Annual Spotlight on Schismatics and Fringe Groups / Persons Posing as "Real" Catholics

TCRNews ^ | 12/25/2004 | Stephen Hand

[CatherineSiena]

While they are "Peter-ing" out to be sure, they (or their old diatribes) can still be found on the Internet here and there. Thus our Annual Sectarian Spotlight: For the real thing, there is the counterfeit. Satan makes sure of it in the Catholic and spiritual realms. In Catholic circles these are those who substitute private interpretation over the teachings of the living magisterium of the Catholic Church. Listing some of the more notorious untrustworthy guides here may help you to scratch off what is at least a waste of time and can be passed over, whether on the Internet or in publications, organizations, etc: These are men and women who show that a little bit of knowledge is dangerous for the innocent souls whose pocketbooks---er, "support"---they covet; they are professional Pope haters, utterly indifferent to the Church or the truth of the matter, they dig and sift only and always for the bad news to exploit, preferring the veneer and externals of days gone by and their own private judgement to the enduring substance of the Church's sacramental reality and teachings of which they are ignorant of even the basics; and they will confuse an abuse for the whole Church everytime, deliberately. Anything by the following persons: Thomas E. Woods, Christopher Ferrara, Michael Matt and "The Remnant", Fr. Nicholas Gruner, Fr. Kevin Vaillancourt, Malachi Martin in his later years, the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and his Society of St. Pius X, the Society of St. Pius V, Atila Guimaraes, Marian Horvat, "Fr. Moderator" of Traditio (this schismatic of reportedly Old Catholic lineage even refuses to give his own name on his website, though it is Morrison), John Lane, John Vennari and his Catholic Family News, Griff Ruby, Jim Vogel, Thomas Sparks, Robert Sungenis, The Seattle Catholic internet website, Walter M. Hudson, Thomas A. Droleskey, Gerry Matatics and their poor followers. We will say nothing here of those who have gone on to declare themselves pope and actually donned the homemade mitre ! We are concerned here only with those who are content to act the part and make a living or a name from theological confusion. The cure and antidote to their fools-gold are the actual teachings of the Council and Popes---esp JPII. They prefer you do anything but read the actual teachings of the Pope and Church documents! They'd prefer to interpret them for you, rather than allow the magisterium its proper competence. In this they are remarkably like the neo-modernist dissidents, whom we treat of elsewhere, and even old Herr Luther! Remember this: every schismatic that every was said that the actual Church was schismatic, and every heretic that every lived considered the Pope a heretic. It's as old as the Church herself. Schism and schismatics come and go, they live for a time, barking and howling in all directions at once, and then perish, but the Barque of Peter moves on through every storm through history toward the divine Telos appointed by Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, Himself. (Mt 16:18f).

[sempertrad]

Mr. Hand certainly has a handle on those who excite contempt for the papacy and the Church.

Do the people, organizations and publications on this list really show "contempt for the papacy and the Church", or do they criticize the outward actions of the man who currently occupies the papacy and Churchmen? There's a big difference between having contempt for the Papacy itself (as the Protestants do) and criticizing the acts of a particular Pope (as many Saints have done.)

[Mike Fieschko]

Here's what Dietrich von Hildebrand, in his book 'The Devastated Vineyard', had to say:

Thanks for the cite.

Do you have Chadwick's book?

[sempertrad]

You're very welcome.

No, I don't have the book. Good one to have?

[Pyro7480]

preferring the veneer and externals of days gone by

Mr. Hand doesn't get it, does he? It isn't just about "veneer and externals." It's about maintaining the Catholic faith as it was propagated for hundreds of years!

[Mike Fieschko]

No, I don't have the book. Good one to have?

Yes. Interestingly, this is one time amazon's softcover price is lower than abebooks's (abebooks' ?).

[sinkspur]

It isn't just about "veneer and externals." It's about maintaining the Catholic faith as it was propagated for hundreds of years!

So, you're buying the detritus of the integrists too? That the Faith of the last 40 years is not the Catholic Faith?

Do you actually believe that?

[Pyro7480]

Don't jump to conclusions! The post-Vatican II Church isn't a "new church" or a "new faith," like some of the so-called "integrists" call it. What has happened, in my opinion, is a widespread lukewarmness, that has its origin in the chaos of the 19th and 20th centuries.

[sempertrad]

Good to know. I'll look more into this book. Thanks!

[St. Johann Tetzel]

"integrists" were just as bad as "modernists"...This is obviously a great error. The narrowness of the integrists may be regrettable, but it is not heretical. It is not incompatible with the teaching of Holy Church. Therefore, it is completely senseless to place those who hold a philosophic thesis to be inseparable from Christian Revelation...on a level with those who promulgate philosophic theses which are in radical contradiction to the teaching of Holy Church...It is still a great mistake to believe that the integrists, who are pious, orthodox men, are just as dangerous to the Church as declared heretics

What a great quote, thanks for posting this.

let's see, I can believe and quote Hand, or Dietrich von Hildebrand, and their positions on integrists are seemingly diametrically opposed.

Decisions, decisions. (/sarcasm)