Maluf Says Rome Supports Center On Controversy

The Vatican has called incontestable the doctrine that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church, Fakhri Maluf stated in a speech at St. Benedict's Center last night.

He was referring to the letter from Rome sent to Archbishop Cushing on September 6, which dealt with the current doctrinal controversy between the Center and the archdiocese. He said "this was the only clear statement in the message." He went on to say, "What we now have to do is prove to Rome that the doctrine is being contested."

This was the first indication that Vatican authorities have said anything definite about the doctrine involved in the controversy. Previous reports had said only that the St. Benedict group was under "severe censure."

First Hint of Strategy

This was also the first sign of what precise steps the Center plans to take to win its struggle with the local Church authorities.

Maluf, earlier in his talk, answered the question of whether or not St. Benedict's was rebelling against the Church. He said that the doctrine of "no salvation" was the "primary injunction of the Church . . . All secondary injunctions contrary to this are the product of the new liberals and cannot be obeyed."

"Liberals" and "Quasi-gods"

The former Boston College Professor described a "liberal" Catholic as one who did not have his faith always uppermost in his mind. He said that these "liberals" are more concerned with their "quasi-gods," such as science and politics, than they are with their religion.

"Liberalism," he went on to say, "is the most intense shade of darkness since the reformation . . . The reformation left a blackness outside the Church. It also left a shade inside. The climax is the liberalism of today."

The lecture, which Maluf described as merely an introduction to his Tuesday series, was attended by approximately 30 people, about 20 of whom were students of the Center.