“We do not want to separate ourselves from Rome, we belong to the Church” - Interview with Fr Pfluger SSPX on new episcopal consecrations

The following excerpt is translated from InfoCatolica; the original in Spanish, published on November 22, 2024, may be found here.

Fr Stefan Pfluger, SSPX
The FSSPX will in the future negotiate with Rome for authorization to ordain new bishops

Fr. Stefan Pfluger, superior of the German district of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X (FSSPX), gave an interview to the Catholic weekly Die Tagespost on the relationship of his fraternity with the Apostolic See. After the death of Bishop Tissier de Mallerais, the need to ordain more bishops may arise, something for which they will negotiate with Rome.

(CNAd/InfoCatholic) Founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X claims to have more than 700 priests worldwide. The fraternity is present on all continents, although it has no canonical status recognized by the Holy See.

Pope Benedict XVI facilitated a rapprochement in 2009 by lifting the excommunication of four bishops ordained by Bishop Lefebvre in 1988. Pope Francis took another step in 2015 by granting priests of the fraternity the universal faculty to hear confessions. Since 2017, they can also celebrate marriages, provided they minister pastorally to the fraternity's faithful. Prior to this, the fraternity had always invoked a state of need in the Church to justify the administration of sacraments such as confession.

Pfluger assured Die Tagespost:

We do not want to separate ourselves from Rome, we belong to the Church. I don't understand how one can be in communion in a partial way. In my opinion, that confuses the faithful of the Catholic Church. I have never heard any Church representative or canonist explain what it is that we lack in order to be in full communion.

Regarding the recent death of Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, the German priest commented on possible new episcopal ordinations:

We currently have two auxiliary bishops. We cannot separate the question of bishops from our fundamental question about our existence.

The superior of the German Lefebvrist district explained that any decision on new episcopal ordinations will be deeply tied to negotiations with Rome, stressing the need for the church hierarchy to understand that the FSSPX does not seek to establish a ‘counter-hierarchy,’ but to ensure the continuity of its mission within the Church.

Pfluger justified the controversial episcopal ordinations of 1988, carried out by the fraternity's founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, as an emergency measure. According to him, these came in response to the isolation of the FSSPX and a perceived pressing need to preserve the liturgical and doctrinal tradition they consider threatened in the aftermath of Vatican Council II. “Before resorting to this kind of measure, the need must be evident,” Pfluger stated, stressing that any ordination without the consent of Rome would be an extreme measure and alien to ecclesial thinking.

The priest emphasized that, although they do not wish to make unilateral decisions, they do hope that Rome understands the circumstances that could lead to requesting new episcopal consecrations. In this sense, he reiterated that “the ecclesial thinking includes doing everything possible so that Rome gives its consent”. Despite lingering doctrinal differences, Pfluger insisted that the FSSPX continues to regard the Pope as its supreme authority and strives to maintain a respectful and open dialogue with the Holy See.

On the topics of discussion around liturgy, ecumenism, religious freedom and the relationship between Church and State, Pfluger said:

These are points on which we say that the Second Vatican Council is not in continuity with the whole tradition of the Church. Archbishop Lefebvre said something like: What if the Pope says something different from all his predecessors? Then I have to decide and I lean towards the predecessors.

However, he emphasized that the fraternity is considered “under the pope.”

We are not disobedient on principle or by system. Obedience is at the service of truth. The office of Peter is not an absolutist monarchy, but a service to the truth, a service to Christ, a service to the Church. We only have the right to violate obedience to the Pope when necessary so as not to violate the service to Christ and the Church.

An example is the liturgical debate on the new Mass, introduced after the Second Vatican Council.

In our fraternity, it has never been questioned that the Novus Ordo is intrinsically valid. However, it is a rite that, although formally valid, does not fulfill essential requirements of a Catholic rite. The new liturgy no longer expresses fundamental truths of the faith, especially the character of atoning sacrifice.

