"Catholic" Charismatic Movement is not Catholic

"TO SPEAK IN TONGUES YOU HAD NEVER LEARNED WAS, AND IS, A RECOGNIZED SYMPTOM IN ALLGED CASES OF DIABOLIC POSSESSION." (Msgr. Ronald Knox - Enthusiasm)

It arrived on my desk a few months ago as yet another unsolicited piece of bulk mail. The brochure from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, announced that "Catholic" Charismatics were about to celebrate their 30th Anniversary bash in Pittsburgh "where it all began," and for $69.00 registration, I would be welcome too. So it was that on June 27, 1997, I found myself traveling toward this Pentecostal extravaganza. I went for the purpose of observation. There was plenty to observe. I had been to the "Toronto Blessing" church about two years ago, as Catholic Family News printed an ex- pose on this new movement written by Silvia MacAhern, and I wanted to see the "worship service" for myself before going to press. The "Toronto Blessing" is a high-charged Protestant sect that could be called "Charismatic to the Tenth Power". They believe the Holy Ghost manifests Himself not only in indistinguishable tongues and body gy- rations (as was the case with the Pittsburgh "Catholic Pentecostals") but also with screams, shrieks, rolling on the floor, hysterical laughter, barking like dogs and oinking like pigs.

This "Toronto Blessing" received some favorable comment at the June, 1997 Charismatic Conference. "Catholic" Charismatic pioneer Kevin Ranaghan, in his opening address, spoke of the "Toronto Blessing" as a true movement of the Holy Spirit. In so saying, this "anointed preacher", as they call each other, told 7,500 Catholics in the aud- ience that barking like dogs and oinking like pigs is a true manifes- tation of the Holy Spirit. None of the other speakers voiced any disagreement with this radical teaching from the podium. In fact, by the end of the weekend I would witness priests and bishop(s) doing boogie-woogie dances on stage, I would endure rock and roll rhythms passed off as "sacred music", I would hear glowing prayers of praise for Protestant religions, and I would marvel in dismay at Steubenville's Scott Hahn attempting to de- fend Pentecostalism against bothersome "traditionalist" critics. But we'll come to all this later.

Though it has been an intrusion into the Catholic Church for only 30 years, Pentecostalism is of longer history. The majority of authors identify its true father as England's John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. Wesley preached about the baptism of the Holy Spirit (or "second blessing") which he claimed was an intense personal experience confronting the Christian with the presence of God. In time, Wesley's Methodist sect became more mainstream, and Pente- costalism branched off into different areas. In his booklet "Assemb- lies of God" and other "Pentecostal Churches", the great counter- reformation apologist Rev. Dr. L. Rumble (of Radio Replies fame), tra- ces Pentecostalism's expansion through the conduit of 19th Century Revivalism which spawned "Holiness Churches", the Latter Rain Move- ment and the Assembly of God Churches. Since this booklet was written prior to present ecumenical confusion, Father Rumble clearly recog- nized Pentecostalism as another heretical sect that Catholics must avoid. Regarding "talking in tongues" and other emotional outbursts, Father Rumble wrote: "It was a kind of new discovery that such exciting man- ifestations could result result from strong religious feelings. Prop- het after prophet arose to engage in a revivalism aimed deliberately at creating such abnormal displays. The idea grew that they were proof of a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon elect souls; and such emotional experiences were interpreted as evidence of 'Spirit Bapt- ism,' a 'Second Blessing', conferring holiness upon all who received such gifts." 1 This point warrants comment. It stands to reason that within Protest- antism, a need would develop for an intense personal experience as proof of the presence of God. Protestants falsely believe that Christ did not establish a Church to "teach, govern and sanctify in His Name" until the end of time. Protestantism, rooted in private interpretation of Scripture, is merely a loose confederation of believers who accept the Bible THE ONLY SOURCE of Divine Revelation. They lack the certain- ties of a Divinely instituted authority teaching infallibly that the God-given sacraments of the Catholic Church ALWAYS give grace (holi- ness) to a soul who is properly disposed. This need, then, for PROOF BY EXPERIENCE of God's presence in one's life is the direct result of the Protestant's rejection of the Cath- olic Church, its teaching authority and its sacred, grace-giving sac- raments. Since this need is founded on an objective mortal sin against Faith, any such emotional manifestation (that supposedly comes from being 'baptized in the spirit') can only be explained by natural cau- ses or demonic influence. Such manifestations also confirm the Prot- estant in his sin of unbelief. Since the Pentecostal believes he HAS the Holy Spirit already (and can demonstrate it on cue) who needs the Catholic Church? Aligned with unchangeable Catholic teaching and tradition, I argue that to describe such exhibitions as the working of the Holy Spirit is blasphemy. To seek and imitate such phenomena is a reckless endanger- ment of one's Catholic Faith. To promote such mainifestations is to play the unenviable role of false prophet. Herein lies some of the staggering difficulties with "Catholic Pentecostalism."

Catholic Pentecostals believe that the great outpouring of the spirit in modern times really began from a small Protestant sect in Topeka, Kansas led by Charles F. Parham. Some "Catholic" Charismatics such as Peter Herbeck (of Ralph Martin's Renewal Ministries), treat Parham's revivalist movement as a Divine manifestation equal in drama and holi- ness to the visitations of Our Lady of Fatima. 2 In his book Minority Religions in America, William J. Whalen succinc- tly describes the sect's important role in modern Pentecostalism: "The reappearance of glossolaly (speaking in tongues) was reported in 1901. Charles F. Parham, a Holiness preacher, was dismayed by the ari- dity of his own spiritual life. He rented a white elephant mansion in Topeka, Kansas, and started a Bible school with about forty students. Together they set out on an intensive study of scriptures and came to the conclusion that speaking in tongues was the one sign that a Chris- tian had indeed received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. At 7 p.m., on New Year's Eve in 1900, one of the students, Miss Agnes N. Ozmen, startled the assembled group when she began to pray in tongues. Within a few days many more followed suit. "Parham spent the next five years as an itinerant preacher before opening another Bible school, this time in Houston. One of his stud- ents, a negro minister named W.J. Seymore, carried the "full-gospel" message to Los Angeles. A three-year-long revival in that California city attracted people from all over the country, and these people planted Pentecostalism in most of the major cities in the U.S., as well as in many European nations. The old Holiness Churches refused to give emphasis to tongue-speaking, but dozens of independent Pentecos- tal Churches were soon organized." 3 The charismatic Msgr. Vincent Walsh, an enthusiastic promoter of "Toronto Blessing" aberrations, wrote approvingly: "Due to the mini- stries of Parham and Seymore, modern world-wide Pentecostalism was launched." 4 As a phenomenon among Protestant assemblies, it would enjoy spectacular growth. And in 1967, a group of Catholics in Pitts- burgh, with their defenses flattened by the steam-roller of aggiror- namento, and infatuated with a Protestant minister's success story among New York hoodlums, would adopt a "new way of thinking," study the scriptures according to this new mindset, and plunge themselves headlong into the arms of heterodox practice.

