DEFENDING THE FAITH 1 fr.Gregory Chukwudi Obih
Thursday, December 4, 2008 3:33 PM
Dear friends,
Peace be with you. The Society of St. Pius X was founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Born in 1905 in France, Lefebvre was ordained a priest in 1929. Wishing to serve God as a Missionary he decided to join the Holy Ghost Fathers, CSSP, shortly after ordination. In 1932 he was sent to Gabon as a Missionary, where his elder brother, Fr. Rene was already working. He spent 13 years in Gabon. Recalled to France in 1944 he served briefly as a seminary professor before being consecrated a Bishop. He was appointed papal delegate to French-speaking Africa (equivalent to a Nuncio) and became Archbishop of Dakar. He was appointed Assistant to the Pontifical Throne and Member of the Preparatory Commission for Vatican 11 by Pope John XX111.This was composed of about 70 Cardinals, Archbishops, bishops, Superiors of Religious Orders and other leading theologians. In 1962 he was elected Superior-General of the Holy Ghost Congregation. At Vatican 11 the liberal but powerful minority rejected the traditional Schema already prepared by Archbishop Lefebvre, Cardinal Ottaviani and other members of the Preparatory Commission for Vatican 11. Lefebvre became an outspoken critic of the liberal tendencies of the Council. He personally intervened at various times during the deliberations to oppose errors challenging perennial Catholic doctrines, especially the errors of Ecumenism, Inter-Religious dialogue, religious liberty, Collegiality etc.
But the Popes of the day, John XX111 and Paul V1 supported the liberal agenda which insisted that the Church must change. The Traditionalist bloc led by Lefebvre was defeated.
After the Council Religious Orders and Congregations began to change their Constitutions in order to adapt to the new ecclesiology of Vatican 11. This usually involved the relaxation of old rules in the name of a misguided freedom. At this time a Capuchin Superior visited Padre Pio to inform him that the Capuchins are meeting in a Chapter to review the Constitutions. Padre Pio was horrified at the idea and showed his mistrust of such changes. When the Holy Ghost Fathers met in 1968 to do the same, Lefebvre refused to accept such Vatican 11 inspired changes and was obliged to resign as Superior General. At this time he was 63 years old. Everything in the Church began to change in the name of the Council and thanks to the ambiguous documents of the Council.
To……. be……. Continued...
DEFENDING THE FAITH 2 Fr. Gregory Chukwudi Obih
Peace be with you. The Society of St. Pius X was founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Born in 1905 in France, Lefebvre was ordained a priest in 1929. Wishing to serve God as a Missionary he decided to join the Holy Ghost Fathers, CSSP, shortly after ordination. In 1932 he was sent to Gabon as a Missionary, where his elder brother, Fr. Rene was already working. He spent 13 years in Gabon. Recalled to France in 1944 he served briefly as a seminary professor before being consecrated a Bishop. He was appointed papal delegate to French-speaking Africa (equivalent to a Nuncio) and became Archbishop of Dakar. He was appointed Assistant to the Pontifical Throne and Member of the Preparatory Commission for Vatican 11 by Pope John XX111.This was composed of about 70 Cardinals, Archbishops, bishops, Superiors of Religious Orders and other leading theologians. In 1962 he was elected Superior-General of the Holy Ghost Congregation. At Vatican 11 the liberal but powerful minority rejected the traditional Schema already prepared by Archbishop Lefebvre, Cardinal Ottaviani and other members of the Preparatory Commission for Vatican 11. Lefebvre became an outspoken critic of the liberal tendencies of the Council. He personally intervened at various times during the deliberations to oppose errors challenging perennial Catholic doctrines, especially the errors of Ecumenism, Inter-Religious dialogue, religious liberty, Collegiality etc.
But the Popes of the day, John XX111 and Paul V1 supported the liberal agenda which insisted that the Church must change. The Traditionalist bloc led by Lefebvre was defeated.
After the Council Religious Orders and Congregations began to change their Constitutions in order to adapt to the new ecclesiology of Vatican 11. This usually involved the relaxation of old rules in the name of a misguided freedom. At this time a Capuchin Superior visited Padre Pio to inform him that the Capuchins are meeting in a Chapter to review the Constitutions. Padre Pio was horrified at the idea and showed his mistrust of such changes. When the Holy Ghost Fathers met in 1968 to do the same, Lefebvre refused to accept such Vatican 11 inspired changes and was obliged to resign as Superior General. At this time he was 63 years old. Everything in the Church began to change in the name of the Council and thanks to the ambiguous documents of the Council.
To……. be……. Continued...
