Tag: 4th-commandment
March 6, 2014
Just How Long Is A Rosary Anyway?
This may seem like an unusual question, but just how long is a rosary? How many prayers does it take to pray the rosary?
The Short Answer The rosary consists of fifteen mysteries, three sets of five each: the Joyful, the Sorrowful, and the Glorious. For each mystery, also referred to as a “decade”, one prays one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be, meditating on that mystery throughout.
Tag: 7th-commandment
March 10, 2014
Temptation In The News
A follow-up to the previous post regarding the seventh commandment:
“And immediately there came to mind the thief we all have inside ourselves and while I arranged the flowers I took the cross and with just a bit of force I removed it,” Pope Francis said.
The idea to steal a crucifix from a priest’s corpse was a temptation. The “thief we all have inside ourselves” is likely a demon tempting its prey, although it is quite possible the temptation was natural and occurred without any demonic prompting.
March 8, 2014
The Seventh Commandment In The News
From what I can see, not one Catholic commenter has tackled a news story that made the rounds 6 March. According to the AP account, which matches Rome Reports' video of the event, Pope Francis told the priests of Rome that some years prior he had removed the crucifix from the rosary of his late confessor, whose corpse was clutching the rosary in its casket. Francis claims to have kept the crucifix on his person ever since as a reminder of mercy.
Tag: anathema
March 11, 2017
Pope Francis vs. Trent
Shot:
A subject may know full well the rule, yet have great difficulty in understanding “its inherent values”, or be in a concrete situation which does not allow him or her to act differently and decide otherwise without further sin.
Amoris Laetitiae, §301
Chaser:
If anyone says that the commandments of God are impossible to observe even for a man who is justified and established in grace, let him be anathema.
March 6, 2016
Reason Can Prove God's Existence
The existence of God can be proven/demonstrated from reason alone. But don’t take my word for it:
Oath Against Modernism (Denz. 2145) And first, I profess that God, the beginning and end of all things, can be certainly known and thus can also be demonstrated by the natural light of reason “by the things that are made” [cf. Romans 1:20], that is, by the visible works of creation, as the cause by the effects.
Tag: anglican
March 13, 2017
Archbishop Arthur Roche vs. Pope Pius XI
Shot:
Evensong, the iconic expression of Anglican worship, was celebrated in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome by an Anglican Archbishop on the anniversary of the election of the Pope.
Archbishop David Moxon, the Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, led the service using Cranmer’s ancient words. Archbishop Arthur Roche, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, one of the most senior Englishmen in the Vatican, preached.
Tag: anglicanism
July 2, 2014
A Priest Who “Sees the Dead”? Dead Wrong
Over on his blog, Fr. Dwight Longenecker relates how he knew a priest who could see the dead. Not on demand, presumably, but it supposedly did happen this one time.
If you have not read the post, well, you’d be better off if you don’t. If you have, know that it has a few dangerous misconceptions in it that I would like to put into perspective below.
So What, Objectively, Happened?
Tag: annibale-bugnini
August 9, 2017
Annibale Bugnini Attacks The Mass
Catholics often seem to labor under the assumption that during the Second Vatican Council, some honest prelates made some serious but well-meaning errors when making the changes to the Mass that the council called for. They believe that the changes just need a little tweaking. In reality, the demolition of the Roman Liturgy was deliberate and systematic. The fastest way to understand that the Mass changes were entirely intentional is to learn of the life work of one Annibale Bugnini, a priest and later Archbishop who was involved in just about all the major changes to the Latin liturgy in the 20th century.
Tag: apostasy
June 22, 2013
Apostasy and Cardinal Dolan
Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Cardinal Archbishop of New York and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has made statements that suggest apostasy. Visiting a mosque in New York, he said the following:
“You love God, we love God and he is the same God,” the cardinal said of the Muslim and Roman Catholic faiths.
He likened Muslims to earlier waves of Roman Catholic immigrants who some 150 years ago faced the same challenge of “how to become loyal, responsible, patriotic Americans without losing their faith.
Tag: aquinas
February 28, 2016
To Dissemble When God Is Wronged Is Impiety
We join our Lord Jesus Christ in the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. He is finishing up being tempted by Satan in the desert:
8 Again, the Devil took Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And said to Him, All these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship me.
Tag: archbishop-arthur-roche
March 13, 2017
Archbishop Arthur Roche vs. Pope Pius XI
Shot:
Evensong, the iconic expression of Anglican worship, was celebrated in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome by an Anglican Archbishop on the anniversary of the election of the Pope.
Archbishop David Moxon, the Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, led the service using Cranmer’s ancient words. Archbishop Arthur Roche, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, one of the most senior Englishmen in the Vatican, preached.
Tag: architecture
February 9, 2019
Cathedrals: From Era to Era
A few months back a friend of mine started a fascinating Facebook page. Cathedrals: From Era to Era chronicles the architectural and design changes to particular American churches in the past century or more.
Seeing what happened to a beautiful parish like this is a fascinating window into Church in the 20th century.
In order to give these churches a more permanent home on the web, I’ve invited my friend to start posting write ups right here on The Old Evangelization.
Tag: arts
February 9, 2019
Cathedrals: From Era to Era
A few months back a friend of mine started a fascinating Facebook page. Cathedrals: From Era to Era chronicles the architectural and design changes to particular American churches in the past century or more.
Seeing what happened to a beautiful parish like this is a fascinating window into Church in the 20th century.
In order to give these churches a more permanent home on the web, I’ve invited my friend to start posting write ups right here on The Old Evangelization.
Tag: axioms
June 13, 2013
Nemo Potest Dare Quod Non Habet
Nemo potest dare quod non habet is a Latin phrase that translates “No one can give what he has not.” It is a cliché because it is so very true.
If you do not have an apple, you cannot give someone an apple.
If you do not have an umbrella, you cannot give someone temporary shelter from rain.
If you do not have sound catechesis, you cannot pass on the Catholic faith to anyone else.
Tag: bible
February 28, 2016
To Dissemble When God Is Wronged Is Impiety
We join our Lord Jesus Christ in the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. He is finishing up being tempted by Satan in the desert:
8 Again, the Devil took Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And said to Him, All these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship me.
Tag: blessed-virgin-mary
March 6, 2014
Just How Long Is A Rosary Anyway?
This may seem like an unusual question, but just how long is a rosary? How many prayers does it take to pray the rosary?
The Short Answer The rosary consists of fifteen mysteries, three sets of five each: the Joyful, the Sorrowful, and the Glorious. For each mystery, also referred to as a “decade”, one prays one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be, meditating on that mystery throughout.
Tag: casti-connubii
February 19, 2016
Yes, The Pope Said Something Scandalous
So the pope held another interview on a plane. And, unfortunately, he said something scandalous. This is going to be a bit long, but I think it’s needed to make the following points:
Yes, what he said is actually scandalous. No, seriously, it is actually scandalous. Just ignoring it is a disservice to souls. Here’s the question and answer from the interview in its entirety:
Paloma García Ovejero, Cadena COPE (Spain): Holy Father, for several weeks there’s been a lot of concern in many Latin American countries but also in Europe regarding the Zika virus.
August 6, 2015
Oh, For Offspring's Sake!
As these situations especially affect children, we are aware of a greater urgency to foster a true welcome for these families in our communities. For how can we encourage these parents to raise their children in the Christian life, to give them an example of Christian faith, if we keep them at arm’s length? I am especially grateful to the many pastors, guided by my Predecessors, who have worked diligently to let these families know they are still a part of the Church.
March 4, 2014
Pope Pius XI On Marriage Laws
From Casti Connubii §5:
… let it be repeated as an immutable and inviolable fundamental doctrine that matrimony was not instituted or restored by man but by God; not by man were the laws made to strengthen and confirm and elevate it but by God, the Author of nature, and by Christ Our Lord by Whom nature was redeemed, and hence these laws cannot be subject to any human decrees or to any contrary pact even of the spouses themselves.
Tag: catechism
October 15, 2017
Pope Francis vs. the Catechism
Shot: It is, in itself, contrary to the Gospel, because a decision is voluntarily made to suppress a human life, which is always sacred in the eyes of the Creator and of whom, in the last analysis, only God can be the true judge and guarantor
Pope Francis, 11 October 2017
Chaser: Another kind of lawful slaying belongs to the civil authorities, to whom is entrusted power of life and death, by the legal and judicious exercise of which they punish the guilty and protect the innocent.
Tag: catena-aurea
February 28, 2016
To Dissemble When God Is Wronged Is Impiety
We join our Lord Jesus Christ in the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. He is finishing up being tempted by Satan in the desert:
8 Again, the Devil took Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And said to Him, All these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship me.
Tag: cathedrals
February 9, 2019
Cathedrals: From Era to Era
A few months back a friend of mine started a fascinating Facebook page. Cathedrals: From Era to Era chronicles the architectural and design changes to particular American churches in the past century or more.
Seeing what happened to a beautiful parish like this is a fascinating window into Church in the 20th century.
In order to give these churches a more permanent home on the web, I’ve invited my friend to start posting write ups right here on The Old Evangelization.
