Gates of Hell will not prevail against “Marian Church of consummation”

by T. Stanfill Benns | May 13, 2023 | New Blog

+St. Robert Bellarmine+

Happy Mother’s Day Blessed Mother!

(Please read new additions to Mr. Javier Morell-Ibarra’s Catholic Survival Guide here.)

Introduction

In our last blog we focused on the meaning of the male child to whom the woman gives birth in Apoc. 12: 5, pointing out that certain commentators have identified this child as the Pope reigning immediately prior to the coming of Antichrist, (Frs. Berry, Kramer). We also explained the meaning of the “rod of iron” with which this Pope was to rule the Church from heaven, tracing its meaning to word origins and biblical usage.

That this form of explaining the Apocalypse is not any sort of private interpretation or novel method of expounding on this prophetic book is explained in detail by Rev. Bernard LeFrois, S.V.D. in his The Woman Clothed With the Sun (1954, Orbis Catholicus, a division of Herder Books, Rome). Lefrois calls this the collective method and uses it to cast light on further phases of Apocalypse 12, including the meaning of the woman herself, of the wilderness/desert and the great eagle, of the 1,260 days, the woman’s offspring, St. Michael’s role in opposing the dragon and the identity of the true remnant.

The results are both enlightening and gratifying and hopefully will help those trying to make sense of the Apocalypse better understand the methodology and imagery used by St. John. Rev. Hugh Pope, O.P., S.T.M, D.SScr., Professor at the Collegio Angelico in Rome, writes in his The Catholic Student’s Aids to the Bible, Vol. V: “In a very real sense we are now at ‘the last hour.’ The interpretation, then, of the Apocalypse must be governed by the rules which hold good in the interpretation of all prophecy. The full light will not be thrown on this prophetical book till those last things have received their ultimate fulfillment. The book [Apocalypse] is replete with mystery; it is itself the sealed book of Chap. 5…  St Jerome says: ‘John’s Apocalypse contains as many mysteries as words… in every single word lie hid many meanings.’ And St. Augustine said: ‘In… Apocalypse, many things are said in obscure fashion for the exercising of the reader’s mind. There are but few points in it, but their investigation opens up a laborious understanding of other points… ”

What follows will show readers exactly how the Apocalypse perfectly applies to those praying at home, providing ample proof of the love and tender care both Our Lord and His Blessed Mother have showered on those of us struggling to keep the faith. The sources quoted will demonstrate beyond a doubt that we are carried in the arms of our Blessed Mother, protected by St. Michael, strengthened by the Holy Ghost, and armed with the weapons necessary to conduct the spiritual combat on earth that, if we pray earnestly for perseverance, will earn our eternal reward.

What is a collective

A collective is “…an object both individual and collective. [It is] not disparate, diverse or unrelated, both together forming a unit or totality. The identical symbol in one and the same passage represents simultaneously both the individual and the collective. Both the Holy Ghost and the sacred author intended it as such… The individual collective is a fluctuation of symbols concerning individual and collective interpretations; neither is to be considered primary or secondary. This commingling of the collective and individual ‘is proper to Hebrew mentality’ (Rohr) or ‘vicarious solidarity’ (Lattey), or ‘corporate personality, where the whole group including its past, present and future members might function as a single individual through any one of those members conceived as representative of it’” (Wheeler Robinson). LeFrois endorses Robinson but relates what Robinson describes to “the semitic total conception of things or thinking of the individual and the species at one and the same time.” He also refers it to types.

This solves the problem of the Protestant interpretation of Apocalypse, which held primarily to the ancient context in which it was written, or to events that have already passed (historicism). St. Robert Bellarmine and other Jesuits taught that Apocalypse rather predicts future events culminating in a period occurring immediately prior to the Second Coming — the futuristic or Catholic interpretation of Apocalypse (also the book of Daniel and 2 Thess. 2). Collectivism gives the sacred book a wider scope of past, present and future. As Rev. Jean-Pierre de Caussade observes in his Abandonment to Divine Providence, it is a continuing cycle repeating itself until the final consummation. Collectivism is seen in the Apocalypse’s mention of the seven churches, the two witnesses, both Mary and the Church as the great sign, the beast with seven heads, and in other verses.

The woman and the popes

“And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” (Apoc. 12:1)

For centuries, commentators generally interpreted Apoc. 12:1 as referring primarily to the Church. But in his definition of the Assumption, Pope Pius XII described Our Lady as “…clothed with the sun and crowned with stars.” Pope St. Pius X also indulgenced a prayer that reads in part: “O Mary, crowned with stars, who has the moon for your footstool and the wings of the angels for your throne…” (AAS 37, 1904-1905). While LeFrois does not credit this as an official interpretation of Apoc. 12:1, he quotes Pope Pius XII in Divino Afflante Spiritu as encouraging exegetes to find a new solution to the interpretation of this verse, since many more modern authors began associating it with the Blessed Mother. LeFrois provides a lengthy list of these. In the collective sense, Mary can be seen as the woman giving birth not only to her Divine Son, but to all the members of the Mystical Body after Christ’s death on the Cross. It is most fitting that Christ placed His Mother in St. John’s care, and St. John in His Mother’s care, embracing the entire Church — fitting because it was this very apostle who gave us the Apocalyptic visions.

LeFrois calls Our Lady both an individual and a collective, “an arch-type of the Church… clothed in the fullness of the Divinity… [She] alone conceived the entire Christ, both head and members, to be mother of all the living.” LeFrois insists, however that the male child she bears in Apoc. 12: 5 can only be the Messiah Himself, symbolizing the joint rule of God with Christ. The “rod of iron” he defines as the rigor Christ will exercise in the end to punish and judge His enemies. But if we apply the collective method to this verse, how can it not also refer to the pope then reigning, who is “taken out of the way” (2 Thess. 2: 7)? For while Our Lady gives birth to the Messias, it is the Church, already part of the collective, which, in like manner, “gives birth” to the pope. This is what Frs. Berry and Kramer believed, and what Henry Cardinal Manning taught would occur shortly before Antichrist reigns. This pope, of course, would be one of the members Our Lady conceived, belonging to the Mystical Body, the actual earthly head of that Body; the very member who defined the nature of the Mystical Body in Mystici Corporis Christi.

The pope and Christ rule dually as Head of the Church on earth. As Pope Pius XI stated: “You know that I am the Holy Father, the representative of God on the earth, the vicar of Christ, which means I am God on the earth.” LeFrois simply failed to extend the collective method directly to Apoc. 12:1, perhaps to avoid controversy. Other commentators, however, did so apply it, and we have seen that their estimations more closely fit the circumstances we experience today.

The 1,260 days in the wilderness

“And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that there they should feed her for 1,260 days” (Apoc. 12: 6).

(River in tundra, Alaska)

Revs. Berry, Allo, LeFrois, and the Fathers Lactantius and St. Hippolytus all maintain there will be two separate 1,260-day periods where the Church will be protected from the full brunt of Antichrist’s torments. (St. Augustine says these days can mean any length of time, according to Fr. Arminjon, as does St. Bede, and LeFrois and Heidt, among others agree). The first period follows the invalid 1958 election and is set in days but appears to be an indefinite period — three- and one-half years. The second time-period mentioned is referred to as a time, times and half a time, or the entire time.

LeFrois explains: “Oddly enough, there is no mention of the time element of three and a half years in the book of Kings where the life of Elias is recounted… but only of ‘many days’ when there was no rain. Hence it seems that the phrase three and a half years is a technical symbol, which does not wish to express so much a period of time as a period of tribulation and woe, (emph. his). This of course does not exclude the idea that it is a period of time, but it clarifies the issue that three and a half years are not to be taken in a literal sense.” Abbe Constant Fouard, in his St. John and the Close of the Apostolic Age notes that: “These three years and a half, the half of seven, the number signifying perfection, denote an imperfect time which will not be completed.”

LeFrois quotes a J. Bonsirven in support of this statement. He continues: “The peculiar detail of 1,260 days, which is intended to be the equivalent of 42 months as well as three and a half years, may refer simply to the Messianic era in its entirety, considered from various angles, (Rev. Allo).” So Rev. Allo also agrees with this interpretation of the 1,260 days or 42 months as an indefinite time period. One Father, St. Augustine, states that, “…The word day in Holy Scripture is to be understood in the sense of any length of time,” (Malachias 3: 1,2;” The End of the Present World and Mysteries of the Future Life, Rev. Charles Marie Antoine Arminjon, 1881). The first time the Church shelters in the wilderness (Verse 6), the second time in the desert (verse 14). Revs. Kramer and Berry opine the wilderness is some non-Catholic nation signified by the great eagle but Kramer also identifies the two wings as those of St. Michael, aiding the Church, as does Rev. LeFrois. A few other commentators suggest this as well.

This could indicate the St. Michael Prayer abrogated by the false Vatican 2 council in 1964 and officially abrogated with the institution of the Novus Ordo Missae in 1969, when many finally realized what the V2 changes really meant and began to exit the Church. As mentioned before, the three years and a half (1,260 days) all assume to be the brief duration of Antichrist’s entire reign is described by many commentators as only the heighth or pinnacle of his reign of (spiritual) terror. This might be counted from Paul 6’s victorious address to the United Nations Oct. 4, 1965 — two weeks after the passage of the schema on religious liberty by the council fathers –1,997 to 224 — to the official promulgation of the Novus Ordo on April 3, 1969: this is almost exactly three years and a half. After leaving the Novus Ordo church, Catholics found themselves wandering in the wilderness. Wilderness, in this sense, could mean (at least a temporary)  cleansing from “all inclination to idolatry” (Fr. Kramer) as was the case with the Chosen People in the wilderness or desert. But of course, this did not last.

Wilderness defined in detail

LeFrois, by cross-referencing wilderness to its root origins and usage in Holy Scripture observes that basically wilderness means “being solitary (from the Greek), which could translate to “on your own.” It is also a “solitary place devoid of people,” or with only “a few inhabitants.” For Our Lord, the wilderness is “a solitary place well-suited for communion with God.” It  can also mean “a place of refuge for the persecuted, a woman desolate because she is without children.” It also suggests disobedience and chastisement (1 Cor. 10:5,  6-11; Heb. 3: 8, 3-17;Ps. 77, 78). If wilderness is seen as a conviction that one can only pray at home to observe God’s laws, then certainly it can serve as a fitting penance for previous disobedience to those laws as well as a chastisement for all Catholics, in losing the Mass and Sacraments. In this sense we might view ourselves as scapegoats, sent into the wilderness in the Old Testament bearing the sins of the people (Lev. 16: 1-34), there to perish for the sins of others (by martyrdom of blood or of spirit; the “white martyrdom” St. John himself experienced as a result of his exile to the isle of Patmos). Christ Himself has been called a scapegoat, for He took upon Himself all of our sins. We should therefore wear our exile as a badge of honor.

But LeFrois paints a more glorious picture of this wilderness/desert experience, writing that: “Wilderness implied par excellence God’s special divine Providence toward Israel and her delivery from the enemy through God’s intervention (Jn. 3: 14,  6:31, 49; Acts 13:18). Also 3 Kgs. 17:2 and 19:3 and the Didactic books of Psalms and Wisdom refer to the wonderful things wrought by God for His people in the wilderness. The Messiah was to make His appearance in the wilderness in proper sense of the word, but reactionary forces also associated themselves with the wilderness and our Lord warned them against this: “If they say to you, ‘Lo, he is in the wilderness, do not go out,’” Matt. 24:26, (Ed — A pointed reference to Traditionalist reactionaries who took matters into their own hands). “But Apocalypse depicts the wilderness as a place of refuge for the woman fleeing from the dragon and in pursuit of her. So wilderness is not literal but symbolic… Wilderness implies God’s special divine Providence and intervention by which the woman is sustained in life until a period of trial and tribulation is over.” And yet it can be said in our case to apply literally in a sense as well.

LeFrois then quotes the Bible verse that Protestants use to justify the rapture, for the REAL RAPTURE lies in God’s miraculous intervention and Our Lady’s protection of her children on this earth. LeFrois continues: “The wilderness is a definite place or state. The woman is inviolable against attacks of Satan not only by means of her being carried away to a place prepared by God but also by means of the earth coming to the aid of the woman and swallowing up the river the dragon had poured from his mouth” (Apoc. 12:16). He then describes how God sends the woman (Mary and the Church) “…special divine protection through angelic assistance and she is kept miraculously from harm and destruction.” While being sheltered in the wilderness with Our Lady, which LeFrois refers to several times, the faithful are miraculously protected. Eagle wings, he says, points to the extraordinary. And although he explains it in a different way, Rev. Rev. H.B. Kramer also intimates this miraculous intervention, commenting on Apoc. 10: 7, which he interprets as assuring “the preservation of the faithful and the triumphant ascendancy of the Church above the smoke of the great conflagration.”

While LeFrois combines the wilderness and desert period into one period, he could not foresee how it might be interpreted differently in what would transpire following the invalid election of Angelo Roncalli (John 23). First the Church was delivered from the idolatry of the Novus Ordo usurpers and their sacrilegious liturgy. But as explained in Apoc. 12:17, Satan waited to war against the rest of her seed, those born prior to the death of Pope Pius XII who had not yet reached maturity. This is when the second wave hit – Traditionalism parading as true Catholicity, luring the faithful once again into sacrilege. Only a tiny minority would escape this subterfuge to shelter in the desert. For this reason the wilderness/desert will be treated as two separate periods here, and what he says about the Church nourished in the wilderness will be applied instead to their desert time.

Desert vs. wilderness

“And… the dragon… persecuted the woman who brought forth the man child, and there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the desert unto her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the serpent.” (Apoc. 12: 13-14)

The meaning of desert corresponds with the desolation wrought by Antichrist and his system, as in the abomination of desolation. Desert is defined by Merriam-Webster as: “3. A desolate or forbidding area.” From etymology it can be defined as a “waterless, treeless region of considerable extent” …in Middle English, [which] gradually became the main meaning, Classical Latin indicated this idea with deserta, plural of desertus.” It also can mean “to leave, abandon, either in a good or bad sense; fact of deserving a certain treatment (for good or ill) for one’s behavior.” (https://www.etymonline.com/word/desert) Wilderness, on the other hand, is defined at the same site as “wild, uninhabited, or uncultivated place,” The word is show as wil+ deer+ ness, deer or “deor” being the equivalent to “wild animal, beast, any wild quadruped” and ness  “denoting action, quality, or state.” So perhaps wilderness indicates Catholics subject to men they do not yet know are beasts, the sea beast and the land beast, (John 23 and Paul 6) of Apoc. Ch. 13, But this ends when Paul 6 announces the institution of his “new mass.”

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “The word wilderness, which is more frequently used than desert of the region of the Exodus, more nearly approaches the meaning of the Hebrew, though not quite expressing it… When we speak of the desert our thoughts are naturally borne to such places as the Sahara, a great sandy waste, incapable of vegetation, impossible as a dwelling-place for men, and where no human being is found except when hurrying through as quickly as he can. No such ideas are attached to the Hebrew words for desert.  It is from the root dabar, “to lead” (cattle to pasture)The inhabitants were mostly nomads. For the desert was not a place regularly cultivated like the fields and gardens of ordinary civilized districts. Rather, it was a region in which was to be found pasturage, not rich, but sufficient for sheep and goats… The desert, too, was looked upon as the abode of wild beasts…” [the assaults on those praying at home by Traditionalists]. “It was not fertilized by streams of water, but springs were to be found there… ‘Arabah, derived from the root ‘arab, “to be arid”, is another word for desert… It conveys the idea of a stretch of country, arid, unproductive, and desolate.

“Horbah, derived from the root harab, “to lie waste”, is translated in the Septuagint by the words eremos, eremosis, eremia. In the Vulgate are found the renderings ruinœ, solitudo, desolation… The lexicon of Gesenius gives as the first meaning of horbah, “dryness”; then as a second meaning, “a desolation“, “ruins.” Jeshimon, derived from jasham, “to be desolate”. It was looked upon as a place without water, thus Isaiah 43:19: “Behold I shall set up streams in the desert [jeshimon].” So those of us praying at home can be seen as sin-goats led out to pasture by Our Lady, the Holy Ghost and St. Michael, after the ruin and desolation of our Church, to live as solitaires in a place that provides limited food and water, but enough to sustain (spiritual) life. This spiritual desert experience is referred to indirectly by St. Francis de Sales, who noted that while the early Fathers fled to the desert to avoid contamination of the world and persecution of their enemies, in the early centuries they were deprived of the Sacraments. Yet we have the necessary Sacraments, and our manna, the Act of Contrition and Spiritual Communion. We live in the desert, until released by death or the Second Coming.

(Man in robe walking in the desert created with Generative AI technology.)

So the distinction between wilderness and desert is an important one. In the wilderness, 1958-1969, for a brief time, there was yet (limited) access to valid Sacraments, for there are sometimes mighty rivers and streams (water signifying the Sacraments in general) in the wilderness. Catholics then, for the most part, were not yet aware that their Church had been hijacked. But conditions in the desert are not so kind. There is a big difference between uncultivated land (meaning it could be cultivated) and land largely unable to be cultivated; between streams and rivers and (seasonal) creeks and springs, or infrequent oases. The two separate time periods of the woman’s escape from the clutches of the dragon (1,260 days, 42 months, Apoc. 13:5) are both part of the collective (time, times and half-a-time) of Apoc. 12:14. The Church is actually in the desert/wilderness for the entire time, (70 years, or an entire biblical generation) although many do not realize this until later. The Man of Sin runs his course, but his system lives on, resulting ultimately in the return of Satan to encompass the camp of the saints (Apoc. 20: 7-8).

On eagle’s wings

An eagle could easily signify the mighty assistance of the Holy Ghost, ordinarily depicted as a dove. Those who are borne on the wings of the eagle to the desert may be referenced in the following verses: Exodus 19:4: “I have carried you upon the wings of eagles and brought you unto myself;” Malachi 4:2: “But unto you that fear my name the Sun of justice shall arise, and health in his wings”; and from Isaias: 40:31; “But they that hope in the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall take wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” All of these verses are replete with the idea of nourishment and protection, renewal of spiritual health and strength; everything needed by the weary faithful tossed to and fro in the turbulent wake created by the Sea Beast. Berry says the two wings symbolize faith and prayer; Rev. Haydock says love of God; others, prayer and contemplation. Commenting on the verse from Exodus, Rev. William Heidt says: “The figure [in Exodus] would carry overtones of loving care, of speedy assistance, of absolute security… As Israel’s stay in the desert of Sinai was cherished as her ideal period of intimacy with Yaweh, so the woman fleeing into the wilderness…”

The serpent, frustrated at the woman’s escape, sets off to “make war with the rest of her seed who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Apoc. 12:17). Analyzing the origins of the word seed,  LeFrois observes: “In speaking of the rest of her offspring, the seer implicitly refers to the entire offspring. Hence the vision represents the entire offspring of the woman as a unit which she brings forth in verse 5 after [the male child] is carried off to God’s throne. The rest of her offspring are still on earth (verse 17)… This symbolizes a totality which comprises both an individual and a collectivity. The rest of her offspring makes it clear that they are the members of Christ, or the branches of the true vine in the language of John. The rest of the woman’s offspring are contrasted with the child who was born of her and snatched away to the throne of God.

