions by on-lookers bothered him. He eventually built a tower thirty feet high, and he prayed in solitary up there the year round. From time to time he rebuked the on-lookers for their sinful lives, and he urged holiness of life. Strange but true, even bishops, in secret, consulted with Simon on the things of the spiritual life.

We are inclined to ask: "Just how could Simon give up all things to follow his contemplative life on top of a thirty foot tower in the heat of day and the cold of night all year around and for a life time?" The secret is that he valued the contemplation of God (what the angels and Saints do in heaven forever) more than anything else on earth.

In all humility we view the lives of many of our Catholic young people. They give up their Catholic faith to live with a divorced man or woman as the case may be. With a firm determination, as souls in hell, they embrace a total life of sin, and when death comes they obstinately refused to see the priest.

The bend in the road to heaven is fasting, and the bend in the road to hell is not fasting. The bend in the road to heaven is doing the will of God, and bend in the road to hell is doing ones' own will - against the will of God.

Almsgiving
Of ourselves we are nothing, and of ourselves we have nothing. God created us out of nothing, and anything that we happen to possess is also created by God. In Australia a charming old Catholic gentleman used to claim, in jest, that he still had his own teeth. Then he remarked, "I paid for them!" He has passed away, but his humor is still with us. May he rest in peace.
Consider an alms as some treasure on a platter. You take it to God to give it (to return it) to Him. He accepts it in the persons of the poor. The wealthy (those in possession of the things of this world) need the poor, and the poor need the alms of those more blessed by God. The poor you have always with you.

Almsgiving presents itself in a very broad spectrum. Any time we give of what we are and have: that can be an alms before the throne of God. The greatest alms that one can make to God is to put oneself on the platter before God, by giving oneself to God in the religious life. Even that has degrees, for some Orders are stricter than others, and all that, is in the order of divine providence.

When giving we must observe right order. Prodigality means that one neglects his duties and gives of what he has to the detriment of society. For example, a father gives away his salaries and leaves his wife and children in cold and hunger.

We must always look for some way to give of our strength or means to better our society. Being helpful around the house is a form of alms giving. Giving a thirsty man a drink of cold water is alms giving. We merely have to look at the spiritual and corporal works of mercy to know if we are in the right ball park. We do works of charity for the love of God, for God has promised to reward our good works with a heavenly reward. He promises to reward us for kindness to our neighbor just as if we did it to Him. The beggar is not Christ, as some of the nuts in the Novus Ordo used to claim. However, Christ lets the poor stand in His place, so we have needy persons to assist by our alms giving.

I shall make an observation. When a child gets to the age when he or she can baby-sit he gets his first bit of money. Some of them come freely and give some of that to the priest. They turn out well. However, I have observed with sadness that others use their first bit of money on themselves in a selfish way. They grow up, go to college, and leave the Church to the great sadness of their parents and the Catholic community. Why! It is because they never considered giving to the Church or to those less blessed than themselves.

We are in the holy season of Lent. Let us consider the words of the Breviary, taken from the first Epistle of St. Peter, for Compline each day. In chapter 5, 8-9 he says, "Be sober and watch; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist ye, strong in faith; knowing that the same affliction befalls your brethren who are in the world."

English – the Third Official Language of the Church
I bring this topic before you as something to think about and pray about. If the English language is ruined (by such things as "Ebonics"), then all the wonderful expression in the English language will be lost to posterity. Let me explain.
When I went to the Ryukyu Islands as a missionary in 1948 there were practically no Catholic books in existence. Gradually, paper back books were produced, and the Catholics loved them. That honeymoon ended in about sixteen years. The young people came to me and asked for new books on the same topics. Why? Because they could not read the Japanese characters in them. The younger generation asked me to give the older books to the older generation who can read them. The younger people knew only the simplified characters. The younger people were cut off from nearly all of the learning of former generations, and they were not happy about it.

The Japanese characters change so much that all ecclesiastical document and records must be kept in the ABCs. Standardization in language is most important. The Church saw that Latin became the almost perfect avenue of learning. By taking Latin, as it was, for its official language, the Church used Latin in all Her doctrines and other liturgy so that it can forever be understood. If the Catholic Church now takes perfect English in the written word and in the spoken word, it will do a great service in preserving learning as it is in books all over the world. Furthermore, even if the crack-pot educators ruin the English language the learning in billions of books will still be understood by means of the English language as it is preserved in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. We will have the key to all learning both in the Church and in the civil order.

