[Catholic Caucus] Heterodox cardinal says ‘entire Tradition’ must be read ‘in light of’ Vatican II

LifeSite News ^ | October 5, 2026 | Gaetano Masciullo

[ebb tide]

[Catholic Caucus] Heterodox cardinal says ‘entire Tradition’ must be read ‘in light of’ Vatican II

'The Council was not a departure from Tradition. It was a return to that current of Tradition which is the oldest and establishes the measure,' claimed Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś.

A heterodox Polish cardinal said that Catholics should read the “entire Tradition of the Church in light of” the Second Vatican Council.

On October 3, Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, archbishop of Kraków, made a series of striking remarks on the relationship between Tradition and Vatican II during an interview with Dr. Konstanty Pilawa at a session of the Jagiellonian Club’s “Theology with Wine” series. The interview was subsequently published by the Polish Catholic news outlet Gość.pl.

“One must read the entire tradition of the Church in the light of the Council’s teaching. That is how we remain within the Church,” said Ryś. “What troubles me greatly is the rejection of the Council. Today there is no shortage of attitudes that blame the Council for everything.”

“The Council was not a departure from Tradition. It was a return to that current of Tradition which is the oldest and establishes the measure,” he added.

Ryś was named a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023 and elevated to archbishop of Kraków, the former diocese of the future Pope John Paul II, by Pope Leo XIV in 2025. He is widely regarded as one of the country’s most progressive bishops and has been described as “Pope Francis’ man” in Poland.

The cardinal was asked whether a similar problem could arise among Catholics associated with an “open” or “progressive” Church, namely the tendency to identify Catholic Tradition with Vatican II while neglecting what preceded it. Ryś responded by defining the distinction primarily in terms of mercy.

READ: New archbishop of Krakow: ‘I can’t imagine any other Church than the one Pope Francis taught us’

“An open Church is a merciful Church; there is no other kind of open Church. A closed Church is an unmerciful Church,” he said.

Ryś acknowledged that the “open Church” with which he is commonly associated can itself become closed to differing opinions. He concluded the exchange by invoking the Polish philosopher and priest Józef Tischner: “Maybe you are right, but what good comes from it?”

Most notably, the cardinal discussed the revival of Catholic Action in Poland. He said that its traditional spirituality had been based on the image of Christ the King, whereas Vatican II presented Christ the Servant as a basis for developing spirituality. For this reason, he argued, Catholic Action could not simply be restored according to an earlier model without developing a new theological and spiritual framework.

Regarding allegations against Karol Wojtyła on his handling of sexual abuse cases, Ryś argued that John Paul II should not be judged exclusively according to contemporary knowledge about sexual abuse. He recalled that in 2000 the Polish Pope called the Church to examine its past, including abuses committed in the name of faith, antisemitism and contempt for women.

Ryś said that Wojtyła was “certainly a great man” but questioned whether he could reasonably have been expected to anticipate by half a century the contemporary “understanding” of sexual abuse and its prevention. He added that John Paul II demonstrated an ability to learn as he encountered the problem and developed his understanding of how the Church should respond.

Looking toward the future, Ryś said he hoped the Polish Church would increasingly function through “living, fraternal, small communities” centered on the Gospel and the Eucharist. He described this not as an inevitable consequence of declining numbers but as a conscious choice for a different model of Church life. He connected this vision to the Church’s synodal process and said that it was compatible with the idea of a “mass” or “people’s” Church.

“It doesn’t have to be the result of external circumstances. On the contrary, it should be the result of a conscious, free choice of the Church,” Ryś said.

“We are moving away from the model of the Church, which is an office, only an administration, a structure, a crowd. We are moving to the image of the Church, where everyone, because they are baptized, feels a responsibility, joins because this is their community; he is not the one who goes to church, but he is someone who creates the Church,” the cardinal concluded.

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Most notably, the cardinal discussed the revival of Catholic Action in Poland. He said that its traditional spirituality had been based on the image of Christ the King, whereas Vatican II presented Christ the Servant as a basis for developing spirituality. For this reason, he argued, Catholic Action could not simply be restored according to an earlier model without developing a new theological and spiritual framework.

