The Vatican has warned the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) against two schismatic communities, one of which is
present in the Philippines.An article posted on the CBCP website revealed that a schismatic is one who separates himself from the unity of the Church by refusing to submit to the Pope or those under him according to the hierarchy of the Church.
Regardless of adherence to every other law of the Church, rejection of the pontiff is cause to be named schismatic.
Schism, according to the canon law, is one of the offenses that carry a penalty of automatic excommunication.
In a communiqué sent to the CBCP, the Vatican through the Apostolic Nunciature in the Philippines said it does not recognize the Roman Catholic Society of Pope Leo XIII and the Igreja Catolica Apostolica Brasileria (ICAB) as legitimate Catholic Church organizations.
Msgr. Gabor Pinter, chargé d’affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature, said that the RCSPLXIII is led by Mr. David G. Bell, “a schismatic group not recognized in anyway by the Catholic Church.”
He said that the bishops ordained in the RCSPLXIII “cannot exercise any ministry within the Catholic Church, which does not recognize their ordination.”
“All organizations and associations connected with the Society must be regarded in the same manner as other non Catholic institutions are,” said Gabor.
“Furthermore, since Mr. Bell has committed the crime of schism, all who have received ordination from him have incurred, for their part, the sanction prescribed by can. 1364 of the CIC: that is excommunication latae sententiae,” he said.
Gabor said that the same considerations are also extended to the ICAB, a schismatic community founded by Mr. Carlos Duarte Costa, who died in 1961, and was succeeded by Mr. Luis Fernando Castillo Mendes, who in turn passed away in 2009.
In the Philippines, a certain Sacred Cruces Franciscanum (Sacred Cross Franciscans), an offshoot of the ICAB, is present in at least three dioceses.
The SCF is currently headed by Mr. Rogelio del Rosario Martinez, who according to Gabor, has tried to integrate himself into the CBCP and to enroll his community to the Catholic Directory of the Philippines.
Msgr. Joselito Asis, CBCP secretary general, said all the dioceses were already notified about the matter although SCF members are only present within the Dioceses of Malolos, Novaliches and Antipolo.