Feeneyism is a
Christian doctrine
Christian theology is the theology of Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theologians use biblical exeg ...
, associated with
Leonard Feeney, which advocates an interpretation of the
dogma
Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Isla ...
''
extra Ecclesiam nulla salus'' ("outside the Church there is no salvation") which is that only
Catholics can go to
heaven and that only those
baptised
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
with water can go to
heaven. Feeneyism opposes the doctrines of
baptism of desire and
baptism of blood as well as the view that non-Catholics can go to heaven.
Feeneyism is considered a
heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
by the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
; some Catholics refer to Feeneyism as the Boston heresy.
Leonard Feeney
Feeney was a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the
Jesuit order
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
. The order dismissed Feeney in 1949 for disobedience; later, on 4 February 1953, the
Holy Office
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from heresy and is the body responsible f ...
declared him
excommunicated
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
"on account of grave disobedience to Church Authority, being unmoved by repeated warnings."
Feeney co-founded the group known as the
Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary with
Catherine Goddard Clarke.
Feeney reconciled with the Catholic Church in 1972 without any recantation from his part.
Doctrine
The doctrine of Feeneyism is associated with the position of Leonard Feeney (1897–1978), a
Jesuit priest of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, on the doctrine ''
extra Ecclesiam nulla salus''. Feeneyism's interpretation of the doctrine ''extra Ecclesiam nulla salus'' ("outside the Church there is no salvation") is that only
Catholics can go to
heaven and that only those
baptised
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
with water can go to
heaven. Feeneyism opposes the doctrines of
baptism of desire and
baptism of blood as well as the view that non-Catholics can go to
heaven.
Feeneyism is considered a
heresy
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
by the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
; some Catholics refer to Feeneyism as the ''Boston heresy''.
Feeney rejected what was the definition of the Catholic Church of baptism of desire at the time, i.e. the idea that people who openly affiliated with the Catholic Church as well as those spiritually linked to the Catholic Church through an implicit desire could be saved.
Fr. Feeney wrote in his 1952 book ''Bread of Life'':
Condemnation of Feeneyism
In a 1949 letter to
Cardinal Cushing, Archbishop of Boston, the
Holy Office
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is the oldest among the departments of the Roman Curia. Its seat is the Palace of the Holy Office in Rome. It was founded to defend the Catholic Church from heresy and is the body responsible f ...
condemned Feeney's teaching that only those formally baptized in the Catholic Church can be saved. The Holy Office affirmed that those
baptized by their desire can be saved. This letter was sent by Cardinal
Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani to Cardinal Cushing. This letter stated among other things:
This letter is referenced in a footnote of the ''
Catechism of the Catholic Church'', in its section "Outside the Church there is no salvation", paragraph 847,
as well as in a footnote in ''
Lumen gentium''.
Feeneyite groups
*
Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary located in Richmond, New Hampshire
*
Most Holy Family Monastery
References
Further reading
*
{{Authority control
Catholic Church in the United States