“The rest are characterized as those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus (Apoc. 12: 17). Hence, though the woman gives birth to them and they form part of her “sperma” or seed, they are her spiritual sons similarly as the Gentiles by faith become the spiritual sons of Abraham.” And this “sperma” alone initially could come only from the woman’s spouse, the Holy Ghost, who has carried her and the Church itself into the desert on His mighty wings. Not only are the woman’s offspring bound to keep the commandments and bear witness, but they must also keep all the laws of the Church and obey all the commands of Christ’s vicars who spoke with His voice while on earth. This Pope Pius XII states in Mystici Corporis Christi, in his definition of who comprise the Church and may be considered as Her members. And this same pope binds all from heaven, during this extended earthly interregnum, with his papal election constitution Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis, which infallibly nullifies and invalidates any attempt to change papal or canon laws.

LeFrois says of those faithful nourished in the desert/wilderness: “[Word] is a favorite Johannine expression occurring eight times in the gospel, 11 times in the Apocalypse and seven times in the first letter. In all but a few cases it is bound up with the commandments or the word given to the disciples by Christ that they might live worthily as children of God. In the Apocalypse, commandment is never spoken of without Jesus being mentioned. Whole passages from 1John are a commentary on the phrase ‘keep His commandments.’ Such a one abides in God; such are the children of God and they receive whatever they ask of God; whoever bears testimony that Jesus is the son of God abides in God and God in him; everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is the child of God.

“In Apoc.12:17 the rest of the woman’s offspring are characterized as those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus, hence the woman’s offspring is the Messias-King who is the Son of God, and the sons of God members of Christ who are also born of her. Together they are destined to rule the nations (Apoc. 12:5 and 2:26). Together they are destined to share the throne of God (Apoc. 12:5 and 3:21). But first of all, in the footsteps of the Lamb, they must be prepared for persecution and death. The Lamb’s sacrificial death is their pledge of victory (Apoc. 12:11), and they will conquer by confessing Christ even unto death (12:11). When the dragon goads the beast on to overcome them, ‘Here is a call from the endurance of the Saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus’ (Apoc. 14:12).”

Conclusion

The etymology of the word “camp,” from the 1520s, is “a place where an army lodges temporarily… tents or rude places of shelter… body of adherents of a doctrine or cause… The Latin word had been taken up in early West Germanic as *kampo-z and appeared originally in Old English as camp “contest, battle, fight, war” (see etymology link above). So when the Church militant, those trying their best to be soldiers of Christ, are surrounded in their temporary desert abode, then comes the very end. LeFrois concludes his work with the following comments: “In Apocalypse 12 we are dealing with an optical or visionary context. Events widely separated in their fulfillment are described together. Sharing the nature of the apocalyptic, they refer partly to the past and partly remain to be fulfilled. Abrupt passage from the one to the other is quite in keeping with what has been mentioned above. If these basic facts are kept in mind, the message of Apocalypse 12 becomes clearer.

“The sounding of the seventh trumpet was not only the signal for the third woe. it also proclaimed the consummation of God’s mystery or sacred designs. Thus the Angel made it known in Apoc. 10:6-7: “The angel… swore by him who liveth forever and ever… THAT TIME SHALL BE NO LONGER…  But in the days of the voice of the seventh Angel, when he shall begin to sound the trumpet, THE MYSTERY OF GOD SHALL BE FINISHED, as he hath declared by his servants the prophets.” Hence the seer has the last sounding of the trumpet introduce THE CONSUMMATE STAGE OF THE CHURCH ON EARTH simultaneously with the third woe, “ (Ed. — and this is the confirmation of the end of the age). “If in the godless reign of Antichrist the mystery of evil shall seem to triumph over everything, the mystery of God shall have reached maturity and shall stand prepared to bear witness to the Lamb. But before that scene unfolds, the stupendous vision of chapter 12 is introduced which discloses the reality behind the scenes, clarifies the goal as well as the means to reach it and imparts the needed assurance of victory…

“On that Marian Church of the consummation Satan sees but the woman he hates and hence the full flood of his spirit is launched against her. It is a last gigantic attempt to blot out the image of the woman from the face of the earth. He will muster the whole world and all nations against her in a destructive avalanche of terror and death. But God protects the chosen Mother of Christ. Though the beast may kill many of the Saints and thus seem to conquer them, the Marian church remains inviolable and indestructible till the very end of time for the gates of hell shall not prevail against her. God will intervene to sustain her both with angelic assistance and divine judgments on the satanic hordes. In her special place prepared by God, Satan will not enter nor shall he overcome her. It is the inviolable character of the Virgin Mother that is blossoming forth also in this respect in the totality for which she stands. For Satan there is only defeat…

“Let Christ’s faithful ones lift up their heads in confidence. Though the beast rules mightily from east to West and is adored over the whole world, dominion and power and universal rule belong to Christ and those that are one with Him. From His mouth issues a sharp sword which with to smite the nations and He will “rule them with a rod of iron;” He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.”

The fascinating meaning of the phrase “iron rod” in Apoc. 12: 5

by T. Stanfill Benns | May 5, 2023 | New Blog

+Pope St. Pius V+

First Friday, First Saturday

(See the latest additions  to Javier Morell-Ibarra’s work most instructional work here: https://www.betrayedcatholics.com/survival-guide-and-reference-handbook-during-the-great-tribulation-and-the-operation-of-error/)

In our April 30 blog, we opined, based on pre-1958 scriptural commentaries, that Pope Pius XII is the male child or son referred to in Apoc. 12:5, where the Church is portrayed as a woman (Holy Mother Church) in labor to give birth. There is much more to be covered on this topic but we will begin with a general refresher on the book of Apocalypse as a whole, before proceeding to the role Pope Pius XII plays in this very real end-times drama we are witnessing.

In 1911, Dr. Michael Seisenberger, author of Practical Handbook for the Study of the Bible (imprimatur of translated edition by Abp. John Farley) wrote regarding St. John’s Apocalypse:

“The apocalypse is a prophetic book and foretells the future destiny of the Church and the faithful. But just as many of the Old Testament prophecies became intelligible only after their fulfillment, so it will probably be with those in the Apocalypse. Failing special instruction by the infallible teaching authority of the Church, it is scarcely possible to have a perfectly sure comprehension of this book, [for] (a) it does not contain an account of events themselves but of their types which admit of various interpretations. (b) We are living in the midst of the events foretold in the books and just as it is scarcely possible for each combatant in a war to form an opinion as to the general the course of it or even of a single battle, so is any complete comprehension of the struggles of the Church denied as a rule to individual Christians. Moreover, (c) many of the events foretold lie still in the future.

“It must not be assumed that all the things foretold are bound to happen exactly in the order in which they stand in the book. For instance in Chapter 18 we read of the fall of Babylon which primarily means heathen Rome. But we need not suppose that all the incidents described before this chapter belong to the period before the fall of that city and that only those that stand after it belong to the centuries following the destruction of the pagan city. We cannot as a rule look for sequence of time in prophetic visions.

“Stress is laid on the following points:

1. The future is determined by God and not by man.
2. The future of man depends on Christ and His Church.
3. The various evils of this life are decreed by God as a punishment but also for the amendment of man.
4. God is long-suffering; He waits long before he permits the judgment to come.
5. Many of the Jews and a countless multitude of the gentiles will attain to eternal salvation through Christianity.
6. The depravity of this world will not remain limited to mankind outside the Church but will penetrate even into the Church; that is to say, amongst Christians, but will not injure it in its essential character.
7. There are three chief enemies to Christ and his Church: the devil, the anti-Christian powers of the world and false knowledge.
8. The victory of Christ and his Church over those enemies is absolutely certain.
9. A completely new order of things is to follow the Resurrection and the Last Judgment for Heaven and earth are to be transformed and glorified as the dwelling place of God’s servants while the wicked are cast out.” (End of Seisenberger quotes)

What Dr. Seisenberger says above has been stated also by commentators on the Apocalypse, including St. Robert Bellarmine: only those witnessing the fulfillment of the prophecies in Apocalypse will realize they have and are being fulfilled and how they are being fulfilled. Apocalypse means “Latin, as apocalypsis, referring to the Greek apokálypsis, interpreted as manifestation or discovery, from the prefix apo-, in the sense of outside or as a distance determiner, based on the Indo-European *apo-, for distancing or from, and the verb kályptein, indicating the action of hiding, making its root in the Indo-European obvious in *kel-, for covering or concealing. In turn, the adjective form apocalyptic can be observed in the Greek apokalyptikós” (https://etymology.net/apocalypse/).

The 1957 Dictionary of Word Origins, by Joseph Shipley traces the meaning of the word apocalypse to “an unveiling…Calypso, in the Odyssey, gave Odysseus a magic veil.” We are watching as the veil is lifted from all that St. John the beloved apostle saw in his vision. But we must be diligent in penetrating the meaning of the terms used in Holy Scripture by cross-referencing them and becoming fully aware of their true signification.

What is the Scriptural meaning of an “iron rod”?

Historically, in biblical times, the rod was a weapon shepherds carved from the root of a tree or a tree branch which was fitted to the individual shepherd’s hand. A shepherd’s rod is about 30 inches long with an end resembling a mace, where the shepherds would embed heavy pieces of iron. One can easily see how this would become an intimidating and deadly weapon. Shepherds used this club-like device to drive away rustlers, or predators such as snakes, coyotes, wolves or cougars threatening the sheep. David utilized such a rod when protecting his sheep from wild animals (I Samuel 17:34-36).

In addition, the rod is often used to guide straying sheep back into the fold when they wander away from their shepherd or their pens. Sheep are stubborn and heedless; like goats they will indiscriminately eat anything they see. So the shepherd uses first his staff, to nudge them back into their pen, then, if they don’t respond, he loops the crook at the end of the staff around their necks to forcefully pull them back into line with the other sheep. If this fails, he may then resort to the rod to forcefully drive them back to the fold.

In Prov. 10:13, we see the “rod on the back of him that wanteth sense,” and in Prov. 22:15, “a rod of correction” is employed to discipline a foolish child, hence the old proverb, “Spare the rod, spoil the child.” There are numerous references in Exodus to the “rod of God” used by Moses and Aaron to turn all the ponds, streams and rivers of the Pharoah into blood, and to initiate the other plagues. Isaiah 10:5 speaks of “the rod and staff of my anger and in 11: 4, God “striking the earth with the rod of his mouth.” The “rod of his indignation” is mentioned in Lam. 3:1. Clearly the use of the rod indicates just punishment and the end of God’s patience with man. Rev. Leo Haydock, commenting on the “rod and staff” in Ps. 22:4 tells us that the rod is to punish and the staff to support, adding that straying sheep are beaten “for the good of the flock.”

There are three references to the rod in Apocalypse. One is found in Ch. 2:27, another in Ch. 11: 1 and the third in Ch. 12:5. Rev. Berry says of Ch. 2: 27: “the faithful are warned of the necessity of good works for salvation. Those who persevere in them unto the end shall have part with Christ in the judgment of the wicked. They shall participate in the power He has received from the Father to rule the nations with a rod of iron.” Regarding Ch. 11: 1, where St. John is ordered to measure the temple, “the altar and them that adore therein” with “a reed, like unto a rod.” Berry writes: “The temple is a figure of the Church and those who worship there are the faithful who remain steadfast during the great persecution of Antichrist.” Commenting on Ch. 11:2  he says: “The outer court cast off and given over to the Gentiles signifies that a great number of Christians will fall away from the faith in those days.”

Rev. Haydock says basically the same as Fr. Berry regarding Apoc. 2:27. He comments as follows on Ch. 11:1: “The churches consecrated to the true God are so much diminished in number that they are represented by St. John as one church; its ministers officiate at one altar and all the true faithful are so few, with respect to the bulk of mankind, that the evangelist sees them assembled in one temple to pay their adorations to the most high (Pastorini ).” If this does not describe those praying at home, I don’t know what does. The minister officiating at the one altar is Christ Himself. For as St. Alphonsus de Liguori explains, in reality the Sacrifice and priesthood will never cease since, “The Son of God, Eternal Priest, will always continue to offer Himself to God, the Father, in Heaven as an Eternal Sacrifice” (The Holy Eucharist).

Rev. H.B. Kramer, who wrote The Book of Destiny also wrote on Apoc. 2: 27, 11:1 and12: 5:

“She brought forth a male child who was destined to rule all nations with a rod of iron. The Pope elected is virile and fearless. He is the one destined by Providence to overthrow the schemes of the dragon. The text in the Vulgate is in the future tense. This is the nearest way of expressing in Latin the force of the Greek words ‘the child was to have ruled’ or ‘was on the point of ruling’ with an iron rod. The one whom God has destined for the papacy at that time will institute the needed reforms. The lax clergy of that time will extol the conditions then existing and will try to keep out of the church Apostolic purity and virtuous severity and will oppose the decrees of the Pope with deliberate fanaticism.” [And this cannot help but evoke in our minds an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and the papacy. — Ed.]

Fr. Kramer continues: “The clause “that he might devour her son” does not necessarily mean assassination… This “son” will hardly have time to purify the Church before he is persecuted, imprisoned and martyred… The dragon is a symbolic form of the evil world powers who will resent the existence of a spiritual empire among them and through them and independent of them in its essential functions and will attempt to subject this empire to their will and service. They will try to make the Church a ‘state church’ everywhere. This is possible only if they can subject the Pope to their wills and compel him to teach and rule as they direct. That would be literally devouring the papacy. Since they are defeated in this, they have the Pope assassinated and he is taken up to God and to his throne, just as Christ by His death was taken away from distress (Isaiah 43: 8).

“The words of Psalm 2: 9 “Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron” was said of Christ. But in our text they are said of His Vicar. The rod of iron is a scriptural symbol of divine chastisement or law enforcement by which the good are separated from the wicked. The reference here is to Apoc. 11: 1 where the sanctuary of God is to be measured with a reed like unto a rod. This one event is thus shown under a different aspect in each of three chapters. The Church will be purified. The good will accept the enforcement of divine laws but the wicked will rebel and apostatize… The words “and to his throne” point to chapter 22: 6: “and they lived and reigned with Christ 1000 years.” This Pope will be given the power to rule over the destiny of the Church immediately from heaven. He carries out the will of God and loses his life in consequence, and immediately as part of his reward he receives in heaven patronage over the Church on earth.” According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the Sanctuary is “the space in the church for the high altar and the clergy.” This has a dual meaning as will be seen below.

The above seems to reflect VAS, the final governing document that yet rules us during this extended interregnum; the shepherd’s club delivering its blows to those daring to spirit away and spiritually murder the flock. There is yet an unexplored meaning of the word rod, however, that makes this scriptural prophecy even more specific to our own situation, and this is discussed below.

The etymological meaning of canon

“Canon is derived from the Greek kanon, i.e. a rule or practical direction” (Catholic Encyclopedia). But a more precise definition is discovered by inquiring into its origins. The 1957 Dictionary of Word Origins, by Joseph Shipley states: “Preceptors enforced their canons with a cane; countries used cannons. All three words are the same. The origin is probably oriental. There is the Arab qanat or cane; the Hebrew qaneh or reed, thence Greek kanna, kanne, reed; whence, from the straight, hollow tube, cannon. But also Greek, kanon, whence Latin, a rod, then a rule in the sense of a carpenters rule or measure meaning any rule or law.”

And from www.dictionary.com : “Word Origin for canon: Old English, from Latin, from Greek kanōn rule, rod for measuring, standard; related to kanna reed, cane.” And from www.bible.org: “The word canon… comes from the Greek kanon and most likely from the Hebrew qaneh and Akkadian, qanu. Literally, it means (a) a straight rod or bar; (b) a measuring rule as a ruler used by masons and carpenters; then (c) a rule or standard for testing straightness.” in classical Latin, “measuring line, rule,” from Greek kanon “any straight rod or bar; rule; standard of excellence,” perhaps from kanna ‘reed’” (https://www.etymonline.com/word/canon).

Above Rev. Kramer wrote: “The rod of iron is a scriptural symbol of divine chastisement or LAW ENFORCEMENT by which the good are separated from the wicked.” The iron-clad rod or club has to do with protection, discipline and punishment, as in excommunication and exclusion from Church membership. Normally the shepherd uses his crook to guide or direct the sheep — the crook Christ is carrying in the many depictions of Him as the Good Shepherd. But the iron rod is reserved for predators and the sheep who stubbornly refuse the direction of the shepherd. Canons of excommunication, especially for heresy, apostasy or schism are the most severe punishments in the 1917 Code of Canon of Law. A shepherd may either drive predators away (threaten excommunication), incapacitate them by permanently wounding them (paralyzing, rendering them brain injured, amputating a limb, the equivalent of incapacitating them from acting) or they can kill them (sentence, deposition, degradation).

Incapacitation (invalidation) and deposition are both mentioned in VAS. Basically any censures for heresy and schism incurred during an interregnum or before it occurs incapacitate the individual who cannot be admitted again to the Church unless a new pope is elected. And the declaration of these censures by an ecclesiastical judge is not necessary under Canon Law and Cum ex… In our last blog it was explained how Pope Paul IV declared null, void and invalid any of the acts of heretics or schismatics promoted to office. Below we see that his bull was intended to guard the flock and drive away all those preying upon it.

Pope Paul IV, Cum ex apostolatus officio

“1. The Apostle’s office entrusted, to Us by God, though beyond any merit of Ours, lays upon Us the general care of the Lord’s flock. Hence We are bound, to watch over the flock assiduously, as a vigilant shepherd, with faithful protection and wholesome guidance… We wish, as much as possible with God’s help, in line with our pastoral duty,to trap the foxes that are busily ravaging the Lord’s vineyard and to drive the wolves from the sheepfolds, lest We seem to be silent watchdogs, unable to bark, or lest We come to an evil end like the evil husbandmen or be likened to a hireling.”

“3. All and sundry Bishops, Archbishops, Patriarchs, Primates, Cardinals… [who] have strayed or fallen into heresy or have been apprehended, have confessed or been convicted of incurring, inciting or committing schism or who, in the future, shall stray or fall into heresy or shall incur, incite or commit schism or shall be apprehended, confess or be convicted of straying or falling into heresy or of incurring, inciting or committing schism, being less excusable than others in such matters, in addition to the sentences, censures and penalties mentioned above, (all these persons) are also automatically and WITHOUT ANY RECOURSE TO LAW OR ACTION, are completely and entirely, forever deprived of, AND FURTHERMORE DISQUALIFIED FROM AND INCAPACITATED FOR THEIR RANK. They shall be treated, as relapsed and subverted in all matters and for all purposes, just as though, they had earlier publicly abjured such heresy in court. THEY CAN NEVER AT ANY TIME BE REESTABLISHED, RE-APPOINTED, RESTORED OR RECAPACITATED FOR THEIR FORMER STATE.”

“6. Further, if ever at any time it becomes clear that any Bishop, even one conducting himself as an Archbishop, Patriarch, or primate; or any Cardinal of the aforesaid Roman Church… or likewise any Roman Pontiff before his promotion or elevation as a Cardinal or Roman Pontiff, has strayed from the Catholic Faith or fallen into some heresy, then his promotion or elevation shall be null, invalid and void.”