In his book Catholic Pentecostals, Kevin and Dorothy Ranaghan (found- ers of the Catholic Pentecostal movement) give an account of the move- ments beginnings. The Ranaghans and their colleagues at Duquesne Uni- versity had been involved with various activities popular at the time (civil rights, etc.). In the midst of these undertakings, they were plagued with spiritual aridity. To combat this, they claim, the group went in search of a greater influence of God in their lives. The date was 1966-atime of unprecedented ecclesiastical upheaval. Thomas Merton would soon be off to Tibet praying with the Dalai Lama and calling for a unity which resembled Hindu "Oneness". New Age writer Teilhard de Chardin was practically reverenced by many Catholic intellectuals as the fifth evangelist. It was a tumultous period in Church history with violent winds of change uprooting and destroying countless Catholic landmarks. With so many of the familiar signposts swept away, it was all too easy for Catholics to wander out of bounds seeking God in the wrong places. At a Cursillo Congress, this group met Ralph Martin and Steve Clarke who introduced them to the book The Cross and the Switchblade - the story of Protestant Minister David Wilkerson's success among teen gangs in New York. Because of what Ranaghan and friends regarded as "positive aspects" of pentecostalism found in this book, and because of the "transformed lives" of two of their friends involved with such activities, they sought a similar experience. Ranaghan recounts that his group solicited the counsel of an Episco- palian minister, thus ignoring the Catholic wisdom of the ages forbid- ding positive religious camaraderie with heretical sects. This clergy- man introduced them to a Protestant, Pentecostal gathering. The group attended the meeting and took part in the Bible study. One of those present, Ralph Keifer, wrote that at the end of this prayer meeting "Pat [Bourgeois] and i asked to be prayed with for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They broke up into several groups because they were praying over several people. They simply asked me to make an act of faith for the power of the Spirit to work in me. I prayed in tongues rather quickly." 5 Later, the same Ralph Keifer laid hands on two others (unidentified in the book) and they to "received the bap- tism in the spirit." It was not surprising then that Kevin Ranaghan was the first speaker on opening night at the 30th anniversary Conference. After boasting that God had filled him to overflowing with the Spirit, Ranaghan re- counted that in the early days, in order to "grow in the spirit", he and his friend sought spiritual advice from a Protestant prayer-group: "In the beginning the contact with Pentecostals of our area helped us to grow in an understanding and experience of the charisms. We met in the home of the representative of the Full-Gospel Businessmen. And when he heard that a group of Catholics was coming, he rallied the troops, and brought in several Pentecostal ministers and a room full of prayer warriors to engage in what they were sure would be a hard- fought battle. What they found was the most shockingly easy prayer- time they had ever known. We claimed that we HAD ALREADY BEEN baptized in the Holy Spirit, which they found hard to believe because, after all, we were Catholics." (The audience broke into great laughter, in joyful mockery of the "exclusive salvation" doctrines of the Catholic Church.) He continued, "We said that we just wanted their help and ad- vice on yielding to and using the gifts. They laid hands on us, and 1 by 1 the whole roomful of us started to pray and sing in tongues. No battle, just a victory celebration." (Thunderous applause). In making this statement, this "anointed preacher" seems to have for- gotten that a Protestant victory over Catholicism cannot be regarded as a victory for the Holy Ghost. Then Ranaghan, FURTHER indoctrinating the crowd into religious indifferentism, sang the praise and blessings of heretical sects. He said "Praise God for the old-time Pentecostals and for the independent charismatics God sent our way in those days... Yes, from the beginning, it was an ecumenical celebration." This is how the "Catholic Charismatic Renewal" began - Catholics re- ceiving a Protestant mock-sacrament of 'baptism of the spirit', not through the sacramental channels of grace established by Christ, but through collaboration with heretical groups. From Pittsburgh the movement spread to Notre Dame and then to Newman Centers at Michigan State and the University of Michigan. Within four years from its beginning the Catholic Pentecostal movement spread to dozens of areas in the U.S. and Canada. Its epidemic-like expansion was marked by bizarre episodes played out by peculiar characters. Lay- man Ralph Martin, one of the new breed of roving Pentecostals, travel- led the country exercising the self-appointed commission of baptizing others (including priests and religious) in the Holy Spirit. Father Connolly describes an incident where both Trappist and Benedictine monks, not willing to await the arrival of Ralph Martin, rushed out and found their own local Pentecostals to "initiate them", and how, in turn, they spread the "Spirit" among Catholics in their area. 6 This alien "spirit" spread indeed. Now it is a worldwide movement with the power to draw 7,500 Catholics from all over the country to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Pittsburgh's David Lawrence Convention Center was set up theater style with ample chairs and aisle space to accomodate the 7,500 regis- trants. the stage served as the speaker's podium, makeshift sanctuary and bandstand. A banner, beautiful large crucifix, Divine Mercy pos- ter, and image of Our Lady of Guadalupe also adorned the platform. The band, occupying left-stage, comprised singers, electric instruments and full drum set. It was similar to the band at the Toronto Blessing Church. The rock'n'pop "praise music" played was undeservedly dignified with the name "music ministry". The band's front man crooned the melodies with that effeminate, sing-song, style that has come to be the hall- mark of modern, pop-mediocre Church music. A scant handful of tradit- ional hymns were thinly spread throughout the weekend amongst a heavy music program. With one exception, there was no Gregorian Chant. Though many of these songs were of a Top 40 ballad style, several had a driving rock and roll drum beat that would catapult the crowd to its feet singing, arms in the air, dancing in place. During these perform- ances, one would notice young girls in tight jeans bopping to the mus- ic, smiling and singing into each other's faces as if romping at a Beach Boys festival. There was loud cheering and applause at the con- clusion of most songs. The Emcee, harvesting this enthusiasm, would encourage further outbursts by shouting "PRAISE JESUS, PRAISE GOD, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA", to which the crowd would obediently shout along. Sometimes, the Emcee would initiate an indistinguishable "prayer in tongues." Likewise, the audience would follow. Then, another musical number would begin. The atmosphere was dominated by a blend of Protes- tant revivalism, rock concert cheeering and pep-rally spirit. Anything Catholic would be swallowed up in such a tumult. Yet one striking exception occured when the singer intoned a capella VENI CREATOR SPIRITU in Gregorian Chant. It was the only moment of the weekend when the hall was permeated with that distinctive trademark; the reverential hush. For this one moment the crowd sat motionless. No hands in the air, no waving, no dancing in the aisles, no applause at the hymn's conclusion. There is a power in genuine Sacred Music that precludes its being accompanied by worldly cheering and holy-roller demonstrations. This peaceful interlude would not last long. It app- ears that Charismatics, like small children, find it difficult to sit still and keep quiet. At about 7:30 p.m. on opening night, the Emcee kicked things off by seizing the microphone and screaming "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY CATHOLIC CHAR- ISMATICS". The crowd responded with a deafening burst of frenzied cheering that bordered Beatlemania. "There's gonna be a hot time in the old town tonight" the Emcee barked overtop the roaring crowd. The weekend proceeded with charismatic prayers, liturgy, dancing, "tongues", prophesying, and speeches encouraging the crowd to "live under the spout where the glory comes out."

