by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
I received from Mr. Jeroboam Candid Warrior this letter valiantly written and “signed” by typewriter:
When I read the recent news about the anti-progressive demonstration in Rome and its sad outcome, I thought of you.
Indeed, 1,500 Catholics from various countries march in Rome to express their displeasure to Paul VI about the reforms he’s implementing in the Church. They also want the current Bishop of Rome to wield the same absolute power as his predecessors. They arrive and gather at St. Peter’s Square in humble prayer, asking God to enlighten Pope Montini. Meanwhile, the pope remains contemptuously behind closed doors and windows throughout the entire gathering. The only criticism he offers is that they are more papal than he is. The loyal group of super-Catholics and super-papal supporters disperses wistfully without hearing a single word of paternal affection from the supreme Shepherd, to whom they stubbornly remain united. Moreover, a speech by Paul VI shortly afterward devastated them.
Days earlier, Paul VI welcomed a ‘heretic’ (using the term from Catholic theologians) in the Sistine Chapel—the Armenian Patriarch Vasken—with pomp, as if he were a pope. Now, Paul VI is about to meet the rebellious Cardinal Alfrink of Utrecht (who, incidentally, is far more likable than you and your TFP), to hold some ‘dialogue’ followed by concessions. Also, a few days after dismissing his unfortunate super-faithful, Paul VI received three Afro-Portuguese guerrilla fighters with special honors. Tito’s visit to the Vatican is scheduled for August, when he will be greeted with the honors due a head of state. And so on and so forth.
Don’t you realize, Dr. Plinio, that the Vatican doors and the pope’s heart are open to all winds and voices except for the ideological winds blowing from your direction and the voices echoing what you say?
Honestly, I find it incredible how openly you ignore all of this in your articles, claiming to be as passionate and unwavering a Catholic as if today’s pope weren’t Montini but Sarto (‘Saint’ Pius X), the fierce heresy-fighter of the early 20th century.
The purpose of this letter is not to embarrass you, Dr. Plinio. But ultimately, the truth is the truth: open your eyes to it. No one in the world faces more rejection by the modernized Papacy and the New Church than you and your ilk.
Consider this contrast carefully. During the last Synod of Bishops, some highly rebellious Catholic priests gathered in a Protestant church in Rome and delivered a harsh message to Paul VI. The doors of the Vatican were opened to them. They reached the papal antechamber and delivered their message. Paul VI did not meet with them in person but kindly assured them he would review the protesters’ requests.
And what about the TFP message begging Paul VI to take action against what you call ‘communist infiltration in the Church,’ signed by 1,600,368 Catholics? Paul VI didn’t even reply! Could there be any more evident proof of rejection?
However, despite having the door slammed in your face, you still present yourself in public as the fanatic papist you were when, as a young man, you stood out in the ranks of the Marian Sodalities shouting the hymn: ‘Long live the Pope, May God protect him, the Shepherd of the Holy Church!”
Don’t you realize, Dr. Plinio, that everything has changed and that you are now in the hot seat?
Have the courage to explain your contradictory position to the public today.
* * *
St. Peter receives the keys from Our Lord – sculptural ensemble in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome.
Mr. Jeroboam Candid Warrior: You sound barely candid but very warlike. (In Brazil, Jeroboam is a Protestant name.)
I have fearlessly published your entire letter. And although I am tempted to point out some errors of style, thought, and history (present and past), I’d rather address the core of this subject within the small space his long text allows me. Having a Protestant interlocutor, I need to show how a Catholic should behave in the conditions he imagines I am in, rather than in those I actually find myself in.
You are mistaken. Today, I do not stand before the Holy See with the same enthusiasm of my youth, but with much greater enthusiasm because, as I live, think, and gain experience, I understand and love the pope and the papacy more and more. This would be the case even if I found myself exactly as you describe.
I still remember the catechism classes where they explained the papacy, its divine institution, powers, and mission. My child’s heart (I was 9) filled with admiration, enchantment, and enthusiasm. I had found the ideal to which I would devote my whole life. Since then, my love for this ideal has only grown, and I ask Our Lady to make it grow more and more until my last breath. I want the last act of my intellect to be an act of faith in the papacy. May my last act of love be an act of love for the papacy. I will thus die in the peace of the elect, closely united to Mary my Mother, and through her to Jesus, my God, King, and most gracious Redeemer.
In me, Mr. Warrior, this love for the papacy is not abstract. It includes a special love for the pope’s sacrosanct person, whether yesterday, today, or tomorrow—a love of veneration and obedience.
Yes, I insist: love of obedience. I want to fully adhere to every teaching of this pope, as well as his predecessors and successors, according to the Church’s doctrines—trusting as infallible what she commands and recognizing as fallible what she teaches to be fallible. I aim to obey the orders of this or any pope to the extent that the Church requires. This means never imposing my personal will or the influence of any earthly power upon them, and refusing obedience only if the command involves sin. In such cases, the will of God must take precedence over everything else, as all Catholic moralists teach, echoing the Apostle St. Paul.
This is what I learned in my catechism classes. This is what I read in the treatises I studied. This is what I think, this is what I feel, this is who I am. And with all my heart.
As I said, the facts you recount could be clarified or corrected. However, for the sake of argument, let us suppose that they are exactly as you describe, and the Vatican doors were or will be slammed in my face. I would not alter my attitude of faith, enthusiasm, and obedience. Furthermore, I would feel completely happy.
Do you know what St. Francis teaches us about perfect happiness? Let me briefly transcribe it from the Fioretti for your soul’s refreshment and joy:
Once, as St. Francis was traveling from Perugia to Santa Maria degli Angeli with Brother Leo during winter, the bitter cold greatly distressed him. Brother Leo asked, “Father, I beg you, in the name of God, to tell me where perfect joy is.” St. Francis replied, “When we arrive at Santa Maria degli Angeli, completely soaked from rain and freezing, covered in mud, and starving, and we knock on the convent’s door, and the porter angrily asks, ‘Who are you?’ and we say, ‘We are two of your brothers,’ and he replies, ‘You are not telling the truth; you are two vagabonds deceiving the world and stealing from the poor; get out of here,’ and he does not open the door, leaving us out in the cold, snow, and rain, hungry and freezing until nightfall. If we endure such insults, cruelty, and mistreatment cheerfully without becoming upset or murmuring against him, then that is perfect joy. And if, driven by hunger and the cold night, we knock again, calling and pleading with tears for him to open the door and let us in for God’s love, and if he responds with even more scorn, saying, ‘Importunate vagabonds, I will pay you as you deserve,’ and comes out with a heavy stick, grabbing us by our hoods, throwing us to the ground, dragging us through the snow, and beating us from knot to knot—if we patiently and joyfully endure all these things, thinking of the sufferings of blessed Christ that we must endure for his love—O Brother Leo, write that in this lies perfect joy. And now, listen to the conclusion: above all the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit, which Christ grants to his friends, is the gift of overcoming oneself and willingly enduring labors, insults, reproaches, and contempt for love’s sake.