Padre Pio Refutes Moran's Accusations against Abp. Lefevre
Apr 22, 2019 14:27:36 GMT
Post by Admin on Apr 22, 2019 14:27:36 GMT
Padre Pio Refutes Moran's Accusations against Archbishop Lefebvre
Many of you are already aware of Ambrose Moran's accusations, beginning early this year and repeated several times over the last several months, against the validity of the Holy Orders of Archbishop Lefebvre.
In essence, Moran claims that because there were rumors that the ordaining and consecrating bishop of Archbishop Lefebvre, Cardinal Leinhart was a Freemason, that Archbishop Lefebvre was neither a valid priest nor a valid bishop. That as a Freemason, Cardinal Leinhart must have deliberately withheld the proper intention in conferring the Sacrament of Holy Orders in the case of Archbishop Lefebvre.
This theory has been proven false multiple times and in multiple ways since the 1970's when this particular rumor first started. The two main refutations to this accusation are that, 1) Cardinal Leinhart was never proven to be a Freemason, it is only alleged that on his deathbed he admitted to it; and 2) even if the Cardinal was a Freemason, Catholic theology holds that as long as the exterior ceremonies of a Sacrament are adhered to and followed, the Church assumes the proper intention and validity is presumed. See here, here, and here. Even the Roman Pontiffs, beginning with Pope Pius XII, always recognized Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre as valid and legitimate.
During this past week (Holy Week) Fr. Hewko noted a third, as yet un-discussed, refutation of Moran's accusations against Archbishop Lefebvre: Padre Pio.
Some of you will recall that Archbishop Lefebvre met Padre Pio in 1967. Here are the Archbishop's own words about that meeting:
On August 8, 1990, Archbishop Lefebvre wrote a personal letter to a Society priest in France who had written to ask him about the meeting with Padre Pio. Here are extracts from the letter:
The meeting which took place after Easter in 1967 lasted two minutes. I was accompanied by Fr. Barbara and a Holy Ghost Brother, Brother Felin. I met Padre Pio in a corridor, on his way to the confessional, being helped by two Capuchins.
I told him in a few words the purpose of my visit: for him to bless the Congregation of the Holy Ghost which was due to hold an extraordinary General my Chapter meeting, like all religious societies, under the heading of aggiornamento (up-dating), meeting which I was afraid would lead to trouble...
I told him in a few words the purpose of my visit: for him to bless the Congregation of the Holy Ghost which was due to hold an extraordinary General my Chapter meeting, like all religious societies, under the heading of aggiornamento (up-dating), meeting which I was afraid would lead to trouble...
Padre Pio kissing Archbishop Lefebvre's ring
Most cordially yours in Christo et Maria,
+Marcel Lefebvre
We all are aware that Padre Pio was well known for being able to read hearts and minds. If Archbishop Lefebvre was not a validly ordained priest or validly consecrated bishop, would Padre Pio not have known? Would Padre Pio, a priest, have kissed the ring of the Archbishop if the Archbishop was only a layman? Certainly not.
We may never know the reason Moran, whose own claims regarding his Orders are in grave doubt, has attempted to disparage the validity of Archbishop Lefebvre's Holy Orders. Only God knows the secrets of a man's heart.
But let us remember that it was Father Carl Pulvermacher in 1978 who wrote that these rumors against the validity of Archbishop Lefebvre's Holy Orders were always and only started by those who hated the Archbishop, for one reason or another. Fr. Pulvermacher also noted that:
Detractors have no interest in the truth. They will not look for facts, unless they can accommodate those facts to their purposes. As a rule, they follow double standards. ...
Constant repetition of false rumors is an old trick, perhaps the oldest trick, to destroy the good name and reputation of an adversary.
Was Cardinal Lienart a Mason? Nobody knows for sure. ... The attack of the detractors was aimed not at Cardinal Lienart but at Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
Constant repetition of false rumors is an old trick, perhaps the oldest trick, to destroy the good name and reputation of an adversary.
Was Cardinal Lienart a Mason? Nobody knows for sure. ... The attack of the detractors was aimed not at Cardinal Lienart but at Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.
God willing, we have heard the last of these petty and groundless accusations.