One of the most peculiar Charismatic practices is "prophesying". An individual stands as the center of attention and speaks as if God were speaking through him. Quite a few Pentecostals performed this ritual over the microphone. The crowd listened intently as if they were in the presence of God speaking on Mt. Sinai. What was always uttered, however, was a pious platitude that anyone with minimal knowledge of religion could make up as he went along. An excerpt from a lengthy such "prophesying" runs: "Wherever you go, wherever you are, know that the power of my Holy Spirit is the same for you, and bring it to the people...bring it, proclaim it and call upon it and know that the same power you experience in you, you take forth from this place, and have with you, forever, and in all the min- istry that I call you to do." After this "prophesying" the audience applauds while the Emcee swoons, "praise the Lord, praise God, thank you Jesus, etc." At one point in the midst of such "prophesying," one man stated: "I the Lord am also your servant." Jim Murphy, the Emcee, commented to the crowd in awestruck amazement, "Isn't that wonderful! GOD HIMSELF has just told us that He is also our servant." In practice, Murphy was teaching the audience that indeed, GOD HAS JUST SPOKEN through the charismatic prophet right before their eyes...a presumption that is foreign to Catholicism. There was not much solid teaching on doctrine, morals or spirituality from the speakers. Any Catholic teaching was highly seasoned with post -Vatican II flavoring. Anyone hoping to really learn something would have walked away disappointed. Like the Toronto Blessing, most speak- ers were shallow, empty and often quite noisy. The weekend's primary purpose was to celebrate the joy of being "alive in the Lord," with much encouragement to "march forward in the spirit."

Patti Gallagher Mansfield, one of the pioneer charismatics of the 60s, lectured on St. Louis de Montfort's True Denotion to Our Lady. The speech was a hybrid of theologies blending the "goodness" of being baptized in the spirit along with devotion to Mary. Mrs. Mansfield seriously undermined her own lecture, and shredded her credibility, stating that she did not recommend traditional devotions to Mary such as the Miraculous Medal, the Rosary, etc., because, in her theology, "it doesn't matter how you come to Mary, as long as you come." She further downplayed the importance of the Holy Rosary with the declaration: "If devotion to Mary consisted of saying the Rosary every day, I would be lost." I thought it odd that this Charismatic lady, (supposedly possessing a special "hotline to Heaven" due to her baptism in the spirit) would so self-assuredly CONTRADICT the express command of Heaven by Our Lady in 1917 who said "GOD WISHES TO ESTABLISH IN THE WORLD DEVOTION TO MY IMMACULATE HEART." Our Lady then GAVE SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS on how this devotion is to be practiced, most important of which is Our Lady's request to pray the Rosary everyday. Our Lady then PROVED Her words with the greatest miracle in New Testament history, the Miracle of the Sun. Yet none of Fatima's urgent directions from Heaven were preached at this conference by speakers who constantly boasted of being "filled to overflowing with the spirit." During this gathering, Fatima was practically non-existent. There was no public recitation of the Rosary during the entire weekend, yet plenty of time for revivalist, dance-in -the-aisle "worship" services. The conference liturgies were Novus Ordo concelebrations with Bishop Sam Jacobs, a to-the-bone charismatic prelate, as main celebrant. Here too, the scale of spirituality tipped toward Protestantism. What took place after the Gospel smacked more of an Amway motivational seminar than a Catholic homily. The "Sunday Sermon" featured Bishop Jacobs prancing up and down the stage in revivalist style, spewing a generous mouthful of "Amens" and encouraging audience participation. During this address, taking his cue from Our Lord's "Who do you say that I am?" to Simon Peter, Bishop Jacobs screamed at the audience: "WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?" Screaming crowd "JESUS!" Bishop Jacobs: "WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?" Crowd: "JESUS!" Bishop Jacobs: "WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?" Crowd: "JESUS!" 7 The homily was often interrupted by loud stamping applause... mind you, this was in the middle of Sunday Mass! Homilies on other days were of similar stripe. It was heartbreaking to endure a Roman Catho- lic bishop carrying on like some cheap imitation of Oral Roberts. The Masses included choreographed "worship in tongues" that would take place at a pause during the "Holy Holy Holy" and also before the Our Father. The "kiss of peace" will be left to the reader's imagin- ation. Most eerie of all charismatic liturgical practices is the buzz of "tongues" replacing the consecration bells. During the consecration, at the elevation of the Host and at the elevation of the Chalice, Bishop Jacobs stood in elevation pose and initiated "prayer in tong- ues" that spread through the entire congregation: "Hum de yah hay dah sham a lum yada..." A drone of indistinguishable gibberish would rise from the crowd, sounding like the ghastly hum of a Hindu Ashram. The vast majority of the audience received Communion in the hand.

The summer, 1997 issue of Sursum Corda! magazine featured a surpris- ingly favorable article on Steubenville University. The journal repor- ted that Steubenville's Father Scanlon "has allowed and even encoura- ged the [charismatic] movement's decline at the University." With all due respect to this well-meaning publication, this is cert- ainly NOT the message that Father Scanlon transmitted during his spe- ech at the Pittsburgh Conference. Not only is Steubenville hosting the Charismatic Leadership Conference in 1998, but Father Scanlon seemed determined to set the record straight regarding Steubenville's commit- ment to Pentecostalism. He opened: "I just want to make it clear about the Franciscan University of Steubenville. IT IS the Power of the Holy Spirit, IT IS being baptized in the Holy Spirit, IT IS the Charismatic Renewal that launched and is responsible for the growth and maturity of this University, and I thank God for that!" (thunderous applause) In this speech, Father Scanlon spoke of his "three conversions". The first was when he came to be fully convinced in the truths of the Catholic Church and Sacred Scripture. The second was when he was at Harvard Law School and abandoned all to become a Franciscan priest. So far so good. But the third "conversion" was his entry into Pentecostalism in 1973. He explained that he felt it his duty, as rector of 170 Franciscan se- minarians, to make his men holy, and was perplexed on how to achieve this. A Carmelite nun told him "You need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit." A week later, one priest and two laymen laid hands on him. He claims that there he received "A R-R-RUSH OF THE SPIRIT". He recount- ed, "after that, my preaching changed, people started getting healed in the confessional. People started flying in to go to confession." He gave accounts of spiritual and bodily healings he had been involved with. He also shouted, "I EXPERIENCE A GREATER POWER OF THE SPIRIT, A GREATER RUSH TODAY THAN I DID THEN" (in 1973). While this was taking place, I tried to imagine humble models of sanctity such as Padre Pio, St. John Bosco and St. John Vianney boast- ing to a crowd of 7,500 how "filled witht the spirit" they were, and bragging of their spirit filled ministries having been so instrumental in unproven cures. It was repeated testimonials such as this by vari- ous speakers that made me feel I was in the middle of a three-day Charismatic infomercial. To hear priests like Father Scanlon praise the Protestant practice of "baptism in the spirit" as if it were THE final road to holiness is quite bewildering. This is especially puzzling since seminary rectors of old would have suffered a martyr's death rather than seek a Protes- tant mock-sacrament as a channel to sanctity. The Catholic methods are still the only ones lawful and true. Why did he not simply employ the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius for these men, since the Spiritual Exercises are a PROVEN road to holiness, have been PRACTI- CED AND ENDORSED by centuries of Popes and Saints, and were GIVEN to Saint Ignatius by the Blessed Mother Herself (the spouse of the Holy Ghost). As we know, to take part in non-Catholic religious services is a grave sin against Faith, and Pentecostalism comes fron such forbidden religious activity. One cannot help but wonder if a Catholic, even a priest, walks into such sinful activity with his eyes wide open, and PERSISTS in such heterodox practice, would end up being punished by a spiritual blindness that judges certain evils as good. Whether this is the case with the clergymen at this conference, only God knows. Also, the Catholic is not easily impressed with the reported miracles among Charismatics. None spoken of at this conference were documented. Pentecostals are not the only group claiming miracles and conversions to authenticate their movement. There are numerous unapproved Marian apparitions (some that report the Blessed Mother warning "the Charis- matics are from Hell") that also claim miracles and conversions. 8 There are wild visionaries like Clemente in Spain who has crowned him- self "Pope Gregory XVI" (sic) [Note: Actually it was Gregory XVII] who's movement likewise claims healings and conversions. A miracle can only be genuine if absolutely no other natural cause can be attributed to it (at Lourdes, only 65 as of 1989, have been proclaimed by the Church as miraculous). Also, miracle to be truly of God, the MESSAGE that the miracle enforced must be in conformity with the traditional teaching of the Church. Here, of course, is where Pen- tacostalism falls flat, as there is nothing Catholic about seeking holiness from heretical, non-sacramental sects. If any extraordinary phenomenon is used to justify a new or false doctrine, then Catholicism judges this as a "lying wonder" - a pheno- menon that comes from man or from the devil. As Father Vincent Miceli pointed out in his speech, The Antichrist, "these are called lying wonders because they draw people to a different religion rather than the true religion." Our Catholic Church has a marvellous two-thousand year history of "discernment of spirits" contained in traditional ascetical and mysti- cal theology that must be rigidly applied to such manifestations. Here we have the opposite: Laypeople lay hands on an individual, the indi- vidual gets a RUSH, and immediately proclaims he is "full of the Spir- it." This is shocking presumption according to Catholic teaching. The Catholic Church teaches that we should never accept at face value any apparent supernatural manifestation as something definitely coming from God. Never! - since it is too easy to be deceived by demonic for- ces. The agony suffered by Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque and other au- thentic favored souls laboring to determine the genuineness of their heavenly manifestations should be ample testimony. I see none of these criteria applied to Charismatics. In fact, the Charismatics seem to act as if these teachings either do not exist, or do not apply to them. However, it would seem that most Charismatics at this conference were simple, well-meaning people who know nothing of these teachings, nor of their duty to "test the spirits" according to these wise strictures. 9 Parents considering sending their children to Steubenville University should know that Father Scanlon boasted with great pride, 75% OF ALL STUDENTS OF THE FRANCISCAN UNIVERSITY OF STEUBENVILLE, HAVE BEEN PRA- YED WITH TO RECEIVE THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT." Also, a busload or two of Steubenville students were manning the volunteer work at this conference. Hence, Steubenville students will be exposed to such Charismatic gatherings that are viewed by this university as accept- able Catholic practice.

