Is it possible Feser is implicitly saying that "John Paul II & every previous pope who spoke on the [death penalty] matter erred" except Leo & Francis because Bergoglio was infallibly definitely not an antipope & Leo is his beloved "Pope Bob"?

"By contrast, in Evangelium Vitae, even Pope John Paul II taught only: Punishment… ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except in cases of absolute necessity: in other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society." - Ed Feser

Leo XIV: 'Absolute exclusion of the death penalty'

In his diocesan bulletin for February 2021, Bishop Robert Prevost, now Leo XIV, explained Francis' 'Fratelli Tutti' and made some intriguing affirmations about the death penalty.

May 20

READ IN APP

Image: Wiki Commons, The Pillar, CC 4.0. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases through our Amazon links. See also The WM Review Reading List.

In his diocesan bulletin for February 2021, Bishop Robert Prevost, now Leo XIV, explained Francis' 'Fratelli Tutti' and made some intriguing affirmations about the death penalty.

Dr Edmund Mazza has kindly drawn our attention to the following article written by Leo XIV, then-Bishop Robert Prevost, in his diocesan bulletin for the dioceses of Chiclayo, February 2021...

... Mons. Robert F. Prevost OSA

Diocesan Bulletin N. 10, February 2021, pp 12-13

In his new Encyclical Letter, Fratelli tutti (“All brothers and sisters”, quoting Saint Francis of Assisi), Francis offers a new vision for building a more just world, where lasting peace reigns. In order to bring about the transformation of the world in this direction, it will be necessary to promote the participation of all persons and institutions.

Once again, the pope issues a definitive no to war and to globalised indifference. Fraternity and social friendship are, according to the pope, the necessary means to bring about the reconstruction of a wounded world.

In its eight chapters, the Encyclical sets out, step by step, what the elements of reflection and labour would be in order to achieve this reconstruction.

[...]

“Dialogue and social friendship”, the title of the sixth chapter, presents dialogue with all as an instrument for building a different world, where conflicts are resolved without resorting to violence or war. “Life is the art of encounter, even though there is so much dis-encounter throughout life” (n. 215). In the search for truth, one can arrive at true consensus, especially regarding the respect for human dignity. This chapter concludes with an invitation to recover kindness, which entails “speaking words of encouragement, that comfort, that strengthen, that console, that stimulate” (n. 223).

Francis issues an invitation to be builders of peace in the seventh chapter, “Paths of Renewed Encounter”. He says that true reconciliation is attained proactively, “forming a new society based on service to others, more than on the desire to dominate; a society based on sharing with others what one possesses, more than on the selfish struggle of each one for the greatest possible wealth... True peace can only be achieved when we fight for justice through dialogue, pursuing reconciliation and mutual development” (n. 229). Also in this chapter, Francis makes explicit what has already been the teaching clearly pronounced by the Church since the pontificate of John Paul II: the absolute exclusion of the death penalty. “All… are called to struggle not only for the abolition of the death penalty… but also in order to improve prison conditions, with respect for the human dignity of those deprived of their liberty” (n. 268).

Finally, in the eighth chapter, “Religions at the service of fraternity”, the pope calls for reflection on the service that each religion can offer in the construction of fraternity in the world. Making God present in society helps everyone to recognise one another as fellow travellers, truly brothers. “It must be acknowledged that among the most important causes of the crisis in the modern world are an anaesthetised human conscience and a distancing from religious values...” (n. 275). “We Christians cannot hide that if the music of the Gospel ceases to vibrate in our depths, we shall have lost the joy that springs from compassion, the tenderness that is born of trust, the capacity for reconciliation that finds its source in the knowledge that we are always forgiven—sent forth” (n. 277). In interreligious dialogue, a hope is offered for the elimination of violence and religious terrorism.

This new Encyclical Letter, Fratelli tutti, invites us to have an open heart to labour in solidarity with all, seeking the transformation of society and institutions to bring about a more human, more just, more fraternal world, where no one is excluded... "

Will pro-death penalty Feser say to his beloved "Pope Bob" Leo ...

The Catholic Monitor

https://www.thecatholicmonitor.com › 2025/06 › will-so-...

Will pro-death penalty Feser say to his beloved "Pope Bob" Leo the following?: "[N]eed a clear statement by Pope Leo that the Church in fact still teaches ...

Edward Feser - X

X · FeserEdward

1.8K+ likes · 3 weeks ago

Sorry, but at least in moments like this I can't stop thinking of him as Pope Bob, and only with reverence and affection...

Ed Feser writes:

"You can say Pope Francis is right, but then you are committed to saying that John Paul II and every previous pope who spoke on the matter erred.  Or you can say that all previous popes were right and that Francis has erred.  Either way, you are logically committed to holding that some pope or other erred."

