“St. John is Still Alive”: The New R&R ruse

by T. Stanfill Benns | Nov 24, 2020 | New Blog

+St. John of the Cross+

As the discussion of whether there are any true bishops left alive on earth continues, a reader has pointed out the following translation, found on one Traditionalist site, of the 1870 Vatican Council decree on the Church of Christ. It differs from the one found in Henry Denzinger’s Sources of Catholic Dogma, although it seems that Denzinger offers the more accurate translation. From the Traditionalist site:

“So then, just as He sent apostles, whom He chose out of the world [39], even as He had been sent by the Father [40], in like manner it was His will that in his church there should be shepherds and teachers until the end of time. In order, then, that the episcopal office should be one and undivided and that, by the union of the clergy, the whole multitude of believers should be held together in the unity of faith and communion, he set blessed Peter over the rest of the apostles and instituted in him the permanent principle of both unities and their visible foundation.”

This is a translation of the Latin as follows:

Sessio IV:

Constitutio I. de Ecclesia Christi

Pastor aeternus et episcopus animarum nostrarum, ut salutiferum redemptionis opus perenne redderet, sanctam aedi ficare Ecclesiam decrevit, in qua veluti in Domo Dei viventis fideles omnes unius fidei et charitatis vinculo continerentur. Quapropter, priusquam clarificaretur, rogavit Patrem non pro Apostolis tantum, sed et pro eis, qui credituri erant per verhum eorum in ipsum, ut omnes unum essent, sicut ipse Filius et Pater unum sunt. Quemadmodum igitur Apostolos, quos sibi de mundo elegerat, misit, sicut ipse missus erat a Patre: ita in Ecclesia sua Pastores et Doctores usque ad consummationen saeculi esse voluit. Ut vero episcopatus ipse anus et indivisus esset, et per cohaerentes sibi invicem sacerdotes credentium multitudo universa in fidei et communionis unitate conservaretur, beatum Petrum caeteris Apostolis praeponens in ipso instituit perpetuum utriusque uni tatis principium ac visibile fundamentum, super cajus fortitu dinem aeternum exstrueretur templum, et Ecclesiae coelo in ferenda sublimitas in hujus fidei firmitate consurgeret.

Denzinger’s translation reads: “Thus as He sent the apostles, whom He had selected from the world for Himself, as He Himself had been sent by the Father, (John 20: 21), so in His Church He wished the pastors and the doctors to be “even to the consummation of the world” (Matt. 28: 20). But that the episcopacy itself might be one and undivided, and that the entire multitude of the faithful through priests closely connected with one another might be preserved in the unity of faith and communion, placing the blessed Peter over the other apostles He established in him the perpetual principle and visible foundation of both unities, upon whose strength the eternal temple might be erected and the sublimity of the Church to be raised to heaven might rise in the firmness of this faith.”

Use of the word should in De Ecclesia Christi

The closest one can get to defining what might be meant in the Vatican Council document by the word should is by consulting legal definitions following the method advised by Rev. Matthew Ramstein, S.T. Mag, J.U.D, of the Friars of Minor Conventual. Ramstein wrote the following in 1947 regarding how one is to interpret passages of Canon Law. Because much of Canon Law is derived from papal law, it seems reasonable to assume that this same method can be used to determine the finer distinctions in the two translations of the Vatican Council teaching.

Normally the word “shall” (or must) indicates a compulsory requirement and “may” is used for one that is permissive. Because should is somewhat ambiguous, some believe it has no place in legal documents. The following is a sampling of majority opinions regarding the use of should in legal documents today.

https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/should

Should means that a certain feature, component and/or action is desirable but not mandatory (majority opinion).

 Should means the term used in the interpretation of a standard to reflect the commonly accepted method yet allowing for the use of effective alternatives.

Should means that the described action is necessary and expected with some flexibility allowed in the method of compliance,

Should means implementation of the policy is expected but its completion is not mandatory. The policy is directive with substantive meaning, although to a lesser degree than “shall” for two reasons. (1) “Should” policies recognize the policy might not be applicable or appropriate… due to special circumstances. The decision to not implement a “should” policy is appropriate only if implementation of the policy is either inappropriate or not feasible. (2) Some “should” policies are subjective; hence, it is not possible to demonstrate that a jurisdiction has implemented it.

Should/shall (v.)

Old English sceal, Northumbrian scule “I owe/he owes, will have to, ought to, must” (infinitive sculan, past tense sceolde), a common Germanic preterite-present verb (along with can, may, will), from Proto-Germanic *skal- (source also of Old Saxon sculan, Old Frisian skil, Old Norse and Swedish skola, Middle Dutch sullen, Old High German solan, German sollen, Gothic skulan “to owe, be under obligation;” related via past tense form to Old English scyld “guilt,” German Schuld “guilt, debt;” also Old Norse Skuld, name of one of the Norns), from PIE root *skel- (2) “to be under an obligation.” https://search.aol.com/aol/search;_ylt=A0geK.CpLrxfvqEAxEBpCWVH;_ylc=X1MDMTE5NzgwMzg4MQRfcgMyBGZyA2NvbXNlYXJjaARncHJpZAN4cFJudzFoVVNYLlJ6Qlk1RTBSTERBBG5fcnNsdAMwBG5fc3VnZwMyBG9yaWdpbgNzZWFyY2guYW9sLmNvbQRwb3MDMARwcXN0cgMEcHFzdHJsAzAEcXN0cmwDMjgEcXVlcnkDRX

Ground sense of the Germanic word probably is “I owe,” hence “I ought.” The sense shifted in Middle English from a notion of “obligation” to include “futurity.” Its past tense form has become should (q.v.). oportet, dehibeo (verb), conpos (adjective), debere, debet, ut mori (https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the/latin-word-for-c6dc9bc9f77b486a13b3f63ffb2ffd1cb3fef4db.html).         None of these Latin words are found in the Latin version of the council documents.

Use of the word wish in De Ecclesia Christi

voluit (Latin) Verb

Inflection of volō (third-person singular perfect active indicative)

1. Cognate with Sanskrit वृणीते‎ (“vṛṇīte”), Old English willan‎ (“to will, wish, desire”).
2. Under will, also listed as a reference, the following is found: (rare, intransitive) To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that). (9th-19th c.)”God willthat all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (Tim. 2:4). https://www.wordsense.eu/voluit/ ; https://www.wordsense.eu/will/ – English

While the word should might be an acceptable alternate translation, the actual Latin word voluit indicates the literal translation is wish. Some translations of this same section of the Vatican Council decree use the word will, and certain individuals take this as a concrete indication that whatever Christ wills must inevitably come to pass. But the above Scripture quote in (2) explains how the use of will does not mean an absolute guarantee; Christ willed that all men be saved and know the truth as well, but all men have not done so. He also taught that when He comes again He would scarcely find faith on earth.

What is the difference between wish and should? Should indicates an obligation exists to carry out the act. But shouldas defined above seems to indicate a flexibility in terms, meaning the fulfilment of any action is not mandatory. Certainly the hierarchy were bound to perpetuate the Church as Christ constituted it. They chose the path of Judas Iscariot instead, exercising their will and their idea of what the Church was meant to be, not Christ’s. So the Church has determined in its council language there was no guarantee on Christ’s part the condition will be inevitably fulfilled. Wish also translates to will and desire, and neither term gives any indication whatsoever that something is being promised in an unqualified manner.

