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Synod on the Amazon

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Synod on the Amazon

Commentary on the Instrumentum Laboris
by Professor Matteo d’Amico
a document published in Le Sel de la terre 110, autumn 2019
* Presentation by Le Sel de la terre

The preparation of the synod on the Amazon has provoked many reactions in the Church. Several conservative cardinals and bishops criticized the working document (Instrumentum Laboris) to the point of publicly demanding its suppression.

Professor Matteo D’Amico took the trouble to methodically analyze this text in the Courrier de Rome 1. We reproduce here the main passages from his introduction and conclusion.

* Analysis of Professor Matteo d’Amico (it’s only an extract)

[…]

The text of the Instrumentum Laboris […] is divided into three sections :

— the first part entitled “The voice of the Amazonâ€,

— the second part entitled “Integral Ecology : The Cry of the Earth and of the Poorâ€,

— and the third part : “Prophetic Church in the Amazon : Challenges and Hopes.â€

The Method of the Pope

Before starting a brief analysis of the text, let us first make an observation of the method: one will notice that the choice has been made to follow a plan starting from below, i.e., to arrive at the final document starting from the compilation of the questionnaire and a series of innumerable preparatory meetings.

The Pope has already accustomed us to this method in previous synods, such as the one on the family, and the one on the youth. We are faced with a kind of radical ecclesiastical democracy, with a continual appeal to the people and their solicitation to compile “notebooks of grievances†in which one must say what he expects of the Church, and what changes he expects of it. Basically, it is the method of all revolution, starting precisely from the French Revolution of 1789.

It is a dangerous and completely unnatural method for the Church, and unprecedented in all its history 2. The Catholic Church is essentially “magistraâ€: it possesses the truth in its entirety; it guards an immutable and clear doctrine that it has the duty to teach all peoples; it is not a mere human agency or institution that must conduct surveys on how to adapt a service to the requirements of its customers. Given the relationship between the Teaching Church (the Pope and the episcopate united to him and subordinate to him) and the Church Taught, it makes no sense to reverse the terms of the relationship and think that the Church Taught should teach the Teaching Church what to do or what to teach. We are facing an antichristic reversal of the right relationship that we should have with the Authority: we will see that this is the heart of the document, and in reality this is the heart of the very personal and heterodox interpretation that the Pontiff gives of the role and duties of the Church.

The Amazon

But it is useful to ask one last question: 34 million people live in the Amazon, of which more than 3 million are Indios, Indian natives (on a territory of 7.5 million square kilometers). It is a derisory number of inhabitants, equivalent to a little more than half of the inhabitants of Italy, but spread over a territory almost 22 times larger than that of Italy.

So why such an emphasis on the fate of Catholicism in this so particular but quantitatively insignificant region, regarding membership to the Catholic Church?

Are there not more urgent problems, such as the very profound de-Christianization of European Catholic States for centuries?

Are there not gigantic problems in the field of bioethics that would require extraordinary synods, such as the problems of abortion, euthanasia, homosexual unions?

Therefore, it does not seem rash to assume that the anxiety for 3 million Amerindians scattered in the vast Amazonian forest has another origin, and comes from ecological strategies put forward by the strong powers in the whole world, and that the Church must be the spokesperson and the sounding board, given its role of moral authority, certainly tamed and controlled but still influential on many, useful to give a varnish of spirituality to the global dictatorship that is slowly taking hold. In short, the Pope is used as a luxury Greta, for the use of dazed peoples who are slowly crushed. […]

Conclusion

It may be necessary, in conclusion, to summarize the structure of the document we have analyzed, highlighting its very serious flaws.

1. Firstly, all the laborious discourse that the Instrumentum Laboris develops is made without ever clarifying the situation of the Church in Amazon: it does not reconstruct its history, nor give data on the distribution, development, or the number of baptisms and marriages. Its style is thus totally abstract and, ultimately, not very serious. One does not understand, by reading this text, what it is talking about and what the situation of Catholicism in the Amazon is.

There is no rigorous and serious evaluation of the moral situation, e.g., respect for the conjugal bond, the frequency of the sacraments, etc. The situation could be good or very bad, but we do not know.

2. The confusion is increased by the fact that it is never clear whether it refers to the evangelization of the already baptized and converted Amerindians, or if it also speaks of the evangelization of Amerindians far from Gospel and who have never received the Good News. The “ancient†culture and beliefs of Amerindian “ancestors†are exalted to such an extent that it seems they are still pagans.

The worldview of the Amazonian Indians is ridiculously exalted as a vision of life of depth, beauty, harmony, and unmatched delicacy: an even superficial knowledge of these peoples suffices to show that it is a world far from being idyllic. The whole text is crossed and made absurd by this ambiguity.

3. The subject of the salvation of souls, eternal life, and the immortality of the soul is never mentioned in any part of the text. We are faced with a Christianity between the sentimental and the ideological, to be corrected to better favor harmony with nature. The text presents a faith completely emptied of its kernel of eschatological and soteriological force.

It never speaks of sin and, at the same time, there is not the slightest allusion to the Cross of Jesus-Christ and the economy of salvation based on the Cross. As sin is completely absent, so too is the theme of salvation absent, and not by chance: what salvation is needed if there is no sin? The very name of Jesus-Christ is mentioned only a very few times, and neither is this a coincidence.

Logically, there is no reference to the life of grace and the need to nourish it with the sacraments and prayer: all life of piety is dissolved in a nebula of continual exaltations of the original spirituality of the Indians of the Amazon, the new “good savagesâ€.

There is […] almost no reference to the Blessed Virgin Mary. And this is very suspicious and raises a lot of doubts about the faith of those who wrote this document.

The document presents an idea of completely false and distorted inculturation, which ends up asking the Church to convert to Native American spirituality.

The aim is to alter the priesthood and the liturgy and to clear the way for ordained women in one way or another (even if one does not yet dare to say openly for what purpose exactly).

The doctrinal and scriptural references are minimal, and we are only faced with a flood of references to the texts of Francis, whose jargon is used shamelessly, repeating like parrots his typical expressions (and especially a “Church that goes forthâ€).

4. The whole text is frankly modernist in all its aspects, and especially in its way of pleading the cause of the most frantic “dogmatic mobilismâ€: where doctrine and morality must not be rigid or oppressive, but flexible and able to adapt to the concrete reality and needs of the Amazonian Indians.

The « Instrumentum Laboris » that we have commentated is not a Catholic document, but a breeding ground of heresies. It is a scandalous text, and it is the duty of every Catholic, but especially of every bishop, to publicly condemn it and demand that it be withdrawn, by publicly denouncing its falseness and its pitfalls.

Its application and use during the Synod on the Amazon can only bring about the ruin of the Church in the Amazon, first of all, and worldwide when its application will be expanded.

Translation by A. A.

1 — Le Courrier de Rome, no. 623 (July-August 2019). The issues of the Courrier de Rome can be found at www.courrierderome.org.

2 — It must be added that this alleged democracy is actually a manipulation—as in all Masonic regimes. The puppeteers who claim to listen to “the people†have taken all the necessary steps to hear exactly what they want. Augustin Cochin dismantled these manipulative techniques in the unfolding of the French Revolution, and Fr. Calmel repeatedly stressed that they had entered the Church with the the conciliar revolution. (Ed.)

The Question of a Heretical Pope

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The Question of a Heretical Pope

  Editorial of Le Sel de la terre 109 – Summer 2019

THIS QUESTION is posed more and more in view of the scandals given by the present Pope. A recent example is provided by the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Common Coexistence“, signed in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2019, by Pope Francis and the “Great Imam” of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, in which we find the following sentence:

« 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 1 »

As much as we can attribute the diversity between men and women to the “wise divine Will“, we cannot ascribe it to the diversity of religions whose only cause is the sin of men.

In the editorial of Le Sel de la terre 102, we indicated two initiatives leading to the question of the heresy of the pope:

— On June 29, 2016, forty-five theologians presented a critical study of the exhortation Amoris lætitia to the Dean of the Sacred College, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, where nineteen propositions of the Roman document were censored 2.

— On August 11, 2017, a twenty-five-page letter entitled Correctio filialis de haeresibus propagatis (Filial correction concerning the spread of heresies), dated July 16 and signed by forty clerics and academics, was handed over to the Pope 3.