DEFENDING THE FAITH 2 Fr. Gregory Chukwudi Obih
Sunday, December 7, 2008 4:56 PM
In 1968 the Novus Ordo Mass was ready to be imposed on the Church. It was a new ecumenical liturgy designed to please the Protestants by watering down Catholic beliefs. Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, a suspected Freemason, with six Protestant pastors as collaborators had produced this new Mass. A group of Roman theologians led by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre studied the new mass in the light of Roman Catholic Tradition. The result of their study is A CRITICAL STUDY OF THE NOVUS ORDO MASS which was signed and submitted to Pope Paul V1 by Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci. This study made it clear that the new mass represents 'a striking departure from the Catholic theology of the Mass as formulated in Session XX11 of the Council of Trent' which, in fixing the 'canons' provided an 'insurmountable barrier to any heresy against the integrity of the Mystery.' It favours heresy and leads to Protestantism. Despite their warnings the new form of mass was imposed on the Church in 1969.
The effects of the new orientation, masterminded at the Second Vatican Council was particularly devastating for the Catholic priesthood and Seminaries. The heresy of Modernism (the synthesis of all heresies)previously condemned by Pope St. Pius X in Pascendi Domenici Gregis of 1907 gained ascendancy in the mainstream Catholic Church. Many priests became disoriented and lost their priestly identity in the aftermath. Between the end of the Council and 1977, a staggering 30,000 priests left the priesthood-the greatest exodus from the priesthood since the beginning of christianity.
While Archbishop Lefebvre was retired and living in Rome, a group of European seminarians met him, asking for his help to continue their formation and be ordained as true Catholic priests. He saw this request for help as a sign from God to help save the situation. So he founded the Society of St. Pius X and an International Seminary in Econe, Switzerland, with ecclesiastical approval, in 1970. Its main aim is to continue to form Catholic priests in the traditional manner based on the philosophy and theology of St Thomas Aquinas.
When the liberals, now in control of the hierarchy, discovered that Lefebvre was rocking the boat of Vatican 11, they ganged up against him and the persecution began. Why? Because he refused to compromise on matters of faith. He refused to celebrate the new mass, the vehicle for spreading the apostasy. He refused to be a participant in what Paul V1 himself had called 'the auto demolition of the Church' which began at Vatican 11. He refused to have anything to do with the 'smoke of Satan' which Paul V1 said had 'entered into the Church' since the Council ended. The reason for his courageous stand is summarised in his 1974 DECLARATION which follows:
We hold fast, with all our heart and with all our soul, to Catholic Rome, Guardian of the Catholic faith and of the traditions necessary to preserve this faith, to Eternal Rome, Mistress of wisdom and truth.
We refuse, on the other hand, and have always refused to follow the Rome of neo-Modernist and neo-Protestant tendencies which were clearly evident in the Second Vatican Council and, after the Council, in all the reforms which issued from it.
All these reforms, indeed, have contributed and are still contributing to the destruction of the Church, to the ruin of the priesthood, to the abolition of the Sacrifice of the Mass and of the sacraments, to the disappearance of religious life, to a naturalist and Teilhardian teaching in universities, seminaries and catechectics; a teaching derived from Liberalism and Protestantism, many times condemned by the solemn Magisterium of the Church.
No authority, not even the highest in the hierarchy, can force us to abandon or diminish our Catholic faith, so clearly expressed and professed by the Church’s Magisterium for nineteen centuries.
“But though we,” says St. Paul, “or an angel from heaven preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema” (Gal. 1:8).
Is it not this that the Holy Father is repeating to us today? And if we can discern a certain contradiction in his words and deeds, as well as in those of the dicasteries, well we choose what was always taught and we turn a deaf ear to the novelties destroying the Church.
It is impossible to modify profoundly the lex orandi without modifying the lex credendi. To the Novus Ordo Missae correspond a new catechism, a new priesthood, new seminaries, a charismatic Pentecostal Church —all things opposed to orthodoxy and the perennial teaching of the Church.
This Reformation, born of Liberalism and Modernism, is poisoned through and through; it derives from heresy and ends in heresy, even if all its acts are not formally heretical. It is therefore impossible for any conscientious and faithful Catholic to espouse this Reformation or to submit to it in any way whatsoever.
The only attitude of faithfulness to the Church and Catholic doctrine, in view of our salvation, is a categorical refusal to accept this Reformation.
That is why, without any spirit of rebellion, bitterness or resentment, we pursue our work of forming priests, with the timeless Magisterium as our guide. We are persuaded that we can render no greater service to the Holy Catholic Church, to the Sovereign Pontiff and to posterity.
That is why we hold fast to all that has been believed and practiced in the faith, morals, liturgy, teaching of the catechism, formation of the priest and institution of the Church, by the Church of all time; to all these things as codified in those books which saw the day before the Modernist influence of the Council. This we shall do until such time that the true light of Tradition dissipates the darkness obscuring the sky of Eternal Rome.
By doing this, with the grace of God and the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and that of St. Joseph and St. Pius X, we are assured of remaining faithful to the Roman Catholic Church and to all the successors of Peter, and of being the fideles dispensatores mysteriorum Domini Nostri Jesu Christi in Spiritu Sancto. Amen.
