Doctrine

proved by an overwhelming major-

ity of the Council Fathers (2,308 to
70), Lefebvre founded a traditional-
Development or Discontinuity? ist movement that ended in schism
The Second Vatican Council and Religious Freedom from Rome.

There are some factual errors

here. Archbishop Lefebvre was by
no means the most notable of the
critics of Dignitatis Humanae during
Vatican II. Alfredo Cardinal Ottavi-
ani, Prefect of the Holy Office (now
the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith), and President
of the Council’s Theological
Commission was the most
prominent opponent of the
declaration, which was also
opposed by such cardinals
as Ernesto Ruffini of Pal-
by Michael Davies ermo, the outstanding Irish
theologian Michael Browne

T he journal First Things of

December 2001 published the
text of a lecture delivered by Avery
language, and contains
very detailed documenta-
tion on the classic Catholic
of the Curia, de Arriba y
Castro of Tarragona, Santos
of Manila, Florit of Florence, and
Cardinal Dulles in New York City. teaching on Church and State, the Giuseppe Siri of Genoa, and Father
It was entitled “Religious Freedom: debates on religious liberty during Anicito Fernandez, Master General
Innovation and Development” and the Second Vatican Council, and the of the Dominicans.
was a defense of Dignitatis Hu- final text of Dignitatis Humanae, Archbishop Lefebvre did not
manae (DH), the Declaration on contrasting it with the classic papal found the Society of Saint Pius X in
Religious Freedom of the Second teaching. Those wishing to go to reaction to the Council’s approval
Vatican Council, dated December 7, the original source of the quotations of the declaration. His society was
1965. The fact that a scholar of the in this article will find them on the canonically established on Novem-
eminence of Cardinal Dulles feels pages indicated. ber 1, 1970 with the full approval of
that it is still necessary to defend Cardinal Dulles describes Dig- the Holy See and his seminary was
the declaration thirty-six years after nitatis Humanae praised in 1971
its promulgation is significant in as “one of the Cardinal Dulles describes by John Cardinal
itself. In the course of this essay I most striking Wright, Prefect of
Dignitatis Humanae as
will make frequent references to my developments in the Congregation
book The Second Vatican Council twentieth-century “one of the most striking for the Clergy.1
and Religious Liberty (SVCRL), Catholicism,” and developments in twentieth- The figure
which is, to the best of my knowl- informs us that: of a 2,308-to-70
edge, the only detailed critique of
century Catholicism.” vote of approval
Dignitatis Humanae in the English At the Council of Dignitatis
itself some conservative bishops, Humanae cited by Cardinal Dulles
Michael Davies is president of Una Marcel Lefebvre most notably, does not give a correct picture of
Voce International and the author of held that Dignitatis Humanae was the opposition to the Declaration
many books on Catholic history and contrary to established Catholic within the Council. Voting for the
liturgy. Lead Kindly Light, his new teaching and could not be adopted sixth and final schema (draft docu-
biography of Cardinal Newman, is without violence to the Catholic ment) took place on November 19,
reviewed elsewhere in this issue. faith. When, notwithstanding his 1965, and the vote was 1954 to 249.2
protests, the Declaration was ap- On December 3, Msgr. Giuseppe