In response to the controversies surrounding the liturgical reform, Pope John Paul II promulgated in 1984 a special indult, Quattuor abhinc annos, which allowed diocesan bishops to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal under certain conditions. This permission was extended in 1988 and later with Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum (2007), but was drastically restricted by Pope Francis. [N.B.: The article is incorrect to speak as if Benedict extended an indult; rather, he said that no permission was necessary because the old rite had never been abrogated.-PAK]

Another example of controversy is religious freedom. According to Pfluger, the issue

is misunderstood, especially in the media, where it is assumed that opponents of religious freedom support religious coercion. It has always been forbidden and condemned to force someone to convert to Catholicism. The question is: Does the state have a duty to God? An evil is tolerated. Error, whatever it may be, has no right to exist, even if it can be tolerated. However, the modern notion of religious freedom seeks to grant error a right in itself.

Immaculate Mary, Model of Hermits: A Vocation to Spotlessness

A reflection for the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple

“Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord: or who shall stand in His holy place? The innocent in hands, and clean of heart.” (Ps. 23:3-4)

The Blessed Virgin said to St. Bernadette at Lourdes: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Who else can claim this exalted purity? Who else can be always clean – always immaculate from sin?

Christ “loved the church, and delivered Himself up for it: that He might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life: that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish” (Eph 5:25-27).

Our Lady was preserved from the stain of sin by the preceding merits of her Divine Son. In other words, she was “pre-redeemed.” [1] The rest of us, however, must wait until birth to receive the grace of God which is abundantly poured out in Baptism.

Recently, TAN released my latest book, Turned Around: Replying to Common Objections Against the Traditional Latin Mass.

Here's the idea behind it. I take nine objections Catholics make to the traditional Latin Mass, and turn them around in jiu-jitsu fashion: “You are right—but you don’t realize how right you are!”

Immaculate Conception: TLM rubrics maintains Sunday Marian Mass

There seems to be confusion on the feast of the Immaculate Conception this year, as December 8 falls on a Sunday. Although the novus ordo transfers the Marian feast day to December 9 this year, with conservative dioceses emphasizing the obligation to hear Mass both Sunday and Monday, it is worth noting the rubric governing the traditional Latin Mass:

"Sunday I class takes precedence over all feasts in occurrence. The feast of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, however, takes precedence over the Sunday in Advent on which it falls."

Chapter 3, #15 of the rubrics

Rorate has been sent the following announcement for a new Traditional Catholic app:

A new Traditional Catholic app, Sanctifica, has been recently created and is available for free to help Catholics access and leverage treasures of the Catholic faith. Users can immerse themselves with the liturgy and traditions through the timeless wisdom of Dom Guéranger's "Liturgical Year" combined with Butler's Lives of the Saints and other great resources.

The “Spiritual Diary” of Elisabeth Kindelmann on the Flame of Love contains grave theological errors and cannot be from God — Guest article

We are grateful to Hungarian reader Zsolt Orbán for sharing the following study with Rorate.

The “Spiritual Diary” of Elisabeth Kindelmann on the Flame of Love contains grave theological errors and cannot be from God

Zsolt Orbán

PART I: Petrus Romanus

Many of you may be familiar with the prophecies of Bishop St Malachy, and many of you have marvelled at the succinct and apt characterizations of the popes given. And as we approach the end of Malachy’s list, perhaps the question needs to be asked: who shall be the last pope, a pope named Peter, whom Bishop Malachy calls “the Roman”? Those who carefully watch or hope for the name of Peter appearing among the cardinals, and search for why the epithet “Roman” might apply to a ‘Cardinal Peter’ might be interested in a potential candidate.

The Church Facing an Epochal Change: Trump, the Global Defeat of Wokism and the Mainstream Media, and the Upcoming Conclave

The Caminante - Wanderer Blog

Argentina, November 11, 2024

Thomas Cole, Destruction, 1836
(The New-York Historical Society)

The triumph of Donald Trump has been the latest proof, of planetary dimensions in this case, of a reality that has been apparent for some years now. What was crucial was not Trump's triumph, for which I am very happy, but the crushing defeat not so much of Kamala Harris, a poor and mediocre wretch, but of the media, unconditional and indispensable allies of world progressivism. We had seen the same phenomenon last year in more modest dimensions with the triumph of Javier Milei in Argentina, and the astonishing popular support he retains after a year in office, and in other countries in the Americas and Europe -- but the American case, like it or not, is paradigmatic. In a few words, it has been demonstrated to the whole world that a change of Age is at hand.