English is the world language today. Every airplane pilot and every airport tower on earth is mandated to use only English. We are leaving the tower of Babel behind, but the storm clouds of destruction are looming over-head. Our opportunity to be the greatest benefactor in the service of communicating truth to the world is before us. Our Lord told us that He is the way, the truth and the life. Pray that God may enlighten and strengthen those in charge of this momentous decision - so extremely important for harmony on earth and for the salvation of immortal souls.

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May the grace and peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ be with each one of you. You are in my prayers and Masses. Please pray for me.

Apostolicity
from The Catholic Encyclopedia
1913

with addendum by + Gordon Cardinal Bateman
May 1999


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Apostolicity is the Mark by which the Church of today is recognized as identical with the Church founded by Jesus Christ upon the Apostles. It is of great importance because it is the surest indication of the true Church of Christ. It is most easily examined, and it virtually contains the other three marks, namely, Unity, Sanctity, and Catholicity. Either the word “Christian” or “Apostolic” might be used to express the identity between the Church of today and the primitive Church. The term “Apostolic” is preferred because it indicates a correlation between Christ and the Apostles, showing the relation of the Church both to Christ, the founder, and to the Apostles, upon whom He founded it. “Apostle” is one sent, sent by authority of Jesus Christ to continue His Mission upon earth, especially a member of the original band of teachers known as the Twelve Apostles. Therefore the Church is called Apostolic, because it was founded by Jesus Christ upon the Apostles. Apostolicity of doctrine and mission is necessary. Apostolicity of doctrine requires that the deposit of faith committed to the Apostles shall remain unchanged. Since the Church is infallible in its teaching, it follows that if the Church of Christ still exists it must be teaching His doctrine.
Hence, Apostolicity of mission is a guarantee of Apostolicity of doctrine. St. Irenaeus (Adv. Haeres, IV, xxvi, n. 2) says: “Wherefore we must obey the priests of the Church who have succession from the Apostles, as we have shown, who, together with succession in the episcopate, have received the certain mark of truth according to the will of the Father; all others, however, are to be suspected, who separated themselves from the principal succession”, etc. In explaining the concept of Apostolicity, then, special attention must be given to Apostolicity of mission, or Apostolic succession. Apostolicity of mission means that the Church is one moral body, possessing the mission entrusted by Jesus Christ to the Apostles, and transmitted through them and their lawful successors in an unbroken chain to the present representatives of Christ upon earth. This authoritative transmission of power in the Church constitutes Apostolic succession. This Apostolic succession must be both material and formal; the material consisting in the actual succession in the Church, through a series of persons from the Apostolic age to the present; the formal adding the element of authority in the transmission of power. It consists in the legitimate transmission of the ministerial power conferred by Christ upon His Apostles. No one can give a power which he does not possess. Hence in tracing the mission of the Church back to the Apostles, no lacuna can be allowed, no new mission can arise; but the mission conferred by Christ must pass from generation to generation through an uninterrupted lawful succession. The Apostles received it from Christ and gave it in turn to those legitimately appointed by them, and these again selected others to continue the work of the ministry. Any break in this succession destroys Apostolicity, because the break means the beginning of a new series which is not apostolic. “How shall they preach unless they be sent?” (Rom., 10, 15). An authoritative mission to teach is absolutely necessary, a man-given mission is not authoritative. Hence any concept of Apostolicity that excludes authoritative union with the Apostolic mission robs the ministry of its Divine character. Apostolicity, or Apostolic succession, then, means that the mission conferred by Jesus Christ upon the Apostles must pass from them to their legitimate successors, in an unbroken line, until the end of the world. This notion of Apostolicity is evolved from the words of Christ Himself, the practice of the Apostles, and the teaching of the Fathers and theologians of the Church.

The intention of Christ is apparent from the Bible passages, which tell of the conferring of the mission upon the Apostles. “As the Father hath sent Me, I also send you: (John, xx, 21). The mission of the Apostles, like the mission of Christ, is a Divine mission; they are the Apostles, or ambassadors, of the Eternal Father. “All power is given to Me in heaven and on earth. Going, therefore, teach ye all nations; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world: (Matt., xxviii, 18). This Divine mission is always to continue the same, hence it must be transmitted with its Divine character until the end of time, i.e. there must be an unbroken lawful succession which is called Apostolicity. The Apostles understood their mission in this sense. St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans (x, 8-19), insists upon the necessity of Divinely established mission. “How shall they preach unless they be sent?” (x, 15). In his letters to his disciples Timothy and Titus, St. Paul speaks of the obligation of preserving Apostolic doctrine, and of ordaining other disciples to continue the work entrusted to the Apostles. “Hold the form of sound words, which thou hast heard from me in faith and in the love which is in Christ Jesus” (II Tim., i, 13). “And the things which thou hast heard from me by many witnesses, the same commend to faithful men, who shall be fit to teach others also” (II Tim., ii, 2). “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting and shouldst ordain priests in every city, as I also appointed thee” (Titus, i, 5). Just as the Apostles transmitted their mission by lawfully appointing others to the work of the ministry, so their successors were to ordain priests to perpetuate the same mission given by Jesus Christ, i.e. an Apostolic mission must always be maintained in the Church.

