Note on the Foreword
Fr. Robinson would like to express his profound gratitude to Rev. Dr. Paul Haffner for publishing The Realist Guide to Religion and Science through Gracewing Publishers, of which he is the theological and editorial director. Fr. Robinson is also grateful to Father Haffner for writing the foreword to his book. Father Haffner, in addition to being a professor at the Gregorian University in Rome for the past 30 years, is a specialist on the work of the late Father Stanley Jaki and The Realist Guide attempts to provide a philosophical backbone to the thesis of Fr. Jaki’s Gifford Lectures of 1974–1975 and 1975–1976 (published as The Road of Science and the Ways to God). Thus, it was most appropriate for Father Haffner to compose the foreword for The Realist Guide, and Fr. Robinson is pleased of Fr. Haffner’s approval of his attempt to popularize Fr. Jaki’s work.
In the foreword, Fr. Haffner makes reference to the support of the Conciliar Popes for realism. He assigns to Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II the titles of ‘Blessed’ and ‘Saint’ respectively in the first version of the foreword. Fr. Robinson adheres to the position of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) on the doubtful nature of the canonizations, because of the many changes in the canonization process. In addition, he had particular concerns about the canonization of Pope John Paul II which he expressed in his Nov./Dec. 2013 Angelus article ‘The Difference between a “Saint” and a “Saint”’.
Thus, the appearance of ‘Blessed’ and ‘Saint’ beside Paul VI and John Paul II in the first version of the foreword of The Realist Guide should in no way be construed as an acceptance by Fr. Robinson of the modern canonizations or a deviation from his publicly expressed opinions on that subject or the position of the SSPX. Nor should the foreword be construed as implying that Fr. Robinson believes that the Conciliar Popes have been realist in their philosophical outlook.