We must remember that this section of the Vatican Council is the one session dealing with the Church specifically. The Council did not take up any definition of the Church Herself, only the papacy. And as Henry Cardinal Manning said in his The Vatican Council Decrees and their Bearing on Civil Allegiance, it is precisely the definition of the papacy that defines the Church. Without a true pope the Church cannot exist. The above should end the arguments of those who believe that the hierarchy sans the pope will exist unto the consummation, but it has not and most likely will not.  For there are those who simply cannot imagine that a “faithful” bishop will not come to rescue them and provide them with what they wish to possess in way of Mass and Sacraments. They have found who they believe is such a bishop, as mentioned in a previous blog, although no certainty can be had regarding his valid ordination far less any supposed episcopal consecration!

Now they are preparing what they believe is a case for his existence by presenting the belief of some of the early Church Fathers that St. John never died and is still alive on this earth; that St. John will appear to rescue the episcopacy and restore the faith of doubting Catholics that it has ceased to exist.  Well excuse me, but the episcopacy was never guaranteed to remain unto the consummation without its head bishop, nor was it ever granted the gift of infallibility without being united to the Supreme Pontiff. This is the teaching of the Vatican Council as seen above and has been reiterated by Henry Cardinal Manning in his works. The tell-tale red flag here is this seizing by the R&R crowd on the perpetuity of the episcopacy, not the PAPACY. It easily condemns them as the Gallicanists they truly are and exposes their agenda to re-establish the Church based on the Gallicanist idea of the pope as a ministerial head only. This has all been treated at length in articles on this site and recent blog posts where cogent arguments are provided to prove that the Gallicanist heresy is alive and well among Traditionalists.

That they would use St. John the Evangelist as a cover for these activities is not only an outrage, it is blasphemous. It sheds an abundance of light on the recent accusations made by a certain individual against this author, claiming that truths of faith have been denied, and among these truths that Christ constituted the Church, including the episcopacy, to last till the end of time.  But as the Vatican Council explains, it was indeed His will that the episcopacy last until the very end, but since when have men today concerned themselves with learning and obeying God’s will, which is expressed in His laws and those of the Church?! Those who are promoting the sudden appearance of St. John the Evangelist indeed quote the early Fathers to prove he could still be alive, but these Fathers’ opinions on this topic are nowhere cited as unanimous. Therefore, we are not bound in any way to believe them, although of course we should respect their teachings on this matter.

After quoting the Fathers, they then descend into St. John’s presence in certain Marian apparitions, which have absolutely no claim whatsoever on us as far as belief is concerned. We may believe them with ecclesiastical faith if we choose; this is all. They also note that St. John’s symbol is the eagle, and this is indeed interesting but for reasons they fail to draw out. We know in these times that the woman clothed with the sun, described in St. John’s Apocalypse, is ever with us and indeed carries us “in the crossing of her arms,” as she told Juan Diego during her Guadalupe apparition to him. Who was it who stood beneath the Cross with Christ’s Mother?

The only Apostle who did not abandon Our Lord, St. John. We are experiencing the Passion of the Church, so will there be a St. John at our side? Yes, in every way, for it is St. John who gave us the Apocalypse, the wings of the great eagle, the very words of the Holy Ghost in Scripture, that carry the Church into the desert. There She is nourished by the prophecies of this last book of the Holy Bible, written by St. John who was inspired by the Holy Ghost.

We are living all he saw, all he wrote, all he experienced in just such a mystical manner. If we are lonely in this earthly exile, so was he in his exile on Patmos. If Our Lady is with us, and we know she is, so is he. Will he manifest himself to us in this cataclysmic time? With God all things are possible. But he would not come to supplant as a bishop the role given by Christ to St. Peter; he would have Peter’s successor at his side. And he certainly would never come in defiance of all existing laws of the Church established by his beloved Savior. “If you love Me, keep My commandments,” Jesus told us. St. John above all loved his Master so would never violate the very laws made by the Church on earth that Christ has bound in Heaven. The successors of Antichrist know their time is growing short; they will work every false miracle within their power to deceive the elect. And make no mistake — those parading as clergy are leading R&R Traditionalists by the nose right through the back door of the Novus Ordo church. Whoever has not loved the truth as taught by the Church shall be given the operation of error to believe lies. And when the blind lead the blind, all shall fall into the eternal pit.

More on Election Fraud — Pray for America!

by T. Stanfill Benns | Nov 17, 2020 | New Blog

+St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, Wonderworker+

Readers seemed interested in the post on election fraud, so I will continue this thread today and then get back to religious matters next week.

The most frustrating thing about the entire election situation is the fact that what happened regarding the voting process seems too complicated to effectively explain to people in terms they can relate to and understand. Fortunately, I found a post on SageBook that summarizes an evaluation given to the Epoch Times by Hoover Institute’s Victor Davis Hansen on the state of the investigation into vote fraud.

And while this goes a long way toward clarifying the situation, it only does so from one aspect. The first way to look at this is whether the election itself secured either candidate enough votes to be declared winners. But that is assuming one can trust the votes were cast by an actual voter and were not intruded into the election, as the author of the post indeed mentions. And as noted by others, once the vote enters the system, whether it is an in-person vote, a mail-in ballot or an actual absentee vote, it is separated from the identity of the voter for privacy reasons and cannot be traced to the person who cast it.

The second way to view this problem, however, presents a much larger and more complex picture. It has to do with the actual history of voting machines and their issues, some of which was presented in last week’s blog. It might help, however, to go back a bit further and list some of the glitches that plagued these various machines beginning at least 18 years ago.  Example: for 10 years 34 states used a voting machine manufactured by the Diebold company, (which became Premier Solutions, then Election Systems and Software or ES&S), that contained “a critical programming error” and this was confirmed at the time by Premier official Chris Riggall. The error existed on both touchscreen and optical scanning devices throughout the country (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2008/08/ohio-voting-machines-contained.html). Officials in at least one state said they were able to identify the problem and restore the votes dropped by the machine and other states reportedly put safeguards in place.

In 2010, Premier’s Accuvote optical scanner marketed by ES&S, used by about 20 percent of all precincts in the country, had problems with its battery warning signal that resulted in “widespread reports of memory loss and other problems,” which surfaced beginning in 2006. “The actual products that are certified and in use in the U.S. still have significant security problems that have not been fixed,” Wallach said. “The prototypes out there have really sophisticated security features, but these are not to be confused with things people are voting on.” But ES&S denied this. The iVotronic touch-screen voting machine made by ES&S cannot be audited which led to errors in various state vote tallies. Without a voter-verified paper audit trail there’s no way to trace the voting path.

“A recount with these machines consists of no more than pushing a button and getting the same number you got to begin with,” Burefy said. “With the economic situation we’re in, you first need the political will, then there needs to be the money to do something. We haven’t even established the political will.” Burefy said South Carolina declined to perform a $100,000 audit of the recent primary. And even if it did, the audit would be unreliable (http://www.psmag.com/politics/voting-technology-research-gets-in-depth-20562/). In addition to the above, you also can read the summary of the election I covered in 2010, which bears many similarities to what is going on today. (Go to https://www.keepandshare.com/doc18/22766/saveyour-community-from-voting-fraud). These articles detail just some of the many problems experienced with these electronic voting devices over the years, which were created to replace the hand count and its audit trail, which could be easily followed to backtrack election results. The question is, why was this reliable method abandoned and technology developed to replace it at all?