Abp. Héctor Agüer

Buenos Aires, November 15, 2024

This December 22 will be the 50th anniversary of the martyrdom of Carlos Alberto Sacheri, besieged by a commando of the terrorist group ERP (People's Revolutionary Army), when he was returning from Mass with his family. I do not hesitate to recognize that his death was a martyrdom, fruit of his charity. In the history of the Church there is a history of martyrdom. What makes a martyr such is not the suffering imposed on the martyr, but the charity that impels him to embrace the Cross. Charity, I stress, the agape of the New Testament. The martyr, with Christian fortitude, surrenders to death.

Benedictines of Mary Featured in Diocesan Paper

The Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, has gone through a lot in the last couple years, with severe restrictions, segregation and suppressions of traditional Latin Masses, plus a ban on all other sacraments by diocesan priests.

But the good priests and the laity carry on, filling the gyms, attics and parish halls where the TLM is allowed, and rearranging their lives to comply with three parishes that have temporary indults for the TLM with a condition that once a month we must go elsewhere for the traditional liturgy.

One example of marching forward can be found with traditional vocations. In a front-page article of the new Arlington Catholic Herald, the diocesan newspaper, a feature on all of the women religious from Arlington who have entered the Benedictines of Mary can be found.

Although it would have been nice of the diocesan paper to include the words Latin Mass -- or even Latin -- at least once in the article, it is still a positive action to have a front-page article about a flourishing Latin Mass-based order of sisters.

PRUDENTIA: "Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves."

The current regime in charge of the Vatican cannot remain in place forever. At nearly 88, Francis is not getting any younger.

On the Assisted Suicide Bill Debate coming up in the UK on Friday November 15, 2024

On the Assisted Suicide Bill Debate coming up in the UK on Friday November 15, 2024

There is a lot of muddled thinking about assisted suicide and this is because the basic principles are not addressed and instead, we hear more about the emotional and safeguarding issues.

I think the basic principle is: are you in favour of people killing themselves? If the answer is ‘YES’ then all you have to do is ensure that the new law is bristling with rules to prevent the obvious abuses. If your answer is ‘NO’ then obviously this extends to any form of suicide, whether assisted or not.

Dr. Lamont’s Reply to Joseph Shaw on Francis

In the interests of discussing important issues of our time, Rorate is posting this reply of Dr. Lamont to Dr. Shaw. Readers should bear in mind that we do not necessarily endorse the positions of guest articles posted here.

Reply to Joseph Shaw on Francis

John Lamont

I am grateful to Dr. Joseph Shaw for his discussion[1] of my article ‘What Are the Consequences of Francis’s Theology?’[2], in which I concluded that Francis is no longer the pope because he is a public and notorious heretic. I think his attempt to rebut my conclusion did as well as any such attempt could do, while falling short of being convincing. I will explain why I hold this to be so.

Smell Like the Sheep? The Sheep Smell Like Incense

by Fr. Richard G. Cipolla

Pope Francis has famously said that a true priest should have the smell of his sheep on him. Those may be the best words that have come from the mouth of this pope, at least so far. Those words should be taken to heart by those career priests who have never tasted the stew of parish life, many of whom wander around the corridors of the Vatican bureaucracy as well as those in the bureaucracy of diocesan headquarters just talking to each other. No lambs, no smell.

When Bishop Joseph Strickland was removed as bishop of the Diocese of Tyler, TX in November 2023, one of the reasons given for his termination by Apostolic Nuncio Christophe Pierre was that he refused to "implement the motu propoio Traditionis custodes," i.e. cancel Latin Masses throughout his diocese. Bishop Strickland refused to do so because he could not, in good conscience, hurt well-meaning, faithful Catholics in his diocese: "As a shepherd and protector of my Diocese, I could not take actions which I knew with certainty would injure part of my flock and deprive them of the spiritual goods which Christ entrusted to His Church."

