Skip to main content

The Failure of the CMTV Campaign

Image
By
+
JMJ

The CMTV campaign against the SSPX (ie: Not for the victims) is winding down and I think it is time to do a stock take. I originally was going to review the articles, but the volume of FUD and UFFI* makes this a fruitless task - so I'm going to sum up my conclusions.

First, there are actual cases of abuse (neither creepy nor possibly inappropriate behavior qualifies) that have already been addressed in various ways over the years.   I would be surprised if there are not active cases that the SSPX is examining.  That's why they have instituted the P2P program, to be proactive.  I have been involved in the development of early versions of the program and in my opinion it is a good program. Further, I'm happy to see it being implemented in the USA. In addition, to my knowledge Fr. Angles was not involved in the early development of the program.

Second, instead of promoting them, those listed and actually guilty of abuse are, to the best of my knowledge, no longer members of the SSPX.  This is a key difference between the SSPX and the situation that enabled McCarrick to rise to the ranks of the hierarchy.

Third, the CMTV 'articles' are poorly written and researched. I found the Kansas City Star (KCS) article way easier to read than the confused CMTV articles and more balanced. Frankly, I found the CMTV video all flash and dash. Thinking about it now I found the KCS refreshing.

Fourth, as noted the CMTV 'articles' string together a number of various allegations and tries to make a case for a conspiracy theory. 

One article in particular lays out a string of assumptions (I stopped counting after five) and attempts to make inferences based on this non-existant foundation.  In short, the lesson taught to me by a senior engineer still holds:
When you assume something you make an ASS out of U and ME
The fact that no trad media have jumped on the CMTV SSPX Bashing Trad Wagon for me is just confirmation that CMTV's argument that the SSPX is "Sympathetic to Perverts" doesn't stand up to the light.  Interestingly, when they realised they weren't getting tracking,  Voris et al complain that no one is picking up their story and that trads are bashing them.  As my kids would say, "Seriously?"

This campaign has simply made an ass out of Mr. Voris and Ms. Niles.

Fifth, several of the articles are told soley from the perspective of people whose credibility is suspect due holes in their story, their character, mental stability, or simply repeating old (decades) claims.  Sadly. one of them is from a person claiming to be a witch.

CMTV seems to operate under a confirmation bias, especially with the Jassy case, where there is real abuse there must be a conspiracy. Recently, som have stepped forward to provide context in the Fr. Abbet case:


Sixth, a number of the stories are locked in time.  Either they are old stories of people expelled from the SSPX or they don't take into account that people and circumstances change. One victim couldn't believe that a priest who allegedly abused him hadn't abused someone else in the intervening years. 

Lots has changed over the years, in some cases the guilty priests had psychiatric assessments, others were sent to the various isolated houses.  Another change is the rolling implementation of P2P in North America. 

Finally, the underlying theme is guilt by association in which the conspiracy theory is put forward that the abusers must have great influence in the SSPX. Right, so great an influence that they are expelled etc.

I'm glad that we're not in a communist country where guilt by association is a valid piece of evidence.

My conclusion is that the CMTV campaign has changed neither the situation nor the outcome. 

The real investigation was being done by the police investigators, with whom the SSPX was cooperating prior to the CMTV article.  Just like Fr. Angles cooperated with the authorities when, in the wake of the Waco crisis, allegations of weapons caches emerged. The SSPX is following the Catholic
principles for handling these situations and crimes,  and from my review those who need to know (those with a responsibility and authority) are involved.

End message: Pray for the real abuse victims.

P^3



* UFFI is my new acronym for : Unfounded Faulty Fabricated Inferences

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SSPX and the Resistance - A Comparison Of Ecclesiology

By
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...
8 comments
Read more

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

By
+ 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
Post a Comment
Read more

The Position of the SSPX on Canonizations by the Saint Factory

By
+ JMJ I have sometimes been criticized for including 'St' as a title for Pope John Paul II et al. I've given my reasons here  in a discussion with Alex Long. The question is one of prudence in discussions with ntCatholics and in some cases with tCatholics. In discussions with:  ntCatholics, I will use the title in order to continue the discussion and help them arrive at a realistic understanding of the crisis of the Church. tCatholics, I will use the title in order to broaden their perspective on the doctrine of dogmatic facts. This broader perspective is, in my opinion, essential maintaining a realistic understanding of the crisis of the Church. So from a doctrinal position, I have written the article Dogmatic Fact of Fancy  and includes a reference on canonizations. Now, I know the position of the SSPX is that the canonizations are doubtful (see references below) and I also know of at least one non-SSPX theologian who agrees with the level of doubt du...
Post a Comment
Read more

Comparision of the Tridentine, Cranmer and Novus Ordo Masses

By
+ 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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Church Militant TV and the SSPX - Again

By
+ JMJ The old narrative used to be that the SSPX was 'schismatic' and 'excommunicated'. Now the excommunication has been lifted for a number of years and the only ones who think it still has effect are the 'resistors'. That leaves the other opponents of the SSPX with the label 'schismatic'. Make it clear, the conservative Catholics have issues with the SSPX probably because they violate some of their assumptions about the Faith and this crisis of the Church. Church Militant TV is one of these the exists along the Catholic thought spectrum. They like the Traditional Mass but must ensure that they don't get tarred with the same 'schismatic' brush that the liberals use against the SSPX.  So what do they do, they use the same brush against the SSPX. The funny thing is that even when the Church does speak, they don't want to listen and persist in calling the SSPX 'schismatic'. Here's a transcript of the latest s...
Post a Comment
Read more