Must Francis be considered a Valid Pope? A Sedevacantist Response to ‘Bishop’ Athanasius Schneider

Refutation of ‘On the Validity of Pope Francis’…

Must Francis be considered a Valid Pope?
A Sedevacantist Response to Athanasius Schneider

‘Bishop’ Athanasius Schneider looks at ‘Pope’ Francis on Sep. 15, 2022, in Astana, Kazakhstan.
(image: AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

On Sep. 6, 2023, the Rev. James Altman — one of the “canceled priests” in the United States — published a video in which he explained, in his own style, why he believes that Jorge Mario Bergoglio (‘Pope Francis’) is not in fact the Pope of the Catholic Church:

This has of course triggered a wave of reactions, mostly by recognize-and-resist traditionalists (“semi-trads”) and conservative Novus Ordos who had shown support for ‘Fr.’… READ MORE

Fernandez on Papal Charism and the ‘Doctrine of the Holy Father’: Brazen Baloney or Traditional Teaching?

An insightful reality check…

Fernandez on Papal Charism and the ‘Doctrine of the Holy Father’: Brazen Baloney or Traditional Teaching?

This blog is certainly the last place on earth that would want to defend ‘Archbishop’ (and almost ‘Cardinal’) Victor Manuel Fernandez, the Vatican’s new doctrine chief who is notorious for having written the book Heal Me with your Mouth: the Art of Kissing (1995). However, truth is truth, even if the ‘wrong’ person speaks it.

When the National Catholic Register released an interview with Fernandez on Sep. 11, 2023, one point immediately caught the ire and contempt of the recognize-and-resist traditionalists (we like to refer to them as “semi-trads”) on the internet.… READ MORE

Pope Saint Pius X’s Motu Proprio ‘Sacrorum Antistitum’ and the Oath against Modernism

Complete English translation found…

Pope St. Pius X’s Motu Proprio Sacrorum Antistitum and the Oath against Modernism

When Pope Pius X was faced with the grave threat of Modernism during his reign (1903-1914), he knew he had to act quickly and decisively to stamp out this “synthesis of all heresies”, as he called it in his landmark encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis (n. 39), in which he exposed and refuted the pernicious doctrines of the Modernists at length.

The holy pontiff, who would be canonized a saint less than 40 years after his death (by Pope Pius XII, in 1954), realized that it would not be enough simply to condemn Modernism theoretically but it was necessary to take practical steps to actually eradicate it.… READ MORE

Francis to Jesuits in Portugal: Some Sodomites aren’t ‘Capable’ or ‘Mature Enough’ to Stop Sinning!

Transcript of Q&A with Portuguese Jesuits released…

Francis to Jesuits in Portugal: Some Sodomites aren’t ‘Capable’ or ‘Mature Enough’ to Stop Sinning!

When Jorge Bergoglio (‘Pope Francis’) visited Lisbon in early August for World Youth Day, he also met with members of the Jesuit province there, as is his custom.

An English transcript of the question-and-answer session was released on Aug. 28, 2023, by the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, S.J., who just recently published a blasphemous sermon on Our Lord’s encounter with the Canaanite woman:

As always, Francis had a lot to say.… READ MORE

The Last Encyclical: Pope Pius XII and the Persecuted Church

65 years since the release of ‘Meminisse Iuvat’…

The Last Encyclical:
Pope Pius XII and the Persecuted Church

On July 14, 1958, Pope Pius XII released the encyclical letter Meminisse Iuvat, on the Persecuted Church. It was his last encyclical and thus the last such document from a true Pope for the time being.

The full text in English is available at the Papal Encyclicals Online web site:

That the Holy Father’s final encyclical should have the Church Persecuted for its main theme proved to be providential, considering what transpired after his death, especially during and after the so-called Second Vatican Council (1962-65).… READ MORE

The ‘Listening Church’ Takes Shape: Synod Working Document Released

Behold the ‘Spirit’ at work!

The ‘Listening Church’ Takes Shape:
Synod Working Document Released

Get ready! The ‘Listening Church’ is coming to the Vatican in October…

On June 20, 2023, the Vatican held a press conference to introduce the long-awaited Instrumentum Laboris — the ‘working document’ which the upcoming Synod on Synodality will be using as a basis for its work. Not surprisingly, the new text is already causing controversy. But first, let’s back up for a moment.