“Fear is the Key” — Guest article about wokery and mob rule

“Fear is the Key” — Guest article about wokery and mob rule

Joseph Bevan

With the proliferation of electronic media there has arisen a powerful force within society which is instantaneous and deadly in its effect. This is known as popular opinion or, more accurately, mob rule. It is fear of the mob which is governing almost every facet of our human existence, and which has given rise to an elaborate defence mechanism, and that is ‘political correctness’ or ‘wokery.’ Wokery is resorted to in order to neutralise the threat of adverse popular opinion and it affects almost everything we do, say or think. There is little doubt that there now operates a ‘herd mentality’ which is driven by the internet. Definitions of ‘political correctness’ or ‘wokery’ have proved elusive simply because it is something we accuse others of, and rarely do we admit that we ourselves may be guilty of it.

A Reflection for the Octave of All Saints by a Catholic Hermit

Omnes Sancti Monachi et Eremitae: The Divine Diversity of the Desert

A Reflection for the Octave of All Saints by a Catholic Hermit

“Now there are diversities of graces, but the same Spirit; and there are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord; and there are diversities of operations, but the same God, who worketh all in all.” (1 Cor. 12:4-6)

Saint Paul, Apostle of the Gentiles, was also an exalted mystic. His heavenly contemplation of God was the source of all his insight. His heart, which was captivated by Christ, yearned for this ultimate end: “that God may be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28).

Catholics were essential for the resounding victory of former President Donald J. Trump and Senator J.D. Vance on Tuesday's elections.

We pray for the upcoming administration, for policies favorable to the liberty of the Church and the preservation of human life, and for peace and prosperity for the United States and all the world.

The 2025 edition of the Papa Stronsay Calendar is now available for purchase: order yours here!

Pope Francis, the Synod, and the Sacred Heart -- by Roberto de Mattei

October 31, 2024

The Synod that closed on Oct. 27 at the Vatican seemed like an attempt by Pope Francis to put out the fire set by the German bishops with their “synodal way” launched in January 2020. The ambitious goal that the progressive bishops, not only the German ones, set for themselves was to take a decisive step forward from the 2019 Pan-Amazonian Synod in 2024, achieving the diaconal ordination of women, the marriage -- under certain conditions -- of priests, the implementation of the LGBT agenda, and the granting of doctrinal authority to bishops' conferences. None of this is present in the Final Document approved on Oct. 26. A document that displeased everyone and caused Vaticanist Andrea Gagliarducci to write that “there are neither winners nor losers” (“Aci Stampa,” Oct. 26, 2024).

Paprocki defends Saint Michael prayer in Wall Street Journal

A retired priest, Rev. Gerald Bednar, in the Diocese of Cleveland -- the former vice rector of the seminary there -- had a letter to the editor published in the Wall Street Journal, taking an opportunity to oppose reciting the Saint Michael prayer after Mass, which is done at nearly all traditional Latin Low Masses, as well as a growing number of novus ordo liturgies in conservative parishes.

Father Bednar's letter from a few days ago follows. So does one, published in today's paper, from His Excellency Thomas John Paprocki, bishop of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois.

Our thanks to Bishop Paprocki for a succinct response and defense.

***

Wall Street Journal; October 22, 2024

St. Michael Is Out of Place At the End of Catholic Mass

A Response to the Feminist Demand for Priestly Ordination: Contemplate Mary

A Response to the Feminist Demand for Priestly Ordination:

Contemplate the Maternal Priesthood of Mary.

