CMTV's Latest Attempt to Slag the SSPX

JMJ

It has been a couple of months since the last significant attempt to slag the SSPX and I was beginning to wonder if the clicks were subsiding.

... then another article popped up this week.

I was wondering if it would contain a new case or simply repeat old allegations and FUD and Ms. Niles did not disappoint.

A technique that I learned in dealing with negotiations and conflicts is to review the correspondence with a critical eye and black out all irrelevant contents. This helps to remove all the distracting attacks, innuendos, assumptions, and FUD from view so a person can focus on the important aspects ... like the facts.

How much of Ms.Niles text survived my review? About 17.5% or 347 words out of ~1983. The rest was either repeated information or opinion as opposed to fact. Just in case you are curious as to what that looks like, I have attached the blacked out document at the end of this post.

Now on to a review of the words that actually bore on the case at hand ...

Fresh scandal has engulfed the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX): A priest of nearly 30 years has been suspended for allegedly abusing at least 15 victims. Father Pierre de Maillard was suspended earlier this summer and is serving out a period of "prayer and penance" in a retreat house in Montgardin in the French Alps, nicknamed the "Golden Prison" — a place where problem priests are sent.

While they like to use the word "Golden Prison", it really doesn't look like that from the outside ( link on FSSPX site. From a Google Maps perspective, it looks like just about any other religious house that I've had the opportunity to visit. Given that the allegations have been made, Fr. de Maillard has been removed from active service and relocated to a house that has multiple purposes, not just "problem priests". Also, at least this time Ms. Niles correctly indicated that these are allegations. In previous articles she's played fast and loose with the word.

One question that occurred just now as I read the paragraph is what would Ms. Niles have the SSPX do when an allegation is made? I would have thought that removing a priest in this manner would be laudable in her eyes. This may provide a clue to her motivations.

In July, victims and their parents went to Fr. Laurent Ramé, Maillard's former superior at Our Lady of the Rosary priory in Saint-Germain-de-Prinçay, Vendée, to report the abuse. In all, Ramé learned of at least 15 alleged victims — all minors, including both boys and girls.

I am surprised that a host of parents made the allegations at one time. This seems more than a little unusual. While we don't need to know, it would be nice to know the particulars. Such as was this a single event or multiple events spread over a number of years and if so, why descend upon the Prior together?

In light of Church Militant's numerous exposés on SSPX mishandling of abuse allegations,...

Well - looks like a little bit of shameless self promotion. I am aware of the development of the North American protocols and they pre-date CMTV's "exposés" by a number of years.

Ramé bucked protocol and chose not to go to French district headquarters first (as mandated by Society guidelines) and instead went to law enforcement (the brigade de gendarmerie in Chantonnay),...

The question that we need to ask is how does CMTV "know" this? Also if they are guidelines then the Prior has lee-way in dealing with each case.

....which immediately launched an investigation.

. Well duh! If Fr. Ramé went to the authorities, then he felt the allegations were credible.

...Afterwards Ramé informed district headquarters in Suresnes,just outside Paris.

... still wondering how they "know" this. I highly doubt that the SSPX shared

The matter already in police hands, Superior General Davide Pagliarani had little choice but to suspend Maillard, sending him to Montgardin while French officials investigate the criminal allegations.

I normally would have blacked out the red lettered phrase, but thought it a good opportunity to demonstrate critical reading.

What the red text does is reflect Ms. Niles preconceived notions and bias as opposed to reality. She is insinuating that the Superior General would not have suspended Fr. de Maillard were it not for police knowledge of the case. I guess that Ms. Niles is psychic and can read the Superior General's mind. In reality, all that she is doing is mixing a fact (Superior General suspended Fr. de Maillard) with her own speculations.

So, the allegations are a fact. Ms. Niles insinuation are her personal fantasies.

P^3

The myth of the Hermeneutic of Continuity - Rorate Caeli

+ JMJ Interestingly the complete acceptance of the Second Vatican Council (without reservations) is required of the SSPX. Just when people are starting to wonder how it came to this! Courtesy of Rorate Caeli P^3

A Look Back: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976

+ JMJ Looking back is important to understand why we are where we are in this crisis. Courtesy of RemnantNewsPaper P^3 FOR THE FIRST TIME ONLINE: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976 Written by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre Introduction by Michael J. Matt More than forty years ago—during the disastrous reign of Pope Paul VI, the latest candidate for a Vatican-issued Halo Award, by the way—my father, Walter L. Matt, organized the first large scale public reception in the U.S. for the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. It was held at the Radisson South Hotel, Minneapolis, on Tuesday, May 12, 1976, and its stated purpose was to assist the Archbishop in gaining a stronger foothold for the Society of St. Pius X in the States during the unprecedented crisis Blessed Pope Paul had helped unleash on the Church. On that occasion Archbishop Lefebvre delivered ...

Of the Church and the Pope - Fr. Calmel O.P.

+ JMJ Once again, looking back to see if the 'Traditional Catholics' in the early days of this crisis of the Church had a sufficient view to realize the roots of the crisis. The root: The Pope Hence when the Pope is 'righted' the Church will be 'righted'. P^3 Courtesy of SSPXasia Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. This essay by Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. (1914-75) helps us in these difficult times to preserve our love of the Church. More than 30 years after its first publication, this article retains all its relevance, so much so that it even seems to have been written for our time, in which the crisis in the Church deepens at an unprecedented pace. This essay will help the reader to think clearly, keep the Faith, and maintain serenity in the troubled times we are navigating. “My country has hurt m e,”wrote a young poet in 1944 during the purge 1 when the head of state [Charles De Gaulle] implacably pursued the sinister job that had been in the wo...

Canonical Mission and State of Emergency - A Response to Mr. John Salza - Part B

+ JMJ I was trying to think of a way to map out the time course I discussed in Part A of this article. Early this morning it came to me that this is more about obedience and duty than canon law. As is my wont, I mapped out my thoughts (see image) to draw linkages between the core concepts. My conclusion is that, at least subjectively, Archbishop Lefebvre had sufficient information to make good decisions concerning whether or not he was obliged to obey. I know that the Jesuits, some Sedevacantists and the priests that left over the years will not agree with my thoughts. So be it. The core pieces of information include: Attacks against the SSPX were launched because they kept the Tridentine Mass and the pre-conciliar understanding of the Truths of the Faith. The authorities in the Church were willing to go against the laws of the Church. The same authorities encouraged the various dangers to the Faith embedded in popular interpretations of ambiguo...

Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations - Courtesy of SSPX.org

+ JMJ In the blogosphere there are number of responses to this crisis in the Catholic Church that lead to conclusions that run counter to Catholic Doctrine and Dogmas - if taken to their logical conclusion. The validity of the New Rite of Episcopal consecrations is one such hotspot within more extreme sections of the 'traditionalist' culture. Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations Courtesy of SSPX.org Why the new rite of episcopal consecration is valid Introduction This comprehensive study was compiled to settle a debate that has been circulating in traditional Catholic circles. Some writers have examined the new rite of episcopal consecration and concluded that it must be invalid. Since this would cause manifest problems if it were true and due to the heightened awareness of such a theory, we present a study of this question concluding that it is valid. Following the Council, in 1968 a new rite for the ordination of bishops was promulg...

Tradicat

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