Tradicat

+ JMJ No further explanation or commentary necessary: Courtesy of DICI 50 years after  Unitatis redintegratio : From schism to charism 5-12-2014    Filed under  From Rome ,  News On November 21, 1964, Paul VI promulgated the conciliar decree  Unitatis redintegratio , destined to promote unity among Christians. 50 years later, where is ecumenism now? On November 29, 2014, Pope Francis declared to Bartholomew I, Patriarch of Constantinople: “The one thing the Catholic Church desires, and that I seek as Bishop of Rome, ‘the Church that presides in charity’, is communion with the Orthodox Churches;” and he explained that reestablishing full communion means “neither one submitting to the other, nor one being absorbed by the other.” Indeed, the pope is in favor of unity in diversity. He thus declared, on the same day, to the Catholic community of Turkey: “The Holy Spirit brings forth different charisms in the Church”, that “may seem to cr...

+ JMJ Sometimes a little truth lightens the mood! Courtesy of the Remnant Tuesday, December 23, 2014 Turbo New Evangelization Now Here Written by  M. T. Church Ima Cardinal Hairatik A-CNN Super-Duper Report—A reliable Vatican spokesperson, Cardinal Ima Hairatik, startled the Catholic world by declaring that the Holy Eucharist, formerly believed to be the Body and Blood of Christ, is merely blessed bread and wine offered as a remembrance of Christ’s words at the Last Supper. Henceforth, the following guidelines will be instituted in “catholic” churches throughout the world: * In the true spirit of Vatican II, liturgical worship services, formerly known as The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, will be referred to as a community gathering where love and fellowship will be enjoyed by all. * The priest, formerly referred to as “celebrant”, will be designated as a “presider” who will utilize his talents to entertain the congregation in a spirit of joyful fel...

+ JMJ In the summary of Father Themann's talk 'Resistance to What?' we find the following paragraph: Bishop Fellay (because he is not satisfied with assurances that he can attack Vatican II) grants an interview to DICI as a test of Roman openness to attacks against Vatican II and the New Mass. Upon hearing of this interview, a very dissatisfied Cardinal Levada schedules a long meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. ( source ) It was brought to my attention that the resistance faults Fr. Themann because Bishop Fellay did not criticize the Novus Ordo Missae directly in the DICI interview that he gave on June 8, 2012 . Thinking this through, it is apparent that a test of Rome's openness to attacks on V2 and the NOM does not necessarily mean that he spoke directly against both elements in the interview. Reviewing the interview we find the following references to Vatican and the Mass (NB. not the NOM). ... What has changed is the fact that Rome no longer makes to...

+ JMJ I've been informed by a friend that Fr. Pfeiffer is touring Canada and today is supposed to be in Manitoba. Therefore it is apropos that I discuss my conclusions about 'the resistance'. First of all, I saw the following pattern of behaviour about a decade ago. A priest: recently ordained, is transferred about with greater frequency than the normal 3 years per 'posting', has problems with obeying his present superior, attempts to assert control in areas the superior had reserved for himself, openly mocks his former superior, seeks to ingratiate himself with various people at the SSPX Mass centre, refuses a transfer on various grounds, attempts to evoke pity of his support group by casting himself as subject to persecution, attempts to take over the Mass centre and if unsuccessful, entices or convinces people to 'split off' from the SSPX to start his own group, eventually the character flaws dominate and the priest abandons his ...

+ JMJ I've been waiting for Bishop Williamson's other shoe to drop for sometime. In short, I've been waiting to see if he follows his espoused principles to their logical conclusion or if he abandons them for some other path. Open Letter to Bishop Williamson In case there is any doubt as to the path that His Excellency has set his foot upon let's revisit my Open Letter to H.E. concerning E354. Based on certain ambiguities in his writings Bishop Williamson has enabled people who turn to him for guidance in this crisis of the Church, to come to the conclusion that the: Catholic Church before the Council had the Four Marks Catholic Church after the Council "by losing all four marks of the Catholic Church (One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic), was [no longer] the Catholic Church" Also, as a friend commented: The analogy [Bp. Williamson's rotten apple analogy] is excellent and correct if we take the rot to consist in individuals who occupy pl...

