Society of St. Pius X

Discussions Renewed? – II

Discussions Renewed? – II on December 8, 2018

The official press release coming from Society of St Pius X Headquarters on Friday two weeks ago, of the meeting held on the previous day between the Society’s Superior General and Rome’s Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, is full of good words. What remains to be seen is how these words will translate into acts on the part of the new Superior General.

The press release contains seven paragraphs. The first two paragraphs introduce Cardinal Ladaria and Father Pagliarani with their respective colleagues, and state that it was the Cardinal who invited Fr Pagliarani to Rome to discuss the state of relations between Rome and the Society, as they may be evolving since Fr Pagliarani’s election as the Society’s new Superior General last July. The third and fourth paragraphs place the problem between Rome and the Society exactly where it belongs, in the domain of doctrine. Here they are, in the full text:—

(3) In the course of the meeting with the Roman authorities, it was recalled that the underlying problem is well and truly doctrinal, and neither Rome nor the Society can get around that fact. It is the unyielding divergence of doctrine which has for the last seven years frustrated every attempt to work out any statement of doctrine acceptable to both sides. Here is why the question of doctrine remains absolutely basic. (4) The Holy See is saying nothing different when it solemnly states that there can be no setting up of any juridical status for the Society until a document doctrinal in character has been signed.

However, the fifth paragraph proceeds to conclude that “Everything therefore impels the Society to re-open theological Discussions,” their purpose being not so much to convince the Romans as to bring before the Church the Society’s uncompromising witness to the Faith. The last two paragraphs give expression to the Society’s trust in Providence. Its future lies in the hands of God and His Blessed Mother. (End of press release)

Alas, one may well question whether it is useful or prudent to seek to re-open Doctrinal Discussions with these Romans. As one of the four Society representatives commented on the four Roman representatives after the last series of such Discussions held from 2009 to 2011, “They are mentally sick, but it is they who have the authority.” This comment was not meant personally, rather it testifies with precision to the incapacity of the Roman Neo-modernists to grasp the very essence of Catholic doctrine, namely its objective character, allowing of no subjective interference. Almighty God means what He says, He says it through His Church, and so there can be no question of re-moulding for modern times – as did Vatican II – what His Church always and unchangingly said before Vatican II. How then can today’s Romans be loyal to God’s Church and at the same time to Vatican II without either their minds being sick with contradiction, or their having a completely false idea of the Church?

That being so, if and when the Holy See issues a press release on the same meeting of November 22, it will be interesting to see how they present the prospect of a re-opening of the Doctrinal Discussions. They certainly want Discussions, in the hope of luring the new Superior General out of his impregnable fortress of Church doctrine, but their own Conciliar doctrine can only be false insofar as it departs from that Tradition. And so the two great arguments available to them must be, as always, authority and unity, disregarding doctrine. But what is Catholic authority when it no longer serves Truth? And what is Catholic unity if it unites around a pack of slippery lies (Vatican II)? Alas, authority and unity are the only legs that these Conciliar Romans have to stand on.

Therefore, honourable Superior General, here is an act to follow your words: why not make public a clear and fair summary of the record of the last Doctrinal Discussions of 2009–2011? You would be backing your fine doctrinal paragraphs of November 23 with a real doctrinal act!

Kyrie eleison.

Discussions Renewed? – I

Discussions Renewed? – I on December 1, 2018

The latest press release coming last week from Society of St Pius X Headquarters concerning the meeting held on the previous day between the Society’s Superior General and the head of Rome’s Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, gives rise to a guarded optimism. Guarded certainly, because as the proverb says, “The scalded cat fears (even) cold water,” and Traditional Catholics have been scalded for the best part of the last 20 years by the treacherous politics of Menzingen, putting Conciliar approval above the Catholic Faith, while always pretending to do the opposite. However, there is room for a glimmer of optimism, because this press release puts the doctrine of the Faith back in first place where it belongs.

