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 Infallibility of the Catholic Church in her Universal Laws and Sacramental Rites

The death knell for Feeneyism and Recognize-and-Resist…

The Infallibility of the Catholic Church in her Universal Laws and Sacramental Rites

In his 1943 encyclical letter on the Mystical Body of Christ, Pope Pius XII (r. 1939-1958) clarified that the Roman Catholic Church, although made up of human beings who are sinners, is nevertheless perfectly holy in those things that pertain to her divine constitution and the fulfillment of her mission — that of teaching, governing, and sanctifying souls so that they may attain the Beatific Vision. As “the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15), our Lord’s is thus “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but … holy, and without blemish” (Eph 5:27).… READ MORE

Ferrara’s Fatal Flaw on Sedevacantism

Response to a piece of sophistry…

Ferrara’s Fatal Flaw on Sedevacantism

Even in the 21st century, basic English reading comprehension still seems to be a challenge for some.

In installment no. 1248 of his Fatima Perspectives column, self-appointed “papal” corrector and professional rhetorician Christopher A. Ferrara says that sedevacantists “never seem to notice the fatal flaw in their argument.” Quoting from a sede source he leaves curiously unidentified — this one –, the retired lawyer goes on to explain:

Let this quotation from a “popular” sedevacantist website suffice for a demonstration:

“By saying Francis is Pope but then refusing his magisterium, the would-be traditionalists in the Vatican II Church are doing untold damage to the traditional Catholic doctrine of the Papacy because the papal office was instituted as the sure norm of orthodoxy at every point in time in Church history, guaranteed by Christ Himself.

… READ MORE

‘Peter himself can fail and become Satan’: How Timothy Flanders explains Francis to Protestants

‘Traditional Catholic’ advice from One Peter Five…

‘Peter himself can fail and become Satan’:
How Timothy Flanders explains Francis to Protestants

Semi-trads have a problem. Not only do they continually have to tell themselves that the public apostate Jorge Bergoglio’s reign of error is somehow compatible with the Catholic doctrine on the Papacy and does not violate the promises of Christ, they do occasionally also have to explain the “Francis papacy” to conservative Protestants — you know, the kind that has a problem with Francis’ paganism, idolatry, blasphemy, and relativism.

This very issue came up in a recent One Peter Five live video broadcast.… READ MORE

Bergoglio and the Prosperity Gospel: An Assessment

Of course, he’s against it… isn’t he?

Bergoglio and the Pro$perity Gospel:
An Assessment

Rich man, poor man — Self-proclaimed billionaire televangelist Kenneth Copeland leads “Pope” Francis the Humble in prayer at the Vatican on June 24, 2014. The ecumenical encounter took place during a three-hour meeting with a delegation of Protestants, including a luncheon at Santa Marta Inn. (image: kcm.org/fair use)

by Francis Del Sarto

Prosperity theology (sometimes referred to as the prosperity gospel, the health-and-wealth gospel, the gospel of success, or seed faith) is a religious belief among some Protestant Christians that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for them, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to religious causes will increase one’s material wealth.

… READ MORE

In Brief: The Facts on Pope John XXII

Historical Precedent for a “Heretical” Pope?

In Brief: The Facts on Pope John XXII

At a time when countless supposed “traditional Catholics” don’t think twice about accusing an unquestionably true Pope of the past of teaching heresy or at least grave doctrinal error, it behooves us to remind everyone that instead of simply believing whatever you see posted on a blog somewhere, the safer course is to simply look the stuff up. It’s not like these questions never came up before or that no clear answer was ever put forward.

Where to look it up? Look it up where any Catholic priest would have looked it up before Vatican II: in the most recent dogmatic theology manuals approved by the Church.… READ MORE

No Jekyll-and-Hyde Magisterium: Against the Theological Sophistry of Peter Kwasniewski

Powerful refutation of semi-trad star apologist

No Jekyll-and-Hyde Magisterium: Against the Theological Sophistry of Peter Kwasniewski

On May 26, 2022, One Peter Five published another article by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski, the retired philosophy professor who is currently “rethinking the Papacy” in an effort to fit the square peg of Jorge Bergoglio (“Pope Francis”) into the round hole of the Petrine primacy:

The article’s chief contention is that the nature and role of the Church’s magisterium, specifically that of the Pope, has been unduly exaggerated by some to the detriment of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.… READ MORE

“The Greatness of God in a Piece of Bread”: A Commentary on Francis’ Corpus Christi Sermons

How NOT to speak about the Holy Eucharist…

“The Greatness of God in a Piece of Bread”:

A Commentary on Francis’ Corpus Christi Sermon and Angelus Address

Always has a profound insight, or thinks he does: The Modernist antipope Jorge Bergoglio

This past Sunday, June 6, 2021, the Vatican observed the Solemnity of Corpus Christi or Corpus Domini, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist.