Tag: council-of-trent
October 15, 2017
Pope Francis vs. the Catechism
Shot: It is, in itself, contrary to the Gospel, because a decision is voluntarily made to suppress a human life, which is always sacred in the eyes of the Creator and of whom, in the last analysis, only God can be the true judge and guarantor
Pope Francis, 11 October 2017
Chaser: Another kind of lawful slaying belongs to the civil authorities, to whom is entrusted power of life and death, by the legal and judicious exercise of which they punish the guilty and protect the innocent.
March 11, 2017
Pope Francis vs. Trent
Shot:
A subject may know full well the rule, yet have great difficulty in understanding “its inherent values”, or be in a concrete situation which does not allow him or her to act differently and decide otherwise without further sin.
Amoris Laetitiae, §301
Chaser:
If anyone says that the commandments of God are impossible to observe even for a man who is justified and established in grace, let him be anathema.
Tag: death-penalty
October 15, 2017
Pope Francis vs. the Catechism
Shot: It is, in itself, contrary to the Gospel, because a decision is voluntarily made to suppress a human life, which is always sacred in the eyes of the Creator and of whom, in the last analysis, only God can be the true judge and guarantor
Pope Francis, 11 October 2017
Chaser: Another kind of lawful slaying belongs to the civil authorities, to whom is entrusted power of life and death, by the legal and judicious exercise of which they punish the guilty and protect the innocent.
Tag: demons
July 2, 2014
A Priest Who “Sees the Dead”? Dead Wrong
Over on his blog, Fr. Dwight Longenecker relates how he knew a priest who could see the dead. Not on demand, presumably, but it supposedly did happen this one time.
If you have not read the post, well, you’d be better off if you don’t. If you have, know that it has a few dangerous misconceptions in it that I would like to put into perspective below.
So What, Objectively, Happened?
Tag: denzinger
March 6, 2016
Reason Can Prove God's Existence
The existence of God can be proven/demonstrated from reason alone. But don’t take my word for it:
Oath Against Modernism (Denz. 2145) And first, I profess that God, the beginning and end of all things, can be certainly known and thus can also be demonstrated by the natural light of reason “by the things that are made” [cf. Romans 1:20], that is, by the visible works of creation, as the cause by the effects.
Tag: dialogue
December 10, 2013
It's OK To Speak Harshly Sometimes
One of the more striking things I’ve come across reading Pascendi Dominici Gregis is the tone. Pope St. Pius X writes many words, and he minces not a one of them.
But we have not yet come to the end of their philosophy, or, to speak more accurately, their folly. (par. 8)
By most measures, that is a sick burn!
Blind that they are, and leaders of the blind, inflated with a boastful science, they have reached that pitch of folly where they pervert the eternal concept of truth and the true nature of the religious sentiment; (par.
June 20, 2013
Proselytizing : Dialogue :: Heaven : Hell
The ever-trenchant Mundabor has a post about Cardinal Tauran on the New Evangelization. Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran is the president of the Pontifical Council of Inter-religious Dialogue. The Cardinal has made statements such as these:
“In this pluralistic situation, we have no other option than consciously cultivating friendly relationships with all of them based on mutual respect and understanding that eventually could lead to mutual collaboration for the common good, for peace and harmony towards the development of the society.
Tag: doctrine
October 15, 2017
Pope Francis vs. the Catechism
Shot: It is, in itself, contrary to the Gospel, because a decision is voluntarily made to suppress a human life, which is always sacred in the eyes of the Creator and of whom, in the last analysis, only God can be the true judge and guarantor
Pope Francis, 11 October 2017
Chaser: Another kind of lawful slaying belongs to the civil authorities, to whom is entrusted power of life and death, by the legal and judicious exercise of which they punish the guilty and protect the innocent.
October 13, 2017
Pope Francis vs. Pope St. Agatho
Shot: …doctrine cannot be preserved without allowing it to develop, nor can it be tied to an interpretation that is rigid and immutable without demeaning the working of the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis, 11 October 2017
Chaser: nothing of the things appointed ought to be diminished; nothing changed; nothing added; but they must be preserved both as regards expression and meaning.
Pope Saint Agatho, as quoted by Pope Gregory XVI in Mirari Vos
Tag: dogma
October 13, 2017
Pope Francis vs. Pope St. Agatho
Shot: …doctrine cannot be preserved without allowing it to develop, nor can it be tied to an interpretation that is rigid and immutable without demeaning the working of the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis, 11 October 2017
Chaser: nothing of the things appointed ought to be diminished; nothing changed; nothing added; but they must be preserved both as regards expression and meaning.
Pope Saint Agatho, as quoted by Pope Gregory XVI in Mirari Vos
Tag: doublespeak
December 10, 2013
It's OK To Speak Harshly Sometimes
One of the more striking things I’ve come across reading Pascendi Dominici Gregis is the tone. Pope St. Pius X writes many words, and he minces not a one of them.
But we have not yet come to the end of their philosophy, or, to speak more accurately, their folly. (par. 8)
By most measures, that is a sick burn!
Blind that they are, and leaders of the blind, inflated with a boastful science, they have reached that pitch of folly where they pervert the eternal concept of truth and the true nature of the religious sentiment; (par.
May 17, 2013
Keeping Faith Defined
A post entitled Keeping Faith Real by Marc Cardaronella introduced me to the concept of “enrichment of faith”. A definition, by way of quotes:
It’s the idea that faith is only truly enriching when it’s a lived reality in the heart of the believer. And, it must be communicated that way.
Everything, “all pastoral activity,” Wojtyla wrote, was to be directed toward fostering a mature faith that was fully lived.
April 25, 2013
Catholicism Is For Everyone
Jesus came so that all might be saved. Now He never said that all would be saved, or even most. But salvation is at least possible for anyone.
Nobody knows better than God that different people have different capabilities. Some, like St. Thomas Aquinas, can dictate three different books to scribes at the same sitting and have one of them be considered the best theological treatise of all time. Others like St.
Tag: ecumenism
June 22, 2013
Apostasy and Cardinal Dolan
Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Cardinal Archbishop of New York and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has made statements that suggest apostasy. Visiting a mosque in New York, he said the following:
“You love God, we love God and he is the same God,” the cardinal said of the Muslim and Roman Catholic faiths.
He likened Muslims to earlier waves of Roman Catholic immigrants who some 150 years ago faced the same challenge of “how to become loyal, responsible, patriotic Americans without losing their faith.
Tag: eucharist
April 15, 2017
What Happens When Jesus Evangelizes For You
There is no low to which our Lord will not stoop in order to win our souls to Him. From The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by Fr. Michael Müller, 1874:
The Holy Mass may also be called a commemoration of the Passion and Death of our Lord, because He constantly receives, in this august sacrament, insults similar to those which He had to undergo in the course of His Passion, and which He bears in the same manner in which He bore those that He suffered from Maundy Thursday until He expired on the Cross.
Tag: evangelization
April 15, 2017
What Happens When Jesus Evangelizes For You
There is no low to which our Lord will not stoop in order to win our souls to Him. From The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by Fr. Michael Müller, 1874:
The Holy Mass may also be called a commemoration of the Passion and Death of our Lord, because He constantly receives, in this august sacrament, insults similar to those which He had to undergo in the course of His Passion, and which He bears in the same manner in which He bore those that He suffered from Maundy Thursday until He expired on the Cross.
Tag: examples
May 8, 2014
St. John The Evangelist Evangelizes a Youth
From Chapter 23, Book III of Eusebius' Church History:
Listen to a tale, which is not a mere tale, but a narrative concerning John the apostle, which has been handed down and treasured up in memory. For when, after the tyrant’s death, he returned from the isle of Patmos to Ephesus, he went away upon their invitation to the neighboring territories of the Gentiles, to appoint bishops in some places, in other places to set in order whole churches, elsewhere to choose to the ministry some one of those that were pointed out by the Spirit.
December 12, 2013
The Prophet Elias Re-Converts Israel (Again)
From the Douay-Rheims translation of the Third Book of Kings (1 Kings):
[21] And Elias coming to all the people, said: How long do you halt between two sides? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word. [22] And Elias said again to the people: I only remain a prophet of the Lord: but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men.
May 31, 2013
St. Benedict Evangelizes
From Pope Pius XII’s Encyclical Fulgens Radiatur:
Trusting in God and relying on His ever present help, he went south and arrived at a fort “called Cassino situated on the side of a high mountain …; on this stood an old temple where Apollo was worshipped by the foolish country people, according to the custom of the ancient heathens. Around it likewise grew groves, in which even till that time the mad multitude of infidels used to offer their idolatrous sacrifices.
April 22, 2013
Saint Dominic Evangelizes An Innkeeper
Excerpted from Saint Dominic de Guzman by Fray Diego Matamoros
On their first evening of the journey, the small band of Royal emissaries stopped at an inn is [sic] southern France to rest for the night. The owner of the inn was a heretic, who engaged the bishop and young sub-prior in a discussion. Up to this point, neither the bishop, nor Saint Dominic had any idea of the nature of this heresy, or the mental hold that it had on its adherents.
