The Line of Archbishop Lefebvre

JMJ

Some acquaintances of mine received a nice family photo from a friend. On the inside of the card was written a short note that except for the following was full of the regular niceties.

It's too bad that you've abandoned the line of Archbishop Lefebvre. To have come so far in the battle for the true faith, only to lose one's way at the end is indeed sad indeed. Read, study, and pray for the grace to see clearly in this crisis.

I can avouch that my friends have 'read, studied, and prayed'. What they studied was the teachings of the Church (some of which are presented here on this blog). They did not "study" the writings/rantings of Bishop Williamson, Fr. Pfeiffer, Fr. Chazal, Fr. Rua, Fr. Girouard et al. The only time that these utterances were examined was to hold them up to the light of Catholic Teaching.

Comparing the teachings of the Church to the writing of the Bishop and priests associated with the 'resistance' has only solidified them in their conviction that anyone who departs from Catholic principles, doctrine and dogma CANNOT be following the path of Archbishop Lefebvre.

If they were, then it would be necessary to believe that the ...

Apostolicity of the Church derives from its mission (Apple meet Tree)
Holiness of the Church derives from having the Faith (Apple meet Tree)
Unity of the Church is derived solely from the Faith (Apple meet Tree)
Catholic Church lost the Four Marks (Open Letter to Bishop Williamson)
The Visible Church is not the Catholic Church (SSPX vs Resistance Ecclesiology )

None of these 'beliefs' are actually Catholic and they are all derived from the writings of 'resistance' associates. I label them as 'heresy' - meaning theological error. They may or may not be of the first degree, but it doesn't really matter.

The assertion that the SSPX has abandoned the line of Archbishop Lefebvre, implies that the loose association of loose cannons who collectively are called the 'resistance' is faithful to Archbishop Lefebvre.

I'm sorry, but I don't believe that His Grace set out a line that ended in heresy.

Please see The Four Marks of the Church, the Teachings of the First Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Council of Trent for the real teachings of the Church.

Further reading on the problems with the 'resistance' can be found here.

Pray and Study!!!

P^3

Comments

A Reply to Martin Blackshaw’s FLAWED Remnant article titled: FLAWED: SSPX Advice on Abortion-tainted Vaccines

+ JMJ An article has appeared in the Remnant (link to article) and I am afraid that there are a number of flaws in it that need to be addressed. The author, Martin Blackshaw, believes that both the Church and the SSPX are misapplying the principle of Moral Theology called 'Cooperation In Evil'. Unfortunately, Mr. Blackshaw rests most of his arguments on citing authors that support his position, without considering the possibility that they are wrong. This highlights a key factor in this crisis: ignorance of the faith and its application . I don't am not singling out Mr. Blackshaw for this criticism, I have observed that it applies to laity and religious, superior and subject a like. No one seems immune in this enduring crisis, myself included. I further believe that this ignorance is why so many Catholics, both traditional and non, rely on their gut feeling or "Catholic conscience" for charting their way through this crisis of the faith. While...

What Archbishop Lefebvre Said About the New Mass - SSPX.org

+ JMJ The New Mass is many things and one thing that it is is ambiguous. While there are a few Catholic elements in the Novus Ordo, but even those are lost in the morass of protestant simulation. It truly is a case of : P^3 Courtesy of SSPX.org: What Archbishop Lefebvre said about the New Mass

Rome,the SSPX and this time of Crisis - Updated

+ JMJ Obviously there's lots of events right now. First we have the April 1st - I almost thought it was April Fools - meeting between Pope Francis and Bishop Fellay. Nothing really news worthy as this is a natural progression as Rome appears to be considering fulfilling Archbishop Lefebvre's wish to 'accept us as we are'. Second we have the April 8th publication of what will be a verbose exhortation of the Synod of the Family. I'm willing to bet that the Pope will give with one hand (unilateral regularization of SSPX) and take with the other (ambiguous document that opens the flood gates of sin further). Much to pray for. P^3

Does the SSPX 'Reject the conclusions of the Second Vatican Council'? (Updated 2026-08-03)

+ JMJ Update: Dr. Lamont, in a Rorate article (link) , pointed out that : It is notable that the profession does not reject any text of the Second Vatican Council, but only states that the influence of the Council promoted deviations from the faith. Catholics may hold that the influence of an ecumenical council was noxious in some respects. It is only the authoritative teachings of a council that demand their assent; they do not have to approve of all the historical results that it led to. One may, for example, reasonably hold that the definitions of papal infallibility and universal jurisdiction of the First Vatican Council led to an exaggerated and harmful conception of papal power, while accepting the definitions themselves. Further what the SSPX actually wrote (link) : I acknowledge in particular that modern errors represent a dreadful threat to the whole of the Catholic order, and that their penetration into the life of the Church, under the influence of the Second Vatican ...

The Vatican and SSPX – An Organizational Culture Perspective

Introduction The recent and continuing interactions between the Vatican and the SSPX have been a great opportunity for prayer and reflection. The basis for the disagreement is theological and not liturgical. As noted by Dr. Lamont (2012), the SSPX theological position on the four key controversial aspects of the Second Vatican Council are base on prior theological work that resulted from relevant magisterial pronouncements. So it is difficult to understand the apparent rejection of the theological position of the SSPX.

Tradicat

Search This Blog