+ JMJ Communion in the hand: Legalized abuse and enabler of sacrilege. When the Church bans this protestant practice, then we'll know that we have reached the end of the beginning of this crisis of the Church. Fr. Jerabek's article provides some insight to this practice and who is defending the truth about it. Worth reading and please say a prayer for Fr. Jerabek, because those who defend this truth will be attacked. P^3

+ JMJ Update Mach 24, 2015: As noted here a friend reviewed one of the source YouTube videos used to create the infamous Recusant article.  He has discovered that Fr. Pfeiffer's chronicler missed the important aspect of Unity - The Pope.  I have upgraded Fr. Pfeiffer's mark to 1 for Unity.  I'll have to review the rest at a later time to determine if Fr. Pfeiffer can achieve a passing mark - or at least surpass Bishop Williamson. Early on in the conflict between Bishop Williamson et al who form the alleged 'resistance' and the SSPX, I discerned that there were two keys to understanding the differences betwixt the parties. Doctrinal and Cultural. The cultural aspect was obvious but the doctrinal is more important. Bishop Fellay accepts Church doctrine: St. Thomas' explanation of the Catholic principle of obedience is applicable today as it was in his time. The Pope is the direct Superior of all religious (Bishops, Priests, Monks, Brothers, Nuns et...

+ JMJ Yes I am busy, my laptop is setup beside my desktop as I prepare for a presentation I'm giving tomorrow. But this is too important an article to let slip by. In it Mr. Matt gives some insight to the struggle of the 'early' Traditionalists.  Men who, like my Step-Father, scavenged what they could from the scrap heap.  Not just little items like life size statues, I mean: Altars, tabernacles, communion rails. All Traditional Catholics owe an immense debt of gratitude to those who paved the way and have, in large part, passed on to their rewards. In truth, they are just part of a chain of Catholics from the first persecution to now. " Tradidi quod et accepi " We need to be the next link in the chain and pass on the faith - whole and entire. P^3 Courtesy of the Remnant Wednesday, December 17, 2014 Old Mass/Old Faith, New Mass/New Faith: The Raison d'être of a Catholic Traditionalist  Written by   Michael Matt | Editor Arc...

+ JMJ I've spent some time highlighting the cultural as well as doctrinal foundations of this crisis of the Church. The Mass and method of receiving Holy Communion are artifacts of the beliefs abd culture of the Church. Change those and other cultural elements will automatically realign to remove any inconsistency. The article below (and those linked) provide some examples of what happens when artifacts are altered. P^3 Courtesy of the Remnant PS. Also see  What’s Wrong with Communion in the Hand?  and How is New Coke Analogous to the New Mass? Friday, December 12, 2014 “Mass is Community Worship Where Believers Gather To Offer Praise and Thanksgiving…”  Featured Written by   Chris Jackson | Remnant Columnist Rate this item 1 2 3 4 5 (55 votes) I recently came across an article entitled, “ I Don't Get Anything Out Of Mass.”  The article was posted a month ago at Catholic365.com, a conservative oriented and ...

+ JMJ This article by the Remnant highlights the chasm between the manner in which the hierarchy (read Pope and Bishops) treats the Protestants / "Orthodox" and the SSPX. This chasm, really a cultural gap, in my opinion demonstrates with whom the present hierarchy is ideologically closer: Heretics and Schismatics. As long as Traditional Catholics are persecuted for hold to what the Church has always taught as the Church has always believed, then Traditional Catholics will never be truly welcome 'within' the Canonical Structures. 

+ JMJ Actually, one could say 'While the Church burns ...'. Fr. Carota has a very compelling article ( link ) that brings to light a couple of interesting elements. The Church is in theological, moral and structural collapse and it is mostly as a result of actions taken by forces within the Church.