The false pope Jorge Bergoglio (“Francis”) has long had a very strained relationship with this feast. Not only does he habitually refuse to kneel before the “Blessed Sacrament” exposed for adoration (unlike for other occasions), he also refuses to participate in the processions (the only time he did was in 2013, his first year), and he repudiates the dogma of Transubstantiation, usually opting for the Lutheran heresy of Consubstantiation instead:

In a separate post, we already reported on the latest bout of Eucharistic Knee Failure that predictably attacked him; in this post, we shall focus on the words he spoke during his sermon, delivered in the evening, and what he said during the Angelus address he had given earlier in the day.… READ MORE

Is the “New Mass” of Paul VI the true Roman Catholic Mass?

A video comparison…

Is the “New Mass” of Paul VI the true Roman Catholic Mass?

Hint: It’s a meal, not a propitiatory sacrifice…

It was on Holy Thursday in 33 A.D. that our Blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ offered the first Holy Catholic Mass in the cenacle in Jerusalem, Himself being both Priest and Victim. There He instituted the Holy Eucharist, established the Perpetual Sacrifice of the New Covenant, and ordained the first bishops. This He did on the first day of the Passover (see Luke 22), for He Himself was to be the true Paschal Lamb who would save the people from the bondage of slavery to sin (cf.… 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 Francesco Fiasco: Novus Ordo Land reels from “Papal” Comments on Sodomite Civil Unions

Reaction roundup…

The Francesco Fiasco: Novus Ordo Land reels from “Papal” Comments on Sodomite Civil Unions

When the news broke on Oct. 21, 2020, that Francis had endorsed legal protections for homosexual couples in an interview aired as part of the new documentary Francesco, it wasn’t difficult to predict that a firestorm of reactions would erupt — and boy, did it!

Before long, a veritable panoply of widely differing reactions presented itself: From irritated cries of “fake news” all the way to shrugs of “nothing new here”, from exasperated condemnations to enthusiastic applause, from “this has no authority” to “this indicates a shift in the Church” — the reactions of Vatican II “Catholics” were as varied as the liturgical chaos one finds in any Novus Ordo diocese.… READ MORE

A Word of Caution in Light of the ongoing Vigano Testimony Drama

Keeping things in perspective…

A Word of Caution in Light of the ongoing Viganò Testimony Drama

The 11-page testimony letter of “Abp.” Carlo Maria Vigano published on Aug. 25, 2018, has put the Modernist sect in Rome into a credibility crisis so severe that, depending on what happens in the next few days and weeks, it may never be able to recover from it.

After over one full week of this controversy, which saw testimony and silence, accusations and denials, claims and counter-claims, verification and contradiction, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of where the whole matter stands.… READ MORE

Playing Favorites: Francis’ Accountability Double Standard — Excerpt from “Lost Shepherd” by Phil Lawler

“Lost Shepherd” being released today…

Playing Favorites:
Francis’ Accountability Double Standard

Exclusive Excerpt from the new Book Lost Shepherd by Phil Lawler

Today is the day a new book against Francis is hitting the shelves in the United States: Lost Shepherd: How Pope Francis is Misleading His Flock. It was written by Philip F. Lawler, who is a conservative Novus Ordo journalist, author, and commentator who will no longer remain silent about the damage the “Pope” has been inflicting on souls under the guise of Catholicism.

Lawler currently publishes a popular column at Catholic Culture, where he has been venting some of his frustration about the man he, despite all, still believes to be a valid Pope of the Catholic Church.… READ MORE

Peter Kwasniewski and “the Troubles of this Pontificate”: A Sedevacantist Reply

Why those troubles do point to Sedevacantism…

Peter Kwasniewski and “the Troubles of this Pontificate”:
A Sedevacantist Reply

As of late, more and more Novus Ordo and semi-trad publications have felt the need to write something about — that is, something against — Sedevacantism. That’s a good sign, since it shows that the truth about the nature of the Vatican II Sect and its anti-Catholic hierarchy is making inroads like never before. Were it not so, the Novus Ordo pundits and commentators would not give this issue the time of day.

And no wonder: Never since the Modernists took over the Vatican in 1958 has the chaos been greater than today under the man who styles himself “Pope Francis” — Jorge Bergoglio — a mere layman, an Argentine Jesuit without even so much as a valid diaconate ordination.… READ MORE

Ecclesial Civil War: “Pro Pope Francis” Web Site counters “Filial Correction” Movement

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander…

Ecclesial Civil War:
Pro Pope Francis Web Site counters Filial Correction Movement

In the Novus Ordo Sect, false principles are once again coming home to roost. If a number of conservatives in the Vatican II Church can correct the “Pope”, then there is no reason why a number of liberals can’t support him, and this is exactly what has now happened.

On Sep. 23, 2017, the now-famous “Filial Correction” went online, a well-documented study refuting various heresies and errors propagated by “Pope” Francis. It was originally signed by 62 clerics and lay individuals, most of them not very well known.… READ MORE