An academy set up by former members of the Pontifical Academy for Life has called for Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández to be dismissed, saying he “does not have the necessary minimum qualities required to fulfil the role of defender of the faith.”
Members of the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family said in a Jan. 17 statement that they viewed Cardinal Fernández’s appointment as prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith with “astonishment and perplexity” given the “scandalous books” he has written.
The books “Heal Me With Your Mouth: The Art of Kissing” published in 1995, and “Mystical Passion – Spirituality and Sensuality” which was published in 1998 but resurfaced earlier this month on an Argentinian blog, have drawn widespread criticism.
The Academy said the books “border on pornography” and “clash with the traditional teaching of the Church.” They also noted that “far from retracting the disgraceful passages” of these books, the cardinal simply stated that “he would not have published them today and that he has prohibited their reprinting.”
Such literary works, they added, serve to “justify the worst excesses of the sexual revolution that is deeply corrupting our society and leading our youth to the abyss.”
They also noted that, during the pontificate of Pius XI, the dicastery Cardinal Fernández now heads issued an Instruction explicitly condemning such mystical-sensual literature.
Pope Francis should dismiss Cardinal Fernández, the Academy said, and replace him with “a competent theologian faithful to the moral teachings of the Church.”
The John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family was founded in 2017 after several former members of the Pontifical Academy for Life decided that that body, established by John Paul II in 1994, had departed from serving its original purpose of promoting the Church’s consistent life ethic.
The full statement:
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The John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family formally requests Pope Francis to dismiss Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández
The John Paul II Academy for Human Life and Family (JAHLF) feels obliged to express its astonishment and perplexity that Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández has accepted the role of Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith despite having in past decades written scandalous books of an erotic nature which border on pornography and which contain passages that clash with the traditional teaching of the Church, in particular his works Sáname con tu boca – El arte de besar (“Heal Me With Your Mouth: The Art of Kissing”) and La Pasión mística – espiritualidad y sensualidad (“Mystical Passion-spirituality and sensuality”). Far from retracting the disgraceful passages that these works contain, Cardinal Fernandez has limited himself to stating that he would not have published them today and that he has prohibited their reprinting.
The sensual-mystical literature for which the cardinal has a particular propensity is one of the worst evils of our time to the extent that under the pretext of spirituality, it, in reality, does nothing but justify the worst excesses of the sexual revolution that is deeply corrupting our society and leading our youth to the abyss.
Although all honest acts performed with good intentions are meritorious before God, sexual relations in our present order of fallen nature are so linked to unruly concupiscence that, generally, they cannot constitute an object that awakens or elevates piety. Already during the pontificate of Pius XI, the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office published an Instruction entitled De sensuali et de sensuali-mystico litterarum genere explicitly condemning mystical-sensual literature, in particular works of those authors who “do not fear to embellish the pasture of a sickly sensuality with sacred things, mixing immodest loves with a certain piety towards God and an entirely false religious mysticism.” The Instruction explicitly states that no intention of the author can prevent “that readers whose fragility is generally great, as is also great their propensity to lust as a result of the corruption of their nature, gradually caught in nets by the bait of these impure pages, are not perverted in their minds and depraved in their hearts.”
It is deplorable that almost a century after this Instruction, lay Catholics should have to remind the Prefect of the admonition of his own predecessor:
“Let these literati learn once and for all that they cannot serve two masters, God and sensuality, religion and impurity. ‘He who is not with me, said the Lord Jesus, is against me’ (Matthew, 12, 30). They are certainly not with Jesus Christ, the writers who, through sordid descriptions, deprave good morals, which are the most authentic foundations of civil and family society.”
These scandalous episodes show that Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández does not have the necessary minimum qualities required to fulfil the role of defender of the faith. For this reason, this Academy formally asks the Holy Father to dismiss him and appoint in his place a competent theologian faithful to the moral teachings of the Church.
Dr Thomas Ward President (United Kingdom)
Mrs Christine Vollmer Vice President (Venezuela)
Other signatories (not ex-members of the PAV):
Mr Steven Mosher (USA)
Prof. Roberto de Mattei (Italy)
Mr José Antonio Ureta (Chile)
Dr Adrian Treloar’ (United Kingdom)
John Henry Westen (Canada)
A very necessary and reasonable reaction.
This appointment brought negative effects to the Church of Jesus Christ. And not only Fernandez, but Scicluna and others.
I pray the Pope reflects and dismisses them before they cause more harm.
The Pope won’t help you. He is worse than Fernandez.
I totally agree with these members of the John Paul Pontificate Academy. It is an embarrassment to have such a person in this office. The Church deserves a faithful and true Theologian in this office.