+ JMJ In this crisis of the Church, the confusion has clouded the judgement of many. Excuse making is a simple example of people trying to justify their actions.  In this case they resort to variations on the theme 'change perception of actions'. I've encountered this in: Sedevacantists: who deny that the Church Doctrine that the recognition of the Pope by the hierarchy is an infallible means of knowing who is the Pope, Resistors: who believe that the ends justify the means, even if they toss out Catholic principles (St. Thomas Acquinas et al) in the process. 'Modern' Catholics: who assert that the SSPX was wrong (about what they were not very specific). One recent variations is an alleged 'revelation from the Blessed Virgin Mary'. In this case they are attempting to re-cast Bishop Fellay's actions as being against the wish and express command of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A nice way to say that the Virgin Mary trumps St. Thomas Aqui...

+ JMJ It has been a while since I wrote anything about the Synod - but I just saw the article attached below printed in the Canadian SSPX Convictions Magazine. The most telling was this: The most candid admission comes from the President of the Canadian Bishops’ Conference, Abp.   Paul-André Durocher , who writes unflinchingly on his blog:  “In a way, what we did with family life is what the Second Vatican Council did for the liturgy and ecumenism:  gave a green light to a style of ministry that is already emerging in the Church, assuring its theological foundations, and inviting the whole Church to do the same.  Of course, those who did not like what Vatican II did for the liturgy and ecumenism must not like what this Synod did for family life….”  Attached below is the original statement with a little of the context recreated. Cette approche n'est pas nouvelle: beaucoup d'intervenants pastoraux la pratiquent déjà. Mais c'est la première fois - à m...

+ JMJ I will admit that I was angered when I read the news that Catholics who attend the SSPX for the sacraments are excommunicated. The irony was not lost on me, when I know 'Modern' Catholics who regularly attend protestant liturgies with impunity. Then I was nonplussed when I read the Catholic Culture article.  I've never seen such a beautiful example of 'cognitive dissonance' at work.  Talk about trying to spin straw into gold. Pray for them because eventually they will either go mad or become rational again.  In either case they need our compassion. P^3

+ JMJ For decades the SSPX has been persecuted for saying just what Mr. Archbold said in this article.  I wonder if EWTN will pull the article as it steps across the 'Accept All of Vatican II' cultural assumption. The whole article is worth reading but here's a very telling point But I think it is fair to say that such hermeneutics are merely a Band-Aid to a self-inflicted wound, a wound of ambiguity. National Catholic Register - Pat Archbold P^3

+ JMJ This article was too good to not be added to my series on sedevacantism. It also is telling that people are seriously concerned about the direction that the Pope is heading. Frankly, it is consoling to see non-Trads coming to the realization that all is not well. P^3 Courtesy of the Remnant Tuesday, November 18, 2014 Can the Church Depose an Heretical Pope? Written by  Robert J. Siscoe Excommunicated by the Second Council of Constantinople, 553 “Indeed the Church has the right to separate herself from an heretical pope according to divine law. Consequently it has the right, by the same divine law, to use all means of themselves necessary for such separation…” -  John of  St. Thomas “The Church must render a judgment before the pope loses his office. Private judgment of the laity in this matter does not suffice.” -  Robert J. Siscoe A recent article by Fr. James V. Schall S.J., which was re-posted as “the article of the w...

+ JMJ The media chatter has risen above the normal level of late.  In fact it is hard to pick out the key items that merit my attention as I am still extremely busy. That said, here's a quick synopsis of signals that have popped up over the noise.

