A Challenge to Lefebvrism: Some Inconvenient Questions for the Society of St. Pius X

Some things need to be asked…

A Challenge to Lefebvrism:
Some Inconvenient Questions for the Society of St. Pius X

Long-time readers of this blog know that we have critiqued and exposed the errors of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), founded by Abp. Marcel Lefebvre, many times. Here are some examples:

In view of the schism controversy surrounding the upcoming SSPX episcopal consecrations, it will be appropriate to reissue, in somewhat modified and updated form, a challenge to the clergy and/or lay adherents of the SSPX that was first published years ago.… READ MORE

Pope Pius XII Against Modern Errors on the Church

Papal address of June 24, 1939…

Pope Pius XII Against Modern Errors on the Church

Image credit: © KEYSTONE Pictures USA via Alamy

One of the main services Novus Ordo Watch tries to render to the public is the making available of, or raising awareness concerning, Catholic magisterial texts that are not widely known or have not before been published online in English. There is a wealth of pre-Vatican II papal teaching ‘on the books’ that, unfortunately, is largely unknown even to traditional Catholics; thus we are trying to do our part to help remedy this situation. Thankfully, with recent advances in technology, discovering, translating, and spreading it has become easier and easier.… READ MORE

What Has Happened to the Catholic Church? An Updated Guide for Confused Catholics

New 2025 edition now available…

What Has Happened to the Catholic Church?
An Updated Guide for Confused Catholics

Novus Ordo Watch is not receiving any kind of compensation for promoting this book (with the exception of one free copy).

Many people who sincerely desire to be good and loyal Roman Catholics are seriously troubled and confused today. Although the Second Vatican Council occurred more than 60 years ago, it has left a lasting impact. Vatican II, as the council is called for short, took place from 1962-65 and radically changed Catholic liturgy, the sacraments, and essential beliefs that have come down to us from Christ and the Apostles.… READ MORE

LIVE TONIGHT 8/29 at 9:00 pm ET: Friendly Discussion on Church Crisis, Resistance, and Sedevacantism

What theological position should a Catholic take in our day?

LIVE TONIGHT 8/29 at 9:00 pm ET:
Friendly Discussion on Church Crisis, Resistance, and Sedevacantism

Exciting news! Today, Friday, Aug. 29, at 9:00 pm Eastern Time (01:00 UTC on Aug. 30), there will be a livestream on YouTube, hosted by Kevin Davis of the Catholic Family Podcast, for a discussion between Anthony Abbate of Avoiding Babylon and Mario Derksen of Novus Ordo Watch.

This will not be a fiery polemical combat but a friendly, relaxed chat between people who love Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church and seek to act in accordance with His Will and His doctrine in these incredibly confusing and challenging times.… READ MORE

The Unsolvable Pendulum Problem of the Society of St. Pius X

Forever torn between two mutually exclusive ideas…

The Unsolvable Pendulum Problem of the Society of St. Pius X

The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX or FSSPX), founded by Abp. Marcel Lefebvre in 1970, is once again in the news, this time on account of its Jubilee pilgrimage to Rome last week (see a few official photos here).

Some SSPXers are celebrating, whereas others are expressing concern. The reason for the inconsistent reactions to the same development is that some see it as Rome accepting the SSPX as Catholic and recognizing the rights of ‘Tradition’ (a Lefebvrist euphemism for what is simply the Catholic Faith); whereas others see it as a dangerous luring of the Lefebvrist leadership into the ecumenical zoo presided over by Modernist Rome.… READ MORE

Why (Not) Sedevacantism? Answering Objections and Concerns

Highly informative, pleasantly non-polemical…

Why (Not) Sedevacantism?
Answering Objections and Concerns

On Aug. 8, 2025, Anthony Abbate of Avoiding Babylon published a 12-minute video on Twitter/X in which he shared some thoughts about why he does not think Sedevacantism is the right position to adopt in these incredibly difficult and confusing times.

Realizing that addressing Anthony’s points and answering his objections could not reasonably done on Twitter, yours truly decided to respond at sufficient length on an episode of the Catholic Family Podcast with Kevin Davis.

We played Anthony’s video in full, pausing it occasionally to react and provide commentary as needed.… READ MORE

Pope St. Gregory I on the Church just before the Antichrist: ‘Words of Doctrine are Silent, Miracles Removed’

Sounds like sedevacantism…

Pope St. Gregory I on the Church just before the Antichrist: ‘Words of Doctrine are Silent, Miracles Removed’

Cutout of Pope Saint Gregory the Great by Francisco de Goya (1746-1828)

The American author, historian, former White House speechwriter, and scholar Joshua Charles appeared on an episode of Life Site‘s ‘Faith and Reason’ podcast with John-Henry Westen on Mar. 26, 2025, entitled, “End times prophecies [of] the Church fathers revealed”. Charles is a recent convert (2019) who espouses a recognize-and-resist type of traditionalism.

Yesterday, a 5-minute extract from the episode was published on YouTube with the no less intriguing title, “The Antichrist: Warnings from the Early Church”.… READ MORE

The Conclave Elects Leo XIV: Initial Thoughts by Bp. Donald Sanborn

Habemus Prevost…

The Conclave Elects Leo XIV:
Initial Thoughts by Bp. Donald Sanborn

In a livestream broadcast shortly after the election of Robert Prevost as ‘Pope Leo XIV’ on May 8, 2025, His Excellency Bishop Donald J. Sanborn of Most Holy Trinity Seminary in Reading, Pennsylvania, sat down with Stephen Heiner of Roman Catholic Media to discuss the 2025 conclave, the new papal claimant, and the post-Francis era that has now begun:

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In case the embedded video above won’t display, it can be accessed directly on YouTube here.