All of the above is reflected in various canon laws listing Cum ex… as the source for their existence in the Code (see them here). These canons are forever held in force by Pope Pius XII’s 1945 papal election law, Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis (VAS). No one can be admitted to orders who is not determined by due investigation, conducted by the proper authorities, to be a devout Catholic. No bishops who have professed heresy or promoted schism, whether before assuming their offices or afterwards, may validly ordain or consecrate because all their acts are forever invalidated. These laws regarding heresy and schism are upheld in Can. 6 §4 and in turn are eternally protected from violation by VAS, which itself refers to two laws enacted by Pope Paul IV. Any violation of papal law, or canon law, particularly VAS, are infallibly decreed as null, void and invalid. And Christ, ruling with Pope Pius XII from Heaven, binds all that the popes bind and loose on earth.

Could there be another interpretation of the word canon? Yes, the Canon of the Mass, which we believe is what is referred to in the measurement of the sanctuary in Apoc. 11:1. This part of the Mass is called a “canon” because it is governed by liturgical rules or laws. In the bulls Quo Primum and De Defectibus, also by the Council of Trent, the Latin rite’s inviolability and the inviolability of the consecration are ensured. These laws are papal and conciliar laws protected under VAS.

In the use of this one term, rod of iron, is encapsulated the entire explanation of the cessation of the continual sacrifice, he who withholdeth, the end of the age and how the Church is yet ruled and governed from heaven during the sede vacante.

The name Pius seems to correspond with scriptural (and private) prophecies predicting a series of holy popes bearing the same name who are responsible for their disciplinary contributions to the Church. The following list seems to give some credence to this prediction.

• Pope Pius IV — Presided over the conclusion of the Council of Trent treating the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the approval of bishops by the pope alone, issuing the Profession of Faith and declaring that the decrees of the Council and of the Apostolic See are to remain untouched.

• Pope St. Pius V— Inter multiplices (confirming Pope Paul IV’s bull Cum ex apostolatus officio), Quo Primum, De Defectibus, implementation of the Council of Trent decrees

• Pope Pius VI — Charitas, Auctorem Fidei
• Pope Pius IX — The Vatican Council, the Syllabus, definition of the Immaculate Conception
• Pope St. Pius X — Vacante sede apostolica, codifying papal elections; the commencement of the codification of Canon Law; condemnation of the Modernists and the Sillon
• Pope Pius XI — Condemnation of atheistic Communism and socialism, Quas Primas on Christ the King, Casti Cannubi, condemning birth control and abortion
• Pope Pius XII — Vacantis apostolicae sedis, Mystici Corporis, Humani generis, Ad apostolorum principis, definition of the Assumption, and so many others. This also includes the address to women engaged in Catholic Action, included in the AAS, empowering the laity to assume the duties of the hierarchy in their absence.

Could these be the seven thunders spoken of in Apoc. 10: 4? There St. John writes: “When the seven thunders had uttered their voices…, I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ’Seal up what the seven thunders have spoken.’” Both Fr. Berry and Fr. Kramer state that these voices may be those “…teaching divine truth, condemning error, and threatening persecutors with the vengeance of God [the rod of iron]” (Berry).  Fr. Kramer writes:

“The thunders may mean dogmatic declarations of the Church against infidels, expressed in an ecumenical council… The seven thunders might mean the voices of several popes declaring infallible doctrines of the Church such as that of the Immaculate Conception or of the infallibility of the Pope… Pope St. Pius X’s condemnation of modernism” etc. Certainly the above list includes two major ecumenical councils, one ending in the wake of the Great Apostasy’s advent. Pope Pius XII seems to have been the “thundering velvet hand” in all this, for his decrees, particularly VAS, were not appreciated as they might have been during his lifetime. Their significance became more evident only following the end of the Great Apostasy, the reign of the usurpers and the founding of Traditionalism.

This is especially true of VAS, the “thunder” of which lies in the words added to this constitution. These words were absent from Pope St. Pius X’s original election law. Both constitutions  invalidated all attempted actions to usurp papal jurisdiction. But regarding any changes contrary to papal or canon law, Pope Pius XII further proclaimed: “In truth, if anything adverse to this command should by chance happen to come about or be attempted, We declare it, BY OUR SUPREME AUTHORITY, to be null and void.”

It is interesting that further on in Ch. 10, vs. 6-7, we find these words uttered by the angel addressing St. John: “Time shall be no longer. In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound the trumpet, the mystery of God shall be finished.” Fr. Berry comments: “This does not mean that the end of the world is at hand but that the time for judgment against obstinate sinners and persecutors has arrived. This judgment shall be the great persecution of Antichrist and its attendant evils. Then shall be accomplished the mystery of God which has been announced by the prophets.”

And from Fr. Kramer on these verses: “There shall be no more delay in the execution of God’s judgments is the angel’s oath. [But] the world is not to be destroyed…” Here we see the Scriptural dividing line between the end of the age and the consummation of the world. Was the seventh angel also Pope Pius XII, referred to by some as the “angelic shepherd”? We can do nothing more than speculate, and yet all seems to be as it is presented above, as well as in our previous blogs and articles. We can only continue to chronicle events as they occur, and to note the further explanation of events past, when better understood. We are witnesses, not prophets. And as is the task of all witnesses, we must simply shine our burning lamps on whatever we may see until the Bridegroom cometh.

R & R Cum ex… attacks, Pius XII & Apoc. 12 and more on ‘end of the age’

by T. Stanfill Benns | Apr 30, 2023 | New Blog

 +St. Catherine of Siena+

+ Prayer Intention for May, Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary+

“Obtain for me forgiveness of my sins O Mary; pray for me, a poor sinner to thy Jesus, whose lacerated body thou didst hold in thy arms.” (Sorrowful Mother prayer booklet)

(Prayer associates request: Please pray for a special intention.)

Introduction

The recent articles on Millenarianism here bring Pope Paul IV’s 1559 Bull Cum ex apostolatus officio (Cum ex…) to the forefront once again. As the 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia notes under Antichrist: “The defenders of the Papal-Antichrist theory have made several signal blunders in their arguments; they cite St. Bernard as identifying the Beast of the Apocalypse with the Pope, though St. Bernard speaks in the passage of the Antipope; they appeal to the Abbot Joachim as believing that Antichrist will be elevated to the Apostolic See, while the Abbot really believes that Antichrist will overthrow the Pope and usurp his See… Since Antichrist simulates Christ, and the Pope is an image of Christ, Antichrist must have some similarity to the Pope, if the latter be the true Vicar of Christ.”

Later, La Salette predicted Rome would lose the faith and become the seat of Antichrist. Other prophecies predict the same. St. Paul told us that the pope would first be taken out of the way before the revolt could come, and the Man of Sin could be revealed. This makes sense only if Antichrist is a usurper or antipope. And Pope Paul IV described exactly how this could happen and put measures in place to prevent it.

But Antichrist was not an antipope but a false pope, for there was no one to oppose him; he was a usurper who reigned unopposed, and this had never happened before in the history of the Church. Cum ex… seems to have anticipated this possibility, for once the heresy of any bishop, cardinal or pope becomes CLEAR, the election itself is assumed to be illegitimate, invalid and cannot possess even quasi-legitimacy by “any SEEMING possession of government, by universal obedience accorded him [or] by the passage of any time in said circumstances” (para. 6).

If this bull is read carefully, it implies, rather than explicitly states, that the election was invalid. And no declaration that this heresy has occurred, by any specified body, is necessary; heretical statements, written or vocalized, are sufficient; delinquents were and are condemned by their own acts, as Can. 2200 states, until the supposed commission of the act is investigated and resolved or absolved. The doubt itself is enough, as the case of Liberius demonstrates and St. Robert Bellarmine teaches.

Certainly, everything began to become clear by the end of the false Vatican 2 council, and it became perfectly clear when the Sacraments were “revised” in 1968 and the Novus Ordo Missae was introduced in 1969. Otherwise why would almost half of what then constituted the Church left her ranks, including clergy and religious? There have been immoral and scandalous popes who remained in office in the past, although they were sanctioned by members of the clergy and faithful. But never was there a time when a pope was said to have been guilty of schism and/or heresy and remained a pope, as the case of Pope Liberius cited by St. Robert Bellarmine proves. For Bellarmine states that:

“For although Liberius was not a heretic, nevertheless he was considered one, on account of the peace he made with the Arians, and by that presumption the pontificate could rightly [merito] be taken from him: for men are not bound, or able to read hearts; BUT WHEN THEY SEE THAT SOMEONE IS A HERETIC BY HIS EXTERNAL WORKS, they judge him to be a heretic, pure and simple [simpliciter], AND CONDEMN HIM AS A HERETIC.” This occurred in the unsettled days of the Arian heresy, and while Liberius was deposed and exiled, he later returned as Pope to unseat his contender, the Arian claimant Felix. Liberius was more or less exonerated of any claims he committed actual heresy by the Vatican Council Fathers.

Not only were the heresies of J.B. Montini (Paul 6) and Angelo Roncalli (John 23) public, these heresies were acknowledged implicitly by the departure of the faithful which primarily occurred between 1969-1972. How else could these Catholics have justified leaving the Church? As stated before, this was the conclusion, not the beginning, of the Great Apostasy. There can be no doubt whatsoever that everything Pope Paul IV warned against actually occurred, just as he envisioned it.

A Modernist and Freemason, Roncalli, campaigned for the papacy prior to the death of Pope Pius XII and was invalidly elected. He never became pope because one who is a professed heretic/apostate (Freemasonry is a pagan religion) is incapable of election. Furthermore, there was never a two/thirds plus one majority to elect him because quite obviously many of the cardinals electing were also Modernist heretics, so their votes were invalid. This was later proven by their participation in the false Vatican 2 council. This invalidity without the necessary majority vote is clearly stated in Pope Pius XII’s Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis (VAS). Still, certain Traditionalists of the recognize and resist (R & R) persuasion pretend that a declaration is needed to prove heresy, despite Pope Paul IV’s teaching it is not needed, and that cardinals and bishops issuing from the usurpers are to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, in contradiction of Can. 2200.

Recognizing and refuting the distortions of papal teaching

These so-called R & R theologians claim that in promulgating Cum ex…, Paul IV intended “to depose a validly elected Pope should he become a heretic and annul his juridical and sacramental actions.” But unless the English language has suddenly become unintelligible, this is definitely not what Paul IV taught. He taught that: “If at any time it becomes clear… [that] any Cardinal of the aforesaid Roman Church… or likewise any Roman Pontiff BEFORE HIS PROMOTION OR ELEVATION AS A CARDINAL OR ROMAN PONTIFF, has strayed from the Catholic Faith or fallen into some heresy…” (para. 6). This precludes any assumption that the pope could fall into heresy in his official capacity. What he is saying is that the election is then invalid and he was never elected. He prefaces his remarks with what appears to be the teaching of Pope Innocent III, in para. 1 of Cum ex…: “The Roman Pontiff, who is Vicar of God and of Jesus Christ on earth, holds fullness of power over peoples and kingdoms, and judges all, but can be judged by no one in this world — (even he) may be corrected if he is apprehended straying from the Faith.”

As S.B. Smith notes in his Ecclesiastical Law, Vol. 1, “For although, according to the more probable opinion, the Pope may fall into heresy and err in matters of faith, as a private person, yet it is also universally admitted that no Pope ever did fall into heresy even as a private doctor.” First Pope Paul IV puts his readers on guard with the quote from Pope Innocent III in order not to surprise them, owing to the delicate nature of the subject. Then later he explains how such a thing could happen, clearly stating such a heresy would need to have occurred before a heretic or schismatic was elected, invalidating the election.

John XXII was corrected for what many believed was a deviation from the faith, but that particular dogma had not yet been defined. We must note here that correction and deposition are two very different things, as the definition of each reveals. A pope could be corrected as a private doctor, according to most theologians. But a pope teaching in his official capacity could never err, period. When he does, we know he is not a true pope. And it is very obvious that since these R & R critics believe Bergoglio (Francis) and his predecessors to have been true if bad popes, any admission that Cum ex… is still very much in force would demolish their precariously built sandcastle.

Competent ecclesiastical authority

They next fault Paul IV for his failure to “establish an ecclesiastical body capable of declaring null the pontificate of the validly elected Pope whose election had been invalidated by heresy.” But if one is never elected in the first place, he is not a pope but a usurper; he is only the equivalent of a lay person. Deposing him is not an option since he never held the office as Pope Paul IV carefully explains. He need only be removed by the ecclesiastical or even the civil authorities (Cum ex…, paras. 6,7). Traditionalists in general fail to identify jurisdictional power with an office, validly bestowed by competent ecclesiastical authority in harmony with the Sacred Canons, (Can. 147). Pope Pius XII’s authentic interpretation of this canon, stressing the importance of competence for validity, is entered into the AAS. Clearly the cardinals attending the 1958 conclave were incompetent. Canon 160 applies to papal elections and this canon directs clerics to VAS as the governing papal election law.

College of cardinals disqualified

The R & R bunch also exhibits their ignorance of Canon Law: “If the Pope had already been a public heretic, the accusation of heresy must also have been extended to the College of Cardinals who elected him.” Here we turn to the law for ecclesiastical elections as Canon Law directs, (Canons 6 n. 4; 18), whenever there is a doubt regarding some element of the law. As Rev. Anscar Parsons explains in his Canon Law dissertation Canonical Elections, (CUA, 1939): “Historically the election of the Holy Father has been the prototype for the elections of inferior prelates” so ecclesiastical election law is a logical place to go. Parsons goes on to explain that an election can be invalid for several reasons, and some of these were definitely in play in the election of Roncalli.

First, he cites fraud, fear, and deceit, which goes to Can. 104 This canon clearly invalidates any action performed under these conditions, as explained at length in previous articles. Did it exist in Roncalli’s election? It obviously did, seeing the controversial and disastrous outcome. Secondly, he cites outside interference, (Can. 2390 §2) and such interference has now become a matter of public record, from various quarters (see The Phantom Church in Rome). Thirdly, he addresses the election of an unworthy person, (Can. 2391 §1), writing:

“In normal cases it is presumed that [the electors] made their choice with full deliberation and knowledge because it is their duty to investigate the qualities of the person whom they elect. Is the election of an unworthy person void from the beginning? It seems that it is. The law says that [electors are] deprived of the right to proceed to a new election [under Can. 2391 §1]. In making this disposition, the legislator seems to suppose that the original choice of the unworthy person was null and void.”

Certainly Roncalli’s qualifications were far less than stellar. He was on the Modernist watchlist and was a suspected Freemason, and this from several sources. He also was not in good standing with Pope Pius XII, having botched the worker priest movement and for choosing to receive his cardinal’s hat from notorious French anti-Catholic Vincent Auriol, among several other questionable incidents. He also was a known advocate for liturgical renewal. Wasn’t all of this precisely WHY he was elected? And can anyone doubt that those electing him were of the very same mind?

Cum ex.. is NOT about deposing a validly elected  pope

And obviously the R & R proponent criticizing Cum ex…  doesn’t know Church history, either, or wish his readers to learn it. For he claims the following:  “An organ to depose a Pope does not exist in the Church… Should such an organ exist, it would be doctrinally prevented from deposing a validly elected Pontiff.” This would apply to a true pope, yes; but we are not talking here about validly elected popes, nor was Pope Paul IV. Here they are assuming what they have not proven and cannot prove, which is a fallacy of logic: that Paul IV was suggesting that a validly elected popecould be deposed. But Cum ex… never mentions deposition of a pope validly elected. It states only that those recognizing a man elected pope is a heretic may “…depart with impunity at any time from obedience and, allegiance to said promoted and elevated persons… And.., if they attempt to continue their government and administration, allmay implore the aid of the secular arm against those so advanced and elevated.”

Pope Paul IV assumes that his cardinals and bishops know that a heretic is not able to be elected pope; he says this in quotes from para. 6 above. The only way such a thing could happen is if the pre-election heresy was discovered after the heretic appeared to take office as pope. Pope Innocent II’s campaign to unseat the antipope Anacletus II, led by St. Bernard; the deposition of antipopes by the Council of Constance, validly convened by the true pope Gregory XII; also the total anathematization issued to antipope Felix V by Pope Eugene IV at the Council of Florence (Felix later resigned) — these are the primary instances of deposition by the rightful popes, and they occurred to unseat antipopes, not those validly elected. REMOVAL of an imposter was possible only because the office was never obtained, as Paul IV clearly elucidates. The only time in history that deposing popes ever came up for discussion was at the Council of Constance by the Gallicans, who were later condemned as heretics by the Vatican Council. And, Pope Paul IV was well aware of this, writing after the fact.

Pius IX not liberal in his religious beliefs

This R & R commentator’s final sally, yet another confusing statement, is about Pope Pius IX, claiming he was a liberal before election so was invalidly elected. “After taking the name of Pius IX and converting, he practically declared Catholic Liberalism a heresy. If the Bull of Paul IV were to be applied to this case… his election should be annulled and all the juridical and sacramental acts of his pontificate should have been invalidated.” Nice try, but no cigar. Was any research on Pope Pius IX’s supposed liberalism ever conducted? Or were the rags and salacious novels of the day that slandered him simply taken as truth?

Had one book alone been read, that of Rev. Herbert Thurston, S.J., No Popery, the liberalism slander might have been laid to rest. Liberalism was a tendency among those considered Catholic for many years before it ever became an outright heresy, so much so that Fr. Sarda-Salvany details the variations of this error in his work, Liberalism Is a Sin. Pope Pius IX came from a well-to-do and distinguished family. And if such tendencies ever really existed to begin with, they were soon extinguished when he ascended to the papacy, as the Catholic Encyclopedia explains.

Prior to his election as pope, Giovanni Cardinal Mastai-Ferretti’s “…great charity and amiability had made him beloved by the people, while his friendship with some of the revolutionists had gained for him the name of liberal…” But after experiencing the true colors of Italian revolutionaries calling themselves liberals, when riots and murders exploded in Rome causing him to flee from the city for a time, the Encyclopedia reports: “Pius IX returned to Rome, no longer a political liberalist.” And as Fr. Sarda-Salvany explains,

“To affect the confusion of ideas is an old scheme of the devil. Not to understand clearly and precisely is generally the source of intellectual error. In time of schism and heresy, to cloud and distort the proper sense of words is a fruitful artifice of Satan and it is as easy to lay snares for the intellectually proud as for the innocent… No political form of any kind whatsoever, whether democratic or popular, is of itself (ex se) liberalism. Forms are mere forms and nothing more. Forms of government do not constitute their essence; their forms are but their accidents… These various forms of themselves have nothing to do with liberalism — any one of them may be perfectly and integrally Catholic.”

So much for the arguments of the R & R crowd. Now for an interesting side note on Pope St. Pius V’s confirmation of Pope Paul IV’s  Cum ex… and its bearing on the hierarchy’s membership in the Church. While Traditionalists championed Pope St. Pius V’s Quo Primum as their “go-to” document to justify celebrating the Latin Mass, they conveniently ignored and suppressed the fact that another document, a similarly worded motu proprio entitled Inter Multiplices, confirmed Cum ex… and cast a dark shadow on their own Catholicity. A little background is necessary here to fully explain the import of the motu proprio.