The Vatican’s process for the Synod on Synodality, begun in 2021 and scheduled to conclude in 2024, has been a gigantic bureaucratic effort.… READ MORE

Pope Pius IX’s Encyclical Quartus Supra: The ‘Missing’ Passages

Scanning mistake led to truncated translation…

Pope Pius IX’s Encyclical Quartus Supra:
The ‘Missing’ Passages

Recently, a reader of this blog made us aware that the English translation of the encyclical letter Quartus Supra of Pope Pius IX (r. 1846-1878), to which we often link, found at the immensely useful site PapalEncyclicals.Net, is missing a number of paragraphs:

Indeed, the numbered paragraphs jump from 44 to 50, with no explanation. In addition, paragraph 44 contains this very odd sentence: “Our Constitution ensures that safer and more effective measures [***] children, We have decided in the present crisis to write all this to you to arouse your pure mind to the duty We have laid upon you.”… READ MORE

Historical Tidbit: Paul VI permitted active Catholic Participation in Eastern Orthodox Masses

Law was on the books from 1967 to at least 1983…

Historical Tidbit: ‘Pope’ Paul VI permitted active Catholic Participation in Eastern Orthodox Masses

About a month ago, we published an article demonstrating that the Catholic Church teaches that she is infallible not only in her dogmas but also in her universal laws and sacramental rites — not in the sense that these could never be changed, but rather, that they could never be in themselves impious, heretical, sacrilegious, or otherwise harmful.

In his magnificent encyclical letter on the Mystical Body of Christ, Pope Pius XII taught this explicitly:

Certainly the loving Mother [the Church] is spotless in the Sacraments, by which she gives birth to and nourishes her children; in the faith which she has always preserved inviolate; in her sacred laws imposed on all; in the evangelical counsels which she recommends; in those heavenly gifts and extraordinary graces through which, with inexhaustible fecundity she generates hosts of martyrs, virgins and confessors.

… 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

The Divine Mercy Devotion: Condemned by the Vatican in 1959

Beware of false apparitions and suspect devotions…

The Divine Mercy Devotion:
Condemned by the Vatican in 1959

Only few people have never heard of the so-called “Divine Mercy” devotion. It has its origin in the alleged visions of a Polish nun by the name of Sr. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), a member of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. The “Divine Mercy” devotion is extremely popular in the Vatican II Church, owing for the most part to the efforts of the apostate bishop Karol Wojtyla, first as the “Archbishop” of Cracow, then as “Pope” John Paul II.

A great number of traditional Catholics, as well, have been led to accept this devotion, which, unfortunately, is sometimes confused with the most noble and laudable devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is based chiefly on the revelations of Our Lord to St.… READ MORE

Could Non-Infallible Papal Teaching be Heretical?

Answering a common misconception…

Could Non-Infallible Papal Teaching be Heretical?

A lot of people in the theological camp we call the “recognize-and-resist” position believe that whatever teaching from the Roman Pontiff is not protected by infallibility, that is, whatever papal teaching is not divinely guaranteed to be free from all error, could for that very reason be heretical.

Consequently, they infer that for a Pope to teach heresy “non-infallibly” is entirely within the purview of what is possible in the Church, and therefore Francis’ magisterial heresies cannot be used as an argument that he is not a valid Pope.… 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

Can Francis Ban the Latin Mass? Sedevacantist Critique of a recent Taylor Marshall Podcast (Part 2)

Challenging the mainstream trad narrative…

Can Francis Ban the Latin Mass?


Sedevacantist Critique of a recent Taylor Marshall Podcast

(Part 2 of 2)

On Jan. 27, 2023, Dr. Taylor Marshall interviewed Mr. Matthew Gaspers on the topic of whether a Pope can abolish the Traditional Latin Mass of the Roman rite.

Spoiler alert: Gaspers answered with a “definite no” and presented a total of three magisterial quotes and two quotes from Doctors of the Church he thinks prove that a Pope is not permitted to abolish the ancient Roman liturgy, and if he does, all the other members of the Church have the right and/or duty to reject such a decree as void and worthless.… READ MORE

Can Catholics resist the Pope because St. Paul resisted St. Peter? Lecture by Fr. Gabriel Lavery

Lecture by Fr. Gabriel Lavery, CMRI

Can Catholics resist the Pope because St. Paul resisted St. Peter?

Time and again the recognize-and-resist traditionalists — those who recognize Francis as a true Pope but resist his teachings, laws, and canonizations if they judge them not to be “in line with Tradition” — invoke the incident described in the second chapter of St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, in which the Apostle resisted Pope St. Peter “to his face”, as supposed historical precedent and divine approval for “resisting the Pope”.

In a prior blog post, we had already explained, using solid Catholic authorities, why this argument does not hold water.… READ MORE

Can Francis Ban the Latin Mass? Sedevacantist Critique of a recent Taylor Marshall Podcast (Part 1)

Reality check for Taylor Marshall and Matt Gaspers…

Can Francis Ban the Latin Mass?


Sedevacantist Critique of a recent Taylor Marshall Podcast

(Part 1 of 2)

On Jan. 27, 2023, Dr. Taylor Marshall interviewed Mr. Matthew Gaspers on the topic of whether a Pope can abolish the Traditional Latin Mass of the Roman rite and replace it with a liturgical aberration such as the Novus Ordo Missae of ‘Saint’ Paul VI. Spoiler alert: Gaspers answered with a “definite no”.

While it is clear that a Pope indeed cannot promulgate something so horrendous as the false mass of Paul VI, since every true Pope is divinely protected from instituting for the entire Church evil, heretical, sacrilegious, or otherwise harmful disciplinary laws or sacramental rites (see Denz.… READ MORE