Posted on 10/14/2022 5:55:26 PM PDT by ebb tide
Bishop Athanasius Schneider told RemnantNewspaper.com (12 October, video below) that he opposes Francis because the Church is "not a dictatorship".
"In a dictatorship, everyone is afraid to speak out because the dictator will suddenly punish you. But that should [sic!] not be the atmosphere in the Church," he said.
The bishop stressed that the current crisis over Catholic doctrine and the papacy was unique in the entire history of the Church. Not even the immoral Renaissance popes caused scandals by confusing doctrine.
Schneider sees "poor Francis" in a pitiable situation because he will have to answer to God one day "for leaving such a mess in the Church."
Therefore, he said, Francis' harmful orders should not be obeyed if they undermine the faith or take away the treasure of the liturgy: "Even if we would formally disobey, we will obey the whole Church of all times."
Schneider believes that canceled priests who oppose the dictatorship of Francis and his bishops cannot be fully independent and must have a superior. He thinks a priest can still join forces with a perhaps emeritus bishop, a traditional community or PiusX.
Ping
I think it is relatively easy for the laity to disobey, as mostly we just disobey in our thinking. And even if we are caught at a TLM, there will likely be little or no punishment.
However, I believe the stakes are much higher for disobedient priests.
It may be that a critical mass of laity need to identify a priest willing to offer a TLM and then the whole thing has to be kept secret.
Projection.
Hello there, ebb tide! I hope you are doing well.
Anyway: Does anybody see the irony in a headline to the effect of: “If We Formally Disobey Francis, We Obey The Church Of All Times”......?
Ooops, and that the person who wrote it is named “Schneider”....?
A canceled priest is one who has had his assignment taken away and not been given a new one. Usually for being faithful to the faith which Christ proclaimed. They frequently have their faculties suspended indefinitely and are thus unable to function as a priest. They typically do not get paid and their health insurance is canceled. They are totally dependent on the charitable donations of others. Their bishop frequently refuses to permit them to take a secular job to support themselves, and leaves them hanging out to dry. They often refuse to let them go to another diocese. They are still priests and cannot get married because they have not been laicized.
It is grossly unjust.
I went to the Catholic Identity Conference 2 weeks ago. Bishop Schneider was there and he said something that made me much more confident in my right to disobey Francis. He said to imagine if the pope were to promulgate a new creed that was perfectly orthodox, but at the same time forbade anyone from reciting the Apostle’s Creed, even privately! He would have no right to do that because the Apostle’s Creed IS the faith! Well, that’s what he and many bishops have done with the new Mass. it may be valid, but you can’t forbid people from praying a prayer that has been prayed for centuries and that is in perfect harmony with the faith, even to the point of being an essential part of it.
If so, then the priest would end up being an itinerate priest. He could still offer the TLM and perform all other sacraments, but he would need to depend on donations from the faithful.
Is that it?
I still think the TLM in the "catacombs" is a much better solution. Let the Church pay the priest's freight if they won't support his ministry.
It’s nice to hear from one good Bishop.
Schneider sounds reasonable. Is the Church to be saved by a Kraut?
Yes, that is what I am saying. Further, I think the time has come when we laity need to acquire all the items necessary for a full liturgical life in the catacombs, and to develop a network where canceled priests are supported, both financially and in their ministry.
Just to clarify… the first part of my answer was in response to the question posed asking what a canceled priest is, not a recommendation for a way forward.
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