Fox News Maria Bartiromo’s Sunday morning interview with Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell bring everything into perspective. The two explained what everyone on the left will condemn as conspiracy theories but makes perfect sense if understood in light of all that has gone on since Trump took office. It also fits in with everything that has been announced regarding Biden’s plans for his “presidency.” While Giuliani could not go into great detail, he related to Bartiromo that 27 states had ties to a software system (Smartmatics) used by Hugo Chavez and Maduros to fraudulently win their elections in South America. The Dominion voting system sends its results to be tallied by Smartmatics. The chairman of Smartmatics is a close associate of George Soros. Giuliani says some 632,000 votes could be involved including those tallied by Dominion equipment in six key states. Giuliani claims that when all is said and done, he will be able to prove those tallying the votes used a software back door to add votes for Biden to the total. Powell concurred.

In her interview, Powell stated there is now enough evidence of fraud to launch a massive criminal investigation. She says a U.S. Navy admiral will present sworn testimony that the software used to tally votes was designed to overthrow elections.  Powell told Bartiromo there was so much evidence coming in to confirm what she has uncovered it is like “drinking from a firehose.” Dominion’s own manual explains that there is a software problem that can cause votes to be wiped away. She advised that every state using Dominion launch a criminal investigation into their election results. There reportedly also were kickbacks to those state officials purchasing the Dominion system, Powell added. She says there is evidence of massive election fraud perpetrated in various ways which involves voting machines besides Dominion. She faulted the CIA and FBI for their failure to address the problem, despite receiving multiple reports of wrongdoing regarding elections and voting machine failure that were never investigated.

In another interview with attorney L. Lin Wood, who defended Nicholas Sandman and was involved in the Richard Jewel case, Wood told one radio host that ultimately Biden and his cohorts will go to jail and Trump will serve a second term (won’t hold my breath). He claims that what we are now experiencing is an attack to overthrow our government that has been in the making for two decades. He believes the courts will eventually confirm Trump as president based on the evidence. He is now working on a lawsuit to be filed in Georgia. He says it is likely impossible to show the level of the fraud involved in the vote count. So the legislators will serve as electors and will elect Trump. Wood says many whistle blowers will testify and blames Soros and Chavez for the election debacle. He also claims there has, behind the scenes, been heavy involvement with China. He cites the CIA as one of the most corrupt organizations in the world and predicts that organization as well as corrupt media outlets and other entities will be exposed and destroyed. The China/CIA connection is further confirmed by a U.S. Air Force officer in this video: https://youtu.be/JYta8Pr-hKE).

This lays out a scope that far exceeds what most Americans are being told by the mainstream media regarding this election. And it should be noted that none of the above even touches on the almost certain abuse of mail-in ballots, which cannot be left out of this equation. The true origin of the problem was a long time coming based on the reports cited here and was well concealed from public view. Over the years, state official after state official, more than likely in an attempt to cover their own complicity and protect their own interests, denied that voter fraud or the potential for it existed in their state. Their explanation for not looking into it further, in several instances, was that it would erode voter confidence in elections. But perhaps it was the strategy of both Democrats and moderate Republicans, their ace in the hole for a time that would come when they would need to take a future president down who strayed too near the far right. It certainly seems that it has been effective and was really only the icing on the cake following months of the Russia collusion claims, impeachment proceedings, rioting and looting, civil unrest and China flu disruptions. Considering all these things as a connected whole, it is hard to understand how those on the outside can fail to see the true source of the attacks and appreciate the fact that they are not random or circumstantial, but targeted and interrelated.

Under section 802 of the USA PATRIOT Act (Pub. L. No. 107-52), a person can be prosecuted for domestic terrorism if they commit an act “dangerous to human life,” which violates federal or state law, if such an act seems to be perpetrated to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping. (If the first two methods do not succeed, I am afraid we will see the final method employed.) It seems this law would rightly identify those in the ANTIFA and Black Lives Matter groups, both of which are Communist inspired and are following Communist doctrine.  This was explained in June on the Kyle Olsen Show by counter terrorism expert John Guandolo, formerly with the FBI. Anyone educated in Communist/Socialist tactics knows that those ruling from the top do not limit themselves to one method of attack, but employ many simultaneously over time to intimidate, confuse and overwhelm the public. And mainstream media, by relentlessly molding and shaping public opinion, according to the manner suggested by secret societies, prepares citizens

Grand Master Mason Albert Pike explains in his Morals and Dogma how useful it is to those in power to mold public opinion, a practice we have seen shamefully exhibited (primarily) by the liberal media over the past several decades. Pike writes:

“Public opinion is an immense force, and its currents are as incomprehensible as those of the atmosphere. Nevertheless, in free governments it is omnipotent; and the business of the statesman is to find the means to shape, control and direct it. According as that is done, it is beneficial and conservative or destructive and ruinous.”

Pike’s openly anti-Catholic work clearly indicates Masonry’s intent to secretly shape and control governments before overturning them completely. This plan is elaborated upon at greater length by Sigmund Freud’s nephew, Edward Bernays, in his work Propaganda.

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society.”

That being said, and its total success in manipulating public opinion among Americans fully appreciated, the following statutes on facilitating the overthrow of the U.S. government are cited.

Full text of 18 U.S. Code § 2385:

“Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States or the government of any State, Territory, District or Possession thereof, or the government of any political subdivision therein, by force or violence, or by the assassination of any officer of any such government; or

“Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts to do so; or

“Whoever organizes or helps or attempts to organize any society, group, or assembly of persons who teach, advocate, or encourage the overthrow or destruction of any such government by force or violence; or becomes or is a member of, or affiliates with, any such society, group, or assembly of persons, knowing the purposes thereof —

“Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction. If two or more persons conspire to commit any offense named in this section, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.

“As used in this section, the terms “organizes” and “organize”, with respect to any society, group, or assembly of persons, include the recruiting of new members, the forming of new units, and the regrouping or expansion of existing clubs, classes, and other units of such society, group, or assembly of persons. (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 808; July 24, 1956, ch. 678, § 2, 70 Stat. 623; Pub. L. 87–486, June 19, 1962, 76 Stat. 103; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(N), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2148.)” (End of federal citation)

Given everything said above by Giuliani, Powell and L. Lin Wood — and the undeniable role Hollywood, social media and the established media has played in promoting movies, TV interviews, posts and articles, that openly promote removing Trump from office by whatever means necessary — it appears there are grounds on many different levels and encompassing many different groups under the Progressive umbrella to claim violation of the above statutes. Add to this also the Federal statutes on fraud, regarding computer activity and other related violations. Of course, the courts must decide all these cases, courts that have been packed with left wingers for decades. And no one is going to consider that in violating the rights of voters to be assured their votes actually are counted correctly, those directing these activities also prevent citizens from fulfilling their obligations to the faith and observing the commands of their religious leaders. This is true of Catholics, as seen below.

“It is the right and at the same time the essential duty of the Church, to instruct the faithful in word and writing, from the pulpit or in the other customary forms, in regard to everything that concerns faith and morals or is irreconcilable with her own doctrine and therefore inadmissible for Catholics, be it a question of philosophical or religious systems, or of the ends intended by their fosterers, or of their moral conceptions concerning the life of either individuals or the community.