Other facts have been added to this dossier:

— On March 30 and 31, 2017, a symposium was held at Sceaux (a suburb of Paris) entitled “The Deposition of the Pope: Theological Sources – Canonical Models – Constitutional Issues 4“. About fifteen academics, including ten professors, two doctors and one associate, dealt with the subject 5.

— On March 21 Bishop Schneider published a conference on the “heretical Pope“, where he defends the opinion that in no case does a Pope lose his office because of heresy 6.

— Shortly thereafter, on April 21, about twenty Catholic theologians and academics published an Open Letter to Bishops of the Catholic Church [later designated as the Letter of the Twenty Theologians] asking the bishops to publicly warn Pope Francis of his heretical teachings. If he does not correct himself, they said, the announcement of his heresy by the bishops of the Church will then become a juridical fact, resulting in the pope automatically losing his office 7.

Thus, in view of the aggrevation of the crisis in the Church, a large number of Catholic figures realize that the problem comes from Rome. Although the theology of the present pope is not very different from that of his predecessors, the fact that he derives its moral consequences has shocked the conservative Catholics of the conciliar Church. Whence the accusations of heresy are multiplying.

Let us make two remarks about this:

1. These accusations are partly based on the teaching of the Council and the conciliar Popes. The authors of the latest Open Letter, for example, quote Vatican II and John Paul II in favor of their accusation of heresy against Pope Francis. Therefore, the perpetrators of these accusations have not yet grasped the origin of the evil that the Church suffers: even if they triumph in their enterprise – an unlikely hypothesis – we would be far from the return to a normal situation in the Church. This return cannot forgo condemning the errors of the Council.

2. Moreover, the accusers of the pope are divided on the consequences of their accusations. Does a pope accused and convinced of heresy lose his office?

— Yes, says the Letter of the Twenty Theologians.

— No, replies Bishop Schneider: “The theory – of the deposition of pope or the ipso facto loss of his office for heresy – is only a theological opinion [which is] in practice inapplicable. If applied in practice, it would create a situation similar to that of the Great Schism, which the Church has already disastrously experienced at the end of 14th and at the beginning of 15th century. Therefore we must bear with the situation by protecting ourselves as best we can; it is “the temporal cross of a heretical pope“.

We will simply remark here that the Letter of the Twenty Theologians is in accordance with the teaching of the great majority of theologians, while Bishop Schneider has difficulty in finding authorities on which to rely: the only theologian whom he quotes, Mgr. Zinelli, does not say that Pope can in any case lose his jurisdiction, but simply that if God allows such an evil, he will not lack the means of providing for the situation without jeopardizing the true doctrine of the full and supreme power of the Roman Pontiff 8. Clearly, the theologians cited by the Letter of the Twenty Theologians do not question this true doctrine.

This initiative of the 20 theologians has been criticized for being imprudent. We will readily admit that it is unlikely to lead to the deposition of the Pope. But it seems to us at least to have a twofold merit, on the one hand of recalling the traditional doctrine of the theologians on the question of a heretical pope, a little known doctrine, and, on the other hand, to indicate the immense danger to the Church of a Pope who spreads heresy: the current crisis in the Church has no other cause than the situation in Rome.

Once again, it is clear that the best solution is the one advocated by Msgr. Lefebvre in the last years of his life, when he understood that the seriousness of the situation in Rome obliged him :

— to do episcopal consecrations without the consent of the Pope ;

— and to wait for the Roman authorities to profess again the truly Catholic faith before placing himself and the Society under their immediate jurisdiction.




1https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/travels/2019/outside/documents/papa-francesco_20190204_documento-fratellanza-umana.html

2 See: fsspx.news/en/content/23941

3 A site has been specially created: www.correctiofilialis.org where this text can be found in various languages.

4 — Organized jointly by the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, the University of Auvergne, and the University Paris-Sud – Paris-Saclay as well as the laboratory Law & Religious Societies, the Michel de l’Hospital Center and the Institute of Juridical and Philosophical Sciences of the Sorbonne. The proceedings of this symposium should be published soon, which will enable us to report more precisely on them.

5— We are awaiting the publication of the Acts to report on it.

6 — Article published on March 21, 2019, by fr.news, available on Gloria.tv.

7 — www.lifesitenews.com/news/prominent-clergy-scholars-accuse-pope-francis-of-heresy-in-open-letter Among the authors of this Letter, we notice Professor Paolo Pasqualucci (several of whose texts Le Sel de la terre has published) and two Dominicans, Fathers Thomas Crean and Aidan Nichols. As of May 21, 70 new people had signed the Letter.

8 —MANSI52, col. 1109.

Letter from the Dominicans of Avrillé No. 30: January 2019

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Letter from the Dominicans of Avrillé

No. 30: January 2019

Midnight Christmas Mass

Protestantism: born of insanity, leading to insanity (II)

Anabaptist Fanaticism

Immediately following the Protestant revolt against the authority of the Church, Germany is inundated with blood. Mathias Harlem, an Anabaptist Protestant, takes charge of a ferocious mob, ordering the pillage of Churches, the destruction of sacred vestments and art, and the burning of all books, except for the Bible.

Setting himself up at Münster, which he names “Mount Zion,†he commands the habitants to bring him all the gold, silver and jewels they possess. He has it all placed in a common treasury, and appoints deacons in charge of the distribution. All his disciples are obligated to eat in common, live in perfect equality, and… prepare themselves for imminent war, because, as he informed them, “they will soon have to leave Mount Zion, and conquer all the nations of the Earth.†He perishes in a foolish enterprise, wanting to exterminate an entire army with a handful of men, as a “new Gideon.â€

The delirium of John of Leyden

Becold, better known under the name of John of Leyden, is the heir of Mathias’ fanaticism. A tailor by profession, one day he starts running in the streets, naked, shouting, “Behold the king of Zion cometh!†Returning to his house, he locks himself up for three days, and pretends to be mute when anyone tries to speak with him. Like a new Zachary, he asks (using signs) that he be brought a writing tablet. He then writes that he has received a divine revelation: after the manner of the ancient Hebrews, the people must be governed by “judgesâ€. Twelve men amongst his most faithful disciples are chosen, to whom he leaves the task of taking control of the city. As soon as their power is unquestioned, his authority as a new prophet is assured. However, his ambition doesn’t stop there: he must be proclaimed king, with all the pomp and majesty suited to such a dignity. So blind was the fanaticism of his partisans that the goal is easily attained. He initiates to the art of prophecy a common goldsmith, who then presents himself to the judges, declaring: “Behold the will of the Eternal Lord God: just as in the days of old I established Saul over Israel, and after him, David, who was only a simple shepherd, today I establish Becold, my prophet, as the king of Zion.â€

After a bit of haggling with the judges – who at first refuse to abdicate – and the help of yet another “prophet†who presents him with an unsheathed sword, representing his “power of justice†to extend the reign of Zion to the four corners of the earth, Becold is solemnly crowned on June 24th, 1534.

Becold had espoused the wife of his predecessor. He raises her to the dignity of queen, but without giving up his 17 other wives, in keeping with the holy liberty that he decreed concerning marriage. 16 months of reign will be nothing but an uninterrupted series of crimes, orgies, murders, atrocities and deliria of all sorts.

The Protestants condemn these horrors, but do they have the right? Who rejected the authority of the Church and delivered the Bible over to the whims of the people? The Anabaptists saw this very clearly; when Luther condemned them, they were filled with indignation. What right did he who established the principle of free examination have to limit its consequences?

Luther found in the Bible that the Pope was the Antichrist, and gave himself the mission to destroy his authority. Why couldn’t the Anabaptists rebel against Luther?

Epidemic of Protestant fanaticism

Herman preaches the massacre of priests and all the magistrates of the world. — David George claims to bring a new and perfect doctrine, because that of the Bible was faulty: he is “the true son of God.†— Nicolas rejects the virtue of Faith and any form of worship as useless; he also demolishes all morals by teaching that we must persevere in sin so that “grace may abound.†— Hacket claims that “the spirit of the Messiah is upon him,†and sends two of his disciples to run through the streets of London, crying out: “Behold the Christ cometh, a vessel in his hand!â€

All these deplorable spectacles, and a hundred others that we could cite, are proof enough that Protestantism nourishes and exacerbates fanaticism. It would take volumes to describe all the extravagances and crimes of the likes of Venner, Fox, William Sympson, J. Naylor, the Count Zinzendorf, Wesley, the Baron of Swedenborg et alii.