[ebb tide]

VC II Barf Alert

[PGalt]

BUMP!

[spintreebob]

I am allegedly a Catholic. But everytime I see a headline like this I think “Sola Scritura” was right.

[scouter]

If anything, he got it exactly backwards

[Antoninus]

I’m so tired of these elderly cardinals who think that they finally fixed the Church after 1950 years.

[Cronos]

Ebb tide, did you actually READ what Cardinal Ryś said vs what the article claims??

What LifeSiteNews Claims vs. The Truth
LifeSiteNews labels Polish Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś (Archbishop of Kraków) as "heterodox" for stating that the "entire Tradition of the Church must be read in light of the Second Vatican Council."

While LifeSite frames this as an intentional break from historical Catholicism, Cardinal Ryś explicitly stated the exact opposite in the very same address:

• He argued that Vatican II was not a departure from Tradition, but a return to an older, deeper current of Patristic and Apostolic Tradition.
• His point was that an Ecumenical Council represents the authentic living Magisterium guiding the Church today, not an isolated historical rupture.

Do note that Pope Benedict XVI said the EXACT same thing
Pope Benedict XVI explicitly affirmed that:

"To defend the true tradition of the Church today means to defend the Council... We must remain faithful to the today of the Church, not the yesterday or tomorrow. And this today of the Church is the documents of Vatican II."

[Cronos]

oh and more specifically what YOU, ebb tide quoted was "Most notably, the cardinal discussed the revival of Catholic Action in Poland

"Catholic action" is a group i.e. Akcja Katolicka and I am a member -- when he says "its traditional spirituality had been based on the image of Christ the King" -- this is because Jesus was officially named as the King of Poland by Primate Stefan Wyszyński in 1951 - this was a move against the communist authorities

Catholic Action was established in the 1920s and 1930s under Pope Pius XI as the official lay apostolate of the Church. In pre-WWII Poland, it operated as a highly organized, nationwide structure under episcopal hierarchy designed to defend Catholic culture, promote the Social Kingship of Christ, and combat secularism in public life. Suppressed during the Communist era, it was re-established in Poland in the 1990s.

Cardinal Ryś was making a historical and theological point about the evolution of lay spirituality, not rejecting Christ's Kingship - this is to emphasize Christ who "came not to be served, but to serve" (Mark 10:45).

The laity are not merely foot soldiers for a political/social apparatus, but baptized disciples called to humble service, washing feet, and sanctifying the secular world from within.

Cardinal Ryś argued that trying to resurrect Catholic Action in 21st-century Poland using pre-war, top-down institutional models fails because the cultural landscape has changed. Rebuilding a vibrant lay movement requires grounding it in baptismal dignity and humble Christian service rather than nostalgia for a bygone era of political triumphalism.

And he is correct - in Poland the problems are secularization and to some extent Jehovah's witnesses. The youth however ARE staying and that is in part due to the Alpha courses and in part due to young priests engaging with them.

we have no intention of becoming a sterile environment like the west

[Cronos]

St. John Henry Newman famously demonstrated in his Development of Christian Doctrine that the Church's understanding of her own deposit of faith grows naturally over centuries—like an oak tree growing from an acorn—without changing its essential nature.

These Cardinals don't see this as fixing any dogma or doctrine - those are eternal as handed down by the Apostles from Christ.

What HE is talking about is the focus to engage the world - in the sense of the laity being more involved in the life of the church beyond participation in the Divine Liturgy and Eucharist.

[ebb tide]

He argued that Vatican II was not a departure from Tradition, but a return to an older, deeper current of Patristic and Apostolic Tradition.

Which is a bold-faced lie. VC II was hijacked by modernists, to institute a new church: a conciliar "church" which has now devolved into a synodal "church".

Cardinal Roche on the Vatican II Rupture

Cardinal Roche, on the other hand, spoke as follows:

You know the theology of the Church has changed. Whereas before the priest represented, at a distance, all the people. They were channelled, as it were, through this person who alone was celebrating the Mass. It is not only the priest who celebrates the liturgy, but also those who are baptised with him. And that is an enormous statement to make.

