There are things that light up the night like a comet, and sometimes it seems as if they make the extent of the night tangible in an instant.
When the “Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X” announced its intention to consecrate its own bishops without the Pope’s permission, it was such a moment: the night of the Church became so bright that the darkness that had lain upon it for far too long could no longer be overlooked.
Don’t misunderstand me: I don’t consider the Society a “heavenly apparition,” and it’s not my point here. My point is what its announcement reveals, namely the state of the Church since the Second Vatican Council.
I would describe this state as a “dark night,” and the worst part is: we have become accustomed to it. We have become accustomed to the fact that the Church has fundamentally changed, and that it contradicts much of what it previously taught and believed.
Essentially, we are dealing with a “new” Church today, and we have been keeping silent about this for 60 years; we close our eyes and listen to those who insist, with remarkable persistence, that the Council did not change the faith, but merely “deepened” it. In short: We allow ourselves to be led astray like children, and the greatest turning point in Church history is explained away with a sleight of hand. – The Church’s night is our own night!
That this is also a night for the papacy goes without saying: No pope has yet dared to correct the devastating consequences of the Council; the papacy is de facto defunct at this point. Instead, one pope after another affirms the “achievements” of the Council. This is easier and provokes no resistance, and only Benedict XVI dared to make that exception that proves the rule; he paid dearly for it.
That this development could not end well was clear from the outset. Nevertheless, the Church stumbled into darkness for decades and, under Pope Francis, reached the middle of the night.
Francis was the first pope to proclaim heresies, bless sinful relationships, and relativize Christ’s work of salvation. He promoted his intention to introduce a “synodal” church as a consequence of the Council. At the same time, his assertion that the Holy Spirit could reveal himself today in contradiction to himself was a heresy of its own kind.
It appears that Leo XIV is continuing the “synodal” destructive work of his predecessor. – The “last fruit” of the Council will likely be its most poisonous.
However, Francis has damaged not only the Church but also the papacy. The Pope’s authority has since been eroded; his arbitrariness has stretched the Petrine office to absurd lengths. Leo XIV cannot change this. If the Pope is no longer the guarantor of the Catholic faith, the papacy no longer counts, at least not in those areas where it has departed from the traditional faith.
This brings us back to the “Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X,” which insists on the unadulterated faith of the pre-conciliar era and on the Mass that professes this faith. It goes without saying that this is linked to a rejection of the post-conciliar Church and synodal heresy.
The fact that the brotherhood intends to consecrate bishops is therefore a point of contention, and everything that was hidden in the “dark night” is now illuminated in the brightest light: The Church handed down by the Apostles is wrestling with the new one, and the two cannot coexist. There is only one Church and one truth, and it is as indivisible as Christ’s garment.
At the same time, the post-conciliar Church is crumbling before everyone’s eyes. It is crumbling because of the rupture it denied for too long. But it is also crumbling because it has distanced itself from the faith of the apostles and refuses to return to itself: to the true Bride of Christ, to the Church before the Council. – In the light of the comet, a heap of broken pieces spreads out before us.
Against this backdrop, the question of whether the ordinations of the Society of St. Pius X are schismatic no longer arises. On the contrary: the heated debate that has ensued illustrates the Church’s internal divisions and exposes it to ridicule. It resembles that sad character from the Commedia dell’arte whom no one takes seriously and whom everyone pities. – In the end, it is an act of mercy that the darkness swallows it up.
In more pious times, the appearance of a comet was understood as a call to repentance, and even if such repentance seems hardly possible for the post-conciliar Church, this call is directed at ourselves. If we want to be Catholic, we cannot sit on a dark heap of broken pieces, only to one day become as Protestant with the new Church as the “Catholic” Church in Germany already is today.
But if WE repent, the whole Church will, and that is why I encourage you: Convert to the true Bride of Christ, convert to Catholic tradition!
Of course, you will eventually ask me how I feel about the announced ordinations of the Society of St. Pius X, and I say very clearly: If the Pope is not prepared to protect the Church’s traditional doctrine and liturgy, it is the duty of every member of the Church to do so themselves. Therefore, it seems the Society cannot avoid these ordinations. – Anyone who wants to can see this as a “schismatic” act. But anyone who is willing to see things more deeply will see these ordinations as a clear sign. – I don’t believe Leo XIV recognizes this. The popes’ blinders have been too firmly in place since the Council.
Translated and posted from Stilum Curiae