Tag: extra-ecclesia-nulla-salus
February 4, 2019
Pope Francis vs. Pope Leo XIII
Shot: The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings.
Pope Francis_,_ A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together
Chaser: …we are bound absolutely to worship God in that way which He has shown to be His will.
Pope Leo XIII, Immortale Dei
Tag: faith
March 6, 2016
Reason Can Prove God's Existence
The existence of God can be proven/demonstrated from reason alone. But don’t take my word for it:
Oath Against Modernism (Denz. 2145) And first, I profess that God, the beginning and end of all things, can be certainly known and thus can also be demonstrated by the natural light of reason “by the things that are made” [cf. Romans 1:20], that is, by the visible works of creation, as the cause by the effects.
June 13, 2013
Nemo Potest Dare Quod Non Habet
Nemo potest dare quod non habet is a Latin phrase that translates “No one can give what he has not.” It is a cliché because it is so very true.
If you do not have an apple, you cannot give someone an apple.
If you do not have an umbrella, you cannot give someone temporary shelter from rain.
If you do not have sound catechesis, you cannot pass on the Catholic faith to anyone else.
May 17, 2013
Keeping Faith Defined
A post entitled Keeping Faith Real by Marc Cardaronella introduced me to the concept of “enrichment of faith”. A definition, by way of quotes:
It’s the idea that faith is only truly enriching when it’s a lived reality in the heart of the believer. And, it must be communicated that way.
Everything, “all pastoral activity,” Wojtyla wrote, was to be directed toward fostering a mature faith that was fully lived.
Tag: feelings
June 20, 2013
Proselytizing : Dialogue :: Heaven : Hell
The ever-trenchant Mundabor has a post about Cardinal Tauran on the New Evangelization. Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran is the president of the Pontifical Council of Inter-religious Dialogue. The Cardinal has made statements such as these:
“In this pluralistic situation, we have no other option than consciously cultivating friendly relationships with all of them based on mutual respect and understanding that eventually could lead to mutual collaboration for the common good, for peace and harmony towards the development of the society.
May 9, 2013
Pope Francis Proselytizes
Pope Francis says at a daily Mass that evangelizing is not proselytizing. Since they are two separate words, I am inclined to agree. But why does the pope need to make this distinction?
Evangelization is the act of proclaiming Jesus Christ.
Proselytizing is the attempt to win converts to your cause.
Emphasizing their differences masks just how complementary they are. Why proclaim the good news that is Jesus if you did not wish to convert people to His religion?
Tag: ffi
December 13, 2013
Old Evangelization Leads To Persecution
When you evangelize and present the Catholic faith as it has been taught for centuries, you will be persecuted.
Some of that persecution will be from within the Church.
A most trenchant example is the latest persecution of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (FFI). That Rorate Cæli link has a thorough explanation of what’s gone on most recently.
The problems started when a small group within the order petitioned Rome, complaining that the order was too traditional.
Tag: fisher-more-college
March 3, 2014
The Mass Is Not A Bludgeon
Rorate has presented a leaked letter from the Bishop of Fort Worth, Michael Olson, in which he prescribes that the Traditional Latin Mass not be said on the campus of Fisher More College, in his diocese.
Under the provisions of Summorum Pontificum, he cannot forbid the saying of the Traditional Latin Mass; in canon law, it is not his to permit or forbid. So, in this letter, instead of illegally forbidding the Traditional Latin Mass, he legally threatens to remove the chapel from campus entirely.
Tag: francis-quotes
October 15, 2017
Pope Francis vs. the Catechism
Shot: It is, in itself, contrary to the Gospel, because a decision is voluntarily made to suppress a human life, which is always sacred in the eyes of the Creator and of whom, in the last analysis, only God can be the true judge and guarantor
Pope Francis, 11 October 2017
Chaser: Another kind of lawful slaying belongs to the civil authorities, to whom is entrusted power of life and death, by the legal and judicious exercise of which they punish the guilty and protect the innocent.
October 13, 2017
Pope Francis vs. Pope St. Agatho
Shot: …doctrine cannot be preserved without allowing it to develop, nor can it be tied to an interpretation that is rigid and immutable without demeaning the working of the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis, 11 October 2017
Chaser: nothing of the things appointed ought to be diminished; nothing changed; nothing added; but they must be preserved both as regards expression and meaning.
Pope Saint Agatho, as quoted by Pope Gregory XVI in Mirari Vos
March 11, 2017
Pope Francis vs. Trent
Shot:
A subject may know full well the rule, yet have great difficulty in understanding “its inherent values”, or be in a concrete situation which does not allow him or her to act differently and decide otherwise without further sin.
Amoris Laetitiae, §301
Chaser:
If anyone says that the commandments of God are impossible to observe even for a man who is justified and established in grace, let him be anathema.
Tag: god
March 6, 2016
Reason Can Prove God's Existence
The existence of God can be proven/demonstrated from reason alone. But don’t take my word for it:
Oath Against Modernism (Denz. 2145) And first, I profess that God, the beginning and end of all things, can be certainly known and thus can also be demonstrated by the natural light of reason “by the things that are made” [cf. Romans 1:20], that is, by the visible works of creation, as the cause by the effects.
Tag: heresy
July 2, 2014
A Priest Who “Sees the Dead”? Dead Wrong
Over on his blog, Fr. Dwight Longenecker relates how he knew a priest who could see the dead. Not on demand, presumably, but it supposedly did happen this one time.
If you have not read the post, well, you’d be better off if you don’t. If you have, know that it has a few dangerous misconceptions in it that I would like to put into perspective below.
So What, Objectively, Happened?
Tag: hermeneutic-of-continuity
May 13, 2014
The Hermeneutic of Continuity is Bunk
The hermeneutic of continuity, sometimes called the hermeneutic of reform in continuity, is incoherent. Instead of following this interpretation of Vatican II documents, we should hold the documents to the standard put forth by Catholic Tradition.
Definition(s) The hermeneutic of continuity surprisingly admits of two definitions.
The Council documents must be understood in the light of Traditional Catholic doctrine. The Council documents already stand in continuity with Traditional Catholic doctrine, and the only way to see it is to apply this hermeneutic.
Tag: hermeneutic-of-pascendi
May 13, 2014
The Hermeneutic of Continuity is Bunk
The hermeneutic of continuity, sometimes called the hermeneutic of reform in continuity, is incoherent. Instead of following this interpretation of Vatican II documents, we should hold the documents to the standard put forth by Catholic Tradition.
Definition(s) The hermeneutic of continuity surprisingly admits of two definitions.
The Council documents must be understood in the light of Traditional Catholic doctrine. The Council documents already stand in continuity with Traditional Catholic doctrine, and the only way to see it is to apply this hermeneutic.
May 7, 2014
Spot Modernism #1
Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, recently gave an interview to a weekly magazine. Let’s see if we can apply some of the lessons learned from reading Pascendi Dominici Gregis to his statements.
“The Church is not timeless” The Church is not timeless, she lives amidst the vicissitudes of history and the Gospel must be known and experienced by people today.
We can see that no objective, undying truth of the Church is admitted here.
Tag: humanæ-vitæ
February 19, 2016
Yes, The Pope Said Something Scandalous
So the pope held another interview on a plane. And, unfortunately, he said something scandalous. This is going to be a bit long, but I think it’s needed to make the following points:
Yes, what he said is actually scandalous. No, seriously, it is actually scandalous. Just ignoring it is a disservice to souls. Here’s the question and answer from the interview in its entirety:
Paloma García Ovejero, Cadena COPE (Spain): Holy Father, for several weeks there’s been a lot of concern in many Latin American countries but also in Europe regarding the Zika virus.
Tag: idols
December 12, 2013
The Prophet Elias Re-Converts Israel (Again)
From the Douay-Rheims translation of the Third Book of Kings (1 Kings):
[21] And Elias coming to all the people, said: How long do you halt between two sides? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word. [22] And Elias said again to the people: I only remain a prophet of the Lord: but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men.
May 31, 2013
St. Benedict Evangelizes
From Pope Pius XII’s Encyclical Fulgens Radiatur:
Trusting in God and relying on His ever present help, he went south and arrived at a fort “called Cassino situated on the side of a high mountain …; on this stood an old temple where Apollo was worshipped by the foolish country people, according to the custom of the ancient heathens. Around it likewise grew groves, in which even till that time the mad multitude of infidels used to offer their idolatrous sacrifices.
Tag: immortale-dei
February 4, 2019
Pope Francis vs. Pope Leo XIII
Shot: The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings.
Pope Francis_,_ A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together
Chaser: …we are bound absolutely to worship God in that way which He has shown to be His will.
Pope Leo XIII, Immortale Dei
Tag: lies
April 1, 2014
April Fool's Day Fathers Lies
Every first day of April, the internet becomes more unreliable than usual as people post falsehoods in the name of humor. Sites that normally traffic in the truth choose to pull a fast one on their readers. At the end of the prank, the reader is supposed to realize that they’ve been duped, and a good laugh is to be had by all.
While satire has its place, satire is best presented as satire up front.
