Pepino and Fimister attack Catholics rejecting Vatican II's novel religious liberty
The new edition of Abbé Lucien’s 'solution' to Vatican II includes unfortunate allegations against Catholics by John Pepino and Alan Fimister.
The new edition of Abbé Lucien’s 'solution' to Vatican II includes unfortunate allegations against Catholics by John Pepino and Alan Fimister.
(WM+) – We recently published Abbé Hervé Belmont’s refutation of Abbé Bernard Lucien’s so-called “solution” to the problem posed by Vatican II’s teaching on religious liberty.
Lucien’s essays recently appeared in English, and have attracted the attention of those who have recognised the problem, and believe that the solution must lie in a reconciliation between the pre-conciliar teaching and that of Vatican II. Belmont deftly dispatches Lucien’s attempts.
However, in introducing that piece, we noted that the new translation is preceded by some regrettable editorialising in the Translator’s Note by John Pepino, and the Foreword by Alan Fimister.
Pepino is a professor at the FSSP seminary in Denton, and a frequent speaker. He has previously translated books about the liturgical reform, which were published by Angelico Press.
Fimister is an assistant professor of theology. Readers may remember him for an article on anti-semitism in 2020, or his claim that “only the city of God, that is, the Catholic Church, is strictly a perfect society”—which runs contrary to the standard understanding through the Church’s political thought.1
In this piece, I would like to address some of the points raised against those who reject Dignitatis Humanae:
Pepino claims that they are in “imperfect communion with the Holy See”
Fimister’s claim that they are “apostates” and do not “possess the theological virtue of faith”
The true solution to the problem of religious liberty.
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