Exclusive: Cardinals Cupich, McElroy say 'impossible to go back' to synods without lay voters

Cardinal Grech: Why the Synod Marks a Turning Point for the Church

Cardinal Rouco says post-Vatican II liturgical abuses turned Mass into a “parody”

What Went Wrong with Vatican II

On October 30, the day after his seventy-second birthday, Cardinal Ottaviani addressed the council to protest against the drastic changes which were being suggested in the Mass. "Are we seeking to stir up wonder, or perhaps scandal, among the Christian people, by introducing changes in so venerable a rite, that has been approved for so many centuries and is now so familiar? The rite of Holy Mass should not be treated as if it were a piece of cloth to be refashioned according to the whim of each generation." Speaking without a text, because of his partial blindness, he exceeded the ten-minute time limit which all had been requested to observe. Cardinal Tisserant, Dean of the Council Presidents, showed his watch to Cardinal Alfrink, who was presiding that morning. When Cardinal Ottaviani reached fifteen minutes, Cardinal Alfrink rang the warning bell. But the speaker was so engrossed in his topic that he did not notice the bell, or purposely ignored it. At a signal from Cardinal Alfrink, a technician switched off the microphone. After confirming the fact by tapping the instrument, Cardinal Ottaviani stumbled back to his seat in humiliation. The most powerful cardinal in the Roman Curia had been silenced, and the Council Fathers clapped with glee.

[ebb tide]

Pope Benedict XVI explicitly affirmed that:

"To defend the true tradition of the Church today means to defend the Council... We must remain faithful to the today of the Church, not the yesterday or tomorrow. And this today of the Church is the documents of Vatican II."

Cardinal Ratzinger wasn't a pope when he stated the above. As he was one of the liberal periti at the council, it's understandable that he would initially defend it.

Joseph Ratzinger receiving orientation of Karl Rahner

But Cardinal Ratzinger also stated this in December 1984:

"Certainly, the results of Vatican II seem cruelly opposed to the expectations of everyone, beginning with those of Pope John XXIII and then of Pope Paul VI. Expected was a new Catholic unity, and instead we have been exposed to dissension which, to use the words of Pope Paul VI, seems to have gone from self-criticism to self-destruction. Expected was a new enthusiasm, and many wound up discouraged and bored. Expected was a great step forward, and instead we find ourselves faced with a progressive process of decadence that has developed for the most part precisely under the sign of a calling back to the Council and has therefore contributed to discrediting it for many. The net result, therefore, seems negative. I am repeating here what I said ten years after the conclusion of the work: it is incontrovertible that this period has definitely been unfavorable for the Church.":

And...

Benedict XVI Admits Qualms of Conscience about Vatican II

Pope Emeritus Benedict breaks silence: speaks of ‘deep crisis’ facing Church post-Vatican II

[ebb tide]

These Cardinals don't see this as fixing any dogma or doctrine

Of course they don't! Anything goes now in the synodal "church" where everything comes up for a vote, as they all convince themselves that they're listening to what some spirit is telling them.

[ebb tide]

Cardinal Ratzinger was not the only cardinal who thought "The net result, therefore, seems negative" in regard to Vatican II. Here's what Cardinal Giuseppe Siri, who attended all 4 Sessions of Vatican II had to say about that Council "If the Church were not divine this Council would have buried it."

Cardinals Alfredo Ottaviani, Antonio Bacci, Hans Kung, Yves Congar, Fr. Marie-Dominique Chenu, Cardinals Dino Staffa & Silvio Oddi, Cardinal Leo Jozef Suenens and then- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger were correct in saying that "Vatican II broke with Church tradition!" [Their respective statements
regarding this matter are documented]

Did you know that Our Lady of Good Success in Quito, Ecuador in the 16th century, whose many apparitions & messages were approved by the Church in 1611, warned us about the "break with tradition" and the "rupture" that would ensue in her Church in the mid 20th century, which was the time of Vatican II.

[Cronos]

Ebb tide, posting a misinformed dumping ground of links and historical anecdotes still does not make you the Magisterium.

