Skip to main content

Where are Bishop Williamson and the 'resistance' going?

+
JMJ

For the most part the 'resistance' associates put forth a more or less continuous stream of attacks against the leadership of the SSPX.

However, periodically they take a breath and pull back the curtain on the principles which guide their actions.



Such an event happened when Bishop Williamson sat at his computer to write EC384.

Sifting out the various insinuations and manipulative tactics (intentional or otherwise) we find the following assertion:
Thus where Archbishop Lefebvre saw clearly that the Conciliar Church, by losing all four marks of the Catholic Church (one, holy, catholic, apostolic), was not the Catholic Church
In this short collection of words, Bishop Williamson has exposed with greater clarity the principle that is at variance with those of the SSPX.

Parsing the quoted statement we find that:

  1. Bishop Williamson believes that Archbishop Lefebvre believed that
  2. The 'Conciliar Church', 
  3. by losing all four marks of the Catholic Church 
  4. was not the Catholic Church
Before proceeding, it is important to understand that, according to Church dogma, there is only one Church of Christ. There can never be two Churches that possess all four Marks of the Catholic Church.

Since you can't lose something you don't possess, the assertions made by Bishop Williamson  (2 & 3) support the conclusion that prior to the loss of "all four Marks of the Catholic Church", the "Conciliar Church" was the Church of Christ.

Joining this with his final assertion, we reach Bishop Williamson's conclusion that the Catholic Church is no longer the Church of Christ.

What is disingenuous of BishopWilliamson, is that he ascribes this belief to Archbishop Lefebvre.  

Of course by doing so he gains political capital among his associates by reducing cognitive dissonance, at the expense of the truth.Once one Catholic principle (true obedience) falls, others (Indefectibility of the Church, Catholic doctrine of the Four Marks, etc) are sure to follow.

However, Archbishop Lefebvre and the SSPX have not deviated from their understanding of the phrase "Conciliar Church", if Bishop Williamson ever shared that understanding, it is obvious that he has departed from it.

Should Bishop Williamson publish a correction, I would be very pleased.  However, it has been over a year since a traditionalist acquaintance forwarded my original critique of EC281 to his excellency, so I very much doubt that a correction will be forthcoming.


P^3
Prayer
Penance
Patience





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Curious Case of Steve Skojec and the Dangers of Deep Diving into the Crisis Sub-Titled: The Failings of Others

 + JMJ It's been a while now since Steve Skojec sold 1P5 and abandoned the Catholic Faith. I've been a 'Trad' since 1982 and in those 40+ years I seen this death-spiral before with a similar end point. It seems that anyone who jumps into the fray unprepared for the enormous task of righting wrongs will, eventually, become discouraged by not the task but the people who surround them.   I remember when Skojec complained of the treatment his family received from a traditional priest.  This seems to have been the start of the end for him. So what can we learn from the likes of Steve Skojec, Michael Voris (maybe?), Louie Verrecchio, Gerry Matatix and other celebrity Catholics? Probably quite a lot about what not to do. First, don't burn out on the crisis?  When you burn out, on work or anything else, little things assume a more greater importance than they are due.   This is one of my 'canary in the coal mine' signals that I've been stretching myself too th...

Tradical Commentary on: Restore DC Catholicism: SSPX And Austrilian Bishops - Two Different Errors

+ JMJ An interesting thing has happened on the discussion that prompted my article on whether it is sinful to attend the Novus Ordo Missae .  The blog owner of RDCC has shut down discussion by locking the article. That is their prerogative, but I am puzzled as to why? Perhaps it has something to do with some of the latter comments. They didn't believe the teaching on intention with regards to confecting the Sacraments.  This is not the first time I've experienced incredulity on this topic ( reference articles ). Really this isn't about what they believe but the truth. They seem to believe that the objections to the Novus Ordo Missae are simply about "overly delicate sensibilities".  In response to this I am reblogging a number of articles by the SSPX. Perhaps it was the comment made by Bishop Schneider, a currently well revered hero (who deserved the accolades) but apparently has said something similar to the SSPX.   I suspect that it is more...

Australia: Seal of the Confessional Outlawed at the Federal Level

+ JMJ This is simply another step in the attack on the Catholic Church. Interestingly, California's attempt to do the same failed. P^3 Courtesy of FSSPX.news Australia: Seal of the Confessional Outlawed at the Federal Level December 19, 2019 Source: fsspx.news On December 2, 2019, the Australian Conference of Bishops (ACBC) denounced the agreement between the Attorneys General of each state and the Australian federal government, with the aim of standardizing the laws imposing on priests the obligation to denounce any alleged fact of ill-treatment of minors that would be learned in the context of the sacrament of penance. “Counterproductive and unjust” are the terms with which Archbishop Mark Coleridge, Archbishop of Brisbane and President of the ACBC, denounced the new prejudicial legal norms on the sacramental seal of the confessional in Australia. The attorneys gener...

Comparision of the Tridentine, Cranmer and Novus Ordo Masses

+ JMJ I downloaded the comparison that was linked in the previous article on the mass (here) . ... a very good reference! P^3 From: Whispers of Restoration (available at this link) . CHARTING LITURGICAL CHANGE Comparing the 1962 Ordinary of the Roman Mass to changes made during the Anglican Schism; Compared in turn to changes adopted in the creation of Pope Paul VI’s Mass in 1969 The chart on the reverse is a concise comparison of certain ritual differences between three historical rites for the celebration of the Catholic Mass Vetus Ordo: “Old Order,” the Roman Rite of Mass as contained in the 1962 Missal, often referred to as the “Traditional Latin Mass.”The Ordinary of this Mass is that of Pope St. Pius V (1570) following the Council of Trent (1545-63), hence the occasional moniker “Tridentine Mass.” However, Trent only consolidated and codified the Roman Rite already in use at that time; its essential form dates to Pope St. Gregory the Great (+604), in whose time the R...

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

+ JMJ Along the theme of P^3 (Prayer, Penance, Patience), and for my own reference ... here is a collection of Morning and Evening prayers from the Ideal Daily Missal along with some additional prayers. In this crisis of the Church, I do not think it is possible to do too much prayer, penance and have patience. P^3