The Charismatic Saturday Night Dance that followed Fr. Scanlon's spe- ech would launch the element of the absurd to skyscraping heights. Of course, this "Saturday Night Fever" approach to religion was also un- deservedly dignified with the name "ministry session." It consisted of Pentecostal Diva, Babsie Bleasdell, "doing her thing" over the microphone for about an hour. The session was one of Bleasdell preaching and leading prayers in the revivalist, Baptist patter of "praise the Lord, Alleluia, the spirit of fear and doubt begone in the Name of Jesus, let the spirit of God fall upon you...a spirit of joy! joy! while the audience caught the enthusiasm and flared into a "holy groove." The band played its ener- getic rock'n'pop "praise" music with an increased fury. At one point, the dam of enthusiasm burst as the crowd rushed to the front of the hall in full-body dancing like adoring fans celebrating their favorite rock band. Bleasdell would encourage the frolicking. In the midst of all this, a James Brown rendition of "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" would not have been out of place. Bleasdell also employed the well-worn Pentecostal mesmerism: "some of you experience that you don't have a headache any more...raise your hand." etc., etc. At one point, Father Scanlon, obviously overwhelmed with enthusiasm, seized center stage and addressed the crowd as if in the grip of a dream: I almost never get visions but I can see God's hand moving down inside of so many in this assembly and reaching in and grabbing the garbage ...GRABBING THE GARBAGE. (rising to a shout- ing crescendo) LET HIM PULLIT UP! GET RID OF IT. SEND IT UP NOW-SEND IT OUT. THE HOLY SPIRIT'S GONNA REPLACE IT! GARBAGE OUT-HOLY SPIRIT IN!!" The crowd responded with " Praise God, Praise Jesus, Alleluia, Alleluia." There would be time for the entire congregation to join in "healing prayers." For the most part, I find Charismatic leaders to be a cadre of very silly men. This impression was nowhere better confirmed than at this "ministry session". While Bleasdell was revving the crowd with cries of "LOVE AND DANCE BEFORE THE LORD...HE LONGS TO SEE IT", priests and bishop(s) on a crowded stage, including Father Scanlon, were having the time of their lives and joined in the dancing. 7,500 Charismatics were treated to the spectacle of Bishop Sam Jacobs joining arms with a woman (a plainslothes nun, I think) executing a rather clumsy series of moderate can-can kicks. At one point, Bleasdell was flanked by Bis- hop Jacobs on her right and what appeared to another bishop on her left engaging in full body dance, their pectoral crosses bouncing to the rhythm, while smiling and waving at the audience. The three of them together looked more like Diana Ross and the Supremes than reli- gious leaders. It seems that the more our Church officials talk of human dignity, the more they degrade ecclesiastical dignity.

There is no room to catalog each of the outlandish activities, since there is enough material at the Convention for a major work of non- fiction. Likewise, a full treatment of the varied and numerous theo- logical problems with this movement is beyond the scope of this art- icle. Apart from those already mentioned, some of the more outstand- ing difficulties with "Catholic" Pentecostalism are as follows: 1) THE ENTIRE MOVEMENT IS FOUNDED ON A SIN AGAINST FAITH. There are three EX CATHEDRA (infallible) dogmatic pronouncements teaching that outside the Catholic Church there is no salvation. The most striking of those pronouncements reads: "The sacrosanct Roman Church, founded by the voice of Our Lord and Savior, firmly believes, professes and preaches ... and proclaims that those who are not living with the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life, but will depart 'into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels' [Matt. 25:41] unless before the end of life the same have been added to the flock...{A]nd that no one, whatever almsgiving he has practiced, even if he sheds his blood for the name of Christ, can be saved unless he has remained in the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church." 10 In perfect continuity with these infallible teachings, traditional Catholic Moral theology, here summarized by Bishop Louis LaRavoire Morrow, S.T.D., holds that "A Catholic sins against Faith by taking part in non-Catholic worship, because he thus professes belief in a religion he knows to be false." 11 Yet by the admission of the Catholic Charismatic pioneer, Kevin Ran- aghan, the movement began with Catholics performing the grotesque ritual of seeking a spiritual blood transfusion from the dead corpse of Protestantism, and proclaiming that God "filled them to overflowing with the spirit" for doing so. Such collaborating and "seeking the holiness of the Holy Spirit" from anathematized heretics (what Protes- tant would survive the anathemas of the Council of Trent?) cannot be a religious movement truly of God. 2) IT IS A MOVEMENT FOUNDED THE PRINCIPLES CONDEMNED BY POPE PIUS XI AND POPE PIUS XII. Both Pope Pius XI and Pius XII(basing their teaching on the unchang- ing tradition of the Church rather than the progressive novelties of liberal theologians)warned against the dangers of interfaith activity. Pius XI in Mortalium Animos taught that though St. John recounted Our Lord's prayer "that all may be one", as well as Christ's command "to love one another", "nevertheless (St. John) strictly forbade any intercourse with those who professed a mutilated and corrupted form of Christ's teaching, 'If any man come to you, and bring not this doc- trine, receive him not into thy house, nor say to him, God speed you." Pope Pius XI further castigated interfaith projects, stating, "...It is clear that the Apostolic See can by no means take part in these as- semblies, nor is it in any way lawful for catholics to give such ent- erprises their encouragement or support. If they did so, they would be giving countenance to a false Christianity, quite alien to the one Church of Christ." 12 Yet as already mentioned, Catholic Pentecostalism is the product of such forbidden ventures. Further, Pope Pius XII, in his 1949 Instruction on Ecumenism taught that if there is to be any exchange between Catholics and non-Cathol- ics(solely for the sake of converting the non-Catholic to the one true Faith), all activity must be guided by the truth that "the Catholic Church possesses the fulness of Christ", that is, it does not need to acquire things that go to make up the fulness of Christianity from other denoninations. 13 Catholic Pentecostalism "needed to acquire" the mock-sacrament of a false religion (baptism in the spirit) for its impetus. Hence it acts in haughty disdain of Pius XII's trafditional directives. 3)IT FAVORS RELIGIOUS INDIFFERENTISM. As noted already, the movement was born through unlawful collaborat- ion with Protestantism. To this day, founder Kevin Ranaghan still "praises God for the old-time Pentecostals," and speaks of Protestant splinter groups like the "Toronto Blessing" as genuine movements of the Holy Ghost.