Inter multiplices and those suspect of heresy

Pope Paul IV wrote his bull at the time of the Protestant Reformation because he suspected one of his cardinals, Giovanni Morone, of heresy. He accused Morone of reading forbidden books and associating with Lutheran ministers and those sympathetic to the heretics; also for promoting himself for election as pope. Many believed Morone was innocent, but Paul IV had him arrested and tried for heresy. Morone’s trial lasted two long years, and during that time, Pope Paul IV published Cum ex… When the pope died shortly afterward, Morone, still a prisoner, was released to attend the conclave. At first he was one of three frontrunners, but ran full force into Cardinal Ghislieri, the future Pope St. Pius V. Joseph Cardinal Hergenrother was an outspoken critic of Cum ex…, styling it in his 1876 work The Catholic Church and Christian State as only a “disciplinary,” non-infallible document.

Yet in another work, The History of the Popes, Hergenrother wrote that Morone’s campaign to become pope was quashed by the intervention of Cardinal Ghislieri, who pointedly remarked that Morone’s election would be invalid owing to the question mark hanging over his orthodoxy. In 1560, the pope succeeding Pope Paul IV, Pope Pius IV, authorized a revision of the process against Morone, and as a result the imprisonment of the cardinal and the whole procedure against him were declared to be entirely without justification.”

Morone’s trial and later exoneration must have disquieted Pope St. Pius V because one of the first things he did on assuming the papacy was to issue his Inter Multiplices, Dec. 21, 1566. In this document he ordered that: “Many indicted, accused parties who had been indicted even in the aforesaid Holy Office or tried by inquisitors for heretical perversity and investigated for heretical perversity… [have] obtained or extracted, just as though they were innocent of the charges against them (1) definite declarations of absolution from the aforesaid judicial processes and inquisitions, (2) declaratory pronouncements of their life and teaching through a previous canonical clearance of a charge based on the oaths of others with respect to their presumed good and Catholic faith, or (3) decrees from the same Holy Office, from other ordinaries of places or delegates and inquisitors, and even from Roman Pontiffs who were our predecessors…

“The aforementioned Roman Pontiffs confirmed these judicial pronouncements and decrees with the added imposition of permanent silence, along with a prohibition lest said Holy Office or other inquisitors might be able to or should go forward in respect to additional details. …We completely and perpetually revoke them, each and every one whatsoever by means of this Our universal constitution that will be valid perpetually… Accordingly, the result was that the aforesaid investigated parties — under the cover and protection of the aforementioned declaratory pronouncements, Apostolic letters, and especially the force of a prohibitory proviso (made in secret against the inquisitors sitting in session) — never truly returned to the bosom of the Church, sometimes by even remaining openly steadfast in their old errors against the Catholic faith…”

Because of the secret nature of the Inquisition regarding high-ranking clerics, it is not known if Morone was ever re-tried, or what might have resulted from the renewed investigations undertaken by the Inquisition. Pope St. Pius V seems to have based this ruling on his own personal experience with Morone, who was shepherded through the Council of Trent proceedings by none other than Pope St. Pius V’s good friend St. Charles Borromeo. And the pope further declared, in concluding Inter Multiplices, that:

“The same accused, denounced, and investigated individuals CAN AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AND TRIED AGAIN, even if they were or are Bishops, Archbishops, Patriarchs, Primates, [or] CARDINALS of the same Holy Roman Church, especially where it would appear, BY MEANS OF NEW, SUPERVENING EVIDENCE OF THE SAME OR ANOTHER SPECIES OF HERESY (including evidence relating to past time), and through other evidence, that the party had been absolved by illicit means before he had been denounced or investigated… And [these are]RESPECTIVELY TO BE GIVEN AND CONCEDED IN THE FUTURE BY OUR SUCCESSORS, THE ROMAN PONTIFFS, who emerge in the course of time, and by the Apostolic See (completely and wholly as well), just as if the aforementioned judgments, decrees, and Apostolic letters, including canonical clearances, had not been issued in favor of the aforesaid denounced, accused, and investigated persons…

“And We renew, in accordance with this motu proprio, the constitution against heretics and schismatics previously issued by [Our] predecessor Paul [Cum ex…], namely the one dated at Rome at St. Peter’s, in the year of our Lord’s Incarnation, February 15, 1558 [sic], in the fourth year of his pontificate, AND WE ALSO CONFIRM IT AS INVIOLABLE AND WISH AND COMMAND THAT IT BE OBSERVED TO THE LETTER, ACCORDING TO ITS CONTENTS AND WORDING.” (The Codus Iuris Canonici, 1957, by Peter Cardinal Gasparri gives the date of Cum ex … as “15 Febr. 1559,” but other sources list it as here — Feb. 15, 1558).

That Inter multiplices confirmed Cum ex… is important because it also illustrates the reasoning behind the exclusion of Morone from the list of papabile and confirms the necessity of investigation prior to election as Rev. Parsons teaches. This the cardinals were bound to do per the oaths they took as required by Pius XII’s election constitution (VAS) to elect the most worthy candidate. “Canonists” such as (admitted former Freemason) John Salza uphold Roncalli’s legitimacy and insist on a papal decision to prove his pre-election heresy.

But while Salza cites various canons to “prove” his case, he fails to cite (VAS or) Can. 2200 which commands us to consider those guilty of heresy until proven innocent, just as Morone was judged as not yet proven innocent by Pope St. Pius V, then a cardinal. This in turn leads us to VAS, which refers everything to the future pope, and the interpretation of the constitution to the cardinals. But that did not give the cardinals the power to determine if Roncalli was a heretic, for as Salza admits in his treatise, only the pope could so judge him, as was done with Morone. This would therefore be a usurpation of papal authority during an interregnum, an act invalidated and voided by VAS itself.

Roncalli’s heresy was suspected and publicly broadcast prior to his election as his biographers demonstrate (see The Phantom Church in Rome, Ch. 10, B and D ). Salza judges his statements to be not notorious, but he is not the pope. Pius XII commands that all the papal laws and canons, especially VAS, be upheld during an interregnum and voids and invalidates anything done contrary to them. Regarding the lay interference in the 1958  election; the use of fraud and fear noted by this author and alleged by many others; also the election of an unworthy candidate — all are proscribed and censured latae sententiae under Can. 2330, nos. 6,7, and 8 and each one invalidates the election. All these same excommunications are found in Pope St. Pius X’s previous election constitution, Vacante sedis apostolica,  revised by Pope Pius XII.

Revs. Woywod-Smith comment under this canon that St. Pius X’s constitution “…rules that every excommunication imposed and decreed by this constitution is reserved exclusively to the Supreme Pontiff…There is some controversy whether absolution in an urgent case from these excommunications can be given in accordance with Canon 2254… but it seems to us that the concession of the said canon does not apply to the penalties of the constitution against offences committed in reference to the election of the Supreme Pontiff because Can. 2330 states that in regard to them the constitution exclusively governs.” Pope Pius XII may be gone, but VAS is still very much in force.

Pope Pius XII and Apocalypse, Ch. 12

And yet, as Mr. Morell-Ibarra and the Anchorite note below, Pope Pius XII still rules us from Heaven through his papal election constitution Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis. As explained in my just-mentioned book:

“[Pope Pius XII] did what any good householder would do on leaving his place of residence for an unspecified amount of time: he locked all the doors and barred the windows; he took the keys with him, forbidding anyone to enter his residence until his return, or the return of Our Lord Himself or His assigns; he bequeathed detailed instructions to his servants, the faithful, in order that they might carry on until that time; he made certain that no decisions could be made in his name; and he demonstrated by his actions that the Church would experience an interruption in her normal processes.” That “interruption” was the culmination of the Great Apostasy and the reign of Antichrist. For he allegedly told Montini when he exiled him as an archbishop to Milan, “One day my son, you will return.”

And perhaps we may find Pius XII even mentioned in Chapter 12 of the Apocalypse, where we read: “And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars: And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered… And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her son. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod: and her son was taken up to God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that there they should feed her a thousand two hundred sixty days” (vs. 1-2; 4-6).

In his The Apocalypse of St. John, (1920), Rev. E. S. Berry wrote on these verses: “This indicates that the first troubles of those days will be inaugurated within the Church by apostate bishops, priests, and peoples — the stars dragged down by the tail of the dragon… The dragon stands before the woman ready to devour the child that is brought forth. In other words, the powers of hell seek by all means to destroy the Pope elected in those days. The woman brings forth a son to rule the nations with a rod of iron. These are the identical words of prophecy uttered by the psalmist concerning our Savior Jesus Christ (Psalm 2, vs.9).

“They confirm our application of this vision to the Pope, the vicar of Christ on earth, to rule the nations in His stead and by His power… It is now the hour for the powers of darkness. The newborn son of the Church is taken to God and to his throne… The mystery of iniquity gradually developing through the centuries cannot be fully consummated while the power of the papacy endures. But now that ‘he that withholds’ is taken out of the way during the interregnum, that wicked one shall be revealed in his fury against the Church… The Church deprived of a chief pastor must seek sanctuary in solitude, there to be guided by God himself during those trying days.”

Fr. Berry came very close to predicting exactly what would happen to the Church. The apostate priests and bishops are the tools used by the dragon to devour the pope destined to rule with an iron rod. Taking advantage of his good nature, they conspired to misinform, misdirect and confuse him, and they succeeded. He is not martyred immediately after his election as Berry thinks; his is a long and painful martyrdom of the spirit, surrounded by murderous traitors who try to poison him and false friends who secretly undermine and upend every good thing he attempts.

The enemy triumphs: Pope Pius XII dies and the False Prophet and Sea Beast reign, but the Church is protected. The pope yet rules from Heaven with an iron rod — Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis and all Pope Pius XII’s related encyclicals and other pronouncements — and the faithful are nourished spiritually with the Sacraments and the graces they need to do good and avoid evil. And so we have witnessed the end of the Church’s time on earth, and now await the coming of our Lord and Savior, in all majesty and glory.

Mr. Javier Morell-Ibarra’s Catholic Survival Guide, Pt. 8

(The following is an excerpt from Mr. Morell-Ibarra’s latest translation of his work. See the full translation of his work here. Going forward, each section of this timely and pungent work, as it is translated, will be added by this author weekly and a preview and link will be provided for readers.)

NOTICE FROM MR. MORELL-IBARRA:

The end of the section on Traditionalist fables can be read at the link above. The next chapters will deal with explaining the current situation, which is no less than the Great Tribulation, then we will offer some spiritual reflections about the world and its many deceptions for the soul. This will be followed by an in-depth description of the unfathomable mystery of the operation of error and how it operates over the entire world, offering a most fundamental remedy to escape this universal chastisement as we await the Parousia of Our Lord in awe and expectation.

More on the end of the centuries, consummation of the ages

27. Return to the recurring fable that Our Lord would be with us until the end of the centuries, which the “Traditionalist” false christs literally interpret as the end of the physical world or the last day, in a desperate, suicidal attempt to justify the impossible, namely, that the intruders could function without a Pope granting them mission and jurisdiction, which is heretic and blasphemous.

We are going to definitely dismantle this perverse fable, which has confused and deceived so many unwary souls, making them fall into the clutches of the false pastors of the “Traditionalist”-sedevacantist bogus clergy, adding a pertinent update, since one of the false prophets defending these sacrilegious usurpers has maliciously contributed a fragment of the Encyclical “Ad Catholici Sacerdotii” of Pope Pius XI -specifically section 14 of a translation into Spanish-, to try and justify the untenable opinion that there is and will be both a valid and licit Catholic hierarchy and a valid and licit Sacrifice of the Holy Catholic Mass until “the end of the world”, a time which, apparently, he identifies with the “end of the (PHYSICAL) world”.

“14. And since then, the Apostles and their successors in the Priesthood began to elevate to heaven their pure offering prophesied by Malachi, for which the name of God is great among the nations; and at all hours of the day and night IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE OFFERING HIMSELF WITHOUT CEASING UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD“. But reading theTEXT AS IT WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED, THAT IS, IN LATIN (Acta Apostolicae Sedis (AAS), number 28, year 1936, page 11 of the document, (https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/index_sp.htm), it is verified that it reads: “AD INTERITUM USQUE HUMANI AEVI PERPETUO PERAGETUR”, whose translation into English is: “IT WILL CONTINUE IN PERPETUITY UNTIL THE END OF THE HUMAN ERA”. And that “END OF THE HUMAN AGE” appears as “CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE” in Mt. 24, 3 and in Mt. 28, 20. This is explained in more detail below.

Fragment of said encyclical in its original version (in Latin) obtained from AAS 28 [1936], page 11 of the document: “Hoc ex tempore Apostoli eorumque in sacerdotio successores illam, quam Malachia Propheta vaticinatus est, «oblationem mundam» caelesti Numini offerre instituerunt, qua quidem divinum nomen magnum est in gentibus; quaeque iam, in quavis terrarum orbis parte ac qualibet diei noctisque hora, caelo admota, AD INTERITUM USQUE HUMANI AEVI PERPETUO PERAGETUR.”

Which, translated into English, it reads:

“And from then on, the Apostles and their successors in the priesthood began to offer to heavenly God the “pure offering” prophesied by the Prophet Malachi(*), for which the name of God is great among the nations; which, already offered in all parts of the earth, and at all hours of the day and night, IT WILL CONTINUE to be offered IN PERPETUITY UNTIL THE END OF THE HUMAN AGE [i.e., until the “CONSUMMATION OF THE AGE“, which does not mean the end of the PHYSICAL world , but rather the end of an “ERA OF HUMAN HISTORY” (cf. Mt. 24, 3). And knowing the events that have taken place since the death of the last true Pope (Pope Pius XII) up to the present, it is evident that this ”HUMAN ERA” to which Pope Pius XI referred was the  “AGE OF THE MESSIAH ON EARTH” (cf. Mt. 28, 20), which, evidently, ended with the emergence of the AGE OF THE ANTICHRISTS (an era or epoch of great apostasy thanks to the infamous Vatican 2 cabal), being initiated – the era of the antichrists – by modernist masonic agent Roncalli and continued by the iniquitous Montini and the other anti-Christian successors until currently Bergoglio, THE ERA OF “HOMO PECCATI”, 2 THESSALONIANS 2.

(*) Cf. Malachi 1, 11.

Consummationem saeculi/End of the Centuries/End of the world. Verbum Dei. Commentary on Holy Scripture. B. ORCHARD, E. F. SUTCLIFFE, R. C. FULLER, and R. RUSSELL. Published by HERDER (1957), Imprimatur of 1956, Momor (Gospels).

Next, we will read the impressive work done by our brother the Anchorite to refute such a twisted fable of the Anomos once and for all.

The “End of the Century” Does Not Mean the “End of the Physical World” — by the Anchorite.

1. Summary

The true Catholic Church approved, at least since 1953, the interpretation of the “consummation of the century”, “consummation of the world” or “end of the world” in Saint Matthew 24,3 as: “consummation of an era of human history». According to this interpretation, “the consummation of the world” means the end of an “epoch of human history”, but it does not mean the “end of the physical world”. In addition, in Saint Matthew 28, 20, Our Lord Jesus Christ speaks of the “century”, whose interpretation is, also according to said exegesis, “the era of the Messiah on earth” [era of the Messiah on earth, which spanned from the institution of the Catholic Church by Christ Our Lord until the usurpation that occurred in October 1958 by antipope Roncalli, usurpation that marked the beginning of what can be called the “era of the antichrists” and that we are still living with antipope Bergoglio].

2. Bibliographic evidence

2.1. Saint Matthew 24, 3 (Holy Bible, Monsignor Dr. Juan Straubinger)

«3 Afterwards, having gone to sit on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to Him in particular, and said to Him: “Tell us when this will happen, and what will be the sign of your advent and of the consummation of the age”.»

 2.2. Exegesis of Saint Matthew 24, 3 [1]

“The remark was unexpected, and the disciples walked, perhaps in silence, perhaps in heated discussion, until they reached the top, where they stopped to rest. The four privileged disciples of our Lord (Mc) proposed the double question: “When?” “What signs will there be?” […]. The “end of the world” (συντελεία του αιώνος) has a more decisive force to signify the end of the world than the term “parousia”. However, the word αιών means not the physical world or the universe, but “era”, “epoch” of human history; for Paul’s use of it, cf. ALLO, Vivre et Penser, Series 1.a, 1941, 179. Therefore, the “era” here may be that of the old economy. In 28, 20, where the perspective changes, [said “era”] is the new messianic era [which begins with the abrogation of the Old Law when Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the New Law through his Holy Catholic Church].»

2.3. Saint Matthew 28, 16-20 (Holy Bible, Monsignor Dr. Juan Straubinger)

«16 The eleven disciples therefore went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had commanded them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him; some, however, doubted. 18 And coming up Jesus spoke to them, saying, “All power has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; 20 teaching them to keep everything I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you every day, until the consummation of the century.”

2.4. Exegesis of Saint Matthew 28, 20 [2]

«Faith and ritual are not enough. There are moral obligations. “In a few words our Lord initiates a regime hitherto unknown to ancient peoples: a doctrine not only religious but moral at the same time”, LAGRANGE, Mt 545. Its precepts and its spirit are known to the apostles, who, however, will need the light and strength of His presence [that of Our Lord Jesus Christ] in the difficult days that are to come. This light and this strength will assist them until the age of the Messiah on earth comes to an end [thus, it is shown that, in this passage, the words “until the end of the age” are interpreted as “until the age of the Messiah on earth comes to an end.” And didn’t “the era of the Messiah on earth” come to an end with the consummated usurpation by the antichrists (era of the antipopes or antichrists) after October 9, 1958, followed by a generalized apostasy, both of hierarchy and faithful, to join the Whore of Babylon prophesied in the Apocalypse, all of which continues to be fulfilled up to the present moment?]. Therefore, the promise has stood firm for [nearly] two thousand years [note that this exegesis was first published in 1953, in the 1st English edition of this work; and which was later translated into Spanish, with an Imprimatur of 1956]».

Holy Scripture on the importance of faith and patience in these times

by T. Stanfill Benns | Apr 20, 2023 | New Blog

+St. Marcellinus, Bishop+

Having explained at length what we most likely are facing in what appears to be the last days of mankind, it is important to put all of this in perspective and remember that we are not to grieve over our fate or mourn for what we have lost. Rather we are to rejoice in the accomplishment of God’s holy will, and the role that we have been assigned to play in this most important epoch in history. Christ has risen, alleluia, and so must we too rise from the deep contemplation of His Passion to share in the joys of His Resurrection. He tells us: “Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of man” (Matt. 24:36). “But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is at hand” (Matt. 24:28).

What is more important than our redemption and preparation for it? And how can we prepare without being joyful, that if we bear all with patience and love, we may gain our final reward? The oppression so many experience today is not a sadness without reason — it is the consequences of so much evil going on about us wherever we turn. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, because so many would reject Him; he was rarely seen to smile; His expression and demeanor was always serious. Fr. Tonne reports, in his little work, Personality Plus that while we have no actual picture of Our Lord:

“We do have a word picture of the Master, said to have been penned on the spot where Jesus began His ministry, by one Publius Lentulus, governor of Judea. It was addressed to the Roman Senate in line with the governor’s duty of reporting to the Emperor any noteworthy event during his office.” This Roman official reported as follows: “There appeared in these days a man of great virtue, named Jesus Christ, who is yet among us; of the Gentiles accepted as a prophet of truth: but His disciples call him the son of God. He raiseth the dead and cureth all manner of disease. A man of stature somewhat tall and comely, with a very reverend countenance, such as the beholder must both love and fear.