48 Spring 2002
 Development or Discontinuity? Doctrine

di Meglio, an Italian specialist in like wise Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B., nature, cannot be compelled.
international law, circulated a letter ‘We always voted at our party’s call;
stating that the voting figures indi- we never thought of thinking for It is, of course, traditional
cated that: ourselves at all.’”4 teaching that the act of faith, being
Cardinal Dulles concedes, “If free, by its very nature, cannot be
For a notable number of Council Dignitatis Humanae is compared compelled. Saint Thomas Aquinas
Fathers the teaching and practical with earlier official Catholic teach- taught that unbelievers such as the
applications of the schema are not ing, it represents an undeniable, heathens and the Jews who have
acceptable in conscience. In fact, even a dramatic, change. The ques- never received the Faith should by
the fundamental principle of the tion must therefore be asked: Was no means be compelled to believe
schema has remained unchanged the Declaration a homogeneous because the act of belief depends on
despite the amendments that have development within the Catholic the will. They should, he adds, be
been introduced: that is, the right tradition, or was it a repudiation of prevented from hindering the faith
of error...Since the declaration on previous Church doctrine?” He goes of believers by blasphemies, evil
religious freedom has no dogmatic persuasions, or open persecution.
value, the negative votes of the Even when Christ’s faithful wage
Council Fathers will constitute a victorious war with unbelievers
a factor of great importance for in defense of the Faith the defeated
future studies of the Declaration party should not be forcibly con-
itself, and particularly for the verted.5 This teaching is echoed by
emphasis to be placed upon it (my Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical Im-
emphasis).3 mortale Dei: “The Church is wont to
take earnest heed that no one shall
Following this vote Pope Paul VI be forced to embrace the Catholic
approved the sixth schema. Accord- faith against his will, for, as Saint
ing to the accepted etiquette, once a Augustine wisely reminds us, ‘Man
schema became a papally approved cannot believe otherwise than by his
Archbishop R. J. Dwyer
conciliar document even those who own free will.’”
had voted against the final schema on: The apparent repudiation of
should vote placet (yes) in the vote previous Church doctrine is found
for the papally approved text. The The Council taught that all human in the first of the three sentences
fact that 70 voted non placet (no) persons have by nature an inalien- cited, “that all human persons have
therefore holds considerable signifi- able right to be free in seeking by nature an inalienable right to be
cance. The true feelings of Council religious truth, in living and wor- free…in bearing witness to their
Fathers were manifested by their shipping according to their reli- beliefs without hindrance from any
votes for the final draft, and not for gious convictions, and in bearing human power.” Cardinal Dulles
the actual document. It adds that: “The Council
should not be imagined Archbishop Lefebvre did not found the Society of taught that the State has
that the majority of the Saint Pius X in reaction to the Council’s approval an obligation to protect
majority who voted in the inviolable rights of
of the Declaration (Dignitatis Humanae). His all citizens, including
favor of the Declaration
were familiar with, or society was canonically established on November 1, the right of religious
even interested in, the 1970 with the full approval of the Holy See… freedom. It did not
serious issues involved. teach that the State was
As was the case throughout the witness to their beliefs without hin- obliged to give legal
Council, the majority of the Fathers drance from any human power. This privileges to Christianity or Catholi-
voted with the majority simply principle was theologically ground- cism, although it did not rule out
because it was the majority. Arch- ed in the fact that God, respecting such arrangements. It did deny that
bishop R. J. Dwyer of Portland, the dignity of the human person, civil government had the authority
Oregon, one of the most erudite of invites a voluntary and uncoerced to command or prohibit religious
the American bishops, remarked: adherence to religious truth. The acts.”
“And when the vote came around, act of faith, being free by its very To put it briefly, the Cardinal

Spring 2002 49
 Doctrine Development or Discontinuity?

interprets Dignitatis Humanae as firming that Dignitatis Humanae did of theology in the United States,
stating that all human persons have a not affirm that anyone has a natural carried out a consistent defense of
natural right to bear witness to their right, a moral right, to believe in or the traditional papal teaching on
beliefs without hindrance from the to propagate error, but upheld the Church and State, including articles
civil government, and in describ- traditional teaching in this respect. contributed by Cardinal Ottaviani.
ing this as “an undeniable, even a The Declaration affirmed not a mor- In a criticism of those who rejected
dramatic change” al but a civil liberty, the traditional teaching the Cardinal
from previous official and so the question wrote:
Catholic teaching he must be considered
is certainly correct. from a purely juridical To justify themselves these people
Before examining standpoint. assert that in the body of teaching
the previous official It seems impos- imparted within the Church there
Catholic teaching sible to reconcile the are to be distinguished two ele-
it is necessary to Cardinal’s affirmation ments, the one permanent, and the
make a distinction of of a natural right not other transient. This latter is sup-
crucial importance to be prevented from posed to be due to the reflection of
that must be kept in propagating error in particular contemporary conditions.
mind throughout this the public forum with Unfortunately, they carry this
article. This is the the homogeneous tactic so far as to apply it to the
distinction between corpus of previous principles taught in pontifical
religious liberty Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani papal teaching. This documents, principles on which
considered from a legal or juridi- teaching had been attacked in the the teachings of the Popes have
cal standpoint (as a civil right) and decades preceding the Council by remained constant so as to make
from a theological standpoint. The Father John Courtney Murray, S.J. these principles a part of the pat-
juridical standpoint examines the In 1955 his superiors forbade him rimony of Catholic doctrine (my
grounds for and the extent of the to continue propagating his anti-tra- emphasis).8
legal coercion to be applied to the ditional thesis.6 This thesis became
expression of religious belief in the official teaching of the Church Cardinal Dulles duly informs us
the external public forum. Consid- in Dignitatis Humanae, which in that the popes who formulated the
ered from a theological standpoint, every important respect was written traditional doctrine “were speaking
that is, a standpoint based upon by Murray, as were the speeches in within the relatively narrow hori-
the nature and will of God zon of Catholic Europe
as revealed to man, there The question must therefore be asked: Was and Latin America, where
can be no question of any traditional religion was
natural right to believe or the Declaration a homogeneous development under attack from militant
to propagate error. As Pope within the Catholic tradition, or was it a secularist liberalism.”
Leo XIII teaches, man has a What, then, is the
natural right only to follow
repudiation of previous Church doctrine? traditional papal teaching
the will of God and obey concerning the propagation
His commandments. In the Liberal defense of its successive drafts made of a false religion within a Catholic
sense, liberty of conscience is the by Cardinal Spellman and Council state such as Spain or Colombia? In
right of an individual to think and Fathers from a number of countries, considering the question of religious
believe whatsoever he wants, even most notably the famous defense liberty from the juridical standpoint
in religion and morality; to express of the schema read by the Belgian the following distinctions must
his views publicly, and to persuade Bishop Emile de Smedt, to which be kept in mind. The first is that
others to adopt them, using word of Cardinal Dulles makes several refer- between the internal forum and the
mouth, the public press, or any other ences without once indicating that it external forum. The internal forum
means. He has the right to choose had been written by Murray.7 refers to what a man does in private,
any religion or to have no religion, In the decades before Vatican II the external forum to what he does
and this, Liberals claim, is a natural the editors of the American Eccle- in public. The second distinction
right. siastical Review (AER), the most is between not being forced to act
Cardinal Dulles is correct in af- authoritative and respected journal against one’s conscience – i.e., free-

