Tradicat

 + JMJ I am often surprised by the list of the week's most popular articles. Today was no different. Top 2 and a recent favorite: A Look Back: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976 The myth of the Hermeneutic of Continuity - Rorate Caeli Canonical Mission and State of Emergency - A Response to Mr. John Salza - Part B There is a constant change in the popular articles but one thing for certain is that Tradicat hits sync up with key events in the Catholic world. ... for those wondering ... no this blog is not monetized. P^3

 + JMJ Introduction !!! From my point of view and based on my understanding of the events !!! At this point it seems that Cardinal Fernandez et al are either malicious, incompetent or geniuses. I'm only partly kidding ... Aside from the surprisingly magnanimous action of Pope Francis providing the SSPX priest with faculties for confession and ability to witness marriages, there has been a long silence between Rome and the SSPX with little or no formal talks or discussions regarding the SSPX state of canonical limbo. While the FSSP et al were able to meet with Pope Leo XIV, while requests from the SSPX went unanswered ... that is until after the latest unanswered request they announced the date for the consecration of four new bishops. Only then did the Vatican apparatus lumber into motion. A meeting was held and the speed with which the Vatican issued its press release - within hours of the meeting's conclusion - felt to me like a pre-planned attempt at manipulation that fell s...

 + JMJ Years (ok decades) ago I received the book The Practice of The Presence of God by Brother Lawrence ( wiki ) as a gift. When I finally did read the book (it is not long), it did affect my spiritual life and with the recent turmoil over the SSPX consecrations, I concluded that I should look into it once more by recounting events and decisions in my life that are linked to the book. The Conversation First, is the interiour conversation with God. Prayer is part of this, but it becomes something less structured and habitual in the Presence of God.  In fact, when visiting a neighbour and he mentioned something about his past, I 'heard' a repeated - almost shouting - voice telling me to ask the question that popped into my mind. Once I thought, "Ok I will", the pleading stopped. In a gap in the discussion I asked the question and, instead of being offended it led to a deep conversation about their past. So listening is part of the practice, one which I need to work on...

 + JMJ On July 14 the SSPX published a timeline describing communications with Rome leading up to the Episcopal consecrations. This timeline includes contacts that were new to me.  One thing that is of interest are recent claims made by ++Pozzo that the SSPX broke off relations in 2018 (link)  which is the reason for the timeline. P^3 Courtesy of SSPX.org Despite widespread reporting in Catholic and secular sources concerning the July 1, 2026, episcopal consecrations, many news outlets, bloggers, and “social media personalities” continue to distort the timeline leading up to this momentous event. The claim that the Society of Saint Pius X never attempted to engage Rome prior to the consecrations is patently false. Further, little attention has been paid to the reality that Rome continues to demand full-throated acceptance of the Second Vatican Council as the conditio sine qua non for not just canonical regularization, but membership in the Catholic Church. November 22, 20...

 + JMJ A letter from the SSPX Superiour General was read from the pulpit this morning and the french version can be found here: La Port Latine  and the english version here: FSSPX.News . For the record (because of link rot) I have reproduced both versions below. P^3 French Bien chers fidèles, Quelques jours après la cérémonie du 1er juillet, je tiens à vous adresser ces quelques mots. Je souhaite tout d’abord vous remercier. Depuis plusieurs années, je priais la très sainte Vierge afin qu’elle prépare les cœurs à cet événement historique. J’avoue avoir été profondément touché de voir comment, tous, vous avez accompagné les sacres épiscopaux par votre prière et votre gratitude envers la divine Providence. Le 1er juillet, de nombreux fidèles du monde entier étaient présents à Écône, et ils vous représentaient tous. Ce fut une immense joie de les voir si nombreux et si fervents. Comme vous le savez certainement, un orage s’est produit pendant la cérémonie : « Devant l’éclat de s...

