Question, How does one report suspected heresy

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Just a question to anyone that knows, what process does one have to go through to report a heresy of a local priest, without kicking up much steam. I mean how does one find out if their priest is speaking heresy?, if one suspects he does.

Do i speak to the bishop of the diosese, or a cardinal?

could someone help me, i fear there is a great if unintentional heresy at work in my local parish, and if not corrected could have dire spiritual complications for my fellow parishioners.

Lord help me.
 
I suggest you talk to a Canon Lawyer. He will be in a much better position to give you advice on this. In fact, he will probably be able to tell you if it is a heresy or not.

How to get a Canon Lawyer? I have no idea.
 
Can you share any details with us regarding this suspected heresy?
 
If you do not know Catholic theology well enough to know for certain that what he said was heresy, then you should not be making the accusation. You should be studying the Faith.

If one were certain that a priest were teaching heresy, one could write a formal letter to the Bishop of that diocese. However, I don’t recommend this course of action. I recommend prayer and self-denial for that priest.
 
Ron_Conte said:
If you do not know Catholic theology well enough to know for certain that what he said was heresy, then you should not be making the accusation. You should be studying the Faith.

If one were certain that a priest were teaching heresy, one could write a formal letter to the Bishop of that diocese. However, I don’t recommend this course of action. I recommend prayer and self-denial for that priest.
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Unless people start opposing this heresy—it will continue. If one knows heresy is being taught—we should do whatever it takes to stop it. Going all the way to the top (Rome) if need be.
 
WanderAimlessly said:
I suggest you talk to a Canon Lawyer. He will be in a much better position to give you advice on this. In fact, he will probably be able to tell you if it is a heresy or not.

How to get a Canon Lawyer? I have no idea.
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Call the tribunal at the diocese office:hmmm:
 
Papal_Follower said:
Just a question to anyone that knows, what process does one have to go through to report a heresy of a local priest, without kicking up much steam. I mean how does one find out if their priest is speaking heresy?, if one suspects he does.

Do i speak to the bishop of the diosese, or a cardinal?

could someone help me, i fear there is a great if unintentional heresy at work in my local parish, and if not corrected could have dire spiritual complications for my fellow parishioners.

Lord help me.
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What is it that you think might be heretical?
 
1.) Are you sure it’s heresy? That’s a pretty strong charge. If it is really heresy, there is no way to stop it “without kicking up much steam”. And do you really want it without steam power, if it is really heresy? There is no such thing as unintentional heresy. There could be a mistake in form, or perhaps a practice that’s unfamiliar or illicit. Here’s the definition of heresy from the Catholic Encyclopedia published in 1918.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07256b.htm
2.) If you are unsure, call the chancery of the diocese, and ask if such-and-such a thing is heresy.
3.) If you are sure, or you find out it is, first go to the priest and ask him about why this occurs.
4.) If he brushes you off or gets angry, go to the bishop. But you had better have hard evidence (dates, times, possible witnesses).
5.) If the bishop does nothing, go to the Vatican.

You are not the first person here at CAF to have this problem. If you do a search, you will find a lot of information.
 
Ok, these were the things the priest said in the mass.

The Gospel of John is inferior to the other Gospels, It is in my opinion the worst Gospel ever written. Jesus speaks to long in it, to detailed.

Only through us all finding disempowered people and drug addicts ect and helping them will we be saved, Prayer and Faith and Communion will not save us.

The Church is doing a bad job, we should’nt be in church services at all, we should be wondering the Earth finding poor and sick people, only then will we be saved.

Talking to people about Jesus and God, involving them in the Church, is inferior to showing them we are like christ by finding as he said " the wounds of christ among us" amongst drug addicts an other social undesirables.

The priest arrived to my parish this year, and during then huges changes have happened in his masses, for instance holdding the bread and wine at both the same time and saying this is the body of Christ, and not saying much else.

All of this in my view is heretical as it is sola scripture and misses Sacred Tradition.
 