Two more proverbs say, “Handsome is as handsome does,” and “Actions speak louder than words.” And so Catholics doing their best to keep the Faith are going to be wary for a while, even for a long while, at least until they can see actions and not only good words coming from Menzingen, especially when the practical conclusion of the press release is that doctrinal discussions between Rome and the Society need to be re-opened. Doctrinal discussions? But they have been held already, between 2009 and 2011, long enough to discuss all the main issues, and clear enough to show the impossibility of any doctrinal agreement between Catholic Tradition and Vatican II. Upon which Menzingen abandoned in 2012 the sanity of Archbishop Lefebvre – “No practical agreement WITHOUT a doctrinal agreement” and replaced it with the insanity of his successor – “No doctrinal agreement; THEREFORE, a practical agreement,” which is the direct opposite! And that treacherous lead was docilely followed by the large part of what had once been the Archbishop’s Society . . .

In this switch between the two formulae lies the essence of the treachery, which is not too strong a word, because the Archbishop’s formula puts the doctrine of the Faith in front of approval by the Roman Conciliarists, whereas one may say that the second formula puts the Faith in second or third place. Thus for several years now the Society can be accused of having pursued as its priorities, firstly official recognition by Conciliar Rome, secondly unity within the Society and with Rome, and thirdly the Faith. But what is the Catholic worth of recognition by non-Catholics, e.g. followers of Vatican II, and what is the use for Catholics of unity in any shape, size or form with Conciliarists? What was disappointing in 2012 was the lack of sufficient reaction on the part of so many priests trained under the Archbishop. But we all of us live in a world in which “indoctrination” has become a dirty word, and in which most people want in their heads Masonic mush because it frees them from all ten Commandments . . .

Notwithstanding, Catholics who still want to get to Heaven still want the Faith, because as Almighty God tells us in Holy Scripture, without the faith it is impossible to please Him, and how can one get to His Heaven without pleasing Him (Hebrews XI, 6)? Then such Catholics, scalded in the all-engulfing apostasy which surrounds them, might take at least a glimmer of hope from the press release mentioned above, because at least in words it announces the intention of Menzingen to put the doctrine of the Faith back in first place, as these “Comments” will quote next week. (Meanwhile one act that the new Superior General could immediately put in place is to make public a clear and just summary of the record of the 2009–2011 doctrinal discussions, which was promised to us at the time, a promise never fulfilled.)

However, will Fr Pagliarani have the vision and fortitude to put in place the acts corresponding to his words? Time alone will tell. In fairness, he still needs to be given time if he is to turn around a great oil-tanker at sea, and in the opinion of these “Comments,” he surely – or in any case – needs our prayers. May Our Lady be with him if he truly means to take on the heavy task in front of him of straightening out the Society. It risks being a fight!

Kyrie eleison.

“Diabolical Disorientation”

“Diabolical Disorientation” on November 24, 2018

For a long time now there are Catholics who have judged, especially if they are familiar with the judeo-masonic plot to destroy the Church, that the churchmen governing the Church since Vatican II are true criminals. But many Catholics, because of the charity and respect for priests that is ingrained in them, have hesitated to draw such a drastic conclusion. However, in 2018 the rotten fruits of Vatican II are showing more and more clearly. Here is a testimonial from an American priest outside the SSPX:—

It is necessary to take a hard stance on the situation within the Church. The words of Sister Lucy, “diabolical disorientation” call to mind an interview published in 2001 in the Vatican magazine, 30 Days. Fr. Gabriel Amorth, chief exorcist for the Vatican at that time, was commenting on the newly revised rite of exorcism. He claimed that the Newritual is so watered down that it is virtually ineffective against the Devil. Sister Lucy was correct – here is”diabolical disorientation,” if ever there was, but it has become far worse since 2001. Why would Satan have stopped there? That was just the beginning.