“His hair the color of a chestnut full ripe, plain to the ears, whence, downward, it is more oriental, curling and waving about his shoulders. In the midst of his forehead is a partition of his hair; forehead plain and very delicate; his face without spot or wrinkle, beautiful with a lovely red; his nose and mouth well-formed; his beard thick, color like his hair, not over-long; his look innocent, and mature; his eyes gray, quick and clear.  In reproving he is terrible; in admonishing, courteous and fair-spoken; pleasant in conversation, mixed with gravity. It cannot be remembered that any have seen him laugh, but many have seen him weep; in proportion of body most excellent; his hands and arms most delectable to behold; in speaking, very temperate, modest, and wise; a man of singular beauty, surpassing the children of men.”

And so we know now why we have all the beautiful paintings of Our Lord, rendered just as He is pictured here. Yet Jesus smiled when he held the children in His arms. He could not have been but comforted by the dear little lamb He cradles in all the portrayals we have of Him as the Good Shepherd. It is the innocent He rejoices in and cherishes. And we too must rejoice insofar as we can in all that is good and innocent, all that is given to us by the munificence of God. We must be so grateful today, and thank God frequently, for the gifts of nature that surround us — the spiritual joys we find in our daily reading, the laughter and genuineness of little children, the caresses and companionship of loved ones, the silence of a great forest, the stark beauty of the mountainous desert, the pastoral scenes of green hills and flowering fields, the wonders of a starry sky, the magnificence and power of a summer thunderstorm, the rustle of autumn leaves, the delights of an early morning snowfall glittering in the winter sun.

As St. Therese of Liseux, promoter of spiritual childhood, Rosebud of Heaven, wrote in her own innocence and sanctity:

EVERYTHING

Everything is a grace. Everything is the direct effect of our Father’s love;

difficulties, contradictions, humiliations, all the soul’s miseries;

her burdens, her needs – everything. Because through them she learns humility,

realizes her weakness. Everything is a grace because everything is God’s gift.

Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events,

to the heart that loves, all is well.

So, then, even through our tears we must smile and thank God for living in these times, for being able to help Him shoulder His cross and for being allowed to witness the culmination of all He came to earth to accomplish. We must learn to love, not as the world loves, but as Christ loved us. And that love was personified by His Passion, which all of us are reliving today. The world shudders at pain and suffering, avoids it at all costs, medicates excessively to avoid it. Too many of those who are depressed by what we must endure today to fill up what is wanting to Christ’s Passion seek to nullify the effects of that suffering with anti-depressants or illegal drugs, to avoid facing the pain of the living Hell on earth man has created for Himself without God. For some such medication is necessary to prevent a worse outcome — clinical depression, possibly suicide — but for others it is simply a way of avoiding the reality of our situation, a reality Christ chose as His own to redeem sinful men that they might reign with Him in Heaven.

If we are to truly imitate Christ, foolishness, frivolity, unseemly gaiety, constant joking, frequent indulgence in earthly amusements cannot be the road we travel. This Thomas a’ Kempis emphasizes over and over again in his Imitiation.The enjoyment of simple pleasures, cheerfulness overall, contentment, resignation to God’s holy will, perseverance in prayer, delight in holy things — this is our happiness. As Henry Cardinal Manning wrote: “I should be sorry to write a line in a tone to discourage even one simple faithful soul, but I would do even this for a moment if in so doing I could purify our confidence of the low human unreasoning unilluminated and the boastful and defiant tone too commonly heard. This seems to me to be not of faith or of the spirit of God. We know by the light of faith that all things are working out the greater glory of Jesus and of His Church…

“There is in store for the Church of God’s resurrection and then 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. 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 gospels 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 Messiah came in humility and in passion they did not know Him. So I’m 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.” And we are living it.

So here we should realize that there must be some restraint in both our sufferings and in our joys. Christ patiently, resolutely and lovingly embraced His Passion and death on the Cross, and so we must embrace ours. We have no intention here of encouraging anyone to go about with a dark and gloomy visage, anticipating woes they may never be asked to endure or discomfiting their friends and relatives with a worried and downcast countenance. We must be as upbeat as we are able, given our specific temperament.

But just as Christ did not beam down with happiness from the Cross, neither are we expected to radiate at all times a joy that is fleeting at best. Faith and patience Christ expected us to possess. Joy in anticipating an end to our earthly probation, whether through a natural death or the consummation, in anticipating the Beatific Vision, is a joy that must shine from within. Being perpetually jovial and oblivious to the evil around us rather than of a somber and prayerful demeanor in the face of the earth’s self-immolation is insanity. This is the attitude that prevailed in Noah’s time, when men carried on as usual despite warnings of the impending flood, as though all was right in the eyes of God. Love of God is our joy; its absence, our torment, and this must be reflected in our behavior.

None of us know how long this period of time will last, nor do we know what God will ask of us in order to keep our faith. In some countries it may be far worse than in others. It is far more likely that natural disasters, famine and plagues will cause mass casualties than invasion or war. Wars and rumors of wars are often used as political goads to push everything further to the left and justify policies and legislation that otherwise would never see the light of day. We must never lose faith and patience, for this is what will win us our souls in these times — the faith and patience of the saints, as we find in the Apocalypse. We read of this also in Ecclesiasticus 2:3-4; 15-16; 20-21:

“Wait on God with patience; join thyself to God and endure that thy life may be increased in the latter end. Take all that shall be brought upon thee and in thy sorrow endure, and in thy humiliation keep patience… Woe to them that are faint-hearted, that have lost patience and that have forsaken the right ways and have gone aside into crooked ways. They that fear the Lord will prepare their hearts and in His sight will sanctify their souls. They that fear the Lord keep His commandments and will have patience even until His visitation.”

And in Romans 15: 4-5: “For what things soever were written were written for our learning, that through patience and the comfort of the scriptures we might have hope. Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of one mind, one towards one another according to Jesus Christ.” And again in 2 Cor. 6:4: “But in all things let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of God in much patience and tribulations, in necessities, in distresses.” And finally in Luke 21:19: “In your patience you shall possess your souls.” It is only by this patient waiting on God, in never losing faith, in never reverting to our former crooked ways that we will persevere until the very end.

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Mr. Javier Morell-Ibarra’s Catholic Survival Guide, Pt. 7

(Continuing to expose the fables of the Traditionalists)

15. Satanic fable that there can be “bishops” and “clerics” without a Pope.

The answer is very simple: for there to be Catholic Bishops there must be a Pope, since without a Pope there cannot even be clergy (!), as tonsure is a legal act that marks the admission to the clerical state, without citing the current discipline that invalidates all current intruders in Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis, the 1917 Code of Canon Law, canon 953, and the Acta Apostolicae Sedis 43 (1951) April 9 pp. 217-218, which renders all false pastors excommunicated.

The harsh reality is that there are many blind people who are only following simple laymen disguised with fake mitres and cassocks purchased online. If you happen to be one of them, we beg you, one more time, to have mercy on your own soul and recant the heresies of Gallicanism and Febronianism as soon as possible.

16. Fable that the visible and hierarchical Church can never die, which in reality is a diabolical subterfuge used by “Traditionalist” imposters to justify their false ordinations and continue with their sacrilege.

These false prophets are the main adversaries and detractors of the Parousia of Our Lord Jesus Christ, as they refuse to accept that they were deceived by Lefebvre and Thuc when they resorted to them in search of the Orders. This just as they refuse to believe that the hierarchical and juridical Church ceased to exist after the death of Pope Pius XII, and above all, after the massive apostasy of all the Bishops on December 8, 1965, on the occasion of the closure of the heretical Vatican 2 fake council. So instead they have decided to carry on advancing towards the precipice in a suicidal manner, dragging with them a large number of naive souls, whom they teach the same error with obstinacy.

Thus, these hapless characters imitate those lukewarm followers of Our Lord in the famous passage from the Gospel of Saint John 12:32-36, who were under the pernicious influence of the Scribes and the Pharisees, hence they were scandalized when Our Lord told them that the Son of God must die and be raised from the earth to attract everything to Him, replying proudly that they knew from the Scriptures that the Messiah would not die. So they abandoned Him and returned to the false christs of the Scribes and Pharisees who told them what they wanted to hear instead.

Well, exactly the same thing happens to the unfortunate supporters of the “Traditionalist” false prophets today, that is, the Lefebvrist and Thucist fake clergy. This since they flatly refuse to accept there is NOT A SINGLE valid and licit Catholic priest left in the world who can offer the Holy Sacrifice of the altar, because this was meant to happen so that the Word of God could be fulfilled and the Son of God could come to judge everyone in His glorious Second Coming. They do this by showing with their sacrilegious, reckless acts that they disregard the infallible Magisterium of the Vicar of Christ because they love the ephemeral false glory of men more than the eternal glory of God.

17. Fable spread by the lay intruder Mark A. Pivarunas that there may be consecrated persons without the permission of the Pope during an interregnum.

This hypocrite individual supports his fable by saying that there were 21 consecrated persons without the permission of the Pope during the interregnum between 1268-1271, which is absolutely false, as Konrad Eubel and Pius Bonifacius Gams tell us in their respective works “Hierarchia catholica medii aevisive Summorum pontificum sive” and “Series episcoporum Ecclesiae catholicae.”

There we can verify that there was only one consecrated, adding the following two consecrations by the book Ecclesiastical History of Spain: Volume IV of the year 1873, by the Encyclopedia Gallia christiana, by the book Life of Félix Amat, Archbishop of Palmyra of the year 1838; as well as the book Viage Literario A Las Iglesias De España, Volume 19; and if a minimum of follow-up and study is done, it is verified that all of them had permission from the Pope. We could even quote “Licet ecclesiarum” by Pope Clement IV. Therefore, sustaining such impiety is manifestly heretical and perverse, since holding this fable is typical of the false prophets who try to get rid of the fundamental figure of the Pope, by daring to usurp his powers and prerogatives divinely conferred by Christ Our Lord.

18. Extremely perverse fable of resorting to “epikeia” as a false solution and “miraculous” excuse to skip over and disregard what has been established by the Vicars of Christ in their Magisterium and in the Holy Canons. First of all, we will explain what epikeia is, so that our kind readers can understand the twisted logic of this fable of the Anomos so widely used by today’s false prophets.

According to the Salmanticense Moral Compendium, epikeia is a modification of the law, or the exception of a particular case; it has also been defined as justice tempered with the sweetness of mercy. Based on this definition, Traditionalist intruders have concocted a very harmful fable directly threatening the Primacy of Saint Peter, which those charlatans dare to question and deny when they blasphemously defend that anyone during a vacancy of the Holy See may be elected, confirmed and consecrated as Catholic Bishop. This regardless of what Pope Pius XII decreed and confirmed in V.A.S., and that in Sede Vacante, through the use of the “epikeia“, or rather with nom serviam, even priests may marry (!?), because it is an ecclesiastical law.

They may also ordain other priests (!?), according to the logics of the Anomos, since we have precedents, (such as Boniface IX in the Bull Sacrae Religionisof 1-II-1400 that granted the Abbot of Saint Osita, in England, the possibility of ordaining deacons and priests, major orders, later renewed by Martin V in the Bull Gerentes ad vos of 6-XI-1427): and Innocent VIII in the Bull Exposcit tuae devotionis of 9-IV-1489, granted the general of the Cistercians the ability to ordain subdeacons and deacons.

It is obvious that, for these proud televangelists of the Anomos, everything, even Dogmas (!!), is open to change, as modernists and schismatics have always said and done, and since there is no Pope because the See has been vacant since October 9, 1958, everyone may be able to skip papal constitutions and all discipline by means of epikeia. We find ourselves in the most absolute and wildest non serviam, where we can make a Copernican turn in the Divine Constitution of the Church, and turn Divine laws into ecclesiastical ones by sleight of hand, such as those that include the forms of organization of the Mystical Body of Christ, as are also the laws that regulate the constitution of the Church and those that define the powers of the Pope and the Bishops, and thus usurp the powers and jurisdiction of the Pope in life.

As if such satanic audacity could even be possible, in a sophistic boast that any intruder can change the laws that they decide to call ecclesiastical! As if such laws did not demand obligatory submission to all validly baptized individuals, as stated in the Council of Trent and the Code of Canon Law, which is where they come from, as well as other disciplinary documents that this schismatic mob want to skip! As if they could, and that anyone could vary them at their spurious whim. As a matter of fact, they are trying to make us believe that just because we may skip the law of fast during Lent if we are convalescing due to illness thanks to epikeia, we could also reach the conclusion that anyone can repeal the laws imposed by the Popes and even convert Divine laws into human ones, which constitutes horrendous blasphemy and impiety. Therefore, it is not surprising to see many of these false christs posing as wandering “clerics” who actually believe possessing such an impious power that would enable them to roam freely without being subject to their “Bishop”, and so many other irregularities, which are upheld by those who claim to defend “Tradition” with the most infamous treason.

Given these soul thieves believe that “epikeia” is the magic word that would whitewash their sacrilege and desecration, they should learn the following:

“Let us assume that an elected Bishop, presented by His Majesty, after receiving the presentation certificates, went to the Church, to be presented distantly, as all those in Peru are, and in great need for the governing Bishop, and that said Bishop who is distant, and with the need to consecrate it, and take possession of his Bishopric, and that His Holiness, in the interim, having made the consistories that are made for the confirmation of the Bishop, found, that he did not he had to confirm him, and so did not confirm him; I wonder what would it be then? would epikeia prevail? or the express will of the Pontiff?

Because if epikeia prevailed, we should say that there may be episcopal jurisdiction in the Church of God, which does not emanate from the Supreme Head, against his express will. But if the express will of His Holiness prevailed (as it is certain that it would prevail), it would be evident that the express will of His Holiness had to have been kept, by fiat, and his confirmation, and that the reason of epikeia could not be obtained by usury in said case.” (Francisco de Contreras, Information that those elected to bishops cannot be consecrated or take possession of their bishoprics without first receiving the apostolic letters from His Holiness the Pope, 1647, nº 3).

“Human invalidating laws sometimes stop binding; but epikeia cannot be applied to human invalidating laws.” (The History, Nature, and Use of Epikeia in Moral Theology, by Riley, Lawrence J. (Lawrence Joseph), Bp., 1914, page 460, point 12. IMPRIMATUR: Richardus Jacobus Cushing. D.D., May 7, 1948.)

We now quote the 1917 Code of Catholic Canon Law:

Canon 11: Only those laws by which, in express or equivalent terms, an act is declared void or a person is declared incapacitated will be considered invalid or disqualifying.

POPE PIUS XII, 1945, Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis, paragraphs 1 to 3, chapter 1:

“The laws given by the Roman Pontiffs cannot be corrected or changed by the meeting of the cardinals of the Roman Church [the See] being vacant; nor can anything be removed or added, NOR CAN ANY DISPENSATION BE MADE REGARDING THE LAWS THEMSELVES OR SOME PART OF THEM. This is very evident in the Pontifical Constitutions [on]… the election of the Roman Pontiff. BUT IF ANYTHING CONTRARY TO THIS PRECEPT IS PRODUCED OR INTENDED BY CHANCE, WE DECLARE IT BY OUR SUPREME AUTHORITY VOID.”

1917 CODE OF CANON LAW:

Canon 2370: “A bishop who consecrates another bishop, and the assisting bishops, or the priests assisting bishops, the consecrator and the newly consecrated bishop, who have made the consecration without an apostolic mandate in violation of Canon 953, are all automatically suspended (and excommunicated) until the Apostolic See has relieved them of their sentence.”

Canon 2372: “A suspension ‘a divinis’ reserved for the Apostolic See thus strikes those who presume to receive the orders of an excommunicated, suspended or prohibited minister after a declaratory or condemnatory sentence, or of a notorious apostate, heretic or schismatic. Those who have been ordered in good faith by one of them are deprived of the exercise of the order thus received, until they are exempt from this prescription.”

Canon 188.4: “All offices will be vacant ipso facto by tacit resignation: If a cleric has publicly departed from the Catholic faith.” 

Canon 2316: “Anyone who, spontaneously and consciously, helps in any way to spread heresy, or communicates “in divinis” with heretics, is considered a suspect of heresy, contrary to what is prescribed in canon   1258.”

Rev. Riley, Lawrence J., The history, nature, and use of epikeia in moral theology. IMPRIMATUR: Richardus Jacobus Cushing. D.D., May 7, 1948.

“…it can be concluded that in regards to matters that touch the essence of the Sacraments, the use of epikeia is always excluded.”

Page 344

“As regards the essence of these Sacraments, what has been previously explained about all the Sacraments is applicable to them, that is, that epikeia is never licit.”

Page 347

“At most, epikeia may excuse the individual from the precept, but it can never confer the ability to act. Epikeia cannot grant him the power that he now does not possess, nor can it restore the power that the law has withdrawn from him. For such granting or restoration of power requires a positive act.”

Page 387

3. Everyone agrees that the sacraments of the new law, as sensible signs that produce invisible grace, must both signify the grace they produce and produce the grace they signify. Now, the effects that must be produced and, therefore, also signified by the Holy Ordination to the diaconate, to the priesthood and to the episcopate, namely, power and grace, in all the rites of the different times and places of the universal Church, are sufficiently signified by the imposition of hands and the words that determine it.

SACRAMENTUM ORDINIS, The episcopate is a sacrament.

Pope PIUS XII, 1947

“Consideration of the above truths leads to the conclusion that the manifest and unequivocal intention of Jesus Christ, the Divine Founder of the Church, was to establish it forever as a hierarchical-monarchical society. Nowhere in the revelation is there evidence of the intention to allow exceptions or changes to this constitution in future history, through the use of epikeia or on any other basis Men are physically free, of course, to found other churches, differing in constitution and nature from the one established by Christ. But such churches are not of Christ, and their very existence is opposed to the will of the Son of God. For, by virtue of the positively expressed will of its divine founder, the Church in its essence is to remain unchanged until the end of times.” (The history, nature and use of epikeia in moral theology, by Riley, Lawrence J. (Lawrence Joseph), Bp, 1948, page 330)

And assuming a certainly impossible assumption that we could bypass an invalidating law, by means of epikeia, thus bypassing the Supreme Authority of a Pope, which cannot be done, the question is the following: Where are those Bishops consecrated before October 9, 1958 with jurisdiction, mission, apostolicity, Catholicity that only a true Pope can give them, which is of Divine Right, and who did not apostatize in 1965?… Of course, in the multiple sects founded by the Montinian archbishop of Bulla Regia, that is to say, in the multiple sects of the Thucist schism, no way, they are not there. Nor are those Bishops found in the schism generated by the Montinian Archbishop of Sinnada de Phrygia, i.e., in the SSPX or Lefebvrist sect.

All the intruders coming out of the most pestilent bowels of the great Babylon in the 1970s and the 1980s will tell us that, in order to save ourselves, we must disobey the Papacy, its Magisterium and Canon Law, which is terrible blasphemy, pretending to make us believe that, by means of a Copernican twist of the “Salus populi suprema lex est”, disobeying the Pope will save us. But that is only typical of ministers of the Antichrist, so we must obey the Pope at all times, because he will never take us out of the Ark of Salvation. We must flee from the false shepherds who claim to give bread, but can only give wormwood, that is, bitterness and spiritual death. We remind those schismatic rebels of the serious warning by Boniface VIII: “We declare, say, define and pronounce that submitting to the Roman Pontiff is absolutely necessary for the salvation of every human creature.” (Bull Unam Sanctam)

It is more than evident that the “Traditionalist” intruders seek to drag as many unsuspecting people as possible into the multiple schisms they have set up based on hoaxes, sophistry, double language and manifest disobedience to Saint Peter and his Successors. Hence, the faithful should keep their eyes wide open and not be deceived by these lepers of schism and heresy, because as Saint Jerome teaches us: “Whoever does not sow with Peter, scatters his seed in the wind.”