TO…….BE…… CONTINUED..
DEFENDING THE FAITH 3 Fr. Gregory Chukwudi Obih
The effects of the new orientation, masterminded at the Second Vatican Council was particularly devastating for the Catholic priesthood and Seminaries. The heresy of Modernism (the synthesis of all heresies)previously condemned by Pope St. Pius X in Pascendi Domenici Gregis of 1907 gained ascendancy in the mainstream Catholic Church. Many priests became disoriented and lost their priestly identity in the aftermath. Between the end of the Council and 1977, a staggering 30,000 priests left the priesthood-the greatest exodus from the priesthood since the beginning of christianity.
While Archbishop Lefebvre was retired and living in Rome, a group of European seminarians met him, asking for his help to continue their formation and be ordained as true Catholic priests. He saw this request for help as a sign from God to help save the situation. So he founded the Society of St. Pius X and an International Seminary in Econe, Switzerland, with ecclesiastical approval, in 1970. Its main aim is to continue to form Catholic priests in the traditional manner based on the philosophy and theology of St Thomas Aquinas.
When the liberals, now in control of the hierarchy, discovered that Lefebvre was rocking the boat of Vatican 11, they ganged up against him and the persecution began. Why? Because he refused to compromise on matters of faith. He refused to celebrate the new mass, the vehicle for spreading the apostasy. He refused to be a participant in what Paul V1 himself had called 'the auto demolition of the Church' which began at Vatican 11. He refused to have anything to do with the 'smoke of Satan' which Paul V1 said had 'entered into the Church' since the Council ended. The reason for his courageous stand is summarised in his 1974 DECLARATION which follows:
We hold fast, with all our heart and with all our soul, to Catholic Rome, Guardian of the Catholic faith and of the traditions necessary to preserve this faith, to Eternal Rome, Mistress of wisdom and truth.
We refuse, on the other hand, and have always refused to follow the Rome of neo-Modernist and neo-Protestant tendencies which were clearly evident in the Second Vatican Council and, after the Council, in all the reforms which issued from it.
All these reforms, indeed, have contributed and are still contributing to the destruction of the Church, to the ruin of the priesthood, to the abolition of the Sacrifice of the Mass and of the sacraments, to the disappearance of religious life, to a naturalist and Teilhardian teaching in universities, seminaries and catechectics; a teaching derived from Liberalism and Protestantism, many times condemned by the solemn Magisterium of the Church.
No authority, not even the highest in the hierarchy, can force us to abandon or diminish our Catholic faith, so clearly expressed and professed by the Church’s Magisterium for nineteen centuries.
“But though we,” says St. Paul, “or an angel from heaven preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema” (Gal. 1:8).
Is it not this that the Holy Father is repeating to us today? And if we can discern a certain contradiction in his words and deeds, as well as in those of the dicasteries, well we choose what was always taught and we turn a deaf ear to the novelties destroying the Church.
It is impossible to modify profoundly the lex orandi without modifying the lex credendi. To the Novus Ordo Missae correspond a new catechism, a new priesthood, new seminaries, a charismatic Pentecostal Church —all things opposed to orthodoxy and the perennial teaching of the Church.
This Reformation, born of Liberalism and Modernism, is poisoned through and through; it derives from heresy and ends in heresy, even if all its acts are not formally heretical. It is therefore impossible for any conscientious and faithful Catholic to espouse this Reformation or to submit to it in any way whatsoever.
The only attitude of faithfulness to the Church and Catholic doctrine, in view of our salvation, is a categorical refusal to accept this Reformation.
That is why, without any spirit of rebellion, bitterness or resentment, we pursue our work of forming priests, with the timeless Magisterium as our guide. We are persuaded that we can render no greater service to the Holy Catholic Church, to the Sovereign Pontiff and to posterity.
That is why we hold fast to all that has been believed and practiced in the faith, morals, liturgy, teaching of the catechism, formation of the priest and institution of the Church, by the Church of all time; to all these things as codified in those books which saw the day before the Modernist influence of the Council. This we shall do until such time that the true light of Tradition dissipates the darkness obscuring the sky of Eternal Rome.
By doing this, with the grace of God and the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and that of St. Joseph and St. Pius X, we are assured of remaining faithful to the Roman Catholic Church and to all the successors of Peter, and of being the fideles dispensatores mysteriorum Domini Nostri Jesu Christi in Spiritu Sancto. Amen.
TO…….BE…… CONTINUED..
