Playing it Safe? Kennedy Hall and the Sedevacantist Wager

Who’s really on the safe side theologically?

Playing it Safe? Kennedy Hall and the Sedevacantist Wager

Kennedy Hall is a Canadian journalist, author, and internet pundit who falls squarely into the recognize-and-resist camp theologically.

On Oct. 21, 2022, writing for Crisis Magazine, Hall published a blog post entitled, “The Sedevacantist Wager”, in which he explains why he believes that, leaving aside all theological arguments, it is ultimately a much safer bet to accept Francis and his five predecessors as true Popes, as long as one sufficiently sifts their magisterium for whatever is heretical, erroneous, or otherwise dangerous to one’s soul.… READ MORE

The Latest Athanasius Schneider Interview: A Sedevacantist Assessment

Blah blah recognize, blah blah resist…

The Latest Athanasius Schneider Interview:
A Sedevacantist Assessment

“Bishop” Athanasius Schneider (b. 1961) is currently in the United States, traveling from one speaking engagement to another. As one of “Pope” Francis’ most outspoken critics, the Kazakh auxiliary of Astana is in high demand with the recognize-and-resist traditionalists, who need a kind of ‘substitute pope’ to reassure them that they are right to resist Francis while still recognizing him as a valid successor of St. Peter. And Schneider delivers.

Never mind that, supposing him to be Pope for a moment, it is Francis who has universal jurisdiction over all Catholics, whereas Schneider has jurisdiction over none, being a mere auxiliary and not in charge of a diocese.… READ MORE

A Case of Mistaken Identity: Semi-Trad Conference tries to be Catholic against the ‘Pope’

Overhyped ‘Declaration of Resistance’ issued…

A Case of Mistaken Identity: Semi-Trad Conference tries to be Catholic in Opposition to the ‘Pope’


Eric Frankovitch, John-Henry Westen, and Michael Matt during a press conference Oct. 1, 2022

This past weekend, from Sep. 30 to Oct. 2, 2022, American recognize-and-resist traditionalists held an event called the “Catholic Identity Conference” in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (official web site).

Not unexpectedly, it was very well attended, being one of the few ways every year the semi-traditionalist crowd can gather together to reassure each other that they’re on the right track, regardless of what the “Pope” says — or the sedevacantists.… READ MORE

TRADCAST 033 (August 15, 2022)

TRADCAST 033 (15 AUG 2022)

Contents

  • Segment 1 — Response to Michael Voris and the Church Militant Live program “Is Bergoglio really the Pope?”, aired on Feb. 18, 2022: Church Militant and “Public Criticism of the Pope” – refreshing Voris’ memory with concrete examples; whether Francis lost the Papacy on account of heresy; the question of scandal and leading souls out of the Church.
  • Segment 2 — One Peter Five on Freemasonry and the Papacy; The Remnant‘s contradictory positions on the Vatican II Church; why you can’t go wrong being a Sedevacantist.
  • Total run time: 1 hr 12 min

You can listen to the show by clicking the big play button in the embedded player above.… 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

A Church without Popes forever? Response to an Inquiring Writer at OnePeterFive

Better a vacant Chair than a defected Chair!

A Church without Popes forever?
Response to an Inquiring Writer at One Peter Five

On July 23, 2020, an article appeared on the One Peter Five web site that is addressed to sedevacantists:

The piece was written by Mr. Nishant Xavier, and it represents a reasonable and evidence-based challenge to the sedevacantist position. This is unusual for One Peter Five, which in the past (and also since then) has revealed itself to be a theological comedy site more than anything.… READ MORE

Bergoglio breaks the Semi-Trads: Is the Fence-Sitting coming to an End?

Recognize-and-Resisters pushed over the edge…

Bergoglio breaks the Semi-Trads: Is the Fence-Sitting coming to an End?

Good news, everyone: It seems more and more semi-traditionalists are finally at the breaking point with Jorge Bergoglio. His recent apology tour for indigenous Canadians seems to have put some people over the edge. During this trip, the man otherwise known by his stage name, “Pope Francis”, did not just unload heaps of the expected ideological blather, he also participated in a pagan smudge ceremony petitioning the “western grandmother” for “access to the sacred circle of spirits”.

At this point, even Taylor Marshall has had enough: “I’m at a loss.… READ MORE

On those ‘Spiritual Dangers’ of Sedevacantism: A Reply to Eric Sammons

Assessing where the true spiritual danger lies…

On those ‘Spiritual Dangers’ of Sedevacantism:
A Reply to Eric Sammons


“Sedeva-whaat?!”

It is evident that, as of late, Sedevacantism has been on the minds of many “semi-traditionalists” (our moniker for those who take a “recognize-the-Pope-as-valid-but-resist-his-bad-teachings-and-laws” approach to the current situation), and it is easy to see why. Sedevacantism is the elephant in the room that is staring everyone in the face, while the “Francis papacy” forces the old recognize-and-resist narrative to collapse like a house of cards under the weight of its own ever more obvious absurdity.