By Karen Darantière

“It’s so insulting to keep on saying that the only valid role that will get the approval of this pope is to be nurturing, is to be a mother, while you can be nurturing and mothering and be a priest.” (1) So says Miriam Duignan, an advocate of female ordination and of abortion, in response to comments against the female diaconate made by Pope Francis, recently reiterated by Cardinal Fernandez. One cannot help but wonder at the extraordinarily successful propagandizing which has enabled this incongruous coupling of “only” with “mother”. Future generations will be dumbstruck by how readily women espoused such a degradation of their most sublime vocation. Undoubtedly, such feminists nonetheless nurture a glimmer of hope due to the Pope inviting the Synod on Synodality to discuss the possibility of the ontologically impossible. For, after duly debating thesis and antithesis, the Synod may render a synthesis more suited to their tastes. (2) However, a better response might be proposed to disgruntled feminists: Turn your gaze upon Mary, who alone is both Mother and Priest.

“A Priest Before God’s Altar”: The Mother’s Share in the Priesthood of the Son

A “Traditional Ordinariate”: A Good Idea Whose Time Has Come -- or a Ghetto for Traditionalists? - op-ed by Brother Antoine-Marie de Araujo, SSVF

The “Traditional Ordinariate”: A Ghetto for Traditionalists?

Fr. Antoine-Marie de Araujo

Fraternity of Saint Vincent Ferrer, France

In a recent article, Father de Blignières proposed the creation of a “traditional ordinariate,” similar to that created in Brazil for the Union of Saint Jean-Marie Vianney and to the personal ordinariates created for Anglicans who wish to join the Catholic Church while preserving their traditions. (1) This complementary hierarchical structure would allow the faithful to have access to the sacraments in the old Latin rite and to benefit from the traditional disciplines and teachings. Father de Blignières’ proposal is specifically intended for France, but people in other countries could ask for a similar “traditional ordinariate.”

The "Abrahamic Family House" promoted by Pope Francis

[Rorate note: the article below reflects exclusively the position of the author, and not of the blog. As usual, the blog is open to posting different positions on current matters, even if they may differ from our editorial lines.]

What Are the Consequences of Francis’s Theology?

John Lamont

At least since the Synod of the Family in 2014, much concern has been expressed about words and actions of Francis that do not seem compatible with the Catholic faith. These words and actions have been exhaustively examined and discussed. This process of examination and discussion has been taken as far as it can usefully go. It is now imperative to consider the consequences of these words and actions for Francis and for the Catholic Church. These consequences depend on whether or not Francis must be considered a heretic in the light of what he has said and done. There are theological and legal questions that need to be determined in order to do this; when these determinations have been completed, they can be applied to the facts. This essay proposes to carry out these tasks.

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”(John 18:38)

I dreamed the other night I was dying. The priest came, and the only question I asked him as he was anointing me was this: “How will I recognize him? How will I know it is He? The priest whispered in my year: “The one with the crown, that’s how you will know whom to go to.” Of course! The crown, the one with the crown, that’s how I will know whom to go to! Of course, the crown, the King, the King of heaven! That’s how I will be able to tell, and in this situation, it is crucial to recognize the King, for to get into heaven you have to know the King. And so I died, and I found myself looking into the eyes of a stranger, yet someone I vaguely knew, but still a stranger, and someone not wearing a crown. But he had his hands outstretched to me, waiting for me to approach. But there was no crown, so this was a trick, so I went on looking. And then I saw someone in the distance. As I walked toward him, he walked toward me. I began to run now, for I could see a crown on his head. This was it, the key to heaven, the end of the game. I had won! And before I could stop myself, I ran into the mirror, the mirror shattered, and I was alone in the darkness, where I heard bitter lamentations all around me.

“It is good for a man, when he hath borne the yoke from his youth. He shall sit solitary, and hold his peace: because he hath taken it upon himself.” (Lamentations 3:27-28)

In the Conferences of St. John Cassian, Abba John lays bare the secrets of the eremitical vocation: “The perfection for a hermit is to have his mind freed from all earthly things, and to unite it, as far as human frailty allows, with Christ.” ¹ What is the yoke of which Jeremias speaks in his Lamentations? Our Redeemer has the answer:

The Traditional Latin Mass at the Cathedral of St. Eugene in Santa Rosa, CA was once packed and overflowing each Sunday with faithful Catholics.