Tag: liturgy
February 24, 2019
Why People Get Stuck On The Liturgy
Catholics on Facebook often hang out in topical Facebook groups. Liturgy, evangelization, theology: all are fair game for such groups.
One thing I noticed early on is no matter what the group topic is, conversation regularly returns to matters of liturgy.
Some groups embrace liturgy discussions. Some set up separate groups and ask members to talk about the liturgy over there, in the liturgy group. Others just outright ban liturgy talk altogether.
Tag: marriage
March 4, 2014
Pope Pius XI On Marriage Laws
From Casti Connubii §5:
… let it be repeated as an immutable and inviolable fundamental doctrine that matrimony was not instituted or restored by man but by God; not by man were the laws made to strengthen and confirm and elevate it but by God, the Author of nature, and by Christ Our Lord by Whom nature was redeemed, and hence these laws cannot be subject to any human decrees or to any contrary pact even of the spouses themselves.
March 2, 2014
There Is No Such Thing As “Remarriage” After Divorce
“Remarriage” is a word that is being used very imprecisely in an important public discussion about reception of Holy Communion.
In reality, a remarriage is a marriage that is contracted by someone whose previous marriage ended with the death of the other spouse. This is the only sense in which the word “remarriage” has any meaning, because the death of the spouse is the only way a marriage can end.
Tag: mass
February 24, 2019
Why People Get Stuck On The Liturgy
Catholics on Facebook often hang out in topical Facebook groups. Liturgy, evangelization, theology: all are fair game for such groups.
One thing I noticed early on is no matter what the group topic is, conversation regularly returns to matters of liturgy.
Some groups embrace liturgy discussions. Some set up separate groups and ask members to talk about the liturgy over there, in the liturgy group. Others just outright ban liturgy talk altogether.
October 16, 2018
The Extraordinary Form of the Mass Does Not Exist
There is no such thing as the extraordinary form of the Mass.
Now Pope Benedict XVI, in his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, writes:
In this regard, it must first be said that the Missal published by Paul VI and then republished in two subsequent editions by John Paul II, obviously is and continues to be the normal Form – the Forma ordinaria – of the Eucharistic Liturgy. The last version of the Missale Romanum prior to the Council, which was published with the authority of Pope John XXIII in 1962 and used during the Council, will now be able to be used as a Forma extraordinaria of the liturgical celebration.
Tag: matthew
February 28, 2016
To Dissemble When God Is Wronged Is Impiety
We join our Lord Jesus Christ in the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. He is finishing up being tempted by Satan in the desert:
8 Again, the Devil took Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And said to Him, All these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship me.
Tag: modernism
August 6, 2015
Oh, For Offspring's Sake!
As these situations especially affect children, we are aware of a greater urgency to foster a true welcome for these families in our communities. For how can we encourage these parents to raise their children in the Christian life, to give them an example of Christian faith, if we keep them at arm’s length? I am especially grateful to the many pastors, guided by my Predecessors, who have worked diligently to let these families know they are still a part of the Church.
June 15, 2014
Spot Modernism #2 - Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences Edition
Fr. Bernard Ardura, president of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, recently gave an interview about Pope St. Pius X. Let’s see if what he has to say about this great pope is tainted with modernism.
Pope Pius X Was a “Reformer” For Modernism During his pontificate he was a very important reformer, but between his reformative activities, he also had to intervene on doctrine-related issues, as he was facing a difficult movement, called modernism.
May 13, 2014
The Hermeneutic of Continuity is Bunk
The hermeneutic of continuity, sometimes called the hermeneutic of reform in continuity, is incoherent. Instead of following this interpretation of Vatican II documents, we should hold the documents to the standard put forth by Catholic Tradition.
Definition(s) The hermeneutic of continuity surprisingly admits of two definitions.
The Council documents must be understood in the light of Traditional Catholic doctrine. The Council documents already stand in continuity with Traditional Catholic doctrine, and the only way to see it is to apply this hermeneutic.
May 7, 2014
Spot Modernism #1
Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, recently gave an interview to a weekly magazine. Let’s see if we can apply some of the lessons learned from reading Pascendi Dominici Gregis to his statements.
“The Church is not timeless” The Church is not timeless, she lives amidst the vicissitudes of history and the Gospel must be known and experienced by people today.
We can see that no objective, undying truth of the Church is admitted here.
May 5, 2014
St. Pius X on the Attack
After fleshing out the tactics of the Modernists, Pope St. Pius X outlines a plan of attack for his papacy to combat Modernists. He acknowledges that Pope Leo XIII had fought Modernists, but the Modernists were able to twist the words of the Pontiff and convince others that he really was talking about others, not themselves. But St. Pius X realizes that more efficacious measures are needed. He implores all bishops, pastors of souls, educators and professors of clerics, and in a very special way the superiors of religious communities to help him in taking the following actions:
May 3, 2014
Modernism In Action
After spelling out the causes of Modernism, Pope St. Pius X tackles the tactics of Modernists. He lumps them under two umbrellas: removing obstacles that prevent them from deluding the minds of men, and patiently applying every resource at their disposal.
Removing Obstacles There are three large obstacles upon which Modernists wage unrelenting war:
the scholastic method of philosophy the authority and tradition of the Church Fathers the magisterium of the Church Scholastic Philosophy Pius X has already mentioned in passing that by abandoning Scholasticism Modernists have left themselves without the tools to defend themselves from ignorance and intellectual error.
April 30, 2014
Causes of Modernism
Moral Causes With an eye to coming up with a suitable remedy for Modernism, Pius X takes up its causes in §40 of Pascendi. He lists three moral causes: one proximate, and two remote.
In a series of causal events, where one thing causes the next, the proximate cause is the cause right before the final thing in the chain. So whatever else in the causal chain leads up to Modernism, the nearest and most immediate cause of Modernism is an error of the mind.
April 29, 2014
Modernism, Agnosticism, and Atheism
After defining Modernism as the synthesis of all heresies, Pope St. Pius X turns to discussion of how the agnosticism of the Modernist philosophy leads to atheism.
Agnosticism bars man from approaching God through the intellect. Remember, it says that God is completely unknowable from reason. Instead, it proposes that a better way of approaching God is through “a certain sense of the soul and action”. But in reality (not in Modernism), the sense of the soul is the soul’s response to what the intellect or the senses set before it.
April 3, 2014
Modernism Is A System
The first thing that Pope Saint Pius X discusses after laying out the seven personalities of Modernists is to reiterate that Modernism is not a bunch of “scattered and unconnected theories”, but is a complete and integrated system. (§39) When you admit but one principle of Modernism, you cannot help but admit all of the Modernist principles.
It is in this section that Pius famously defines Modernism to be “the synthesis of all heresies.
March 31, 2014
The Modernist Reformer
The last personality of the Modernist is the Reformer. Pope St. Pius X spends only one section on this personality, and it is basically just a list of everything that the Modernists want to reform:
Philosophy, especially in the seminaries Scholastic philosophy ought to be abandoned as too absolutist, in contrast to modern philosophy which is better suited to the times. Theology Rational theology should be based on modern philosophy, and postive theology on the history of dogma.
March 29, 2014
The Modernist Apologist
An apologist for the Church defends Her and Her faith from all who would argue against them. Over the centuries, many sound arguments have been advanced by Catholics to aid in this defense. The Modernist apologist does not use traditional arguments from reliable sources, but instead bases his defense upon the history produced by Modernist historians. He uses two types of arguments: objective and subjective.
Objective Approach The objective approach to Modernist apologetics starts from (you guessed it) agnosticism.
March 28, 2014
The Modernist Critic
The Modernist critic synthesizes Modernist history and philosophy to produce his criticism, which ends up butchering Scripture.
The critic starts by taking his data from the Modernist historian. (§31) Whatever is left after the historian has made his mark is considered real history; whatever has been explained away is considered the history of faith. So, continuing with the focus on Christ, the critic distinguishes between the Christ who lived in a particular time and place (considered real) and the Christ of faith, who comes from pious meditations of the believer (such a critic would consider the Gospel of St.
March 27, 2014
The Modernist Historian
The Modernist historian does not want to be seen as a philosopher. They want their historical practice to appear objective, untainted by a philosophy. But their historical practice is full of their philosophy, and “their historico-critical conclusions are the natural outcome of their philosophical principles.” (§30)
Like the philosopher, the historian starts with agnosticism. Agnosticism means that the Modernist historian removes God from being an actor in history. History deals entirely in phenomena, just like science.
March 26, 2014
The Modernist Theologian – Topics of Faith
Since theologians talk of faith, Pope St. Pius takes §§21-28 to delve deeper into topics related to faith.
Dogma Dogma has been discussed earlier in the encyclical. First the Modernist believer has religious impulses. These impulses prompt secondary reflections that eventually evolve into dogma. Theological speculation, while not itself Modernist dogma, can help “harmonize religion to science” and “defend religion from without” (§21).
Worship Modernists view sacraments as the result of “inner impulses”.
March 25, 2014
The Modernist Theologian – Foundational Concepts
The portion of Pascendi expounding upon the Modernist theologian is by far the longest and most involved section. It can be roughly divided into two parts. The first spells out the foundational concepts on which Modernist theology is built. The second speaks on other, non-foundational topics of Modernist faith. In the interests of length, this post focuses on just the foundational concepts.
