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Your explanation is ever more helpful.

>>Too many of your people are fixated on far more mundane, yet potentially more soul destroying, concerns...to engage in the sort of patristic, long term theological education necessary.<<

We are now leaving a pontificate that has seemed to augment the condition you describe, rather than to make progress toward the engagement you would prescribe, unfortunately. They are saying that Cardinal Arinze is a "front runner" for Pope now. Tell me if you have not heard how he has suggested (not made very prominent in the media, however) that African voodoo should become part of the new, updated liturgy?

JPII made changes in the process for papal election, further fanning the flames of sedevacantism, it seems to me, by making a winning ballot now a simple majority after "so many ballots" fail to register a 2/3 majority. For the meantime, at least, we are all sedevacantists!

It is our prayer that whoever is now elected will be A) someone other than Arinze or any of the other ultra-Modernists "eligible," and B) if possible, that someone exists among the others who will be at least reformable away from the rampant Modernism of today, and he will be the one selected by the others.

In any case, traditional Catholics are in for some rough times ahead. I would not be surprised to see ever more repressive measures taken by Church and State toward our persecution. And I suspect that the Orthodox are not far behind. I have seen very unbecoming behavior from clerics toward traditionalists until they find out the question at issue is one of Orthodoxy, then suddenly it lightens up. I suspect it will not continue to lighten up indefinitely.

There is an interesting Web Site on Orthodoxy in America--the Site of Orthodox Church in America . There you can have a number of questions about Orthodoxy answered. I believe OCA became the first Non-Ethnic Orthodox Church in America back in 1970's. It has roots with Russian Settlers in Alaska in late 18th Century as well as a number of other previously Ethnic Churches that united to have multi-Ethnic Orthodox Church. OCA is not under Moscow Patriarchate and their high-ranking delegation will be at the Pope's Funeral.

FYI, Current Moscow Patriarchate is largely the Extension of Kremlin. Contrary to popular opinion, Religion was not completely banned in USSR. Russian Orthodox Church was allowed to function if Soviet Authorities could fully control its business, like approving priests, etc. Russian Orthodox Church under Soviet Regime became actually a Religious Extension of Communist Party--quite a strange, but not unusual animal in Communist Societies. There is also Russian Orthodox Church Abroad that broke away from Moscow Patriarchate in 1920's after Moscow Top Clerics proclaimed their loyalty to the Bolshevik Regime.