Encyclical "Dilexit Nos" on the 350th Anniversary of the Apparition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

ENCICLICAL LETTER

DILEXIT NOS

OF THE HOLY FATHER

FRANCIS

ON THE HUMAN AND DIVINE LOVE

OF THE HEART OF JESUS CHRIST

1. “HE LOVED US”, Saint Paul says of Christ (cf. Rom 8:37), in order to make us realize that nothing can ever “separate us” from that love (Rom 8:39). Paul could say this with certainty because Jesus himself had told his disciples, “I have loved you” (Jn 15:9, 12). Even now, the Lord says to us, “I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15). His open heart has gone before us and waits for us, unconditionally, asking only to offer us his love and friendship. For “he loved us first” (cf. 1 Jn 4:10). Because of Jesus, “we have come to know and believe in the love that God has for us” (1 Jn 4:16).

CHAPTER ONE

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HEART

Cardinal Sandoval and Sir James MacMillan honoured by the FIUV

Today, 23rd October, Felipe Alanis Suarez, Vice President (and past President) of Una Voce International (the FIUV) will present the De Saventhem Medal to His Eminence Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, in his home in Mexico. On 18th September, Joseph Shaw presented a medal to Sir James MacMillan. Sir James and Cardinal Sandoval were the prime movers of the petitions of public figures in favour of the Traditional Mass, that were published in the course of July this year.

This is the FIUV Press Release. Spanish language version below.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Press Release

The International Federation Una Voce awards the Dr. Eric de Saventhem Medal to Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez and Sir James MacMillan

Rome, 19/Oct/2024 – The International Federation Una Voce (FIUV) is honored to announce the presentation of the prestigious Dr. Eric de Saventhem Medal to His Eminence Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez and Sir James MacMillan, in recognition of their significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of the Traditional Latin Mass within the Catholic Church.

From the first epistle of St Paul to Timothy: Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared.

When I was young I remember waiting to see the latest Walt Disney movie. I had to wait until it came to what was called the second run theater near my house, where the price of admission was cheaper than in the grand movie houses downtown. And one movie I remember so well, partly because I had read the book before, was Pinocchio. The puppet who wanted to be a real boy. And it is the character of Jiminy Cricket who helps Pinocchio to be a real boy and tells him that what distinguishes a puppet from a real boy is that a real boy has a conscience. Jiminy sings that wonderful song: “ Give a little whistle and let your conscience be your guide.” Those Disney movies can be dismissed as cultural artifacts of another time, but for the Catholic, what Jiminy Cricket told Pinocchio is absolutely true: that what distinguishes men and women from animals and from puppets is conscience.

The Deplorable Situation in Fréjus-Toulon: Coercion of Conscience and Contempt of Constitutions

Bishop Touvet’s Persecution of Traditional Liturgists

Jean-Pierre Maugendre

Renaissance catholique

October 17, 2024

At the 3rd Assises de la Tradition, held in Paris on October 12, participants were somewhat stunned to discover the latest developments in Mgr Touvet’s persecution of traditional liturgists in the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon.

Bishop Touvet’s abuse of power

While some may have believed that Mgr Touvet, appointed in 2023 as Mgr Rey’s coadjutor in the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, would succeed in maintaining the unity of the diocese, the facts seem to contradict these optimistic prospects. Indeed, while it is now well known that Mgr Touvet is still blocking the ordinations of the Missionaries of Divine Mercy (see our September 20, 2024 column, Missionaries of Mercy. Still no ordinations), other damning facts have been brought to the attention of the indignant public by Lex orandi union spokesman Philippe Darantière.

"Let’s Pray for the Successful Ending of the Synod" - by Cardinal Zen

A Crying Out from Cardinal Zen

I have not posted any articles online for a long time. But now I feel that I must write something to help my brothers and sisters in the Lord to understand what is most important thing to pray for in this moment. What I am feeling most anxiously about is how this Synod on “Synodality” can be successfully (decently) concluded, anyone who has read my blog post on February 15 this year will understand.
The theme of the Sixteenth Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is “Synodality,” but what exactly is “Synodality”? Based on the etymology of the Greek word “Synod,” it means “walking together;” and then in Chinese, it is translated into “talking together” and “walking together”: (participation, communion and (for the) mission).

