| Fr. Nicholas Gruner started out in
the 1970s promoting the message of Fátima through a magazine called
Fátima Crusader. He and his magazine have always taken a
negative tone on the compliance of the Popes with the message of
Fátima, specifically vis-à-vis the request for the Consecration of
Russia, and has become more strident over the years. This approach pervades the magazine, and always has,
especially in its attitude toward the Roman Curia, BUT, not
excepting the Popes themselves, including the present pontiff.
This magazine also attacks anyone who disagrees with Fr. Gruner's
opinions on Fátima, showing contempt for all other Fátima
apostles. This includes holy priests like Fr. Robert Fox, whose
Fátima Family Apostolate has propagated the Fátima message to far
greater audiences than Fr. Gruner could ever hope to do, taken tens
of thousands of young people to Fátima, led them to consecrating
themselves to the Immaculate Heart, led them to holy vocations to
the priesthood, religious life and matrimony. It has also suggested
that Sr. Lucia, the surviving seer of Fátima, is kept from speaking the
truth about the message of Fátima, the Consecration of Russia and
the Third Part of the Secret of Fátima. All evidence that Sr. Lucia has
spoken on these matters, whether in letters to others
or
statements to those who have visited her, including bishops, are
denounced as fabrications. Currently, he charges a Vatican conspiracy
to cover up the real content of the Third Secret,
a conspiracy that necessarily involves the Pope, Cardinal Ratzinger,
Sr. Lucia and other living individuals, such as Archbishop Capovilla,
who, unlike Fr. Gruner, have actually read the secret!
One's views about Fátima, however, cannot separate one from the
Church. Private revelation does not oblige, so neither can a particular
interpretation of it. No matter how wrong-headed Fr. Gruner's views
are, they can never, in themselves, constitute disbelief or schism.
However, in recent years Fr. Gruner has aligned himself increasingly
with ultra-traditionalists who, forgetting the First Vatican
Council's doctrine of papal primacy, oppose the acts and decrees of Vatican II
and the recent pontiffs in a number of matters, especially
liturgical. Taking to themselves
the judgment of the sufficiency of acts of papal governance and the interpretation
of Sacred Tradition, contrary to both
canon law and Catholic theology, they see themselves as the remnant
of the True Church, awaiting the conversion of the Pope, the bishops
and other "Novus Ordo" Catholics, as they call those who
follow the Council and the Papal Magisterium. This practice of private
interpretation has led them to a public campaign of resistance
to the Holy Father spelled out in another Gruner journal The
Catholic (sic) Family News, under the title "We
resist you to your face." The "you" is Pope John Paul
II. All Catholics should resist this impious campaign to its face!
[Note: This campaign is also a formal part of the editorial policy
of another ultra-traditionalist newspaper The Remnant, as
well.]
Catholics who associate themselves with such efforts participate
in at least material disobedience to lawful papal authority.
This means that externally, in themselves, their acts are
disobedient, though internally, through ignorance or lack of
intention, they may not be morally culpable (formal
disobedience). However, they could, over time, find themselves
in formal schism from the
Church, that is, knowingly and willfully disobeying papal authority. This is because in the human will it is
not very far from whining and complaining about what you don't like
about the Church and this pontificate to formally (that is, with
full moral culpability) breaking communion with Peter, especially
when you have taken the first step of material resistance to papal
authority.
- Finally, in recent years there has been a certain lack of
clarity regarding the priestly status of Fr. Gruner. Although
those who questioned the Roman Congregation of the Clergy were
told that his faculties had been suspended, Fr. Gruner
proclaimed himself innocent of disobedience and was appealing to
the highest ecclesiastical court, the Apostolic Signatura. As a
result, charity and justice obliged that reserve be taken in
judging the matter, until such time as his status was
definitively judged by the Holy See. His appeal having been
rejected by the Signatura, such reserve is no longer justified.
The Holy See has made clear, with the authority of the Pope,
that " the activities of Fr. Gruner ... do not have the approval of legitimate ecclesiastical authorities."
Catholics should heed this warning, for the reasons stated
above.
-
- Father's Gruner's disciples, naturally, will appeal to the
example of Blessed Padre Pio, who was silenced by the Holy See
for a time despite his innocence. It remains to be seen whether
Fr. Gruner will imitate the obedience of Padre Pio to what he
alleges is an act of injustice, or, continue to go his own way,
thereby demonstrating its validity.
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- Revised 20 September 2001
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