Paul VI

Carrot Again

Carrot Again on July 5, 2008

So it looks as though I guessed right last week. On the one hand the Society of St. Pius X did not comply with the June 5 “ultimatum” of Cardinal Castrillón as the Cardinal might have wished. It replied instead with a letter of Archbishop Lefebvre to Pope Paul VI in which in 1975 the Archbishop explained why he was defending Tradition, yet with no disrespect intended towards the Church authorities in Rome. Once again, the Society may have raised a few anxieties, but it has not “given away the store”

On the other hand, the Cardinal did not proceed to any further official exorcism of the Society, but – reportedly – declared that he had never intended his text of June 5 to be an “ultimatum.” And so the situation returns to where it was before. I think we may expect the past pattern to go on repeating itself. The loving son will continue to try to get close to his leprous mother, the leprous mother will continue to try to hug him, the loving son will continue to jump back, then try to get close again, and so on.

What confusion! A distinguished Italian journalist cannot understand the Society’s rejecting Rome’s “generous advances.” Reportedly Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Castrillón have both been sincerely hurt by recent statements coming from the Society about Rome or about Romans suffering from leprosy. “What? Lepers? Us???” “Ay, there’s the rub,” as Hamlet said. Leprosy is an Old Testament figure of heresy, and Vatican II is not only heresy, it is a total new religion.

A Catholic is a Catholic primarily by his faith. He chooses with his mind to adhere to a series of true propositions which are supernatural, i.e. beyond the reach of his merely natural mind. His will is therefore needed to push his mind to submit to these truths above it. But these truths are not merely wishful thinking. They are revealed by God, transmitted by the Church, and may not be tampered with. Did or did not Vatican II tamper with them? Hamlet again: “That is the question.”

The leader of the Traditional Redemptorists based in the Orkney Islands north of Scotland, who has just led as many of them as will follow him back into the embrace of Conciliar Rome, writes ecstatically of how “sweet” it “tastes” to be once more in “peaceful and undisputed communion” with the Vicar of Christ. Good luck, dear Father, with avoiding the leprosy! But at least you must be giving some consolation to Cardinal Castrillón! What confusion!

Kyrie eleison.

Rebuilding

Rebuilding on August 25, 2007

The argument continues – I will not say, to rage – but certainly to go back and forth over Pope Benedict XVI’s recent Motu Proprio, recognizing that the Tridentine rite of Mass was never abrogated, and granting to priests anywhere in the Church a certain measure of freedom to celebrate it. Serious heads condemn the document for its doubletalk, and see in it no better than a decoy to lure Traditional Catholics back into the quick-sands of the Conciliar church.

As to the doubletalk, now favouring Catholicism, now favoring Conciliarism, there is no doubt about it. Yet what else can one expect from what one might call a double-pope? Benedict XVI, like Paul VI and John-Paul II before him, surely cannot see that he is believing in two contradictory religions at once. So he goes on promoting both at once. Short of a miracle, Benedict XVI will follow this line to his grave. That is a mighty crooked line, but as far as the Motu Proprio is concerned, surely that is not the main point.

The point as it seems to me is that, in the words of the proverb, “God writes straight with crooked lines.” In many countries we hear of the Catholic laity and individual priests – not as a rule their bishops! – re-awakening to the true rite of the Mass, ordering Missals, ordering Mass-kits, vestments, etc . . . I hear a hard-liner protest! . . . I say, go easy, go easy, indeed not everything will be perfect all at once. There will be fumbling with the Latin, fumbling with the rubrics and so on, and so on, but let us give God’s grace a chance!

With God a little good will goes a long way –

A Catholic priest is not rebuilt in a day!

Let me give you a controversial scenario. You do not have to believe in it, but here it is. Mankind’s present desperate situation can be compared only to that of Noah’s time, just before the Flood. Our televidiot civilization, now worldwide, can only crash. God cannot allow it to go on sleep-walking millions of souls into Hell. When it crashes, Catholics are going to be running through the streets, screaming for a priest to confess their sins. There are not going to be enough liturgically perfect priests of the S**X to go round. Therefore God is preparing a number of priests – known only to himself – outside the S**X for those dramatic days. The Motu Proprio, enabling them to pick up the true rite of the Mass at least in private, is an important step in that preparation. Let us pray with all our hearts for all such priests, and for the Pope!

Kyrie eleison.

Motu Proprio – I

Motu Proprio – I on July 7, 2007

The long-awaited Motu Proprio of Benedict XVI, due to partly set free what is known as the Tridentine rite of Mass, should be published tomorrow (July 7). Here are four questions on the subject, and the answers which I gave six months ago (Rivarol is a French periodical):

Rivarol: It is said that Benedict XVI is about to set free the traditional rite of Mass. Will this measure be enough to solve the crisis in the Church? Bishop W.: I may be wrong, but I think that even just a partial setting free of the traditional Mass would be a great step forward for the universal Church. The powerful grace contained in the Mass, presently strangled as it were by the rite of Paul VI, would start to flow again all over the world. However, it would take much more than just restoring the true rite of Mass to solve the crisis of faith in the Church.

Rivarol: But will not this “Motu Proprio” end up by creating more confusion than clarity in the area of doctrine? Bishop W.: Precisely, it is not by merely allowing once more the true rite of Mass that Catholics would learn again how to attend it as they should. Everything needs to be re-built, so there would indeed, to begin with, be a great deal of confusion, for instance hybrid Masses. But the re-building must start somewhere, and I think we need to trust in the intrinsic power of the true rite.

Rivarol: Don’t traditional Catholics risk melting into Conciliar parishes at the expense of the integral Faith? Bishop W.: If following on the setting free of the true rite, traditional Catholics were to blend back into Conciliar parishes, one would have to ask if they ever had the integral Faith. It is the Faith which is at stake. Therefore it would be up to the leaders of Catholic Tradition to form their flock in advance, in such or way that the Motu Proprio would do more good to the Conciliarists than harm to the Traditionalists. This would require the latter to understand clearly that the basic problem is the whole of the Catholic Faith, and not just the rite of Mass.

Rivarol: Would not setting free the traditional Mass without abolishing the Novus Ordo Mass mean accepting in principle the co-existence and equal worth of what Archbishop Lefebvre called “The Mass of All Time” and the “Mass of Luther”? Bishop W.: “Ab inimico disce,” learn from your enemy, said the Latins. Why are so many Conciliar bishops in uproar at the mere possibility of the true rite of Mass being set free? Is it not because they know that if the Ark of the Alliance is allowed into their temples again, their rites of Dagon are in peril? (Read Chapter V of the first book of Samuel!) Are we with our rite of Pius V to be more afraid than they are with their rite of Paul VI?

Rightly or wrongly, these are still the answers I would give to the same questions. Time will tell.

Kyrie eleison.