Almost 100 years ago, in 1929, Pope Pius XI extended the feast of the then recently-canonized St. Margaret Mary Alacoque to the universal Church, giving us a magnificent proper Mass simultaneously honoring the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, who graciously revealed Himself to her, and the saint herself, who faithfully transmitted the message with which she had been entrusted. Even as the Church prays on September 17 that God granted the holy stigmata to St. Francis in order to bring warmth to a world grown cold, so too God raised up this simple nun in France to bring warmth to a nation grown Jansenist. And we are not yet finished with Jansenism, as can be seen in the endorsement of the proposals of the Jansenist Synod of Pistoia by the Second Vatican Council or in the grim defenders of a distorted modesty who joylessly turn people against well-regulated social dancing.

Dutch Cardinal: Don't repeat our mistakes! Those among our churches where truth is proclaimed and liturgy is well celebrated are full. Put Christ at the Center!

Cardinal Eijk, of Utrecht (primate of the Netherlands), in an interview with Catholic periodical COMMUNIO.

The church must speak with one voice

Cardinal Eijk on mission, secularization and the World Synod

The Church in the Netherlands was once regarded as very progressive. Disillusionment and collapse followed. Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk warns in an interview: Don't repeat our mistakes! In an extremely secularized society, the Archbishop of Utrecht is counting on a new missionary awakening.

By Willem Jacobus Eijk, Benjamin Leven, Lambert Hendriks

COMMUNIO: The Netherlands is considered one of the most secular societies in Western Europe. How Christian are the Netherlands still?

Certainly one of the most significant sacred music festivals ever conceived.

In honor of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594), you can hear the Gesualdo Six, the Tallis Scholars, the London Oratory Schola Cantorum, and many other ensembles perform the glorious Masses and motets of the Prince of Polyphony, in the context for which they were intended: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

That is the ambitious program undertaken for the glory of God and the edification of the faithful by the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Parish in Grand Rapids, Michigan, starting on December 9, 2024, and running to December 8, 2025. The parish has already raised over $100K for this monumental festival.

For more details, see the poster below, or visit the website at https://www.sacredheartgr.org/palestrina500

Fontgombault Sermons: Feast of the Dedication of the Church; Feast of the Holy Rosary

The sermons of the Father Abbot of Fontgombault are now fully available as PDF files here.

DEDICATION OF THE ABBATIAL CHURCH (October 5th, 2024)

FEAST OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY (October 7th, 2024)

A Sermon on Christopher Columbus: How Much of the Hatred towards Columbus is Plain Old Anti-Catholicism?

by Father Richard G. Cipolla

From St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Some years ago, but not that long ago, when I was a priest at St. Mary’s church in Norwalk, Connecticut, the statue of Christopher Columbus was moved from what is known as Heritage Square, a place for acknowledging the contribution of various ethnic groups important in the history of the city of Norwalk.

De Mattei: “Columbus is ours!”

Roberto de Mattei

Corrispondenza Romana

June 17, 2020 [Repost]

“Columbus noster est!” “Christopher Columbus is ours!” These words of Leo XIII, in his encyclical Quarto Abeunte Saeculo, issued July 16, 1892, on the IV Centenary of the discovery of America, are like a distant echo to us, at a time when iconoclastic fury in the United States of America is destroying the figure of the Italian navigator.