+ JMJ It is sometimes useful to keep in mind what the SSPX has as it primary goal. P^3 SSPX Statutes - Excerpts

+ JMJ To my readers, I've been able to keep up a steady stream of articles for the past few months because I was off work. That changed October 6th. As a result after this last pre-programmed blog post, I will be posting less frequently. P^3 Prayer Penance Patience

+ JMJ That the Church is in the midst of a crisis is, for those not blinded by enthusiasm, obvious. Understanding the different levels of authority for the documents of the Church is one of the underpinnings of keeping sane and not falling off the knife's edge. In this academic article Dr. Lamont has, I believe, provided the key to unlocking one of the locks  of this Crisis.  The documents of the Second Vatican Council. P^3

+ JMJ There have been a number of apologies made by people who believe that they have given the impression that they were criticizing the Pope. Michael Voris made his 'apology' here , even though he called it a 'clarification'.  Cardinal Burke issued a clarification as did Dr. Malloy. Dr. Malloy's 'I Apologize' post is reproduced below - because it is no longer available on his site. I will note that I do not have Dr. Malloy's permission to post this apology, and I only do so to maintain a copy as an example of a phenomenon.  If he requests that I remove it ... I will do so willingly. The common thread between Voris and Dr. Malloy is found in the last paragraph: God has given us Peter. We do not need to run to a guru. Our Peter is Francis. Let us pray for him, as he serves us(1). I apologize for having marred my own reception and anyone else’s reception of this great gift of God to us(2). I thank God for good example of other public theolo...

+ JMJ In the aftermath of the 'Synod', I think we see simply the fruits of the 'Council'. In many ways it has every appearance of being a very similar conflict.  With the key difference that in the Council the conflict was over doctrine, in this 'Synod' or 'mini-Council' was over ... morals.  Of course, you can never separate morals from doctrine as they are intrinsically linked. While most articles that I've seen focus on the final document( DICI ), for good reason, I'd like to make my own contribution to the discussion by focusing on what the Synod told us about the health of the Mystical Body of Christ. The seed of this can be found in this post by Rorate .  It contains some very simple results on the voting on two core issues: Communion for the 'Divorced and Remarried' and Civil Gay Unions.  Why is this important? Because these results are, in essence, an opinion survey.

+ JMJ In my last post on this topic, I mentioned that it appeared that the good cop / bad cop game was once again being played. Now rorate is reporting that another Bishop , this time in Argentina, is 'excommunicating' those who turn to the SSPX for the sacraments.

+ JMJ A quick post for today. NTP (Note To Pope): Traditionalists don't seek refuge in the letter of the Law but in the Truth. Here are some inter-related truths: 1. Popes, Bishops and Priests have an obligation to teach the Truths of the Faith. 2. A Valid Marriage lasts until one of the partners dies. 3. To attempt remarriage while the other partner yet lives is to enter into a continual state of concubinage. It they perform the marriage act - it is done outside of wedlock and is motally sinful. 4, See #1 5. To receive Holy Communion in a state of Mortal sin, is sacrilegious and mortally sinful. 6. To officially allow people in a state of mortal sin to receive Holy Communion is itself enabling the priests to become party to their sin - sinning themselves. As for the rest, remember to pray for the Pope. From both spiritual and organizational points of view, the Church will not emerge from this crisis until the Pope takes the first big step. P^3 Courtesy of SSP...

+ JMJ First off, John Vennari has an excellent post on Tony Palmer's funeral and the issues that it brings to light about the Ecumenism of Convergence that currently holds sway within the Church of Christ.  Pope Pius XI was definitely prophetic.  ( Requiem for Tony Palmer ) Second, the untimely death of Tony Palmer (RIP) prompted me to review his introduction to the Ark Community . Suffice to say, there are numerous problems with this perception of the Protestant Schism / Heresy. I was going to write a lengthy article about the problem of 'false ecumenism', of which Mr. Palmer (RIP) was a manifestation. However, events have carried that into the past as the Pope has now, in a recent meeting with the Tony Palmer's group, highlighted the key problem: I am grateful to Archbishop Robert Wise and to Emiliana, who have chosen to carry the torch, this dream which was Tony's: this dream of being able to walk in communion. We are sinning against Christ...