(Updated) Wars, Rumours of Wars (Son of Traditiones Custodes), Pope Emeritus Bendict XVI, Cardinal Pell, Michael Voris (CMTV), Mike Lewis (WherePeterIs), and Pope Francis' Next Move

JMJ

Illness enables me to take a break from some other important issues and opine on some current events.

Wars

While I've seen Trads and others vocally defend both sides involved in the Ukranian War, I withhold judgement of who is right or wrong because of the Fog of War (link). Simply put, I acknowledge the fact that I am human and not omniscient. I have no way of confirming who is to blame for the hundreds if not thousands of people dying in War and Winter. I just know that people are dying in a War and at some point in the past leaders on both sides made decisions that led us to this point in time. Hopefully, they will make better decisions in the future.

Rumours of Wars (Son of Traditiones Custodes)

There has been rumours of the next assault in the war against not just the Tridentine Mass by the entire missal and ritual (Gloria link). Well this is of no surprise as it was the de-facto situation for decades from 1969 to 2007. Whatever his motivation, if Pope Francis takes this action, it will be a clear line between the pre and post conciliar era and another step towards the post-post conciliar era. Personally, if Pope Francis the First attempts to abrogate the Tridentine Missal and Ritual, I suspect something will occur to prevent such an event.

https://voxcantor.blogspot.com/2023/01/rumours-from-rome-apostolic.html

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Pope EB16 has been buried and now a number of people are free to say what they couldn't while he lived. Notably ++Gaswein (link) published his book containing his thoughts and testimony. It may be unrelated, but he now has to move out of his current residence by Feb 1st (which makes sense since he can't be the head of a papal household for someone who is deceased. It will be interesting to see if he surfaces again in some other capacity. Of note, I believed that it was to ++Gaswein that +Fellay was referring when he said if he told too much it could 'burn someone'. I've also heard that he claims to have not been at Econe in the early days of his formation. Pray for both of them!

Oh well, moving on ...

Cardinal Pell

Cardinal Pell has also died and been buried. While he was conservative, at least he seems to have acted in a manner worthy of his office. I suspect the trolls will come out at this bit - either in the comm box (which is fully moderated) or elsewhere. However, it appears that he wasn't afraid to risk his funeral ceremony when he penned a memo (spectator link). Pray for the repose of his soul. He was in a higher position therefore he will be held to a higher level of accountability.

I do find it interesting the number of 'celebs' that are dying right now. Rock stars etc. Maybe it is a normal cycle or maybe something else.

Other Events Related to PB16 and +++Pell:

https://fsspx.news/en/news-events/news/cardinal-m%C3%BCller-arises-heir-benedict-xvi-79338

https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/6340-pope-francis-is-a-disaster-cardinal-pell-s-last-word

https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2023/01/francis-does-to-georg-ganswein-what.html

Michael Voris (CMTV)

It's kinda of interesting the way they try to spin their involvement in the KBI investigation.

There are a number of organizations involved in supporting victims of clergy abuse and who work to hold accountable perpetrators and those who attempt to conceal clergy child abuse. Some of these anti-clergy abuse organizations engaged by the CCTF include SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), Bishop Accountability, and Church Militant.

Voris et al tried to make a big deal that other Catholic newsies weren't involved and they were 'engaged'. Meaning interviewed and possibly submitted their 'evidence'. Sorry, but this makes sense, the other Catholic newspapsers like LifeSite and Remnant didn't lob accusation after accusation at the SSPX based on various questionable witnesses. As noted in earlier articles where I examined their 'evidence' - there isn't anything of note, so it makes sense that the other weren't engaged.

As far as the ominous "investigation continues" ... the SSPX was added to the investigation at a later point, and represents a smaller footprint when compared with the whole diocese. Nota Bene: I'm not saying that legitimate evidence [does not exist] of abuse in some cases - just not the ones that Voris et al started with.

So what the KBI report actually says makes sense, less so what CMTV spouts off as 'fact' but is actually 'allegations'.

I'm just glad that an impartial third party is looking at the cases and not CMTV. Of course, if the investigation doesn't agree with the CMTV version, I suspect they with either downplay or try to throw doubt on it in some way. That would be a big mistake. If it finds any wrong doing, CMTV will try to spin this into a hurricane casting aspersions on the entire SSPX and faithful Catholics.

Oh well, looking forward to seeing the final report.

Mike Lewis (WherePeterIs)

So - Mike Lewis has posted a somewhat confusing (for me at least) article (link).

In the article he tries to prove what everyone related to the SSPX has known since Summorum Pontificum's ink dried. It was to meet one of the conditions of the SSPX and vindicated the decades during which the fiction that the Tridentine Mass was abrogated with the promulgation of Pope St Paul VI's Mass.

So - I want to draw attention to one specific claim made by Mike, that the SSPX is in schism and that the consecrations were an act of schism and not disobedience.

First, we have what the CDF said in reply to my letter (below). The most that can be said is that the SSPX is not in 'full communion'. To echo my American friends, "Well, duh!" The SSPX is in canonical limbo has been given a universal authority to hear confessions and subject to cooperation from the bishops that authority to witness wedding vows.