DEFENDING THE FAITH 3 Fr. Gregory Chukwudi Obih
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 5:41 PM
From:
Dear Friends,
It is dishonest to hope for a good outcome without actually working for it. Again a saint said: What I pray for O God, give me the grace to work for. From its inception traditional Catholics, especially in Europe, North and South America supported Archbishop Lefebvre and the SSPX which he founded. They discovered for themselves that the faith was being changed. In their parishes they were assaulted with a Protestantised liturgy, a new age clergy who told them what they WANTED to hear not what they NEEDED to hear, the phenomenon of altar girls, communion in the hand, disappearance of reverence at Catholic rites, lay people distributing communion, a Mass that was theologically deficient, the toleration of immoral dressing, inculturation masses, masses celebrated with invalid matter, loss of respect for the sanctuary, eucharistic dancers, a new Pentecosto-Charismatic spirituality, new age teachings such as: Everybody is going to heaven! Protestants are no longer heretics! We worship the same god with Moslems, what unites us is greater than what divides us! Let us take care of the environment and build a new earthly paradise with everybody! The faithful saw that their Vatican 11 trained priests no longer preached about hell, original sin, the pains of purgatory, the need for penance, fasting, sacrifice, mortification, First Friday and First Saturday devotions, the need to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as Our Lady of Fatima requested, Extra Ecclesia nulla salus, modesty, devotion to St Michael and the Holy Angels and Saints, pilgrimages of reparation, etc. Knowing that Sr. Lucia of Fatima had already described these unbelievable events as the 'diabolical disorientation of the upper hierarchy' the faithful began to defend themselves. With the support of the SSPX and some good priests who stood against the reforms at the risk of displeasure from their Superiors, the faithful began to gather for the Traditional Latin Mass, other
sacraments and true Catholic teaching wherever they could. Masses were celebrated in car parks, hotels, private homes, primary and secondary school halls, town halls, basements etc. Catholic faithful gave generous moral and financial support to the Society. New churches were built. The Society expanded to various parts of the world. Five additional Seminaries were opened in the United States, Germany, Argentina, France and Australia. Oblate Sisters of St. Pius X was formed, and Brothers of the SSPX as well as the Sisters of SPX. Thousands of faithful flocked to the Society's chapels to receive true Catholic doctrine, receive true Catholic sacraments and worship God as their ancestors in the faith had done for 2000 years.
The new Modernist leaders of the Vatican 11 Church were alarmed at this success, because they are diehard men who are determined that their regime of novelty imposed on the Church continues, despite its numerous bad fruits. A high-ranking prelate was sent to Archbishop Lefebvre to tell him that if he could celebrate the new mass even once, reconciliation could be achieved with Rome. Like Mathathias of old, the father of the Maccabees, he refused. And what do you think happened? They illegally suppressed the SSPX seminary of Econe, withdrew the canonical recognition of the Society, and got Paul V1 to suspend Archbishop Lefebvre in 1976.
TO…… BE…… CONTINUED...
It is dishonest to hope for a good outcome without actually working for it. Again a saint said: What I pray for O God, give me the grace to work for. From its inception traditional Catholics, especially in Europe, North and South America supported Archbishop Lefebvre and the SSPX which he founded. They discovered for themselves that the faith was being changed. In their parishes they were assaulted with a Protestantised liturgy, a new age clergy who told them what they WANTED to hear not what they NEEDED to hear, the phenomenon of altar girls, communion in the hand, disappearance of reverence at Catholic rites, lay people distributing communion, a Mass that was theologically deficient, the toleration of immoral dressing, inculturation masses, masses celebrated with invalid matter, loss of respect for the sanctuary, eucharistic dancers, a new Pentecosto-Charismatic spirituality, new age teachings such as: Everybody is going to heaven! Protestants are no longer heretics! We worship the same god with Moslems, what unites us is greater than what divides us! Let us take care of the environment and build a new earthly paradise with everybody! The faithful saw that their Vatican 11 trained priests no longer preached about hell, original sin, the pains of purgatory, the need for penance, fasting, sacrifice, mortification, First Friday and First Saturday devotions, the need to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as Our Lady of Fatima requested, Extra Ecclesia nulla salus, modesty, devotion to St Michael and the Holy Angels and Saints, pilgrimages of reparation, etc. Knowing that Sr. Lucia of Fatima had already described these unbelievable events as the 'diabolical disorientation of the upper hierarchy' the faithful began to defend themselves. With the support of the SSPX and some good priests who stood against the reforms at the risk of displeasure from their Superiors, the faithful began to gather for the Traditional Latin Mass, other
sacraments and true Catholic teaching wherever they could. Masses were celebrated in car parks, hotels, private homes, primary and secondary school halls, town halls, basements etc. Catholic faithful gave generous moral and financial support to the Society. New churches were built. The Society expanded to various parts of the world. Five additional Seminaries were opened in the United States, Germany, Argentina, France and Australia. Oblate Sisters of St. Pius X was formed, and Brothers of the SSPX as well as the Sisters of SPX. Thousands of faithful flocked to the Society's chapels to receive true Catholic doctrine, receive true Catholic sacraments and worship God as their ancestors in the faith had done for 2000 years.