Foundational Concepts Modernist theology is built around three concepts: theological immanence, theological symbolism, and divine permanence.
March 22, 2014
The Modernist Believer
There is a contradiction between the Modernist philosopher and the Modernist believer. The believer thinks that the divine is something external, outside of himself. The philosopher thinks that the divine is completely internal to the believer, and does not exist outside of the believer.
The believer concludes that the divine is external and real on the basis of personal religious experiences. The Modernist would claim that if one does not have these personal religious experiences, one is not a believer.
March 13, 2014
Pascendi And Modernism
Below, please find a series of posts on this site on the encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis of Pope St. Pius X. Bookmark this page as a reference for this study of the encyclical. If you want to be notified of new posts on this site, subscribe to the RSS feed.
Introduction Subvert the Faith With This One Weird Worldview Modernist Personalities The Seven Personalities of Modernists - a brief overview of the Modernist system.
December 6, 2013
Subvert The Catholic Faith With This One Weird Worldview
Modernism is a silent killer of souls.
The problem with modernism is that unless one has been trained in where to look for it, it is fiendishly difficult to notice. Its effects are obvious:
religious indifferentism seemingly constant change in religious practice loss of faith Modernism’s practices, how it produces these effects, are much more obscured. A modernist does not write articles titled “Subvert The Catholic Faith With This One Weird Worldview”.
Tag: mortalium-animos
March 13, 2017
Archbishop Arthur Roche vs. Pope Pius XI
Shot:
Evensong, the iconic expression of Anglican worship, was celebrated in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome by an Anglican Archbishop on the anniversary of the election of the Pope.
Archbishop David Moxon, the Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, led the service using Cranmer’s ancient words. Archbishop Arthur Roche, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, one of the most senior Englishmen in the Vatican, preached.
Tag: new-evangelization
June 20, 2013
Proselytizing : Dialogue :: Heaven : Hell
The ever-trenchant Mundabor has a post about Cardinal Tauran on the New Evangelization. Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran is the president of the Pontifical Council of Inter-religious Dialogue. The Cardinal has made statements such as these:
“In this pluralistic situation, we have no other option than consciously cultivating friendly relationships with all of them based on mutual respect and understanding that eventually could lead to mutual collaboration for the common good, for peace and harmony towards the development of the society.
Tag: novus-ordo
October 16, 2018
The Extraordinary Form of the Mass Does Not Exist
There is no such thing as the extraordinary form of the Mass.
Now Pope Benedict XVI, in his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, writes:
In this regard, it must first be said that the Missal published by Paul VI and then republished in two subsequent editions by John Paul II, obviously is and continues to be the normal Form – the Forma ordinaria – of the Eucharistic Liturgy. The last version of the Missale Romanum prior to the Council, which was published with the authority of Pope John XXIII in 1962 and used during the Council, will now be able to be used as a Forma extraordinaria of the liturgical celebration.
August 9, 2017
Annibale Bugnini Attacks The Mass
Catholics often seem to labor under the assumption that during the Second Vatican Council, some honest prelates made some serious but well-meaning errors when making the changes to the Mass that the council called for. They believe that the changes just need a little tweaking. In reality, the demolition of the Roman Liturgy was deliberate and systematic. The fastest way to understand that the Mass changes were entirely intentional is to learn of the life work of one Annibale Bugnini, a priest and later Archbishop who was involved in just about all the major changes to the Latin liturgy in the 20th century.
Tag: old-evangelization
May 8, 2014
St. John The Evangelist Evangelizes a Youth
From Chapter 23, Book III of Eusebius' Church History:
Listen to a tale, which is not a mere tale, but a narrative concerning John the apostle, which has been handed down and treasured up in memory. For when, after the tyrant’s death, he returned from the isle of Patmos to Ephesus, he went away upon their invitation to the neighboring territories of the Gentiles, to appoint bishops in some places, in other places to set in order whole churches, elsewhere to choose to the ministry some one of those that were pointed out by the Spirit.
December 13, 2013
Old Evangelization Leads To Persecution
When you evangelize and present the Catholic faith as it has been taught for centuries, you will be persecuted.
Some of that persecution will be from within the Church.
A most trenchant example is the latest persecution of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (FFI). That Rorate Cæli link has a thorough explanation of what’s gone on most recently.
The problems started when a small group within the order petitioned Rome, complaining that the order was too traditional.
December 12, 2013
The Prophet Elias Re-Converts Israel (Again)
From the Douay-Rheims translation of the Third Book of Kings (1 Kings):
[21] And Elias coming to all the people, said: How long do you halt between two sides? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word. [22] And Elias said again to the people: I only remain a prophet of the Lord: but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men.
December 10, 2013
It's OK To Speak Harshly Sometimes
One of the more striking things I’ve come across reading Pascendi Dominici Gregis is the tone. Pope St. Pius X writes many words, and he minces not a one of them.
But we have not yet come to the end of their philosophy, or, to speak more accurately, their folly. (par. 8)
By most measures, that is a sick burn!
Blind that they are, and leaders of the blind, inflated with a boastful science, they have reached that pitch of folly where they pervert the eternal concept of truth and the true nature of the religious sentiment; (par.
June 13, 2013
Nemo Potest Dare Quod Non Habet
Nemo potest dare quod non habet is a Latin phrase that translates “No one can give what he has not.” It is a cliché because it is so very true.
If you do not have an apple, you cannot give someone an apple.
If you do not have an umbrella, you cannot give someone temporary shelter from rain.
If you do not have sound catechesis, you cannot pass on the Catholic faith to anyone else.
May 31, 2013
St. Benedict Evangelizes
From Pope Pius XII’s Encyclical Fulgens Radiatur:
Trusting in God and relying on His ever present help, he went south and arrived at a fort “called Cassino situated on the side of a high mountain …; on this stood an old temple where Apollo was worshipped by the foolish country people, according to the custom of the ancient heathens. Around it likewise grew groves, in which even till that time the mad multitude of infidels used to offer their idolatrous sacrifices.
April 25, 2013
Catholicism Is For Everyone
Jesus came so that all might be saved. Now He never said that all would be saved, or even most. But salvation is at least possible for anyone.
Nobody knows better than God that different people have different capabilities. Some, like St. Thomas Aquinas, can dictate three different books to scribes at the same sitting and have one of them be considered the best theological treatise of all time. Others like St.
April 22, 2013
Saint Dominic Evangelizes An Innkeeper
Excerpted from Saint Dominic de Guzman by Fray Diego Matamoros
On their first evening of the journey, the small band of Royal emissaries stopped at an inn is [sic] southern France to rest for the night. The owner of the inn was a heretic, who engaged the bishop and young sub-prior in a discussion. Up to this point, neither the bishop, nor Saint Dominic had any idea of the nature of this heresy, or the mental hold that it had on its adherents.
Tag: papacy
March 25, 2017
On The Servant of the Servants of God
“When the Pope uses the title of servus servorum Dei, originally assumed by Pope St. Gregory the Great as a description of the power of the Supreme Keys, one must remember that the formula servus servorum is not a genitive of object, as if the pope were the one who serves the servants of God, but an hebraic genitive signifying a superlative sense as in saecula saeculorum, virgo virginum, caeli caelorum, and so on.
Tag: pascendi
May 5, 2014
St. Pius X on the Attack
After fleshing out the tactics of the Modernists, Pope St. Pius X outlines a plan of attack for his papacy to combat Modernists. He acknowledges that Pope Leo XIII had fought Modernists, but the Modernists were able to twist the words of the Pontiff and convince others that he really was talking about others, not themselves. But St. Pius X realizes that more efficacious measures are needed. He implores all bishops, pastors of souls, educators and professors of clerics, and in a very special way the superiors of religious communities to help him in taking the following actions:
May 3, 2014
Modernism In Action
After spelling out the causes of Modernism, Pope St. Pius X tackles the tactics of Modernists. He lumps them under two umbrellas: removing obstacles that prevent them from deluding the minds of men, and patiently applying every resource at their disposal.
Removing Obstacles There are three large obstacles upon which Modernists wage unrelenting war:
the scholastic method of philosophy the authority and tradition of the Church Fathers the magisterium of the Church Scholastic Philosophy Pius X has already mentioned in passing that by abandoning Scholasticism Modernists have left themselves without the tools to defend themselves from ignorance and intellectual error.
April 30, 2014
Causes of Modernism
Moral Causes With an eye to coming up with a suitable remedy for Modernism, Pius X takes up its causes in §40 of Pascendi. He lists three moral causes: one proximate, and two remote.
In a series of causal events, where one thing causes the next, the proximate cause is the cause right before the final thing in the chain. So whatever else in the causal chain leads up to Modernism, the nearest and most immediate cause of Modernism is an error of the mind.
April 29, 2014
Modernism, Agnosticism, and Atheism
After defining Modernism as the synthesis of all heresies, Pope St. Pius X turns to discussion of how the agnosticism of the Modernist philosophy leads to atheism.
