Following is a letter from Dr. James Likoudis, president emeritus of Catholics United for the Faith, writing to the Buffalo News concerning dissenting Catholics on conscience matters.

January 25, 1989

To Editor:
Buffalo News

Sir:

As regards psychologist Sidney Callahan's quoted comment (12/31/88) that "Catholics are supposed to follow their consciences, even if that means defying Church teachings" – even excommunication, one could scarcely find a more grave distortion of Catholic moral teaching. There is no foundation in St. Thomas Aquinas' teaching on conscience to justify such an allegation.

St. Thomas certainly noted the possibility of an "erroneous conscience", but he made clear that the possession of such a conscience does not excuse a person from sin unless it is erroneous through no fault of his own. The Church's "Common Doctor" adds that a conscience may be in error through voluntary ignorance, that is because a person either wants to be in error about a certain matter or because he does not want to know what he ought to know. A person guilty of such voluntary ignorance is not excused from sin in following a mistaken conscience arising from that ignorance.

With respect to those who claim to be Catholic but who disagree "in conscience" with an official teaching of the Church on faith or morals, say, on contraception and/or abortion, St. Thomas would regard as questionable whether one who so dissents can continue in good conscience to call himself a Catholic. This is because such formal dissent implies that he or she no longer believes what all Catholics must believe about the teaching authority established by Christ in His Church. In matters of doctrine, St. Thomas insisted, "We must abide by the Pope's judgment than by the opinion of any of the theologians." (Quodl. IX, Art. A, 16). In our day, Pope John Paul II has reaffirmed that the Catholic Church does not acknowledge any "right to dissent" from authoritative Church teaching by one professing to be Catholic.

About Dr. James Likoudis
James Likoudis is an expert in Catholic apologetics. He is the author of several books dealing with Catholic-Eastern Orthodox relations, including his most recent "The Divine Primacy of the Bishop of Rome and Modern Eastern Orthodoxy: Letters to a Greek Orthodox on the Unity of the Church." He has written many articles published by various religious papers and magazines.
He can be reached at:  jameslikoudis1@gmail.com, or visit  Dr. James Likoudis' Homepage