Skip to main content

Bishop Williamson's Grand Delusion

Image
By
+
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
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Father, Should I Attend That Mass?" Advice on Attending Non-SSPX Latin Masses

By
 + JMJ I see that the 'resistors' are in a tizzy because Fr. Robinson used them as an example instead of the sedevacantists. What is interesting is that you can apply the exact same reasons against going to a sede mass as that of the 'resistors'. Namely: On the other extreme are those situations where an SSPX priest knows that a certain non-SSPX traditionalist venue is a grave danger to the faith . Frankly, most, if not all, of the Resistance Masses would fall into this category. In many cases, the behavior of these priests has been and continues to be scandalous, by their (A) spirit, their (B) preaching, and their indiscriminate conferral of the (C) priesthood and (D) episcopacy. To attend a Mass with such ongoing scandals poses a serious danger to the souls of the faithful. Yep, looking at A,B,C and D the shoe fits. On this basis the "resistors" = "sedevacantists". P^3 Courtesy of SSPX.org   A companion article to a recent "Questions with ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Correcting Caricatures of the SSPX

By
 + JMJ Introduction First, a little background on the FSSP St. John Vianney Chapel in Mission Hill Kansas.  After the 1988 consecrations and the foundation of the FSSP there was a consistent trend of Dioceses allowing the SSPX to run chapels and churches near SSPX locations. As with any 'organizational change' there were those who didn't agree with the change and no longer sought the sacraments from the SSPX. I heard from friends that in that era there was a lot of anger and tension (on both sides) between the St. Mary's SSPX and Mission Hill FSSP.  Second, there have been caricatures of the SSPX position (some are evident below) in which personal opinions of SSPX priests and laity are taken as the official position or conflated with those of sedevacantists or 'resistance'. Recent Perspectives of the SSPX Position In the shadow of the consecrations a fever pitch accusations and opinions how surfaced - many of which include caricatures of the SSPX positions, of w...
Post a Comment
Read more

SSPX: Why Is the SSPX So Criticized?

By
 + JMJ As long as you are ok with what happens in other Catholic Churches, Traditional Catholics will be left 'alone'.  This is a paraphrase of words spoken by an Archbishop to Traditional Catholics (with a sprinkling of SSPX) who had requested the Traditional Latin Mass under Summorum Pontificum. This reflects that attitude of the Church towards anyone who takes issue with some of the ambiguities of Vatican II and the post-conciliar magisterium.  If you reject the papacy but are ok with V2, the New Mass, and what Rome has stated since 1965 - then you are welcome. Question some of the more abiguous statements and ask for Rome to realise that a circle is not a square - then you are in for a world of hurt. This is where the SSPX exists and has existed from almost its very first moments. Pointing out contradictions with previous magisterium is not acceptable - under any condition. Why? Because it will cause the whole V2 house of cards to fall. I guess only when the contradic...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stories: Early Days of Tradition Part 8 - Convention Centre Chapel

By
 + JMJ I came to Tradition a few years after they had bought a chapel. My wife told me of the earlier years when Fr. Normandin would come to town and Mass would be held in a room at the convention centre.  He'd start by blessing the room and then proceed with Mass. This went on for a while before the one of the faithful found a small hall that would suit just fine. They pooled their money and bought the building.  Then came the work as the retiree's refinished the floor, setup the sactuary. Oh, did I mention that I heard that the hall had been used by a motorcycle gang? The floor needed a lot of work.  I remember seeing pictures of the founders working to make the hall into a fitting place for the Sacrifice of the Mass. That little chapel would be a refuge like many others serviced by Fr. Normandin.  From Thunderbay, Ontrario to Nanaimo, British Columbia - the SSPX chapels are all the results of Fr. Normandin's missionary work in those desperate times. Without h...
Post a Comment
Read more

How many more must die for the throne? or How to combat FUD!

By
 + JMJ How many more must die for the throne? (Movie Quote: Prince Caspian) The Spread of Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt I've seen a lot of FUD spreading across the intergnat on various stats etc.   So let's put this in context ... especially the perspective of those people in positions of authority who need to make decisions to protect the lives of their citizens. Yep, this is going to be that type of post.  Like it or not the leaders of our governments have their authority from God.  So, as Catholics should know, you need to have a very good reason to deliberately disobey the orders of their superiors. This is basic St. Thomas Aquinas ... so don't blame me for discussing things from a Catholic perspective. The leaders of our countries have taken action to protect the vulnerable of our countries.   As much as the young and not-so-young may whine and complain - I have to ask how many more of our elderly have to die? What the armchair virologists and ec...
10 comments
Read more