Bishop Eleganti: ‘You are either Catholic, or you aren’t’

(LifeSiteNews) — Certain terms such as “conservative” and “progressive” have become established in our everyday language. So apparently there are all kinds of Catholics: left-wing Catholics; right-wing Catholics; reformist Catholics; progressives; reactionaries; traditionalists; progressivists, and so on. A particularly clever neologism comes from Bishop Georg Bätzing: the “different Catholics.”

We have grown accustomed to these terms and often use them ourselves without realizing how fundamentally wrong they are. For one is either Catholic or one is not. A third possibility is ruled out (tertium non daretur). That is why we have founded an association – or rather, launched a movement – intended to restore awareness of, and to stand up for, what it means to be Catholic in accordance with the faith of the Church. The authority to define this does not lie with us, but with the Magisterium of the Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church).

It is the Magisterium that correctly interprets the faith, not people who proclaim: “We are the Church!” The Church’s faith is the criterion and defining characteristic of a Catholic. We call all deviations from it heresies. In fact, that is exactly what they are: instead of “a different kind of Catholic,” it would be more accurate to speak of “no longer Catholic!” The views of these people, skilled in sophistry, should be identified for what they are: heretical.

Just because something is labeled “Catholic” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “Catholic” on the inside. When it comes to yogurt, we Swiss say it has a “sting”: by this we mean that it has already gone bad. Similarly, additional attributes attached to “Catholic” reveal that the corresponding interpretation of the faith or practice of the faith is in fact corrupt, erroneous, or false.  What “Catholic” means in the full sense of the word requires no further clarification. Orthodoxy and orthopraxy are one and the same. The Church stands for unambiguity here. “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Anything beyond that comes from the evil one.” (Mt 5:37)

As far as the Church’s faith is concerned, there is no “diversity.” The only differences lie in the rites through which this shared faith is expressed. But the Church’s faith in Germany is no different from that in Africa. In its essence, it is unambiguous and indivisible, Catholic and apostolic. It is deepened over time, interpreted in a way that is appropriate for each era (as determined by the Magisterium), and handed down (apostolic tradition).

In this regard, we speak of the depositum fidei, the deposit of faith, which does not change over time but is faithfully handed down from generation to generation by the Church’s Magisterium. In this context, Peter is the rock, not the shifting sand dune that shifts with every (false) opinion. In this respect, all attributes intended to define what is “Catholic” remain suspect. Those who use them are, in reality, “dissidents.” They are “diverse,” to use a buzzword of our time, whose application in our context is just as wrong as in the one from which it originates. They want to belong, to be regarded as Catholic, but to redefine the Church’s faith from within according to their own understanding and to live it differently (“diverse”), e.g., as a homosexual couple. They do not openly admit that they do not share the Church’s faith; they want to change it, to live it in a “contemporary” way (an empty phrase that can be filled with whatever meaning one chooses). “Contemporary” is the one who contradicts it (the times). That is why the world hates him (John 15:19). It loves only what belongs to it.

We will no longer go along with this and will give a voice to Catholics who are simply Catholic. Either you are, or you aren’t! That’s what it’s all about!

Note: Bishop Eleganti has co-founded a new lay movement called Pro Fide Ecclesiae. The website can be accessed here.