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

Target: Tyler, Texas – A Commentary on the sticky Strickland Situation

An Argentinian in Rome is not amused…

Target: Tyler, Texas
A Commentary on the sticky Strickland Situation

By now presumably everyone reading this post is aware of the news The Pillar broke on Monday:

At a meeting Saturday [Sep. 9. 2023], Pope Francis discussed with Vatican officials the prospect of requesting the resignation of Bishop Joseph Strickland of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, The Pillar has learned.

The pope met Sept. 9 with Archbishop Robert Prevost, OSA, head of the Dicastery for Bishops, and Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States – both cardinals-elect.

Several sources close to the dicastery told The Pillar ahead of the meeting that the prelates would present the pope with the results of an apostolic visitation of Strickland’s diocese, conducted earlier this year, as well as subsequent public actions by the bishop, who has emerged as an outspoken critic of the Holy Father.

… READ MORE

Sedevacantism and the Mystery of the Church’s Passion: Reply to Robert Morrison

The Faith allows for mystery but not for contradiction…

Sedevacantism and the Mystery of the Church’s Passion:
Reply to Robert Morrison

On June 30, 2023, the semi-traditionalist flagship publication The Remnant published a brief article entitled “Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s Vision of the Great Mystery of the Church’s Passion”. Its author is Robert Morrison, a writer we have had occasion to critique a number of times before on this blog and in our podcast program.

In this post we will touch on a few things from that article that appear to call for some sedevacantist reaction. Morrison writes:

Whereas Archbishop Lefebvre accepted the existence of a great mystery as it relates to the Church’s crisis, others have attempted to eliminate the mystery, typically in one of two ways described by Archbishop Lefebvre:

“There are people who are seeing the passion of the Church and the tragedy of papacy and so they conclude that such a degradation of papacy is not possible and so the pope can not be the pope.

… READ MORE

Rev. James Altman at Canceled Priests’ Conference: ‘Bergoglio is Not a Pope’

Says Francis lost Papacy years ago…

Rev. James Altman at Canceled Priests’ Conference:
‘Bergoglio is Not a Pope’

A 40-minute lecture given by ‘Father’ James Altman (why ‘Father’?) at the Canceled Priests’ Conference in Chicago this past June has just been released on YouTube. It is sure to make waves because, apparently for the first time ever, ‘Fr.’ Altman states in public that he believes Francis is no longer a true Pope, that he lost the Papacy years ago. We will examine this in a minute.

The so-called Coalition for Canceled Priests describes itself as “a group of committed Catholic lay people and clergy who came together in 2021 after one too many instances of persecution of holy, traditional, and orthodox priests”, with a mission “to spiritually and materially supporting faithful priests who seek to return to active ministry after being unjustly canceled by their bishops”.… READ MORE

A Sede Reply to Kennedy Hall’s Video ‘Why I am Not a Sedevacantist’ (TRADCAST EXPRESS)

TRADCAST EXPRESS to the rescue…

A Reply to Kennedy Hall’s Video ‘Why I am Not a Sedevacantist’

On May 26, 2023, the Canadian recognize-and-resist pundit, SSPX apologist, and benevolent beard expert Kennedy Hall explained in a special 20-minute YouTube video why he is not a Sedevacantist.

True to the video’s title, Hall does not argue that Sedevacantism is false, nor does he claim that one shouldn’t be a Sedevacantist, he merely explains why he isn’t one:

In the month of June, we decided to give Hall’s argumentation a fair review in the “express” edition of our podcast program, TRADCAST.… READ MORE

‘Bishop’ Schneider issues Statement declaring Disobedience against Traditionis Custodes to be Legit

The Kazakh auxiliary has spoken, the case is closed!

‘Bishop’ Athanasius Schneider issues Statement declaring Disobedience against Traditionis Custodes to be Legitimate

He rules no flock but presumes to issue directives to the Universal Church: Athanasius Schneider

For the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, ‘Bishop’ Athanasius Schneider (b. 1961), auxiliary of the diocese of Maria Santissima in Astana, Kazakhstan, has released a statement for publication and dissemination in semi-traditionalists quarters that presumes to effectively overrule ‘Pope’ Francis’ anti-Latin-Mass decree Traditionis Custodes, declaring those who reject it to be free from the guilt of disobedience.

