Port or Starboard

I was looking for some good sources on the ordinary Magisterium of the Church & came across the sites of 2 groups that I found interesting, if somewhat sad. What was interesting was that, as different as they appear, there's something quite kindred between them, I'd say. I'll speak about one now & the other in a different post.

First up is a group of uber-Trads known as sedevacantists. I don't feel inclined to give their name & address - you can find them if you want. It doesn't take a Latin scholar to figure out their core belief - that the "See is vacant," meaning that the current pope is really a Modernist heretic, thus no pope at all - just an impostor - & further that the visible Catholic Church defected from the true faith (which, of course, they alone hold) with the 2nd Vatican Council. & is in the grip of Satan. Their big sticking points are the Novus Ordo Mass, ecumenism, & religious liberty, amongst a hoary host of attendant issues.

The New Mass is invalid, they say, because form, matter, & intention have all changed. They claim that the language of sacrifice was specifically culled out & that the vernacular translations are an abomination of errors. Besides, they hold all of the New Rite of sacraments invalid, including Holy Orders, so they would not recognize the New Mass as valid, anyway. They like to point out the innumerable abuses observed in celebrating the New Rite. They hold exclusively for the Mass of the Council of Trent.

Regarding ecumenism, they see the outreach of the "Church of Vatican II" to other religions & Christian groups as consorting with the enemy, something a Church holding the pure Faith would never do, mainly because it implicitly gives legitimacy to whatever errors the groups hold. They point to Pope John Paul II's numerous ecumenical prayer services with Buddhists & such as well as the now-permitted reception of the Sacraments by those in schism under certain circumstances are evidence supporting their arguments.

Regarding religious liberty, they equate the idea that no one should be coerced in matters of faith with admitting that there is another way to heaven besides Jesus Christ & the one, true (& indefectable) Church, because the phrase "Outside the Church there is no salvation," tenders no nuance. They see shaky theology, fuzzy preaching, diminishing vocations, & lack of vigor in evangelization as evidence of their position.

Now, I'm actually sympathetic toward these folks. I abhor when the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is replaced by the Father O'Reilly Variety Hour. I'm somewhat troubled that certain authoritative statements from the Council & subsequent teaching seem to be in conflict with prior teaching. I'm dismayed, too, by lack of vocations, bad preaching, & a certain coziness of the Church with the world in some ways & un-surety of what it believes in others.

The Seds, though, back up their claims mostly with mudslinging against the Pope & the bishops & by quoting select bits from a myriad of Church documents, mostly obscure papal bulls & councils from a long time ago. Not that the latter are bad - what's true is always true (don't we recite a Credo formed at the ancient councils of Nicea & Constantinople at every Sunday Mass?) - yet, if the Gospel is to be preached to the ends of the earth & every believing person is to be baptized, don't you suppose that the Church would be, ya know, findable? I mean, without reading, analyzing, & comparing every Church document ever written, how was little ol' Ms. Maple in the 3rd pew on the left supposed to know she became a heretic adhering to schism on 28 October 1958 (the day Pope John XXIII was elected)?

To hold to their position is basically to admit that the prayer of Jesus that Peter's faith would not fail has failed. And this cannot be. They do not hold that there is a secret line of real popes, though I'm sure somebody somewhere holds for that. They hold that the See of Peter, that is, the Papacy itself is vacant & they pray that in God's good time, he will raise up a true pope. From where? To what? It seems they are so laser-focused in on historical documents that they can't read plain history. The Church has always been a mess. There have always been very good & very bad people within it, even in the highest positions. The Mass has been ever-changing. Even the saintly Pope Pius XII, the last Pope they recognized, made changes to the Tridentine Mass. Plus, now one of the biggest legs of their stool is taken out from under them since Benedict XVI has "liberated" the Old Mass (though they surely quelp, "Ah-ha!" over the altered Good Friday prayers). But, in spite of us, Christ guides his Bride through dark nights & rough waters. He promised us he would see us through.

The Sedes want a perfect Church that will never exist on this side of the veil. Are some of the things they protest silly, infuriating, or difficult to reconcile? Absolutely. Does that mean the Church & the Pope have defected & Christ has abandoned his Church? Not a bit. A thousand difficulties do not one doubt make. Without elaborating further, the key seems to be a true belief in the Holy Spirit present & at work in the Church, leading it toward Truth. You'd almost have to be a madman to believe that Pope Benedict XVI is a Modernist heretic. He is actually working to clarify many of the issues that vex this group, if they weren't so crazy-eyed & frothing-at-the-mouth to see.

So what to do with this crew? Sadly, there's not much to do except to leave them to themselves - for they will eventually just fade away as a renewed Catholic Church regains its strength. Pray for us all to repent & be converted to Christ. Commit to being an informed & faithful Catholic, living the Faith we profess & loyal to Peter - the Rock upon which Christ Jesus has built his Church.

As Father Corapi has frequently & famously said, "You can fall of the boat port or starboard."