|
February
2004
Dear
Faithful,
On
February 2, Bishop Fellay gave a press conference in Rome
with about 45 journalists present. At a time when rumours
of secret negotiations between the SSPX and the Vatican, what
they got was not what they expected. Instead of the expected
announcement of a deal, Bishop Fellay released a letter to
Cardinals and a long study on ecumenism entitled “From
Ecumenism to Silent Apostasy – 25 Years of Pontificate”.
You can obtain this study by writing to me or by going to
our web site www.sspx.ca.
The
term “silent apostasy” is one used by Pope John Paul II’s
to describe the state of Catholicism in Europe and the world
today. This study clearly demonstrates that one of the main
reason for this silent apostasy is ecumenism as practiced
today by the Vatican, from the Pope on down. Bishop Fellay
shows clearly and simply by quoting Pope John Paul II that
ecumenism emanates from the conciliar “magna carta” Lumen
Gentium and is the main object of his pontificate. Vatican
II and John Paul II are therefore responsible for this silent
apostasy. I’ll try to summarize the whole thing. If this
doesn’t make sense it is a good sign. It’s not supposed to
make sense. It is logical but nonsensical. It’s not Catholic.
Cardinal
Walter Kasper, in a recent conference, ‘A Vision of Christian
Unity for the Next Generation’, admits that there is a pre-Vatican
II and a post-Vatican II ecumenism. The pre-Vatican II ecumenism
consisted in the conversion, the return of those who had left
the one true Church. The post-Vatican II ecumenism is very
different. It consists in “the common path”, “reconciled
diversity”, as a means of arriving at some kind of unity with
other “Churches”. So there is no idea of return, of coming
back.
If in
the past, the Church worked for the conversion of non-Catholics
it was for heir salvation. Now there is no need to work for
the salvation of souls anymore. Why? Because for the Pope,
everyone is saved because “Jesus Christ ‘has united himself
in a certain way to all men’ (Gaudium et Spes nº
22), even if these men are not aware of it.” (JP II
22/12/86) So being freed from the need to help all men attain
their salvation, the Church can now devote Herself to promoting
the lost unity of mankind!
This
entirely new non-Catholic concept of ecumenism comes from
a new idea found in the document of Vatican II Lumen Gentium
(# 7&8), which speaks separately of the “Church body of
Christ” and the visibility of the Catholic Church as if they
are two different realities. The Pope, following Vatican
II, makes a distinction between the “Church of Christ” which
is a divine reality and the different Churches which spring
from human divisions. For Vatican II and John Paul II, the
Church of Christ is a larger reality than the visible Catholic
Church. It includes all the baptized, considered disciples
of Christ, despite all the divisions. This Church of Christ
is an interior reality. This explains the affirmation found
in Lumen Gentium that the Church of Christ subsists in
the Catholic Church. For them the Catholic Church is
not the Church of Christ, contrary to what Pius XII and all
Popes expressly taught, but it is part of the Church of Christ,
which includes all “Christian” churches. This is why the
Orthodox churches are seen as “sister churches”, and all religions
are instruments which the Holy Ghost makes use of in bringing
men to God. This is why there is no more need for non-Catholics
to convert because as John Paul II often says, following Lumen
Gentium, that the baptized regardless of which church he belongs
to, remains united to Christ and incorporated to him (LG #15).
The conclusion is that if the order of unity “is one that
goes back to creation and redemption and is in some way ‘divine’
then all the differences even religious are man made.”
(JP II 22/12/86)
From
this it follows that for John Paul II, “The ultimate goal
of the ecumenical movement is to re-establish full visible
unity among all the baptized” (JP II Ut Unum Sint #77)
and therefore, it is necessary to tear down all the man made
barriers to visible unity. Here you have the reasons for
the papal apologies of the year 2000 and all other concessions
made to non-Catholic religions.
How will
this visible unity be realized? Through the traditional visible
signs of unity: the profession of faith, the sacraments and
the hierarchy. But remember, it is not a matter of returning
to the one true Fold but of finding some common ground around
which we can all be united. This is what explains the demolition
of our Church in the name of ecumenism.
