The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1953-02-27
(N.c.W.c. News Service

BOSTON - The Sacred Congre-
cation of the Holy Office, on Feb
ruary 13, 1853, issued a sentence
declaring that the Rev. Leonard
Feeney has incurred the penalty
of accommodation. The sentence
is published in the official bulletin
of the Holy See, the Acta Apostol-
icae Sedis dated February is, 1858.
From the same source has come
the following information about
the case of Father Feeney:
BY q Decree issued February
l3, 1853, the Sacred congregs-
ton Of the Holy Office declared
the Rev. Father Leonard Feeney
of St. Benedief's Center. Boston,
Mass, 10 have automatically in
Cured accommodation. The
Rev. Father Feeney hes shown
stubborn disobedienee to an or
der lesitimatelY enioined upon
him TO appear in Rome before
the authorities of the Sacred
Congregation.
This action of the Holy See is
the climax and concluding act Of a
controversy that has done consider
able harm to souls and disturbed
the peace of mind in Catholic cir
cles.
Some years ago, group of
young men and women attending
gatherings at st. Benedict's Center
under the guidance and direction
of Father Feeney began, both in
word and writing, a campaign of
exposition of what they believed
to be the uue meaning and doc
trinal import embodied in the the
illogical principle: there is no sal
vation outside the Church" (extrs
Ecclesiam nulla salusl. Their in
terpretatlon aroused no little op.
position. Animosity grew and at
times waxed so strong and bitter
that public rancor ensued.
An appeal was made to the Holy
See. In a letter of the Sacred Con
gregation of the Holy Office of Au-
gust 8, 1949, and published later
with the approval of His Holiness
(The Pilot. Boston, Mass. Septem-
Der s. 1852, the Congregation OF
the Holy Office, TO whose compe.
tency il belongs to safeguard the
purity of faith and morals, reject
ed the extremely rigorous view en-
tertained and defended by the
members of st. Benedict's Center
and briefly set forth the Catholic
doctrine.
The highest authority in the
Church had spoken and it con
fidently hoped that its word would
be needed. 1t had a right to expect
some gesture from Father Feeney
expressing submission. II patiently
waited that the tempest of strife
and vilification would gradually
subside, scandal be removed and
peace and harmony return to the
harassed members within the fold
of Christ.
But Father Feeney and his fol
lowers persisted unrelentingly in
their course as before and gave no
Indication OF willingness to aban-
don their erroneous position. To
stubborness they added insult and
affrOnt inasmuch as they stigmatiz-
ed the letter as heretical and
charged the Sacred Congregation
with holding and teaching doc
trine that was heretical.
When. at length, ii became abun-
dantly clear that further patience
would but serve TO increase con
fusion in the ranks of the faithful,
aggravate the scandal and cause
irreparable harm to souls, His
Holiness, Pope Plus XII. in his
tender regard and paternal solici-
tude for The eternal welfare OF
souls committed TO his supreme
charge, intervened personally by
giving explicit orders that Father
Feeney be summoned to Rome. On
October 25, 1852, the Sacred Con
gregation wrote to Father Feeney
informing him that his conduct and
teaching in the church had been
the object of its special care and
attant,o,, apd that ~ found II raceS.