Rorate Caeli is one of the blogs carrying it:

To someone who does not merely pay lip service to the Catholic understanding of the Papacy but actually adheres to it, this whole scenario appears grotesque.… 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

Video: Five SSPX Myths Debunked? Novus Ordo Watch Answers Kennedy Hall on Catholic Family Podcast

Questions of schism, excommunication, and more…

Five SSPX Myths Debunked? Novus Ordo Watch Answers Kennedy Hall on the Catholic Family Podcast

Host Kevin Davis and guest Mario Derksen react to a recent video by Kennedy Hall defending the SSPX

On May 11, 2023, Mr. Kennedy Hall published a 25-minute video defending the Society of Saint Pius X (FSSPX or SSPX) against five common objections, namely: (a) Abp. Marcel Lefebvre was automatically excommunicated when he consecrated bishops without a papal mandate on June 30, 1988; (b) the SSPX is schismatic; (c) Abp. Lefebvre said the New Mass; (d) Francis’s suppression of the Traditional Latin Mass is the SSPX’s fault; (e) although the excommunications against the four living SSPX bishops were lifted in 2009, Abp.… READ MORE

‘Most accomplished Example of Modernism’: SSPX Superior deconstructs Bergoglio’s Synod Theology

While offering an odd theology of his own…

‘Most accomplished Example of Modernism’:
SSPX Superior deconstructs Bergoglio’s Synod Theology

On May 12, 2023, the official news site of the Lefebvrist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) published an insightful interview with Fr. Davide Pagliarani, the Society’s Superior General:

Back in March, ‘Pope’ Francis (Jorge Bergoglio) celebrated his 10-year anniversary of usurping the Chair of St. Peter. Father Pagliarani, who as a Lefebvrist acknowledges Francis to be a true Pope (Vicar of Christ) but refuses him submission as he deems appropriate, was asked to identify what in his estimation is “is the most significant point of these last few years”, and his response was: synodality.… READ MORE

‘Bishop’ Huonder says Francis told him SSPX Not Schismatic! But what is that worth?

An informative reality check…

‘Bishop’ Huonder says Francis told him SSPX Not Schismatic! But what is that worth?

A video by the retired Swiss Novus Ordo bishop Vitus Huonder (b. 1942) is making waves.

Huonder, the former ordinary of Chur, Switzerland, has been supportive of the Society of St. Pius X for a few years now. The Society, abbreviated ‘SSPX’ in the United States and Canada and ‘FSSPX’ in the rest of the world, was founded in 1970 by Abp. Marcel Lefebvre to train priests for the Traditional Latin Mass and promote the Roman Catholic Faith as it had been known and taught until the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).… READ MORE

The ‘Omega Testament’: Colombian Nun claims to have received explosive Revelations from Benedict XVI in Mystical Vision

False Prophet Alert…

The ‘Omega Testament’: Colombian Nun claims to have received explosive Revelations from Benedict XVI in Mystical Vision

Ratzinger’s posthumous Revenge? Don’t fall for it…

Perhaps we should have seen this coming.

Barely a month after the death of ‘Pope Emeritus’ Benedict XVI (Fr. Joseph Ratzinger) on Dec. 31, 2022, a Novus Ordo religious sister (nun) in Colombia has claimed that the ‘Pope Emeritus’ appeared to her twice in a vision on Feb. 2, 2023, and revealed to her what he called the second part of his spiritual testament (the first having been released to the public the day of his death).… 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 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

Podcast: The Rev. Frank Pavone Defrocking Drama (TRADCAST EXPRESS 166)

Tradcast Express #166

Podcast: The Rev. Frank Pavone Defrocking Drama

The news that broke this past Saturday, Dec. 17, regarding the Rev. Frank Pavone having been removed from the [Novus Ordo] priesthood by ‘Pope’ Francis, has developed into a drama that will probably be with us for a while.

Our initial blog post, since revised with countless updates, can be accessed here:

Although one’s gut reaction upon first hearing this news may be to assume that the usual suspects in the Vatican are simply trying to delegitimize an outspoken opponent of abortion, it quickly becomes apparent that there is more to this story than meets the eye at first.… READ MORE