Further, among the vendors at this 30th Anniversary Conference, two Protestant organizations were represented. Destiny Image Publications, a non-denominational "ministry" producing revivalist literature dis- played a full selection of books for sale, including those promoting the "Toronto Blessing". Charisma magazine, a Protestant publication, hawker their journal to crowds with the promise that "starting next month, each issue of our Charismatic magazine will contain a 'Catholic supplement'." Indeed, Pentecostalism and ecumenism feed off each oth- er, since acceptance of Pentecostalism depends on recognizing Protest- antism as another valid form of Christianity. In 1864, Venerable Pope Pius IX, in perfect continuity with the un- changing dogmas of the centuries, taught in his landmark SYLLABUS OF ERRORS that "IT IS AN ERROR to believe that Protestantism is nothing more than another form of the same true Christian religion..." 14 As should be obvious by now, Catholic-Pentecostalism is IMMERSED in this error in origin and practice. 4) THE MOVEMENT'S CONTINUED GROWTH WOULD SEEM TO DEPEND ON THE ABSENCE OF THE LATIN TRIDENTINE MASS. The "Catholic Charismatic" movement started when the Latin Tridentine Mass was in decline and the Protestant-style Novus Ordo emerging-a new liturgy historically proven to be favorable to experimentation and im- provisation. The liturgical abberations mentioned in this article could not have taken place within the Latin Tridentine Mass. Cardinal Ottaviani noted, that the Latin Tridentine Mass in alignment with the Council of Trent's dogmatic teaching was an insurmountable barrier against heresy. 15 It is not unreasonable to speculate that implicit in Catholic-Pentecostalism is the erroneous notion that the Latin Tridentine Mass was an obstacle to the work of the Holy Ghost, since it may have stood in the way of Pentecostalism's "powerful unleashing of the Spirit" throughout the world. 5) IT VIRTUALLY IGNORES CATHOLIC TEACHING ON THE DISCERNMENT OF SPIR- ITS. Though this point has been covered already, it must be further noted that Pentecostalism ENCOURAGES extraordinary phenomena such as "proph- esying" and "talking in tongues." Yet the great mystical writer and Doctor of the Church, St. John of the Cross, warned that souls must flee from seeking any such manifestations. What this great saint said of private revelations equally applies to all such phenomena: "Where- in the devil habitually meddles so freely [in extraordinary phenomen- on] that I believe it impossible for for a man not to be deceived by them, unless he strive to reject them, such an appearance of truth and security does the Devil give them. 16 Also, Msgr. Knox wrote that "to speak in tongues you had never learn- ed was, and is, a recognized symptom in cases of alleged diabolic pos- session." 17 To freely expose oneself to such dangers borders on mad- ness. 6) IT BEARS A STRIKING RESEMBLANCE TO THE OCCULTIC NEW AGE MOVEMENT IN THREE WAYS: a) It is a pan-denominational movement with a non-Catholic principle as its unifying factor, in this case, "baptism in the spirit". b) It is a religion of EXPERIENCE. Charismatics never really provide a satisfactory theological explanation of "baptism of the spirit," but emphasize that is something that must be experienced. This mirr- ors New Age tendencies. c) It sneers at any traditional Catholic teaching that stands in opp- osition to it. Hence, the problems with "Catholic Pentecostalism" are true and seri- ous, and cannot be passed over lightly, or laughed out of court by appealing to a new "living tradition" that suddenly blesses what the Church always condemned. The Athanasian Creed states "Whoever would be saved before all else, it is necessary that he hold to the Catholic Faith; unless such a one preserve it integral and inviolate, without doubt he will perish in eternity." In light of the traditional teaching of the Church, it can be firmly argued that to seek involvement with Catholic-Pentecostal- ism's wild mixture of truth and error, as well as its heterodox prac- tice, is to recklessly endanger one's Faith.

The Catholic historian Dr. John Rao observed that throughout history, a conquered people will often take on the characteristics of their conquerors. 18 A more apt description of "Catholic-Pentecostalism" could not be formulated. Charismatics are a conquered people who have surrendered their priceless, God-given heritage while dancing on the graves of their Catholic ancestors in giddy imitation of Protestant practice. 19 The Pentecostalism and ecumenism presently gripping our Holy Church could be nicknamed "Luther's Conquest." It is not only our duty to resist it, but aso to beseech Heaven on behalf of the "Catholic Char- ismatic" who prays with his hands in the air and his foot on the tht- oat of traditional Cathoolic doctrine and practice.

1)Rev. Dr. L. Rumble, M.S.C., "Assemblies of God" and other "Pentecos- tal Churches", p.18. 2)Peter Herbeck, "The Titanic Battle", Renewal Ministries Newsletter, Ann Arbor, MI, May 1997. 3)Whalen, op cit. pp.179-180 4)Msgr. Vincent M. Walsh, What is Going On?(Wynnewood,PA,Key of David Publications,1995),p.31. 5)Kevin and Dorothy Ranaghan, Catholic Pentecostals, Paulist Press, New York, 1969, p.15 6)James Connelly, O.S.C.,"The Charismatic Movement," in As the Spirit Leads Us,(Paulist Press:New York,1971). 7)I want to make it clear, in case anyone misunderstands this format, that Bishop Jacobs was not trying to induce the crowd to proclaim HIM (Bishop Jacobs) as Jesus, this is simply the emotional charismatic way of eliciting from the audience some sort of act of faith. 8)It should be here stated that I(and Catholic Family News) do not follow or promote any of the unapproved apparitions of recent history or before. - [J.V.] 9)Two excellent sources of Catholic theological treatment of Extra- ordinary Phenomena can be found in The Spiritual Life by Fr. Adolph Tanquerey(out of print)and The Three Ages of the Interior Life[2 vol- umes]by Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange,O.P.-available from Catholic Family News. 10)Pope Eugene IV, Exbulla, "Cantate Domino", Feb. 4, 1441. 11)Most Reverend Louis LaRavoire Morrow, S.T.D.,Bishop of Krishnagar, My Catholic Faith,(originally published in 1949), p.193. 12)Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos, On Fostering True Religious Unity, Jan. 6, 1928. 13)"Instruction on the Ecumenical Movement," A.A.S., Jan. 31, 1950,cf. Romano Amerio, Iota Unum,(Sarto House,Kansas City,1996), p.549. 14)The full quotation of Proposition #18 reads that it is an error to say that "Protestantism is nothing more than another form of the same true Christian religion in which form it is given to please God equ- ally as in the Catholic Church". Pope Pius IX's Syllabus of Errors as written in Dogmatic Canons and Decrees, Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford, Ill. 15)The Ottaviani Intervention,(Tan Books & Publishers, Rockford, IL), p. 27 16)St. John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel, Chapter 27. 17)Msgr. Ronald Knox, Enthusiasm,(Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1950), p. 551 18)Dr. John Rao, "Why Catholics Cannot Defend Themselves"-An address given by Dr. John C. Rao(D. Phil,Oxford University, Associated Prof- essor of History, St. John's University)on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Dietrich von Hildebrand Institute, Feb.18,1993, and printed in the book Americanism and the Collapse of the Church in the United States, p.42. 19)When I say Protestant practice, I really mean Pentecostal-Protest- ant practice, since I know many sober Protestants would never go any- where near Pentecostalism.

