CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

Notification regarding Rev. George de Nantes

The Rev. George de Nantes, founder and inspiration of the movement called “League of the Catholic Counter-Reformation,” accompanied by a delegation from the same movement, went to Rome to put in the hands of the Holy Father or “another person delegated by him” an “act of accusation against Pope John Paul II for heresy, schism, and scandal.” This document, which is already broadly known by means of a publication (undated, care of the “Catholic Counter-Reform,” Casa S. Giuseppe, Saint-Parres-les-Vaudes), and which reflects the allegations brought for many years against Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II especially in the “Catholic Counter Reformation” bulletin, officially demands the opening of a process personally against the Holy Father and before himself in the same instance as the “supreme judge of the faith.”

In spite of the nature of this action and of his request of the superior Authority, Rev. de Nantes was received, accompanied by four delegates, by His Excellency, Archbishop Jerome Hamer, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in the seat of this Dicastery, on Friday, May 13, 1983.

In the course of the encounter, Rev. de Nantes was first of all asked to present his position and the object of his request.

Archbishop Hamer then declared:

1. That he refused in the clearest possible terms to receive the book, because it was not possible to accept accusations that are unjustified and gravely offensive to the Holy Father, similar to those formulated long ago against Pope Paul VI, especially in a similar communication from 1973.

2. That the publication and the dissemination of this libellus (petition) constituted a grave violation of the obligation of Rev. de Nantes as a Christian, and even more over as a priest, and that the Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith had the firm duty, in virtue of his office, to forbid him in this regard and to formally declare this to him.

3. That the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has continued to wait for the retraction of his errors and his accusations of heresy leveled against Pope Paul VI and the Second Vatican Council, a retraction that was requested after the examination of his writings, undertaken at his invitation, and in his requests of April 25^th, April 29^th, May 3^rd, and July 5^th of 1968.

4. That, as long as this retraction has not been made, which must also include a retraction of the attacks of the same nature against the person of John Paul II, it is not possible to believe the sincerity of his desire for reconciliation which he manifested on two occasions, in 1978 and 1981, and which the Holy Father nevertheless remains disposed to receive.