Thus it is not surprising that we have recently seen a truckload of anti-sedevacantist material being pumped out on various semi-trad web sites, among which is an article by Eric Sammons that warns readers to beware of the “spiritual dangers” that are supposedly found in Sedevacantism:

Frequent readers of this blog may remember that we have vehemently criticized Sammons in the past, taking him to task for his truly appalling theology:

… 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

No False Unity: Cardinal Stritch’s Rebuff of the Ecumenical Movement

Historical tidbit from 1954…

No False Unity: Cardinal Stritch’s Rebuff of the Ecumenical Movement

His Eminence Cardinal Samuel Alphonsus Stritch (1887-1958) was the Archbishop of Chicago, Illinois, from 1940 until 1958.

In 1910 he was ordained a priest in Rome at the young age of 22 after Pope St. Pius X had granted him a special dispensation. Pope Benedict XV appointed him bishop of Toledo, Ohio, and named him a Domestic Prelate of His Holiness in 1921. Bp. Stritch became Archbishop of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1930, and was appointed Archbishop of Chicago nine years later. Pope Pius XII elevated him to the status of cardinal in 1946.… READ MORE

“Rethinking” the Papacy? A New Narrative for the Semi-Trads

Think again, fellows!

“Rethinking” the Papacy?
A New Narrative for the Semi-Trads

One gets the feeling that the recognize-and-resist traditionalists over at One Peter Five cannot contain their enthusiasm. They have latched onto a novel concept they think can vindicate their traditionalism vis-à-vis “Pope” Francis and yet also preserve them from the oh-so detested Sedevacantism. They are now openly floating the idea of rethinking the Papacy.

Just the other day One Peter Five issued a call for article submissions. As in, “This is the position we’re going to be taking, and now we need people to provide the argumentation to back it up.”… READ MORE

Not Just Wicked Shepherds but a Heretical Church: A Sedevacantist Reply to Joshua Charles

Critical review of “The Catholic Response to Corrupt Cardinals”

Not Just Wicked Shepherds but a Heretical Church:
A Sedevacantist Reply to Joshua Charles

On May 31, 2022, an article appeared on One Peter Five entitled “The Catholic Response to Corrupt Cardinals”. Its author is Joshua Charles, who, according to his biographical note, is a convert from Protestantism.

Given that it is published on a web site that is well-known for its firm adherence to and promotion of the recognize-and-resist position — Eric Sammons, Kennedy Hall, and Peter Kwasniewski are contributing editors at One Peter Five, and T. S.… READ MORE

Pope Pius IX’s Syllabus of LEFEBVRIST Errors (1873)

The little-known Encyclical ‘Quartus Supra’…

Pope Pius IX’s Syllabus of LEFEBVRIST Errors (1873)

On January 6, 1873, the magnificent Pope Pius IX published the encyclical letter Quartus Supra. It is addressed to “Our Venerable Brothers Anthony Peter IX, Patriarch of Cilicia, and the Archbishops, Bishops, Clergy and Laity, Our Beloved Children of the Armenian Rite Who are in Loving Communion with the Apostolic See.”

This beautiful magisterial text concerns the threat of an emerging schism in the Armenian church and refutes the specious argumentation brought forward by those trying to justify their disobedience while still claiming to be loyal subjects of the Pope.… READ MORE

TRADCAST 032 is here: Sedevacantism and False Alternatives

Novus Ordo Watch for your ears…

Sedevacantism and False Alternatives:

TRADCAST 032 now available

TRADCAST — The Traditional Catholic Podcast

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
AND TO LISTEN TO ALL EPISODES

In case you missed our initial announcement on Apr. 28: We have published another full-length episode of our popular TRADCAST podcast program. As always, it is loaded with real traditional Catholicism, insightful commentary, hard-hitting refutations of various errors, and razor-sharp analysis. Our content is typically challenging but is always delivered in an accessible way with a relieving touch of humor, so necessary in our chaotic and bizarre times.

TRADCAST 032 discusses sundry different topics:

In view of the increasing popularity of the idea that Benedict XVI is “still” the Pope (and Francis’ election was invalid), the first segment begins with a look at the Modernism of Joseph Ratzinger, illustrated by his strange ideas on original sin, which are not compatible with the perennial Catholic doctrine on the matter.… READ MORE

Distinguished Pre-Vatican II Theologian: A Heretical Pope is Impossible

Fr. Felix Cappello, S.J., on a hot-button issue…

Distinguished Pre-Vatican II Theologian:
A Heretical Pope is Impossible

The Jesuit Fr. Felix Cappello (1879-1962) was an outstanding theologian of the Catholic Church. He held doctorates in Sacred Theology, philosophy, and canon law. He taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University from 1920 to 1959 and served as a Vatican advisor.

In 1911/12, Fr. Cappello’s 2-volume work De Curia Romana (“On the Roman Curia”) was published. Volume 2 deals specifically with the Roman Curia during a time when there is no Pope, the state of sede vacante. It contains a treatment of the question of the “heretical Pope” (Papa haereticus) and whether the Church has the power to depose him.… READ MORE