Unless, of course, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was never the pope at all.

[https://novusordowatch.org/tag/death-penalty/]

Edward Feser

@FeserEdward

Something the debate over Dignitas Infinita has so far oddly neglected to call much attention to is that it seems that it has now been conclusively demonstrated that a pope can teach error when not speaking ex cathedra. For the new DDF document (issued with the pope’s approval) says: The death penalty… violates the inalienable dignity of every person, regardless of the circumstances… The firm rejection of the death penalty shows to what extent it is possible to recognize the inalienable dignity of every human being and to accept that he or she has a place in this universe. If I do not deny that dignity to the worst of criminals, I will not deny it to anyone. By contrast, in Evangelium Vitae, even Pope John Paul II taught only: Punishment… ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except in cases of absolute necessity: in other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society. Today however, as a result of steady improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent. And the original version of the Catechism promulgated by John Paul II stated: The traditional teaching of the Church has acknowledged as well-founded the right and duty of the legitimate public authority to punish malefactors by means of penalties commensurate with the gravity of the crime, not excluding, in cases of extreme gravity, the death penalty. In short, John Paul II (like scripture, and like every previous pope who spoke on the matter) held that some circumstances can justify capital punishment, whereas Pope Francis teaches that no circumstances can ever justify capital punishment. You can say that Pope Francis is right, but then you are committed to saying that John Paul II and every previous pope who spoke on the matter erred. Or you can say that all previous popes were right and that Francis has erred. Either way, you are logically committed to holding that some pope or other erred. This does not contradict the doctrine of papal infallibility, because the new DDF document is not an ex cathedra definition, as Cardinal Fernandez has confirmed. What it does refute is the view of those who argue that all papal teaching on faith and morals is infallible, and the view of those who hold that, even if not all such teaching is infallible, no pope has actually taught error. Again, this latest development shows that some pope certainly taught error, whether you think that is Francis or his predecessors. Feel free to stomp your feet, shout “dissenter” and “bloodthirsty,” and otherwise blame the messenger all you like. The contradiction is not going away, and neither are the problems that follow from it. Pope Francis has guaranteed his place in the history books.

3:58 PM · Apr 9, 2024

·

87.3K

Views

Note: This piece is by a Catholic Monitor contributor.

Pray an Our Father now for reparation for the sins committed because of Francis’s Amoris Laetitia.

Pray an Our Father now for the restoration of the Church.

Stop for a moment of silence, ask Jesus Christ what He wants you to do now and next. In this silence remember God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost – Three Divine Persons yet One God, has an ordered universe where you can know truth and falsehood as well as never forget that He wants you to have eternal happiness with Him as his son or daughter by grace. Make this a practice. By doing this you are doing more good than reading anything here or anywhere else on the Internet.

Conclave Notes:

Has the Trad Media fallen into a COVID-like mass formation with Leo XVI? While it's humorous to see the former anti-Francis Trad pundits suddenly acting like teen age girls infatuated with Leo, it could lead to a Trojan Horse effect

It appears that a group of Bishops or Cardinals needs to give Leo XIV Dubia questions on if he still supports "Invalid and Sacrilegious" Confession

"Prevost’s reported support...allowing divorced & civilly 'remarried'...to receive Holy Communion": “Whoever…helps...promulgation of heresy…is suspected of heresy.” - The Catholic Monitor

 

--  Dr. Seifert, regarded as one of the greatest living Catholic philosophers, founding Rector of the International Academy of Philosopher & friend of John Paul II, to Cardinals: INVESTIGATE FRANCIS' HERESIES, VALIDITY BEFORE THE CONCLAVE.."If Francis is found guilty of heresy or apostasy, then: - His cardinal appointments would be invalid" [https://www.thecatholicmonitor.com/2025/04/dr-seifert-philosopher-personal-friend.html]

Nick Donnelly

@ProtecttheFaith

Urgent intervention concerning the invalidity of the Conclave by Prof. Josef Seifert "St. Pius V and Pope Paul IV have decreed that all cardinal appointments made by a heretical pope are null and void." Last edited

6:50 AM · Apr 27, 2025

·

42.7K

Views

Olin

@Olinobnizov

According to Wernz-Vidal: "Those who are barred as incapable of being validly elected are all women, children who have not reached the age of reason; also, those afflicted with habitual insanity, the unbaptized, HERETICS, schismatics…" (Jus Canonicum 1:415;).

