Bishop Williamson's Grand Delusion

JMJ

I was surprise to read that Triumph Communications had resumed its interviewing of Bishop Williamson.

Looking at the advertisement, I'm surprised that Bishop Williamson 'tackled' the hot questions since the answers are for the most part either within the reach of most rational people or probably require him to rely upon knowledge that Bishop Williamson gathered when he was still a member of the SSPX.

Now back in the action, Bishop Williamson tackles the following hot questions with his typical candor and eloquence:

Under present circumstances, could an agreement between the Society of St. Pius X and Rome work? What is the critical factor which would make it difficult for an agreement to work? [Tradical: This is hardly rocket science. All that is required is a Pope that will be able to withstand the pressures that would result in providing the SSPX with a no-compromise regularization that meets the six conditions.]

What were the circumstances and results of the leak of a private exchange of letters between Bishop Fellay and his two assistants, and bishops Williamson, de Galarreta, and Tissier de Mallerais?[Tradical: This would be interesting. However, I understand that a. the letters were leaked from the UK and b. that the Priest who did the leaking remains within the SSPX. As far as the 'results of the leak', I would assume that Bishop Williamson will put forth the opinion that it prevented the acceptance of a compromised regularization. Which is his opinion but no less valid than that of Bishop Fellay's.]

In the end, why did negotiations between the Society of St. Pius X and Rome break down?[Tradical: I don't know Bishop Williamson's opinion, but I do know the fact: Bishop Fellay would not compromise and refused to 'sign'. Next question ...]

What were the results of the doctrinal discussions between the Society of S. Pius X and Rome? What do the results of these discussions tell us about today's churchmen in the Vatican?[Tradical: This is a leading question as it makes the assumption that the results of the discussions reflect the 'group' of churchmen in the Vatican as a whole. This is a part to whole fallacy and plays to Bishop Williamson's message that you can't obey the hierarchy because they're all modernists / masons / russians / etc. ]

What is the fatal weakness of the modern Church?[Tradical: I wonder if the 'modern Church' is equated with the Catholic Church?]

Is the current leadership of the Society of St. Pius X doing a good job of carrying on Archbishop Lefebvre's prophetic role of condemning the errors of Vatican II and modern churchmen?[Tradical: This is absolutely the strangest question to have in this kind of 'interview'. I have seen no change in Bishop Williamson's opinions concerning either doctrine or the leadership of the SSPX. In short the words he wrote in reply to his expulsion from the SSPX, I believe from Bishop Williamson's point of view , are as applicable today as they were in 2012.]

Is the traditional movement going soft? What is an underlying dynamic present in modern civilization that is weakening the resolve of many traditional Catholics?[Tradical: That's an interesting question given the theological errors of the 'resistance' that continue to abound daily. If being enthralled with conspiracy theories (read: Tradcat Knight) or deviating from Church Teaching (read: heresies of the resistance) is what it takes to be 'strong' - then Houston - we have a problem.]

Bishop Williamson concludes these interviews with a heartfelt message to the leadership of the Society of St. Pius X. Listening to The Grand ~~Illusion~~ Delusion is a key to understanding what is going on in the ~~traditional~~ 'resistance' movement.

Based on my discussions with a number of 'resistors' the 'resistance' is not a 'Traditional Catholic' movement because it has deviated from Catholic Doctrine on two key points:

Maybe I am being too harsh on Bishop Williamson.

Perhaps he is simply suffering from a delusion when he makes the claim that he has not been 'unfaithful' to the heritage of Archbishop Lefebvre ( in response to his expulsion ...). Perhaps, it is just natural that the people who are aligned with his worldview will follow him because he presents a simple black and white view of the crisis of the Church.

However, in their fear the 'resistance' does a great injustice to Archbishop Lefebvre when they use his words to discard like heretics various doctrines of the Church. Of course, this method is not new, the sedevacantists have been doing it for decades.

Pray, I fear it's not going to get any easier and only those with clear heads and a strong spiritual life will be left standing.

P^3

The Catholic Church and the Rule of Law – Part I: Dr. John Lamont

+ JMJ Is a Traditional Catholic who abandons the doctrine of the Catholic Church - are they truly worthy of the name of Catholic? This is why it is important to understand Catholic Doctrine so we don't knowingly abandon it! This is a lecture provided by Dr. Lamont that touches on the topic of obedience. Obedience is one key to emerging from this crisis. P^3 Source Part A: Society of St. Hugh of Cluny Source Part B: Society of St. Hugh of Cluny 8 May 2014 The Catholic Church and the Rule of Law – Part I By John Lamont (Lecture given in New York on Friday, April 4, 2014)

Schism

There is some question as to whether the Pope can be in actual schism as per the Cardinal Torquemada: Citing the doctrine of Pope Innocent III, Torquemada further teaches: "Thus it is that Pope Innocent III states [De Consuetudine] that, it is necessary to obey the Pope in all things as long as he, himself, does not go against the universal customs of the Church, but should he go against the universal customs of the Church, 'he need not be followed' . . . " [Cited from A Theological Vindication of Roman Catholic Traditionalism, Father Paul Kramer, B.Ph., S.T.D., M. Div. (2nd edition, St. Francis Press, India) p. 29. The full quotation from Cardinal Torquemada reads, "By disobedience, the Pope can separate himself from Christ despite the fact that he is head of the Church, for above all, the unity of the Church is dependent on its relationship with Christ. The Pope can separate himself from Christ either by disobeying the law of Christ, or by commanding som...

SSPX and the Resistance - A Comparison Of Ecclesiology

Shining the light of Church Teaching on the doctrinal positions of the SSPX and the Resistance. Principles are guides used to aid in decision making. It stands to reason that bad principles will lead to bad decisions. The recent interactions between Rome and the SSPX has challenged a number of closely held cultural assumptions of people in both sides of the disagreement. This has resulted in cultural skirmishes in both Rome and the SSPX. Since it is the smaller of the two, the skirmishes have been more evident within the SSPX. The cultural fault-line that Bishop Fellay crossed appears to be linked to two points of Catholic Doctrine: Ecclesiology and Obedience. The cultural difference of view points is strong enough that it has resulted in the expulsion of a number of members. It should also be noted that some other priests expelled since the beginning of the latest interactions (starting in 2000) held the same view points and have joined with the l...

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

The Catholic Church and the Rule of Law- Part II: Dr. John Lamont

+ JMJ This is the second article from Dr. Lamont from his lecture given in May 2014. P^3 Source Part A: Society of St. Hugh of Cluny Source Part B: Society of St. Hugh of Cluny 8 May2014 The Catholic Church and the Rule of Law- Part II By John Lamont To understand how the Jesuit conception of obedience departed from earlier conceptions, it is helpful to compare it with the teaching of St. Thomas on obedience. The fundamental difference between the two is that St. Thomas considers the proper object of obedience to be the precept of the superior (2a2ae q. 104 a. 2 co., ad 3). Obedience that seeks to forestall the expressed will of the superior does not bear on what the superior wants or thinks in general, but only on what the superior intends to command. St. Ignatius’s lowest degree of obedience, which he does not consider to be virtuous, is thus what St. Thomas considers to be the only form of obedience. St. Thomas holds that St. Ignatius’s alleged higher forms of o...

Tradicat

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