This is no exaggeration. All you have to do is to consult the history books written not only by Catholics, but by the Protestants themselves. You’ll find a multitude of facts witnessing to this truth: public actions, perpetrated in the light of day, in populous cities, at times not very distant from ours.

And don’t think that this source of fanaticism is close to drying up; it seems on the contrary to be going strong…

after Jacques Balmès Le Protestantisme comparé au Catholicisme

Community Chronicle

September 9th: Parent-Teacher meeting and start of a new school year for Saint Philomena Primary School, Saint Thomas Boys’ High School… and Saint Rose of Lima Girls’ Middle School. With four students in sixth grade (the same number as Saint Thomas High School in its first year), this new girls’ school has opened its doors just down the road from the Friary. Run by a Dominican teaching sister formerly from the Congregation of Saint Pré, under the direction of the Friary, this new establishment hopes to complete the educational possibilities for the many families installed in the area (who up until now were lacking a secondary school for their girls). Please keep this in your prayers!

September 15th: Fr. Angelico is in Ambérieux (near Lyons) where he blesses the marriage of two of our tertiaries. After which he flies off to England to replace Fr. King for Mass in Southport.

September 22nd: On the feast of St. Maurice and companions, soldiers of the Theban legion martyred in 286, and patrons of the diocese of Angers, Bishop Williamson confers the sub-deaconate on our Brother Alan (from Quebec). On the same day, arrival of Fr. N’Dong Ondo from Gabon, who will spend a few weeks at the Friary to rest up before returning to his busy apostolate in Africa.

October 8th: Fr. Prior gives a conference in Paris presenting the Little Catechism on Vatican II. “The result of this Council is much worse than the French Revolution. The seminaries, novitiates and churches have been emptied. Preaching has become ecumenical and liberal; the catechisms have been changed and are no longer Catholic.†(Archbp. Lefebvre, Spiritual Journey) For this reason alone, the false “canonization†on October 14th of Pope Paul VI (who presided the council) is a tremendous scandal, demanding reparation.

This Little Catechism on Vatican II is available in English on our website.

October 29th: Fr. Louis-Marie gives a conference in Paris on “Protestant Terrorism.†It is too little known that Protestantism was only able to impose itself upon half of Europe by violence, pillage, tyranny and massacres.

First station of the All Souls’ Day procession

November 2nd: Fr. Angelico blesses a roadside Calvary restored by a parishioner and his Association for the Safeguard of Religious Heritage.

November 4th: Fr. Rémi Picot, who exercises his apostolate in Asia and Australia, comes to spend two weeks on retreat at the Friary.

November 11th: Fr. Terence accompanies a group of students from Saint Thomas Boys’ School for a ceremony organized by the Mayor of Avrillé in commemoration of the Armistice of 1918. Let us pray for the patriots fallen on the battlefield, but without forgetting that the horrible bloodbath of WWI served to destroy the last Catholic empire (Austro-Hungarian Empire), permitted communism to take control of Russia, and ended in a false, masonic “peace,†which prepared the way for WWII.

November 16th: Ceremony of “Inauguration†for the 15 seniors of the class of 2019 at the Boys’ School. This year, the boys chose Charles and Zita of Hapsburg (the last Catholic Emperor and Empress) as their patrons. Fr. Morgan, who preached a retreat to the boys focusing on the lives of these exemplary Christians, is present.

Fr. Aloïs Brühwiler comes for a week-long retreat at the Friary, before resuming his apostolate in the Valais (Switzerland).

November 25th: The annual winter market to raise money for the Primary School is a happy success, thanks to the hard-working volunteers. It was also an opportunity for some of the newer families to integrate themselves into the parish.

December 8th: Procession through the streets of Angers in honor of the Immaculate Conception.

December 26th – January 2nd: Fr. Marie-Dominique joins Fr. Reginald to preach a Christmas retreat for the faithful at St. Joseph’s Mission in Emmet, KS: 3 days of conferences, Masses, confessions, Stations of the Cross…

News from our worksites

The land behind the Boys’ School has been transformed into a level, well-drained playing field to be used for various athletic activities (once the new turf grows in).

Playing field in construction

For the new parish hall, we have finally come to an agreement with Bâtiments de France (the commission whose authorization is necessary for construction), and the architect is putting the last touches on the blue prints. As soon as the construction permit is officially granted, the work will get started.

Crisis in the Church

“[At Bethlehem,] Our Lady and Saint Joseph […] are ‘overflowing’ with holiness and therefore with joy. And you will tell me: of course! They are Our Lady and Saint Joseph! Yes, but let us not think it was easy for them: saints are not born, they become thus, and this is true for them too.â€

(Pope Francis – Christmas greetings to Vatican employees; 21 Dec. 2018)

This last sentence is false and insulting toward the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was born a saint, and was even a saint from the very moment of Her Conception.

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Letter from the Dominicans of Avrillé # 28: May 2018

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Letter from the Dominicans of Avrillé

No. 28: May 2018

Chrismal Mass at the Friary (Holy Thursday)

Christian Vacation: a Few Tips

• God is never on vacation, because He is Pure Act. “My Father worketh until now, and I work†(John 5:17).  Therefore, there should not be any “vacation†in our relations with Him.  When one truly loves God, vacation time is not an occasion to diminish our love for Him, nor for our neighbor.

• There’s no vacation when it comes to education, either.  Parents are still charged with the task of watching over their children, helping them, and supporting them.  They must take advantage of vacations to spend more time with their children, according to their possibilities, and reinforce family life.  That means taking the time to talk, live, and pray together.

It can be beneficial to send the children on a good summer camp (when possible), provided that the parents also fulfill their duty to spend time with their children.

• Determine a schedule for rising and going to bed.

—morning: Set a time for rising relatively early (rising late softens the body and weakens the will); say morning prayers as a family.

—evening: banish all screens, which impede relations between family members; say night prayers together, and set a time for going to bed.

• Make a schedule. For example:

—morning: a time for reading (catechism, lives of the saints, history…)

—afternoon: wholesome activities such as games outside with the participation of the parents as well as the children; excursions to learn about your region, its history, its traditions (that may require a bit of preparation); long nature walks to contemplate, admire and learn more about the plants and animals of the area, observe the stars…  Stay away from beaches that are a danger for morals.

It’s important that during all these activities, the parents and children be together as much as possible.  For a mother to stay in the house in order to “get things done,†while sending the children to play outside without taking an interest in what they’re doing, can be a double fault: not supervising the children, and not making them participate in household chores.  “There’s more joy in giving than in receiving.â€

Adults: beware of letting children of all ages, boys and girls mixed together, play together unsupervised, so the adults can be at peace.  Alas! How many tragedies are discovered afterwards, when it’s too late!

• Don’t forget regular confession, and going to Mass more often, when it’s possible.

Community Chronicle

January 12th: Father Reginald is in Saint-Malo-du-Bois (Vendee region) with the Knights of Our Lady for a formation session.

Candlemas procession in the cloister

February 5th: Fathers Innocent-Marie and Terence visit Schola Nova, a school in Belgium where spoken Latin is taught successfully, from the primary grades to high school.

At the Friary, the Student Brothers and seminarians undergo three days of exams.

February 24th: Bishop Zendejas celebrates a Pontifical High Mass for the Tonsure and First Minor Orders (Porter and Lector) for several seminarians and the Second Minor Orders (Exorcist and Acolyte) for our Brother Agostinho (Brazil).  The following Sunday, His Excellency gives a conference for the faithful on the situation of Tradition in the U.S.

Tonsure and Minor Orders : Feb. 24th

March 2nd: On the eve of the first Saturday of the month, the pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima that visited our region in 2017 is permanently installed in Saint Dominic’s Oratory (the chapel connected to the vestibule of the Friary Church).  Her presence among us will be a constant reminder of the urgency of the message of Fatima, last remedy given by Heaven to save the world, especially from the danger of communism (global socialism).  Thanks to the generosity of the faithful, a second pilgrim statue was also acquired, so that Our Lady may continue to visit the families of the parish.

March 24th: Fathers Louis-Marie and Angelico are in Paris to represent the Friary at the annual “Reality Fair†[“Fête du Pays Réelâ€].  This gathering organized by the Catholic nationalist organization “Civitas,†brings people from all over France to meet writers, artists, activists, clergy, and religious communities who make up the “real world.â€

March 29th-April 1st: Easter Triduum.  With the help of the seminarians, a few visiting priests (and two Bishops!), the Triduum ceremonies were celebrated with particular solemnity.  For the third year in a row, we were blessed to have a Chrismal Mass.

At the same time, Father Reginald was in Brazil helping Bishop Thomas Aquinas provide the Holy Week ceremonies to the faithful.

April 2nd-8th: Father Marie-Dominique is in Saint-Malo-du-Bois (Vendee region) preaching the annual retreat for the Sisters of Our Lady Co-Redemptrix.

April 8th-14th: Annual trip to Rome for the seniors of St. Thomas Boys’ School, accompanied by Father Hyacinthe-Marie.

April 12th-16th: Trip to the U.S. for Fathers Angelico and Marie-Laurent.  After a short stop in New York visiting with Bishop Zendejas, the Fathers preach a day of recollection for the faithful at St. Joseph’s Mission in Emmet, Kansas.  On Sunday: High Mass followed by a potluck and conference, with a get-together for the tertiaries in the afternoon.

May 1st: At the end of a week-long retreat, our three postulants receive the habit of the order:  Brother Gabriel (Timothy, from Arizona), Brother Pie-Marie (Louis, from France) and Brother Marie-Thomas (Nicolas, from France, former student of St. Thomas Boys’ School).

One of the postulants receiving his new name

News from our worksites

Thanks to the expert help of a parishioner, we were able to greatly reduce the construction costs for the new Parish Hall.  What’s more, the new blueprints are even better adapted to our needs than before.  However, that has involved a few delays…  Hopefully in the next newsletter we will finally be able to show some pictures of the progress of the worksite.  At the Priory (St. Thomas Boys’ School), the arched gate of the main entrance had to be renovated after severe damage due to age and weather.  The stones overhead had become dislodged from the mortar, and there was a risk of collapse.

Renovation of arched entryway

Crisis in the Church:

Pope honors pro-abortion activist

The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great was created in 1831 by Pope Gregory XVI in order to honor certain people for their personal dedication and self-sacrifice to the cause of the Holy See and the Roman Catholic Church.

It’s “surprising,†therefore, to see that last January, membership of this prestigious order was granted to Mrs. Liliane Ploumen, former Dutch minister of Commerce, who is particularly active in the worldwide propagation of abortion and LGBT associations.  She specified to the press that her pro-abortion activism was not mentioned during the ceremony of decoration, but seeing that she had been congratulated for her role in developing “resources in society,†she sees that as a “confirmation of what [she’s] doing for young women, for abortion.† (Medias-Catholique.Info n°18 – week of January 18th, 2018)

Masonic grip on the Vatican

In February, 2017, Pope Francis named Mr. Peter Sutherland president of the International Catholic Commission on Migrations, and counselor to the Administration of the Heritage of the Holy See.

Sutherland, an active member of the directing committee of the Bilderberg Group, and of the European section of the Trilateral Commission, was also president of Goldman Sachs International from 2005 to 2015:

— Goldman Sachs International is an invisible empire worth 700 billion euros (six times the annual budget of France); a money empire “over which the Sun never sets,†constituting a power over and above governments.  It doesn’t matter whether the Pope is a conscious agent or just being manipulated.  The result of these tight links with the “One World Order†is a perfect alignment between Vatican policy and the freemasonic, humanistic, globalist universalism which is working toward the dissolution of nations and cultures, to welcome migrants from all over the world with the goal of constructing a new multi-cultural, multi-religious world without boundaries: the world of the Anti-Christ. (Medias-Catholique.Info n° 16, week of January 4th, 2018)

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Pope Francis and the marriages in the Society of Saint-Pius X: Non possumus – We cannot enter into a canonical structure submitting ourselves to a modernist authority

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Pope Francis and the marriages in the Society of Saint-Pius X:  Non possumus – We cannot enter into a canonical structure submitting ourselves to a modernist authority

Sermon of Father Philippe François (FSSPX) given on Easter Sunday 16th April 2017 at Le Trévoux (Britanny, France) where he exercises the functions of chaplain to the Little Sisters of Saint Francis

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

My reverend sisters, my dear brethren,

The grace of the feast of Easter is to fortify our faith.  And if our faith in Our Lord is fortified, by the same token our faith in His only and well-loved Bride, the Holy, Catholic and Roman Church is also fortified.  And that is very necessary in the testing times in which we live.

Two weeks ago, as you have learnt, Rome granted with certain conditions to the priests of the SSPX the jurisdiction to carry out marriages.  “Good news!†my cobbler said to me, “we are nearing the end of the tunnel.â€

In reality, this jurisdiction was already given to us by the Church under the principles of the law which applies in times of crisis, in the state of necessity in which we find ourselves.  For almost fifty years, marriages which have been carried out in the priories of the SSPX and of Tradition have been valid.

But if one accepts the decision of Rome, one must accept the new code of canon law and the conciliar tribunals which apply this new code.

Now this new code destroys marriage.  It changes the definition of marriage.  First of all this sacrament no longer has as its first end procreation and the catholic education of children, but it puts as its first end the good relationships between the husband and wife and their mutual support.  And this definition, you see, has led to tens of thousands of marriages being annulled during the last forty years, because, as the spouses no longer got on, the conciliar ecclesiastical judges said that there had been no marriage.  And these declarations of annulment of marriages, which had been concluded validly and then declared annulled, have accelerated again by the procedure which the Pope himself put in place eighteen months ago and which facilitates annulments even further.

This happened two weeks ago; and then almost two years ago it was the powers to hear confession which was accorded to the priests of the Fraternity, as if they did not already have these powers.  Now these powers to hear confession validly, the Church gives to your priests in a time of crisis, because canon law foresees supplied jurisdiction in the exceptional circumstances in which we live.  Archbishop Lefebvre often reminded us of one of the great principles of Saint Pius X’s code of canon law: †the salvation of souls is the supreme law of the Churchâ€

These two events and others show us that a process of canonical regularization is in train since the time of Benedict XVI and with Pope Francis in regard to the SSPX and also in regard to the whole family of Tradition since the time of Benedict XVI and with Pope Francis .

This process of canonical regularization at present underway can be compared to the process of setting fire to a log of green wood.  When one throws a log of green wood onto the fire, it is incapable of catching fire, for there is an obstacle: it is the sap.  So the flame begins to lick the log in order to heat it up and to drive out the sap.  Once the sap is driven off, the log takes fire.  It is the same in our case, there would be an obstacle to the canonical statute – the reciprocal mistrust between the conciliar world and us.  The Pope’s gestures of “ benevolence†have as their aim the removal of this obstacle.  These gestures do not formally imply canonical dependence on the Roman authorities.  Once the obstacle of mistrust is removed, not much will prevent the granting of the definitive statute, which is the statute of the personal prelature, which has been under discussion between the superiors of the SSPX and the Holy See for six years.  So there would be the granting of this personal prelature, this time with effective dependence on the Holy See.  Notably the bishop, superior of the personal prelature, will be nominated by the Pope and therefore will be able to be revoked by the Sovereign Pontiff.

So the question is posed: can we enter into such a canonical structure?

To answer this question, my dear brethren, we must ask ourselves if the situation in Rome has changed to such an extent that we could envisage a canonical solution, a thing which we regarded as impossible just a short while ago.  Alas!  We are forced to state that nothing essential has changed:

— The actions of the Pope are more and more serious.  The accumulation of scandals during the four years of his pontificate makes us really think that with him modernism has become flesh.

— The reaction of some conservative cardinals or prelates, although it is courageous and merits being praised, does not however call into question the principles of the crisis; on the contrary they cling to the Second Vatican Council which apparently was properly interpreted by Pope Benedict XVI .

— The attitude of the Holy See with regard to Tradition is not benevolent – far from it.  The experience of the Franciscans of the Immaculate reminds us of this as well as the treatment suffered by Cardinal Burke and the other cardinals who opposed, on the occasion of the synod, the post-synodal declaration on the family Amoris Laetitia.  In the end the demands of Rome with regard to us are basically still the same.  We must still, even if it is asked less insistently, accept the council with its religious liberty, its ecumenism and its collegiality.

So what precisely are the grounds for our previous refusal of an agreement with Rome?  More exactly can we accept an agreement with a neo-modernist Rome?  Such an acceptance would make us enter into conciliar pluralism.  It would silence our attacks against modern errors and would put our faith in immediate danger.

Consequently the canonical solution can only be envisaged with a Rome which has been doctrinally converted and which will have proved its conversion by working for the reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ and by fighting against the adversaries of this reign.

By putting ourselves in the hands of the Roman authorities we would put in peril our particular good no less than the common good of the Church.

* First of all our own good: for we are responsible for our soul and thus of our faith.  Now without the faith one cannot be saved ( Hebrews 11,6) and nobody can pass off this responsibility onto others.

* Next we would put in jeopardy the common good of the Church.  In fact we are not masters of the faith in the sense that we cannot modify it at our pleasure.  The faith is the good of the Church, because it is through the faith that she lives the life of her Divine Spouse.  The faith is a common good not only because it is common to all Catholics but also because the participation of everyone is necessary (although not in the same measure for everyone) in order to preserve it.  Confirmation makes of you, my dear brethren, soldiers of Christ.  Every Christian must be ready to run risks in order to defend the faith.  And the priestly character, joined to the mission of the Church, gives to priests the sacred duty of preaching the faith and of defending it publicly by combatting error.  We are members of the Church militant which is attacked on all sides by error.  To no longer publicly raise our voices against error is to become the accomplices of error.  And this is what we are living in Tradition, notably since 2011.  In 2011 the abominable scandal of Assisi was renewed and the superiors of the Society unfortunately, we deplore it, were silent.  In 2015 the unthinkable canonization of John-Paul II took place and the superiors of the Society were silent.

So it is impossible today to put ourselves, by a canonical solution, in the hands of the neo-modernist authorities because of their neo-modernism.  That is the true obstacle to our recognition by these authorities.

In doing this, take note my dear brethren, far from challenging the authority of the Pope, we are convinced that we render to him the most important service, which is that of truth.  By our prayers, we beg the Immaculate Heart of Mary to obtain for the Sovereign Pontiff the grace of doctrinal conversion, so that once again “he confirms his brothers in the faith†(Luke 22, 32).  For we are Catholics, so we are Roman, we are Roman Catholics attached indefectibly to the seat of Peter, to the infallible teaching of all the successors of Peter up to Vatican Council II.  We are of eternal Rome, which is the irreconcilable enemy of neo-protestant and neo-modernist Rome.  There can be no peace possible with conciliar Rome.

Also we pray every day for the superiors of the SSPX that they do not fall into the trap which is being tendered to our dear Society.  That they may rediscover the prudence, fearlessness and firmness of Mgr. Lefebvre in his fight for Christ the King!

So we cannot – non possumus – enter into a canonical structure submitting ourselves to a modernist authority.

We say this because it is our duty.  How so?

* It is our duty firstly with regard to Our Lord and HIs Holy Church. We do not have the right to run risks by making peace with those who betray them.

* Then it is our duty for ourselves, because we have our souls to save and we cannot save ourselves without the faith whole and entire.

* Finally it is our duty with regard to the faithful who have recourse to our ministry.  We do not have the right to lead them very gradually towards the poisoned pastures of Vatican II.

My reverend sisters, my dear brethren, in the present torment and confusion, we must remain faithful to authentic Catholic principles and stay rooted in them.  And so that it may be the light which enlightens us and guides our steps, we must draw the practical consequences and apply them rigorously in our every-day life and in our daily attitudes.  Coherence and non-contradiction are the logical consequences of full and entire adhesion to the Truth, which is Our Lord Jesus Christ.  As cardinal Pie said: charity which is the bond of perfection, must be dictated and regulated by the truth and it is in this spirit of charity which we must act.

So on this Easter Sunday, the present hour is the hour of the beautiful virtue of hope, for we see perhaps with more clarity, the insufficiency of human means.  But Our Lord rises from the tomb today, as yesterday, and with him His Church!

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, may Our Lady of Good Hope, who alone on Easter morning knew how to maintain hope, may the Blessed Virgin Mary maintain in our hearts the divine hope, the Holy Hope, that which pleases God, that which will not be disappointed for eternity!

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

(Sermon published in “Le Sel de la terre†n° 101)

Friends and Benefactors Letter number # 24, January 2017 (updated with pictures)

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Letter from the Dominicans of Avrillé

No. 24: Jan 2017

Arise!

 

Bethlehem

 

“Arise, O man; for you God has become man. ‘Awake, sleeper, and arise from among the dead, and Christ will enlighten thee.’ [Eph. 5:14] For you, I repeat, God has become man. If He had not thus been born into time, you would have been dead for all eternity. Never would you have been freed from sinful flesh, if He had not taken upon Himself the likeness of sinful flesh. Everlasting misery would have engulfed you, if He had not taken this merciful form. You would not have been restored to life, had He not submitted to your death; you would have fallen, had He not succored you; you would have perished, had He not come.

Let us joyfully celebrate the coming of our salvation and redemption. Let us celebrate the festal day on which the great and timeless One came from the great and timeless day to this brief span of our day…â€

-St. Augustine, Sermon for Christmas [Sermon 185]

The Year of Luther

“What unites us is greater than what divides us†?

“In 2017, Lutherans and Catholics will celebrate together the 500th anniversary of the start of the Reformation.  Today, Lutherans and Catholics have the joy of understanding each other better and better, and of cooperating and respecting each other more and more. They have finally recognized that what unites them is greater than what divides them.â€

[“From Conflict to Communionâ€, report from the Lutheran-Catholic Commission (2013), of which Card. Müller, Prefect for the Cong. of the Doctrine of the Faith, is a member]

 

Statue of Luther enthroned by Pope Francis in the Vatican

 

A smiling Pope Francis receives a copy of Luther’s 95 “theses”

Last October 31st, the Pope was in Sweden to inaugurate “The Year of Luther†with the Lutherans.  He signed a joint declaration with the representative of Lutheranism in which he repeats this sophism: “What unites us is greater than what divides usâ€.

In reality, what divides us from the Protestants is much greater than what unites us, because what divides us is the Faith.

Protestants do not have divine Faith;  they believe in Luther, but they do not believe in God.  Regarding this point, let us quote the Catechism of the Crisis in the Church:

“He who denies even just one single dogma has lost the Faith.  This is because he does not accept Revelation from God, but establishes himself the judge of what must be believed.â€

â—   Isn’t it possible to deny one dogma while continuing to believe the others, and therefore – at least partially – conserve the virtue of Faith?

“… [H]e who dissents even in one point from divinely revealed truth absolutely rejects all faith, since he thereby refuses to honor God as the supreme truth and the formal motive of faith†[Leo XIII, Satis Cognitum, 1896].  Pope Leo XIII then quotes St. Augustine, speaking of heretics:  “In many things they are with me, in a few things not with me; but in those few things in which they are not with me the many things in which they are, will not profit them”.

â—  What should we think of this oft-repeated slogan according to which, in our relations with “separated Christiansâ€, we must consider what unites us rather than what divides us?

In matters of Faith, it is absolutely false and contrary to the traditional teaching of the Church to say that we must “consider what unites us rather than what divides usâ€.   This would give the impression that these differences only concern details of little importance, whereas, in reality, it is a question of the fullness of revealed truth.

[Fr. Matthias GAUDRON, Catechism of the Crisis in the Church]

We have in common with the Protestants our human nature, and, perhaps, a few natural virtues, but Protestants have neither the true Faith, nor supernatural Hope, nor infused Charity [except in the case of invincible ignorance, if a Protestant is Protestant in name only, through no fault of his own, being ready to accept all the dogmas of the Catholic Church, and therefore being already Catholic in his heart]. That constitutes an enormous division!  In Heaven, there are only Catholics; there are no Protestants, because to be saved one must have the true Faith: “He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be condemned†[Mk. 16:16].   Between the two, as Our Lord says in the Gospel, “there is a great abyss, so that they who would pass from hence, cannot, nor from thence come hither†[Lk. 16:26].   Such is the Gospel truth: between Catholics and Protestants there is a vast chasm which cannot be crossed.  Of course, during this life, it may be crossed if the Protestant comes back to the Church, but after death, it is too late.

How Luther invented Lutheranism

As a monk, Luther had a tortured conscience, feeling separated from God.  Was it a temptation, a scruple, or was he just not making enough of an effort to stay in the grace of God?  Whatever the case may be, since he felt unable to change himself, he decided to change religion: it was much easier.  From now on, it was no longer necessary to serve God, to obey Him, for that was “impossibleâ€; it was sufficient to have “confidence†in Christ, and all was well.  The Dictionary of Catholic Theology thus exposes the doctrine of Luther:

Over our corrupt souls, God places a “mantleâ€, that is, the merits of Jesus Christ.  This “justification†is entirely exterior, a marble covering over the rotten wood of a cabin.  In the work of our salvation, Jesus Christ – and Jesus Christ alone – is active, and we have no part in it; it would be an insult to want to cooperate by our works in what He has over-abundantly accomplished.  And how does one obtain this “mantleâ€?   […]  By Faith – or, to be exact – by confidence in Jesus Christ.  The soul will continue to produce fruits of death, but thanks to the confidence in his heart, the sinner will merit that God may “attribute†to him the merits of Jesus Christ.

On August 1st, 1521, in a letter to Melanchthon, Luther pronounced the famous formula that summarizes his new religion: “Pecca fortiter, sed fortius crede†(“Sin greatly, but believe still more greatlyâ€).

The year of Fatima

Instead of the anniversary of Luther’s revolt, let us celebrate the anniversary of Fatima.

The Blessed Virgin is an “anti-Lutherâ€.  Luther claimed that it is impossible to obey God; Our Lady, whose motto is “fiatâ€, tells us to “do whatsoever He shall say to you†(John 2:5).  At Fatima, the Blessed Virgin exhorts sinners to convert, and change their lives.

What’s more, Our Lady gives us the means to do so with the devotion of the Five First Saturdays.  Doing (and living) this devotion is the best way to celebrate this centenary, and to make reparation for the scandalous “Year of Lutherâ€.

Community Chronicle

September 18th:  Resumption of their priestly studies for the Scholastic Brothers and the Seminarians, and resumption of activities for the Third Order.

Fathers Marie-Dominique and Marie-Laurent are in Paris for the first meeting of the year for the Fraternity of St. Thomas, which groups together our tertiaries from Normandy, Paris, and Chartres, accompanied by their many children.  Mass, Divine Office, Rosary, alternate with instructions on spirituality and doctrine, in a family atmosphere.  In the following weeks, it will be the turn of the other Fraternities in Alsace, Brittany, Avrillé, and Lyons.

Why belong to the Third Order?  It provides a rule of life to better sanctify yourself while living in the world; it allows you to benefit from the spiritual support of a religious order and the fraternal Charity of other tertiaries.

September 20th:  Father Angelico begins a new year of his bi-monthly adult catechism classes on Bible History.  The study of the Old Testament using commentaries of the Fathers of the Church is an excellent way to enrich our spiritual life, according to St. Paul: “…all these things happened to them in figure: and they are written for our correction†(I Cor. 10:11).

October 2nd:  Fathers Marie-Laurent and Reginald resume their apostolate among the students of the military academy at La Flèche: confessions, Mass, conference.  This year they will be studying the fundamental book “Liberalism is a Sinâ€, by Don Sarda y Salvani.

October 8th:  Meeting of the “Saint Raphael Circle†for medical students, nurses and physical therapists, with Fathers Marie-Dominique and Hyacinthe-Marie.  Today the topic is “abortion and its consequencesâ€.

Vestition of Brother Michel-Marie

October 22nd:  Feast of the Dedication (Consecration of our Church). “In the world, you were known as Maximilien;  in the Order, you will be called Brother Michel-Marie, under the protection of the leader of the Heavenly Militia.â€Â  A new brother is born into our community.  “The Popes have asked us to be ‘fighters for the Faith’â€, comments Father Prior.  “Fight using the ‘arms of light’: zeal in spreading the Gospel, “the shield of Faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one… the sword of the Word of God†(Eph. 6:16).

December 2nd-5th:  Father Angelico is in Ireland for Masses and preaching in Longford and Dublin.

December 8th:  Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  After a Solemn High Mass in the majestic setting of “Saint John’s Hospice†(13th cen.), the clergy and faithful go into the streets of Angers for a candle-light procession in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“We have a very certain hope and complete confidence that the most Blessed Virgin will ensure by her most powerful patronage that all difficulties be removed and all errors dissipated, so that our Holy Mother the Catholic Church may flourish daily more and more throughout all the nations and countries, and may reign “from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth…” [Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus]  This is our hope as well, as we approach the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima.

December 18th:   Christmas Pageant performed by the students of Saint Philomena Elementary School.

 

News from our worksites

The furnishing of the Chapter room in the eastern wing of the Friary is under way. Soon, the oak beams will be installed in the ceiling, and the wooden gothic altar (which has been patiently waiting for several years) will be mounted.

The projects for the Friary workshops and cafeteria for the Boys’ school are presently being studied by the architect, in view of obtaining the necessary construction permits. This work will enable us to put the guest house back to its proper use, as it is currently occupied in large part by the school (for its kitchen, bathrooms, dining room…).

At the “Priory†(the manor house which is used for the Boys’ school), the excavation of the old “towers†is continuing, and we are in negotiations with the Historical Monuments Department to get the permission to transform them into study halls.

 

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The False Mercy of Pope Francis

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The False Mercy of Pope Francis

by Alexandre Marie

Last April, by the bull of indiction Misericordiae Vultus, Francis announced an “extraordinary jubilee of mercyâ€.

This “Holy Year†opened on December 8th 2015 to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the closing of the second Vatican council.  This year of mercy, Francis explained, is meant to celebrate the triumph of Vatican II, the beginning of a new era in the history of the Church:

“The Church feels the need to keep this event alive.  It is then that a new stage in her history began.  The Council Fathers had strongly perceived, like a breath of the Holy Spirit, that it was necessary to talk about God to the men of their times in a more understandable way.  The walls which had enclosed the Church for too long like in a citadel having been flattened, the time had come to announce the Gospel in a renewed fashion.â€

The “ walls†which used to protect the faith having been “flattened†by this “pastoral “ Council, Francis is trying to flatten those which still protect morality.  This was the work of the Bishops’ synod last October, very obviously also convened with a “pastoral“ goal to extend the reign of a false “mercy†destructive of the truth.

Let us recall just four facts which serve to illustrate the very particular fashion in which Francis understands “mercyâ€:

1) the notorious comment “Who am I to judge“ gay people?

2) the “ private†phone call to a woman “ married†to a divorced man, whom he advised to go to receive the sacraments in another parish

3) the call to the Spanish transsexual “woman†who told him of the “discrimination†“she“ was subjected to in her parish, and whom Francis invited to come to see him in a private audience in the company of her “fiancée†– at the expense of the Vatican if you please!

4) the washing of the feet of another transsexual “ woman†last Maundy Thursday – to whom to cap it all off Holy Communion was given.

In this perspective, Francis invites us to experience the opening up to “the existential peripheries†and to dare “noveltyâ€:

“During this Holy Year, we will be able to have the experience of opening our hearts to those who live in the most different existential peripheries, which the modern world has often created in a dramatic fashion. […] Don’t let us fall into indifference which humiliates, into the habits which numb the soul and prevent us from discovering novelty, through destructive cynicism.â€

The Church dreamed of by Francis must conform herself to the world, must allow herself to be molded by the “values†and “aspirations†of the world instead of trying to convert the world to Our Lord.