“The exercise of the right to vote is an act of serious moral responsibility, at least when it is a question of electing those who are called to give the country its constitution and laws, particularly those concerning, for example, the sanctification of holidays of obligation, matrimony, the family, the school, and settlement according to justice and equity of the multifarious social conditions. It is therefore for the Church to explain to the faithful the moral duties which derive from the electoral right.” (Allocution to the Sacred College of Cardinals, Mar. 16, 1946)

Later, speaking to the parish priests of Rome on March 10, 1948, he pronounced:

“In the present circumstances, it is a strict obligation for all those who have the right to vote, men and women, to take part in the elections. Whoever abstains from doing so, in particular by indolence or weakness, commits a sin grave in itself, a mortal fault. Each one must follow the dictate of his own conscience. However, it is obvious that the voice of conscience imposes on every Catholic to give his vote to the candidates who offer truly sufficient guarantees for the protection of the rights of God and of souls, for the true good of individuals, families and of society, according to the love of God and Catholic moral teaching.” And the present circumstances at that time which Pius XII was referring to was a bid by the Communist party to overtake the Italian government. American Catholics face the same situation today, with no real way to follow his directives or fight the enemy he fought against all his life.

Conclusion

It seems the only REAL solution is to throw out the election results as questionable based on all the many possible technical and human errors and start over. If hand-counted paper ballots were used, this would bypass the faulty machines, but COVID-19 resurgence would seem to preclude this. Coincidence?  An election flawed in so many different ways which cannot be unquestionably verified is no election. Holding a new election with the same equipment and processes would be useless. At this stage of the game, prolonging election uncertainty while awaiting the results of lengthy investigations into vote fraud will undoubtedly result in increased civil unrest, perhaps even civil war. Seating a man whose victory is anything but certain would have the same effect. All the imaginable resolutions of this unprecedented crisis are unpredictable and frightening. At some point Americans will be forced to stand up and be counted if they wish to retain their freedoms. George Washington in the end publicly renounced Freemasonry and warned of its dangers. He is rumored to have converted to Catholicism on his deathbed and is said to have foreseen a second civil war in this country. Certain reports indicate he also had a devotion to the Blessed Mother.

Catholics who truly love their country and are not blinded by Progressivism need to offer fervent prayer that she not fall to the Communist/Socialist agenda. Because we are approaching the feast of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of America, also that of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and the papacy, we ought to pray fervently to her under bth of these titles that she save America from the very Communism she came to Fatima to warn us about. Russia has not converted — the subversion of the Church made that a remote possibility.  And if America falls then it is hard to see how Russia’s conversion could ever take place. This is precisely what they want, and if it is in any way within our power to prevent it, we must beg Mary Most Holy that the country she protects is spared this terrible scourge.

A novena to the Immaculate Conception taken from the Raccolta can be found here: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/33671/33671-h/33671-h.htm – Immaculate_Conception_A good litany to be recited after family Rosary and the novena, taken from http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.org, is provided below.

Litany on Behalf of Our Country

This Litany is a timely Catholic prayer we should say often, imploring God’s mercy for the conversion of our country.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

O God, who hast been pleased to magnify Thy name amongst our ancestors, and to distinguish them by the particular marks of their piety, continue the same mercy to us, we beseech Thee: that now, in these days, we may seek Thee with all our hearts, and zealously labour to copy the examples which our forefathers have left us. Amen.

For this end, we most humbly implore Thy goodness to have compassion on this our country, and by Thy powerful grace to remove from it whatever is provoking or displeasing to Thee.

Have mercy, O God, on this nation. And be Thou its powerful deliverer.

From infidelity and profaneness,
Deliver us, O Lord. *

From all irreligion, and contempt of Thy sacred mysteries, *

From all presumption, and the abuse of Thy holy word, *

From all heresies and schisms, *

From gluttony and drunkenness, *

From the profanation of Thy holy name, in cursing and swearing, *

From all kinds of prodigality and sensuality, *

From frauds, and all kinds of oppression and injustice, *

From the spirit of faction, of malice, hatred, and every kind of uncharitableness, *

O God, Thou hast been a Father to this nation, and replenished it with many blessings. –Forsake it not now, we beseech Thee, and give it not up to a reprobate sense.

Bless this people, O Lord, and be Thou their inheritance. –And sanctify us, and make us a holy nation.

Give to all its inhabitants, O Lord, the spirit of the gospel.
Hear us, O Lord. **

Give to them a zeal for unity, peace, and truth. **

Grant that they may all seek the things that are above and walk by the spirit of Christ. **

Grant that all who are in error may, by thy heavenly light, be led into Thy truth. **

Grant that all sinners may be truly converted, and, forsaking their evil ways, return to thee their God. **

Grant that all scandals may be removed. **

Grant that the pastors may become the light of the world. **

Grant that all magistrates may administer justice. **

Grant that all of the wealthier ranks may esteem virtue their greatest honour and be ashamed of vice. **

Grant that the youth of both sexes may be withheld from all evil ways, and that they may dedicate their lives to virtue, piety, and religion. **

Grant that all obstinacy and blindness may be removed from the hearts of this people, and that, being reformed according to Thy blessed will, they may serve Thee in holiness and truth. **

Hear us, O Lord, now calling on thee.– And, through the infinite merits of thy only Son, grant our petitions.

Let Us Pray

O Almighty and everlasting God, who hast forsaken many Christian nations, and, in punishment of their sins, hast suffered them to be overrun by error and infidelity; grant, we beseech thee, that the rigour of these Thy judgments may strike us with a timely fear, and that, in earnest forsaking our evil ways, we may find mercy with Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Remember, we beseech Thee, Thy ancient mercies, and for the sake of so many holy servants, who have been faithful to thee, shew now compassion to us, and let Thy former mercies be renewed in us.–Hear us, O Lord, and in Thy mercy grant our petition.

Give ear to us, O God, here assembled before Thee, humbly prostrate in the confession of our unworthiness, and wholly confiding in Thy goodness and mercy.– Hear, likewise, O God, all those Thy Saints who, in this country, have faithfully served Thee, and are now happy with Thee in heaven.

Hear them praying for their country, and let their intercession prevail, through the merits of thy only Son, through which alone All prayers, whether on earth or in heaven, can find acceptance with Thee. Amen.

Let Us Pray

O God, by whose mercy the world subsisteth, and to whose power every nation of the earth is subject, have mercy on this nation, we beseech Thee, and, according to its necessities, which are all known to Thee, so pour forth Thy blessings on it that, by the help of Thy grace, it may in all things be well-pleasing in Thy sight; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Voter fraud and its implications for Catholics

by T. Stanfill Benns | Nov 8, 2020 | New Blog

+Four Holy Crowned Martyrs+

This blog will deviate somewhat from religious matters and descend into the post-election cesspool now teeming with vermin and extending its stench over the entire nation. From my perspective, it is definitely a case of de ja vu. Ten years ago, while working as a community newspaper reporter in Colorado, I was involved in an intensive investigation into voter fraud that occurred in the county I was assigned to cover. The faulty election process I helped probe was occasioned by nearly every irregularity that has been mentioned in the press this past week regarding last week’s nationwide vote count. The similarities are staggering. And yet we hear nothing but incredulity and scornful remarks from those assuring voters that such fraud could never occur and does not regularly occur.

Tell that to vote integrity activist Marilyn Marks, who has been fighting Georgia state authorities for the past three years to assure the use of paper ballots in the state. And of course, Georgia was one of the states that experienced very close presidential race returns. Marks heads a non-profit group, Coalition for Good Governance, and recently wrote on her website about “Georgia’s terrible decision to purchase electronic ballot marking devices that encode the voter’s choices into a barcode on the voting machine printout. The unverifiable barcode is scanned to tabulate the votes. The voter is forced to cast a vote they cannot read. The press has generally not described how easily electronic machines can be rigged without a trace.” Well at least Marks knows that is not true of this reporter.