The writings of the Fathers constantly refers to the Apostolic character of the doctrine and mission of the Church. See St. Polycarp, St. Ignatius, (Epist. ad Smyrn., n. 8), St. Clement of Alex., St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Athanasius (History of Arianism), Tertullian (Lib. de Praescipt, n. 32, etc). We quote a few examples which are typical of the testimony of the Fathers. St. Irenaeus (Adv. Haeres, IV, xxvi, n. 2): “Wherefore we must obey the priests of the Church, who have succession from the Apostles,” etc. - quoted above. St. Clement (Ep. I, ad. Cor., 42-44): “Christ was sent by God the Father, and the Apostles by Christ....They appointed the above-named and then gave them command that when they came to die other approved men should succeed to their ministry.” St. Cyprian (Ep. 76, Ad Magnum): “Novatianus is not in the Church, nor can he be considered a bishop, because in contempt of Apostolic tradition he was ordained by himself without succeeding anyone.”. Hence authoritative transmission of power, i.e. Apostolicity, is essential. In all theological works the same explanation of Apostolicity is found, based on the Scriptural and patristic testimony just cited. Billuart (III, 306) concludes his remarks on Apostolicity in the words of St. Jerome: “We must abide in that Church, which was founded by the Apostles, and endures to this day.: Mazella (De Relig. et Eccl., 359), after speaking of Apostolic succession as an uninterrupted substitution of persons in the place of the Apostles, insists upon the necessity of jurisdiction or authoritative transmission, thus excluding the hypothesis that a new mission could ever be originated by anyone in the place of the mission bestowed by Christ and transmitted in the manner described. Billot (De Eccl. Christi, I, 243-275) emphasizes the idea that the Church, which is Apostolic, must be presided over by bishops, who derive their ministry and their governing power from the Apostles. Apostolicity, then, is that Apostolic succession by which the Church of today is one with the Church of the Apostles in origin, doctrine, and mission.

The history of the Catholic Church from St. Peter, the first Pontiff, to the present Head of the Church, (then St. Pius X) is an evident proof of its Apostolicity, for no break can be shown in the line of succession. Cardinal Newman (Diff. of Anglicans) says: “Say there is no church at all if you will, and at least I shall understand you; but do not meddle with a fact attested by mankind.” Again “No other form of Christianity but this present Catholic Communion has a pretence to resemble, even in the faintest shadow, the Christianity of antiquity, viewed as a living religion on the stage of the world;” and again,: “The immutability and uninterrupted action of the laws in question throughout the course of Church history is a plain note of identity between the Catholic Church of the first ages and that which now goes by that name.” If any break in the Apostolic succession had ever occurred, it could be easily shown, for no fact of such importance could happen in the history of the world without attracting universal notice. Regarding questions and contests in the election of certain popes, there is no real difficulty. In the few cases in which controversies arose, the matter was always settled by a competent tribunal in the Church, the lawful Pope was proclaimed, and he, as the successor of St. Peter, received the Apostolic mission and jurisdiction in the Church. Again, the heretics of the early ages and the sects of later times have attempted to justify their teaching and practices by appealing to the doctrine of the Catholic Church, or to their early communion with the Catholic Church. Their appeal shows that the Catholic Church is regarded as Apostolic even by those who have separated from her communion.