After having destroyed “the walls of the citadelâ€, the Church must come out of herself and breathe in the “ smell of humanityâ€, even at the risk of “getting hurtâ€.   At least the Church will be cured of her propensity for “self-referenceâ€, freed from the “certainties†in which she entrenches herself and from the pretention of possessing “unique and absolute†truths.  The Church will no longer “proselytizeâ€, she will not interfere in the spiritual life of people but will really be “at the service of peopleâ€.

How could faithful Catholics participate in such a “Holy Year†which is nothing but a charade destined to accelerate the process of the dissolution of Catholicism and to destroy the little that remains?  This “Holy Year“ has nothing holy about it, nor anything even remotely praiseworthy.   It is certainly not the work of the Holy Ghost.  [Editor:  for further information, please see our December 13, 2015 article entitled Should we participate in the ‘Year of Mercy’?  ]

(From Le Sel de la terre 94)

Friends and Benefactors Letter number 21, January 2016 – The Importance of Principles, Part II

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Letter from the Dominicans of Avrillé

No. 21, January 2016

Group photo with H. E. Bishop Faure and our three newly tonsured Brothers (see chronicle).

 

 

The Importance of Principles (Part II)

Maintaining Principles in the Modern World

Dear Friends and Benefactors,

Escaping the seduction of false principles is especially difficult nowadays because these false principles are being taught to the youth beginning at elementary school (thanks to the pseudo-educational system), continually hammered out by the media, and largely accepted by the Conciliar Church:

“The battle is mainly a battle of doctrines. Your resistance, dear brothers, consists therefore in being firm in your minds against the seduction of false and misleading principles. […]  When I ask the wise [men] of this era to identify the worst hardship of modern society, they reply unanimously that mankind is becoming weak and soft.  This reply has even become cliché.  However, we must go further, and ask the ultimate question. […]  Where does this weakness come from?  Isn’t it the natural and inevitable consequence of doctrinal weakness, weakness in belief, and, to be more exact, weakness in the Faith?  After all, courage has no reason to exist if it isn’t at the service of a conviction.  The will is a blind faculty when it is not enlightened by the intellect.  One cannot walk with assurance in the darkness of night, nor even in merely dim daylight. […]  Dear brethren, today, more than ever, the primary strength of the wicked is the weakness of the good.  The core of Satan’s reign among us is the toning down of Christianity in Christians† (Cardinal Pie. Panégyrique de Saint Émilien, November 8, 1859.  Note that Saint Pius X cited the last sentence of the above passage, in his sermon on December 13, 1908, when he beatified Saint Joan of Arc).

The Importance of Education, Especially in the Family

It is especially in the home that moral principles are acquired.  These principles are indelible when they are learned right from childhood – which is the reason why the Revolution constantly wages war against the family, in order to remove any obstacle to the spreading of its errors:

“Nowadays [in 1910!] we have become helpless witnesses to such acts which – if we were living in the ancient times of paganism – even the barbarians and savages would have violently opposed.  Everywhere in France, schools in which the young are taught to know, love, and adore God, are being closed by a government declaring openly that its goal is to establish a nation of atheists.  We are helpless to remedy the situation because we no longer have firm principles solidly established in our souls.  Instead, we have but vague and unstable ideas, incapable of giving us the strength and energy we need.  Why are our ideas unstable?  It is because the higher, fundamental principles have not at all been inculcated in the souls of children by parents, who, having been formed by these principles, have not transmitted them.  In a word, our families no longer have the sense of tradition.†  (Msgr. Henri Delassus. L’Esprit familial dans la maison, dans la Cité et dans l’État. Lille, France. Éditions Deslcée de Brouwer, 1910. pp. 147-148).

The Force of Principles

There is a force attached to the confession of the truth.  If we know good principles well, and if we count on the grace of Our Lord to make these principles known, there will always be men of good will to listen and understand:

“Today more than ever – and let it be understood rightly – society needs strong and consistent doctrines.  Even though ideas are falling apart everywhere, asserting the truth can still be done in society, provided that this assertion of truth be firm, substantial, and without compromise.  The exchanges between men are becoming more and more sterile; each one seems to hold on to a part of truth, without grasping the whole.  As in the early days of Christianity, it is necessary now that Christians attract the attention of all, by the unity of their principles and judgments.  They have nothing to borrow from this chaos of negations and endless experimentation that testify so eloquently to the powerlessness of modern society.  This society is only living off the rare remnants of the former Catholic civilization that the Revolution has not yet taken away and which God’s Mercy has preserved from destruction.  It is up to you, convinced Catholics, to show yourself as you are.  The world may fear you at first, but be convinced that it will come back to you.  However, if you try to flatter these men by using their language, you will amuse them only for a time.  In the next moment they will forget you because you have not made a serious impression on their minds.  They will see in you the image of themselves; and since they have no trust in themselves, they won’t have much more confidence in you.  There is a grace attached to the full and entire confession of the Faith.  This grace, according to Saint Paul, is the salvation of those who accomplish this confession; and experience shows that such a confession is also the salvation of those who witness it.  Be Catholic and nothing other than Catholic.†  (Dom Prosper Guéranger, O. S. B. Le Sens Chrétien de l’Histoire. The Christian Sense of History. Cited in Le Sel de la Terre: issue 22 – Fall 1997, p.196).

Community Chronicle

September 5th – 6th:  Fathers Innocent-Marie, Louis-Marie, Reginald and Terence, accompanied by a group of the high school boys, attend the yearly book fair at Chiré-en-Montreuil (the Publishing house which handles our Éditions du Sel).

September 7th:  Start of the school year for Saint Philomena Elementary School, and Saint Thomas Aquinas High School.  Among the extracurricular activities for the high school boys:  weekly study groups to give them a formation for the doctrinal, political and economic combats of tomorrow.  The number of volunteers having grown from last year, there are now three different groups, under the direction of Fathers Innocent-Marie, Reginald and Terence.

September 14th:  Start of the school year for our three clerical brothers.  On the same day, according to the Constitutions of our Order, the Regent of Studies (Fr. Emmanuel-Marie) and the Master of Novices (Fr. Marie-Dominique), renew their Tridentine Profession of Faith, the anti-modernist oath, and the oath to always hold firmly to the doctrine of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

September 26th:  “Our Lady of Fatima Youth Club†has its first meeting of the year, with Fathers Angelico and Hyacinthe-Marie.

October 3rd: Father Prior and Father Angelico represent the community at the official blessing by Bishop Faure of Saint Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort Seminary in nearby Avrillé.

October 16th:  Entry of our three new postulants:  Filip (Poland), Tiago (Brazil), and Maximilien (France).

October 24th to 11th November:  Fathers Marie-Dominique and Angelico fly to the U.S. to preach two retreats with Father Zendejas on the 15 Mysteries of the Rosary.  In all, about 35 men and woman from all over the U.S. followed the retreats, and will now hopefully know how to get more out of their daily Rosary.  These retreats were also the occasion for five postulants to be received as novices in the Third Order.  For the Feast of Christ the King, the Fathers replaced Fr. Zendejas at his chapels in Connecticut and Pennsylvania.  Before returning to France, the Fathers made a small detour to Minnesota for Sunday Masses, and a few conferences.  A large number of faithful came out, despite the distance.  In each of the places visited, the zeal and fervor of the faithful was remarkable.

November 21st: Meeting for the preparation of next summer’s “John Vaquié Days†(yearly doctrinal session on the tactics of the enemies of the Church).  Three graduates from Saint Thomas Aquinas Boys’ school begin to take an active role in organizing this event, which gives us hope for the future!

December 1st:  As on every first and third Tuesday of the month, Fr. Angelico meets with a group of faithful in the Friary Library for the adult catechism class.  This year’s theme: Old Testament History.

December 8th:   Second annual Mass and candle-light Procession in the city of Angers, in honor of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady.

On the same day, Pope Francis inaugurated the “Year of Mercy” with a light show at the Vatican.  The show, jointly sponsored by the World Bank, had a “New Age†environmental theme, in conjunction with the Pope’s recent Encyclical on ecology.  We cannot participate in this “Jubileeâ€, whose sole purpose is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vatican II and the new humanistic religion it has ushered in.  For a more detailed refutation of those who advocate participating in the “Year of Mercyâ€, please go to <https://dominicansavrille.us/should-we-participate-in-the-jubilee-of-mercy/>

December 22nd:  Feast of the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary over the Order of Preachers.  Bishop Faure confers the ecclesiastical tonsure to our three clerical Brothers.