Citing Cardinal Rouco or Cardinal Ottaviani condemning unauthorized abuses actually proves the point: liturgical parodies and abuses violate the actual text of Vatican II (Sacrosanctum Concilium §22). Condemning human disobedience after a Council does not make the Ecumenical Council itself heretical.

Cardinal Roche’s statement that the entire baptized faithful participate in the liturgy is not a "rupture"—it is 1 Peter 2:9 ("a royal priesthood") and the constant teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas on the baptismal character.

By relying on sensational blogs, you aren't defending Traditional Catholicism—you are practicing non-Catholic private judgment in a traditionalist skin.

[Cronos]

Ebb tide, mixing quotes out of context with private revelations you misquote does not alter Church dogma. Lumping together figures like Cardinal Ratzinger, Congar, and Suenens to claim they believed "Vatican II broke with Tradition" is dishonest as Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) spent his entire career condemning the "hermeneutic of rupture" and consistently taught that Vatican II is fully continuous with Catholic Tradition.

AND Cardinals Ottaviani and Siri both signed the final documents of Vatican II, submitted to the Council's decrees, and celebrated the Novus Ordo Mass. They expressed human concerns during debates, but recognized the divine authority of an Ecumenical Council.

Synods do not "vote away dogma." Canonically (Canon 342), the Synod of Bishops is purely advisory and consultative. The Pope alone retains sole decision-making and legislative authority.

16th-century approved apparitions in Quito warned of a general crisis of faith, loss of priestly purity, and widespread secularization in the 20th century. Nowhere in the approved texts of Our Lady of Good Success does Mary condemn an Ecumenical Council of the Church. Weaponizing Marian apparitions to attack an Ecumenical Council contradicts the ultimate test of true Marian devotion: fidelity to the Church.

Every cardinal you listed—regardless of their theological leanings during council debates—remained in communion with Rome and accepted the validity of Vatican II. Using their names to justify separating yourself from the Magisterium is something none of them ever did.

[Cronos]

Ebb tide, taking Cardinal Ratzinger’s critique of post-conciliar abuses and twisting it into a rejection of the Council itself is a dishonest bait-and-switch.

The 1984 quote from the famous Ratzinger Report is Cardinal Ratzinger diagnosing the crisis caused by people who abandoned Council texts in favor of an unauthorized "spirit of Vatican II." In that very same book, Ratzinger explicitly defends the Council documents:

"Vatican II is a legitimate part of the holy Tradition of the Church... It is impossible for a Catholic to take a position for or against Vatican II. Whoever accepts it, as it has been defined and implemented by the Magisterium, accepts the living authority of the Church."
— Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (The Ratzinger Report, 1985)

Cardinal Ratzinger maintained the same position as Pope Benedict XVI --> Claiming he only defended the Council as a "liberal peritus" before becoming Pope is demonstrably false. In his landmark 2005 Christmas Address to the Roman Curia as Pope Benedict XVI, he officially defined the Hermeneutic of Continuity, explicitly condemning those who view Vatican II as a rupture or a break with Catholic Tradition.

Pope Benedict XVI lamented that theologians and activists misused the Council to push secularism—just as Pope St. Pius X lamented modernism in his day. A Pope pointing out human disobedience and crisis after a Council does not invalidate the Council itself.

Citing half a quote to pretend Benedict XVI abandoned Vatican II ignores his entire life's work, his papal magisterium, and his explicit words.

[ebb tide]

Using their names to justify separating yourself from the Magisterium is something none of them ever did.

You just can't stop lying, can you Cronos? I have never separated from the magisterium.

Archbishop Marcel Lefebve also signed every document, but like the others above, they all expressed remorse.

[NorthMountain]

“The Council was not a departure from Tradition. It was a return to that current of Tradition which is the oldest and establishes the measure,”

I've been hearing that line since the 1970s ... it hasn't improved with age.

[ebb tide]

16th-century approved apparitions in Quito warned of a general crisis of faith, loss of priestly purity, and widespread secularization in the 20th century.

And VC II birthed the above.

[Oystir]

Pope Benedict never abandoned Vatican II, ebby. Never. Hocus Pocus quotes can’t change facts.