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:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is Tradition?

By
 + JMJ What Is Tradition? The basic premise, from my perspective, is that what was taught before cannot be contradicted by the 'present' magisterium, only deepened and expanded upon. I recall the Roman theologians called the SSPX protestants while the SSPX called them modernists.  I believe this was all surrounding the concept of Traditon. SSPX's Understanding of Tradition One accusation made against the SSPX is that they don't have a correct understanding of 'Tradition'.  This is how the SSPX understands Tradition: I finally profess that Tradition is not a dead memory, but the living transmission of the doctrine received from the Apostles. It remains living, in distinction to Revelation, which is closed. It is so both in the activity of the Magisterium of the Teaching Church and in the profession of Faith of the Church Taught, of which the sentire cum Ecclesia is the result of the teaching of the Magisterium. Tradition may be called ‘living’, not in the sense t...
Post a Comment
Read more

SSPX.ca: What is the position of the SSPX on Vatican II???

By
 + JMJ With all the mis-information about the SSPX rejecting the Second Vatican Council, I thought it would be useful to publish an article that focuses on the real issues that the SSPX has identified. Update: Why Did the SSPX Consecrate Bishops? ( Neither Schismatic, Nor Disobedient link ) In the linked document the SSPX outlined the key motivation and core issues with Vatican II and the post-conciliar magisterium (see above link for full document): 4. The Society Acted Precisely Because of the State of Necessity in Which the Faith Finds Itself  In the present situation of the Church, if the Society of Saint Pius X had not carried out the consecrations of July 1st, it would have found itself facing an inevitable alternative: either to disappear gradually, or to accept, at least in fact, the new liturgy as well as the false doctrines of Vatican II and the post-council. Without the consecrations of July 1st, the Fraternity would have found itself, in a few years, without bishop...
1 comment
Read more

Thoughts on: Finding Common Ground Between Rome and the SSPX

By
 + JMJ In the ramp up to the consecrations the noise floor in the intergnat grew to a constant din.  This was one of the few the peeped its signal over the noise. https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/finding-common-ground-between-rome-and-the-sspx The key issue is contained in this paragraph: In the lead-up to the planned July 1, 2026, episcopal consecrations,  the SSPX rejected Rome’s offer  of doctrinal dialogue on the grounds that “we both know in advance that we cannot agree doctrinally, particularly regarding the fundamental orientations adopted since the Second Vatican Council.” Fr. Pagliarani also said that his previous attempt at dialogue in 2019 was shut down by Rome because of an assumed irreconcilability. It seems that, from the Society’s perspective, and perhaps from Rome’s too, their positions are incompatible. If memory serves, Rome killed any opportunity for an open discussion by stating that Vatican II was not up for debate. So it was a still-birth and ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thoughts on the Thoughts of a former SSPX priest

By
 + JMJ Well Gary Campbell, former SSPX Priest and now laicised has posted a new article on WherePeterIs. https://wherepeteris.com/thoughts-of-a-former-sspx-priest-on-the-july-1-consecrations/ These words stuck out: Heck, they have built a five-star hotel, wine bar, and Walmart on the opposite bank of the Rubicon! They are not in danger of entering a state of schism, for they are  already  in a state of schism. I believe he doth protest too much. All the actual facts indicate that the SSPX was not in a state of schism before July 1st and an examination of the decree of excommunication highlights the either ineptitude of those in charge or a desire to leave the barn door open. The chasm between an act of disobedience and act of schism remains just what is has always been - an inconvenient barrier that person(s) in Rome seek to bridge but appear incapable of succeeding. The SSPX re-stated that they recognize the Pope as the Vicar of Christ and feel obliged by conscience...
Post a Comment
Read more

The News is an Addiction ...

By
 + JMJ People seem to be mesmerised by train wrecks.   They just can't turn away as the disaster creeps forward along train tracks towards the crossing where a car, truck, bus, trailer awaits its destruction. Trads have been watching the train wreck that is this crisis of the Catholic Church for decades. The trade war between the Canada and the US has reminded me that the news is addictive.   The first time I was addicted what from 2009 to  2014 when I was closely following the Rome / SSPX discussions.  I was at work watching a live-stream as Bishop Fellay disappeared into the Vatican. The lead-up to this moment had been intense as the 'resistance' got freaked out and the cultural cracks between doctrine and conspiracy theory widened. In the decade since then other things have emerged, wars, rumours of wars, conspiracies, celebrity Catholics etc. Now we have a new addiction and its name is Trump. Lately, no matter how much I try, I find myself wonderin...
Post a Comment
Read more