Brothers Alain, Louis-Bertrand and Agostinho offer their candles to the Bishop as part of the ceremony.

December 25th: After the solemn ceremonies of the Dominican Christmas Liturgy*, the afternoon is reserved for the traditional Christmas recreation.  As each year, Christmas carols were sung in French, English, Portuguese, Polish and Flemish (the five most common mother tongues among the members of our very international community), but this year there was something new:  it’s the first year we were privileged with the presence of a Bishop (H.E. Faure)!

*The Dominican liturgy has conserved a few practices that have been abandoned in the Roman rite, for example, the beautiful sequence Laetabundus that is sung just before the Gospel.

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Should we participate in the Jubilee of Mercy?

admin conciliar Church, The Fight for the Faith , , , ,


Should we participate in the Jubilee of Mercy ?

 

A.   It would appear that we should participate in the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy:

1.  When the gates of mercy are made wide open, we must take advantage to receive it in abundance.   A Holy Year is a great grace for all the members of the Church.

2.  The Council of Trent “teaches and demands that the use of indulgences, which are greatly beneficial to Christian people and are approved by the authority of this saintly council, be maintained†(DS 1835); the code of Canon Law states: “All will give great importance to the said indulgences†(can 911).  It would be paradoxical to decide, just because we do not want to have anything to do with the failed council that was Vatican II, to dismiss a truth that was proclaimed by the Council of Trent, and encouraged by all that is Church tradition.

3.  According to St. Alphonse de Liguori: “To become a saint, it suffices to gain as many indulgences as possibleâ€.

4.  Nobody risks his salvation by participating in the Jubilee of Mercy, unless one questions the power of the keys which are legitimately held by Francis.

5.  “Even though the remission of sins were to be done in a questionable way, the interested party would nonetheless gain the full indulgence†(Saint Thomas Aquinas, Suppl. Q.25 to 2, ad 1).

6.  For a circumstance to impact the Jubilee and denature it, it would have to become either the object of, or the specific goal of the Jubilee.  However, the conditions required to obtain the said indulgence are the traditional ones: visit to a Jubilee church, confession, communion, recitation of the Credo, and prayers for the intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff (such as the Our Father, or the prayer of the Jubilee).

7.   The joy of the Jubilee is not that one of rejoicing in the Vatican II council, but rather in the grace bestowed by the head of the Church who draws it from the treasure of the infinite merits of Christ and of all the saints.  The grace bestowed so abundantly will always be a reason to rejoice for those who are well disposed to receive it.

8.   Archbishop Lefebvre and the Ecône Seminary went to the great pilgrimage organized by Rome during the Holy Year of 1975.  So did the Society of Saint Pius X in 2000.  Yet in 1975 the Vatican had noted that the holy year “coincided with the tenth anniversary of the closing of the second ecumenical Council of the Vaticanâ€, and the decree of the holy year 2000 noted that on the occasion of the entry to the new millennium, “one should return with a renewed fidelity to the teachings the Vatican II councilâ€.

B. Counter arguments

This Jubilee is organized by the conciliar Church; now Archbishop Lefebvre wrote in his spiritual “testament†(Spiritual Itinerary with Saint Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica, 1990):

“It is the strict duty of any priest wanting to remain catholic to separate himself from this conciliar Church, until the time it finds again the tradition of the Magisterium of the Church and of the Catholic Faith (…).â€

C. Answer:

The morality of a human act is measured not only by its end, but also by the circumstances surrounding it (Summa Theologica-II q.18 a.3).  For example, carrying a pickax while going to one’s own field does not have the same moral sense as carrying the same pickax to a demonstration in front of Town Hall.

The Jubilee of the Year of Mercy is tainted by the following circumstances:

  • the date of the Jubilee has been chosen to celebrate the 50 years of the Council and
  • the “mercy†that Pope Francis advocates is a lax mercy which leads to sin.

Participation in the Jubilee cannot do away with these circumstances and therefore this participation is immoral.

Solutions to the above objections:  [Editor:  “Ad 1â€, “Ad 2†are Latin shorthand for   “Response to point 1 aboveâ€, “Response to point 2 aboveâ€, etc.]

Ad 1.   Saint Hermenegilde refused to receive communion from the hands of an Arian bishop on Easter day, and for this reason he was put to death.  And yet there is nothing more sanctifying than Holy Communion, and Easter communion is obligatory under pain of mortal sin.  But in this case the circumstances made the act sinful: to receive the host from the hands of a heretic priest was a “communio in sacris†with a heretic.

Ad 2.   The objector is wrong in qualifying Vatican II as a “failed councilâ€.  It is, on the contrary, a great success for the modernists who were able on this occasion to found their “Conciliar Churchâ€.  To participate in this Jubilee would be to compromise with this pseudo-church as per the circumstances afore mentioned.  As for the indulgences, one can gain them in other ways than participating in the Jubilee: there are several ways to gain a plenary indulgence every day, for example by a half-hour of reading Holy Scripture or adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the recitation of the Rosary, the stations of the cross, etc.

Ad 3.  The objector does not give a reference from among the works of the Saint, but from a secondary source, which itself does not give any reference.  The oldest trace that we have found of this citation is in a book written to criticize indulgences1.  We would therefore allow ourselves to ask for a precise source to verify the authenticity of this phrase as well as its context.  Whatever the case may be, to become a saint, faith is needed to a heroic degree, and therefore avoidance of all equivocations in matters of Faith.

Ad 4.  We do not question the power of the pope, but we note that he uses it badly.  It is for this same reason that we refuse the new Mass, the new code of canon law, etc.

Ad 5.  The objector omitted, without due notice, part of the quote from Saint Thomas:  “If however, the remittance of punishment is done in an unreasonable way, so that for a pittance men would be turned away from works of penance, he [the one that confers the indulgence] sins in acting in such a way; the person in question does however gain the indulgence in its entiretyâ€.    From this, one perceives that the unreasonable aspect considered by Saint Thomas is a simple disproportion between the penance required, and the indulgence accorded.  Here the gain of the indulgence is tied to the joy of Vatican II and to a false conception of the “mercy†of pope Francis, therefore being not only unreasonable but also immoral.

Ad 6.  The objector plays on the word “denaturesâ€.  It is true that the Jubilee remains a Jubilee, the circumstances that make it bad do not change its nature of Jubilee.  But those circumstances do enter into the object that is being morally considered for they affect its morality.  The communion offered to St. Hermenegilde remained an Easter communion, but the circumstances made it sinful.

Ad 7.  Even if he who participates in the Jubilee does not have the (subjective) intention to rejoice in Vatican II, he participates in a Jubilee that has been objectively designed to rejoice in this Council.  One must therefore abstain from participation, unless one wants to be subjectivist.

Ad 8.  The Jubilees of 1975 and 2000 were ordinary Jubilees, as those regularly held every 25 years to celebrate the anniversaries of the Incarnation.  They were not therefore tied per se to the anniversary of the Council, or to a false conception of mercy.  The allusions to the Council mentioned by the objector remained secondary and did not affect the morality of the act of participation for he who would simply celebrate the anniversary of the Incarnation.

In 1975 the participation of Archbishop Lefebvre in the pilgrimage organized by the “Credo†association took place at a time when he was manifesting his opposition to conciliar Rome2.  There was therefore no ambiguity in this act.

We can ask ourselves if it was prudent to redo a pilgrimage to Rome in 2000.   For it is on this occasion that some contacts were taken up again with the purpose of an agreement with modernistic Rome, which ended with the fall of Campos the following year.  The SSPX tried to pull back, but the talks for an agreement continued and in 2012 the accord almost happened.  The communiqués that followed the Roman meeting of September 23, 2014, the one of Menzingen (“cordial meetingâ€), and that of the Vatican (“proceed by successive stages†… “towards resolving the difficulties†… “in the perspective of a full reconciliationâ€) were the point of departure towards a certain number of steps or stages and the participation in this Jubilee would be very clearly part of this process.