The Limits of Papal Power: Contrasting Traditional Catholic Teaching with Recognize-and-Resist Distortion

Enough of the semi-trad sophistry!

The Limits of Papal Power: Contrasting Traditional Catholic Teaching with the Recognize-and-Resist Distortion


Detail taken from “Homage by Catholics to Pope Pius IX” by Wilhelmus Petrus van Geldorp (1871)

The semi-traditionalist pundits of our day love to pontificate (pardon the pun) on the limits of the Papacy. The Pope can’t just do whatever he pleases, they (rightly) point out and thereby (wrongly) feel vindicated in their theologically disastrous position of recognizing Jorge Bergoglio as Pope (Francis), while nevertheless resisting his magisterium, his acts of governance, his canonizations, and his liturgical prescriptions where they believe these deviate from what he ought to be teaching and legislating.… READ MORE

A Critique of the False Recognize-and-Resist Ecclesiology of Michael Matt and ‘The Remnant’ (VIDEO)

Review of Matt’s opening speech at Catholic Identity Conference…

A Critique of the False Recognize-and-Resist Ecclesiology of Michael Matt and The Remnant (VIDEO)

The so-called Catholic Identity Conference (CIC) is an annual ‘traditional Catholic’ event in the United States, typically held in or near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In 2022, it tried to get some serious media coverage with its ‘Declaration of Filial Resistance to the Pope’, which, however, predictably went nowhere:

The last such identity conference took place Sep.… READ MORE

The Logic of Sedevacantism: Bp. Donald Sanborn disproves Recognize-and-Resist

Airtight & extremely compelling…

The Logic of Sedevacantism

Bp. Donald Sanborn disproves Recognize-and-Resist

If video won’t play, CLICK HERE to watch on YouTube

On Dec. 21, 2013, His Excellency Bp. Donald Sanborn of Most Holy Trinity Seminary (now in Reading, PA), gave an airtight presentation of the case for Sedevacantism, demonstrating with impeccable logic that the religion taught, practiced, and imposed by the apparent authorities in the Vatican is not the Roman Catholic religion founded by our Lord Jesus Christ and represented by all true Popes up until Pius XII (d. 1958).

Using easy-to-follow argumentation, Bp. Sanborn shows that Catholic principles applied to the doctrines of the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and the post-conciliar magisterium require us to conclude that the church of Vatican II is essentially different from the Catholic Church before the council, that is, the Church of Pope Pius XII and his predecessors. … READ MORE

No, Catholics Can’t “Recognize and Resist”:  Response to One Peter Five

Glad you asked…

No, Catholics Can’t “Recognize and Resist”:
Response to One Peter Five

As seen on its masthead, the web site One Peter Five has as its stated goal: “Rebuilding Catholic Culture. Restoring Catholic Tradition.”

In the name of a defense of Tradition, contributor Eric Sammons published the following post today:

The article stands out for making unsubstantiated claims, a very common problem in “recognize-and-resist” circles. That is not to say that all its claims are false, of course; but it does show, it seems, a certain disrespect for the reader, who is apparently expected to simply accept what the author puts forward.… READ MORE

Pope St. Pius X slams Recognize-and-Resist, says Ultimate Criterion of Orthodoxy is Obedience to Living Magisterium

Checkmate, Lefebvrists!

Pope St. Pius X slams Recognize-and-Resist, says Ultimate Criterion of Orthodoxy is Obedience to Living Magisterium

There is Catholic Tradition and then there is “Catholic Tradition”.

The former is what one actually finds in the traditional (i.e. pre-Vatican II) Catholic theology books and the pronouncements of the papal magisterium, whereas the latter is a popularly-accepted caricature thereof that consists of an assortment of quasi-theological ideas cobbled together from select quotations and slogans that were once popularized by recognize-and-resist apologists like Michael Davies (1936-2004) and have been perpetuated ever since by the Lefebvrists and their theological cousins.