Papal Follower:
Ok, these were the things the priest said in the mass.
  1. The Gospel of John is inferior to the other Gospels,. Jesus speaks to long in it. It is in my opinion the worst Gospel ever written , to detailed.
  2. Only through us all finding disempowered people and drug addicts ect and helping them will we be saved, Prayer and Faith and Communion will not save us.
  3. The Church is doing a bad job, we should’nt be in church services at all, we should be wondering the Earth finding poor and sick people, only then will we be saved.
  4. Talking to people about Jesus and God, involving them in the Church, is inferior to showing them we are like christ by finding as he said " the wounds of christ among us" amongst drug addicts an other social undesirables.
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John Hiner gave an excellent link for guidance on serious problems. I hope you read it and file it for future reference.

#1. As for now, I cannot see how the items you mention constitute serious heresy. Father states it as his personal opinion. He’s not teaching the parish to disregard it as not being an authentic gospel. Do you see the difference? I would agree that it is not prudent to make his opinion public, however.

#2-3. It sounds like he used literary license to emphacize that occupying a pew in Church without actively serving our fellow man is not salvific in itself. This is just an echo of St. James’ epistle, very scriptural.

#4. Father Groeschel, if you appreciate his counsel, told the audience last evening on EWTN the same thing. In other words, we don’t simply talk the talk, but walk the walk. He stressed that words alone will not convert another unless they see in us a witness of Jesus living within us through our actions and faith. His show will be repeated on Sat. afternoon, if you are interested.

I pray you won’t take this the wrong way, but sometimes we get a wrong first impression of a new (priest or anyone else), and it colors our views afterwards to the negative. Keep an open mind, and weigh whether these things are in the realm of grave and serious teachings against the Church’s doctrine.

The example that comes to mind, with a bit of amusement, is my liking for crossword puzzles. There is one in my paper that constantly challenges me, because the composer is so clever that his one word can be taken a number of ways, and I understand the description only in one mode usually. It always shocks me to find that I totally misread it, due to my own perception of his meaning. Gotta love it!

Strike: a) to slap someone; b) to engage in work stoppage and picket; c) to swing a bat; d) a call by an umpire.

See what I mean? He uses these nuances continuously, and my mind is now alert to discover the different meanings words can take on. I hope this is helpful.

carole
 
Papal_Follower said:
Ok, these were the things the priest said in the mass.

The Gospel of John is inferior to the other Gospels, It is in my opinion the worst Gospel ever written. Jesus speaks to long in it, to detailed.

Only through us all finding disempowered people and drug addicts ect and helping them will we be saved, Prayer and Faith and Communion will not save us.

The Church is doing a bad job, we should’nt be in church services at all, we should be wondering the Earth finding poor and sick people, only then will we be saved.

Talking to people about Jesus and God, involving them in the Church, is inferior to showing them we are like christ by finding as he said " the wounds of christ among us" amongst drug addicts an other social undesirables.

The priest arrived to my parish this year, and during then huges changes have happened in his masses, for instance holdding the bread and wine at both the same time and saying this is the body of Christ, and not saying much else.

All of this in my view is heretical as it is sola scripture and misses Sacred Tradition.
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I would suggest–that you notify the bishop. Since the priest did preach his “personal opinion” within Mass —this is a serious matter. The priest is in a position to lead many people down the wrong path. We have too much heresy within the Church —so please—lets start doing our part to get it cleared out.

By sitting back and doing nothing—we only become accomplices to the heresy.
 
Surely the key word in this whole thread is “unintentional” - if the priest is unintentionally bringing in errors to his sermon that are unsettling your faith, then you should talk to him about it yourself. Maybe he will understand and apologise to you. If so, you have helped him, and your church, as well as reassuring yourself.
 
DL82 said:
Surely the key word in this whole thread is “unintentional” - if the priest is unintentionally bringing in errors to his sermon that are unsettling your faith, then you should talk to him about it yourself. Maybe he will understand and apologise to you. If so, you have helped him, and your church, as well as reassuring yourself.
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No one held a gun to the priests head–to force him to speak heresy. He did it with his own free will—there is your intent. The priest is accountable not only to the OP–but to all who were present to hear what he said—and first of all to God and the Church. The bishop needs to be made aware–and the priest should retract the statements he made to the congregation.
 