The new Modernist leaders of the Vatican 11 Church were alarmed at this success, because they are diehard men who are determined that their regime of novelty imposed on the Church continues, despite its numerous bad fruits. A high-ranking prelate was sent to Archbishop Lefebvre to tell him that if he could celebrate the new mass even once, reconciliation could be achieved with Rome. Like Mathathias of old, the father of the Maccabees, he refused. And what do you think happened? They illegally suppressed the SSPX seminary of Econe, withdrew the canonical recognition of the Society, and got Paul V1 to suspend Archbishop Lefebvre in 1976.
TO…… BE…… CONTINUED...
DEFENDING THE FAITH 4 Fr. Gregory Chukwudi Obih
Thursday, December 11, 2008 4:50 PM
Dear Friends,
Pope Paul V1 who already lamented that the 'smoke of Satan has entered into the Church' following Vatican 11 and added that 'perhaps we have been too imprudent' was nevertheless influenced by his advisers to take a tough stand against Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre who was standing for the traditional Catholic faith. In 1977 the same pope said: 'What strikes me when I think of the Catholic world, is that within Catholicism, there seems to predominate a non-Catholic way of thinking, and it can happen that this non-Catholic way of thought within Catholicism will tomorrow become the stronger. But it will NEVER represent the thought of the Church. It is necessary that a small flock persists, no matter how small it might be.'(Quoted by Jean Guitton in THE SECRET PAUL V1.) Like the Jewish high priest Caiphas who condemned Christ yet made a true prophesy in his capacity as high priest, so too Paul V1, the man who introduced the new mass and signed all the ambiguous documents of Vatican 11 also made a true prophesy.
Despite the suspension the Society continued to grow and expand. Eventually negotiations was resumed with Rome. But this negotiations broke down in 1988 because Rome was not
prepared to allow the Society a free hand to retain and hand over the old faith to future generations. The new Modernist ecclesiology had so permeated the Roman authorities that
allowing an obscure group of traditionalists to keep insisting on the old Mass, the old theology, the old Catechisms and Canon law, the old morality etc was unthinkable. They wanted the Society to compromise on matters that affect our faith as Catholics and this was
unacceptable. Thus in 1988 Archbishop Lefebvre, assisted by Bishop Castro de Mayer ordained 4 bishops in the traditional rite to continue Catholic Tradition. These bishops were not
given any jurisdiction because Archbishop Lefebvre did not wish to create a schism. Their role was simply to ordain new candidates for the priesthood in the Society's seminaries, to confer the sacrament of Confirmation and to promote Roman Catholic Tradition. However, Pope John Paul 11 in his Ecclesia Dei Adflicta of the same year excommunicated Archbishop Lefebvre, Bishop De Mayer and the 4 bishops. This was because the ordinations proceeded without papal mandate. But the ordinations were an act of necessity. The faith was in crisis and as an Archbishop of the Catholic Church Lefebvre felt obliged to act, even without the pope's
permission. The salvation of souls is the highest law in the Church. The reforms of Vatican 11 inaugurated a widespread loss of faith foreseen by Our Lady of Fatima in her Third Secret which was read by Cardinal Luigi Ciappi, papal theologian to three popes. According to him: 'In the
Third Secret, it is mentioned, among other things, that the apostasy in the Church, will begin from the top’. When the Archbishop forthrightly rejected Rome's unacceptable conditions in 1988 some priests and seminarians left him and accepted those conditions. They became
constituted into the Fraternity of St. Peter: FSSP. They accepted not to criticize the reforms of Vatican 11, to invite Novus Ordo bishops to ordain their seminarians (and you can guess what they will preach during their homilies at such ordinations!), accepted the validity of the new mass
and gave freedom for any of their priests to celebrate the new mass as well as the old. Thus they gave up the combat for the integral Catholic faith in deference to a largely Modernist hierarchy.
In July 2007 Benedict XV1 finally vindicated the position of Archbishop Lefebvre on the Old Mass. In his Summorum Pontificum, he declared that the Traditional Latin Mass has NEVER been banned and that all priests are FREE to celebrate it. This universal indult had already been given by Pope St. Pius V in 1570 in his bull, Quo Primum, and NEVER abrogated, but Catholics were misled by the hierarchy after 1969 into believing that it had been abrogated.