Scott Hahn and Pentecostalism (Catholic Family News, August 1997) by John Vennari

The most theological meat at the 30th Anniversary Conference was pro- vided by the convert, Scott Hahn. Unfortunately, this address, entitl- ed Scripture and Tradition, was a massive disappointment in many ways. Though Hahn uttered much of what is true, it was obvious trouble was coming when he asserted that the Church now has a NEW understanding of Tradition thanks to such "leading lights" as Maurice Blondel, Henri de Lubac and Yves Congar. These "leading lights" are the current fashion enjoying tremendous popularity and influence in today's Church. Yet this vogue does not eclipse the substansial problems contained in their new thinking. The great anti-modernist Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange wrote to Maurice Blon- del in the 1940's asking him "to retract his false definition of truth before dying...if he didn't want to spend too long in Purgatory." 1 In the 1946 essay "Where is the "New Theology" taking us?", Fr. Garri- gou-Lagrange also warned of the dangers inherent in the "new theology" of Henri de Lubac. The eminent Thomistic scholaar concluded, "where is [this] 'new theology' taking us? it is taking us in a straight line right back to modernism by way of whims, errors and heresy." Henri de Lubac's theology blurs the distinction between the natural and the supernatural orders. This novelty was condemned in paragraph 26 of Pope Pius XII's 1950 Encyclical against modern errors, Humani Generis. Likewise, in 1980, the staunchly orthodox Cardinal Siri dev- oted 15 pages of his book Gethsemane to examine de Lubac's errors. Siri concluded that de Lubac's theology, taken to its logical conclus- ion, would mean that "either Jesus is only man, or that man is Div- ine." 2 Further, those whom de Lubac regarded as heroes and enemies is of great concern. Notonly did de Lubac nurse a sneering contempt for the anti-modernist Garrigou-Lagrange, but de Lubac was also a steadfast defender of of the arch-apostate, Teilhard de Chardin. 3 Of Yves Congar, the French writer Arnaud de Lassus commented that "having contributed to the conciliar rupture with Traditional Catholi- cism, Fr. Congar had the honesty to recognize the existence of this rupture." 4 Msgr. William B. Smith of Dunwoodie Seminary has lectured that Liberation Theology rests heavily on Karl Rahner and Yves Con- gar. 5 Hence, Dr. Hahn's unqualified praise of these modern theologians sends chills up the spine. The "living tradition" propagated by these new thinkers is the basis for the entire Vatican II revolution- a rev- olution that has turned the Church of today into something different from the Church of yesterday. As one progressive theologian wrote, "At Vatican II, the Church redefined herself." If in the name of this "living tradition," the Church of today can be different from the Church of yesterday, then it follows the Church of tomorrow will be different from the Church of today, and the Church of the distant future will be different from the Church of tomorrow. One is compelled to agree with Garrigou-Lagrange's keen foresight that the "new theology" favors the never-ending flux of modernism. Toward the end of the speech, Dr. Hahn shifted gears from a dicussion of Tradition to a full-throttle support of the Catholic-Pentecostals. This defense of Pentecostalism reminded me of Msgr. Knox's lament that the Montanist heresy of the 2nd Century "would have made but a small ripple on the surface of Christendom, if the wayward genius of Tert- ullian had not lent energy to its propoganda." 6 "You as Charismatic Catholics, Hahn sympathized, "seem to get it from both sides these days-from the non-Catholics and friends who are ex- catholics whose Charismatic experience may have lead them out of the Church-and from the traditionalist Catholics who bash you for emotion- alism." Presenting himself as the reasonable man in the middle, he then re- futed a caricature of traditionalist objections. "I hear certain Catholics" he stated, "who call themselves tradition- al say 'We have powerful sacraments, we don't have any need for emot- ions." Hahn's reply to this objection, "Hey look, if we've got sacra- ments as powerful as the Church teaches, then of all Christians in the world, we have just cause to get emotional." (loud applause) Any self-respecting Catholic will resent this flippant response. Due to his recent entry into the Church, perhaps Dr. Hahn has yet to wit- ness the splendor of genuine Catholic emotion that is always accomp- anied by profound reverence and sober piety. Even though the Catholic Faith does not rest on the emotions, Catholics have known for centur- ies that the "adventure of orthodoxy" can thrill the heart like noth- ing else. I have seen Ukrainian Uniate choirs booming their majestic Slavonic Chant, men and women singing full throat with tears streaming down their faces. I have been enchanted by the sight of teenage girls, modestly dressed with heads covered, quietly gasping to catch their breath, overcome with the majesty, beauty and power of a full pontifi- cal Tridentine High Mass. I know of traditional Catholic Ignatian re- treats producing genuine tears of compunction from sinners who have been away from Confession for decades. To suggest that an exhibition of high-voltage, Protestant giddiness is equal or superior to the in- timate religious emotions emanating from Catholic piety is a crowning insult to the Saints and to our Catholic heritage of two millenia. In further exaltation of Pentecostalism, Dr. Hahn proclaimed, "Remem- ber, our first Pope, Peter, was probably the first man to speak in tongues, and presumably the Blessed Virgin Mary too." This is a verbal dissembling worthy of Rembert Weakland. There is no record that Our Lady spoke in tongues or conducted any kind of external ministry (which is the PURPOSE of tongues). Even if Hahn made this declaration with a mental reservation, the audience that he is addressing will understand him to mean that Our Blessed Mother, Queen of Heaven and Earth, practiced the indistinguishable gibberish of old-time Pentecostals. One would not want to be respons- ible before God for conjuring up such an image in people's minds. The miracle of tongues exercised by Peter and the Apostles, and as defined by St. Thomas Aquinas, bears no resemblance to Charismatic practice. Furthermore, according to the Catholic Biblical Encyclo- pedia, the charism of tongues in ancient Corinth has little in common with the glossolalia of today's Pentecostals. 7 Scott Hahn's defense of this new movement defies understanding. Pent- ecostalism is a Protestant innovation that has never been tolerated in Church history. Dr. Hahn would do well to remember the counsel of Pope St. Pius X who assures us "Indeed, the true friends of the people are neither the revolutionaries nor innovators, they are the traditio- nalists." 8