Marks was on the scene almost from day one of the Colorado county election and generated several lawsuits to force the county and state officials to do what the laws ordered them to do. I worked with her for nearly four years in the course of covering various irregular election instances and never failed to be impressed with her knowledge and dedication to uncovering the source of the problem. She was fearless in asking questions and demanding that voting rights be exercised. She repeatedly warned about the dangers of electronic voting and mail-in ballots, and now everyone should be able to see these fears were justified. Don’t believe her? Read the seedy history of electronic voting machines currently in use in this country at https://medium.com/@jennycohn1/georgia-6-and-the-voting-machine-vendors-87278fdb0cdf

The county I covered was a longtime Democrat stronghold. Republicans and Independents were not held in high esteem. It was a good ole boy and girl pat-my-back-and-I’ll-pat-yours arrangement that had worked well for quite some time, and the powers that be saw no need to change course. It was that way then and it is that way now, both in that county and in many places nationally. Democrats also controlled the irregular elections held in a small town in that same county. I cannot change the facts or deny what I saw with my own eyes. Not that Republicans are guiltless, as the election article link above explains. But for this time and this election, fueled by a hatred deliberately exacerbated by the media and Democrat politicians, they had both the opportunity and the motive to flip this election.

Had this come out of the blue, with little evidence it had happened before with either mail-in or absentee ballots or with electronic devices, that would be one thing, but this is not the case. All the indicators point in the opposite direction. So why are calls to investigate the vote met with accusations of running conspiracy theories and refusing to accept defeat? What defeat? As one commentator put it, Al Gore was president-elect too — until he wasn’t. Marks demonstrated the dangers of absentee ballots well while she was working in Colorado, proving they could be, and had been, both signed by others and harvested from trash cans to be redistributed. This was later confirmed by a highly reliable source who witnessed discarded ballots being removed from a post office trash can in one locale.

I am not waxing political here. This is about the truth and the future of this country. Everyone knows that no true Catholic could ever endorse the Democrat party. They also should realize that voting these days is iffy and is better limited to local races, where candidates can at least be better known. In the case of the Presidential race this year, the permissible course of allowing one evil to avoid a greater one in a very grave situation was generally used, or the election skipped altogether. Those Catholics who voted understand that they must do all they can to fight the introduction of Socialism and Communism, even though they may not personally approve of the character or behavior of the candidate that opposes this agenda. And those who did not may have rightly guessed their vote did not matter anyway! Only time will tell whether the extent of this vote fraud will be brought out in the open and impact the current election in any meaningful way. What is needed is a recount (or even a new election) in suspect states using paper ballots and optical scanners only, possibly supervised by the National Guard, but that may never happen. What can one expect when living in the latter days?

The whole situation takes me back to another election in another century. Changes in direction can often be linked to disputed elections. Witness the citizenship issues that dogged Pres. Obama in 2012. Following a seemingly peaceful and initially undisputed election in 1958, placing Angelo Roncalli on the papal throne, Catholics witnessed, over time, the utter destruction of everything in their Church. This gutting of the Catholic faith occurred incrementally from Roncalli’s election in 1958 until the close of the false V2 council and culminated in the establishment of the Novus Ordo Missae. The devastation ranged from dogmatic and doctrinal teaching, encompassed indirectly infallible Canon Law and extended to cherished traditions. Nothing was left untouched; aggiornamento‘s brush shaded everything in a new and modern light. And this is what Americans can expect to happen to their country if Biden succeeds in becoming the indisputable winner of this election. In fact it has already begun with the ANTIFA riots disguised as protests, and the demand for the erasure of historical and cultural ideology and icons.

As pointed out in my recent work The Phantom Church in Rome, the destruction of the Church was clandestinely mapped out by infiltrators within the Church Herself, who, collaborating with the CIA and other agencies, promoted the election of Roncalli. The plan was to elevate Montini to the cardinalate, one of Roncalli’s first acts — something Pope Pius XII declined to do — setting the stage for a “democratic,” non-Catholic church of the people.  Montini and his family had a long history of favoring democracy in Italy and while this was presented by the Montinis as a way to foil Communism, this was not their ultimate goal, as later seen during Montini’s usurpation of the papacy and cooperation with Communist leaders worldwide. Likewise, Biden and Obama also cozied up to Communist nations and Biden and Harris will formally promote a Socialist agenda, if declared the winners in this election. While Catholics were truly blindsided and subjected to gradualism in the subversion and destruction of their Church, not so Americans in this election. They were frequently warned, although these warnings were disparaged by the media and liberal politicians, so the problems that exist at this moment are anything but unanticipated.

The link above demonstrates this, and countless other instances of what is chronicled there could easily be produced. It is important to emphasize, as Marks points out above, that the media, who is supposed to be the watchdog and champion of our constitutional freedoms, has failed in their collective responsibility and some would say, have failed deliberately. As British journalist Lara Logan confirms, “The media everywhere is mostly liberal. But in this country, 85 percent of journalists are registered Democrats. So that’s just a fact, right?” (documented by The Atlantic at https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/05/report-journalists-are-miserable-over-educated-under-paid-middle-aged-men-mostly/361891/). “The problem is the weight of all these organizations on one side of the political spectrum. When you turn on your computer, or you walk past the TV, or you see a newspaper headline in the grocery store, if they’re all saying the same thing, the weight of that convinces you that it’s true. You don’t question it, because everyone is saying it.” She asked, “Where are the independent journalists who do more than repeat the same talking points?”

The entire situation can be better understood if those assessing it once realize that the Progressive George Soros owns stock in some 30 U.S. newspapers, as reported at https://www.mrc.org/commentary/over-30-major-news-organizations-linked-george-soros. This site points out that “Liberal investor George Soros gave $1.8 million to National Public Radio, [contributing to the creation of] a firestorm of controversy that jeopardized NPR’s federal funding. But that gift only hints at the widespread influence the controversial billionaire has on the mainstream media. Soros, who spent $27 million trying to defeat President Bush in 2004, has ties to more than 30 mainstream news outlets – including The New York Times, Washington Post, the Associated Press, NBC and ABC… It turns out that Soros’ influence doesn’t just include connections to top mainstream news organizations…. It’s bought him connections to the underpinnings of the news business. The Columbia Journalism Review, which bills itself as ”a watchdog and a friend of the press in all its forms,” lists several investigative reporting projects funded by one of Soros’ foundations.”

I have tried to be one of those “independent” (I prefer the word objective) journalists Logan references, both in the secular field and in my religious writing. It is not a choice, but an absolute obligation that transcends any political affiliation and is demanded by dedication to Catholic truth. What is truly hypocritical and defies the understanding is how Catholics today can be so totally outraged by the outcome of this election, and claim that it was tainted by voter fraud, while completely ignoring superior proofs from Canon Law, Church teaching and eyewitnesses documenting the invalid election of Angelo Roncalli and its inevitable legal and moral consequences. Instead they forge on, much as the Biden crowd is doing this very moment, pretending that nothing happened, nothing is hanging in the balance, nothing changes anything. They sweep aside any and all objections as specious, unsubstantiated conspiracy theories because they cannot and will not be prevented from getting what they want.