For instance, there are those who say that the new Rite of Priestly Ordination is invalid, while the use of the traditional Rite is forbidden. For goodness’ sakes, why? Is it the plan of the Newchurch to rid the world of a valid priesthood? How could one better pave the way for the Anti-Christ? Without a valid form of exorcism, as Fr. Amorth states, and without a valid priesthood, is not mankind defenceless against the Devil? The powers-that-be, and have been since Vatican II, set out on a very swift and deliberate path. I am thoroughly convinced of it. The evidence is simply too incriminating. The hierarchy of the Church no longer believes that the sacraments are actually relevant anyway. That is the position of Luther, who is now commemorated with a statue in the Vatican by the current Pontiff – it’s total madness!

As for the world, the United States is in a state of chaos. The country is completely divided and consumed with hatred for all that is right and just. It hates all that stems from God and it revels in dispute and ugliness. The Church which once stood as a place of comfort and peace, seems to have become irrelevant. The New Mass is enough to make one wish that all the Newbishops were dead!

I sincerely do not think that the Church can be restored by human means. The diabolical influence runs too deep, and the true intentions of Vatican II are now being made manifest. Fifty years of brainwashing and of forced compliance have made Catholics blind, and, even worse, indifferent to what is happening. The Devil seems to have been successful in destroying what was once the Church. Archbishop Lefebvre mounted a rescue operation, but now Satan means to infiltrate and destroy all that remains of the Archbishop’s SSPX, and Tradition. Slowly but surely the Devil is luring them in, just as he did with the pre-conciliar bishops. The Society’s rulers may know that they have gone wrong, but if they insist on playing with fire nevertheless, they will inevitably get burnt.

So it may seem to be man who rules here below in Church and world, but it is undoubtedly diabolical influence that is driving the confusion and utter madness. Sceptical reactions of most Catholics have made me hesitate to name the churchmen as the true culprits, but one can hesitate no longer. If Scripture on the Apocalypse applies, then maybe nothing can be done to stop the disorder, and Christ alone will restore order. He says there will be only a remnant left.

Kyrie eleison.

Consecration Imminent?

Consecration Imminent? on November 17, 2018

A rumour has been flying around in Catholic Tradition that there will soon be in the Society of St Pius X the consecration of a new bishop, or bishops. Rumours need never be taken too seriously, but on the other hand they are not always without foundation. In the present case the SSPX certainly needs new bishops, because Bishop Tissier has for some time now been not in good health, Bishop de Galarreta as the Society’s First Assistant must now concern himself with administering Society affairs worldwide, and that leaves Bishop Fellay alone with complete freedom to travel anywhere for Confirmations and Ordinations. So there is certainly foundation for the rumour of a new consecration.

But the rumour goes further, because it says that the bishop(s) to be consecrated will have the approval of the Roman authorities, and here is where the rumour is worth considering, even if it is untrue, because here lies the clearest example of the impossible dead end into which the Newsociety has driven itself by its policy of seeking official approval from the Conciliar authorities in Rome. For if the bishop elect has the approval of unrepentant Conciliarists, how can he be pleasing to true Traditionalists? And if he has the approval of true Traditionalists, how can he be at the same time be pleasing to the masters of Conciliarism in Rome? And the answer to that question can only be either that the Conciliarists are giving up on their Vatican II, or Traditionalists are going over to Vatican II, or that Conciliarists and Traditionalists are meeting somewhere in between, as though 2+2=4 and 2+2=5 can be reconciled at 2+2=four and a half.

For do we need to be reminded that Catholic Tradition and Vatican II are intrinsically irreconcilable? Yes we do, because we poor human beings are always wanting to have our cake and eat it. We are always wanting to square the circle, to mix oil and water, to dance with the Devil in this life while not spoiling our chances of enjoying with God in the next life. We want to have it both ways, so that any recipe for reconciling God with the Devil will always sell like hot cakes until it inevitably fails, whereupon it will be immediately succeeded by the next recipe for doing the same thing. The failure is inevitable because in the words of the Anglican Bishop Butler of the 18th century, “Things are what they are, their consequences will be what they will be, why then should we seek to be deceived?”