Footnotes: 1)"Quelle Che Pensano Di Aver Vinto," Si Si, No No, Rome, Jan. 31, 1993, pp. 2-3; 2)Siri, Gethsemane, p.70; 3)See "Ratzinger Bemoans Novus Ordo Liturgical Collapse, Catholic Family News, June, 1997; 4)See Catholic Family News, Nov. 1996, p. 3,7; 5)Lecture on Lib- eration Theology by Msgr. Smith, Keep the Faith, Inc.; 6)Enthusiasm, p. 25; 7)See article on page 3; 8)Pope St. Pius X, Our Apostolic Man- date, Aug. 25, 1910, Paragraph 44. [J.V]

At the 30th Anniversary Charismatic Conference, I found myself next to a woman who was joining in the "prayer of tongues" initiated by the Emcee. She was "praying" with hands raised along with moderate body fidgeting. Her style of "tongues" was an indistinguishable mutter put to an improvised flight melody. When I pointed my hand-held micro- cassette recorder in her direction, she immediately stepped up the volume on her "tongue melody" and inched closer to the recorder. This woman had divined that I was looking for a show, and she was determin- ed to provide me one.

Sacred Scripture seems to recount two different classifications of the gift of tongues. The first is that special gift recorded in the Acts on the day of Pentecost where the Apostles would preach in their own language and people from many different lands heard them in their native speech. It would be as if Cardinal Stickler at the United Nat- ions General Assembly with all the participants from various nations understanding his words without the aid of an interpreter. Very few saints were favored with this gift, most notably St. Francis Xavier and St. Vincent Ferrer. The other manifestation of tongues appears to be what is recorded in St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians. As if giving a precise definit- ion in order to counteract modern-day Pentecostalism, The Catholic Biblical Encyclopedia employs careful language to define this gift: "The Gift of Tongues is a charism consisting in an articulate, intel- ligible utterance (1 Cor.14,9. 19) that could be interpreted with the assistance of another special gift (14,5. 13. 27f) either by the spea- ker himself or by another in the audience." 1 The "tongues" of today's Pentecostals bear no resemblance to either of these two gifts.

Msgr. Ronald Knox was one of the most eminent Catholic Churchmen in England in the first half of this century, and was an acquaintance of Bishop Fulton Sheen and a friend of writer Evelyn Waugh. His book Enthusiam, which took 30 years to write, is unparalleled in document- ing the history of "ultra-supernaturalism" in the Church. He covers such peculiarities as the Church of Corinth, the Morovian heresy, John Wesley, the Quakers, Shakers and my personal favorite, the Convulsion- aries of Saint-Medard. The manifestation of "tongues", as practiced to day, is treated in one of the final chapters entitled "The Vagaries of Modern Enthusiasm." In Chapter Two, under the subheading entitled "Greediness over the Gifts of the Spirit," Knox mentions that there were certain manifest- ations of tongues at the time of St. Paul in Corinth. These tongues would have to be along the lines of what the Catholic Biblical Encyc- lopedia defined above. Knox notes that St. Paul would attempt to check such activities, for he wrote that, "it was the curb, not the spur that is needed in first- century Corinth." Knox further commented that "it was not till the 2nd Century that such manifestations grew rare, and were viewed with mis- giving by those in authority." 2 The disappearance of the gift of tongues occured early in Church his- tory. Father Rumble of Radio Replies explains: "Under the control of ecclesiastical authority the chaff was winnowed from the wheat, and it was soon seen that the Holy Spirit had no intention of continuing in the Church miraculous gifts ordained only to the pressing needs of the initial stages; and such abnormal phenomena rapidly became a thing of the past at least, as a regular feature of Christianity. So much was this the case, that when Montanus claimed to be restoring them to the middle of the 2nd Century, he was at once branded as an innovator, an imposter and a heretic." 3 By the 4th Century, we can rest assured that such activities disapp- eared. Augustine wrote: "Who in our day expects that those on whom hands are laid so that they may receive the Holy Spirit should forth- with speak in tongues?...These were signs adapted to the times. For there behooved to be that betokening of the Spirit in all tongues to show that the Gospel of God was to run through all the tongues over the earth. But that thing was done for the betokening, and it has pas- sed away." 4 By the time of the 13th Century, when St. Thomas Aquinas wrote his magnificent Summa Theologica, the Angelic Doctor would simply treat the gift of tongues as "the divinely imparted knowledge of a variety of languages. The apostles had this gift and were able to speak the languages of all the people to whom they were sent...speaking in one language, they were understood by all." 5 St. Thomas, with his vast knowledge of the Fathers of the Church would have mentioned another such manifestation of tongues if it had continued in Church history.

Most writers hold that glossolaly (speaking in tongues) seemed to re- appear in the Protestant sect founded by Charles Parham in Topeka, Kansas around 1901. Msgr. Ronald Knox, however, speaks of an earlier reappearance in Presbyterian Edward Irving's congregation in the 1830's. He writes, "Glossolaly began in Irving's congregation; and be- fore long, to the scandal of many, but to his own delight, his sermons were interrupted by prophets who rose and uttered their message, some- times, intelligibly, sometimes by the use of tongues." 6 Of this phenomenon, Knox remarks, "I DO NOT DENY THE EXISTENCE OF GLOSSOLALY ALL THROUGH THE PERIOD OF DISPUTE. TO SPEAK WITH TONGUES YOU NEVER LEARNED WAS, AND IS, A RECOGNIZED SYMPTOM IN CASES OF ALLE- GED DAIBOLIC POSSESSION. WHAT DOES NOT APPEAR IS THAT IT WAS EVER CLAIMED, AT LEAST ON A LARGE SCALE, AS A SYMPTOM OF DIVINE INSPIRA- TION, UNTIL THE END OF THE 17TH CENTURY." 7 Knox observes that this glossolaly is "beyond the reach of any lexi- con", and wryly comments, "we must admit that a child prattles no less convincingly." 8 Knox also explains that such glossolaly is of no use. He writes, "The gift of tongues, when so understood, loses its mail evidential value; nobody who is present, in merely inquiring spirit, will be impressed with the sight of A talking gibberish and B saying the gibberish means this and that." 9 Yet this "gibberish" is precisely the manner of "tongues" practiced by present day Charismatics. In summary: 1) Pentecostalism practices a "tongues" that bears no resemblance to what appears in the Acts of the Apostles. 2) Pentecostalism practices a "tongues" that bears no resemblance to what the Catholic Biblical Encyclopedia carefully defines as "an art- iculate and intelligible speech..." 3) Pentecostalism practices a "tongues" described by Msgr. Knox as "gibberish". 4) Despite all this, Pentecostals insist that these "tongues" are a true manifestation of the Holy Ghost, and completely disregard Msgr. Knox's gentle reminder that "to speakk in tongues one has never lear- ned..is a recognixed symptom in alleged cases of diabolic possession."