The balance of these R & R and other Traditionalists profess to be devout clients of Our Lady and wave her banner wherever they go. But I leave you today with just one observation regarding the Annunciation. Think for a moment about what the angel told the Blessed Virgin. In the name of God, he told her something completely incomprehensible and she professed her initial lack of understanding by telling him, “I know not man” (Luke 1:34). But Our Lady’s absolute faith in God and obedience to His will is demonstrated by her response to the Angel Gabriel’s message: “Be it done to me according to Thy word” (Luke 1:38). Those professing to be Catholic may not understand all of what is happening today, and certainly no angel has announced it to them. But Scriptural prophecy and the mysteries of faith do not need to be completely understood in order to be believed, for faith is belief in things unseen. In the case of a fraudulent papal election, we can read the prophecies, we can see the events that occur before our eyes and we not only can but must accept and obey the teachings of the Continual Magisterium and Divine faith.

Those teachings, as has been repeatedly pointed out here, tell us that the pope will be taken away for an indefinite period of time and the Continual Sacrifice will cease. Christ Himself announced that without a true head the sheep would be scattered, not united under yet another dubious pretender proclaiming to be the solution to a situation only God Himself, as Cardinal Manning teaches, can remedy. We know the Church will triumph, as Christ promised. What we do not know is how or when. It is truly sad that those calling themselves Catholics can rally around a secular figure and demand redress, but even after the evidence has surfaced demonstrating a fraudulent papal election decades ago, they cannot rally around their own Church. The present political situation will doubtlessly play out and probably for the worse. But at least its resolution one way or the other does not rest on the question of our eternal salvation.

The Communion of Saints, the Interior Life and R & R again

by T. Stanfill Benns | Nov 2, 2020 | New Blog

+Feast of All Saints+

Today is an excellent opportunity to return to the dogma regarding the Communion of Saints as taught by the Church. This teaching does not over-stress the exterior aspects of religion as Traditionalists do today, emphasizing instead interior devotion, something many Catholics are not familiar with. The Catholic religion was never intended to be a social club where all your fellow Catholics and neighbors could see each Sunday what a good Catholic you are simply because you pray the Mass and approach the communion rail. At the 1951 Lay Apostolate Congress, Cardinal Gracias quoted Pope Pius XII as deploring those Catholics who use religion “as an insurance against risks or a system of practices to obtain favors from heaven; or who think themselves religious because they keep some conventional habits (empty routine formalism) or have a certain superficial piety.” The good pope, as quoted in Dom Chautard’s, Soul of the Apostolate told Catholics they must “Give the very first place to the formation of the interior spirit without which all exterior action is futile and must be looked upon with suspicion.”

Such a formation of the interior spirit is the Catholic’s connection and communication as a member of the Church militant with Our Lord, His Blessed Mother and the Communion of Saints. The Catholic Encyclopedia describes the communion of saints as “the spiritual solidarity which binds together the faithful on earth, the souls in purgatory, and the saints in heaven in the organic unity of the same mystical body under Christ its head, and in a constant interchange of supernatural offices. The participants in that solidarity are called saints by reason of their destination and of their partaking of the fruits of the Redemption (1 Corinthians 1:2 — Greek Text).” In Mystici Corporis, Pope Pius XII teaches:  “…No prayer, even the most private, is lacking in dignity or power, and all prayer is of the greatest help to the Mystical Body in which, through the Communion of Saints, no good can be done, no virtue practiced by the individual members, which does not redound also to the salvation of all.”

Under the subject ‘Church,’ the Catholic Encyclopedia states: “The Church is divided into the Church Militant, the Church Suffering, and the Church Triumphant… The doctrine of the visibility [of the Church] in no way excludes from the Church those who have already attained to bliss. These are united with the members of the Church Militant in one communion of saints. They watch her struggles; their prayers are offered on her behalf. Similarly, those who are still in the cleansing fires of purgatory belong to the Church. There are not, as has been said, two Churches; there is but one Church, and of it all the souls of the just, whether in heaven, on earth, or in purgatory, are members (Catech. Rom., I, x, 6). But it is to the Church only in so far as militant here below — to the Church among men — that the property of visibility belongs.”

Given the above, if we live on earth, and at least can count ourselves members of the Mystical Body, even if only by desire, we are still semi-visible members of Christ’s Church. So how are we not the Church itself, members of this body representing the Church Militant on earth?! Our critics, contradicting the teaching of Pope Pius XII, as noted in our last blog, say we cannot be the Church on earth without the bishops (and surely they must include in that number the pope!). The other two elements of the Mystical Body still communicate with us and we with them – the Communion of Saints in Heaven and the Church Suffering in Purgatory. How then is it that we could possibly say the Church, incorporated as She is in Christ’s Mystical Body, has ceased to exist?

Rev. Leonard Goffine writes in his Devout Instructions: “Why has the Church appointed this feast? (of All Saints):

1. To honor God in His Angels and in his Saints, in whom He has shown Himself so wonderful, and to thank Him, as the author of all sanctity, for the benefits He has bestowed upon them. 2. To put us in lively remembrance of the communion of saints ; that is, of all true children of the Church, whether they belong to the Church militant on earth, to the Church suffering in purgatory, or to the Church triumphant in heaven ; but more particularly to cause us to consider, with earnestness, the communion of the saints in heaven with us, who are yet combating on earth. 3. To encourage us to strive for the like sanctity with them, and to teach us that it is by no means impossible ; for if thousands of men could become saints, why should not we, who can do all things through Him Who strengthens us, and has sent the Holy Ghost for our sanctification? 4. To pay honor to those saints to whom no particular day in the year is dedicated. 5. That, in consideration of so many intercessors, God may grant us perfect reconciliation, may give us a share in their merits, and may grant us the grace of one day sharing in their joy in heaven. By whom was this feast instituted? By Pope Boniface IV., who, in the year 610, appropriated the Pantheon (that is, the temple of all gods) to the divine ser vice of Christians, dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin and all saints, and commanded this feast in honor of all saints to be celebrated at Rome every year. Gregory IV., in the year 840, extended this feast to the whole Church, and transferred it to the 1st of November.”

That is the Church Catholics are supposed to be communing with primarily, not fellow “Traditionalists” who can offer them only a certain measure of commiseration, often confuse them on matters of Church teaching and not infrequently are a source of scandal and cooperation in sin. Anyone who routinely engages in daily spiritual reading knows this has always been the case. Thomas a’ Kempis tells us in his Imitation of Christ that “The greatest saints avoided the company of men as much as they could and chose to live to God in secret… It is easier to keep retired at home than to be able to be sufficiently upon one’s guard abroad. Whosoever, therefore, aims at arriving at interior and spiritual things, must, with Jesus, go aside from the crowd… For God, with His holy angels, will draw nigh to him who withdraws himself from his acquaintances and friends.” No one in any sense is advising here that if legitimate pastors existed to offer the Holy Sacrifice and conduct other public devotions that Catholics could ever neglect devotion to Mass and Sacraments; but this is not the case today. Those who seek Mass and Sacraments outside the laws of the Church and endorse and associate with those who violate those laws cannot be members of Christ’s Mystical Body, and certainly are not members of His visible Church on earth. As Pope Pius XII teaches in Mystici Corporis, only those who obey the laws of the Church can belong to Her Mystical Body.

