07-20-2026, 08:31 AM
XVII. Could a Protestant ever tell what and why he believeth?
Never! The reason thereof is very simple. To believe, is to submit one's mind to the teachings of a personal authority, totally independent of the will of him who submits himself and having a claim to such submission. Now, where is this authority binding the Protestant to be found? In the Bible? But on the admission of most considerate Protestants, you have a right to interpret the Bible after your own views. The consistent Protestant, acting on the principle of free examination, believeth not, hath no faith. He substitutes his own reason for faith; for the divine authority of the church he substitutes the views or vagaries of the human mind.
The Protestant who, in spite of his separation from the Church, still preserves a certain Christian belief, is like a deserter, who, after his fleeing from the army, still carries with him part of his arms and uniform. He rests his belief on no support whatever. I defy him to give his reasons for it in a serious discussion, I will not say before a Catholic, but before an Infidel.
On the other hand, there is nothing more logical and more justifiable than the faith of the Catholic. The Catholic is united to Jesus Christ, the author of his faith, through the bonds of Holy Church, the living and permanent institution established for that very purpose by the Saviour himself, and connected with him by bonds existing for ages. The Protestant has severed this divine bond; and therefore he is separated from Jesus Christ although he may believe in him. It is not enough to call Jesus Lord and Saviour in order to partake of his kingdom: it is necessary to comply with his divine will, as he himself expressly declares.
I shall not stop here to show that a Protestant cannot rest his belief on the authority and teachings of the pastors of his sect. It is well known that it is one of the principles of Protestantism, that all Christians are equal, and it does not behoove any one to play the teacher. In the language of the Protestant Jean Jacques Rousseau, "Ministers do not know what they believe, nor what they aim at, nor what they say. It cannot even be ascertained what they pretend to believe." (Lettres sur la Montagne.)
As a comment on these words we add those of De Maistre: —
"As one of these preachers attempts to speak, on what does he rest his assertions, and what means has he to know that the people below are not laughing at him in their sleeves? It seems to me as if every one of his hearers says to him with a sceptical smile: 'Truly I believe that he believes I believe him!'"
XVIII. Christianity and Catholicity are one and the same Thing. — When you say Christianity you mean Catholicity; Catholicity is not an accidental form, but indeed the only one divinely instituted form of Christian religion.
From the very first ages, the Church of Jesus Christ has been called not only Christian, but also Catholic, in order to distinguish it from the different heresies which cut loose from her, and still persisted in calling themselves Christian, because they happened to preserve some shreds of truth.
It was our Lord Jesus Christ, who established upon earth this spiritual government, this religious and universal monarchy, which unites the Christians all over the world in One Society, One Church, One Body, which is called the Catholic Church. It is Jesus Christ himself who has established in this Church the Papacy, the Episcopate, and, as an auxiliary to Papacy and Episcopate, the Priesthood. The Pope, successor of Saint Peter, is, by right divine, Sovereign Pontiff of the Christian religion, the Pastor of all bishops, of all priests, and of all the faithful, the Supreme Judge of all religious questions, and the Doctor of true faith.
"There is only one way to be a Christian, and that is to be a Catholic," says Bossuet: which means to belong not only in sympathy and belief, but also in avowed and public practice, to the Catholic Church, to the Church governed by the Pope, to the only true Fold of Jesus Christ.
There has never been nor can there be but one Christianity. If Protestantism were Christianity, Catholicity could not be it.
This is not a question of form, it is one of nature. The institution of Jesus Christ cannot be made subject to the caprice of man, and the Protestant who fangles a Christianism to suit his own fancy has not the true Christianity, that Christianity which our Lord has brought into the world, and whose deposit and diffusion he has trusted to the Church.
In our times this glorious name of Christian has been strangely abused. From the Protestant who admits or rejects at will the divinity of Jesus Christ, to the Socialist, who sees no hope of liberty but in the annihilation of the Church, the whole crowd of heretics and revolutionists make a parade of their Christianity — but oh, what a Christianity!
To be a Christian is to be a Catholic: outside of Catholicity you may be a Lutheran, a Calvinist, a Mahommedan, a Mormon, a Free Thinker, a Buddhist, but you are not, you cannot be a Christian.