In closing, it should be noted that at this 30th Anniversary Confer- ence, there was no shortage of women at the microphone "prophesying", giving lectures, leading the bidding prayers at Mass, leading the con- gregation in an eruption of indistinguishable "tongues", leading the rootin'tootin prayer session on Saturday. It is obvious that these Charismatics, who constantly justify their existence by quoting St. Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians, blithely ignore the passage in the same book of Corinthians which commands, "Let women keep silence in the Churches". 10

1)Steinmueller and Sullivan, Catholic Biblical Encyclopedia,(Joseph Wagner, Inc., New York, 1949) pp.635-636. 2)See Ronald A. Knox, Enthusiasm,(Oxford University Press-New York & Oxford) pp. 21-24. 3)Rev. Dr. L. Rumble, M.S.C. "Assemblies of God," and other "Pentecos- tal Churches" p. 25 4) Cf. William J. Whalen, Minority Religions in America,(Alba House, Staten Island, 1971) p.179 5)Quote taken from Msgr. Paul Glenn, A Tour of the Summa, p. 296.[For the full quote of St. Thomas Aquinas, please see Summa Theologica, IIa,IIae, Q.176 article 1] 6)Enthusiasm, p. 552 7)Ibid. p. 551 8)Ibid. p. 553 9)Ibid. p. 554 10)1 Corinthians 14:34

The above articles on this page were taken from: Catholic Family News M.P.O. Box 743 Niagara Falls, N.Y. 14302

Yeah, well, when you traddie/quasi-schismatic folks build a university as solidly Catholic as Steubenville -- where everyone on the theology department takes the oath of obedience to the Magisterium, and 1/3 of the student population attends daily Mass, and 20% of the graduates go on to vocations in the priesthood or religious life, and all of the residence halls are single-sex with rigidly strict visitation policies -- you let the rest of us know, okay.

In the meantime, I'll take a university where people speak in tongues over a university where people get drunk and fornicate (which is almost every university, including the so-called Catholic ones) any day.

re:1/3 of the student body attends mass

Your standards are quite low, you are down to working on a "grade curve". In the 1950's 80% of Catholics went to mass.

re:20% of the graduates go on to vocations in the priesthood or religious life

More effeminate, feelings oriented, non-Catholic religious is all that can come from charismatism, and more dumb down Catholic laity.

All that you wrote is a ridiculous reason to defend a CRAZY Protestant practice that was always condemned by the Church.

"Why God would allow these "ambiguities" to occur in Vatican II. (and other magisterial documents)?

Considering all that I have said thus far, especially concerning the ulterior motives of the liberal prelates and their virtual hijacking of Vatican II, I think Scripture has an answer as to why God would allow these "ambiguities" to occur. In short, there is an interesting working principle in Scripture. As a punishment for your sin, God will allow you to pursue, and be condemned by, what you sinfully desire. This is what I believe happened at Vatican II. The progressivist bishops and theologians sought for a way to push their heterodox ideas into the Church, so God allowed them to do so, as a witness and judgment against them. He would allow the Council to have its "ambiguities" so that those who would interpret them contrary to nineteen centuries of established Catholic dogma, would lead themselves into sin, and ultimately into God's judgment. Unfortunately, as is always the case, the sheep suffer for what the shepherds do wrong, and as a result, we have all been wandering in the spiritual desert of liberal theology for the past 40 years. (Article from Catholic Family News, Feb 2003, by Robert Sungenis)(1)

(1) In fact, the bad shepherds may be a chastisement for the sins of the sheep. Saint John Eudes, basing his words on Sacred Scripture, says that when God wants to punish his people, he sends them bad priests. See The Priest, His Dignity and Obligations, by Saint John Eudes, Chapter 2, "Qualities of a Holy Priest". (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1947).

As far as I know, Popes since at least the 13th century have recognized glossolalia in the Church without condemnation.

IMO, this article shows how often wrong priests are when mistakenly assuming the role of spokesperson for the Church.

Wrong on both sides of the issue, from those like Msgr. Ronald Knox to Msgr. Vincent Walsh, they don't add much more than confusion to discussion of the subject.

One thing seems certain - endorsement of anyone or anything associated with the Toronto "blessing" has always been a catastrophe. I had no idea before reading this article that anyone in the Priesthood had publicly endorsed the Toronto Blessing. That movement wrought destruction on everyone.

re: My nephew was a guard at that college for a couple of years and even he talked about how devout they were there.

Who could look more devout than the Dalai Lama? Yet his god is the Devil.

The all the gods of the heathens are devils.(Psalms 95-5)

Practically all religions have devout looking groups. Charismatism is not Catholic. Those people your nephew saw are just like any other devout looking non-Catholics.

Besides, who is your nephew?

re: My nephew was a guard at that college for a couple of years and even he talked about how devout they were there.

Who could look more devout than the Dalai Lama? Yet his god is the Devil.

For all the gods of the heathens are devils.(Psalms 95-5)

Practically all religions have devout looking groups. Charismatism is not Catholic. Those people your nephew saw are just like any other devout looking non-Catholics.

Besides, who is your nephew?

Your standards are quite low, you are down to working on a "grade curve". In the 1950's 80% of Catholics went to mass.

Your reading comprehension is quite poor. I said DAILY Mass. 30% of the student body attends DAILY Mass.

Everyone at Steubenville attends Sunday Mass, from what I can see.

You really know nothing about what you're talking about.

Our "Reformed brethren" don't speak in tongues. Pentecostals aren't "Reformed". Presbyterians are "Reformed".

I'm using the "Reformed" term as a catch-all for all the various branches of Protestantism and its offshoots, since some object to the term "Protestant." I also use it with a bit of irony, as there is nothing "Reformed" about them, but in reality, they are all revolutionary to one extent or another.

Steubenville, through Scott Hahn, gave birth to CHN. They're bringing Protestant ministers into the Church by the dozens..

I don't doubt that. But I still repeat how there's a disconnect. Over the past 40 years ago, the Church has made a bad prudential judgment in allowing all kinds of deformities to orthopraxy, and, as the old rule goes, "lex orandi, lex credendi." If these people are still praying/worshiping as they did before they entered the Catholic Church, then there's a problem.

re:IMO, this article shows how often wrong priests are when mistakenly assuming the role of spokesperson for the Church.

Those are just your opinions, you could be wrong. The author of the article would disagree with you on your point one, but agree with you on point two.

By what you wrote you revealed that you do not posses the knowledge of the Catholic hierarchy of truth. The Catholic Church does not follow the writings of one or two priests. Notice that the writers are all quoting the consistent opinions of the Church (scripture,tradition, Fathers of the Church, Popes, councils) from the beginning till before Vatican II.

In re: Speaking in Tongues, some questions:

Has anyone ever recorded these episodes and compared the "tongues" to any known language?

In the Bible, is it clear whether the apostles "spoke in tongues," or that their audiences heard their words in their own language?

I guess my real question is "If I hear someone speaking in tongues, and I do not understand, is it because The Holy Ghost has not come to me, or that I lack faith?"

In re, Franciscan University and the Catholic Charismatics: Is this a strictly American movement, or is it international in scope?

Personally, I have always thought that the American church would do well to adopt the rigorous bible studies of some of the Protestants, and the homiletic style of their ministers. More important, the personal religious experience of many of the members is something somewhat lacking among Anerican Catholics. My opinion.

re:You really know nothing about what you're talking about.

I've posted more than enough (too much for most to read) information from those that do know what they are talking about, quoting from all of Church history.

I will be following up with more sources like Mortalium Animos, which by itself condemns the whole Charismatic movement.

So tighten up your seat belt, by the end of this thread I hope that everyone knows "everything about what we are talking about".

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