 + JMJ There is a feeling that before the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church had a solid understanding of its place in the world, its mission and its identity. Then we had the Second Vatican Council and in the turmoil that followed practically everything was subject to explosive decompression.  Muchw as thrown out the window opened by Pope John XXIII, followed by the Smoke of Satan entering the vacuum left behind as per Pope Paul VI. Now it seems that there is only one thing that cannot be tolerated in the Catholic Church, anything that reminds Catholics of the Catholic Church as it existed pre-council.  As some have labelled it, the pre-conciliar Church. Even Pope Benedict XVI experienced this rabid reaction ( see Rorate-Caeli for full text ).  At times one gets the impression that our society needs to have at least one group to which no tolerance may be shown; which one can easily attack and hate. And should someone dare to approach them – in this case the...

 + JMJ Lots happening this month ... so instead of just the list of articles that popped above the noise, I have includes some commentary on two of the articles, the regular news list and a chatGPT summary on the validity of Orthodox Sacraments. P^3 Commentary on Articles of Note As to be expected, there has been a veritable media storm preceding and following the SSPX consecration of four bishops. Everyone seems to have an opinion, some factual, some not so much. Two that caught my attention were the: Chancellor for canonical affairs in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis (link)   Susan Mulheron: “What they were doing was not just refusing the liturgical adaptations that had been made, but they were refusing the whole teaching authority of that council,”  Tradicat: As usual there are distinctions that are not being made.  The first the teaching authority of the Second Vatican Council was defined at the end of the council (link)   (Fisheater link2) ...

 + JMJ A little late getting this one out. P^3 Sources https://onepeterfive.com/review-of-bishop-athanasius-schneiders-core-question-regarding-sspx/ https://dianemontagna.substack.com/p/exclusive-bishop-schneider-sets-out Introduction EXCLUSIVE: Bishop Schneider Sets Out “Core Question” in SSPX Episcopal Consecration Debate “At its core, the conflict revolves around the question of truth.” DIANE MONTAGNA JUN 04, 2026 (Photo credit: Voice of the Family) ROME, 4 June 2026 — With the Society of St. Pius X set to proceed with episcopal consecrations on July 1, Bishop Athanasius Schneider has published a new statement arguing that the controversy extends beyond questions of ecclesiastical discipline and reflects doctrinal and liturgical disputes that have persisted in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council. Titled The Core Question Regarding the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X and published in full below, the document is structured around five principal arguments and asks...

 + JMJ Introduction In Part 1, after reviewing sources and historical documents, I concluded that disobedience to a direct order from the Pope is not, in and of itself, a schismatic act.  More is needed: In this case the person is guilty of disobedience, but not of schism, even though he persists in his refusal; for he rejects a commandment of the Church, not the head of the Church. The SSPX has manifestly not rejected the head of the Church, see  FSSPX.news: Letter to the Holy Father regarding the Decree of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith . ... What the Society of Saint Pius X has done, and will continue to do, is nothing other than an extraordinary initiative for the salvation of souls, amidst the doctrinal and moral confusion into which the Church is plunged. We in no way claim to substitute ourselves for the Church, and we have no ambition other than to remain faithful to her. ...  In conscience, we did not believe we could evade the moral duty we ow...

 + JMJ With the new consecrations, old news and half truths are flooding the internet. How about we look at some of them: Vatican recognition of Orthodox sacraments (New) Orthodox Churches Are Not in Formal Schism — While not in full communion with Rome, ...  Tradicat: I guess they didn't ask if the Orthodox accept Pope Leo XIV as the Vicar of Christ etc. Also I'm not certain if it is all the various branches or just one or two. https://www.ncregister.com/cna/why-does-the-vatican-recognize-orthodox-marriages-but-not-those-of-the-sspx https://www.eurasiareview.com/10072026-vatican-recognition-of-orthodox-marriages-vs-sspx-whats-the-difference-analysis/ The SSPX is in schism (Old News) Given how the Vatican backed off on the schism accusation over the years following the 1988 consecrations My own evidence of 'Not in Full Communion' status  The Orthodox are no longer Schismatics but 'Not in Full Communion' (see above)  'Not in Full Communion' being used as ...

 + 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...