Never! The reason thereof is very simple. To believe, is to submit one's mind to the teachings of a personal authority, totally independent of the will of him who submits himself and having a claim to such submission. Now, where is this authority binding the Protestant to be found? In the Bible? But on the admission of most considerate Protestants, you have a right to interpret the Bible after your own views. The consistent Protestant, acting on the principle of free examination, believeth not, hath no faith. He substitutes his own reason for faith; for the divine authority of the church he substitutes the views or vagaries of the human mind.
The Protestant who, in spite of his separation from the Church, still preserves a certain Christian belief, is like a deserter, who, after his fleeing from the army, still carries with him part of his arms and uniform. He rests his belief on no support whatever. I defy him to give his reasons for it in a serious discussion, I will not say before a Catholic, but before an Infidel.
On the other hand, there is nothing more logical and more justifiable than the faith of the Catholic. The Catholic is united to Jesus Christ, the author of his faith, through the bonds of Holy Church, the living and permanent institution established for that very purpose by the Saviour himself, and connected with him by bonds existing for ages. The Protestant has severed this divine bond; and therefore he is separated from Jesus Christ although he may believe in him. It is not enough to call Jesus Lord and Saviour in order to partake of his kingdom: it is necessary to comply with his divine will, as he himself expressly declares.
I shall not stop here to show that a Protestant cannot rest his belief on the authority and teachings of the pastors of his sect. It is well known that it is one of the principles of Protestantism, that all Christians are equal, and it does not behoove any one to play the teacher. In the language of the Protestant Jean Jacques Rousseau, "Ministers do not know what they believe, nor what they aim at, nor what they say. It cannot even be ascertained what they pretend to believe." (Lettres sur la Montagne.)
As a comment on these words we add those of De Maistre: —
"As one of these preachers attempts to speak, on what does he rest his assertions, and what means has he to know that the people below are not laughing at him in their sleeves? It seems to me as if every one of his hearers says to him with a sceptical smile: 'Truly I believe that he believes I believe him!'"
XVIII. Christianity and Catholicity are one and the same Thing. — When you say Christianity you mean Catholicity; Catholicity is not an accidental form, but indeed the only one divinely instituted form of Christian religion.
From the very first ages, the Church of Jesus Christ has been called not only Christian, but also Catholic, in order to distinguish it from the different heresies which cut loose from her, and still persisted in calling themselves Christian, because they happened to preserve some shreds of truth.
It was our Lord Jesus Christ, who established upon earth this spiritual government, this religious and universal monarchy, which unites the Christians all over the world in One Society, One Church, One Body, which is called the Catholic Church. It is Jesus Christ himself who has established in this Church the Papacy, the Episcopate, and, as an auxiliary to Papacy and Episcopate, the Priesthood. The Pope, successor of Saint Peter, is, by right divine, Sovereign Pontiff of the Christian religion, the Pastor of all bishops, of all priests, and of all the faithful, the Supreme Judge of all religious questions, and the Doctor of true faith.
"There is only one way to be a Christian, and that is to be a Catholic," says Bossuet: which means to belong not only in sympathy and belief, but also in avowed and public practice, to the Catholic Church, to the Church governed by the Pope, to the only true Fold of Jesus Christ.
There has never been nor can there be but one Christianity. If Protestantism were Christianity, Catholicity could not be it.
This is not a question of form, it is one of nature. The institution of Jesus Christ cannot be made subject to the caprice of man, and the Protestant who fangles a Christianism to suit his own fancy has not the true Christianity, that Christianity which our Lord has brought into the world, and whose deposit and diffusion he has trusted to the Church.
In our times this glorious name of Christian has been strangely abused. From the Protestant who admits or rejects at will the divinity of Jesus Christ, to the Socialist, who sees no hope of liberty but in the annihilation of the Church, the whole crowd of heretics and revolutionists make a parade of their Christianity — but oh, what a Christianity!
To be a Christian is to be a Catholic: outside of Catholicity you may be a Lutheran, a Calvinist, a Mahommedan, a Mormon, a Free Thinker, a Buddhist, but you are not, you cannot be a Christian.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre