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[Catholic Caucus] Traditional Liturgy: How many Faithful in France? And in the World? "Many of today's Catholics are 'Hidden Traditionalists,' waiting for a Mass worthy of the name."-- An InterviewBy Paix LiturgiqueOctober 4, 2023Although we haven't published a review of traditional liturgy in France and around the world since 2019... we felt it necessary to return to the question of the number of Catholic faithful who wish to live their faith to the rhythm of traditional liturgy. We asked Christian Marquant, who has been interested in this subject for many years, to return to this theme which, as we shall...

[Catholic Caucus] How Important Is Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre Today?“Archbishop Lefebvre stands for a rigid conservatism which seems to have no place for the necessary development which the Council had to undertake to meet the problems of the world in ferment.” (George Patrick Dwyer, Archbishop of Birmingham, 1976)Archbishop Dwyer wrote these words in his preface to Yves Congar’s 1976 book criticizing Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Challenge to the Church: The Case of Archbishop Lefebvre. Congar was, of course, one of the most highly respected champions of Vatican II: John Paul II made him a cardinal in 1994; Benedict XVI praised him as...

Lefebvre and What Comes NextIf one steps back in time, a cursory glance at the life of Archbishop Lefebvre will prove informative because it shows that we have been here before. The Archbishop’s treatment by the Vatican in the 1970s and 1980s demonstrates conclusively that there was (and there still is) a state of war between the pre-conciliar and post-conciliar Church.It seems that Rome and SSPX both see the New Mass as representing a new religion (as strongly implied by Cardinal Roche very recently). This new religion, in the eyes of Rome, is desirable to such an extent that they...

[Catholic Caucus] Marcel Lefebvre and the Passion of the ChurchKnowing Reality When You See ItMuch ink has been spilled on the topic of the Society of Saint Pius X and Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, and I imagine much more will be written as history continues.Are they schismatic? Was Lefebvre a renegade? Was he a rebel? Was Pope John Paul II correct to do what he did? And so on.No matter how many arguments are made, no matter how many documents are promulgated, and no matter how many debates are won and lost, there are those who see the truth about the...

Abp. Viganò: Abp. Lefebvre not a ‘schismatic,’ but a ‘holy man’ with great ‘fidelity’ to the ChurchArchbishop Viganò suggested that the 1988 Consecrations of bishops by Archbishop Lefebvre was 'a vital necessity for the safeguarding of the Mass of all time.'Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre with Pope Pius XIIYouTube screenshotArchbishopCarloMariaViganò 1Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò Comments 1Mon Aug 29, 2022 - 11:56 am EDTMon Aug 29, 2022 - 11:57 am EDTEditor’s note: Below is the Q & A session with Archbishop Viganò held at the end of a conference he gave at the Summer University – CIVITAS on August 14, 2020 in France....

[Catholic Caucus] As a cardinal, Pope Benedict reportedly called Marcel Lefebvre ‘the most important bishop of the 20th century’LifeSiteNews was able to obtain a written recollection of these words by the German cardinal from one of the two priests present at that meeting in the Palazzo di San Uffizio. VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — In the summer of 2003, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, reportedly told two priests in a private audience that he considered Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, the founder of the priestly Society of St. Pius X, to be “the most important bishop of the 20th century...

[Catholic Caucus] Today’s day thought experiment: The Oregon TrailA friend sent this:I never played Oregon Trail, but I watched enough Westerns and studied enough history that I get the gist.Today’s day thought experiment:The wagon train is headed west. After crossing the Mississippi, things seem to go well through the plains – but then as things start to rise toward the Rockies, the going gets tougher. There are some Native attacks, the path gets more difficult. The wagon train is still largely together, but it’s showing signs of imminent trouble.The leadership calls a brief halt to discuss what’s going wrong and...

[Catholic Caucus] How the Modernists and Francis Turn Catholic Foundations into SandRegardless of whether “we perceive the intrinsic truth” of the Faith, we believe the truths the Church has always taught because God, the Revealer, can neither deceive nor be deceived. And since our Faith “is the beginning of human salvation,” we would be absolute fools to choose the opinions of men over the truth revealed by God, which can never change.If this Faith is strong enough to have inspired Catholics to become Martys for nearly two thousand years, surely it is strong enough to lead Catholics to resist any...

Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the 1976 Audience with Pope Paul VI The Sources and Their StatusWith the publication of Mgr. Sapienza’s book on May 16, 2018, we now have two sources that reproduce the famous meeting between Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre on September 11, 1976, in Castel Gandolfo.The first source to tell of the event was Archbishop Lefebvre himself, who immediately told the story to the seminarians in Econe in two conferences recorded on September 12 and 18, 1976. They served as the basis for the account given by his authorized biographer, Bishop Tissier de Mallerais.The...

Bell-Curve Catholicism So-called “Middle-of-the-Road” Catholics are becoming increasingly distressed at their own defectors to the camp of the “far left” of Fr. James Martin SJ and the camp of the “far right” of Dr. Taylor Marshall.  These Middle-of-the-Road Catholics are concerned at how many “pro-life Catholics” will still vote for Biden, especially as a new group of “defectors to the left” listens to the likes of Fr. James Martin. Such clergy of the far-left discount the notion of being a “one-issue voter” on abortion as we approach the election.  For this reason, liberal “pro-life Catholics” may have no problem voting...

Supporters of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, founder of Society of St Pius X, branded the future Pope Benedict XVI and the late Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner "heretics" during the Second Vatican Council, reports The Tablet.A previously undiscovered letter written by Karl Rahner to his brother, Fr Hugo Rahner SJ, during the council in November 1963 has revealed that the French Intégristes - followers of Lefebvre - accused him and Fr Joseph Ratzinger as "heretic[s] who deny the existence of hell and are worse than Teilhardt de Chardin and the Modernists".The letter, part of an exhibition in Munich, states that Rahner consoled...

Just mentioned by Andrea Tornielli for La Stampa: Lefebvrists: the positive response has arrived 17.09.2012 (1900 GMT - 2100 Rome) The Superior of the Society of Saint Pius X has signed the doctrinal preamble proposed by the Holy See, even if with some slight modifications ANDREA TORNIELLI CITTÀ DEL VATICANO The response of the Society of Saint Pius X has arrived in the Vatican and it is positive: according to the informal information gathered by Vatican Insider, Bishop Bernard Fellay would have signed the doctrinal preamble that the Holy See had proposed last September as a condition to reach full...

Q. Why is the Doctrinal Preamble that Cardinal Levada delivered to you on September 14 still surrounded by so much secrecy, both on the part of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and by the Society of St. Pius X? What is this silence hiding from the priests and faithful of Tradition? A. This discretion is normal for any important proceeding; it ensures the seriousness of it. It so happens that the Doctrinal Preamble that was delivered to us is a document which can be clarified and modified, as the accompanying note points out. It is not a...

St. Pius X Society superior general Bishop Bernard Fellay Rome, Italy, Nov 29, 2011 / 01:16 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X says he will inform the Vatican “in the next few days” that they cannot give the doctrinal reassurances required of them to advance reconciliation with the Catholic Church.“It is true that this Doctrinal Preamble cannot receive our endorsement,” said Bishop Bernard Fellay on the society’s website, Nov. 28. However, Bishop Fellay said his understanding is that the document is “not a definite text” and that it “can be clarified and...

VATICAN CITY, 14 SEP 2011 (VIS) - At midday today the Holy See Press Office released the following communique concerning the postion of the Society of St. Pius X: "On 14 September at the offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Joseph Levada, prefect of the congregation and president of the Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei'; Archbishop Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer S.J., secretary of the congregation, and Msgr. Guido Pozzo, secretary of the pontifical commission, met with Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the Society of St. Pius X, who was accompanied by Fr. Niklaus Pfluger...

The Vatican is close to an agreement with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) that would regularize the status of the breakaway traditionalist group, according to a report in Le Figaro. Jean-Marie Guenois, the veteran religion correspondent for the French daily, predicts that a September 14 meeting between the SSPX leader, Bishop Bernard Fellay, and key Vatican officials will lead quickly to a resolution of the split that began in 1998 when the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre ordained 4 traditionalist bishops without permission from Rome, resulting in the excommunication of the SSPX leaders. Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications...

Fellay Before a key meeting in Rome, the leader of the traditionalists stressed that he was not prepared to make any compromises and also revealed some interesting behind the scenes happenings… “If their aim is still to force us to accept the second Vatican Council, the discussions have been clear enough in showing that we have no intention of  doing any such thing.”  These were the decisive but prudent words of Bernard Fellay, who was adamant he would not agree to any compromise with the Vatican. On the 15 August, Fellay spoke openly about the talks between the Lefebvrians...

Munich (kath.net/KAP) British Bishop Richard Williamson will stand before the court for the judgment he received from the Regensburg Court for sedition and "trivializing" the Holocaust. The appeal against the April fine of 10,000 Euro is set for the 29th of November. The speaker of the National Court of Regensburg, Johann Piendl, verified this for the German Catholic News Service, KNA. "I am pretty certain, that my client will participate", explained Williamson's attorney, Mattias Lossmann, on Thursday. In April Williamson, who belongs to the Society of Pius X, which is not recognized by Rome [kath.net just had to throw that...

If you’re a Catholic who’s faithful to the Church’s teaching Magisterium, you’ve probably met up with followers of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s 1988 schism, known as the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX). They’re filled with devotion to the Blessed Mother, extremely conservative with regard to most moral issues afflicting the Western world today, and quite reverent before the Blessed Sacrament during their old Latin liturgies. In short, on the surface, adherents to Archbishop Lefebvre’s schism appear to be devout Catholics. It’s easy to sympathize with these folks since most of them have joined the SSPX after being scandalized by contemporary...

Prior to the opening of formal conversations between officials of the Holy See and leaders of the Lefebvrist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), which began on Oct. 26, the mainstream media frequently misrepresented these discussions as a negotiation aimed at achieving a compromise that both sides can live with. That was to be expected from reporters and commentators for whom everything is politics and everything is thus negotiable. Alas, similar misrepresentations came from “Vatican insiders” who suggested that the teaching of the Second Vatican Council was under joint review by the Holy See and the SSPX, which only made...