50 Spring 2002
 Development or Discontinuity? Doctrine

dom from coercion – and freedom AER, what a man does in private must acknowledge that the more a
not to be restrained from acting in affects only himself and his family, state is driven to tolerate evil the
accordance with one’s conscience. but when he acts in public the rights further it is from perfection; and that
The traditional Catholic teaching of other citizens are involved: “It the tolerance of evil which is dic-
is that in religious matters: (1) no is fully within their [civil rulers’] tated by political prudence should
one must be forced to act against right to restrict and to prevent public be strictly confined to the limits
his conscience in private; (2) no functions and activities of false reli- which its justifying cause, the public
one must be forced to act against gions which are likely to be detri- welfare, requires.”
his conscience in public; (3) no one mental to the spiritual welfare of the This was official teaching of the
must be prevented from acting in Catholic citizens or insulting to the Church up to and during the Coun-
accordance with his conscience in true religion of cil. Writing in
private; (4) the right of acting in Christ.”9 “The Church is wont to the AER in 1950,
accordance with one’s conscience in The word “tol- take earnest heed that Msgr. George W.
public can be restricted. eration” is of cru- Shea insisted that
Let us take a specific example. cial importance
no one shall be forced to what is at issue
Before Vatican II, Jehovah’s Wit- for understanding embrace the Catholic faith here is a ques-
nesses in Spain were allowed to the discontinuity against his will, for, as Saint tion of principle,
practice their bizarre religion within between Dignita- i.e., “the relations
the privacy of their homes, and to tis Humanae and Augustine wisely reminds which should per
meet together in private with other the classic papal us, ‘Man cannot believe se obtain by rea-
members of their sect. They were
not forced to take part in public
teaching. Pope
Leo XIII taught in
otherwise than by his own son of the nature
of Church and
Catholic worship. In accordance Libertas Humana: free will.’” State in a Catholic
with (4) above, however, they were “While not conceding any right to society, so that any deviation from
not permitted to interfere with the anything save what is true and hon- these relations, while tolerable per-
faith of Catholics by visiting their est, she does not forbid public au- haps as a concession prompted by
homes with the object of perverting thority to tolerate what is at variance expediency, could not merit approval
their faith, to publish anti-Catholic with truth and justice, for the sake on principle” (my emphasis).10
literature, or to propagate their of avoiding some greater evil, or of There is not the least suggestion
errors through the radio or televi- obtaining or preserving some greater in the teaching of any pre-Vatican
sion or by holding public meetings. good.” This was the consistent II pope that there could be a natural
The same policy was teaching of the Popes up to and right on the part of non-Catholics
followed in including Pope Pius XII. Those not to be prevented from propagat-
a number of in error had no natural right to ing their errors in public. It is evi-
other Catho- propagate their views – the dent that if, as Cardinal Dulles tells
lic countries. propagation us, Dignitatis Humanae teaches that
I had the of error is non-Catholics possess a natural right
privilege of an evil – not to be prevented from propagat-
witnessing it but it could ing error in a Catholic state, then
myself while be toler- such a right could not possibly be
serving as a ated in the the subject of toleration. The State
soldier in Malta interests of is bound in justice to accord to a
during the Suez the common citizen what he possesses as a right.
Crisis. I took no good (“pub- It is only what cannot be demanded
little pleasure in lic welfare”) as a right that can be conceded as an
the fact Anglican to prevent a act of toleration.
army chaplains were greater evil such as civil unrest. The traditional teaching, described
not allowed to wear Pope Leo XIII insisted in Lib- by Cardinal Ottaviani as “part of the
their Roman collars ertas Humana that the over- patrimony of Catholic doctrine,” was
outside military estab- riding criterion in the question upheld time and again during the
lishments. As Father of toleration is the common good. conciliar debates. Cardinal Siri of
Francis J. Connell explained in the “To judge aright,” he explained, “we Genoa warned:

Spring 2002 51
 Doctrine Development or Discontinuity?

We cannot legitimize what God has the duty and the right to
merely tolerates; we can only toler- preach the Gospel. That is why
ate it, and that within the limits proselytism on the part of non-
of the common good. We cannot Catholics among Catholics is
therefore accept the proposed sche- illicit and should be prevented by
ma insofar as it recommends liber- the civil authorities as well as by
ty for all without discrimination…. the Church, as the common good
We should therefore consider requires…. The Council must
more carefully the contribution of be careful not to decree the ruin
theological sources to this problem of Catholicism in those coun-
of religious liberty and determine tries where it is in fact the only
whether or not the contents of this religion.
schema can be reconciled with the
teaching of Leo XIII, Pius XI, and It is no exaggeration to state that
Pius XII. Otherwise, we weaken the changing of the Spanish Consti-
our own authority and compromise tution to correspond with Dignitatis
our apostolic effort. Humanae has indeed brought about
the ruin of Catholicism in that coun- Pope Leo XIII
Bishop Emilio Tagle Cova- try. During the Synod of European a state is driven to tolerate evil the
rrabuias of Valparaiso, Chile, spoke Bishops in October 1999, Arch- further it is from perfection.”
in the name of forty-five Latin bishop Fernando Sebastián Aguilar Cardinal Dulles assures us that
American bishops when he stated: of Pamplona lamented the fact that Dignitatis Humanae is compatible
in Spain “the cultural convictions with the previous papal teaching
I am very much against this on which social life is based are because: “During the Council,
schema. It merely rearranges the undermined and are more atheistic Bishop Émile De Smedt of Bruges,
previous version, and it contains than Christian.” Divorce, abortion, as the official spokesman (relator)
a number of contradictions…. homosexual acts, contraception and for the commission that composed
Many passages are too complacent proselytism by Protestant sects, the document, defended its com-
towards false religions and run the which were all illegal prior to Digni- patibility with earlier Catholic
risk of indifferentism and Liberal- tatis Humanae, have been legalized. teaching…. In Murray’s words,
ism. It does not Spain now has Dignitatis Humanae represented
seem possible the lowest birth- ‘an authentic development of
As Pope Leo XIII teaches, rate in Europe,
to grant the doctrine in the sense of Vincent of
same rights to man has a natural right only and there is a Lérins, an authentic progress, not a
all religions in- to follow the will of God and Mormon temple change, of the Faith.’”
discriminately. in Madrid. For Murray to assert compatibili-
Only the one obey His commandments. Cardinal ty between the pre- and post-Vatican
true Church has Dulles con- II teaching is one thing; to prove it is
the right to religious liberty, strictly cedes: “Dignitatis Humanae went another. It would have been surpris-
speaking. Other religions can only beyond Leo XIII in affirming that ing if he had not claimed continuity
be tolerated, depending upon the people in error have certain human since Dignitatis Humanae is, to all
circumstances and persons. rights.” This must be the understate- intents and purposes, his composi-
ment of the present millennium. The tion, and it would be equally sur-
Cardinal de Arriba y Castro of only right accorded to those in error prising had De Smedt not endorsed
Tarragona defended the traditional by Leo XIII was that of not being Murray’s position since Murray had
papal teaching as follows: forced to embrace the Catholic faith. written his speech for him.
Where propagating their errors in What is the real significance of
This is probably the most delicate public was concerned, Pope Leo Dignitatis Humanae? Why and how
problem of the whole Council agreed with his predecessors and his was the teaching of a long series
with respect to the Faith. We must successors that this was an evil and of popes, “part of the patrimony of
clearly affirm this basic prin- should only be tolerated to prevent Catholic doctrine,” to quote Cardinal
ciple: only the Catholic Church some great evil, and that “the more Ottaviani once more, replaced by