Profession of Faith
When
it comes to the Faith, John Paul II considers that often “
intolerant polemics and controversies have made incompatible
assertions out of what was really the result of two different
ways of looking at the same reality. Nowadays we need to find
the formula which, by capturing the reality in its entirety,
will enable us to move beyond partial readings and eliminate
false interpretations.” (JP II Ut Unum Sint #38) This
will be done by historical relativism to make the dogmatic
formula depend on the time they were drawn up. Different
times need different formulas; it is as simple as that. This
is exactly what Cardinal Ratzinger told Archbishop Lefebvre.
When asked if the Syllabus of errors of Pius IX was still
true today he replied: The Syllabus was for the 19th
century, it doesn’t apply anymore today. Then there is no
definite truth anymore.
All the
quarrels on the faith were in a large measure a misunderstanding
and terminology and there were faults on both sides. So the
Faith is thrown out the large open window of Vatican II in
the name of ecumenism; to witness the Common Christological
declaration between the Catholic and Assyrian Churches of
1994 and the Joint Declaration on Justification between the
Lutheran Federation and the Catholic Church of 1999.
The Sacraments
Remember
that according to Father Bugnini, in the new Mass “the Church
has been guided […] by the desire to do everything to help
our separated brethren on the way to union, taking away the
stones that could be even the shadow of a risk of stumbling
block or displeasure.” This of course was done by taking
away what was expressly and properly Catholic from the new
Mass. The entire liturgical reform was made with the same
desire in mind.
But it
goes even farther. The Catholic liturgy having been sufficiently
watered down to be acceptable to non-Catholics, it remained
to accept the liturgies of the separated brethren. In a document
expressly approved by John Paul II, Cardinal Ratzinger has
declared valid the anaphora “Addaï and Mari”, of the Assyrian
Church which broke away after the 3rd Council of
Ephesus (381), a “Mass” in which the words of consecration
are not said (no form). This represents the end of the theology
of the sacraments since matter and form are no longer deemed
necessary. What then is the problem with the Last Supper
of the Protestants?
But the
main obstacle to unity remains the hierarchy and especially
the primacy of the Roman Pontiff. But have no fear it has
all been taken care of.
The Hierarchy
But first
there is the necessity of recognizing the orders of all the
different churches. So they must remove the obstacle of the
invalidity of Anglican orders decreed by Leo XIII, in order
that the Arch-layman of Canterbury can bless the cardinals
with the Pope. To legitimatize the Orthodox, they must redefine
the meaning of apostolic succession which is no longer understood
“in the sense of an historical chain of laying on of hands
running back through the centuries to one of the apostles”
since “this would be a very mechanical and individualistic
vision…”(Cardinal Kasper)
But
the main stumbling block remains the Pope, the Primacy of
the Roman Pontiff. Again Pope John Paul II has taken the
lead: in No. 95 of his encyclical "Ut Unum Sint,"
he proposed to pastors and theologians that they “find
a way of exercising the primacy which, while in no way renouncing
what is essential to its mission, is nonetheless open to a
new situation.” And voilà; “in the future the Petrine
ministry has to be exercised in line with the changing needs
of the Church… Because “in our globalized world situation
the biblical testimonies on Peter and the Petrine tradition
of Rome are read with new eyes because in this new context
the question of a ministry of universal unity, a common reference
point and a common voice of the universal church, becomes
urgent.” (Cardinal Kasper) This is the end of the papacy
in the name of ecumenism. And we are the ones who are against
the Pope!
Unbelievable!
I wish I were making this up. But these are quotes from John
Paul II and his right hand man in the field of ecumenism Cardinal
Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity.
Dear
faithful Lent has started. With St Paul “ we do exhort you,
that you receive not the grace of God in vain. Behold now
is the acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation.”
Be generous! There is much to expiate: our own sins but also
the many public scandals committed around us. As usual the
monthly Mass for all our friends and benefactors will be offered
on the last Sunday of the month. Be assured of our prayers.
With
my blessing,
Father
Jean Violette
|