One only has to think of how these would-be traditionalists frequently appeal to alleged “papolatry”, “Ultramontanism”, and “false obedience” to justify their position, and how they make arguments along the lines of “we’ve had bad Popes before”, “St.… READ MORE

The Battle for the Catholic Ethos: Peter Kwasniewski tries to save Recognize-and-Resist

After Steve Skojec recognizes you can’t resist…

The Battle for the Catholic Ethos:
Peter Kwasniewski tries to save Recognize-and-Resist

On Mar. 26, 2021, the well-known semi-traditionalist lecturer and retired theology professor Dr. Peter Kwasniewski posted a message on Facebook that attempts to salvage the theologically-embattled recognize-and-resist position. The entire post reads as follows:

Is “Recognize and Resist” antithetical to the Catholic ethos? Can quotations from Leo XIII of [sic] other popes of the last 150 years rule it out?

Obviously one should not ever want to be in a position of resisting a wayward pope, who is ventilating his private and dubious theological opinions from his chair, or who, while strenuously avoiding the requisites of infallibility, sows confusion and error.

… READ MORE

New Biography of Benedict XVI confirms: Ratzinger recognized as ‘Dangerous Modernist’ early on

Subjective “theology of emotion” without precise definitions…

New Biography of Benedict XVI confirms: Ratzinger was recognized as ‘Dangerous Modernist’ early on

A comprehensive biography of Joseph Ratzinger — “Pope Emeritus” Benedict XVI — has just been published in Germany by Peter Seewald. At 1150 pages, it is a massive tome. It is well documented, contains numerous full-color photos, and includes a name index. The book is divided into six major periods of Ratzinger’s life and has a total of 74 chapters. The work also includes an epilogue and 8 pages of a final interview with the man known as Benedict XVI.… READ MORE

A Challenge to Recognize-and-Resist Apologists: Is it a Mortal Sin to adhere to Francis’ Teachings?

In light of Catholic teaching on the Papacy, that is…

A Challenge to Recognize-and-Resist Apologists: Is it a Mortal Sin to adhere to Francis’ Teachings?

The altar of the Chair of St. Peter in the Vatican

Day in and day out we hear from the recognizing-and-resisting semi-traditionalists that this or that error of Vatican II or the post-conciliar magisterium is “not binding.” In a recent live interview on YouTube, semi-trad darling John Salza repeated it once again.

For the sake of argument, we will accept that claim precisely as stated: Certain papal teaching is not binding. That means, of course, that it is optional to embrace — take it or leave it.… READ MORE

Recognize-and-OBEY is the Traditional Catholic Teaching

Not ‘recognize-and-resist’…

Recognize-and-OBEY is the Traditional Catholic Teaching

The sedevacantist blogger Steven Speray has recently released an important blog post we are happy to republish on this web site, with his permission. It concerns the foundational belief of those who try to be traditional Catholics while believing the “Popes” after Pius XII to be valid and true Vicars of Christ — the so-called “recognize-and-resist” position (R&R).

Pope Pius XI Squashes the Recognize-and-Resist Position

by Steve Speray (Aug. 27, 2019)

Can the faithful recognize and resist the pope? I dealt with this question in a 2015 article. However, I recently stumbled upon some teachings from Pope Pius XI that castigate the recognize-and-resist theology.… READ MORE

Ending Cognitive Dissonance: Recognize-and-Resist Blogger becomes Sedevacantist

Deo gratias!

Ending Cognitive Dissonance:
Another Recognize-and-Resist Blogger becomes Sedevacantist

Cognitive dissonance can be defined as “the mental discomfort (psychological stress) experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values” (Wikipedia).

On July 10, 2016, we posted the article “The Trouble with Jorge: Semi-Trads at the Breaking Point”. After providing some papal quotes on the traditional Catholic doctrine on the Magisterium and the Papacy, we observed: “The cognitive dissonance involved in perhaps professing these truths externally — as the semi-trads might very well do — while at the same time thinking, acting, and speaking in contrary fashion is beginning to push people over the edge.”… READ MORE

Against the “Loyal Opposition”: How Recognize-and-Resist Traditionalism neutralizes the Catholic Faith

A reality check for Burke, Schneider & Co.

