In an interview with Joe McClane, Eric Sammons of Crisis Magazine made the outrageous claim that he would prefer to have Fr. James Martin SJ1 hear his confession over a priest of the SSPX, should the latter be excommunicated after the upcoming Consecrations.
By Kathy Clubb
Mr Sammons, referred to by some as the ‘godfather’ of traditional Catholicism, gives his reasons in the short video below. In it, he digs a hole for himself and displays his bitter prejudice against the Society.
For the benefit of Eric Sammons and those who may be confused by his comments, here are some excerpts from Credo, the catechism by Bishop Athanasius Schneider. [This contemporary but traditional catechism has been chosen for its accessibility.]
The references begin with what is known to be the approach taken by James Martin to the sacraments, then move onto how those errors alone would render his confessions invalid. Finally we look at some points regarding schism and excommunication.
All of this assumes that Martin’s own sacraments, including his priestly ordination are valid to begin with – something that is not at all certain in the mainstream Church. For example, the bishop who ordained Martin was Lawrence Burke, also a Jesuit, who was ordained in 1968. Burke was from the Bahamas, where he was involved with YTM, one of the lay apostolates of the disgraced Legionaries of Christ.
Modernism and the Sacraments
Q. What are the particular errors of the Modernists?
A. The notions that 1. Sacraments do not confer grace, but only affirm or celebrate the grace people already possess; 2. Sacraments are not the ordinary means of grace and salvation, because God intends for us all to be saved, even without them; 3. Any manner of celebrating the sacraments is pleasing to God, so long as it arises from the local community. (#205)
Necessity of the proper intention on the part of the priest
Q. What intention must the minister have to validly confer a sacrament?
A. The minister must have the intention of doing what the Church does, for he acts in her name, and with the power of Christ who is head of the Church. (#188)
Q. Why must the minister have this intention?
A. Because, otherwise, the minister would be acting in his own name and authority, rather than that of God acting through His Church. This would render the sacrament invalid and even profane, for the Church, in Christ’s name, is the dispensatrix of all His sacraments. (#189)
Knowing that Fr. Martin does not believe sodomy to be a sin, it is highly unlikely that he intends to “do what the Church does”, i.e., acknowledge the sins of the penitent.
Schism and excommunication2
Q. Who are schismatics?
A. Those who received baptism, yet have been separated from the unity of the Catholic Church by refusing to recognise the Supreme Pontiff or have canonical communion with him and the other members of the Church (eg the Orthodox.) (#564)
Q. Is any act of disobedience to a command of the pope by itself schismatic?
A. No. One is not schismatic if he resists a pope of refuses to obey a particular teaching or command of his that is manifestly contrary to natural or divine law, or that would harm or undermine the integrity of the Catholic Faith or the sacredness of the liturgy. In such cases, disobedience and resistance to the pope is permissible and sometimes obligatory.3 (#566)
Q. Can a public sentence of excommunication ever be null and void?
A. Yes. As in the case of St. Joan of Arc, the legal penalty of excommunication may be levied unjustly, and so be without judicial standing or effect. (#568)
Kathy Clubb is an Australian writer. She has written on Catholic and pro-life issues at The Remnant Newspaper, LifeSiteNews, Fidelity magazine, Family Life International, Endeavour Forum and more. Kathy is the founder and editor of Pax Orbis.
- For those who aren’t familiar with James Martin, he is infamous throughout the conservative mainstream Catholic Church for his acceptance of active homosexuals, even performing a same-sex ‘blessing’ according to the permission contained in the heterodox document, Fiducia Supplicans, which he shared to social media. ↩︎
- For more on this topic, see the sermon, Will we be excommunicated? by Father Denis Puga. ↩︎
- Catechism of the Council of Trent, Tradivox Catholic Catechism Index, 7:375 ↩︎
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