Agnosticism bars man from approaching God through the intellect. Remember, it says that God is completely unknowable from reason. Instead, it proposes that a better way of approaching God is through “a certain sense of the soul and action”. But in reality (not in Modernism), the sense of the soul is the soul’s response to what the intellect or the senses set before it.
April 3, 2014
Modernism Is A System
The first thing that Pope Saint Pius X discusses after laying out the seven personalities of Modernists is to reiterate that Modernism is not a bunch of “scattered and unconnected theories”, but is a complete and integrated system. (§39) When you admit but one principle of Modernism, you cannot help but admit all of the Modernist principles.
It is in this section that Pius famously defines Modernism to be “the synthesis of all heresies.
March 31, 2014
The Modernist Reformer
The last personality of the Modernist is the Reformer. Pope St. Pius X spends only one section on this personality, and it is basically just a list of everything that the Modernists want to reform:
Philosophy, especially in the seminaries Scholastic philosophy ought to be abandoned as too absolutist, in contrast to modern philosophy which is better suited to the times. Theology Rational theology should be based on modern philosophy, and postive theology on the history of dogma.
March 29, 2014
The Modernist Apologist
An apologist for the Church defends Her and Her faith from all who would argue against them. Over the centuries, many sound arguments have been advanced by Catholics to aid in this defense. The Modernist apologist does not use traditional arguments from reliable sources, but instead bases his defense upon the history produced by Modernist historians. He uses two types of arguments: objective and subjective.
Objective Approach The objective approach to Modernist apologetics starts from (you guessed it) agnosticism.
March 28, 2014
The Modernist Critic
The Modernist critic synthesizes Modernist history and philosophy to produce his criticism, which ends up butchering Scripture.
The critic starts by taking his data from the Modernist historian. (§31) Whatever is left after the historian has made his mark is considered real history; whatever has been explained away is considered the history of faith. So, continuing with the focus on Christ, the critic distinguishes between the Christ who lived in a particular time and place (considered real) and the Christ of faith, who comes from pious meditations of the believer (such a critic would consider the Gospel of St.
March 27, 2014
The Modernist Historian
The Modernist historian does not want to be seen as a philosopher. They want their historical practice to appear objective, untainted by a philosophy. But their historical practice is full of their philosophy, and “their historico-critical conclusions are the natural outcome of their philosophical principles.” (§30)
Like the philosopher, the historian starts with agnosticism. Agnosticism means that the Modernist historian removes God from being an actor in history. History deals entirely in phenomena, just like science.
March 26, 2014
The Modernist Theologian – Topics of Faith
Since theologians talk of faith, Pope St. Pius takes §§21-28 to delve deeper into topics related to faith.
Dogma Dogma has been discussed earlier in the encyclical. First the Modernist believer has religious impulses. These impulses prompt secondary reflections that eventually evolve into dogma. Theological speculation, while not itself Modernist dogma, can help “harmonize religion to science” and “defend religion from without” (§21).
Worship Modernists view sacraments as the result of “inner impulses”.
March 25, 2014
The Modernist Theologian – Foundational Concepts
The portion of Pascendi expounding upon the Modernist theologian is by far the longest and most involved section. It can be roughly divided into two parts. The first spells out the foundational concepts on which Modernist theology is built. The second speaks on other, non-foundational topics of Modernist faith. In the interests of length, this post focuses on just the foundational concepts.
Foundational Concepts Modernist theology is built around three concepts: theological immanence, theological symbolism, and divine permanence.
March 22, 2014
The Modernist Believer
There is a contradiction between the Modernist philosopher and the Modernist believer. The believer thinks that the divine is something external, outside of himself. The philosopher thinks that the divine is completely internal to the believer, and does not exist outside of the believer.
The believer concludes that the divine is external and real on the basis of personal religious experiences. The Modernist would claim that if one does not have these personal religious experiences, one is not a believer.
March 15, 2014
The Modernist Philosopher
The Modernist philosopher begins with Agnosticism. Many people think that agnosticism is simply acknowledging that one does not know whether or not God exists. But in the Modernist system, agnosticism is a denial that anyone can even know whether God exists. All we can reason about is phenomena: things that appear to us, and the way they appear to us. Since the existence of God is not a phenomena, we can’t reason about it.
March 13, 2014
The Seven Personalities of Modernists
In Pascendi Dominici Gregis, Pope St. Pius X aims to show that Modernism is “the synthesis of all heresies”. It is not just a scattered bunch of heresies here and there, but rather a coherent program on the march to destroy the Catholic faith. But on the surface Modernism appears to be a mess of unrelated tactics. It is not exactly easy to see how it is organized and coherent.
March 13, 2014
Pascendi And Modernism
Below, please find a series of posts on this site on the encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis of Pope St. Pius X. Bookmark this page as a reference for this study of the encyclical. If you want to be notified of new posts on this site, subscribe to the RSS feed.
Introduction Subvert the Faith With This One Weird Worldview Modernist Personalities The Seven Personalities of Modernists - a brief overview of the Modernist system.
December 10, 2013
It's OK To Speak Harshly Sometimes
One of the more striking things I’ve come across reading Pascendi Dominici Gregis is the tone. Pope St. Pius X writes many words, and he minces not a one of them.
But we have not yet come to the end of their philosophy, or, to speak more accurately, their folly. (par. 8)
By most measures, that is a sick burn!
Blind that they are, and leaders of the blind, inflated with a boastful science, they have reached that pitch of folly where they pervert the eternal concept of truth and the true nature of the religious sentiment; (par.
December 6, 2013
Subvert The Catholic Faith With This One Weird Worldview
Modernism is a silent killer of souls.
The problem with modernism is that unless one has been trained in where to look for it, it is fiendishly difficult to notice. Its effects are obvious:
religious indifferentism seemingly constant change in religious practice loss of faith Modernism’s practices, how it produces these effects, are much more obscured. A modernist does not write articles titled “Subvert The Catholic Faith With This One Weird Worldview”.
Tag: persecution
December 13, 2013
Old Evangelization Leads To Persecution
When you evangelize and present the Catholic faith as it has been taught for centuries, you will be persecuted.
Some of that persecution will be from within the Church.
A most trenchant example is the latest persecution of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (FFI). That Rorate Cæli link has a thorough explanation of what’s gone on most recently.
The problems started when a small group within the order petitioned Rome, complaining that the order was too traditional.
Tag: piety
February 28, 2016
To Dissemble When God Is Wronged Is Impiety
We join our Lord Jesus Christ in the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. He is finishing up being tempted by Satan in the desert:
8 Again, the Devil took Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And said to Him, All these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship me.
Tag: pope-agatho
October 13, 2017
Pope Francis vs. Pope St. Agatho
Shot: …doctrine cannot be preserved without allowing it to develop, nor can it be tied to an interpretation that is rigid and immutable without demeaning the working of the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis, 11 October 2017
Chaser: nothing of the things appointed ought to be diminished; nothing changed; nothing added; but they must be preserved both as regards expression and meaning.
Pope Saint Agatho, as quoted by Pope Gregory XVI in Mirari Vos
Tag: pope-benedict-xvi
October 16, 2018
The Extraordinary Form of the Mass Does Not Exist
There is no such thing as the extraordinary form of the Mass.
Now Pope Benedict XVI, in his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, writes:
In this regard, it must first be said that the Missal published by Paul VI and then republished in two subsequent editions by John Paul II, obviously is and continues to be the normal Form – the Forma ordinaria – of the Eucharistic Liturgy. The last version of the Missale Romanum prior to the Council, which was published with the authority of Pope John XXIII in 1962 and used during the Council, will now be able to be used as a Forma extraordinaria of the liturgical celebration.
Tag: pope-francis
May 17, 2019
Pope Francis vs. Vatican I
SHOT: that meaning of the sacred dogmas is ever to be maintained which has once been declared by Holy mother Church, and there must never be any abandonment of this sense under the pretext or in the name of a more profound understanding.
—Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith, Vatican Council I
If anyone says that it is possible that at some time, given the advancement of knowledge, a sense may be assigned to the dogmas propounded by the Church which is different from that which the Church has understood and understands: let him be anathema.
February 4, 2019
Pope Francis vs. Pope Leo XIII
Shot: The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings.
Pope Francis_,_ A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together
Chaser: …we are bound absolutely to worship God in that way which He has shown to be His will.
Pope Leo XIII, Immortale Dei
October 15, 2017
Pope Francis vs. the Catechism
Shot: It is, in itself, contrary to the Gospel, because a decision is voluntarily made to suppress a human life, which is always sacred in the eyes of the Creator and of whom, in the last analysis, only God can be the true judge and guarantor
Pope Francis, 11 October 2017
Chaser: Another kind of lawful slaying belongs to the civil authorities, to whom is entrusted power of life and death, by the legal and judicious exercise of which they punish the guilty and protect the innocent.
October 13, 2017
Pope Francis vs. Pope St. Agatho
Shot: …doctrine cannot be preserved without allowing it to develop, nor can it be tied to an interpretation that is rigid and immutable without demeaning the working of the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis, 11 October 2017
Chaser: nothing of the things appointed ought to be diminished; nothing changed; nothing added; but they must be preserved both as regards expression and meaning.
