The Solutions
A Principle of Unity:
“In fide unitas, in opiniis libertas, in omnibus caritas”
(Unity in faith, liberty in opinions, charity in all thing)
The instrument par excellence of unity of and in the Church is in practice the pope.
But because we do not have, for a certain—and even long—time, a pope, unity is our weakest point. And the devil, as an excellent strategist with the most powerful intelligence among creatures, always attacks us at the weakest point; but we must not fall into this trap.
Unity is principally realized and manifested in the Church by the same Head (invisible but real: Our Lord Jesus Christ), the same Doctrine, the same Morals, the same Sacraments, the same legislation, and the same traditions for all its members. All of this, we must cherish as our greatest common treasure.
The Latin expression “in fide unitas, in opiniis libertas, in omnibus caritas” summarizes the attitude to maintain in order to preserve unity, especially in the current times:
- In fide unitas (In faith, there must be unity):
This refers to the absolute necessity of unity in the Catholic faith, as defined by the infallible and immutable teaching of the Church. The faith, as it is recorded in the dogmas and the Tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, is one and indivisible. No compromise is possible on the truths of the faith, as they have been transmitted by the apostles and confirmed by the popes and councils, guarded with the greatest care as the “Deposit of Faith.”
Unity in the faith means that Catholics adhere to the immutable doctrine, as exposed in works such as the Catechism of the Council of Trent or the encyclicals of popes such as Pius IX and Pius X. Any deviation from this doctrine is considered heresy or schism, if not a more or less grave error. The modern “Catholic” hierarchy, since the Second Vatican Council, has broken this unity by departing from the traditional Teaching.
- In opiniis libertas (In opinions, the freedom of others must be respected):
This concerns the freedom enjoyed by Catholics in matters that do not fall under the binding teaching of the Church. In questions not fixed by dogmas or moral doctrine, such as personal preferences, political opinions, or unrevealed speculations, there is room for diverse opinions, provided they do not contradict the truths of the faith and are properly documented. For example, in theological questions not definitively settled by the Church (such as certain aspects of eschatology not fixed dogmatically), Catholics may have different points of view.
However, this freedom never applies to the rejection of defined dogmas, to the deposit of the faith as seen in the first part of the adage, such as the Immaculate Conception or pontifical infallibility, as established in Pastor Aeternus (First Vatican Council, 1870). The sedevacantist view insists that opinions defending modern “Catholic” innovations (such as the Novus Ordo liturgy) are not legitimate opinions, but heretical deviations.
In the current Catholic world, sedevacantist, there are indeed some different opinions on current subjects, such as on certain aspects of the current vacancy of the apostolic see.
- In omnibus caritas (In all things, fraternal charity must be preserved):
This emphasizes that charity, in the Catholic sense, must be the guiding force in all actions and interactions. Charity here means the supernatural virtue of love of neighbor, rooted in the love of God and of neighbor for the love of God. This implies that, even in discussions on faith or opinions, Catholics must always act with patience, respect toward one another, and with a sincere desire to save souls.
From the sedevacantist point of view, this also means correcting errors with charity, such as refuting the heresies of modernism, but with the intention of bringing souls back to the true doctrine, as Christ commanded: “Go, teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). This does not exclude, however, defending the truth with force and without ambiguity, as Pope Pius X did in his encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907) against modernism.
This adage especially implies that a Catholic cannot condemn a confrere as heretical based on the fact that the other holds an opinion different from his own.
Application and Refutation of Counter-Arguments
This expression is sometimes misinterpreted by modernists or non-Catholics to justify religious relativism or indifferentism, as if all opinions on faith were equivalent or as if Catholic truths are merely opinions on which one can organize dialogues and public disputes with heretics and pagans.
This is contrary to divine and Catholic teaching, which affirms that truth is objective and that heresy is not a legitimate “opinion.” The sedevacantist view refutes this error by emphasizing that “in fide unitas” is absolute: there is no freedom to depart from defined dogmas. Freedom in “opiniis” applies only to non-binding questions, and “caritas” does not mean accepting error, but correcting it with love, as Christ did when He drove the merchants from the temple (John 2:15).
Reference
The expression is often attributed to Saint Augustine, but no direct source confirms it. It is rather a synthesis of the Catholic attitude, as found in the writings of the Fathers of the Church and traditional teaching. This underscores the central role of charity in Catholic teaching.