Thus Catholic Tradition came from Jesus Christ, who is God, while Vatican II (1962–1965) came from the desire of modern man to combine God’s religion with godless modernity arising from the French Revolution. For about Vatican II both Cardinal Suenens on the left and Archbishop Lefebvre on the right said the same thing, namely that it was the Revolution of 1789 inside the Church: religious liberty to free men from all truth of the past, equality to level down all order of old Christendom, and fraternity to create the New World Order of the Masonic brotherhood of man without God. Of course Vatican II has failed, except in the secret purpose of its Judeo-Masonic designers to destroy God’s Church, and since Almighty God, to cleanse His Church, is still giving power to His age-old enemies to scourge it, then they are by no means renouncing their Council, rather today’s Church authorities are putting it into action more than ever.

Therefore if the same authorities approve of a bishop elect coming from inside the once Traditional SSPX, it can only be to help dissolve any remaining resistance from within the SSPX to their Masonic Newchurch. And if any Traditionalists approve of the bishop elect who pleases the Newchurch, it can only be because they are losing their Catholic Faith under the overpowering influence of today’s worldwide apostasy. “Caveant consules,” said the Latins. Let those who are in command watch out.

Kyrie eleison.

Still Sliding

Still Sliding on October 27, 2018

“No enemies on the left” is a classic saying of Democrats, Socialists, Communists, etc. It means that in politics, nobody fighting on the left should fight anybody else fighting on the left, unless they are going over to the right. In religion, the same saying should apply as follows: nobody fighting the good fight for Catholic Tradition should fight anybody else fighting for Tradition, unless they are in the process of abandoning Tradition. This means that no Catholics of Tradition should normally be attacking the Society of St Pius X which for over 40 years rendered outstanding service to Tradition. Alas, its interim Chapter of 2012 showed it to be sliding away from that Tradition in which it had been founded by Archbishop Lefebvre, and now the elective Chapter of last July seems to show the same slide to be continuing. Therefore with no intention here to harm the Society, let Catholics learn of the officially continuing slide.

The evidence is in a circular letter from Society Headquarters in Menzingen which begins to tell details of policy decisions taken by the Chapter of last July concerning relations of the Society with Rome. The policy is in five sections, of which the first three and the fifth contain a variety of pious considerations to frame the fourth section, which could not be a more official presentation of the Society’s policy towards Rome. Here is the fourth section, quoted in full. It is so important for the Society’s immediate future that every word will have been chosen by the Chapter with special care, and every word may be analysed:—

4a It is within the rights of the Superior General to decide if it is expedient to have contacts with the Holy See. It is up to him, in prudence and when the hour has come, dictated by Divine Providence, to take into consideration a modification of the canonical status, without prejudice to the prior convocation of a Chapter.

4b The Society is a work of the Church. Therefore, she has no agreement to conclude with the Holy Father. However, when the time comes, the true rights of the Society will be recognised and codified canonically. This is why the Society’s members are invited to speak more specifically about a “normalisation,” a “recognition,” a “solution or modification of the canonical status,” or a “renewal of our canonical approval.”

As to 4a – Indeed the Society’s Superior General must decide on what negotiations with Rome serve the Faith, and on how to conduct them, but in all Society Chapters prior to 2012 (1994, 2000, 2006), it was clearly repeated that any final submission to official Rome, or re-integration into it, or agreement with it, was something of such momentum for the Society that the Superior General could not alone decide on it without a full General Chapter also voting in its favour. Now note the phraseology of 2018: “modification of the canonical status” is a fig-leaf expression to cover over the placing of Archbishop Lefebvre’s Society of Truth under Conciliar Rome’s Authority of Lies. And “without prejudice to” (i.e. not excluding) is a poor substitute for “never without” (i.e. necessarily including). And note the assumption that the Superior General is guaranteed to decide in accordance with Providence. Did Paul VI have any such guarantee?