10:28 AM · May 9, 2025

·

612

-- Are the Cardinals who will participate in the upcoming conclave authentically appointed & morally justified in voting, or will the shadow of Francis's possible illegitimacy cast itself over the next papacy?  [https://www.thecatholicmonitor.com/2025/04/are-cardinals-who-will-participate-in.html]

-- Pray for the soul of Francis, but now it is time for all the Catholic Cardinals, Bishops & pundits who have been saying that nothing can be addressed until he dies to be held accountable to act [https://www.thecatholicmonitor.com/2025/04/pray-for-soul-of-francis-but-now-it-is.html]

-- 5 Dubia Questions for 1P5's Steve Skojec & All faithful Catholics especially Francis is definitely Pope Cardinals, Bishops & pundits [https://www.thecatholicmonitor.com/2019/06/5-dubia-questions-for-steve-skojec.html]

Francis Notes:

– Doctor of the Church St. Francis de Sales totally confirmed beyond any doubt the possibility of a heretical pope and what must be done by the Church in such a situation:

“[T]he Pope… WHEN he is EXPLICITLY a heretic, he falls ipso facto from his dignity and out of the Church, and the Church MUST either deprive him, or, as some say, declare him deprived, of his Apostolic See.”
(The Catholic Controversy, by St. Francis de Sales, Pages 305-306)

Saint Robert Bellarmine, also, said “the Pope heretic is not deposed ipso facto, but must be declared deposed by the Church.”
[https://archive.org/stream/SilveiraImplicationsOfNewMissaeAndHereticPopes/Silveira%20Implications%20of%20New%20Missae%20and%20Heretic%20Popes_djvu.txt]

– “If Francis is a Heretic, What should Canonically happen to him?”: http://www.thecatholicmonitor.com/2020/12/if-francis-is-heretic-what-should.html

– “Could Francis be a Antipope even though the Majority of Cardinals claim he is Pope?”: http://www.thecatholicmonitor.com/2019/03/could-francis-be-antipope-even-though.html

– If Francis betrays Benedict XVI & the”Roman Rite Communities” like he betrayed the Chinese Catholics we must respond like St. Athanasius, the Saintly English Bishop Robert Grosseteste & “Eminent Canonists and Theologians” by “Resist[ing]” him: https://www.thecatholicmonitor.com/2021/12/if-francis-betrays-benedict-xvi.html 

 –  LifeSiteNews, “Confusion explodes as Pope Francis throws magisterial weight behind communion for adulterers,” December 4, 2017:

The AAS guidelines explicitly allows “sexually active adulterous couples facing ‘complex circumstances’ to ‘access the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist.'”

–  On February 2018, in Rorate Caeli, Catholic theologian Dr. John Lamont:

“The AAS statement… establishes that Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia has affirmed propositions that are heretical in the strict sense.”

– On December 2, 2017, Bishop Rene Gracida:

“Francis’ heterodoxy is now official. He has published his letter to the Argentina bishops in Acta Apostlica Series making those letters magisterial documents.”

Pray an Our Father now for the restoration of the Church by the bishops by the grace of God.

Election Notes: 

– Intel Cryptanalyst-Mathematician on Biden Steal: “212Million Registered Voters & 66.2% Voting,140.344 M Voted…Trump got 74 M, that leaves only 66.344 M for Biden” [http://catholicmonitor.blogspot.com/2020/12/intel-cryptanalyst-mathematician-on.html?m=1]

– Will US be Venezuela?: Ex-CIA Official told Epoch Times “Chávez started to Focus on [Smartmatic] Voting Machines to Ensure Victory as early as 2003”: http://catholicmonitor.blogspot.com/2020/12/will-us-be-venezuela-ex-cia-official.html

– Tucker Carlson’s Conservatism Inc. Biden Steal Betrayal is explained by “One of the Greatest Columns ever Written” according to Rush: http://catholicmonitor.blogspot.com/2021/01/tucker-carlsons-conservatism-inc-biden.html?m=1

– A Hour which will Live in Infamy: 10:01pm November 3, 2020:
http://www.thecatholicmonitor.com/2021/01/a-hour-which-will-live-in-infamy-1001pm.html?m=1

What is needed right now to save America from those who would destroy our God given rights is to pray at home or in church and if called to even go to outdoor prayer rallies in every town and city across the United States for God to pour out His grace on our country to save us from those who would use a Reichstag Fire-like incident to destroy our civil liberties. [Is the DC Capitol Incident Comparable to the Nazi Reichstag Fire Incident where the German People Lost their Civil Liberties?: http://catholicmonitor.blogspot.com/2021/01/is-dc-capital-incident-comparable-to.html?m=1 and Epoch Times Show Crossroads on Capitol Incident: “Anitfa ‘Agent Provocateurs‘”:
http://catholicmonitor.blogspot.com/2021/01/epoch-times-show-crossroads-on-capital.html?m=1] 

Pray an Our Father now for the grace to know God’s Will and to do it.

Pray an Our Father now for America.

Pray an Our Father now for the restoration of the Church as well as the Triumph of the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.