One saint attending the Vatican Council even objected to the stress laid upon the visible Church by theologians who he believed neglected the Church’s interior aspects. According to one biographer of St. Anthony Mary Claret, commenting on the Vatican Council definition, “[The saint], as the relevant passages in his Notes on a Plan and his many letters to Pope Pius IX reveal, had a mystical conception of the pope. His ecclesiology did not accord completely with that of Pope Pius IX, since, in the Saint’s view of the Church, the mystical and interior aspects of the Communion of Saints outweighed the aspects of the visible and perfect society, which were stressed by the Pope’s theologians. But it was precisely the Saint’s mystical sense of the Church that surrounded the pope, the vicar of Christ the Lord, with a special halo of even greater brilliance than the one accorded him by an ecclesiology founded on power, authority and sovereignty.” As quoted in our last blog, St. Claret believed that Christ would separate the sheep from the goats based on the acceptance of infallibility as taught by the Church or its rejection, so Traditionalists beware.

Many base their belief on the necessity and validity of Traditionalist priests and bishops on the premise that Christ promised the pope and hierarchy would last until the consummation, but that is not what Our Lord said. He said only that he would be with them until the consummation. The consummation comes after Antichrist’s reign and during that time there will be no Sacrifice; this is the unanimous opinion of the Early Fathers as quoted by Henry Cardinal Manning. So Christ will be with them personally, if they keep the faith, but not in an official capacity. One truth cannot contradict the other. Peter’s faith will not fail, and it has not failed; the men since Pope Pius XII’s death are not popes and cannot be popes, else Peter’s faith would have failed. Trads deny this promise every time they insinuate any or all of the usurpers could be true popes and heretics at the same time. The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church. The same Christ who took away the one who withholdeth will uphold His Church amidst all the trials and tribulations She suffers during Antichrist’s reign; He is the head of the Church and will never fail Her. Cardinal Manning explains this below in his The Present Crisis of the Holy See:

“We have already seen reason to believe that as our Divine Lord delivered Himself into the hands of sinners when His time was come, and no man could lay hands upon Him, until of His own free will He delivered Himself over to their power, so in like manner it shall be with that Church of which He said, “Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” As the wicked did not prevail against Him even when they bound Him with cords, dragged Him to the judgment, blindfolded His eyes, mocked Him as a false King, smote Him on the head as a false Prophet, led Him away, crucified Him, and in the mastery of their power seemed to have absolute dominion over Him, so that He lay ground down and almost annihilated under their feet; and as, at that very time when He was dead and buried out of their sight, He was conqueror over all, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven, and was crowned, glorified, and invested with His royalty, and reigns supreme, King of kings and Lord of lords, — even so shall it be with His Church: though for a time persecuted, and, to the eyes of man, overthrown and trampled on, dethroned, despoiled, mocked, and crushed, yet in that high time of triumph the gates of hell shall not prevail. There is in store for the Church of God a resurrection and an ascension, a royalty and a dominion, a recompense of glory for all it has endured. Like Jesus, it needs must suffer on the way to its crown; yet crowned it shall be with Him eternally” (p. 67).

“Let no one, then, be scandalized if the prophecy speaks of sufferings to come. We are fond of imagining triumphs and glories for the Church on earth — that the Gospel is to be preached to all nations, and the world to be converted, and all enemies subdued, and I know not what, until some ears are impatient of hearing that there is in store for the Church a time of terrible trial: and so we do as the Jews of old, who looked for a conqueror, a king, and for prosperity; and when their Messias came in humility and in passion, they did not know Him. So, I am afraid, many among us intoxicate their minds with the visions of success and victory, and cannot endure the thought that there is a time of persecution yet to come for the Church of God. Let us hear, therefore, the words of the prophet Daniel.

“Speaking of the person whom St. John calls the Antichrist, whom he calls the king that shall work according to his own will, the prophet Daniel says,” “He shall speak words against the High One,”— that is, the Almighty God — “and shall crush the saints of the Most High.” Again he says, “It — that is, the power of this king — “was magnified even unto the strength of heaven: and it threw down of the strength, and of the stars, and trod upon them. And it was magnified even to the prince of the strength; and it took away from him the continual sacrifice, and cast down the place of his sanctuary.” Further, he says, “The victim and the sacrifice shall fail, and there shall be in the temple the abomination of desolation” (Daniel, Chaps. 7, 8 and 9). I might add more, but they are enough, for in the Book of Apocalypse we find a key to these words. St. John, evidently referring to the Book of Daniel, writes of the beast, that is, the persecuting power which shall reign on the earth by might, “It was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them…The Holy Fathers who have written upon the subject of Antichrist, and of these prophecies of Daniel, without a single exception, as far as I know, and they are the Fathers both of the East and of the West, the Greek and the Latin Church — all of them unanimously — say that in the latter end of the world, during the reign of Antichrist, the holy sacrifice of the altar will cease” (p. 68).  And that is the whole story in a nutshell.

But here we have a contingent claiming to be Catholic in a supposed Church without a true pope, denying such a thing could ever happen and insisting they still have Mass and Sacraments. Recently some seem to be admitting it could be the end times but they have developed a new-found courage only because they have secured for themselves a new savior — a “woke” Novus Ordo “bishop,” a man ordained in 1968 who is not even a certainly valid priest according to the laws and teachings of the Catholic Church, far less a bishop. This conquering hero is announcing the New World Order is about to triumph and is sounding the alarm; already they are hailing him as the next pope. And, of course, this is coming from the Recognize and Resist bunch. Here we see realized the very situation Cardinal Manning warns against above. These self-proclaimed Catholics will not undergo the sufferings endured by Christ, they will not tolerate the Passion renewed in His Church and they will not accept the fact that the visible Church may never return — their triumph may be only in Heaven.

Cardinal Manning, concluding his work, tells us that in explaining these events, he is: “enabled with the most perfect certainty, from the word of God and from the interpretations of the Church.” It is he who tells us in his works that the pope will be taken away for a time, the Holy See will be occupied by alien forces, the Sacrifice will cease and the faithful will be scattered; that the Church will all but disappear — and he bases this on Holy Scripture, the Fathers and the Church Herself. In citing all these sources, on his own authority as a Cardinal of the Church who was known as a champion of the papacy, he is a million times more qualified to rightly teach us on this matter than any living, self-appointed “expert” today. If we cannot have certainty on this matter, and Manning tells us we can, (although his certainty does not find favor with Traditionalists), then those who disagree must admit they have doubts regarding a matter concerning eternal salvation — the necessity of a canonically elected pope to whom we owe obedience in order for the juridical Church to exist. Anytime there are two sides to any issue, there is room for doubt. As we have repeatedly intoned in articles and blog posts to this site, the Church forbids us to receive the Sacraments or risk our eternal salvation in a matter of doubt according to the unanimous opinion of theologians. A doubtful pope is no pope, doubtful Sacraments are no Sacraments, but Traditionalists seek their next new Messiah in defiance of any laws and teachings that emanated from the continual magisterium over the centuries.