Against the “Loyal Opposition”:

How Recognize-and-Resist Traditionalism
neutralizes the Catholic Faith

by Francis del Sarto

On May 18, 2018, during his Rome Life Forum keynote address at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome, “Cardinal” Raymond Burke declared: “We cannot fail to observe that the situation which Pope Pius XI described in 1925 has only grown worse in our time, and attempts ever more to infiltrate the life of the Church herself and to corrupt the Bride of Christ by an apostasy from the Apostolic Faith” (see video recording, 12:51ff.… READ MORE

The Limits to Invoking “Papal Lapses” as a Justification for the Recognize-and-Resist Position

Rejoinder to recent arguments…

The Limits to Invoking “Papal Lapses” as a Justification for the Recognize-and-Resist Position:

A Response to Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

by Francis del Sarto

“Lessons from Church History: A Brief Review of Papal Lapses” is an article by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski that was published on August 6, 2018, by the OnePeterFive website. An editor’s note informs the reader that it is an update of an article that first appeared in October 2015. The author is identified as “a Thomistic theologian, liturgical scholar, and choral composer…”, who has taught at Novus Ordo colleges in Austria and the United States, written six books, and is a regular contributor on “Catholic blogs”.… READ MORE

The Absurdity of the Recognize-and-Resist Position demonstrated in two Memes

Everything in the Vatican II Church is false – except the “Pope”?

The Absurdity of the Recognize-and-Resist Position demonstrated in two easy-to-understand Memes

Some things are easier to grasp in simple memes than in pages upon pages of text. We have produced the following two memes to illustrate the folly of the pseudo-traditionalist “recognize-and-resist” position, according to which one must recognize the papal claimants after Pius XII as valid Popes but resist them in whatever they teach, legislate, etc., that appears to one contrary to the pre-Vatican II Magisterium.

Depsite its inherent absurdity and anti-Catholic nature, this position is very popular, perhaps because it promises “the best of both worlds”, so to speak: One gets all the comfort and convenience of having a Pope and a hierarchy, all the while being exempt from the pesky problems associated with submitting to Modernists.… READ MORE

The Case of Robert Grosseteste: Historical Precedent for Recognize-and-Resist?

Response to a popular argument…

The Case of Robert Grosseteste:
Historical Precedent for Recognize-and-Resist?

A large amount of traditionalist recognize-and-resist theology goes back to the research and argumentation of one man: the British writer Michael Treharne Davies (1936-2004). It is propagated chiefly by the Lefebvrist Society of St. Pius X, whose main lay apologist he was for decades, by the Fatima Center, by Catholic Family News, by The Remnant, and by similar organizations or publications.

Unable to use genuine traditional Catholic theology to back up their recognize-and-resist position, these false traditionalists — we like to call them semi-trads or neo-trads — attempt time and again to find some kind of precedent in Church history that they can point to and say, “See, we’re simply doing what was done back then.”… READ MORE

The Catholic Church after Pius XII: A Postscript to Fr. Ringrose’s Repudiation of Recognize-and-Resist

Some additional considerations…

The Catholic Church after Pope Pius XII: A Postscript to Fr. Ringrose’s Repudiation of Recognize-and-Resist

As expected, our post of May 3 regarding Fr. Ronald Ringrose’s repudiation of the recognize-and-resist position has engendered lots of debate about resistance theology, Sedevacantism, and the Guerardian material-formal thesis (aka the Cassiciacum Thesis or Sedeprivationism).

We offer the following lines as some additional material for reflection and to help those who have been wedded, as it were, to the recognize-and-resist (R&R) position for a long time to realize how seriously it is contrary to the Roman Catholic Faith, which all who call themselves Catholics have an obligation to defend and uphold.… READ MORE