Apostolicity is not found in any other Church. This is a necessary consequence of the unity of the Church. If there is but one true Church, and if the Catholic Church, as has just been shown, is Apostolic, the necessary inference is that no other Church is Apostolic. (See above quotations from Newman, “Diff. of Anglicans”). All sects that reject the Episcopate, by the very fact make Apostolic succession impossible, since they destroy the channel through which the Apostolic mission is transmitted. Historically, the beginnings of all these Churches can be traced to a period long after the time of Christ and the Apostles. Regarding the Greek Church, it is sufficient to note that it lost Apostolic succession by withdrawing from the jurisdiction of the lawful successors of St. Peter in the See of Rome. The same is to be said of the Anglican claims to continuity (MacLaughlin, “Divine Plan of the Church”, 213; and, Newman, “Diff. of Anglicans,” Lecture 12.) for the very fact of separation destroys their jurisdiction. They have based their claims on the validity of orders in the Anglican Church (see ANGLICAN ORDERS). Anglican orders, however, have been declared invalid. But even if they were valid, the Anglican Church would not be Apostolic, for jurisdiction is essential to the Apostolicity of mission. A study of the organization of the Anglican Church shows it to be entirely different from the Church established by Jesus Christ.



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Addendum by + Gordon Cardinal Bateman
May 1999
So without this One Mark - Apostolicity, one does not have the other three …a good point to remember. And that can only be found in the church which has elected the successor to the last Pope - Pius XII, died Oct. 9th 1958.

This does not apply to those who are not Catholic as with clerics of Vatican II, nor do they apply to those other Traditional or sedevacantist sects that propagate the false theories of the acephalous heresy or that the church does NOT need a pope as does Briton’s Library. All other groups or societies who have also disturbed the peace of the Church by the breaking of Trent’s canons re. the sending of priests who have no jurisdiction from non-juridical persons like Archbishop Lefebvre or Bishop Thuc are also included as non-members. They are currently in schism. Only a very few priests left in the world possess this juridical right held since Pius XII and one of them is our priest Fr. Lucian Pulvermacher, now reigning as Pius XIII.

Jurisdiction
A Priest’s Right to Hear Confession
Canon 883
Instruction by Fr. Lucian Pulvermacher, OFM, Cap.
February 13, 1997


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Ordination to the priesthood gives a man the power to forgive sins. His right to hear confessions in a particular locality is normally given by the local Ordinary (bishop) and this is called jurisdiction. With jurisdiction, a priest may use his power of forgiving sins, and without jurisdiction, a priest may not.
There are two factors to consider in this all important use of jurisdiction. The first is Canon Law, and the second is a decree made by Pope Pius XII in Motu proprio on December 15, 1947. I shall quote from "A Practical Commentary of the Code of Canon Law" by Rev. Stanislaus Woywod, OFM, LL.B and revised by Rev. Callistus Smity, OFM, J.C.L. The book has an imprimatur and copyright dates of 1925, 1929, 1932, 1943 and 1947.

Hearing Confessions On the Ocean
Starting on page 491, no 788 we read:
"On an ocean trip, all priests may hear confessions on the boat during the time of the voyage and absolve the faithful who travel with them (even though the boat may pass through districts subject to various Ordinaries or stop for a while in some port), provided they have been properly approved for confessions either by the bishop of their own diocese, or by the bishop of the port where they take the boat, or the Ordinary of any of the ports at which the boat calls.
Whenever the boat stops at a port during the voyage, such a priest may hear confessions, absolve not only the people who for any reason enter the boat, but also, if the priest goes ashore for a while, persons who request him to hear their confessions, and he may absolve them even from sins reserved to the local Ordinary (Canon 883).

A declaration of the Committee of the Authentic Interpretation of the Code has decided that if the boat stops in some port and the priest goes ashore, he can hear confessions on land all who want to confess to him, even though the boat stops for two or three full days. The priest may hear confessions for the same length of time, when he changes boats in some port and has to wait for the connecting boat. In both cases, he cannot hear confessions beyond three days, if the local Ordinary can EASILY be reached."

Hearing Confessions in the Air
Next we go to page 493:
"In order to make the benefits and convenience of this faculty (which can be so helpful for the sanctification of souls) more widely and more readily available to the faithful who with daily increasing frequency travel by air, Pope Pius XII by Motu proprio of December 15, 1947, perpetually extended the sense of Canon 883 to include priests who undertake a journey by air. What therefore is said in Canon 883 concerning the faculty to hear confessions enjoyed by priests who undertake a journey by sea now holds and is extended, under like conditions and under the same terms, to priests traveling by air."
Jurisdiction and Priests in the Church Today
Here I, Fr. Lucian Pulvermacher, OFM. Cap., bring myself (and some other priests also) into the equation.
In regard to forgiveness of sins, every validly ordained priest has this power. However, it may be used only within the Catholic Church and under the direction of the Church. The Pope and his bishops assign members of the faithful to these priests. That assignment we refer to as jurisdiction. That can be very extensive, or very confined according to the mandate giving the jurisdiction.