Leo XIII states in this encyclical that Christopher Columbus’s venture: «is in itself the highest and grandest which any age has ever seen accomplished by man; and he who achieved it, for the greatness of his mind and heart, can be compared to but few in the history of humanity. By his toil another world emerged from the unsearched bosom of the ocean: hundreds of thousands of mortals have, from a state of blindness, been raised to the common level of the human race, reclaimed from savagery to gentleness and humanity; and, greatest of all, by the acquisition of those blessings of which Jesus Christ is the author, they have been recalled from destruction to eternal life. (…) For Columbus is ours; since if a little consideration be given to the particular reason of his design in exploring the mare tenebrosum, and also the manner in which he endeavored to execute the design, it is indubitable that the Catholic faith was the strongest motive for the inception and prosecution of the design; so that for this reason also the whole human race owes not a little to the Church. (…) This view and aim is known to have possessed his mind above all; namely, to open a way for the Gospel over new lands and seas. (…) Columbus certainly had joined to the study of nature the study of religion, and had trained his mind on the teachings that well up from the most intimate depths of the Catholic faith. For this reason, when he learned from the lessons of astronomy and the record of the ancients, that there were great tracts of land lying towards the West, beyond the limits of the known world, lands hitherto explored by no man, he saw in spirit a mighty multitude, cloaked in miserable darkness, given over to evil rites, and the superstitious worship of vain gods. Miserable it is to live in a barbarous state and with savage manners: but more miserable to lack the knowledge of that which is highest, and to dwell in ignorance of the one true God. Considering these things, therefore, in his mind, he sought first of all to extend the Christian name and the benefits of Christian charity to the West, as is abundantly proved by the history of the whole undertaking”».

Hence, Christopher Columbus belongs to the Church, and any affront to him is directed at the Church, which has the duty to defend his memory. This spirit inspired Count Antoine-François-Félix Roselly de Lorgues (1805-1898) who dedicated his life to promoting the cause for Christopher Columbus’s canonization. Encouraged by Pius IX, in 1856, in Paris, Roselly de Lorgues published a two-volume work entitled: Cristophe Colomb. Histoire de sa vie et de ses voyages; d’après des documents authentiques tirés d’Espagne et d’Italie, which achieved world-wide success. In this work, Roselly de Lorgues, for the first time, offers his thesis for the canonization of the “Admiral of the Ocean”. He writes in a subsequent work: “…he was the ambassador of God to unknown nations that the ancient world were unaware of” and “ the natural legate of the Holy See in those new regions”. (Della vita di Cristoforo Colombo e delle ragioni per chiederne la beatificazione, tr. it., per Ranieri Guasti, Prato 1876, p. 83)

The Modernists will continue to divide the Church over the Mass

“Hello. We’re from the Vatican and we’re here to help you.” Those are words I always believed I would be very happy to hear. The unyielding persecution of Catholic Tradition from the very top in the Eternal City has changed that. And the Mass is at the center of the battle for our faith and salvation. Anything else is a distraction from the Evil One.

The novus ordo is a service with Catholic components. It is "valid". But as a “Mass” it’s not pleasing worship to God. We have such a Mass already and it’s called the traditional Latin Mass.

The Mass was divinely revealed by Christ Himself and entrusted to the Apostles to be handed down by means of the Holy Spirit in the Church through time and space.

by Côme de Prévigny

Archbishop Lefebvre used to tell his seminarians that he had two guardian angels: Fathers Aulagnier and Tissier de Mallerais.

These two valiant priests were among the nine young men who knocked on the door of the famous archbishop on October 13, 1969 in Fribourg, Switzerland, even though the Society of St. Pius X had not yet even been created.

Rorate has learned H. E. Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais has died in Sion, Switzerland. He had been under hospital care since suffering an unfortunate fall, a few days ago.

Good and Faithful Servant: may he rest in peace!

His funeral Mass and rite of interment will take place in the Seminary of Saint Pius X, in Écône, Switzerland, next Friday, October 18, 2024, at 9:30 am, local time.

***

Bernard Tissier de Mallerais was born on September 14, 1945, in Sallanches (Haute-Savoie), France, not far from the Swiss-French-Italian border, in a strongly Catholic family. Following his university studies, dedicated to biology, he joined the Seminary of Saint Pius X (still in Fribourg, in its early years), studying for the priesthood under the guidance of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. He was ordained to the Holy Priesthood on June 29, 1975, in Écône.