52 Spring 2002
 Development or Discontinuity? Doctrine

principles drawn from the American The fact is the right to religious conservation of its past. He also
Constitution? The answer is simple. freedom has already been accepted notes that the word “development”
During the Council the schema on and affirmed by the common con- is commonly used with an unfor-
religious liberty was often called sciousness of mankind.”13 (Did he tunate lack of precision, and that
“the American schema,” and its include the world of Islam in this even a doctrine that is unfaithful to
author, Father Murray, attributed its assertion?) the idea from which it developed is
success to “the solid and consistent What had taken place was de- sometimes termed a development.
support of the American bishops scribed with complete accuracy and Thus, where the previous doctrine
and their numerous interventions” with total approval in the July 20, is contradicted we are faced not
– interventions that he had written 1992 issue of The Catholic Virgin- with a development but an inno-
for them. “Undoubtedly,” Father ian by Father G.P. Fogarty, S.J., vation. Newman explains that a
Murray explained, “the support President of the American Catholic developed doctrine that reverses
derived its basic inspiration from the Historical Association, who gave the course of the development that
American experience, from which Father Murray credit for the fact that has preceded it is no true develop-
the Church has learned the practical Dignitatis Humanae “made uni- ment but is more properly called a
value of the free-exercise clause of versal Catholic teaching what had corruption.14 I would suggest, with
the First Amendment…. The object previously been considered an aber- the most profound possible respect,
or content of the right to religious ration of the American Church.” that this is a point to which His
freedom, as specified both in the Cardinal Dulles poses the Eminence might like to give some
Declaration and in the American question as to whether Dignitatis consideration.
constitutional system, is identical” Humanae is “a repudiation of previ-
(my emphasis).11 ous Church doctrine.” The previous Notes
In his book American Participa- 1 The full background to the establishment of the Society
of Saint Pius X can be found in my book Apologia pro
tion in the Second Vatican Council, Marcel Lefebvre, available from the Angelus Press, 2916
Forest Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64109.
Msgr. V. A. Yzermans writes: “It
2 The Second Vatican Council and Religious Liberty
was a delightful victory for the (Neumann Press, Long Prairie, MN 56347, 1999), p. 158.
Referred to in subsequent notes as SVCRL.
American hierarchy.”12 He would 3 SVCRL, p. 159.
have been more accurate in de- 4 Twin Circle, October 26, 1963, p. 2.
scribing it as a delightful victory 5 Summa Theologica, II, II, Q. 10, art. 8, ad 1.
6 SVCRL, pp. 100-101.
for Father Murray, in view of the
7 SVCRL, Chapter XIV.
fact that, as one American prelate 8 SVCRL, p. 33.
expressed it, “The voices are the 9 SVCRL, p. 44.

voices of United States’ bishops, 10 SVCRL, p. 45.

11 SVCRL, p. 101.
but the thoughts are the thoughts 12 SVCRL, p. 101.
of John Courtney Murray!” In his 13 SVCRL, p. 101.

book John Courtney Murray: Theo- 14 SVCRL, p. 110.

logian in Conflict, Father Donald E.

Pelotte has no doubt that although John Courtney Murray, S.J. Pilgrimage Reminder
other members of the commission doctrine was that the public propa-
helped to pen the final text of the gation of error in a Catholic state The Seventh Annual
Declaration, “Murray’s contribution
was decisive. The very acceptance
was an evil to be prevented when-
ever possible and tolerated only to
Pilgrimage for the
of Murray’s basic thrust, only ten prevent some greater evil. Digni- Restoration 2002
years after his admonition from the tatis Humanae teaches that “all September 18-21
Jesuit Curia in Rome, was itself a human persons have by nature an to the
singular recognition.” And what inalienable right” to propagate their Shrine of the North
was Murray’s own appraisal of his views. Cardinal Dulles claims that American Martyrs
delightful victory? He claimed: “Its this is a development in the sense in Auriesville, New York
for more information call
[the Declaration’s] achievement explained by Newman, but among
was simply to bring the Church the seven requirements for a true (610) 882-3124
or on the web at
abreast of the developments that development Newman lists continu- www.national-coalition.org/pilgrim/
have occurred in the secular world. ity of principle, logical sequence,

Spring 2002 53