Full disclosure: Bp. Sanborn is a sedevacantist who holds to the so-called ‘material-formal thesis’, also known as ‘sedeprivationism’.… READ MORE

Dr. Kwasniewski Reacts to Novus Ordo Watch Critique: I Don’t Engage Sedevacantists!

Oh yes, we’ve noticed… 

Dr. Kwasniewski Reacts to Novus Ordo Watch Critique: I Don’t Engage Sedevacantists!

Earlier this month, yours truly joined Louie Verrecchio for a video podcast to respond to a recent article by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski regarding papal authority and the Sacred Liturgy. The video was released on Apr. 4 on Verrecchio’s channel and a day later on Novus Ordo Watch’s:

On Apr. 6, Kwasniewski published a comment on Facebook and on Twitter explaining that people had asked him if he was going to respond, which he answered in the negative because “I do not engage sedevacantists.”… READ MORE

Society of Saint Pius X Priest Becomes Sedevacantist

Father Reid Hennick leaves SSPX

Society of St. Pius X Priest Becomes Sedevacantist

Ordained for the SSPX in 2016: Fr. Reid Hennick

Father Reid Hennick was ordained a priest for the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) on June 3, 2016, by Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta.

On Feb. 12, 2025, Fr. Hennick published a one-page letter in which he announced he was leaving the Society because he could not in good conscience continue his ministry in it, having adopted the sedevacantist position.

“…I have come to the conclusion that the Holy See has been vacant since the Second Vatican Council — a conclusion with profound implications for the apostolate”, Fr.… READ MORE

Pope Pius XII on the Unchanging Orthodoxy of the Papal Teaching Office

Papal address of January 17, 1940…

Pope Pius XII on the Unchanging Orthodoxy of the Papal Teaching Office

One of the main services Novus Ordo Watch tries to render to the public is the making available of, or raising awareness concerning, Catholic magisterial texts that are not widely known or have not before been published online in English. There is a wealth of pre-Vatican II papal teaching ‘on the books’ that, unfortunately, is largely unknown even to traditional Catholics; thus we are trying to do our part to help remedy this situation. Thankfully, with recent advances in technology, discovering and spreading it has become easier and easier.… READ MORE

Mel Gibson, Sedevacantism, and the 1958 Conclave: A Commentary

Famous Hollywood icon interviewed by Joe Rogan…

Mel Gibson, Sedevacantism, and the 1958 Conclave

Everyone has been talking about it: Mel Gibson’s appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast earlier this month. As of the publication of this post, the YouTube version of the episode has 8.7 million views; and that’s not counting the audio-only version on Spotify, where the podcast has its home.

Joseph Rogan (b. 1967) is an immensely successful secular podcaster. His show, The Joe Rogan Experience, is among the world’s most listened to podcasts.

Mel Gibson (b. 1956) is, of course, a famous Hollywood actor and movie producer.… READ MORE

For Year’s End, Some Humor: Francis Discovers Vatican Employees Read Novus Ordo Watch

Happy new year!

For Year’s End, Some Humor: Francis Discovers Vatican Employees Read Novus Ordo Watch

Another busy year comes to a close. We render our deepest gratitude to Almighty God, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to all the angels and saints, and to our friends and supporters for their help, spiritual and temporal, throughout the past year.

Today was supposed to see the publication of TRADCAST 039, but on account of a small medical emergency in the family, it could not get done in time and will be released in January instead.

For the last few hours of the year, we would like to provide an amusing satirical video clip we originally released in 2016, but which a lot of people may not be aware of.… READ MORE

When the Shepherd Is Struck: The Papacy and Sedevacantist ‘Disunity’

“Strike the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered…” (Zac 13:7)

When the Shepherd Is Struck:

The Papacy and Sedevacantist ‘Disunity’

The following article appeared in the sedevacantist quarterly The Reign of Mary, vol. XLV, no. 155, in the summer of 2014. It addresses a phenomenon that a lot of people seeking to be genuine traditional Catholics struggle with: the apparent ‘disunity’ among sedevacantists. If Sedevacantism is the correct position to take in the face of the apostasy of the Vatican II Church, why then are there different groups of sedevacantists that are at odds with each other over various issues?… READ MORE

Francis in Interview: Some Only Accept the Popes up to Pius XII, Not the Popes After!

Mentions ‘Sedevacantists’ to Chinese interviewer…

Francis in Interview: Some Only Accept the Popes up to Pius XII, Not the Popes After!

The Rev. Pedro Chia, S.J., is director of the press office of the Chinese Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).

On May 24, 2024, he had the misfortune of interviewing the Argentinian apostate Jorge Bergoglio — under his stage name ‘Pope Francis’ — in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The full video of the brief, 15-minute conversation was released today, Aug. 9, on YouTube.

Early on in the interview, ‘Fr.’ Chia asks Francis how he deals with stress, with problems in the Church, with criticism, and with opposition from others.… READ MORE