Pope Saint Agatho, as quoted by Pope Gregory XVI in Mirari Vos
March 25, 2017
On The Servant of the Servants of God
“When the Pope uses the title of servus servorum Dei, originally assumed by Pope St. Gregory the Great as a description of the power of the Supreme Keys, one must remember that the formula servus servorum is not a genitive of object, as if the pope were the one who serves the servants of God, but an hebraic genitive signifying a superlative sense as in saecula saeculorum, virgo virginum, caeli caelorum, and so on.
March 11, 2017
Pope Francis vs. Trent
Shot:
A subject may know full well the rule, yet have great difficulty in understanding “its inherent values”, or be in a concrete situation which does not allow him or her to act differently and decide otherwise without further sin.
Amoris Laetitiae, §301
Chaser:
If anyone says that the commandments of God are impossible to observe even for a man who is justified and established in grace, let him be anathema.
February 19, 2016
Yes, The Pope Said Something Scandalous
So the pope held another interview on a plane. And, unfortunately, he said something scandalous. This is going to be a bit long, but I think it’s needed to make the following points:
Yes, what he said is actually scandalous. No, seriously, it is actually scandalous. Just ignoring it is a disservice to souls. Here’s the question and answer from the interview in its entirety:
Paloma García Ovejero, Cadena COPE (Spain): Holy Father, for several weeks there’s been a lot of concern in many Latin American countries but also in Europe regarding the Zika virus.
August 6, 2015
Oh, For Offspring's Sake!
As these situations especially affect children, we are aware of a greater urgency to foster a true welcome for these families in our communities. For how can we encourage these parents to raise their children in the Christian life, to give them an example of Christian faith, if we keep them at arm’s length? I am especially grateful to the many pastors, guided by my Predecessors, who have worked diligently to let these families know they are still a part of the Church.
March 10, 2014
Temptation In The News
A follow-up to the previous post regarding the seventh commandment:
“And immediately there came to mind the thief we all have inside ourselves and while I arranged the flowers I took the cross and with just a bit of force I removed it,” Pope Francis said.
The idea to steal a crucifix from a priest’s corpse was a temptation. The “thief we all have inside ourselves” is likely a demon tempting its prey, although it is quite possible the temptation was natural and occurred without any demonic prompting.
December 13, 2013
Old Evangelization Leads To Persecution
When you evangelize and present the Catholic faith as it has been taught for centuries, you will be persecuted.
Some of that persecution will be from within the Church.
A most trenchant example is the latest persecution of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (FFI). That Rorate Cæli link has a thorough explanation of what’s gone on most recently.
The problems started when a small group within the order petitioned Rome, complaining that the order was too traditional.
May 9, 2013
Pope Francis Proselytizes
Pope Francis says at a daily Mass that evangelizing is not proselytizing. Since they are two separate words, I am inclined to agree. But why does the pope need to make this distinction?
Evangelization is the act of proclaiming Jesus Christ.
Proselytizing is the attempt to win converts to your cause.
Emphasizing their differences masks just how complementary they are. Why proclaim the good news that is Jesus if you did not wish to convert people to His religion?
Tag: pope-leo-xiii
February 4, 2019
Pope Francis vs. Pope Leo XIII
Shot: The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings.
Pope Francis_,_ A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together
Chaser: …we are bound absolutely to worship God in that way which He has shown to be His will.
Pope Leo XIII, Immortale Dei
Tag: pope-paul-vi
February 19, 2016
Yes, The Pope Said Something Scandalous
So the pope held another interview on a plane. And, unfortunately, he said something scandalous. This is going to be a bit long, but I think it’s needed to make the following points:
Yes, what he said is actually scandalous. No, seriously, it is actually scandalous. Just ignoring it is a disservice to souls. Here’s the question and answer from the interview in its entirety:
Paloma García Ovejero, Cadena COPE (Spain): Holy Father, for several weeks there’s been a lot of concern in many Latin American countries but also in Europe regarding the Zika virus.
Tag: pope-pius-xi
March 13, 2017
Archbishop Arthur Roche vs. Pope Pius XI
Shot:
Evensong, the iconic expression of Anglican worship, was celebrated in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome by an Anglican Archbishop on the anniversary of the election of the Pope.
Archbishop David Moxon, the Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome, led the service using Cranmer’s ancient words. Archbishop Arthur Roche, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, one of the most senior Englishmen in the Vatican, preached.
August 6, 2015
Oh, For Offspring's Sake!
As these situations especially affect children, we are aware of a greater urgency to foster a true welcome for these families in our communities. For how can we encourage these parents to raise their children in the Christian life, to give them an example of Christian faith, if we keep them at arm’s length? I am especially grateful to the many pastors, guided by my Predecessors, who have worked diligently to let these families know they are still a part of the Church.
March 4, 2014
Pope Pius XI On Marriage Laws
From Casti Connubii §5:
… let it be repeated as an immutable and inviolable fundamental doctrine that matrimony was not instituted or restored by man but by God; not by man were the laws made to strengthen and confirm and elevate it but by God, the Author of nature, and by Christ Our Lord by Whom nature was redeemed, and hence these laws cannot be subject to any human decrees or to any contrary pact even of the spouses themselves.
Tag: pope-st-gregory-the-great
March 25, 2017
On The Servant of the Servants of God
“When the Pope uses the title of servus servorum Dei, originally assumed by Pope St. Gregory the Great as a description of the power of the Supreme Keys, one must remember that the formula servus servorum is not a genitive of object, as if the pope were the one who serves the servants of God, but an hebraic genitive signifying a superlative sense as in saecula saeculorum, virgo virginum, caeli caelorum, and so on.
Tag: pope-st.-pius-x
June 15, 2014
Spot Modernism #2 - Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences Edition
Fr. Bernard Ardura, president of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, recently gave an interview about Pope St. Pius X. Let’s see if what he has to say about this great pope is tainted with modernism.
Pope Pius X Was a “Reformer” For Modernism During his pontificate he was a very important reformer, but between his reformative activities, he also had to intervene on doctrine-related issues, as he was facing a difficult movement, called modernism.
March 13, 2014
Pascendi And Modernism
Below, please find a series of posts on this site on the encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis of Pope St. Pius X. Bookmark this page as a reference for this study of the encyclical. If you want to be notified of new posts on this site, subscribe to the RSS feed.
Introduction Subvert the Faith With This One Weird Worldview Modernist Personalities The Seven Personalities of Modernists - a brief overview of the Modernist system.
December 6, 2013
Subvert The Catholic Faith With This One Weird Worldview
Modernism is a silent killer of souls.
The problem with modernism is that unless one has been trained in where to look for it, it is fiendishly difficult to notice. Its effects are obvious:
religious indifferentism seemingly constant change in religious practice loss of faith Modernism’s practices, how it produces these effects, are much more obscured. A modernist does not write articles titled “Subvert The Catholic Faith With This One Weird Worldview”.
Tag: prayer
March 6, 2014
Just How Long Is A Rosary Anyway?
This may seem like an unusual question, but just how long is a rosary? How many prayers does it take to pray the rosary?
The Short Answer The rosary consists of fifteen mysteries, three sets of five each: the Joyful, the Sorrowful, and the Glorious. For each mystery, also referred to as a “decade”, one prays one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be, meditating on that mystery throughout.
Tag: principle-of-non-contradiction
October 13, 2017
Pope Francis vs. Pope St. Agatho
Shot: …doctrine cannot be preserved without allowing it to develop, nor can it be tied to an interpretation that is rigid and immutable without demeaning the working of the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis, 11 October 2017
Chaser: nothing of the things appointed ought to be diminished; nothing changed; nothing added; but they must be preserved both as regards expression and meaning.
Pope Saint Agatho, as quoted by Pope Gregory XVI in Mirari Vos
Tag: proselytizing
December 12, 2013
The Prophet Elias Re-Converts Israel (Again)
From the Douay-Rheims translation of the Third Book of Kings (1 Kings):
[21] And Elias coming to all the people, said: How long do you halt between two sides? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word. [22] And Elias said again to the people: I only remain a prophet of the Lord: but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men.
June 20, 2013
Proselytizing : Dialogue :: Heaven : Hell
The ever-trenchant Mundabor has a post about Cardinal Tauran on the New Evangelization. Jean-Louis Cardinal Tauran is the president of the Pontifical Council of Inter-religious Dialogue. The Cardinal has made statements such as these:
“In this pluralistic situation, we have no other option than consciously cultivating friendly relationships with all of them based on mutual respect and understanding that eventually could lead to mutual collaboration for the common good, for peace and harmony towards the development of the society.
May 9, 2013
Pope Francis Proselytizes
Pope Francis says at a daily Mass that evangelizing is not proselytizing. Since they are two separate words, I am inclined to agree. But why does the pope need to make this distinction?
Evangelization is the act of proclaiming Jesus Christ.
Proselytizing is the attempt to win converts to your cause.
Emphasizing their differences masks just how complementary they are. Why proclaim the good news that is Jesus if you did not wish to convert people to His religion?
