Francis cracks down on Athanasius Schneider, orders him to reduce his traveling abroad

Enough with all the globe-trotting…

Francis cracks down on “Bp.” Athanasius Schneider, orders him to reduce his traveling abroad

[UPDATE 08-NOV-2018 01:17 UTC: The German paper Die Tagespost reports that “Bp.” Schneider says the Vatican has merely asked him to ensure that his travels outside his diocese do not exceed the 30 days’ limit legislated in canon law. He has not been censured or forbidden from traveling. UPDATE 16:52 UTC: Schneider speaks to Life Site to explain the situation.]

We all know that “Pope” Francis is a big friend of migration, but even he has his limits when it comes to tolerating persistent moving about.

The expert Vatican journalist Marco Tosatti reports on his blog today that “Bishop” Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary of the diocese of Maria Santissima in Astana, Kazakhstan, has “received a verbal [i.e. oral] injunction from the Vatican asking him to reduce the frequency of his trips abroad” (“Il Papa Impone ‘i Domiciliari’ al Vescovo Athanasius Schneider”, Stilum Curiae, Nov. 6, 2018; Google translation). The person who communicated this restriction to him was “Abp.” Francis Chullikatt, the Vatican’s nuncio to Kazakhstan.

The curtailment had been issued by “Cardinal” Pietro Parolin, who, as the Vatican Secretary of State, acts on Francis’ behalf. Apparently someone in the Vatican had taken notice of the fact that Schneider spends an incredible amount of time outside of his diocese, traveling the globe from conference to conference to speak about apostasy, schism, and other problems he sees in the Vatican II Church.

According to Tosatti, because the Vatican restriction was delivered only by spoken word and not in writing, Schneider is unable to appeal the decision to the Congregation of Bishops or some ecclesiastical tribunal. No reasons were given for the sanction, which was communicated to Schneider in April of this year.

What does this mean now in practice for any trips the Kazakh auxiliary wishes to take outside his home country? Tosatti writes: “Every time he plans a trip abroad, he must inform the Nuncio.” Whether this will remain a simple notification or become in effect a request for permission will have to be seen, but it is clear that if the nuncio — or his ultimate boss — doesn’t like the frequency, the destination, or the purpose of the trips, Schneider will quickly come to experience further sanctions. In fact, he may even be ordered to take one final trip abroad — to Vatican City.

Tosatti notes that it is not known whether the nuncio has the power to forbid Schneider from leaving the country altogether. That may indeed be what will be decided eventually, considering Schneider’s track record as an outspoken critic of Francis:

• In early 2015, he urged people to “create groups of true Catholics, scholars, families, and clergy who will spread courageously the full Catholic truth, especially on the Church’s teachings on the family, on nature, and the commandments of God” in opposition to Francis’ apostate agenda
• In mid-2015, Schneider said that Francis “must one day render an account to God” and that “after his pontificate there could be judgments about his behavior”
• In late 2016, Schneider publicly backed the four “Dubia cardinals”, who had respectfully challenged Francis on some of the contents of his infernal exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which effectively downgrades adultery from a mortal sin to a petty failure to attain a heroic ideal that sometimes God desires us to commit
• On Dec. 5, 2016, Schneider went on French internet television to complain about Francis’ Amoris Laetitia, basically accusing the “Pope” of being in schism with Christ
• A day later, Schneider spoke in Rome at a conference sponsored by the Lepanto Foundation, at which he accused Francis of promoting the “joy of adultery”
• On Dec. 31, 2017, Schneider co-signed a statement affirming truths about Holy Matrimony in conflict with Amoris Laetitia
• In April of this year, Schneider spoke at a symposium entitled “Catholic Church: Where are you heading?”, in which he indirectly rebuked Francis for not fulfilling the duties of his (putative) office

At Novus Ordo Watch we have been very critical of Mr. Schneider because, aside from how sincere he may be or whatever good intentions he may have, by holding fast to the Vatican II Church as the true Catholic Church and Francis and his five predecessors as true Catholic Popes, he is doing incalculable damage to souls. This is especially evident in his attempts to squeeze traditional Catholic positions into this anti-Catholic framework.

For example, he has advanced the absurd and anti-Catholic idea that one can be in schism with Christ by adhering to the Pope, and that one can be in union with Christ by being in schism with the Pope. Both of these ideas are, if not outright heretical, extremely injurious to Catholic doctrine on the Papacy. Likewise, Schneider has carelessly spread falsehoods about Pope Liberius in order to make it look as though there were historical precedent for resisting a “heretical Pope” such as he knows Francis to be. These false ideas are quickly embraced by unsuspecting souls who mean to be traditional Catholics and appear to have found in Schneider their great master who will lead them in these troubled times. The damage Schneider has the potential to cause is, therefore, even greater than that of Francis in a certain sense, as Francis’ defection from the Faith is open and manifest, whereas Schneider’s de facto anti-Catholicism comes under the guise of orthodoxy and Tradition.

We must always keep before us that what matters is not the personal intentions of the adherents of the false Modernist church but the danger they objectively present. As the 19th century English priest Fr. Frederick Faber once said: “It is the good men, good once, we must hope good still, who are to do the work of Anti-Christ and so sadly to crucify the Lord afresh…. Bear in mind this feature of the last days, that this deceitfulness arises from good men being on the wrong side” (source).

With a soft travel restriction in place now, surely the message the Vatican is intending to send to “Bp.” Schneider is this: One more wrong move, and your party is over. In September of 2013, Francis had exhorted his “bishops”: “I beg you, please, to stay among your people. Avoid the scandal of being ‘airport bishops’!”

If Schneider refuses to comply, he will soon be grounded for life.

Image source: adelantelafe.com (cropped)
License: fair use