You are speaking wrongly about the priest, W.H. He did not teach heresy, as in false doctrine against Church teaching. He gave an imprudent opinion of how he viewed St. John’s gospel as compared to the other evangelists. That is NOT heresy. The OP is going to feel somewhat embarrassed to give a report like this.

Charity would move a person to discuss it with the person FIRST, and then if there can be no understanding from it, consider the next step. You advocate jumping in the fray with a report to the Bishop. Geesh! Granted it was imprudent, but priests are not angels dressed in black. It is PRUDENT to consider how serious a matter it really is. How many times we THINK we hear something that the priest never intended. If he intended it, fine, but without a private meeting, one is only guessing and being troublesome. And again, it is not a classic case of heresy.

Two cents.
 
Walking_Home said:
I would suggest–that you notify the bishop. Since the priest did preach his “personal opinion” within Mass —this is a serious matter. The priest is in a position to lead many people down the wrong path. We have too much heresy within the Church —so please—lets start doing our part to get it cleared out.

By sitting back and doing nothing—we only become accomplices to the heresy.
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I agree with this opinion… If he had said it in confidence to a friend in private, that would be entirely different than including it in his homily. To refer to the Gospel of John in such a way is pretty troubling…
 
This is a priest who, however imprudent, feels called to deliver the message of the Gospel. I mean, I am BIG fan of St. John’s Gospel, and I still have trouble finding problems with your priest as a heretic. His actions during the consecration (that IS when he made his departure from form, right?) may need a little correction- but otherwise, these dont’ seem to be heresy.

Pray, hard. Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom. Then, follow the outline John Hiner gave you to report this. It DOES need intervention, but it dos NOT appear to be heresy.
 
Joysong said:
You are speaking wrongly about the priest, W.H. He did not teach heresy, as in false doctrine against Church teaching. He gave an imprudent opinion of how he viewed St. John’s gospel as compared to the other evangelists. That is NOT heresy. The OP is going to feel somewhat embarrassed to give a report like this.

Charity would move a person to discuss it with the person FIRST, and then if there can be no understanding from it, consider the next step. You advocate jumping in the fray with a report to the Bishop. Geesh! Granted it was imprudent, but priests are not angels dressed in black. It is PRUDENT to consider how serious a matter it really is. How many times we THINK we hear something that the priest never intended. If he intended it, fine, but without a private meeting, one is only guessing and being troublesome. And again, it is not a classic case of heresy.

Two cents.
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You can manipulate and whitewash what the priest said to try and cover for this priest–Joysong. The truth of the matter is there. From the priests words—the Church is insufficient in fullfilling Her mission and as to attending Mass–he is telling them to not fullfill their obligation to attend Mass–but to go out and help the poor. ONLY this will bring salvation.

You can go ahead–Joysong–whitewash the truth-- that we do have heresy being taught. Confuse people into being accomplices to this.

I myself —will not.

Quote=papal_follower
The Church is doing a bad job, we should’nt be in church services at all, we should be wondering the Earth finding poor and sick people, only then will we be saved.
 
Literary form sometimes exaggerates to make a point, and as I said regarding puzzles and word usage, one can be mistaken as to what is heard. We have only the OP’s version of a two-sided situation. I can’t say whether the priest is telling people they no longer have an obligation to attend mass, and I would think not. Only the OP knows what he heard, and it is his place FIRST to talk with the priest.

If my parish were filled with people who feel as you do, I would camp on my bishop’s doorstep for a transfer. And we just celebrated the Feast of Divine Mercy! :whistle:

Your courtesy is hard to find, W.H. - ready to condemn until proven innocent.
 
Joysong said:
Literary form sometimes exaggerates to make a point, and as I said regarding puzzles and word usage, one can be mistaken as to what is heard. We have only the OP’s version of a two-sided situation. I can’t say whether the priest is telling people they no longer have an obligation to attend mass, and I would think not. Only the OP knows what he heard, and it is his place FIRST to talk with the priest.

If my parish were filled with people who feel as you do, I would camp on my bishop’s doorstep for a transfer. And we just celebrated the Feast of Divine Mercy! :whistle:

Your courtesy is hard to find, W.H. - ready to condemn until proven innocent.
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Like I said—you are very good with the manipulation of language.
 
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