Second, the canonical warning issued before the consecrations did not mention the canons related to schism (see this article link), and Pope St. JP2 made the link in an 'after-the-fact' declaration in Ecclesia Dei (link).

3. In itself, this act was one of disobedience to the Roman Pontiff in a very grave matter and of supreme importance for the unity of the church, such as is the ordination of bishops whereby the apostolic succession is sacramentally perpetuated. Hence such disobedience - which implies in practice the rejection of the Roman primacy - constitutes a schismatic act.(3) {(3) Cf. Code of Canon Law, can. 751.} In performing such an act, notwithstanding the formal canonical warning sent to them by the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops on 17 June last, Mons. Lefebvre and the priests Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson and Alfonso de Galarreta, have incurred the grave penalty of excommunication envisaged by ecclesiastical law.(4) ... (4) Cf. Code of Canon Law, can. 1382.

Third, to drive the point home, the penalty of excommunication envisaged by ecclesiastical law is 1382 - and well that's not for schism - meaning it isn't in the section relating to "Unity of the Church" - but "Usurpation of Ecclesiastical Offices". (see below).

BOOK VI : SANCTIONS IN THE CHURCH

    PART I : OFFENCES AND PUNISHMENTS IN GENERAL
            TITLE I: THE PUNISHMENT OF OFFENCES (Cann. 1311 - 1312)
            TITLE II: PENAL LAW AND PENAL PRECEPT (Cann. 1313 - 1320)
            TITLE III: THOSE WHO ARE LIABLE TO PENAL SANCTIONS (Cann. 1321 - 1330)
            TITLE IV: PENALTIES AND OTHER PUNISHMENTS (Cann. 1331 - 1340)
                CHAPTER I : CENSURES
                CHAPTER II : EXPIATORY PENALTIES
                CHAPTER III : PENAL REMEDIES AND PENANCES

            TITLE V: THE APPLICATION OF PENALTIES (Cann. 1341 - 1353)
            TITLE VI: THE CESSATION OF PENALTIES (Cann. 1354 - 1363)

    PART II : PENALTIES FORPARTICULAR OFFENCES
            TITLE I: OFFENCES AGAINST RELIGION AND THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH (Cann. 1364 - 1369)
            TITLE II : OFFENCES AGAINST CHURCH AUTHORITIES AND THE FREEDOM OF THE CHURCH (Cann. 1370 - 1377)
            TITLE III : USURPATION OF ECCLESIASTICAL OFFICES AND OFFENCES COMMITTED IN THEIR EXERCISE (Cann. 1378 - 1389)
            TITLE IV: THE OFFENCE OF FALSEHOOD (Cann. 1390 - 1391)
            TITLE V : OFFENCES AGAINST SPECIAL OBLIGATIONS (Cann. 1392 - 1396)
            TITLE VI : OFFENCES AGAINST HUMAN LIFE AND LIBERTY (Cann. 1397 - 1398)
            TITLE VII: GENERAL NORM (Can. 1399)

The letter introduces can 751, but that wasn't in the warning and it isn't as simple as a little disobedience is a schismatic act - if so - well Germany would be in real trouble right now.

Can. 751 Heresy is the obstinate denial or doubt, after baptism, of a truth which must be believed by divine and catholic faith. Apostasy is the total repudiation of the christian faith. Schism is the withdrawal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or from communion with the members of the Church subject to him.

So while attempting to be clear, the letter is full of contradictions and ambiguities.

Conclusion, the consecration of the four bishops was not a schismatic act but, in my opinion, an attempt to scare people away from the SSPX and Tradition. However, there was a problem, the SSPX didn't go away but stuck to its principles and here we are in 2023.

I wonder what will happen next :-)

Pope Francis' Next Move

Well I forgot to complete the article with this section. So what will Pope Francis do next?

From the world of business, we know that a great leader sets up the organization for success, by his own efforts and by the training of people who will come afterwards.

Francis does not appear to be doing that, it seems to me that things are more centered around him. So when he dies, it will probably collapse in a dramatic way.

So what is his next move?

I think he will move to complete what he has started, to make the Church that he wanted to grow up in, as opposed to the one that actually existed.

P^3

The Curious Case of Steve Skojec and the Dangers of Deep Diving into the Crisis Sub-Titled: The Failings of Others

+ JMJ It's been a while now since Steve Skojec sold 1P5 and abandoned the Catholic Faith. I've been a 'Trad' since 1982 and in those 40+ years I seen this death-spiral before with a similar end point. It seems that anyone who jumps into the fray unprepared for the enormous task of righting wrongs will, eventually, become discouraged by not the task but the people who surround them. I remember when Skojec complained of the treatment his family received from a traditional priest. This seems to have been the start of the end for him. So what can we learn from the likes of Steve Skojec, Michael Voris (maybe?), Louie Verrecchio, Gerry Matatix and other celebrity Catholics? Probably quite a lot about what not to do. First, don't burn out on the crisis? When you burn out, on work or anything else, little things assume a more greater importance than they are due. This is one of my 'canary in the coal mine' signals that I've been stretching myself too th...

Tradicat

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