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[ Coat of Arms ]
Most Rev Peter
William Ingham DD
Bishop of Wollongong
Decree
PWI:pac/lt/5141
Given at Wollongong
16 June 2002
Mr William Kamm also
known as The Little Pebble
Whereas on 27 September 1999, following many
warnings by himself and his predecessor, Most Rev William Murray over a period
of more than 15 years (with particular reference to the pastoral letter by
Bishop William Murray dated 2 December 1984 and entitled On True Devotion to
the Blessed Virgin Mary), Most Rev Philip Wilson, then Bishop of Wollongong,
issued a Decree against Mr William Kamm and his so-called Order of St Charbel
requesting him to:
1. Refrain from making
public statements that your organisation has been recognised by
ecclesiastical authority.
2. Inform the members of
your organisation of this fact, and of the invalidity of their vows.
3. Instruct those
members who have supposedly taken vows in your institution not to wear any
semblance of a religious habit in public or to claim they belong to an
approved Catholic institute of consecrated life.
4. Stop this work, to
give up all association with Bartholomew Schneider and to close the
so-called Order of St Charbel for the good of souls.
and
whereas William Kamm took recourse against
this decree to the Bishop of Wollongong on 30 September 1999, to the Archbishop
of Sydney on 2 November 1999 and to the Holy Father on 8 December 1999, wrongly
claiming that his recourse automatically suspended the execution of Bishop
Philip Wilson’s decree; and
whereas on 5 May 2000, Most Rev Philip Wilson,
then Bishop of Wollongong, established a Commission, consisting of two
theologians and two canon lawyers, to investigate the writings and works of
William Kamm; and
whereas acceding to William Kamm’s request
to be interviewed, Fr Kevin Matthews, one of the Commissioners, interviewed him
on 21 October 2000, during which the matter of recourse was raised as an
objection; and
whereas when the acts of the interview were
sent to William Kamm to be signed, Mr Kamm produced a document, dated 17
November 2000, in which he gave his own version of the interview with additional
material; and
whereas on 12 January 2001 Most Rev Philip
Wilson, by then Archbishop-elect of Adelaide and Diocesan Administrator of
Wollongong, received from the Diocesan Commission its Report of the
Wollongong Diocesan Commission Investigating the Writings and Works of William
Kamm Known as "The Little Pebble" with the recommendation that:
The Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith should be approached as the proper recipient of our
Response.
and
whereas on 24 January 2001 Archbishop-elect
Philip Wilson wrote to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in support
of his action taken against William Kamm and the so-called Order of St Charbel
and in respect of Mr Kamm’s subsequent recourse, presenting the Diocese’s
case subsequent to its investigation and as outlined in the Commission’s
report; and
whereas on 3 February 2001 the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith stated in a letter to Archbishop-elect Philip
Wilson that:
It is quite clear that his
so-called Order of St Charbel has never had any legal existence in the
Catholic Church. Mr Kamm himself admits that its recognition was done by a
schismatic Prelate. Hence your Decree of September 27, 1999, is perfectly
valid and binding.
In relation to the
diocesan investigation, it is clear that the multiple absurdities contained
in the two books published by Mr Kamm and the information collected by the
commission offer sufficient grounds for a decision in relation to the
clearly non-supernatural origin (the classical equivalent is: constat de
non-supernaturalitate) of the "apparitions" and
"messages" promoted by Mr Kamm. I suggest your diocesan
investigation come to a speedy close and the commission present to you a
signed written report of their conclusions on this subject. The Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith would be pleased to receive and support your
decision on this issue.
and
whereas on 27 February 2001 Very Rev Bryan
Jones, Diocesan Administrator of Wollongong, sent to the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith a signed copy of the Commission’s report with its
recommendation that the Congregation, as the proper authority, issue a statement
against the teachings and actions of Mr Kamm; and
whereas on 19 February 2002 I wrote to the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith seeking a response to the Diocese’s
report; and
whereas on 22 March 2002 the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith, under the signature of its Secretary, Most Rev
Tarcisio Bertone, in its letter to me, stated the following:
The Congregation has
followed with apprehension the serious developments taking place and has
given full support to both Bishop Murray and Bishop Wilson in their dealings
with the man. Both Bishops set up diocesan commissions and investigated the
matter but Mr Kamm has refused to accept their results and continues to
disregard and disobey the legitimate authority of the Church.