“May God give you the necessary grace to defend the rights of the Sovereign Pontiff and of the Holy See; because without the Pope there is no Church, and there is no Catholic Society without the Holy See.“ – Pope Pius IX, Address to Religious Superiors, June, 1872.

More on the error of Millenarianism and what it means for us today, Pt. 2

by T. Stanfill Benns | Apr 14, 2023 | New Blog

+St. Justin, Martyr+

As seen in our last blog, Manuel Lacunza y Diaz , S.J. was the individual specifically mentioned in the condemnation issued by the Holy Office in 1944 against Millenarianism and entered itno the Acta Apostolica Sedis. It is important to completely understand the implications of this renewed condemnation from the Holy Office, the original being issued in 1824, because it has not been generally discussed nor explained. From what we can learn about Lacunza without access to a Catholic interpretation of his work, he falsely taught that:

–The Apocalypse should be interpreted literally, not mystically or spiritually.

– Antichrist will be more akin to a moral system, not just an individual man.

– During the worst of Antichrist’s persecution, Christ will gather the elect up into the clouds to escape – the basis for the Protestant rapture theory.

– Christ will come to destroy Antichrist and his system, ending that age.

– The “end of the age” and “end of the world” refer to two different times.

– One age will end and a new age of peace lasting 1,000 years or more will begin, with Christ visibly reigning on earth with His resurrected saints.

– The hierarchy (at least the bishops) and some faithful Catholics will reign with Christ.

– Following the 1,000 plus years of peace, “the dragon will once again be loosed… to deceive the whole world,” THENthe world will end.

– But the world will not be destroyed by fire, even after the “reign of peace.”

Defining Millenarianism

The 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia tells us: “Millenarianism, as understood by Christian writers, may be set forth as follows: At the end of time Christ will return in all His splendour to gather together the just, to annihilate hostile powers, and to found a glorious kingdom on earth for the enjoyment of the highest spiritual and material blessings… The duration of this glorious reign of Christ and His saints on earth, is frequently given as one thousand years. Hence it is commonly known as the “millennium”, while the belief in the future realization of the kingdom is called “millenarianism” (or “chiliasm”, from the Greek chilia, scil. ete)… The roots of the belief in a glorious kingdom, partly natural, partly supernatural, are found in the hopes of the Jews for a temporal Messiah and in the Jewish apocalyptic.”

Leo J. Trese in The Faith Explained, (Fides Publishers, 1959), speaking of those who take Apoc. 20:6 literally, writes: “St. John, describing a prophetic vision (Apoc. 20:1-6), says that the devil will be bound and imprisoned for a thousand years, during which the dead will come to life and reign with Christ; at the end of the thousand years the devil will be released and finally vanquished forever, and then will come the second resurrection… Those who do take this passage literally and believe that Jesus will come to reign upon earth for a thousand years before the end of the world are called millenarists… This view, however, does not agree with Christ’s own prophecies and millenarianism is rejected by the Catholic Church as a heresy” (p. 182). Compare the above definitions to Lacunza’s idea of the 1,000 years and the conversion of the Jews during that time: “If the 20th chapter of the Apocalypse is to be literally understood, Jesus Christ himself with all his saints now risen, ought actually to reign in Jerusalem over the whole orb of the earth, and that for a thousand years…”  

No spiritual period of peace

Given these definitions of Millenarianism, it is difficult to see how Lacunza’s teaching is “moderated” in any way. For the Holy Office decision begins by describing Lacunza’s system as already moderated or mitigated, then states that “It is not possible to teach systematic Millenarianism, even if moderated…” So how was it moderated given the Catholic Encyclopedia definition, written three decades earlier? St. Augustine of Hippo answers this difficulty in his The City of God, where he describes the beliefs of the early (Jewish-influenced) Chiliasts:

“Those who then rise again shall enjoy the leisure of immoderate carnal banquets, furnished with an amount of meat and drink such as not only to shock the feeling of the temperate, but even to surpass the measure of credulity…. They who believe them are called by the spiritual Chiliasts, which we may reproduce by the name of Millenarians…” Yet St. Augustine also noted that a period of peace or “sabbath rest” is indeed a valid interpretation of Apocalypse, Ch. 20 as long as the Millenarinist interpretation is not intended.” He explains:

“…As if it were a fitting thing that the saints should thus enjoy a kind of Sabbath-rest during that period [of a “thousand years”], a holy leisure after the labors of six thousand years since man was created… [and] there should follow on the completion of six thousand years, as of six days, a kind of seventh-day Sabbath in the succeeding thousand years… And this opinion would not be objectionable, if it were believed that the joys of the saints, in that Sabbath, shall be spiritual, and consequent on the presence of God… (Bk.10, Ch. 7, The City of God).

After explaining that many Catholics anticipate a triumph of Christ’s Church on earth prior to the Second Coming, a “happy era of human sanctity” where Christ the King would predominate spiritually, not physically, Rev. Anscar Vonier, O.S.B. comments:  “Such an occurrence is not excluded, is not impossible, it is not at all certain that there will not be a prolonged period of triumphant Christianity before the end… If before that final end there is to be a period, more or less prolonged, of triumphant sanctity, such a result will be brought about not by the apparition of the person of Christ in Majesty but by the operation of those powers of sanctification which are now at work, the Holy Ghost and the Sacraments of the Church” (The Teaching of the Catholic Church: A Summary of Catholic Doctrine, MacMillan Co., 1959, p. 1140, from the Theological Commission of 1952, which is a Magisterial document).

All this would be just fine if all these powers of sanctification remained in place as they were instituted by Christ, with a pope and hierarchy to oversee them. But how is any of this supposed to come about if the structure of the Church no longer exists, and only a scant few Catholics remain faithful to Her teachings? If we believe this is possible it seems that we fall into another error condemned by the Church, also described in the Catholic Encyclopedia under Millenarianism:

“The fantastic views of the apocalyptic writers (Joachim of Floris, the Franciscan-Spirituals, the Apostolici), referred only to a particular form of spiritual renovation of the Church, but did not include a second advent of Christ. The “emperor myths,” which prophesied the establishment of a happy, universal kingdom by the great emperor of the future, contain indeed descriptions that remind one of the ancient Sybilline and millenarian writings…” According to Joachim of Fiore, an age of the Holy Ghost would succeed the Old Testament age of the Father and the New Testament age of the Son, another reference to the different “ages.” Instead of the Second Coming, Joachim taught that a new age of peace and brotherhood would begin, and a newly spiritualized version of man would emerge. In his writings, this “age of the laity,” so to speak, would make the hierarchy almost unnecessary. He also taught that Babylon in Apocalypse meant Rome and a pope would become the Antichrist. Rome condemned his writings (DZ 431-433), but not him by name.

Here we even see a pagan version of the Great Monarch, which shows the true origin of this  fable. And since Joachim of Fiore’s idea of a lay spiritual revival is also condemned, there can be scarcely any hope of even a brief period of a peace following the death of Antichrist, as mentioned in Part 1, since we have no pope and no hierarchy, nor any means to re-establish the papacy. Those expecting such a peace point to Fatima of course, but as stated earlier, that peace was NOT unconditional, as Fatima promoters claim. It was entirely dependent on the consecration of Russia (IF this was indeed what Our Lady requested) prior to World War II by Pope Pius XI, and a sufficient number of Catholics praying the Rosary and performing works of penance.

This obviously did not happen, and the third secret, which was never officially revealed to us, came to pass: the destruction of the Church. Mary’s Immaculate Heart will triumph at the end of the world at the death of Antichrist, when all heresies are destroyed. It is beyond me how anyone could think that after the earth has been soiled by so many sacrileges and blasphemies, horrid, heart-rending crimes against children, Satan worship, all manner of impurity, the blood of countless martyrs and so many other evils, anyone would want to remain here to enjoy some kind of “peace.” Please count me out. I want only to be taken away to Heaven — please God may it be possible — with Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, to enjoy that “peace of God… which surpasseth all understanding” (Phil. 4:4).That is the peace we should all be longing for and praying for.

Antichrist will be a specific individual

Had the Jesuits Ribera, St. Robert Bellarmine and other commentators been less focused on defending the papacy against the attacks of the Protestants ad infinitum, and more intent on presenting a clearer picture of what could realistically be expected in the end times based on the teachings of Pope Paul IV and Holy Scripture, we might have been better able to sort out what to expect today. But obviously God wished to keep it hidden until the very end. And the Jesuits had their mission directly from the popes, so could never have deviated from it. They could not have afforded to use Pope Paul IV’s teaching in Cum ex Apostolatus Officio to defend the papal Antichrist theory for this would only have confirmed the possibility of identifying the papacy with Antichrist, and this would have placed the Reformers’ focus on every papal election, looking for the appearance of the Beast. This is probably why the bull was downplayed and deep-sixed so to speak, until our own times. It is humbling to think it may have been written specifically for us, to help identify the true Antichrist when he arrived.

And that Antichrist proper would be a certain, identifiable individual, as Pope Paul IV indicated, and not just a system, as Lacunza falsely taught, cannot be dismissed as a matter of speculation, or an uncertainty. This is brought out by Michael Gruenthaner, S. J., in a 1942 article for the Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He writes:

“Modern theologians base their definition of Antichrist on the passages of St. John’s epistles and all the words of St. Paul in 2 Thess. 2: 1-12. On the authority of these texts they regard it as certain that Antichrist will be an individual human being endowed with the qualities outlined in these texts who will appear at the end of time and will be destroyed by Christ at his second coming. It is apparent that this explanation of the texts in question does not belong to the deposit of faith and is not necessarily connected with this deposit, for the theologians do not declare that it must be accepted as such; they merely pronounce it as certain… In view, however, of the unanimous consent of the fathers and the theologians it would be imprudent to deny that the doctrine of an individual Antichrist is contained either explicitly or implicitly in the Scriptures unless we have cogent arguments to the contrary.”

While Gruenthaner may believe that to deny this teaching is only “imprudent,” the Vatican Council teaches it is more than that. In DZ 1788 we read: “In order to restrain impetuous minds… We, renewing the decree [of the Council of Trent], declare that in matters of faith and morals pertaining to the instruction of Christian doctrine, that must be considered as the true sense of Sacred Scripture which Holy Mother Church has held and holds, whose office is to judge concerning the true understanding and interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures. And for that reason, no one is permitted to interpret Sacred Scripture itself contrary to this sense or even contrary to the unanimous agreement of the Fathers.”

This is an order to hold the teaching of the Fathers and theologians both as the TRUE sense of Sacred Scripture, and if someone were to claim that it was permitted to do otherwise they would be denying the authority of the Vatican Council. Therefore we must believe that Antichrist IS an individual man. And at least one theologian, Rev. Jean Allo, a well-respected French scripture scholar, has opined that Antichrist is also a “collective personality, the entire series of those working in behalf of Satan to the end of time” as Gruenthaner notes; “a malevolent power” exercised by a series of antichrists “culminating in” (or emanating from) a particular man. This avoids Lacunza’s error and defines our own situation.

St. Bernard and Pope Paul IV define Antichrist

To be clear, this system of Antichrist both culminates in Paul 6 and emanates from him. The Church has repeatedly referred to antipopes throughout Her history as antichrists. St. Bernard of Clairvaux openly called the antipope Anacletus II Antichrist. Championing Pope Innocent II, St. Bernard wrote: “Behold Innocent the Christ, the anointed of the Lord… They that are of God willingly adhere to him whilst opposed to him stand Antichrist and his followers. We have seen the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place to attain which the antipope burned with fire the sanctuary of God. He persecutes Innocent and with him all innocence… [He is] that beast of the Apocalypse, to whom has been given a mouth speaking blasphemy and power to wage war against the saints (Apoc. 13:5-7) …He has seated himself in the Chair of Peter. The holy place he covets, not for its holiness, but for its height. He has, I say, got possession of the holy place [but] not through the merit of his life. The election whereof he boasts is but a cloak for his malice. To call it an election at all is an impudent lie.”

Is not this the absolute confirmation of what Pope Paul IV would teach 400 years later? Who is this antipope but the ‘Son of Perdition (2 Thess. 2:3), who has tried to seduce the Church throughout the ages? How can it NOT fit Angelo Roncalli and Giovanni Baptiste Montini? Include Pope Paul IV’s definition of the abomination of desolation as a heretic, apsotate or schismatic, invalidly elected, followed by a series of successors including the Man of Sin, and we have the complete picture.  And it is in perfect agreement with what is described in the Book of Daniel and in the Apocalypse. Roncalli and Montini were collaborators, even before their “elections.” They had worked out the details of their system over an extended period of time in the star chambers of the Illuminati. As Pope Pius XII’s pro-secretary of state, Montini had established a worldwide network of clerical spies during World War II to keep a close eye on world events and bring about both the success of his father’s Christian Democrat party and his own election.

The three years-and-a-half came and went

The three years and a half (1,260 days) all assume to be the brief duration of Antichrist’s reign is described by many commentators as only the heighth or pinnacle of his reign of terror. This might be counted from Paul 6’s address to the United Nations Oct. 4, 1965 to the official promulgation of the Novus Ordo on April 3, 1969 — exactly three years and a half. He appeared at the United Nations only two weeks after the passage of the schema on religious liberty by the council fathers –1,997 to 224 — the schema endorsing the teachings of John Courtney Murray S.J., so fiercely opposed by Msgr. Joseph C. Fenton. His address to the UN was a victory speech, a celebration of the destruction of the Church initially set in motion by the U.S. government itself as declassified CIA documents prove. There he proclaimed: “Behold the day we have awaited for centuries.” He thereby surrendered the Church’s supremacy in teaching and belief before the world and Her undeniable requirement for membership in Her ranks in order to secure eternal salvation.

And then of course there was the horrendous revision of all the sacramental rites in 1968, a year many have pointed to as a chaotic watershed year for both the nation and the anti-Church. The Sacraments instituted by Christ, which Pope St. Pius X and Pope Pius XII taught could never be touched in their essentials, were reduced to the mere symbols prescribed by the Modernists. And this necessarily coincided with the liturgical changes, already in full swing, since the heighth of Antichrist’s reign could not have been complete without the abolition of the Continual Sacrifice.

Cessation of the Continual Sacrifice

Of course the promulgation of the Novus Ordo Missae was only the abrogation of what the public believed to be the true “Latin” Mass but was really the corrupted John 23 missal. The true abrogation of the Mass of Pope St. Pius V occurred with the promulgation of John 23^rd’s missal. But the corruption of the Consecration of the Wine (translating “for many” from the Latin into English as “for all men”) appeared with the issuance of dialogue Mass booklets for the laity in January 1959. Here we see gradualism at its finest, a gradualism Xavier Rynne, in his Vatican Council IIascribes to Montini as follows: “Pope Paul was firmly committed to gradualism as a policy of action and to middle-of-the road solutions as a goal” (p. 447). And gradualism has long been a Communist tool, but then Saul Alinksy and Montini were great friends, so…

This cessation of the Continual Sacrifice is yet another biblical prophecy that is confirmed by the unanimous opinion of the Fathers. Henry Edward Cardinal Manning tells us, in his The Present Crisis of the Holy See Tested by Prophecy:“The Holy Fathers who have written upon the subject of Antichrist and the prophecies of Daniel — 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.” And yet so very few among the commentators note this necessary identifying mark of the Sea Beast, the Man of Sin, even though it was the completion of the Great Revolt. All know and readily admit it was the final straw following the false Vatican 2 council that led to nearly half of all those then identifying as Catholic to leave the anti-Church. By departing, they fulfilled Christ’s prophecy in Matt. 26:31:  that the sheep would scatter once God Himself struck the shepherd, implicitly acknowledging the fact that the Man of Sin was then reigning.

Conclusion

So there are three truths which we cannot doubt: the two which rest on the unanimous opinion of the Fathers regarding the Man of Sin and the Continual Sacrifice; and the third being the  definition of the abomination of desolation by first St. Bernard and then finally and infallibly, Pope Paul IV in Cum ex Apostolatus Officio. For Paul IV explained the mystery of 2 Thess. 2 regarding “he who withholdeth” as the papacy and the Church,  and how they could be taken out of the way, something Henry Cardinal Manning explains in his work, The Temporal Power of the Vicar of Christ. Although Manning does not refer to Paul IV’s Bull, because even then he could not do so without raising Protestant speculation, it is clear that he believed Antichrist could reign only in the absence of a canonically elected Roman Pontiff and the Apostolic College. And so he did.

Could the three and a half years also apply to the time Satan is loosed, when the papacy is renounced and Satan himself unleashed as the world’s religious leader proceeds to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple? Some commentators believe there will be two three and a half year periods, but they are very few. The mention of this in Chapter 20 of Apocalypse indicates Satan himself will descend on the “camp of the saints” and inspire what Rev. Haydock describes as “the last persecution of Antichrist” by Gog and Magog, which some believe is Russia and its leader in league with China and other nations. If we live in the time after antichrist described by St. Thomas Aquinas, which I believe that we do, the three and a half years are past. Satan and his hordes will come quickly and the battle of Armageddon will be waged as described in Chap. 16 of Apocalypse. This I have detailed at some length here and here.

The Church has never endorsed the literal interpretation of Apocalypse. And yet all the horrors of Antichrist perpetrated on the faithful are presented as physical events, not spiritual ones. Christ warned us: “And fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10: 28). The intellect is the seat of the soul, as St. Thomas Aquinas teaches: “The intellectual soul is sometimes called intellect, as from its chief power; and thus we read (De Anima i, 4), that the “intellect is a substance.” And in this sense also Augustine says that the mind is spirit and essence (De Trin. ix, 2; xiv, 16)… Wherefore it follows not that the intellect is the substance of the soul, but that it is its virtue and power.”

Antichrist has conducted a relentless war of fraud and deceit, lying illusions, and false miracles on the intellect that has robbed nearly all who were once Catholic of their faith. His war is not primarily a physical one, although certainly it has had its physical aspects. And certainly Satan’s onslaught as the last antichrist may end in unimaginable carnage. These are things we cannot know; everything written here and all that was written by the commentators is speculation. While it may be much easier to see into the future as we witness prophecy being fulfilled, only the event itself will reveal the truth.

“Therefore fear them not. For nothing is covered that shall not be revealed: nor hid, that shall not be known. That which I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light: and that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the housetops” (Matt. 10: 26-27). We hear you, dear Lord.

Mr. Javier Morell-Ibarra’s Catholic Survival Guide, Pt. 6

(Sorry for misspelling your name in past blogs!)