Despite the suspension the Society continued to grow and expand. Eventually negotiations was resumed with Rome. But this negotiations broke down in 1988 because Rome was not
prepared to allow the Society a free hand to retain and hand over the old faith to future generations. The new Modernist ecclesiology had so permeated the Roman authorities that
allowing an obscure group of traditionalists to keep insisting on the old Mass, the old theology, the old Catechisms and Canon law, the old morality etc was unthinkable. They wanted the Society to compromise on matters that affect our faith as Catholics and this was
unacceptable. Thus in 1988 Archbishop Lefebvre, assisted by Bishop Castro de Mayer ordained 4 bishops in the traditional rite to continue Catholic Tradition. These bishops were not
given any jurisdiction because Archbishop Lefebvre did not wish to create a schism. Their role was simply to ordain new candidates for the priesthood in the Society's seminaries, to confer the sacrament of Confirmation and to promote Roman Catholic Tradition. However, Pope John Paul 11 in his Ecclesia Dei Adflicta of the same year excommunicated Archbishop Lefebvre, Bishop De Mayer and the 4 bishops. This was because the ordinations proceeded without papal mandate. But the ordinations were an act of necessity. The faith was in crisis and as an Archbishop of the Catholic Church Lefebvre felt obliged to act, even without the pope's
permission. The salvation of souls is the highest law in the Church. The reforms of Vatican 11 inaugurated a widespread loss of faith foreseen by Our Lady of Fatima in her Third Secret which was read by Cardinal Luigi Ciappi, papal theologian to three popes. According to him: 'In the
Third Secret, it is mentioned, among other things, that the apostasy in the Church, will begin from the top’. When the Archbishop forthrightly rejected Rome's unacceptable conditions in 1988 some priests and seminarians left him and accepted those conditions. They became
constituted into the Fraternity of St. Peter: FSSP. They accepted not to criticize the reforms of Vatican 11, to invite Novus Ordo bishops to ordain their seminarians (and you can guess what they will preach during their homilies at such ordinations!), accepted the validity of the new mass
and gave freedom for any of their priests to celebrate the new mass as well as the old. Thus they gave up the combat for the integral Catholic faith in deference to a largely Modernist hierarchy.
In July 2007 Benedict XV1 finally vindicated the position of Archbishop Lefebvre on the Old Mass. In his Summorum Pontificum, he declared that the Traditional Latin Mass has NEVER been banned and that all priests are FREE to celebrate it. This universal indult had already been given by Pope St. Pius V in 1570 in his bull, Quo Primum, and NEVER abrogated, but Catholics were misled by the hierarchy after 1969 into believing that it had been abrogated.
Today the Society has about 500 priests and 200 seminarians working in about 50 countries. We pray for the pope and the local bishop at every Mass. The Society has requested for the lifting of the decree of excommunication to be followed by doctrinal discussions with Rome. The Society's presence in Africa was recently constituted into a District by the Superior General, Bishop Bernard Fellay. The District headquarters is in South Africa.
I therefore urge you to explain to your family and friends the position of the Society in the Church today. Support the Society's effort to promote the authentic Catholic faith in Nigeria, Ghana and the rest of Africa. Do not be discouraged by the fact that the Archbishop was excommunicated. The best canonical minds in the Church have already agreed that the Archbishop did nothing to merit excommunication. In practice the so-called excommunication is a dead letter, just as the previous claim that the Old Mass was banned was a myth. We simply want Rome to officially declare to the whole Church that the SSPX is not in fact excommunicated. But can one oppose the pope when the pope deviates from the faith even at the risk of being excommunicated? I will attempt to answer this question in the concluding part of this mail. TO BE CONTINUED…
I therefore urge you to explain to your family and friends the position of the Society in the Church today. Support the Society's effort to promote the authentic Catholic faith in Nigeria, Ghana and the rest of Africa. Do not be discouraged by the fact that the Archbishop was excommunicated. The best canonical minds in the Church have already agreed that the Archbishop did nothing to merit excommunication. In practice the so-called excommunication is a dead letter, just as the previous claim that the Old Mass was banned was a myth. We simply want Rome to officially declare to the whole Church that the SSPX is not in fact excommunicated. But can one oppose the pope when the pope deviates from the faith even at the risk of being excommunicated? I will attempt to answer this question in the concluding part of this mail. TO BE CONTINUED…
DEFENDING THE FAITH 5 Fr. Gregory Chukwudi Obih
Tuesday, December 16, 2008, 11:04 PM PM
Dear Friends,
Can one defend the Catholic faith even against the Pope, at the risk of being excommunicated by him? Yes. Can one be holier than the pope? Of course. Can one be more Catholic than the pope? Certainly. Sometimes some ask: Are you more Catholic than the pope? Yes you can. We have had good and bad popes. During the Arian heresy in the fourth century St Athanasius of Alexandria was excommunicated by Pope Liberius for defending the true faith on the divinity of Christ. No one could intimidate St Athanasius who was sent on exile for about four times. But Pope Liberius was intimidated by the Emperor into excommunicating St Athanasius and signing a
semi-Arian profession of faith. Today Athanasius is a saint and Pope liberius is not.
