How Many Will Be Saved?

Comment on a text attributed to Saint Leonard of Port Maurice

Two friends of mine handed me a paper entitled “On the little number of those who are saved” by Saint Leonard of Port Maurice. I read the copy and then threw it into the trash can. Since there were no official citations of the words written, I considered the entire text to be a forgery and false document (invented by Jansenistic-minded Catholics).

In the text, Saint Leonard of Port Maurice declares that “the greatest numbers of Christian adults are damned”. If he really said this, then his canonization is void. On more than one occasion, the Catholic Church stopped the canonization process of those who made such declarations. Not even Christ Himself made such a pronouncement. Does Saint Leonard of Port Maurice pretend to have a greater knowledge than the Incarnate Son Himself? If Saint Leonard of Port Maurice made this statement, then he himself is in hell. Jesus said that with what judgment we judge others, we ourselves shall be judged. In the next sentence, St. Leonard then contradicts himself when he also said “but I will keep my own sentiments to myself…I do not want to speak for myself…or decide on the matter”. He declares his words to be “truth” (without however, producing any proof).

St. Leonard says that Sts. Cajetan and Robert Bellarmine had believed that the majority of Christians were damned, yet, he cites no source to back up their beliefs. Then he goes on to cite the worst and most discredited theologian of all history: the Spanish Suarez! Suarez is cited as having declared that “there are more damned souls than predestined ones”. Suarez also said that Indians and Negroes did not have souls and therefore could morally be assassinated. Saint Leonard goes on to say that Saints Theodore, Basil, Ephraim, Augustine and John Chrysostom believe that the majority of souls are damned. I have read all the works of these Church fathers and found no such statement or thought in their writings. Saint Leonard uses such words as “sentiments” or “opinions” in regard to the Fathers, but never the word “fact”. They may feel whatever they feel about the issue, but it has nothing to do with what they actually teach and declare. Besides, when the Church canonizes a saint, it is his life and actions that she canonizes, and not his thoughts or feelings. Many wonderful saints filled with charity have said many stupid and ignorant things during their lives.

Saint Leonard of Port Maurice said that, in the Old Testament, only the people in Noah’s Ark were saved while the rest of humanity went to hell. The venerable Catherine Emmerich said that the majority repented while drowning and went to heaven. Saint Leonard said that two Hebrews were saved while 2 million did not enter the holy land and went to hell. To begin with, there were only 600,000 Hebrews wandering in the desert. The forty years exile in the desert caused the majority to repent and save their souls. Saint Leonard said that only four people were saved from Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet Jesus declared that the judgment of these cities would be more tolerable than for many others. Other mystics declared that the fire falling from heaven also caused many to convert.

Saint Leonard then tries to rest his argument on the words of Christ that say: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” This refers to a vocation, not to salvation. It concerns the counsels, not the Commandments. Saint Leonard is citing Christ out of context. Saint Leonard then levels his attacks on the priests and cites Jerome on the matter. He forgets that Jerome lived on the vespers of the fall of the Roman Empire and in a period in which much of the clergy was either Arian or Donatist. He cannot be cited outside this historical context and confound one period with another. Once again, I saw no such statements either by Jerome or Chrysostom concerning declarations about the priests.

People who use such texts to judge the clergy are really trying to hide their own filth when pointing an accusing finger at others. They have not the courage to see the beam in their own eyes and prefer to condemn the speck in a priest’s eye. The problem with Saint Leonard of Port Maurice is that he employs an exaggerated amount of fear and promotes a rigid regime of physical penance rather than emphasize a contrite and humble spirit that lovingly accepts the mercy of God. It is easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar. He is not one of your more popular saints like Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus and Mother Theresa of Calcutta who put their Faith in Jesus and exalted God loving goodness.

Saint Leonard loves to cite the doctors of the Church to reinforce his argument about the majority of Christians being damned. I believe that all those saints who made such declarations (including Saint Leonard himself)  have spent some time in purgatory for their impudence. Didn’t Jesus reprimand James and John for wanting to call fire from heaven on the impenitent towns? At the end of the paper, Saint Leonard eases up and simply throws his arms in the air! He says that it does not matter whether there are a few who are saved; the important thing is that his listener strives to save his soul. In that sense, I fully agree with him.

 Anthony Mellace