In the Catholic Church every ordination must be under the Pope in some way. The ordaining bishop must be subject to the Pope. That makes the ordained man a Catholic priest. Hence, when a bishop, not under the Pope, ordains, he makes a priest, but he is not a Catholic priest. Here I shall not deal with the penalties for such an action. I will say those priests and bishops are just like the Russian and Greek Orthodox priests. Hence, the men made bishops and priests under such men as Archbishop Lefebvre and Bishop Thuc after bogus Council Vatican II may not function as priests and bishops in the Catholic Church until they are received into the Church (and cleared to hear confessions) by the true Pope.

I was ordained a priest in 1946 by a bishop who was subject to Pope Pius XII. In 1948 I was assigned to the Ryukyu Mission fully subject to Pope Pius XII. I had the ordinary faculties for confession. I was in good standing with the ecclesiastical authorities.

The Novus Ordo Takeover
Gradually, the Novus Ordo like a thief in the night sneaked into the whole world. I hated every bit of it, but it seemed to me at the time that it was still the Catholic Church (a simple mistake – not accepting heresy). As a matter of fact, the bishops and priests around me fully embraced the Novus Ordo. I figured that the Church in Australia was less evil than the Church in Japan, so I petitioned and received permission from the superiors to transfer to Australia. Little did I know that all of them were in another religion.
Canon 883
When I departed from the Ryukyu Islands, I left by airplane. Since I had not abandoned the faith, I retained my place in the Church and faculties for confession. Then Canon law took over. I had faculties for confession on flight, and I had them for three days after leaving the plane in Australia. After those three days, I would be obliged to get faculties from a true bishop there – unless, as the law states, it is too difficult. There were no true bishops there, so my faculties started ticking away, and those three days will continue to tick away until we get a true Pope. I am not presuming any jurisdiction. My jurisdiction is fair and square, just as it was on the Ryukyu Islands. If perchance I return to the Ryukyu Islands then faculties will shrink to that place only, but when departing again the three days start ticking away again. Just keep Canon 883 in mind, and keep Pope Pius XII’s extension of that Canon from ship to plane in perpetuity.
Let us thank God’s holy providence for setting up Canon law in such a way that priests like me throughout the world still have their faculties for confession.

Living Our Catholic Faith
...in the Absence of a Priest
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In this day and age, there are very few true priests left. We are left in a situation where getting the sacraments from a priest is at times impossible. What is a Catholic to do? Firstly, we should never lose hope. In times past, people lived without a priest for long periods of time, and kept the faith. In extraordinary situations, God will provide all the graces necessary for your salvation, if only you cooperate with His graces.
Look to St. Joseph, who lived and died before the time Jesus established His Church. And yet, St. Joseph is one of the greatest saints. Keep the faith -- God will provide.

There are things we can and should do even without a priest. This page of the True Catholic website provides you with articles on various aspects of how to practice our Catholic faith when a priest is simply unavailable. There are 2 sacraments only which can be transacted without a priest -- they are Baptism and Matrimony. Baptism is the most important because it makes us God's children, and give us the right to heaven.



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Catholics Without a Priest - by Fr. Demaris, 1801
written during the French Revolution to Catholics who were left without a priest. A direct parallel to the situation today.
The New Vatican II Rite of Baptism - "Is it Valid?"
shows why this new rite is defective.
How a Lay Person is to Administer Baptism
instructs on the matter, form, and intention necessary for any person to administer the Sacrament of Baptism validly.
Matrimony - "How Catholics may marry without a Pastor "
instructs on the requirements and method for Catholics to marry, and discusses impediments, mixed marriages, and dispensations.
The Act of Perfect Contrition
shows how to use this most precious gift. Use a seatbelt in your car because it can save you life. Use the Act of Perfect Contrition because it can save your soul.
How to Make a Good Intention
shows the way in which we should offer all our actions to God, through our Morning Offering and throughout the day.
The Rosary
Say the Rosary every day. It is a most powerful prayer and it is a sure sign of predestination.
The Brown Scapular
"Whosoever dies wearing this cloth shall not suffer eternal fire."
The Need to Do Penance for Our Sins
shows the necessity for us to do penance, including fasting, prayers and alms-giving. An excellent review for Lent and for doing penance throughout the year.
Preparation for Death - by St. Alphonsus de Liguori
instructs on the shortness of life, the vanities of this world, and the moment on which our eternity depends.
The Power of Holy Water
from the Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila, 1562 A.D.
Men's Dress Worn by Women
Letter from Cardinal Siri on women who wear clothing of men.