St. Thomas Aquinas teaches the positive duty to rebuke and correct even the Pope when there is danger to the Faith, but not to declare his authority to have been forfeited. In the Summa Theologica, under the question "Whether a man is bound to correct his prelate," St. Thomas concludes as follows: "It must be observed, however, that if the Faith were endangered, a subject ought to rebuke his prelate even publicly; Hence Paul, who was Peter's subject, rebuked him in public, on account of the imminent danger of scandal concerning faith .. . . "(Peter had scandalized potential converts and threatened the mission of the Church by appearing to follow Mosaic dietary laws and refusing to eat with Gentiles.) St. Thomas here observes that the public rebuke of a prelate "would seem to savor of presumptuous pride; but there is no presumption in thinking oneself better in some respect, because, in this life, no man is without some fault. We
must also remember that when a man reproves his prelate charitably, it does not
follow that he thinks himself any better, but merely that he offers his help to one who, 'being in the higher position among you, is therefore in greater danger,' as Augustine observes in his Rule
quoted above."
Implicit in Saint Thomas's teaching, however, is that the Pope who commits "scandal concerning the faith" remains the Pope, though he may be rebuked and corrected, as was John XXII.
This same Catholic principle is summarized by the great Doctor of the Church, St. Robert Bellarmine, who wrote in his work De Romano Pontifice:
‘Just as it is licit to resist the Pontiff that aggresses the body, it is also licit to resist the one who aggresses souls or who disturbs civil order, or, above all, who attempts to destroy the Church. I say that it is licit to resist him by not doing what he orders and by preventing his will from being
executed; it is not licit, however, to judge, punish or depose him, since these acts are proper to a superior.’
The renowned Sixteenth Century theologian Francisco Suarez, called a pious and eminent theologian (eximius et pius) by Pope Paul V explained the principle of resistance to a wayward Pope thus:
Dear Friends,
Can one defend the Catholic faith even against the Pope, at the risk of being excommunicated by him? Yes. Can one be holier than the pope? Of course. Can one be more Catholic than the pope? Certainly. Sometimes some ask: Are you more Catholic than the pope? Yes you can. We have had good and bad popes. During the Arian heresy in the fourth century St Athanasius of Alexandria was excommunicated by Pope Liberius for defending the true faith on the divinity of Christ. No one could intimidate St Athanasius who was sent on exile for about four times. But Pope Liberius was intimidated by the Emperor into excommunicating St Athanasius and signing a
semi-Arian profession of faith. Today Athanasius is a saint and Pope liberius is not.
St. Thomas Aquinas teaches the positive duty to rebuke and correct even the Pope when there is danger to the Faith, but not to declare his authority to have been forfeited. In the Summa Theologica, under the question "Whether a man is bound to correct his prelate," St. Thomas concludes as follows: "It must be observed, however, that if the Faith were endangered, a subject ought to rebuke his prelate even publicly; Hence Paul, who was Peter's subject, rebuked him in public, on account of the imminent danger of scandal concerning faith .. . . "(Peter had scandalized potential converts and threatened the mission of the Church by appearing to follow Mosaic dietary laws and refusing to eat with Gentiles.) St. Thomas here observes that the public rebuke of a prelate "would seem to savor of presumptuous pride; but there is no presumption in thinking oneself better in some respect, because, in this life, no man is without some fault. We
must also remember that when a man reproves his prelate charitably, it does not
follow that he thinks himself any better, but merely that he offers his help to one who, 'being in the higher position among you, is therefore in greater danger,' as Augustine observes in his Rule
quoted above."
Implicit in Saint Thomas's teaching, however, is that the Pope who commits "scandal concerning the faith" remains the Pope, though he may be rebuked and corrected, as was John XXII.
This same Catholic principle is summarized by the great Doctor of the Church, St. Robert Bellarmine, who wrote in his work De Romano Pontifice:
‘Just as it is licit to resist the Pontiff that aggresses the body, it is also licit to resist the one who aggresses souls or who disturbs civil order, or, above all, who attempts to destroy the Church. I say that it is licit to resist him by not doing what he orders and by preventing his will from being
executed; it is not licit, however, to judge, punish or depose him, since these acts are proper to a superior.’
The renowned Sixteenth Century theologian Francisco Suarez, called a pious and eminent theologian (eximius et pius) by Pope Paul V explained the principle of resistance to a wayward Pope thus:
'And in this second way the Pope could be schismatic, if he were unwilling to be in normal union with the whole body of the Church, as would occur if he attempted to excommunicate the whole
Church, or, as both Cajetan and Torquemada observe, if he wished to overturn the rites of the Church based on Apostolic Tradition . . . If [the Pope] . . . gives an order contrary to right customs, he should not be obeyed; if he attempts to do something manifestly opposed to
justice and the common good, it will be lawful to resist him . . . '
It is remarkable that in the 16th Century an esteemed theologian would matter-of-factly discuss the possibility that the Pope could be guilty of schismatic acts his own subjects would be forced to
resist.
