It’s a sin… unless you really want it, says Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
In sum, what Cardinal Fernandez presents is not a compassionate accommodation for suffering but a deliberate erosion of moral absolutes.
The clown heading the Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, is at it again.
This time, he has used one of his own controversial lectures that he gave in Germany, and published it as an official document of the Dicastery, effectively creating a convenient little exception for those who desire to mutilate their own bodies (re: “sex change”).
The document titled “The Ontological Dignity of the Person in Infinite
Dignitas, Some Clarifications - Lecture at the Faculty of Catholic Theology in Cologne”, is yet another thinly veiled attempt by the modernist mob to confuse the faithful. Although Fernandez does on the one hand reiterate that sex change operations are morally impermissible as per the Church’s teaching, he then employs Satan’s age-old trick of adding just enough deceit to the truth to lead souls to hell, by adding a demonic little disclaimer.
[I have used Google Translate to translate the Vatican document from Italian to English, hence the translation’s broken nature.]
“We don't want to be cruel and say we don't understand people's conditioning and the deep suffering that exists in some cases of "dysphoria" that occurs manifests even from childhood. When the document [Infinite Dignitas] uses the phrase "normally," does not exclude that there are cases outside the norm, such as strong dysphoria that can lead to an unbearable existence or even suicide. These situations, exceptional ones, must be evaluated with great care,”[sic] says Fernandez in the document based on his lecture.
As another commentator on InfoCatholica rightly pointed out, this effectively means “changing one’s sex is immoral unless you realy, realy, realy want it”.
Fernandez’s reasoning is nothing short of a demonic subversion of the Church’s long-held moral clarity. By insisting that the Church’s “general rule” leaves room for “cases outside the norm,” he perversely transforms what should be an unequivocal moral law into a slippery slope where subjective feelings—and not divine revelation—determine the morality of actions. This is a modernist gambit that not only undermines the timeless moral teachings and the tradition of the Church but also echoes the dangerous relativism found in Amoris Laetitia, namely that there are no intrinsically evil actions.
Veritatis Splendor makes it abundantly clear that moral norms are not subject to individual whim or contingent circumstances. As St. John Paul II declares,
“The Church’s teaching is not a matter of subjective opinion, but is founded on the eternal law of God which is universally binding on all human beings.”
This powerful statement leaves no doubt: there are actions that are gravely and intrinsically evil, regardless of personal suffering or external pressures. In no uncertain terms does Veritatis Splendor affirm that the objective moral order—as handed down through Scripture and Tradition—is immutable. The human person, created in the image of God, is called to act according to this absolute truth, not to carve out exceptions to suit modern inclinations.
Fernandez’s strategy—invoking “cases outside the norm” as if to imply that the immutable moral law could be so casually set aside—not only dilutes the gravity of moral acts but also leads the faithful dangerously close to the precipice of relativism, where every act is measured solely by subjective desire rather than by the divine law.
And if you find my use of a post-Vatican II document problematic, consider the following pre-Vatican II sources on the Church's teaching on moral absolutes and the intrinsic evil of certain actions:
· In his Address on the Internal Order of States and People (1942), Pope Pius XII emphasized that the fundamental principles governing society are immutable and divinely ordained:
"The precise, bedrock, basic rules that govern society cannot be prejudiced by the intervention of human agency. They can be denied, overlooked, despised, transgressed, but they can never be overthrown with legal validity."
This underscores the belief that moral laws are not subject to change based on human circumstances or desires.
· In Lamentabili Sane (1907), the syllabus condemning modernist errors, Pope St. Pius X rejected the following notion:
"The organic constitution of the Church is not immutable. Like human society, Christian society is subject to a perpetual evolution."
By condemning this proposition, the Pope affirmed the unchanging nature of the Church's moral teachings.
· Although not a Church document as such, the Catholic Encyclopedia (1917) in an article on Evil, articulates the traditional understanding of evil as a privation of good, emphasizing that certain acts are inherently disordered:
"Evil, according to St. Thomas, is a privation, or the absence of some good which belongs properly to the nature of the creature."
This aligns with the teaching that intrinsically evil acts lack the goodness proper to human nature and cannot be justified by circumstances or intentions.
And of course, another source, very unpopular with the modernists—namely Holy Scripture—also condemns Fernandez.
The following scriptural teachings collectively affirm that certain actions are intrinsically evil, irrespective of personal intentions or situational factors. Any reasoning that seeks to justify such actions based on subjective experiences directly contradicts the clear and consistent moral directives outlined in the Bible:
· Intrinsic Evil: Jesus teaches, "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery..." (Mark 7:21). This passage indicates that such actions are inherently evil, originating from the corrupted human heart.
· Moral Corruption: In Matthew 7:17-18, Christ uses the analogy of trees and their fruit: "Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." This metaphor illustrates that corrupt actions stem from a corrupt nature, reinforcing the concept of intrinsic evil.
· The Apostle Paul provides comprehensive lists of behaviors that are inherently sinful, irrespective of context:
- Galatians 5:19-21: "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like." Paul warns that "those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God," underscoring the gravity of these intrinsic evils.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: "Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." This passage reiterates the inherent sinfulness of these actions.
· Scripture emphasizes that God's moral standards are unchanging:
- James 1:17: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." This verse highlights the constancy of God's nature and, by extension, His moral law.
- Psalm 119:89: "Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens." The eternal nature of God's word implies the permanence of His commandments.
In sum, what Cardinal Fernandez presents is not a compassionate accommodation for suffering but a deliberate erosion of moral absolutes. His approach, with its diabolic insinuations and modernist manipulations, betrays the clear and unchanging teachings of the Church—as reasserted in Veritatis Splendor and countless other documents, statements and Scripture.
The unequivocal truth remains: the divine law does not allow for exceptions that would render inherently evil acts permissible. By resorting to such demonic reasoning, Fernandez not only misleads the faithful but also endangers the very soul of the Church.
Ave Christus Rex!
Recognise & Resist!
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Tucho and his boss trouble the House of God constantly. I pray for their conversion. Especially, I pray for the conversion of Pope Francis, as he is at death's door. But if we are going to take Scripture seriously, we must realize that one day they will be gone from power by God's grace. We must hope in God for it to come to pass and take Him at his word. Why? "He who troubles his household will inherit wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise." (Proverbs xi. 29, RSVCE)
The reality is that these apostates have lost faith and hence they just use the faith to justify what they want.