by Br. Alexis Bugnolo

As a consecrated person of private vows. holding my legal residence in the Diocese of Rome, Italy, I wish to publicly declare my adhesion to the perennial Faith of Christ on all questions, and in particular, on the legitimacy of the imposition of Capital Punishment in due circumstances by justly constituted temporal authorities, holding full jurisdiction.

This Faith is what God has revealed in Genesis 9:6, when He warned the wicked that they would be slain in body for the sin of murder.

This authority is given by God, as Jesus Christ Himself taught during His Passion, in John 19:11, when He confirmed publicly that Pontius Pilate had authority to impose capital punishment.  This is the express teaching of the Apostle Saint Paul in Romans 13:4, where he declares that Almighty God has given the temporal authority the power to wield the sword, that is, impose the ultimate punishment of death, upon malefactors.

This has ever been the Faith of the Fathers of the Church.  The Popes too, like Innocent III in his profession of faith for Waldensian heretics to be received back into the Church, required them to confess that capital punishment can be justly imposed without mortal sin. This Faith was practiced boldly by saints such as Saint Pius V, O.P., who ordered 5000 brigands to be put to death.

Saint Alphonsus dei Liguori, Doctor of the Church on all questions of moral authority, and approved as such by the Holy Office under Bl. Pius IX, also teaches this.  This is the same teaching of the Catechism of the Council of Trent and of the new Catechism published by John Paul II in its form prior during his reign.

Let us not imagine that this is not a DE FIDE DOGMA OF THE FAITH, that must be held by all the faithful forever.

Let us not imagine that the phrase “is inadmissable” according to the “light of the Gospel” means anything else but “immoral” and “illicit” and “unjust”.

Do not be fooled by a heretic who claims his teaching, which contradicts God, is the teaching of the Church or faithful to the Gospel.

And remember precisely, that Vatican I gave the Pope no authority to teach novel doctrines nor to contradict the Faith, in fact, it expressly said he had no such authority.

With all true Catholics at Rome, I hold the proposed alteration of the Catechism to be a public act of pertinacious heresy against the Catholic Faith.  I recognize that all who posit such acts ipso facto without any needed sentence lose all office and authority in the Church. I also recognize that the Cardinals and Bishops should publicly denounce this heresy and alteration.  I expect them to do so.

I warn them, however, if they remain silent, that they must be presumed to adhere to this heresy, and lose all office in the Church.

The Pope needs to repent, be corrected and publicly recant. If he does not, no Catholic should regard him any longer as the Vicar of Christ or Bishop of Rome.