War: SSPX

JMJ

We seem to be in transition from the persecution of the SSPX and other faithful Catholics to a civil war within the Catholic Church i.e. a true schism.

Several Bishops, Priests and Dioceses have rejected outright Fiducia Supplicans (link). This, in my opinion (IMO), is a new inflection point on the way to what will amount to an civil war within the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis had spent the past ten years putting the final touches on the fault-lines within the Church and this may be the final blow that actually awakens Our Lord sleeping in the bow of the Barque of St. Peter. That is something that we need to remember, Our Lord is with his Church, even on its way to Calvary.

So, what is about to happen is that, IMO, faithful Catholics will find themselves in the same situation as the SSPX. Persecuted and fighting for the heart of the Catholic Church.

The history of the SSPX provides a microcosm of what we might expect to happen in the Catholic Church during a 'civil war'.

There will be a number of groups that rally behind the Pope to clean the stench of heresy from the Church. Just like those that worked with Archbishop Lefebvre in the early days and continued to work with the SSPX in the decades after his death. I suspect that the numbers will be small, but their support for the Pope and fervour will be steadfast.

Then there will be the Neo Sede-Vacantists comprised of the modernists and liberals.

They will separate themselves from the Church because their concept of the Church is so foreign to reality, that they won't be able to accept that the series of bad popes since V2 were part of the problem and not the solution. As the new strong Pope works to right the wrongs of the past fifty plus years, those remaining modernists or liberals will find it hard to believe that the Catholic Church actually teaches let alone believes that it is the only Church of Jesus Christ.

No offence to my friends in the 'resistance', but I don't see any real analogue in this situation for the 'resistance'. The reason being that a loose collection of 'resistors' with their one or two priests, won't simply be able to have any sizeable impact on the life of the Church any more than the "Old Catholics"(link) has an impact on the Catholic Church after over a hundred year. Bishop Williamson and his cohort of junior bishops as well as Father / Bishop Pfeiffer will be long dead and judged before the impact of their actions dwindle into nothing.

So - the Faithful Catholics will need to steel themselves for a battle when their former church buildings are occupied by the Neos (modernists and liberals).

So in a way the SSPX and to a lesser amount the FSSP, ICK, IBP, et al will (IMO) serve as veterans.

Of course there are other ways in which this could go ... but I am personally convinced that the SSPX will have some small effect on the final outcome of this crisis. The reason is simple project management, a adjustment made early in the the course of events has a far greater impact at the end of the series.

P^3

Comments

The Vatican and SSPX – An Organizational Culture Perspective

Introduction The recent and continuing interactions between the Vatican and the SSPX have been a great opportunity for prayer and reflection. The basis for the disagreement is theological and not liturgical. As noted by Dr. Lamont (2012), the SSPX theological position on the four key controversial aspects of the Second Vatican Council are base on prior theological work that resulted from relevant magisterial pronouncements. So it is difficult to understand the apparent rejection of the theological position of the SSPX.

A Reply to Martin Blackshaw’s FLAWED Remnant article titled: FLAWED: SSPX Advice on Abortion-tainted Vaccines

+ JMJ An article has appeared in the Remnant (link to article) and I am afraid that there are a number of flaws in it that need to be addressed. The author, Martin Blackshaw, believes that both the Church and the SSPX are misapplying the principle of Moral Theology called 'Cooperation In Evil'. Unfortunately, Mr. Blackshaw rests most of his arguments on citing authors that support his position, without considering the possibility that they are wrong. This highlights a key factor in this crisis: ignorance of the faith and its application . I don't am not singling out Mr. Blackshaw for this criticism, I have observed that it applies to laity and religious, superior and subject a like. No one seems immune in this enduring crisis, myself included. I further believe that this ignorance is why so many Catholics, both traditional and non, rely on their gut feeling or "Catholic conscience" for charting their way through this crisis of the faith. While...

SSPX and the Resistance - A Comparison Of Ecclesiology

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...

Doctrinal Preamble April 15, 2012 vs Protocol 1988

+ JMJ Reproduced below are the Doctrinal Preamble of Bishop Fellay (2012) and Protocol of Archbishop Lefebvre (1988) for comparison. Perhaps when I have time I will add detailed commentary. Now, given that Archbishop Lefebvre stated that there was nothing wrong with the 1988 text of the protocol, comparing it with that of Bishop Fellay ... where's the problem? Are as Kaesekopf of Suscipedomine wrote : ...can someone explain why trads would reject this? Or rather, why a sedeplenist trad (who accepts the validity of the NO) would reject this? Update: To make a comparison easier, I have inserted the comparable elements of the Protocol developed by Archbishop Lefebvre with that of Bishop Fellay. I have also included my own commentary in blue . Last thought, when I first read the preamble I thought ... ok so what's the problem? Now I that I've read it again ... I still ask: What's the problem? It was based on the Protocol signed by Ar...

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

+ 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

Tradicat

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