Heresy - What makes one a heretic?

In Catholic Canon Law a person can be called a heretic only after Due Process of Law. And it is not an inheritable disease! Repeating a heresy does not make one a heretic (a mistake constantly made by the Sedevacs and others). Only the first generation of the Protestants were heretics (and only a small number of those). To become a heretic (from Greek herein – to choose) one must knowingly and pertinaceously reject an essential dogma of the faith, after being admonished by one’s spiritual superior.

In practice what happens is that a dubious statement is reported to the Authorities. The author is called before a tribunal and the point is discussed. Sometimes he is able to defend the statement; in that case the matter is closed. If not, the error is explained to him and he is invited to recant. If he does, fine. If he does not, he is told to take a period of reflection. This might be a year or more. He is then called back. If he still cannot show that his opinion is in line with Catholic belief, and still does not retract, then contumacy or pertinacity has been established. He is declared a heretic and excommunicated.

The latter is a disciplinary move, designed to bring home to him the gravity of the matter and to encourage his submission. If he does so, he is given a penance. (In the case of Fr Feeney, the penance was one recitation of the Nicene Creed.) Excommunication is NOT a condemnation to hell.

When Savonarola was excommunicated, he listened quietly to the declaration. The legate should have read,

‘And we cast you from the Church on Earth’. But, perhaps carried away, he said,

‘And we cast you from the Church on Earth and in Heaven’. At this Savonarola interrupted politely and said,

‘You can’t do that.’ And he was right.

So what about the children of heretics? Heresy is not an inheritable disease! If the children are validly baptised (I know not all readers will like this, but it is Catholic teaching: I’m just mentioning it) then ‘There is one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism’ and ‘one Church’ (‘On this Rock I will build my Church not ‘Churches’). Therefore anybody validly baptised is baptised into the Catholic church. If they are then misinformed, as so many are (and that, incidentally, includes many official Catholics nowadays) then they are not a heretic but simply a misinstructed Catholic. That is why, if a valid baptismal certificate can be produced, they are not re-baptised.