And Manning  is not the only one who believed that during the time of Antichrist, “the Church shall be scattered, driven into the wilderness, and shall be for a time, as it was in the beginning, invisible, hidden in catacombs, in dens, in mountains, in lurking-places; for a time it shall be swept, as it were, from the face of the earth. Such is the universal testimony of the Fathers of the early centuries.” His friend and fellow cardinal, Louis-Edouard Cardinal Pie of Poiters, wrote the same: “It is certain that as the world draws towards its end the wicked and the seducers will increasingly have the upper hand. Faith will hardly be found any longer on earth; that is to say that it will have all but completely disappeared from the institutions of the world. Even believers will scarcely dare to profess their beliefs publicly and collectively. The scission, the separation, the divorce of societies from God, which is given by St. Paul as a sign of the approaching end (“…nisi venerit discessio primum…”) will become each day more absolute. The Church, though of course still a visible society, will be increasingly reduced to individual and domestic proportions.  She… will see every inch of Her territory under attack.  Surrounded on all sides, as the other centuries have made Her great, so the last will strive to crush Her.  And finally the Church on earth will undergo a true defeat: “…and it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.” (Apocalypse 13:7) The insolence of evil will be at its peak.” In another work, he is quoted as saying the Church then will consist of Catholics scattered here and there, who know and communicate with one another.

Now in stating this, are these two great cardinals not indeed saying that the Church will consist mainly of the laity? Are they not predicting, based on Holy Scripture and Church teaching, that we will have no pope, no priests to say Mass because there is no Sacrifice and hence no juridic Church? Were they ever accused of heresy in saying such things? Of denying that the laity alone is the Church and the Church as Catholics once knew it would cease to exist? And what of the certainty Cardinal Manning speaks of, that certainty which all of us must have when we believe what is taught by approved theologians? Manning has established that certainty. The “evidence” provided for the other position, which holds that the Church will last until the very end with Popes, bishops, priests and the laity intact, cannot point to any solid proofs comparable to those quoted by Cardinal Manning to document their case. Nor can they, unless they wish to endorse in some manner or form either the current Novus Ordo usurpers or accept as their head one who has been affiliated at some point with this sect. Much of what they believe is based on private prophecy, which is something Catholics are never required to accept as absolute truth; they may accept it or reject it as they see fit. Truly what St. Anthony Mary Claret said at the Vatican Council about the winnowing of the wheat being associated with infallibility or its rejection, a comparison Cardinal Manning repeats in the work quoted above, is the very crux of the matter. And frighteningly, Manning gives us a description of Antichrist’s marks which fits Traditionalists to a “T” — more so than their Novus Ordo counterparts.

“Antichrist, and the antichristian movement, has these marks: first, schism from the Church of God; secondly, denial of its Divine and infallible voice; and thirdly, denial of the Incarnation. It is, therefore, the direct and mortal enemy of the One Holy Catholic and Roman Church — the unity from which all schism is made; the sole organ of the Divine voice of the Spirit of God; the shrine and sanctuary of the Incarnation and of the continual sacrifice.” Traditionalists have abandoned the teachings of the Roman Pontiffs, setting up their own Church, and embrace non-Catholic clergy, fulfilling marks one and two. They ridicule their Novus Ordo brethren who attend Novus Ordo services, but they forget one thing: those belonging to the Novus Ordo at least do not claim to be members of a church without a pope; they believe they need a pope to be the Catholic Church! Traditionalists deny the Incarnation right along with their Novus Ordo brethren because their clergy can offer only a parody of the Mass and cannot confect the Sacraments. How do they deny the Incarnation? By denying the necessity of obedience to the Roman Pontiffs who established the papacy. If they believe Christ was truly the Son of God come to earth, how could they fail to obey His Vicar who speaks in His name? Therefore, tragically, they fulfill all three marks.

Cardinal Pie described the duties of those living during with Antichrist’s reign as follows: “Now, in this extremity, what will be the remaining duty of all true Christians, of all men of faith and courage? The answer is this: spurred on to ever greater vigour by the apparent hopelessness of their predicament, they will redouble their ardour in prayer, their energy in works, and their courage in combat so that their every word and work cries out together:

“Oh God, Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name,

on earth as it is in Heaven, Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven,

Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven, Sicut in coelo…et in terra!”

“And they shall still be murmuring these words as the earth is snatched from beneath their feet.  And just as of old, after a comparable calamity, the Roman Senate and every rank of the state once went forth to greet the conquered consul Varro on his return and to honour him for not despairing of the Republic (“…quod de re publica non desperasset…”), so shall the celestial senate, all the choirs of angels and all the ranks of the Blessed come out to welcome the generous athletes who have continued the combat to the end, hoping against hope itself, “…contra spem in spem…” (Romans 4:17). Come, Lord Jesus.”

Returning to our treatment of the Communion of Saints, if we are truly acting in league with all the Saints and martyrs in Heaven, we would be following the formula above. So why are so many followers and not leaders, during this time of the Church’s Passion on earth, behaving as Judases and Peters, when the Church needs them the most? In an address to those engaging in Catholic Action, Pope Pius XII taught: “No one is permitted to be idle and lazy while so many evils and dangers impend, and while those who are on the other side are working so hard to destroy the very basis of the Catholic religion… It is only too clear that in the transformation of the whole world as it is today, all of humanity is called to assume responsibilities that it has never known in the past… One cannot hope to solve these problems by a negative attitude or a simple warning against false shepherds. What is needed is the active presence of pioneers who are fully conscious of their double vocation, as Christians and humans, and who are bent on assuming their responsibilities to the full, knowing neither peace nor rest until they have transformed the environment of their lives to the command of the Gospel.”

The Pope has spoken, as he did on so many occasions, but no one hears his voice, the voice of Christ Himself. It is not within our power to compel them to listen, anymore than Our Lord could force the Jews to recognize Him as the Messiah. Prophecy is being fulfilled again, and it has nothing to do with the triumph of the Church on earth. On the contrary, it has everything to do with the Church’s total obliteration. Personal Antichrist — the Man of Sin — has come and gone, but his system remains, in mockery of the papacy established by Christ. Each false pope retains the same agenda set by Roncalli and Montini — this was demonstrated by the names chosen by the usurpers after the death of P6 — John Paul I and John Paul 2. Each usurper is then the reincarnation of Montini and indeed sport their own false prophets. So while Paul 6 has passed, his legacy lives on and becomes more diabolical with each successor. Until the entire system is torn down, he will not be completely absent from the scene. Therefore, when Antichrist is destroyed by Christ’s coming, he and all his successors will be thrown into the lake of fire even though he is not physically alive any longer. Satan wishes his own kingdom and its leaders to be eternal in its teaching just as the papacy is eternal, and Montini was the progenitor of that teaching.

As Manning says in his work, The Temporal Power of the Vicar of Jesus Christ, even the opinions (not unanimous) offered by the Fathers on the subject of Antichrist and his reign could not fully assess Scripture prophecy, “because the events of the world are continually and progressively interpreting and explaining, from age to age, the meaning of these predictions.” In other words, we simply do not know; we can have no certainty in many of these matters. But we do know what we have seen with our own eyes and what has transpired in our lifetimes, and that is reality. We cannot say with any certainty whether Christ will restore His Church or come for the Final Judgment, no matter how much we would like to see the Church’s restoration. But we do know, if we study the matter and examine the evidence objectively, that Paul 6 fulfilled all the predictions found in Holy Scripture regarding Antichrist. A New World Order political figure might yet be set up to appear to fulfill this prophecy, but this is only an attempt to divert attention from the fact that Montini was the real deal. And what Mass will this Antichrist abolish – the “mass” of Traditionalists? The posing of this question gives a sneak preview of where the Novus Ordo and the Traditionalists may be going. All such an abolition is intended to do is to make it appear they are the true Church in order to deceive what remains of the elect.

Now we approach the feast of All Souls, another part of the Church Triumphant. Let us turn our prayers in their direction and comfort them in their sufferings, as members of Christ’s Mystical Body.