June 11, 2000
Dear Father X,
It's been some time. How are you? I hope you receive abundant blessings on this fine Feast of Pentecost, when Christ started the humanly impossible Church.
I have been posting my articles and books on the home page of Fr. Nariai < http: //hvri.catholic.ac> and while doing so, prepared the article by Fr. Boniface Honings in the book I edited in 1980, Natural Family Planning, Nature's Way, God's Way. When reviewing it now I felt it may give a wrong impression about absolving people who are perhaps doing contraception, so I contacted him, and he said I should write a note to dispel possible ambiguities.
So I am looking for the Document of the Pontifical Council for the Family, the follow up on the Vademecum for Confessors, 12 February 1997. That later document mentions the possible need of refusing absolution. .... Don't search too long, but if you can find it very easily, I would appreciate the help. Thank you and may the gifts of the Spirit be ours abundantly.
Fr. Zimmerman
June 12, 2000
Dear Fr. Zimmerman,
Perhaps the following information will be
of help to you in assessing the situation
that you described in your last email. As
you may already know, in all probability,
Fr. Ermenegilido Lio was one of the four
authors of the encyclical, Humanae Vitae. Among many other works, he is also
the author of Humanae Vitae & Infallibilita and Humanae Vitae & Coscienza. These books, especially the former,
are exhaustive in the study of H.V.
Indeed, they are the " last word"
on the topic.
Father Lio and I became close friends when I studied in Rome. In his latter years, he was abandoned by just about everyone. The Congregations no longer called on him; he was ridiculed by members of his Franciscan community and even his students at the Lateran were very disrespectful toward him. All of this because he adhered uncompromisingly to H.V.
When it was time for me to select a director for my doctoral thesis, I originally selected Fr. Honings, then on the faculty at the Pope John Paul Institute. To my surprise, Father Lio had a fit. He insisted that if I remained with Honings, he would have nothing to do with me. His reason was precisely what you suggested in your last email - - - Honings was soft on H.V. My respect for Fr. Lio was such that I immediately changed directors.
Father Lio put God and the Church first in everything that he did. If he said something, I believed him. He was a great man and suffered much for the faith. Please pray for the happy repose of his soul. This information, at least as to its source, is " inter nos." I'd be interested in your reaction.
Sincerely,
Father X
June 15, 2000
Dear Father X,
My reaction is that I thank you deeply for this information, which more than confirms my suspicions. It must be a cross to the Holy Father that his own people in Rome do not think positive with HV. In going over the work of Fr. Honings again, I sense that his bending over backwards to protect the ignorance of people about HV is basically because he does not believe in it. I have been feeding him with suggestions to add to his article during the last several days. No response so far. But I keep feeding him information. It would be splendid if he and others would see that contraception harms couples even when they practice it in ignorance. Thank you once more. Your information is precious.
Fr. Zimmerman
June 16, 2000
Fr. X,
This is Father John A. Nariai from Japan. Thanks for the news bulletins you send me from time to time. I notice so many Latin and/or Philippine names in them. Maybe U.S. is becoming Catholic anyway inspite of the population control by Mr. Rockfeller, U.N.F.P.A. et al.
Pope Paul VI said " Satan's smoke has sneaked inside the Church." Fr. Zimmerman and I were trying to post Nature's Way, God's Way in our Pro-Life home-page. In the process, Fr. Zimmerman noticed something fishy about Honing's article and asked him to correct. The rest you know.
Presently I head Humanae Vitae Research Institute and have some faithful supporters. Reading forwarded letters of yours to Fr. Zimmerman, I think I can make people see how much they must pray for sinners, how deep trouble the Church is in, how much they have to be prepared for possible spiritual martyrdom. What do you think? Won't you give me permission to share your letters with some more people? I have no intention of making it unnecessarily public, because I would feel rather ashamed of what is going on in Rome. You will be called Father X in this file.
Fr. John A. Nariai
June 16, 2000
Dear Father John Nariai,
Of course you may use the information that I passed onto Fr. Zimmerman. I only ask that you use good judgement. My experience has been that it is not helpful to make waves, uselessly.
Indeed, the real enemies of H. V. are at the highest circles. They are clever enough not to reject it openly. Thus, in subtle ways, they are able to render it mute in the practical order. It is the worst kind of betrayal. I become more and more convinced that the rejection of H.V. is the root cause of much of the evil in the world today, the destruction of the family and the deadening of conscience. It is a grave sin against faith to reject the teachings of H.V. # 14.
Thank you and keep up the good work. Oremus pro invicem!
Father X
June 16, 2000
Dear Father X,
Thanks for the kind reply. Are the real enemies at the highest circles, really? Maybe. I concede some of them must be there. In the lower levels also, there are many of them. I am proud I have been shouted at, ignored, scolded (by a bishop), etc. I have lost many friends who were not friends in the first place any way, and have obtained many true friends who share the same Catholic value. Nowadays I think of Malachi Martin's Windswept House.
My Web-site in Japanese http: //hvri.catholic.ac/
My Web-site in English http://www.synapse.ne.jp/janariai/english.htm
The Web-site of Fr. Zimmerman http://www.synapse.ne.jp/janariai/zimmerman.htm which includes Fr. Zimmerman's Natural Family Planning - Nature's Way, God's
Way.
My E-Mail nariai123@icloud.com
Humanae Vitae Research Institute
26 Chuocho, Tarumizushi, 891-2106 Japan
Fr. John A. Nariai
June 17, 2000
Dear Father John Nariai,
Do you have a copy of H.V & Infallibilita by Father Lio? On page 466, footnote # 28, he laments Honings' failure to follow H.V. # 14 in his paper (or book) " Abortion in the Doctrinal Teachings of Moralists," & page 533, footnote # 257 where he claims that Honings, contrary to H.V. # 14, would allow for direct abortion in " casi limiti" for therapeutic reasons.
Indeed, the enemies of H.V. are found just about everywhere. But we must preach it no matter what the cost, as you well know. God bless,
Fr. X
June 17, 2000
Fr. X,
No, I don't. However, if it is in Italian...Well, your resume was good enough for now. It's interesting that Honings wants his article also to be posted, which I refuse to do. Instead, I would like to post my own article criticizing honings. Note that not capital H but small h is being used, not even Rev. but just honings. I am mad at him.
Fr. John A. Nariai
Dear Fr. X,
Eventually, Fr. Honings' paper was posted but not without comments and postscriptum of Fr. Zimmerman. Access to his paper is possible only after having read the warnings of Fr. Zimmerman.
Fr. John A. Nariai
My Web-site in Japanese http: //hvri.catholic.ac/
My Web-site in English http://www.hvri.catholic.ac/english-index.htm
Web-site of Fr. Zimmerman http://www.catholic.ac/zimmerman.htm which includes Fr. Zimmerman's Natural Family Planning - Nature's Way, God's
Way.
My E-Mail nariai123@icloud.com