11. Fable that the Magisterium should not be interpreted literally.

The false prophets accuse those who rely on the Magisterium of being rigorous zealots for wanting to expose them, since they allege that it is barbaric and unfair to want to interpret everything to the letter, but that is a blatant lie, as well as blasphemy. Because belief and adherence to the Magisterium is a matter of Catholic faith, which tells us that “the See of Peter always remains free from all error.” Basically, the great problem of these sophists who are expert in misrepresenting everything is they have convinced themselves that the infallible Magisterium of the Vicars of Christ was a matter of purely human faith, like private revelations, when in reality it is a question of Catholic faith. Therefore, whoever does not respectfully believe and yield obedience to the Magisterium divinely inspired by the Holy Ghost for the edification and government of the souls that make up the Mystical Body, whoever does not believe this, commits a sin against the Holy Ghost, make no mistake about it. There is no excuse whatsoever for those professional charlatans posing as Catholic clergy.

12. Fable that we ought to recognize antipope Bergoglio, alias “Francis”, along with the other usurpers of the Papacy starting from masonic agent Angelo Roncalli, since the laity would have no authority to determine whether or not they are heretics, so we would be somehow forced to submit to these enemies of God, resisting them when they make mistakes, because absolute obedience is not due to the “popes” (?), alleging sophistically that “we must obey God before men.” [Acts 5, 29]

The answer to this absurd fallacy is very simple, since it is not we, simple laymen, who determine that the See is Vacant, but it is heresy itself that determines it, since a public and notorious heretic [from Roncalli to Bergoglio] cannot be Pope, since the Magisterium of the Catholic Church establishes very clearly that a person who departs from the Catholic Faith and commits heresy cannot be Pope, without the need for a subsequent express declaration to that effect, as decreed by Pope Paul IV in his Bull Cum ex apostolatus officio promulgated in perpetuity. This admonition of the first Vicar of Christ and the rest of the Apostles in Acts 5:29 has been maliciously distorted to try and turn it into carte blanche to disobey the Supreme Pontiff, but the “luminary” who came up with such an impious interpretation completely forgot about Luke 10:16. There we read that whoever hears blessed Saint Peter and his Apostles, hears Our Lord, and whoever despises them, despises Christ and His heavenly Father that sent Him. For the Pope is sweet Christ on earth, so he that hears the Pope, hears Christ and His Eternal Father. Quoting his Holiness Pope Pius XII: “By mysterious designs of the Providence, WE HAVE BEEN CALLED TO BE here below the Vicar and representative of Jesus Christ, THE LIVING IMAGE OF GOD INCARNATE” (September 30, 1939.)

Basically, it is about the same perverse fallacy held by hypocritical heretic Marcel Lefebvre and his unfortunate spiritual offspring of the SSPX sect, thus showing their null catholicity by recognizing and resisting on multiple occasions those whom they considered as “popes”, that is, antichrists Montini, Luciani, Wojtyla, Ratzinger, and now Bergoglio, “ignoring” that the Pope is the Successor of Saint Peter, and that the Episcopal Body, which is the Catholic Bishops in communion with the Pope. The Bishops validly and licitly consecrated, with a mission received from the Pope, are the successors of the Apostles. Hence, if anyone dares to disobey the Pope, he is disobeying God. It is of Catholic and Divine faith that the Holy Church is exempt from all error, and furthermore Christ and his vicar constitute a single Head [cf Unam sanctam, Mystici Corporis Christi]. Therefore, to maintain that the passage from Acts 5:29 would enable anyone to disobey the Pope is blatant blasphemy typical of charlatans like hypocritical heretic Lefebvre.

The malice of this sophistry is enormous, since to dare claim that the Pope, the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the most holy head in the entire world, who is also the Head of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Holy Catholic Church, the most holy and immaculate Body that ever existed; to even venture that such a Head can fail or err is intolerable impiety and gross blasphemy. In another age, the Holy Office would never have allowed such a degree of audacity and irreverence, which constitutes a very grave sin against the Holy Ghost as it maliciously suggests that the Paraclete would be wrong when speaking through the mouth of the Pontiffs.

13. Fable of appealing for adherence to a “future Pope” who, according to the “Traditionalist” impostors, would confirm and legalize (!?) the multiple irregularities and transgressions committed by those wretches, who insolently pretend to be nothing less than “successors of the Apostles.” (!?)

Based on this false logic, many of these hirelings and soul thieves have impiously dared to erect “religious foundations” and to profess “solemn vows”, carrying out according to them the “apostolic mission” for which they have been called (!?), trusting in a future “Pope” who will give his approval to such desecrations, which is utter madness. The answer to such arrogance is simple, and it is provided by Pope Pius II: “Who will not find it ridiculous, when the appeals are made for what does not exist and for the time of whose future existence no one knows?” 

Pope Pius II, Execrabilis, 1460.

From which it automatically follows that without Jurisdiction provided by the Pope there is no Apostolicity, and without the Pope there is no Jurisdiction [cf Mystici Corporis Christi, Ad Sinarum Gentem, Apostolorum Principis Sepulcrum), all those pretentious charlatans being only intruders, that is, non-Catholics.“Legitimate mission is that which comes from the one who has the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven or of the Church, who is the Pope. Thus, the intruding bishops or those who separate from obedience to the Roman Pontiff, ARE NOT SUCCESSORS OF THE APOSTLES, BUT THIEVES, as Jesus Christ calls them, and we must flee from them as sheep flee from wolves.” (Saint Anthony Mary Claret, 1849, The Fourth Mark of the Church: Apostolic)

“To become a successor of the Apostles, it is necessary to be received into the body of the Apostles, into that body that Christ gave power to govern His Church. Thus, even at the time of the Apostles, their successors were appointed… Jurisdiction is possessed only by those in communion with and under the obedience of the supreme head of the Church… The Roman Catholic Church is apostolic because the body of their teachers and rulers legitimately succeed the Apostles. The apostolicity of the teaching body of the Church is for us a guarantee for the apostolicity of the doctrine and the sacraments of the Church, and of all its permanent institutions. Being the successors of the Apostles, the bishops cannot carry out their office independently of the Pope, their supreme head, because the apostles recognized Saint Peter as their supreme head… 

“The dependence of the bishops on the Pope is even greater than that of the Apostles on Peter; because the Apostles, having received the extraordinary mission of preaching the Gospel… also received an extraordinary power from Our Lord they did not transmit to their successors… Individual bishops do not inherit this extraordinary power… The bishop… invested with the episcopal dignity by the clergy or even by a chapter, contrary to the laws of the Church… is an intruder. All those who support a priest, bishop or diocesan administrator who has not legitimately received his mission from the Pope, and all who relate to him in spiritual matters, are, like the one they support, treated by the Church as schismatics, because by such action they separate themselves from the unity of the Church.” (Rev. Wilhelm Wilmers, Handbook of the Christian Religion, 1891).

“Apostolicity of mission means the Church is a moral body, that it possesses the mission entrusted by Jesus Christ to the Apostles and that it is transmitted through them and their legitimate successors in an uninterrupted chain of the current representatives of Christ on earth. This authoritative transmission of power in the Church constitutes apostolic succession. This apostolic succession must be both material and formal; the material consists of the royal succession in the Church, through a series of persons from the apostolic age to the present; the formal adds the element of authority in the transmission of power; It consists in the legitimate transmission of the ministerial power conferred by Christ on his Apostles. No one can give a power he does not possess. Therefore, in tracing the location of the mission of the Church back to the Apostles, no gap can be allowed, no new mission can emerge; rather, the mission conferred by Christ must pass from generation to generation through legal and uninterrupted succession. The Apostles received it from Christ and gave it in turn to those rightfully appointed by them, and these again selected others to continue the work of the ministry.

“Any interruption in this succession destroys apostolicity, because the break means the beginning of a new series that is not Apostolic. “How will they preach if they are not sent?” (Rom. 10, 15). An authoritative teaching mission is absolutely necessary, a mission entrusted by a man is not authoritative. Hence any concept of apostolicity that excludes the authoritative union of the apostolic mission robs the ministry of its divine character. Apostolicity, or apostolic succession, then, means that the mission conferred by Jesus on the Apostles must pass from them to their legitimate successors, in an unbroken line, until the end of the world/consummation of the age. This notion of apostolicity is derived from the words of Christ himself, the practice of the Apostles, and the teaching of the Fathers and theologians of the Church.

“Apostolicity is not found in any other Church. This is a necessary consequence of the unity of the Church. If there is only one true Church, and if the Catholic Church, as just pointed out, is Apostolic, it follows that no other Church is Apostolic. All the sects that reject the episcopate, by the very fact make the apostolic succession impossible, since they destroy the channel through which the apostolic mission is transmitted. Historically, the beginnings of all of these churches date back to a period of time after the time of Christ and the Apostles. As for the Greek Church, it is enough to point out that it lost the apostolic succession by withdrawing from the jurisdiction of the legitimate successors of Saint Peter in the See of Rome. The same is true of Anglican claims to continuity (MacLaughlin, “Divine Plan of the Church”, 213; and, Newman, “Diff. Of Angl.”, Lecture 12), for the very fact of separation destroys their jurisdiction. They have based their claims on the validity of Anglican orders. However, these have been declared invalid. But even if they were valid, the Anglican Church would not be apostolic, for jurisdiction is essential to the apostolicity of mission. A study of the organization of the Anglican Church shows that it is completely different from the Church established by Jesus Christ.” (The Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907).

14. Fable that the Montinian, Novus Ordo or conciliar sect is our only enemy, cunningly seeking to exempt their “traditionalist” franchises from any responsibility. It is a reiteration of the “Non Una Cum” fable, used as a perverse mantra by the false prophets of the Thucist schism and the ex-Lefebvrist false wandering clergy.

Resolution of this fable:

If you and your followers state day in day out that the Conciliar church is not the Catholic Church, but a non-Catholic sect that has broken with Catholicism, then absolutely all the Catholic Bishops, whether validly and licitly consecrated by His Holiness Saint Pius X, His Holiness Benedict XV, His Holiness Pius XI or His Holiness Pius XII who defected to the Conciliar sect, ipso facto ceased to be Catholic Bishops [cf Canon 188.4, Cum ex Apostolatus officio] by their public abandonment of the Catholic Faith, ipso facto losing their ecclesiastical offices and their jurisdiction, not the character of the order, which is indelible, that is, indelible as long as the order has been received, of course.

On the other hand, if you state actively and passively that His Holiness Pius XII is the last true Pope, who bound in heaven that the power of Jurisdiction only reaches the Bishop through the Pope [cf Mystici Corporis Christi, Ad Sinarum Gentem, Apostolorum Principis Sepulcrum], who made it clear that the current discipline for the consecration of Catholic Bishops is reserved exclusively to the Pope, and that no Bishop can proceed to it without a certain apostolic mandate (Canon 953), and whoever consecrates without permission from the Pope ends up being excommunicated (Acta Apostolica Sedis 43 (1951) pp 217-218) and suspended ipso facto (Canon 2370), and who also taught that in periods of interregnum (Apostolic Constitution Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis [Acta Apostolica Sedis 38 ( 1946), n. 3, pp. 65-99]).

Under His Supreme Authority, which is that of Our Lord Jesus Christ, all power and jurisdiction of the Pope in life cannot be used or exercised, otherwise it will be null and void , that is invalid, as His Holiness Pope Leo XIII declared in his infallible Bull Apostolicae Curae of September 13, 1896, and the current discipline on episcopal consecrations is reserved exclusively to the Pope while he is alive (Canon 953). And in interregnums it is prohibited not under illegality, but under nullity, that is invalidity. His Holiness Pope Innocent IV said in his Apparatus Super Quinque Libros Decretali, that the Pope can, by means of a Constitution, prohibit a Bishop from christening, ordaining, and even validly baptizing , so if it affirms that the sacraments conferred by such persons are invalid, then they are effectively invalid (sic).

“Et quidem satis bene videntur dicere in eo, quod dicunt, quod possunt facere constitutiones summi Pontifices super praemissis, et eis factis, si constituatur quod non valeant sacramenta a talibus collata, non valebunt”.

Therefore, could you explain to us how would it possible that there can be a valid “Bishop”, who would have received jurisdiction directly from the Pope, that is, which is an essential requirement for him to be licit and Catholic, in your “chapel”-sect created in 1981 by the hands of the “Archbishop” of Bulla Regia [Thuc], an “Archbishopric” that Montini-Paul 6 gave him in 1968, and that by sleight of hand Canon 188.4 and Pope Paul IV’s Cum ex apostolatus officiowould not be applied to him, nor the discipline of episcopal consecrations (canon 953 (Acta Apostolica Sedis 43 (1951) pp. 217-218) and that of interregnums (Acta Apostolica Sedis 38 (1946), n. 3, pp. 65-99), not to mention more illegalities than have already been quoted hundreds of times. And we also leave out what His Holiness Pope Leo XIII said in his infallible bull Apostolicae Curae: “Since obtaining nullliter orders means the same thing as a null and void act, that is, invalid, as the same word and common speech require”; would you please explain all of that?… “Nulliter enim obtinuisse ordines idem est atque irrito actu nulloque effectu, videlicet invalide, ut ipsa monet eius vocis notatio et consuetudo sermonis; praesertim quum idem pari modo affirmetur de ordinibus quod de beneficiis ecclesiasticis…”And the same goes for Lefebvre, of course.

Can you tell us, if you would be so kind, how is it possible that in your sect-garage-private “chapel” there is a valid Bishop, with jurisdiction, and who is Catholic, i.e., licit?…

Because, as far as we know, priests cannot consecrate bishops, and it is prohibited sub poena nullitatis to usurp the powers and jurisdiction of the Pope in interregnums since 1945, the current discipline of episcopal consecrations being exclusively reserved to the Pope. Therefore, the leader of your sect could never have been consecrated Bishop sub poena nullitatis, much less as a Catholic, so we will have to conclude that he is nothing more than a priest who lost his office in 1965, and who believed in 1981 that an ultramodernist Montinian Archbishop [Thuc], who had previously “consecrated” five “Bishops” to the Vetero-Catholic schism, and five countrymen of Palmar de Troya (Spain), an Archbishop who lost his office in 1965. This just like the Roncallian Titular Archbishop of Sinnada of Phrygia [Lefebvre], who “made” him a Catholic Bishop 23 years after the death of His Holiness Pope Pius XII, and 16 years after the Great Biblical Apostasy. And you dare say that 65 years after the death of Pope Pius XII, and 42 years after the infamy of your garage, you affirm that laymen disguised with mitres can “consecrate” Catholic Bishops and “ordain” Catholic Priests? You carry on with the chimerical tale that these men would be valid, licit, and would have jurisdiction to absolve sins, and they would represent the Holy Apostolic and Roman Catholic Church, but nothing could be further from the truth.

From which it can be easily gathered that not only did these men not receive the power of jurisdiction, for we have not had a Pope since October 9, 1958 [cf “Mystici Corporis Christi”, “Ad Sinarum gentem”, “Ad Apostolorum principis”], but nor did they receive the power of order sub poena nullitatis in an interregnum, that is invalidity. (Vacantis apostolicae Sedis, Apostolicae Curae, canon 953, AAS 43 (1951) pp 217-218).

Therefore, at the very least, their episcopal ordinations would be dubious (to some, to others it is obvious that they are invalid), and in conferring the sacraments it is never permissible to adopt a probable course of action as regards validity, abandoning the safest course; the opposite was explicitly condemned by Pope Innocent XI in the Decree of the Holy Office of March 2, 1679.

As a result, they are not only illicit, in other words, intruders, which they know, and for this reason they always emphasize that they are valid in order to deceive the simple, since they lack all jurisdiction to govern the flock of Our Lord Jesus Christ, but they are also invalid because the leader of their sect or garage was never consecrated Bishop in 1981 sub poena nullitatis during the interregnum in which they say we are, so we must necessarily conclude that they have been simulating episcopal consecrations and ordinations, as well as simulating the adminitration of sacraments, for more than 40 years.

More on the End of the Age and the Second Coming of Christ, Pt. 1

by T. Stanfill Benns | Apr 10, 2023 | New Blog

A belated Blessed Easter to All!

Resurrezione; affresco nel Coro delle Monache; Brescia, complesso di Santa Giulia

+EASTER WEEK+

The condemnation of Millenarianism, mentioned in our last blog, will be discussed here at greater length in order to shine a much-needed light on why we find Matt. 28:20 in Holy Scripture translated in two or three different ways into English. As Mr. Javier Morrell-Ibarra noted in last week’s blog, all versions of the Bible he consulted did not read “consummation of the world,” as did all the 10 or more 19^th and 20^th century Bibles consulted here, but  “consummation of the ages/centuries.” There may be a good explanation for this, which is what we intend to explore here. This will be part on of a two-part series.

Below readers will see the actual condemnation of Millenarianism issued by the Holy Office in 1944, in both Latin and English. There is an explanatory paragraph and history of the error provided here, however, which is omitted in Denzinger’s Sources of Catholic Dogma, 1957 edition, (and this edition has been proven deficient regarding other teachings as well). It attributes this condemnation to one Manuel de Lacunza-Diaz S.J., whose work, we learn, had already been condemned by the Holy Office in 1824. What is most notable in this explanation of the condemnation is that “It is not possible to teach systematic Millenarianism, even if moderated” as Catholic revelation. And yet such a form of moderated Millenarianism has been taught, at least as a possible outcome, even after this second condemnation was issued. It is usually shored up with Catholic prophecies and Marian apparitions, some not approved, to make it appear more believable.

Extracts from Lacunza’s work and other sources will be examined below to explain how widespread his teachings have become among Catholics and Protestants alike.

Manuel Lacunza y Diaz on the Millennium and Antichrist

The following excerpts are taken from Wikipedia. Lacunza’s quotes will appear in blue. “The first of Lacunza’s “new discoveries” was that: ‘I am not of the opinion that the world – that is, the material bodies or celestial globes that God has created (among which is the one on which we live) – has to have an end, or return to chaos or nothingness from which it came forth.’ He protested against the common teaching that at the end of the world, the earth would be consumed by fire… Secondly, Lacunza concluded that the Biblical expressions “end of the age” and “end of the world” refer to two different times. He understood the “end of the age” or “day of the Lord” as merely the end of a phase of human history that would be closed by the coming of Christ and the beginning of His kingdom on Earth. At this time the living would be judged and the Jews converted, after which a new society would be established for a thousand-year reign of justice and peace.”

Lacunza wrote: “El Terino (a very learned author) … His words are these: ‘But it shall be fully accomplished towards the end of the world, in the general conversion of all the Jews unto Christ,’ the same which I say, with this only difference: that I place after the end of the age, the same event which he… pretends to place ‘towards the end of the world.’ … Along with this great event announced in almost all the scriptures, you shall likewise find at the end of this present earth, or which is the same, the end of the day of men, which the Lord so frequently called the consummation of this age; and immediately after this day, you shall find that of the Lord, the age to come, the kingdom of God, the new earth and the new heavens, wherein dwelleth righteousness, peace, love, and uniformity in the same faith, in the same worship, in the same laws and customs, a uniformity of language among all the peoples, tribes, and families of the whole earth”.

“If the 20th chapter of the Apocalypse is to be literally understood, Jesus Christ himself with all his saints now risen, ought actually to reign in Jerusalem over the whole orb of the earth, and that for a thousand years… The dragon will once again be loosed, and will return to deceive the whole world… The resurrection of all the individuals of Adam’s race, the last judgment, the ultimate sentence, and the execution of this ultimate sentence, cannot take place immediately upon and in the very natural day of the coming in glory and majesty of our Lord Jesus Christ….” But Lacunza is wrong.

