Tradicat

+ 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...

+ JMJ In their attempts to spin the outputs of the Synod, some 'Neo-Con' commentators heads are now facing backwards. Dr. Jeff Mirus is one such commentator.  Who creates a straw-man argument about why the Traditionalists oppose allowing people living in concubinage to receive Holy Communion. The Truth is hard, but here is goes: People living in state of concubinage, whether civilly sanctioned or not, are objectively living in a state of mortal sin. To receive Holy Communion knowingly in the state of mortal sin is to commit the sin of sacrilege. If the Church were to 'officially' allow them to receive Holy Communion, then is it enabling the performance of these acts of sacrilege and furthering the guilt of the people committing these sins of sacrilege. The logic is fairly simple ... 

+ JMJ Many years ago Fr. Boulet wrote an article concerning sedavacantism. It's is valuable for its rationale as well as for the words of Archbishop Lefevbre that it contains. In addition to the article, I came across this:   SSPX: Little Catechism On Sedevacantism Courtesy of SSPX.ca