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

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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

Brazilian Novus Ordo Priest ‘Excommunicated’ for becoming Sedevacantist, receiving Ordination

Rev. Leonardo Holtz becomes Catholic priest

Brazilian Novus Ordo Priest ‘Excommunicated’ for becoming Sedevacantist, receiving Ordination


This time it was valid: Fr. Leonardo Holtz after his ordination by Bp. Rodrigo da Silva

News broke the other day that ‘Cardinal’ Orani João Tempesta (b. 1950), who is the Novus Ordo Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has declared one of his former presbyters excommunicated (from the ‘Conciliar’ Church).

The happy soul in question is Fr. Leonardo Holtz Peixoto, who, having become a sedevacantist and rejected the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), was properly ordained a Catholic priest by Bp. Rodrigo da Silva on Nov.… READ MORE

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

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

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

“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

Francis to Russian Orthodox Patriarch: “We are Shepherds of the Same Holy Flock of God”

Vatican II ecclesiology in action…

Francis to Russian Orthodox Patriarch:
“We are Shepherds of the Same Holy Flock of God”

Over the last 9+ years of his fake pontificate, the papal pretender Jorge Bergoglio has given interviews too numerous to count. We must be somwhere in the 60+ range at this point, and that is especially ironic since in 2013 he was known, based on his own testimony, as “a Pope who does not want to give interviews…” (source).

The latest conversation with Francis was published on May 3, 2022, by the Italian Corriere della Sera newspaper. Online, Vatican News also reported on it.… READ MORE

Apostolic Succession after Pope Pius XII: Where is the Catholic Hierarchy?

Why some Catholics hold to the ‘Material-Formal Thesis’…

Apostolic Succession after Pope Pius XII:
Where is the Catholic Hierarchy?

In recent weeks there has been a considerable amount of online controversy among sedevacantists about the so-called “Material/Formal Theory” regarding the status of the Novus Ordo hierarchy, especially its so-called “popes”. Some cling adamantly to this thesis because they believe it to be significantly helpful or even essential to a proper understanding of the situation in the Catholic Church today, whereas others repudiate it because they judge it to be misleading or even a danger to the Faith. There are also those “in the middle” who do or don’t subscribe to the thesis but simply consider it a possible theological option, one that it would not be prudent to spend much time fighting over.… READ MORE

Denouncing “Newchurch”: Another Theological Train Wreck from ‘The Remnant’

The tragedy of schizophrenic theology…

 Denouncing “Newchurch”:
Another Theological Train Wreck from The Remnant

Dr. Jason Morgan is a university professor in Japan and author of numerous articles that have appeared in various journals and papers over the years.

Since 2018, he has been writing for the recognize-and-resist flagship publication The Remnant. One of his first posts was about Sedevacantism, to which we responded here:

One of his most recent contributions is a scathing denouncement of the Vatican II Sect, to which he, quite appropriately, gives the Orwellian term “Newchurch”:

This write-up is actually quite tragic itself, especially considering that the author believes himself to be a faithful traditional Roman Catholic and his position to be expressive of orthodox Catholicism.… READ MORE