As to 4b – Indeed normally no subject makes an agreement with his Superior as though they are equals, but Neo-modernist Rome is not normal Rome! The Archbishop’s Society of Truth has no business to be putting itself in the position of a beggar with regard to the modernists now holding office in Rome. Truth does not beg from lies, unless it is ceasing to be Truth. In fact the Newsociety of 2018, has lost all real grip on the truth of the overwhelming crisis in the Newchurch of Vatican II, and it is losing its grip on Truth in general. So the four fig-leaf expressions that the Chapter here chooses to replace words expressing the reality of the Newsociety HQ’s intended sell-out to the enemies of the Faith now in Rome, are wholly out of place. They absolutely do not correspond to the reality of that sell-out.

Kyrie eleison.

Whither, “Resistance” ? – II

Whither, “Resistance” ? – II on September 8, 2018

When John-Paul II became Pope in 1978, a number of Catholics were genuinely hopeful that the situation in the Church would get better than it had been under Paul VI, but I can remember Archbishop Lefebvre saying that if John-Paul II did not clean house in Rome within the first six months of his pontificate, he would not be able to break with the policies established in Rome by Paul VI. Similarly, if Fr. Pagliarani does not clean house soon at the top of the Society, the followers around him of Bishop Fellay are liable to hinder him from making any significant change in the disastrous policies of his predecessor. The rot that started with GREC in the 1990’s has had time to put down some deep roots.

Therefore if anyone is concerned about the future of the “Resistance,” on the grounds that the Society is coming back on track with the new Superior General so that the “Resistance” will no longer be necessary, the first part of the answer is that it is not yet certain that the Society is coming back on track. We must wait and see. Fr Pagliarani is a good man, he surely means well, and we pray for him, but if he chooses first and foremost to unite liberals and anti-liberals within the Society by means of human and political compromises, he will never save the Society from its present downward slide. Our faith is our victory over the world, says St John (I Jn. V, 4), and not our politics. Therefore the “Resistance,” that small and scattered group of bishops, priests and laity doing what they can to resist disastrous politics of Rome and Menzingen, cannot yet give up resisting, however disorganised they are, however ineffective they may seem. Somebody in the Church must fight for what Archbishop Lefebvre fought for.

For indeed, secondly, imagine a convert being led by the grace of God, even today, to the Catholic Faith. By its very principles it must be incarnate somewhere. He may well not find it in the antics of the Novus Ordo. He turns away from the Conciliar Church towards Tradition. He finds the Society of St Pius X, but then discovers that it is going Conciliar. Where does he turn to next? If there is no “Resistance,” he risks giving up on the Incarnate Christ. Somebody in the Church must be living by the logic of the true Faith of 20 centuries, otherwise there risk being souls that conclude that that Faith is obsolete in today’s world.

Likewise souls letting go of the Society’s high trapeze need a Catholic safety-net to fall into, with or without the name of the “Resistance.”

And thirdly, there is any number of ways of mixing whisky with water, but they all depend on somebody producing pure whisky. Similarly, there is an even greater variety of ways of mixing Our Lord with the world, but they all depend upon some people upholding in their lives, and not only in their words, an example for all to see of true Catholic living. This function always used to be served by the Church’s religious Orders and Congregations. Hence their importance. After the Council which ruined them, that function was served especially by the Archbishop and his Society. Today from all over the world the reports come in of the fellayised Society giving a weaker and weaker example of Catholic life and morals. Somebody in the Church must give witness by at least striving to live up to the high standards of doctrine and morals demanded of souls by Our Lord Himself (Mt. V, 48).

And a fourth reason for the “Resistance” not to resign or go out of business or give up the wearisome fight for the Truth, is that it cannot do so, because if it did, then as Our Lord says (Lk XIX, 40), the stones of the street would have to cry out. In other words, the Truth may be smothered by all mankind, but it is not men, it is God who is in charge of the world, and God will never allow the Truth to be completely silenced, because that would frustrate His purpose in creating the world, which is to populate Heaven.

Therefore the “Resistance” may tomorrow, or the day after, change form – and in this respect its present formlessness will actually help! – but in some form or other God will make it continue (cf. Is. VI, 9–11).

We carry on.

Kyrie eleison.