“Lacunza’s interpretation of Biblical prophecy led him to believe that during the period before the “day of the Lord” there would be an apostasy within the Catholic Church which would make it part of a general system which he labelled Antichrist, in the sense that there would be a general “falling away” in doctrine among the churches, resulting in moral apostasy. In this sense the Antichrist would be composed of “a moral antichristian body, composed of many individuals … animated by the same spirit”, which would consist of “seven false religions [that] should unite to make war against the body of Christ, and against Christ himself ” – which was in accordance with his personal interpretation of Revelation 13:1. In The Coming of the Messiah in Majesty and Glory, Lacunza compared his views on the Antichrist – that Antichrist was a general moral apostasy within the churches – with what he declared to be the “universally recognized” view of his day:

“This Antichrist is universally recognized as a king, or most potent monarch … It is commonly said, that he will take his origin from the Jews, and from the tribe of Dan … shall feign himself Messiah, and begin to perform so many and such stupendous works, that the fame thereof being soon spread abroad, the Jews shall fly from all parts of the world, and from all the tribes, to join themselves to him, and offer him their services … After Antichrist shall have conquered Jerusalem, he shall, with great ease, conquer the rest of the earth … The ambition of this miserable and vilest Jew, shall not rest satisfied, by becoming the universal king of the whole earth … but he shall immediately enter into the impious and sacrilegious thought of making himself God, and the only God of the whole earth … Whereupon shall arise the most terrible, the most cruel, perilous persecution against the church of Jesus Christ; and it shall last for three years and a half … Upon his death the Church, and the whole world, shall begin to breathe again, everything reverting to a perfect calm, and a universal joy. The Bishops, who had concealed themselves in mountains, shall return and resume their sees, accompanied by their clergy and some other Christian families, who had followed them in their voluntary exile. At this time shall come to pass, the conversion of the Jews, according to the universal spirit of the converters” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Lacunza).

Comments on the above

That the world will not be destroyed by fire then renewed contradicts Holy Scripture and is one of the specific errors condemned by the Holy Office. This is Millenarianism pure and simple, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia article on this topic, and is likewise condemned. The earth will be consumed by fire, consume meaning to “take up, redeem,” to “1. Do away with completely; DESTROY” (Webster’s Seventh Collegiate Dictionary). The destruction of the world by fire IS Catholic revelation. God will then renew the earth and when souls are united with their bodies, many commentators believe they will live on earth as an extension of Paradise, and this will be the New Jerusalem. We read in Matt. 24:14-15: “And this gospel of the kingdom, shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then shall the consummation come [consummatio]. When therefore you shall see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place: he that readeth let him understand.” Surely this is clear enough for everyone, coming from Our Lord Himself. When he pronounced from the Cross “It is consummated…” his life was done; finished, just as the Church was and the world shall be. Pope Paul IV told us who that abomination would be, and everyone has discredited his bull.

Lacunza taught there was a 1,000 year or more period of peace and a restoration of the Church between the death of Antichrist and the actual coming of Satan to surround “…the camp of the saints” (Apoc. 20:8). The Apocalypse is a very difficult book to understand and rightly interpret, and I am no Scripture scholar. But if we place the chaining of Satan at the beginning of the fifth century — when the persecution of the early Christians was at an end — until the time of the beginning of the great apostasy, when he was loosed — first the Gallicanist heresy, in the late 1300s-early 1400s, then the Protestant Reformation, (because Gallicanism is what fed Luther’s revolt and King Henry VIII’s establishment of the Anglican church) — we have roughly 1,000 years. Some Scripture commentators have advanced this opinion. Even though the Orthodox schism happened in 1054,  the schismatics seem to have retained jurisdiction and delivered valid Sacraments for their own people (by implicit permission of the popes), although Catholics were strictly forbidden to participate in these ceremonies and Sacraments without incurring the censure for communicatio in sacris and schism/heresy.

St. Thomas Aquinas speaks of a period where Antichrist will die, and life will go on as before, just as we have seen: “Although men be terrified by the signs appearing about the judgement day, yet before those signs begin to appear the wicked will think themselves to be in peace and security after the death of Antichrist and before the coming of Christ, seeing that the world is not at once destroyed as they thought hitherto.” (Supplement to the Summa Theologica, 73:1). This could account for the fact that the death of Antichrist (Paul 6) did not immediately result in the consummation, or his being hurled into the lake of fire. And it may be that this interlude vaguely referred to in Scripture confused Lacunza and prompted him to think it signified a lengthy period of peace. I have speculated that what we are seeing is the survival of Antichrist’s system of papal usurpation, its perpetuation and the reign of Afinal satanic antichrist, not THE antichrist, although it will be  short-lived. This, I think, could be the final assault launched by Satan on the remnant referred to in Apoc. 20:8. Am I correct? Who knows; only time will tell.

No 1,000 years of earthly peace

Lacunza believed the “end of the age” and “end of the world” refer to two different times. He understood the “end of the age” or “day of the Lord” as merely the end of a phase of human history.” But the end of the “ages/centuries” seems to refer to the end of the Church’s time on earth which we have already witnessed; for then Christ says He will be with us “even to the consummation.” This is what B. E. Strauss notes in his piece quoted in my last blog. “The consummation of the ages denotes the last of all ages of the world, the age of the Church. This last age consummates the ages that came before, and it is itself consummated by the consummatio saeculi, by the consummation of the (last) age” or actual consummation by fire/end of the world. Strauss points out that the most common interpretation is not consummation of the ages or centuries, but consummation of the world. In order to avoid even mitigated Millenarianism, it is important to not associate any reversion to the “end of the age/centuries” translation with the meaning intended by Lacunza (and the many others today who follow him): the belief in a 1,000-year period of peace.

I believe it is very likely that the phrase “the consummation of the world” was translated into English versions of the Bible in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Great Britain precisely because it is there that this Millenarianist belief fulminated among the Protestants and certain Catholic circles, especially in the U.S. and Great Britain. Until the actual event, it appears the Church felt it was too dangerous to make any distinction between end of the “age of the Church” and the age of Antichrist, because this would only have aided Her enemies and caused Her premature dissolution. It also would have created panic and confusion among the faithful. There are many signs that even theologians such as Henry Cardinal Manning, who predicted the taking away of the papacy (St. Paul’s “he who withholdeth”) doubted there would be a restoration of the Church. For while Manning has much to say about the time of Antichrist and what leads up to it, he also mentions the Church’s final triumph but fails to explain when/how it will occur.

The Church’s final triumph, according to most of the commentators writing even before the Holy Office decree, is Christ’s Second Coming and the destruction of Antichrist’s system. In the end we win, but not without paying a terrible price. The Holy Office decree tells us that the idea of even a mitigated Millenarianism, which some would describe as a spiritual restoration minus Christ’s physical reign on earth and the resurrection of some of the dead – cannot be safely taught. And yet this idea of a glorious, peaceful period of restoration is the very hinge on which the Traditionalist door swings — Lacunza’s mitigated Millenarianism, condemned by the Holy Office. The Great Monarch and Holy Pope prophecies, Our Lady’s message at Quito, Ecuador, the La Salette message, the Fatima peace, the Catholic Restoration – rah, rah, sis-boom-bah, rally around the Traddie flagpole. Yes, we quote La Salette, although selectively. And yes, we also quote Fatima, but as all know who are reading this, we backed off that message considerably last year when it was revealed that Pope Pius XII had serious doubts about it.

It is now known that Our Lady told Sr. Lucia the pope would consecrate Russia to her but it would be TOO LATE. Traditionalist and Novus Ordo Fatima promoters say the Fatima promise of peace was “unconditional” but that was based on the conversion of Russia, which never happened and now can never happen, since we have no Pope and therefore no Church.

Private prophecy cannot trump divine revelation. There can be no restoration of the Church, no “peace” other than the absence of another actual world war and no monarch charging in on a white horse to save us. We have no validly ordained and consecrated bishops and the line of succession cannot be restored. The lost ten tribes have already converted, so the majority of the Jews have already entered the Catholic fold centuries ago at the beginning of the Great Apostasy (see the article documenting this here). It is time for those calling themselves Catholic to grow up, accept God’s will signified in the decisions of the Roman Pontiffs and prepare for the coming of Our Lord.

Protestants base their teachings on Lacunza

Lacunza’s teachings are what the Protestants later used to concoct their false teachings on Dispensationalism, an outgrowth of Masonic British Israelism, because his was the first theological treatise to propose the idea of the rapture. This has already been discussed in our previous article, The Final Chapter…  Dispensationalists believe that:

• Believers will be raptured several years before the Second Coming.
• That before the Second Coming, the Jerusalem temple will be rebuilt.
• The Jerusalem temple, not the Church, is where Antichrist will show himself as God.
• Following the Second Coming and an earthly peace, this same temple will exist in Jerusalem, or possibly a new or reconsecrated one.
• During an earthly millennium, animal sacrifices offered at this temple will commemorate Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross.

This is a Jewish restoration versus the idea of a “Catholic restoration,” both of which are absurd. The Jewish restoration idea was even advanced by at least one Catholic Scripture scholar in the 1950s! So much for the condemnation of Millenarianism by the Holy Office. If a verifiable canonically elected pope and at least a few of the hierarchy had survived the Great Apostasy, such a restoration might have been possible, but no more. In order to prevent those not familiar with the many extravagant interpretations by the commentators on the Apocalypse form becoming completely lost in the apocalyptic maze, we say this about Mr. Morrell-Ibarra’s series continued below.

Summary of consummatio saeculi

His observation that “the end of the world is a period of time encompassing different events” means this: It is intended as an overview of the world’s end, from the very beginning of the Great Apostasy (at the time of the Protestant Reformation and the issuance of Pope Paul IV’s Cum ex Apostolatus Officio  predicting the abomination of desolation) all the way up to Christ’s actual Second Coming, and the progression of events in between. This period begins with the apostasy of Catholic rulers and their people foretold by St. Paul in 2 Thess. 2 (“for lest there come a revolt first”), and finally ends in the apostasy of the cardinals and bishops (the stars falling from Heaven, Apoc. 6:13, according to Rev. Berry), with the subsequent scattering of the faithful. This in turn causes the papal see to be left vacant owing to an invalid election of a heretic by heretics and fulfills the prophesy of “he who withholdeth” (the Church, but primarily the Pope) being taken out of the way.

Then begins the reign of the False Prophet, as predicted in Apocalypse Chapter 13, who prepares the way for the installment of the Sea Beast, or Antichrist proper, who changes all times and laws, desolates the Church and causes the Continual Sacrifice to officially cease. This then becomes the creation of the system of Antichrist, a succession of false popes, which predominates until the papacy is handed over to the New World Order religious leader. This man will be Satan incarnate who will REPLACE God in the minds of worldlings, Satan encompassing the camp of the saints at the very end. All of this is predicted by various commentators and can be carefully chosen as puzzle pieces to combine what we see with what Holy Scripture and the Church teaches. This then assists us in completing the final tapestry of the Second Coming, which will be discussed in our next blog.

Mr. Morrell Ibarra’s Catholic Survival Guide, Pt. 5

8. Fable of the supposed validity of the spurious orders of the sedevacantist “traditionalist” imposters and hirelings.

All these false christs hide behind the supposed validity of their fraudulent titles and dignities, although inwardly they know they are illicit, which is why these charlatans avoid, like vampires avoid light and holy water, naming the word “illicit”, because according to them, what really matters is if they are “valid”, since that would make everything they touch “holy”, and thus they deceive many unwary souls with little or no knowledge of the Magisterium and the 1917 CIC, who grant them a credit and a competence none of those disobedient hypocrites possess. The improvised pseudo-theology of the Thucist and Lefebvrist sectarians has wreaked havoc, as they have created a kind of “new” magisterium to justify themselves and their sacrilege, despising and minimizing the one true Magisterium that every creature is obliged to obey if they want to save their souls, hence chaos and confusion are rampant.

In reality, none of them has really understood the difference between validity and liceity, which is why they manage to deceive the simple so easily, so an urgent explanation of both key concepts is required.

To be licit, permission from the Pope is required, also a canonical mission so as to be consecrated Catholic Bishop (Can. 953), and so that he can ordain Catholic priests; this canonical mission is fundamental, since it is what would make the minister Catholic, have Apostolic Succession, be part of the Hierarchy of the Holy Apostolic and Roman Catholic Church, have an ecclesiastical position or office (Can. 147) and, consequently, have the power to rule the flock of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a power that only the Pope can transmit to the Catholic Bishops, a power that the Pope receives immediately from Christ Our Lord [cf Mystici Corporis Christi, Ad Sinarum Gentem, Apostolorum Principis Sepulcrum]. Therefore, liceity is an ESSENTIAL requirement to function as a cleric, since lacking this, one is NOT a Catholic but a schismatic.

On the other hand, to be valid, permission from the Pope is not required, therefore one is not a Catholic, one does not have an ecclesiastical office, one does not have jurisdictional power, hence one is an intruder since he has not entered through the gate of the sheepfold, so he does not have the power to rule the flock of Christ; to be valid, it is only required that the ordaining minister be a validly consecrated bishop (matter, form, intention), that is, without the permission of the Pope, but evidently all these consecrations and ordinations will be illicit, desecration, gravely sinful, all of them being excommunicated both the ordaining bishop and his ordinands, since they are outside the Mystical Body of the Church, lack mission and power to rule, and are intruders who would only perform invalid acts, which, if carried out, would be gravely sacrilegious. This is the case of the Greek and Russian Orthodox schismatics, who were valid clergy, but completely illicit, non-Catholic.

Pope Pius XII, 1951

ACTAS S. CONGREGATIONUM SUPREMA SACRA CONGREGATIO S. OFFICII II DECRETUM DE CONSECRATIONE EPISCOPI SINE CANONICA PROVISIONE

“The bishop of any rite and dignity, who confers episcopal consecration on someone without having received the appointment of the Apostolic See or without it having been expressly confirmed, and also the one who receives said consecration, even if both do so coerced by grave fear (canon 2229 § 3, 3°), they incur ipso facto excommunication reserved in a very special way to the Apostolic See.” (AAS 43 1951, 9th April, pp. 217-218)

“All those who support a priest, bishop or diocesan administrator who has not legitimately received his mission from the Pope, and all those who maintain relations with him in spiritual matters, are, like the one they support, treated by the Church as schismatics, because with such an action they separate themselves from the unity of the Church.”

Manual of the Christian Religion, 1891, p. 371 by Wilmers Wilhelm, 1817-1901.

Summarizing:

Valid = ordained without the permission of the Pope, non-Catholic, without power of government, all his acts are sacrilegious, sinful, null and void.

Licit = ordained with the permission of the Pope, Catholic, with power of government, his acts are sacred.

His Holiness Pope Pius VI tells us in this regard:

“… ministers without a mission and pastors without jurisdiction, and consequently intrusive parish priests, would only do null acts, and all the functions they exercised would be equally desecration.”

It is abundantly clear that the supposed validity these intruders claim is of no use to them at all, because it does not make them Catholic since they never received permission or Jurisdiction from the Pope. Therefore, it is absurd and even suicidal for them to cling to this very dubious validity to justify their sacrilege and desecration in the eyes of their misled followers. Furthermore, they are not even valid (!), as they are nothing more than simple laymen in disguise, since the Magisterium denounces and proves them guilty, as we will have the opportunity to demonstrate throughout this essay.

9. Fable of the supposed “ignorance” about the Magisterium and Canon Law on the part of those who sought the Holy Orders when it was forbidden to do so.

This is probably the most “humane”, subtle fable those hypocritical impostors can appeal to in order to gain the sympathy and trust of the extremely disoriented faithful. Its false logic would be formulated as follows:

“You dare state that we are invalid and illicit for seeking the Holy Orders from people [Lefebvre & Thuc] who, according to you, were not worthy and could not confer any Orders on us, having lost Jurisdiction after apostatizing along with the rest of Catholic Bishops on December 8, 1965… BUT WE DIDN’T KNOW IT BACK THEN (!?) We were completely IGNORANT of Canon Law and the Magisterium (!?), and WE JUST WANTED TO BE ORDAINED PRIESTS (AND BISHOPS) FOR THE HONOR AND GLORY OF GOD, AND FOR THE GOOD FOR SOULS, AND TO SAVE THE CHURCH (!?) We didn’t know anything, we just wanted to help prevent the disappearance of the Priesthood and the true Catholic Mass (!?) Therefore, HOW DARE YOU JUDGE US, AND JUDGE OUR HOLY INTENTIONS?… HOW DARE YOU IMPUTE THESE SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS OF BEING SCHIMATIC AND HERETICAL INTRUDERS TO US?”

To which we will respond with complete serenity and firmness in the following manner:

“If the offender making this claim is a cleric, his petition for mitigation must be dismissed, either as false or as indicating ignorance that is affected, or at least gross or supine. His ecclesiastical training in the seminary, with its moral and dogmatic theology, ecclesiastical history, not to mention canon law, ensure that the attitude of the Church towards heresy was imparted to him… Thereafter, his professional associations and his contacts with Church affairs offer another guarantee that he must have known about heresy. Therefore, his present ignorance is unreal; or if it is real, it can only be explained as either deliberately fostered – affected ignorance – or else as the result of a total failure to do even a modicum of work regarding fundamental ecclesiastical theory and practice – gross and supine ignorance.”

Eric Francis Mackenzie, The Delict Of Heresy, 1932, p. 48

In this simple way, we will silence and hopefully put to shame those conceited schismatics. As a matter of fact, what annoys them all is when someone dares speak to them based on the unquestionable authority of the Magisterium, making them see they are hopelessly wrong. They cannot stand this and react like Pharisees, tearing their hair out, yet another evident sign that they are not in the truth but in error, since they only seek the acclaim of the simple and spiritually ignorant to feed their ego. This should come as no surprise, because looking back in the history of the Church, we will discover that the Supreme Pontiffs of Our Lord Jesus Christ have always spoken with divine authority because their word was sacred and infallible, yet many bad Christians and false brothers refused to believe in this dogma of faith, and for this reason they rebelled against the Papacy and its Magisterium, being the origin of fatal schisms and heresies. Here is the origin of evil: pride, the reluctance to accept that God had chosen certain specific men to entrust them with the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to bind and loose, and to teach, guard and govern the Flock of Christ Our Lord. And how could it be otherwise, behind this spirit of pride and rebellion we always find the father of lies, who was the first rebel who dared utter his impious “Non Serviam” in front of the Holy Trinity, which earned him the most lightning expulsion from Heaven and being hurled into the depths of Hell.

10. Fable of “Non Una Cum” the antipopes of the conciliar sect, in this case, Bergoglio, aka “Francis”, according to which the grave sacrilege and desecrations of the sedevacantist intruders arising from Msgr. Thuc’s line would be “legitimized”, as well as of those performed by Lefebvrist pseudo “clerics” who later became sedevacantists.

According to this absurd logic, the only thing that counts would be to remain “Non Una Cum” Bergoglio, alias “Francis”, no matter if the Minister be heretical and schismatic, illicit, invalid, null and sacrilegious; all that would be secondary, the important thing is to be “Non Una Cum”, that is, to not be in communion with, even if those who tell us so have been excommunicated for disobedience to the Magisterium and for their adherence to schism and heresy, no problem, let us all repeat the wicked mantra of “Non Una Cum”, as if that were the magic wand that could turn their sacrilegious simulations into something acceptable to God Almighty, which is ridiculous and false.