Posted on 11/14/2026 8:40:43 PM PST by ebb tide
One of the many inspirational passages from Henry Sebastian Bowden’s Mementoes of the English Martyrs and Confessors comes from Blessed John Forest’s letter to Catherine of Aragon:
“When I read your letter, I was filled with incredible joy because I saw how great is your constancy in the Faith. In this, if you persevere, without doubt you will attain salvation. Doubt not of me that by any inconstancy I should disgrace my grey hairs. Meanwhile, I earnestly beg your steadfast prayers to God, for whose spouse we suffer torments, to receive me in His glory. For it have I striven these four and forty years in the Order of St. Francis. Meanwhile, do you keep free from the pestilent doctrine of the heretics, so that if even an angel should come down from Heaven and bring you another doctrine than which I have taught you, give no credit to his words, but reject him; for that other doctrine does not come from God. These few words must you take in lieu of consolation; but that you will receive from our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom I specially commend you, to my father Francis, to St. Catherine; and when you hear of my execution, I heartily beg of you to pray for me to her. I send you my rosary, as I have but three days to live.” (May 14 entry)
Blessed Forest was martyred three days later because he had followed the same advice that he was giving Queen Catherine: as St. Paul told us, Catholics can never compromise doctrine, no matter who tells us that we must (Galatians 1:8-9).
Leo is like the hospice nurse trying to make sure the mainstream Catholic Church dies as comfortably as possible.Tweet this quote
The account of Blessed Forest’s final moments shows us that he remained faithful to the end:
“After three years’ delay, he was sentenced to be burnt as a heretic. On the stand at Smithfield, he faced the Lords of the Council, with Latimer mounted on a pulpit. To the apostate’s heretical invectives, the martyr’s rejoinders were so complete that Latimer, in his rage, exclaimed, ‘Burn him, burn him! His last words are enough.’ He was carried to the gibbet and suspended by a chain round the waist over the pile prepared. The flames were kindled and further fed by the image of a saint cast into the burning mass. The martyr prayed, ‘Neither fire, faggot, nor scaffold shall separate me from Thee, O Lord.’ His sufferings were prolonged by a high wind scattering the flames. He bore the agony with invincible patience, and with the ascending flames, the holocaust was consumed. He suffered at Smithfield, May 22, 1538.” (May 22 entry)
Like so many of the other English Martyrs, Blessed John Forest’s Catholic Faith was so strong that he would not accept any compromise whatsoever. He had no doubts about his religion because he had been properly taught that it was the immutable religion given to us by God.
How does this compare with what we see today from the majority of Catholics, including almost the entire hierarchy? Blessed Forest surely would have chosen to suffer an even crueler martyrdom rather than accept abominations such as the Synod on Synodality and Fiducia Supplicans. Today, though, it is difficult to name more than a handful of bishops “in good standing” who are willing to question the daily scandals emanating from Rome.
In his Open Letter to Confused Catholics (from 1986), Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre had already identified the near-universal confusion and doubt that plagues the mainstream Church today:
“Who can deny that Catholics in the latter part of the twentieth century are confused? A glance at what has happened in the Church over the past twenty years is enough to convince anyone that this is a relatively recent phenomenon. Only a short time ago, the path was clearly marked: either one followed it or one did not. One had the Faith — or perhaps had lost it — or had never had it. But he who had it — who had entered the Church through baptism, who had renewed his baptismal promises around the age of twelve, and had received the Holy Ghost on the day of his confirmation — such a person knew what he had to believe and what he had to do. Many today no longer know. They hear all sorts of astonishing statements in the churches, they read things contrary to what was always taught, and doubt has crept into their minds.”
Although we cannot imagine that all Catholics prior to Vatican II had been prepared to follow in the footsteps of the martyrs, they at least knew that the Catholic Church wanted them to have that fidelity. But, as Archbishop Lefebvre saw so clearly, all of that has changed since the Council.
The revolutionaries knew that once Catholics no longer believed that Catholicism is the one true religion, they would eventually lose the Faith even if they kept the name of Catholic.Tweet this quote
Not only is the doubt widespread, it is also something that has been promoted by many influential Catholics. Consider, for example, the following words from Archbishop Hélder Câmara (signer of the Catacombs Pact and a crucial influence on Klaus Schwab):
“It would shock many people if the Church came along giving the impression that I am the solution to every problem — I have the solution to every problem. No, we come only to try to collaborate with the world, not by throwing our weight around but by shedding a bit of light here and there” (Archbishop Hélder Câmara, quoted in the Archbishop Lefebvre Documentary, 39:00)
As it turns out, many of those who have contributed to the Vatican II revolution actually wanted the Catholic Church to abandon that certainty that characterized the faith of the martyrs.