Victor Manuel Fernandez is unworthy of being at the head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the faith due to his inability to profess the true Catholic faith.
Whose sin is greater. The alleged “sin” of Cardinal Fernandez or the sin of spreading worldwide that which rips apart the dignity of one of God’s creation. Should not have this been dealt privately, esp. since these books were basically unknown to the general public?
Example: Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly.
Mary did nothing. We know Cardinal Fernandez has a dirty mind and that mind is causing severe problems for priests that the media picked up on and may have distorted. As distorted as it might be, how hard is the fight fought to correct those distortions when even the errors of “ The Spirit of Vatican 2” not been corrected, but newer abuses became popular and tolerated by Rome? This could be fought privately with no mention of those books—maybe. Granted most are not aware of most going on over there and constant harping on Pope Francis could discourage people from joining the church or staying in even though the abuses could have done that just as well—and have for many.
Eva, understand your thought, but please be with and in Christ, take His part: “take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose and reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of what they do/say in secret; but expose them to the Light”.
Jesus did this, imagine what many felt when publicly witnessed against by Jesus: “get behind me satan, you think not as God but man’ – I dont think Peter said, “Gee, Jesus, this shamed me, don’t you know you’re not supposed to criticize in public but in private’…
It is moral obligation and command to openly and publicly make manifest the evil….the whole of Sacred Scriptures and life of the Saints are full of this Revelation and examples of this Work of Mercy….instruct and admonish the sinner….why does one want this hidden, the Light Jesus says, is not to be put under the bushel basket, but the LIGHT RAISED up for all to see….blessings
No, Eva, the whole Church and world have a right to know of these evils, and it is a mortal sin of omission to keep this hidden, this is exactly what satan wills and works for. So not only is there no ‘alleged’ or ‘greater’ sin, there is actually Christ witnessing to the Truth which is the Mission He came for and which He gave to His People to continue. This is the Holy Christ in these witnesses, doing the good of sharing the Truth and avoiding the evil of sins of omission.
Eva, Joseph was refusing to let Mary be exposed to a falsehood, he was keeping the good and the holy from being judged as evil; this is the inverse, the evil is being witnessed for the good and holy to be known and the evil to be judged rightly.
Joseph did not want good to be called evil; Christ in these disciples don’t want the evil to called good.
Joseph was refusing to let a falsehood be exposed; Christ in these His disciples are refusing to let a falsehood go unexposed. Joseph made sure a lie was not called truth; Christ in these His disciple is doing the same, making sure a lie is not called a truth.
Joseph was doing what was virtue in doing as he did, these disciples, like Joseph, are doing virtuously as he did in making sure evil does not have the word or last word. Blessings
St. Paul was converted to Christianity on his way to Damascus, in the 30s of the first century A.D.. On his journey to Damascus, the Resurrected Christ appeared to him and it was this encounter that brought about his dramatic and immediate conversion.Let us not Conderm the cardinal now due to what was by then written! That was the past as he himself has declared! Along the line of faith, there is always a chance to correct the sin of the past!
This is comical. Do you suppose the signatories have read “Love and Responsibility” by the man now known as Saint John Paul II, the namesake of this “Academy”? They ought to do so… It talks about the nature of the sexual act and orgasms and such.
Cardinal Fernandez did not repent or express any contrition. He only said he would not write the books today.
I applaud and pray for all Bishops and priests who are resisting. I pray for Pope Francis to do the right thing ..recind the declaration and remove Cardinal Fernandez.
The faithful have the right to be taught the true faith.
Coming from a family whose faith was destroyed by the same spirits that no doubt inspired his hideous books on erotic mysticism..I know this was sent to destroy souls.
A Baptized Catholic, who stands in contradiction to The Deposit Of Faith, having “defected from The Catholic Faith and thus The One Body Of Christ, Through The Unity Of The Holy Ghost (Filioque) cannot be “Doctrinal Chief” of a Vatican whose Papacy stands for Christ.
The Gates Of Hell are anti Christ and will not prevail.
It is important to note that heresy not only separates oneself from The One Body Of Christ, any cardinal who had full knowledge of the heresy of Jorge Bergoglio but voted for him in The Papal Election, Ipsy facto separated themselves from The One Body Of Christ.
“Canon 188 §4 states that among the actions which automatically (ipso facto) cause any cleric to lose his office, even without any declaration on the part of a superior, is that of “defect[ing] publicly from the Catholic faith” .
“It is a sin to accommodate an occasion of sin and cooperate with evil.”
By the very fact, ipso facto.