The mind of the Church on this point was expressed at the level of the papal Magisterium by Pope Paul IV in his Bull Cum Ex Apostolatus Offido (1559). Gravely concerned that, in the midst of the Protestant rebellion, a future Pope might succumb to a Protestant heresy, Paul IV
declared that ‘the Roman Pontiff, who is the representative upon earth of our God and
Lord Jesus Christ, who holds the fullness of power over peoples and kingdoms, who may judge all and be judged by none in this world, may nonetheless be contradicted if he be found to have deviated from the Faith.’
Church, or, as both Cajetan and Torquemada observe, if he wished to overturn the rites of the Church based on Apostolic Tradition . . . If [the Pope] . . . gives an order contrary to right customs, he should not be obeyed; if he attempts to do something manifestly opposed to
justice and the common good, it will be lawful to resist him . . . '
It is remarkable that in the 16th Century an esteemed theologian would matter-of-factly discuss the possibility that the Pope could be guilty of schismatic acts his own subjects would be forced to
resist.
The mind of the Church on this point was expressed at the level of the papal Magisterium by Pope Paul IV in his Bull Cum Ex Apostolatus Offido (1559). Gravely concerned that, in the midst of the Protestant rebellion, a future Pope might succumb to a Protestant heresy, Paul IV
declared that ‘the Roman Pontiff, who is the representative upon earth of our God and
Lord Jesus Christ, who holds the fullness of power over peoples and kingdoms, who may judge all and be judged by none in this world, may nonetheless be contradicted if he be found to have deviated from the Faith.’
This is a remarkable statement for two reasons: First, it confirms the constant teaching of the Church that no one may judge the First See, even when confronted with alleged papal deviations from the Faith. Second, it nevertheless admits the possibility that a Pope might deviate from the Faith while remaining Pope. Pope Leo X111 teaches in Libertas Praestantissimum:
'The moment a command is contrary to reason, to eternal life, to the authority of God, then it is lawful to disobey, man that is, so as to obey God.' In the words of Cardinal Henry Newman of England, 'If a Catholic is convinced that the command of a Superior, including the pope, is displeasing to God, then he is bound NOT to obey.'
'The moment a command is contrary to reason, to eternal life, to the authority of God, then it is lawful to disobey, man that is, so as to obey God.' In the words of Cardinal Henry Newman of England, 'If a Catholic is convinced that the command of a Superior, including the pope, is displeasing to God, then he is bound NOT to obey.'
The foregoing are the reasons followed by traditional Catholics in the light of the deviations introduced since Vatican 11 and supported by popes, bishops and priests since then. They have abandoned Catholic tradition in favour of ecumenical fraternity, religious liberty and collegial
equality. According to Fr. Joseph de Sainte-Marie, OCD, an outstanding theologian who taught in Rome in the 1970s and 80s and an expert on Fatima who worked closely with John Paul 11: 'In our day, and it is one of the most obvious signs of the extraordinarily abnormal character of the
current state of the Church, it is very often the case that acts of the Holy See demand of us PRUDENCE AND DISCERNMENT.'
There you have it. An insider within the corridors of post-Vatican 11 Rome warns us that we need prudence and discernment now regarding acts of the Holy See! This is the position of the Society of St. Pius X and that of our founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. When the crisis in the
Church is over, the Church will definitely thank him for resisting the concilliar popes, as she thanked St Athanasius many years after his death. This is because falsehood will NEVER triumph over truth in the Catholic Church.
equality. According to Fr. Joseph de Sainte-Marie, OCD, an outstanding theologian who taught in Rome in the 1970s and 80s and an expert on Fatima who worked closely with John Paul 11: 'In our day, and it is one of the most obvious signs of the extraordinarily abnormal character of the
current state of the Church, it is very often the case that acts of the Holy See demand of us PRUDENCE AND DISCERNMENT.'
There you have it. An insider within the corridors of post-Vatican 11 Rome warns us that we need prudence and discernment now regarding acts of the Holy See! This is the position of the Society of St. Pius X and that of our founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. When the crisis in the
Church is over, the Church will definitely thank him for resisting the concilliar popes, as she thanked St Athanasius many years after his death. This is because falsehood will NEVER triumph over truth in the Catholic Church.
Dear friends, I therefore encourage you to persevere in defending the true faith against innovators. Pray for the SSPX, our Superior General, Bishop Bernard Fellay, our District Superior, Fr Marc Vernoy and all the priests of the Society. Run away from the Modernists and their bastardized liturgy, else you will be infected with their poison, annoy God, and endanger your eternal salvation. Let us work together to ensure that the light of the true faith rises
again in our countries. Have a blessed Christmas and may God bless you.
again in our countries. Have a blessed Christmas and may God bless you.
Fr Gregory Chukwudi Obih.
ADDENDUM
On the 21st day of Jnuary 2009 Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication of the four bishops ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988. On the 26th day of October 2009 doctrinal discussions began between the representatives of the Society and the representatives of the Holy See.