On March 27, 2001 this
Dicastery wrote to the Apostolic Nuncio expressing the desire that the new
Bishop of Wollongong would issue a decree – in accordance with the Bishops’
Conference – repudiating categorically the activities of Mr Kamm, his
absurd pretensions and his association with schismatic elements clearly not
in communion with the Catholic Church. This decree should contain a pressing
invitation to all the faithful to disassociate themselves for the good of
their souls from Mr Kamm and his activities. I am asking Your Excellency to
undertake this task in the knowledge that you have the full and clear
support of the Holy See.
and
having considered the findings of the
legitimate canonical investigation initiated by the Diocese of Wollongong; and
having sought and subsequently received the
full and clear support of the Holy See and in obedience to the specific and
direct instruction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and
having received the endorsement of the
Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference; and
in following the consistent and long-standing
position of my predecessors, Most Rev William Murray and Most Rev Philip Wilson;
I hereby state the following concerning the
alleged visions, teachings and practices of Mr William Kamm and those who have
chosen to associate themselves with his activities and organisations:
 | The Holy See has declared that there is
nothing supernatural about the alleged visions of Mr William Kamm. |
| Mr William Kamm has chosen to spread false
teachings, to make false claims to authority, and to establish himself and
his activities in clear contradiction to the teachings, discipline and
authority of the Catholic Church. |
| Mr William Kamm’s assertions, teachings
and actions are dangerous and harmful to Christ’s faithful. |
With the authority granted to me by the Holy
See and as the Chief Pastor of the Particular Church of Wollongong, I hereby
decree that:
- Mr William Kamm, through his alleged
visions and in his various writings, communications and personal actions, is
spreading teachings contrary to the divinely revealed teachings of the
Catholic Church, in both faith and morals.
- Mr William Kamm, personally and through his
associates and activities, is acting in contradiction to the divinely
established authority and discipline of the Catholic Church.
I therefore order that:
- Mr William Kamm immediately cease all his
activities contrary to the teachings, authority and discipline of the
Catholic Church and disband his various movements and associations;
- Fr Malcolm Broussard, a priest who does not
possess the faculties of this or any other Catholic Diocese, and who has
freely and consciously associated himself with Mr William Kamm over a period
of many years, disassociate himself from Mr Kamm and his teachings, and from
all activities contrary to the teachings, authority and discipline of the
Catholic Church.
- The so-called Order of St Charbel, in all
its various communities in Australia (including the communities of
Gethsemane, Cambewarra, New South Wales; the Sacred Heart, Tyaak, Victoria;
the Most Precious Blood, Meredith, Victoria; the Holy Ghost, Ormeau,
Queensland; and the Most Pure Heart of St Joseph, Reeves, South Australia)
and in all its communities established in other countries, immediately
disband and cease all activities that are contrary to the teachings,
authority and discipline of the Catholic Church.
- All others associated in any way with Mr
William Kamm, either as individuals or as members of associations, groups,
movements, or the like, disassociate themselves from him and cease all
activities that are contrary to the teachings, authority and discipline of
the Catholic Church.
This decree will remain in force until such
time as Mr William Kamm and his associates, for the sake of their eternal
salvation, renounce all their manifestly false claims to legitimacy within the
Catholic Church and until Mr Kamm and his associates permanently cease all
activities contrary to the teachings, authority and discipline of the Catholic
Church.
For the good of their souls, with deep
pastoral concern and as Chief Pastor of the Particular Church of Wollongong, I
exhort Mr William Kamm, his associates and all those who have followed him or
his various movements and associations to disassociate themselves from all that
is contradictory to the teachings, authority and discipline of the Catholic
Church, to seek God’s forgiveness, and to re-establish their communion with
the Catholic Church.
[ Diocesan Seal ]
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Most Rev Peter W Ingham DD
BISHOP OF WOLLONGONG
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DIOCESAN NOTARY |
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Diocese of Wollongong
PO Box 1239
Wollongong SCMC NSW
2521
Australia
Tel: +61 2 4253 0900
Fax: +61 2 4253 0977 |
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