Will He Find Faith by Atila Sinke Guimarães documents many other admissions from leaders of the Vatican II revolution, but we can simply add one more, from Karl Rahner:
“No other religion has the pretension of being the Religion, the sole value revelation of the one living God. . . . Every religion raises questions and is an option open to all; and for this reason every religion becomes a problem that challenges the pretended absolute character of Christianity.” (pp. 26-27)
Rahner was one of the most influential theologians at Vatican II, and yet here he is mocking the way in which Catholicism presents itself as the true religion given to us by God. Thus it should come as no surprise that Catholics are confused and full of doubts today — this is all part of a dedicated effort to eradicate the faith that gave us saints like the English Martyrs. The revolutionaries knew that once Catholics no longer believed that Catholicism is the one true religion, they would eventually lose the Faith even if they kept the name of Catholic.
“You have helped to destroy the Church along with the rest of them.” – Archbishop LefebvreTweet this quote
From this perspective, it should be abundantly clear that the most pressing task for the Vatican is to condemn the errors opposed to the Catholic Faith and reassert the need for all Catholics to adhere to the unadulterated Catholic Faith. This is necessary not only for the Church but for the entire world, which suffers immensely through the infidelity of Catholics.
What do we see instead? In his recent visit to South America, Leo XIV met with many thousands of Catholics, almost all of whom are in desperate need of the true faith. Here is what he said in Argentina to the leaders of “Christian communities and religious traditions”:
“The identity of the Argentinian people has taken shape like a melting pot of different races, cultures, and religions. It has been formed by the native peoples and by countless immigrants from different parts of the world who arrived in this land over the centuries, bringing with them their dreams and their faith — Catholics, Evangelicals, and Jews at first, and later many others. In all their diversity, they learned to work together, form families and communities, and build settlements and villages, ‘in an admirable symbiosis with the local traditions’ (Saint John Paul II, Homily, Paraná Airport, 9 April 1987). In this way, they gave unity to the nation and carried forward common projects. Religions were never a cause of division, but rather a meeting point and a source of commitment to society. Today, too, each of us bears witness to a creed which we have chosen to live by, making it an outstretched hand with which to share cultural values and good works. Our meeting is founded on listening, which makes mutual understanding possible and allows us to reflect together on an action that we perform every day, namely prayer. In the various religions, people pray raising their voices to God. In keeping with our respective traditions, countless languages, songs, and gestures converge heavenward, as though gathering before the ineffable mystery of our existence (cf. Nostra Aetate, 1).”
To those who needed to be told that God truly wants them to be Catholic, Leo suggested that all religions should listen to each other, honoring God in their own special ways. If Blessed John Forest had believed this, his feet never would have come close to the fire in Smithfield. And if the missionaries had believed this, there would be no Catholic Churches for Leo to have visited in South America.
We know what the English Martyrs and all the saints would have chosen. May God give us the grace to choose the same.Tweet this quote
Leo said many other things in his visit to South America, some of which sound somewhat pious. There is no need to repeat any of his platitudes here, for we are already too familiar with the way in which the sons of Vatican II can make their Catholic audiences feel warm inside by saying a few nice words about God. But sweet words about God are of no avail if they adorn a message that says we do not actually need to do His will — we know this from the words of Jesus:
“Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of My Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
Like his predecessors, Leo wants to make sure there are plenty of people who say “Lord, Lord” . . . but he is very much opposed to those who insist that we must do God’s will to go to save our souls.
Stepping back, the picture is clear. Whether he realizes it or not, Leo is like the hospice nurse trying to make sure the mainstream Catholic Church dies as comfortably as possible. In the view of those attempting to bring about the end of Catholicism, the only thing that can possibly ruin their plans would be for Catholics to recall what it really means to be Catholic. This is why Leo’s Synodal Church accepts everyone as they are except for Traditional Catholics who would rather die than abandon the unadulterated Catholic Faith.
As we know, though, God will triumph over these enemies attempting to destroy His Church. We can be absolutely certain that those who think they are on the verge of victory today will soon enough realize that they have fought on the wrong side. In this light, Archbishop Lefebvre’s final words from Open Letter to Confused Catholics are so vital today:
“At the hour of my death, when Our Lord asks me, ‘What have you done with your episcopate, what have you done with your episcopal and priestly grace?’ I do not want to hear from His lips the terrible words, ‘You have helped to destroy the Church along with the rest of them.’”
Archbishop Lefebvre chose to defend the immutable Catholic Faith rather than follow those trying to destroy the Church. We know what the English Martyrs and all the saints would have chosen. May God give us the grace to choose the same. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!
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Our meeting is founded on listening, which makes mutual understanding possible and allows us to reflect together on an action that we perform every day, namely prayer. In the various religions, people pray raising their voices to God. In keeping with our respective traditions, countless languages, songs, and gestures converge heavenward, as though gathering before the ineffable mystery of our existence (cf. Nostra Aetate, 1).”
Everything the church should be doing is promoting life.
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