Tag: reason
March 6, 2016
Reason Can Prove God's Existence
The existence of God can be proven/demonstrated from reason alone. But don’t take my word for it:
Oath Against Modernism (Denz. 2145) And first, I profess that God, the beginning and end of all things, can be certainly known and thus can also be demonstrated by the natural light of reason “by the things that are made” [cf. Romans 1:20], that is, by the visible works of creation, as the cause by the effects.
Tag: religious-indifferentism
June 22, 2013
Apostasy and Cardinal Dolan
Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Cardinal Archbishop of New York and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has made statements that suggest apostasy. Visiting a mosque in New York, he said the following:
“You love God, we love God and he is the same God,” the cardinal said of the Muslim and Roman Catholic faiths.
He likened Muslims to earlier waves of Roman Catholic immigrants who some 150 years ago faced the same challenge of “how to become loyal, responsible, patriotic Americans without losing their faith.
Tag: religious-liberty
February 4, 2019
Pope Francis vs. Pope Leo XIII
Shot: The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings.
Pope Francis_,_ A Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together
Chaser: …we are bound absolutely to worship God in that way which He has shown to be His will.
Pope Leo XIII, Immortale Dei
Tag: roman-catechism
October 15, 2017
Pope Francis vs. the Catechism
Shot: It is, in itself, contrary to the Gospel, because a decision is voluntarily made to suppress a human life, which is always sacred in the eyes of the Creator and of whom, in the last analysis, only God can be the true judge and guarantor
Pope Francis, 11 October 2017
Chaser: Another kind of lawful slaying belongs to the civil authorities, to whom is entrusted power of life and death, by the legal and judicious exercise of which they punish the guilty and protect the innocent.
Tag: rosary
March 6, 2014
Just How Long Is A Rosary Anyway?
This may seem like an unusual question, but just how long is a rosary? How many prayers does it take to pray the rosary?
The Short Answer The rosary consists of fifteen mysteries, three sets of five each: the Joyful, the Sorrowful, and the Glorious. For each mystery, also referred to as a “decade”, one prays one Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be, meditating on that mystery throughout.
Tag: saints
May 31, 2013
St. Benedict Evangelizes
From Pope Pius XII’s Encyclical Fulgens Radiatur:
Trusting in God and relying on His ever present help, he went south and arrived at a fort “called Cassino situated on the side of a high mountain …; on this stood an old temple where Apollo was worshipped by the foolish country people, according to the custom of the ancient heathens. Around it likewise grew groves, in which even till that time the mad multitude of infidels used to offer their idolatrous sacrifices.
Tag: satire
April 1, 2014
April Fool's Day Fathers Lies
Every first day of April, the internet becomes more unreliable than usual as people post falsehoods in the name of humor. Sites that normally traffic in the truth choose to pull a fast one on their readers. At the end of the prank, the reader is supposed to realize that they’ve been duped, and a good laugh is to be had by all.
While satire has its place, satire is best presented as satire up front.
Tag: schism
March 2, 2014
There Is No Such Thing As “Remarriage” After Divorce
“Remarriage” is a word that is being used very imprecisely in an important public discussion about reception of Holy Communion.
In reality, a remarriage is a marriage that is contracted by someone whose previous marriage ended with the death of the other spouse. This is the only sense in which the word “remarriage” has any meaning, because the death of the spouse is the only way a marriage can end.
Tag: sin
March 10, 2014
Temptation In The News
A follow-up to the previous post regarding the seventh commandment:
“And immediately there came to mind the thief we all have inside ourselves and while I arranged the flowers I took the cross and with just a bit of force I removed it,” Pope Francis said.
The idea to steal a crucifix from a priest’s corpse was a temptation. The “thief we all have inside ourselves” is likely a demon tempting its prey, although it is quite possible the temptation was natural and occurred without any demonic prompting.
March 8, 2014
The Seventh Commandment In The News
From what I can see, not one Catholic commenter has tackled a news story that made the rounds 6 March. According to the AP account, which matches Rome Reports' video of the event, Pope Francis told the priests of Rome that some years prior he had removed the crucifix from the rosary of his late confessor, whose corpse was clutching the rosary in its casket. Francis claims to have kept the crucifix on his person ever since as a reminder of mercy.
Tag: spot-modernism
June 15, 2014
Spot Modernism #2 - Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences Edition
Fr. Bernard Ardura, president of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, recently gave an interview about Pope St. Pius X. Let’s see if what he has to say about this great pope is tainted with modernism.
Pope Pius X Was a “Reformer” For Modernism During his pontificate he was a very important reformer, but between his reformative activities, he also had to intervene on doctrine-related issues, as he was facing a difficult movement, called modernism.
May 7, 2014
Spot Modernism #1
Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, the Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, recently gave an interview to a weekly magazine. Let’s see if we can apply some of the lessons learned from reading Pascendi Dominici Gregis to his statements.
“The Church is not timeless” The Church is not timeless, she lives amidst the vicissitudes of history and the Gospel must be known and experienced by people today.
We can see that no objective, undying truth of the Church is admitted here.
Tag: summorum-pontificum
October 16, 2018
The Extraordinary Form of the Mass Does Not Exist
There is no such thing as the extraordinary form of the Mass.
Now Pope Benedict XVI, in his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, writes:
In this regard, it must first be said that the Missal published by Paul VI and then republished in two subsequent editions by John Paul II, obviously is and continues to be the normal Form – the Forma ordinaria – of the Eucharistic Liturgy. The last version of the Missale Romanum prior to the Council, which was published with the authority of Pope John XXIII in 1962 and used during the Council, will now be able to be used as a Forma extraordinaria of the liturgical celebration.
Tag: temptation
March 10, 2014
Temptation In The News
A follow-up to the previous post regarding the seventh commandment:
“And immediately there came to mind the thief we all have inside ourselves and while I arranged the flowers I took the cross and with just a bit of force I removed it,” Pope Francis said.
The idea to steal a crucifix from a priest’s corpse was a temptation. The “thief we all have inside ourselves” is likely a demon tempting its prey, although it is quite possible the temptation was natural and occurred without any demonic prompting.
Tag: timothy-cardinal-dolan
June 22, 2013
Apostasy and Cardinal Dolan
Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Cardinal Archbishop of New York and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has made statements that suggest apostasy. Visiting a mosque in New York, he said the following:
“You love God, we love God and he is the same God,” the cardinal said of the Muslim and Roman Catholic faiths.
He likened Muslims to earlier waves of Roman Catholic immigrants who some 150 years ago faced the same challenge of “how to become loyal, responsible, patriotic Americans without losing their faith.
Tag: tradition
May 13, 2014
The Hermeneutic of Continuity is Bunk
The hermeneutic of continuity, sometimes called the hermeneutic of reform in continuity, is incoherent. Instead of following this interpretation of Vatican II documents, we should hold the documents to the standard put forth by Catholic Tradition.
Definition(s) The hermeneutic of continuity surprisingly admits of two definitions.
The Council documents must be understood in the light of Traditional Catholic doctrine. The Council documents already stand in continuity with Traditional Catholic doctrine, and the only way to see it is to apply this hermeneutic.
Tag: traditional-latin-mass
October 16, 2018
The Extraordinary Form of the Mass Does Not Exist
There is no such thing as the extraordinary form of the Mass.
Now Pope Benedict XVI, in his motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, writes:
In this regard, it must first be said that the Missal published by Paul VI and then republished in two subsequent editions by John Paul II, obviously is and continues to be the normal Form – the Forma ordinaria – of the Eucharistic Liturgy. The last version of the Missale Romanum prior to the Council, which was published with the authority of Pope John XXIII in 1962 and used during the Council, will now be able to be used as a Forma extraordinaria of the liturgical celebration.
Tag: truth
April 1, 2014
April Fool's Day Fathers Lies
Every first day of April, the internet becomes more unreliable than usual as people post falsehoods in the name of humor. Sites that normally traffic in the truth choose to pull a fast one on their readers. At the end of the prank, the reader is supposed to realize that they’ve been duped, and a good laugh is to be had by all.
While satire has its place, satire is best presented as satire up front.
Tag: vatican-i
May 17, 2019
Pope Francis vs. Vatican I
SHOT: that meaning of the sacred dogmas is ever to be maintained which has once been declared by Holy mother Church, and there must never be any abandonment of this sense under the pretext or in the name of a more profound understanding.
—Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith, Vatican Council I
If anyone says that it is possible that at some time, given the advancement of knowledge, a sense may be assigned to the dogmas propounded by the Church which is different from that which the Church has understood and understands: let him be anathema.
Tag: vatican-ii
August 9, 2017
Annibale Bugnini Attacks The Mass
Catholics often seem to labor under the assumption that during the Second Vatican Council, some honest prelates made some serious but well-meaning errors when making the changes to the Mass that the council called for. They believe that the changes just need a little tweaking. In reality, the demolition of the Roman Liturgy was deliberate and systematic. The fastest way to understand that the Mass changes were entirely intentional is to learn of the life work of one Annibale Bugnini, a priest and later Archbishop who was involved in just about all the major changes to the Latin liturgy in the 20th century.