Michael Fighting
"Michael…who standeth for…thy people," — Dan. 12:1-12
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This page was last updated: May 8, 2007
Intentions of the Pope
The intentions of the Supreme Pontiff are: the exaltation of Holy Mother Church, the extirpation (overcoming) of heresies, propagation of the Faith, the conversion of sinners and peace among Christian nations. Unless specific prayers are prescribed for the Pope's intentions, any vocal prayers may be used. See information on gaining an indulgence.
It saddens Us to exercise Our Apostolic Authority as the Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter that is as Pope to issue a declaratory sentence of excommunication for the crime of heresy.
Teresa Louise Stanfill Benns in several unpublished writings, in conversations and in other communications has proposed several propositions which are heretical and worthy of condemnation by the Church.
The first proposition came forth in a document, Necessity of Canonical Fitness in the Ordination of a Lay Pope, which proposes that the laity is superior to a lay pope. The term lay pope is her innovation, and has never been used by the Church in reference to a man elected to the Papacy and has accepted. Teresa had previously believed that the Gallicanist heresy is the proposition that the clergy and people are superior to the Pope. (Traditionalists and Sacred Theology 2005, page 3) She takes her teaching further in stating that four members of the laity she has hand picked must judge whether or not the Pope is fit for ordination. This is a direct contradiction of Canon 1556: The Primatial See can be judged by no one. It can be readily demonstrated that this Canon is of Divine Law, as taught by numerous Popes throughout history as well as the Vatican Council. (Saint Damasus I, Saint Sylvester I, Saint Leo III, Saint Symmachus, Exsecrabilis of Pope Pius II, Saint Zozimus, Saint Boniface I, Saint Gelasius I, Saint Leo IX, Boniface VIII and finally The Vatican Council in the 19th Century.) Further the Council of Florence infallibly teaches: that full power was given to him (i.e. the Pope) in blessed Peter by our Lord Jesus Christ, to feed, rule, and govern the universal Church; just as is contained in the acts of the ecumenical Councils and in the sacred canons. (Decreed for the Greeks, July 6, 1439, DZ 694)
Canon S. B. Smith in his Elements of Ecclesiastical Law, volume 1, pages 361-2 (1893) states: Layman are not competent judges in matters of heresy, even as to mere questions of fact. Now the cases of Angelo Roncalli and his successors were judged by numerous clerics, including Fr. Saenz-Arriaga and the Abbe de Nantes, and finally by Bishop Peter Martin Ngo-Dihn Thuc. (True in the case of Ngo-Dihn Thuc, he was a notorious heretic, but he was certainly competent to judge a fact of heresy.) The laity can certainly act on the judgment in an obvious case, such as the Novus Ordo Missae, where Jesus’ own words have been substantially changed. Canon Smith is speaking of the more difficult cases.
And such a case is Teresa’s recent judgment in March that Pope Michael allegedly committed heresy in statements made in September, 2006 and again on March 7 of 2007 in regard to his membership in the clergy. Ironically a similar statement in Will the Catholic Church Survive the Twentieth Century? on page 453 is not condemned: Once the pope accepts election, he immediately acquires full jurisdiction, even if he is still a layman. It is our opinion that this election automatically enrolls him in the clergy, as tonsure does for every other cleric. (Emphasis mine) Without going into the matter in detail (A detailed presentation is being prepared for publication.) it is sufficient to state that the Church has not yet pronounced on the opinion on tonsure, therefore the statements in question cannot be said to be heretical. The reason the Church has never pronounced is that it has never been questioned that the Pope by acceptance of his election becomes ipso facto head of the clergy and therefore a member of the clergy. Saint Robert Bellarmine’s proposition that a person cannot be head of an organization he is not a member of would logically apply here. Basically Teresa Benns by her judgment in a question that has not yet been settled by the Church is usurping authority reserved to the clergy, namely the Local Ordinary or the Pope. It should be further noted that no mention was made of Teresa’s concern to Pope Michael prior to March 30, 2007.
Many other points can be made, and Teresa has professed other heresies between November 30, 2006 and the present. In mid-December, 2006 We forbade Teresa to discuss Necessity of Canonical Fitness in the Ordination of a Lay Pope in any manner whatsoever. At the time We noted that the first proposition We investigated was condemned as Gallican. We also presented two canons from the Council of Trent and two Canons from the Code of Canon Law, which were not even considered.
On the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, March 30, 2007, in the fullness of Our Apostolic authority, We condemned Necessity of Canonical Fitness in the Ordination of a Lay Pope naming several propositions. We ordered its immediate retraction in as public a manner as it has been publicized. In reply Teresa made two comments. First of all she answered that she did not agree with the condemnation, implying it was premature as the document in question was only Part 1 of a larger presentation. The second statement Teresa Benns made was that most of Canon Law is actually Divine Law, implying that all including the Pope are therefore bound. (It is true that the Pope is bound by Divine Law, however judgment of the Pope is reserved exclusively to his superior, Almighty God.) Teresa then read a two page Letter of Withdrawal, effective March 7, indicating that she had reached certainty on a matter without proceeding as required by the principles of Church Law and Fraternal Correction as outlined by several Theologians.
In April an offer was made to Teresa Benns in the presence of witnesses by electronic means to reconcile her with the Church, requiring a bare minimum required by Divine Law without any necessity of ecclesiastical penance was made. To date, no reply to this offer has been received, although others privy to this offer have made comments on the matter.
Therefore, with great sorrow, We declare that on November 30, 2006, Teresa Louise Stanfill Benns incurred ipso facto excommunication under Canon 2314 for the crime of heresy for statements made in Necessity of Canonical Fitness in the Ordination of a Lay Pope, We further declare that Teresa has added other heresies, since November 30, which also subject her to excommunication. (A Syllabus of Bennsian Errors is being prepared for publication.) Divine Law forbids the faithful to have any communication with heretics, if they pose a danger to their Faith. By this, Our declaration, We also declare that Teresa Louise Stanfill Benns has the status of vitandus. We remind the faithful of the provisions of Canon 2267: All the faithful, except a husband (or wife), parents, children, servants and subjects, are bound to avoid communication in profane affairs with an excommunicatus vitandus, unless a reasonable cause justifies communication.
Canon 2258 provides: Nobody is a vitandus, unless:
1.he is excommunicated by name by the Apostolic See;
he is excommunicated by name by the Apostolic See;2.the excommunication is publically proclaimed, and
the excommunication is publically proclaimed, and3.in the decree or sentence it is expressly stated that he must be avoided.
in the decree or sentence it is expressly stated that he must be avoided.We hereby decree that it is Our intention to fulfill these conditions in this excommunication. Publication shall be made on the Internet and followed by physical delivery to those Catholics effected by this excommunication. However, in order to still give Teresa Benns time to retract her statements, We provide that the status of vitandus shall not take effect until Saturday, June 16th the day after the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. The excommunication, since it is prescribed by the law itself has already been incurred, and therefore the necessary recantation of heresy and absolution are required by law. Communication of intention to recant may be made by electronic means to Ourself, which must be followed up by a written document by ordinary means.
Given this 8th day of May, 2007, being the Feast of the Apparition of Saint Michael
Michael, by the grace of God, Pope.
