Believe Quote by Malachi Martin
“In the spiritual reality of the church, neither Marcel Lefebvre, nor his bishops and priests, nor the people who frequent the SSPX chapels suffered or suffer excommunication. I believe history will record that the intent to impose such an excommunication was invalid and illicit.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Secret of the Priests, 1990
The author argues that attempts to excommunicate certain clergy were illegitimate and will be seen as such by history.
In simple terms: He claims excommunication attempts were invalid.
Key Takeaway
Question authority and seek truth.
Themes
religion
authority
history
church
justice
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
theological
controversial
When to use this quote
- parish disputes
- church governance
- faith communities
- legal challenges
- ecumenical dialogue
Key Concepts
canon law
legitimacy
institutional power
Questions to Reflect On
- Is excommunication a spiritual or legal tool?
- How do we verify historical intent?
A Different Perspective
The claim may be contested by official church statements.
![“The [abortion] excommunication affects all those who commit this crime with knowledge of the penalty attached, and thus includes those accomplices without which the crime would not have been committed.” quote by Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a40/pope-john-paul-ii-485_abortion_the-abortion-excommunication-affects-all_1431568.jpg)
![“This [Magna Carta] has been forced from the King. It constitutes an insult to the Holy See, a serious weakening of the royal power, a disgrace to the English nation, a danger to all Christendom, since this civil war obstructs the crusade. Therefore?we condemn the charter and forbid the King to…” quote by Pope Innocent III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ca8/pope-innocent-iii-32111_charter_this-magna-carta-has-been-forced-from-th_924819.jpg)
![“God...my self in the Bronx always says that God has a funny sense of humor. ..He has a way of treating things, he deals with each individual soul delicately, tenderly, compassionately but he deals with groups of people [country] according to certain laws and he always observes those laws and that…” quote by Malachi Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7fe/malachi-martin-61838_bronx_god-my-self-in-the-bronx-always-says-tha_82132.jpg)
