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A corporal work of mercy.
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Sunday 13 August 2017

Quo Vadis, indeed!

A blessed Lord's Day to you all.

Another blogger wrote yesterday that blogging this past week was slow. That was the case here too, but it was not because there was nothing to blog about or I was going through kind of self-doubt. On Wednesday, my 8 year old Lenova Thinkpad R61 fried, it truly did its best with Windows 10. Now that I have my fancy new Lenova Ideapad, we're back on track.


Image result for blogs

When I began this blog back in February 2006, it was to post the music list and liturgical information for the choir and any interested parishioners at my territorial parish in Toronto where I had begun a choir. After a while, as I read a few other blogs, Father Z and the New Liturgical Movement specifically, I came to realise more about how blogs worked, how we could communicate and learn from one another, and on a personal level, how a blog could also be an outlet for ones thoughts about the issues facing the Church and the broader culture. The nature of my posts and writing gradually took on a different theme. To be truthful, it also provided an outlet, if the Catholic paper would not print my letters, then I would. If the call or email to the bishop was ignored, there was another option.

Under Pope Benedict XVI (I do not accept the title, "Emeritus"), blogging was pretty straightforward. We had a Pope we loved and whom we saw working on a restoration,  We accepted his "hermeneutic of continuity." and we went about our work. I wrote about liturgy and other matters and stood with the Pope and the Bishops in the matter of the new Missal for the modernist rite and worked to promote the "extraordinary form." In fact, I worked weekly in both, as some of you will recall.

In February and March 2013, all that changed. Two years later, in 2015, I faced a major challenge because of my work here and that is recalled permanently to the immediate left. With the prayers of you, a certain Cardinal, a certain Bishop and many priests, I emerged from that scandalous and repugnant episode. People offered thousands of dollars to aid my fight. Make no mistake, the persecution against me has continued behind the scenes, but they will not succeed.

There has been a cost to this blog. There has never been a request for money, unlike some others.  I've been threatened with a lawsuit, received countless harassing emails, other threats of which I cannot speak and the loss of friendships from hypocrites who ate my food, accepted my hospitality but can't stomach the truth.

My job here has been to wake up Catholics and through that, in whatever small way, help people understand and get through this dark crisis in the Church.

Image result for throwing in the towelSome may take an approach that we should no longer report on the harrowing episodes of those who have infiltrated the Church to destroy Her and your faith. They would rather now take a more passive approach and speak of butterflies and meadows and all things bright and beautiful as if doing otherwise has played in to the hands of the enemy. I understand the emotions that lead one to want to walk in the meadow. I do not accept that it is what we need to do. I won't be throwing in the towel, I will use it to wipe the sweat from my brow and trust that God will give me the fortitude to get in for another round.

No doubt, the enemy is well pleased at the throwing in of the towel by those who have such an incredible reach. After all, hundreds of thousands of visitors a month can now just look at little kittens, they're so soft and furry.




55 comments:

Wolverine said...

Thank you...tired of all the cuckolded Catholics!

S D said...

We're with you all the way Vox; until the end!

Anonymous said...

Prayers and much love Vox.

Karen said...

I too am a regular reader and supporter in the ways I am able of traditional Catholic bloggers but I think you have made an unfair accusation in this post. Burnout is a real thing; I experience it jus in READING the constant bad news. Mr. Skojec did not say he was giving up, just trying to find a way for other like minded Catholics to connect. I don't believe he's "throwing in the towel ". Uncharitable statements such as the above will get us nowhere. God bless. I'll pray you rethink this issue.

TLM said...

I keep you and all the other faithful militant bloggers in my Rosary every day. What Steve conveyed in his post on pulling back just a bit was that he wanted to be more 'discriminate' of his writing that reports only of the scandals and apostasy currently in full swing from the current Papacy. He said he absolutely will not cease entirely because it's his duty not to, but he wants to include faith building posts as well, and limit the negative posts to about maybe one a week, and/or to the important news coming from Rome. From the view from here, I do believe he is burning out somewhat. I think that there is SO MUCH bad news coming from the Church and the Vatican in particular, that it's really hard to keep up with. I have read faithful bloggers that have said: "I just can't keep up with all of it, it comes on a daily basis." (herein is where I think some are having real problems, and this seems to be the crux of it all.....understandably so!!) One of the biggest problems is 'overload' and becoming overwhelmed.

I will of course, continue to pray for you Vox and Steve, and so many others that are in the trenches trying to keep us informed. You all need the GRACE to continue on as best as you can
to sound the trumpets. I pray for strength, endurance, courage and direction for ALL OF YOU.
May Our Lady of Fatima guide you ALL and give you all the support of grace you need! AMEN!!

susan said...

Vox....you are an UTTERLY magnificent man and a mighty warrior. God bless you, and may I add....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAryFIuRxmQ

Barbara Jensen said...

So glad to hear you say this, dear Vox. This is why, after I check a couple of aggregate sites, I click onto your site every morning with my first cup of coffee. You speak clearly and forcefully. You do not use your site as a form of therapy, nor do you ask for money that people do not have. You give the clear impression of not trying to build your reputation, nor do you engage in useless 'processing' of issues. Most of all, I feel free to speak what I really think without wondering if you will ban me from commenting because I do not stroke you and adulate your thoughts or your opinions. This makes for clear and honest discourse. Thank you for Vox Cantoris. I consider it 'home' in my blogging world.

Vox Cantoris said...

I see no lack of charity here in my post which is more than I can say for a comment he left me on Facebook

Mark Docherty said...

Go Vox! I'm with you. Every salvo just seems to steel my resolve. It's about adopting a certain bearing. For some people this can be difficult, and burnout comes into play. This isn't the first time Steve has written about his struggle, and I will continue to pray for him about this. As for me, it's all warrior all the time.

Ana Milan said...

The last people we want to submit to are the homosexual mafia at present residing in Rome & its Episcopates worldwide. They do not adhere to the Scriptures & Dogma of the True Faith, always trying to twist their meaning to bring Jesus up-to-date (there were no recorders in those days, remember) implying that He did not give us the Ten Commandments for all time & for all mankind to follow. They are actively attempting to alter the Word of God to plaster over their own rampant sodomy, as yet unpunished by the all-merciful PF, & have done untold damage to the Bride of Christ without much opposition from within. They are Marxist imposters & those websites imposing unnecessary vigilance on posters for fear of offending such men are actually supporting their agenda – a NWO Church devoid of God preaching no Hell, no sin, only mercy (except if one opposes their belief system) & shouldn’t be supported.

The saddest outcome of the fight we have to persist in against these monsters is Catholics going against Catholics, putting political acronyms of various meanings before the word ‘Catholic’ which they consider appropriate. Instead of unifying against the enemies of God they give them a clear field to propagate false teaching. Burn-out can, indeed, be a problem as a result of the constant deluge of nastiness coming from the centre of Christendom & also funds to promote the apostolate, but if we believe we are doing God’s bidding then we must persevere. He will set to right all problems for those who work for Him. Waver, & Satan steps in.

TLM said...

Nope, I don't see anything uncharitable either Vox. And, I think that some insight as to the pitfalls that faithful Catholic bloggers face, helps to see the situation for what it is. I am with Barbara and I'm sure many others in that I come here EVERY morning usually after my Rosary to check you out. (and yes, with my morning coffee:) You and all the others ALWAYS in my prayers. You guys are absolutely in the trenches
fighting the diabolical. Can't remember which Priest I heard this from, but he recommended us to all say the St. Michael prayer as well several times a day, especially NOW.

Anonymous said...

There is no lack of charity here . THIS IS THE BUZZWORD ( uncharitable ) when certain types of Catholics won't support Truth NO MATTER HOW TOUGH IT SOUNDS .
Our Lord was brutally tortured and killed by those who would not support TRUTH from Our Lord.
I am an American like Karen and reside in the heart of the Catholic Midwest.
Sorry Karen, you embrace liberalism abd modernism with your talking points.
TRUTH ALWAYS TRUTH.
As they say Vox in the US MARINE CORPS

Semper Fidelis and OORAH!

Got your six, brother .

Anonymous said...

I read on another blog that a blogger was been sued by a priest , so I clicked on the link to see what the fuss was about,and have been reading your blog ever since.I'm sure there are many others who did the same.So that would be suer brought a lot of traffic to your site .The Lord works in mysterious ways.

Peter Lamb said...

Show me one other R&R blog that will allow a sedevacantist to speak freely. I don't call him Vox, I call him Miles Christi.

Anonymous said...

Surrender is not an option!

Barona said...

Anonymous 12:09,

You accuse Karen of "liberalism" and "modernism", based on "talking points". It would be very helpful if you pointed out precisely where Karen lapsed into liberalism or modernism. Did she reject e.g. Mirari Vos, Quas Primas, or imply their rejection? Or, did she promote religious liberty, religious pluralism, separation of CHurch and State? Did she question immanentism or historicism etc.?

Before throwing around words you must be very careful in what you do. I would be very interested in further details on Karen's "liberalism" and "modernism".

Anonymous said...

Deus vult

Kathleen said...

The first big wave of destruction directed towards Holy Mother Church was met largely by silence.

That silence worked to the benefit of the servants of the enemy.

We are in the middle of an overwhelming wave of destruction.

Thank you, Vox, for shouting to the hilltops in the face of it.

When they came to march people off to the gulags they intentionally came QUIETLY in the dead of night so as to NOT stir up RESISTANCE.

When they come for you and those you love making AS MUCH NOISE AS POSSIBLE, in the face of the predictable repercussions, is THE most charitable thing one can do for their brothers.

To stir one's brother up to defense and resistance IS charity.

It has to drag one down covering it. I can absolutely understand that.

But I deeply appreciate you, Vox, and those shouting in defense of our Mother.

Anonymous said...

Having only looked into traditional blogs after the Bergoglio started giving me the creeps, I always wondered what they were like under Benedict and John Paul - if indeed, they were even around then. Thanks for sharing a brief history of your blogging and for Heaven's sake, keep up the good work!

Dorota Mosiewicz-Patalas said...

Finally you showed a video about me. On one occasion, while discussing gender ideology, I noticed the entire party move to the other side of the room, one by one, within seconds from one another. The old lady who stayed with me said: 'Well, I am sure you are right, and they will all admit it 10 years from now'. If I have ever learned anything, it is the following: They will never admit to having been misguided. They will always go with the flow, and they will never take responsibility for having said nothing in face of evil. Because evil is simply not going with the flow.

Don't think I am bitter. Just saying.

Thank you Vox Cantoris for not getting in line, for sticking out like a sore thumb, being a nuisance, being shamelessly judgmental of hypocrisy and cognitive dissonance in an era of moral relativism, for being discerning - therefore divisive, and for not loving lies and stupidity.

Unknown said...

You're a warrior Vox. Great respect to you.

Anonymous said...

The generation of Catholics around at the time of Vatican 2 were brought up with the attitude one never questions a priest,much less a Bishop ,you obeyed ,that is why they were were able to rip the Altars out of the Churches ,people were shocked at what was happening ,the innovators used the peoples obedience and awe of the Church against them.

Elizanna said...

Bravo, Vox. People like me,i.e., septuagenarian old women who are reverts to the Church and still learning about the faith we left decades ago, depend on folks like you to speak for us. We pray for you every day that you will keep up the good fight. I pray for Steve and Hilary as well, and am saddened that they seem to be withdrawing from the front lines. You guys are the soldiers in this fight, and folks like me are the supply sergeants, keeping you in weapons and ammo through our prayers and sacrifices. We have neither the talent nor the calling to do what you do so we support you as we are able. I understand and feel their frustration, but I believe they are misguided in drawing back. St. Catherine of Sienna said, "We have had enough of exhortations to be silent. Cry out with a hundred thousand tongues! I see the world is rotten because of silence."

And I dare say so is the Vatican.

http://www.barnhardt.biz/2017/07/04/watermelon-tobasco-and-ire/

Read the above for a good explanation of why a good dose of righteous anger is JUST what we DO need. So say St. John Chrysostom and St. Thomas Aquinas. Yeah, the bloggers are tired; we're all tired, but we're all we've got.As Hilary herself once said: "We. Are. On. Our. Own." It should be obvious by now that no one in the ranks of clerics or prelates is going to do one damn thing, including the Dubia brothers. So let us pick ourselves up and get on with it. Bloggers, blog. Writers write. Speakers, speak. And all of us fast and pray that God will intervene and soon. Viva Christo Rey!

Dymphna said...

I doubt that Steve is going anywhere or that he will turn his blog into a daddyblog or happy news only blog. Every now and then he complains about how hard it all is and his fans cheer him up. That's all this is.

cmm said...

Vox:

We need people like you to keep us informed. There are too many Catholics who have no idea what's going on. Yes, it's hard to see the damage Francis and his cronies are doing; however, without informed comments by people like yourself, many Catholics wouldn't be able to properly discern what' happening to our beloved Church. Keep up the good work.

Michael Ortiz said...

You've got my prayers, poor as they sometimes are!

Laramie Hirsch said...

I will continue to support and link to Vox Cantor from my own site.

Keep up the good work, sir. I admire a lot of what you do.

Anonymous said...

Semper Fi, Vox.
Woody

Lover of the Truth only said...

I just want to say Thank you , thank you, thank you Vox. You ae always in my prayers, and Roaries and you are truly a warrior and lover Of Jesus , Our Blessed Virgin Mother and Queen Mary, St. Joseph and all the Saints and Angels and you truly love the Church and are an example of what pleases Almighty God. I look no further than your blog and because you have the courage and true charity to speak for Christ and defend what He has always said and His Church. You also have some amazing visitors to your blog, but I dare say, it is your humility and ability to show honesty and ,also a trait far too rare amongst bloggers I notice unfortunately, and those claiming humility,the virtue of admitting right away, or as soon as possible, when you have erred, and askinbg pardon. Trust me... that also stands out, from so many peole who soeak about all the wrongs but always are speaking in the second person not as one who has true humilty, and speaks as being included in the people needing to look at their sins etc. I.e. speaking in the first person or as we, or speaking of how they often point fingers but never look at their own conduct and need for a personal moral inventory. You do, and it is obvious. Nor do you use excessive profanity which some do, and think they can justify it. Nonsense ,it is agaisnt the Commandments, and far too many so called lovers of Truth, do use profane alnguage and even laugh about it, attemtping to rationalize their use of it. It is often they too, who who need to take a good look at their own conduct before always speaking inthe "you need to...or you sinners etc." tonenot even realizing in their own hidden pride that the very sonful conduct they accuse others of, they too are guilty of, as they lecture, to others from some imaginary ivory tower , and in generalizations which is itself ,not virutuous, and is laden with its own type of pride. Read Corinthians 13, If you speak with the tongues of men with all knowledge, and prophecy, etc, and have not true Charity, you are nothing more than a loud gong, etc. Love is patient, love is kind...It always protects,, always trusts,always hopes, always persevers, LOVE NEVER FAILS. You call a spade a spade , but you do it with humilty,and again your love of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour's Church is why I always look forward to your blog first. You love Truth, that is obvious and all who truly seek Truth will want to visit, return, and stay, once they have found your blog.
May God richly bless you and yours with His Love, Courage, Zeal and Fortitude, and all the graces neccessary, to continue fighting the (only) good fight worth fighting, i.e. the fight for Jesus His Church and Truth always, no matter what.
Thank you again
Mrs. Frances Wilkinson

Peter Lamb said...

Dear Anonymous @ 3:52, You are so correct. We trusted our Priest, our Bishop, our Pope. Remember the sense of Sacredness and awe upon entering a church? If anybody spoke, it was in the softest of whispers. Everybody genuflected most solemnly. Nobody could have dreamed what was coming. They operated with the cunning of their master, satan. Even at the centre only a few raised the alarm - Cardinals Ottaviani, Bacci, Fr. Villa, Fr. des Lauriers, Fr. Gommar de Pauw. Even Fr. Lefebvre, who was a relatively late comer, could never really believe what he knew. The Immaculate Heart will triumph and one day we will be back where we were.

TLM said...

Correct you are Elizanna! 'WE.ARE.ON.OUR.OWN. None of the Dubia 'Brothers' as you put it are going to do a damn thing. So we pray, sacrifice and support one another. Just because we are the little pee on 'pewsitters' doesn't mean we're chopped liver. The laity are going to some day (and looks like soon) save the Church.

And yes, Anonymous, we were so blindly obedient, naive, and in total awe of our Churchmen, that we followed along with all the destruction. They knew better than we did ya know! And besides you don't dare disobey or even question a PRIEST!! That mind set is still lingering among some. If I look back, however, the first real wake up call was the earthquake of the sexual abuse crisis. The Lord at least managed to wake us from our slumber enough to be watchful. And now we are seeing just how wide spread and how deep the debauchery and the corruption has permeated. Even to the very top of the Church. Our Lady of Fatima pray for us!

Michael Dowd said...

Good work Vox. You are making a difference and getting attention as proof. Keep up your excellent work. I will be praying that you continue in the trenches making the bastards nervous. Blog and prayer. Blog and prayer. God will help.

Anonymous said...

You have said what needs to be said, and said it with discretion. Keep up the good work.

xsosdid said...

..."But when [evil] seems triumphant and when authority abuses its power, committing all manner of injustice and oppressing the weak, their ruin shall be near. They will fall and crash to the ground...."
“....To be delivered from the slavery of these heresies, those whom the merciful love of my Son has destined for this restoration will need great will-power, perseverance, courage, and confidence in God. To try the faith and trust of these just ones, there will be times when all will seem lost and paralyzed. It will then be the happy beginning of the complete restoration…."

Our Lady of Good Success, Quito, Ecuador

St. Benedict's Thistle said...

I check your blog everyday and appreciate your unyielding stance. It is really about having faith in the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen...meaning our Church will triumph no matter the current situation. Some get tired and discouraged because they are taking on a yoke not from Christ. We must always realize that Christ is in charge, He is the evidence of things not seen. Our job is, having done all, to stand. Thank you for standing.

Charmaine said...

Peter Lamb said...
Show me one other R&R blog that will allow a sedevacantist to speak freely. -- You mean you don't read Louie Verrecchio's akacatholic.com? blog? You'd be very pleased to be in the company of your fellow sedevacantists (I am not one, btw) who happen to frequent the combox there. :)

Anonymous said...

Keep up the good work Vox...it is indispensable at this time.

Thank you for all you do!

Michael

Kathleen1031 said...

Thank you Vox, for all you have done and do. This nightmare would have been far more horrible without the information and encouragement we get from the blogs. I am not embarrassed to say I have come to rely on the blogs for information, because for decades I well remember walking around and wondering, what on earth is going on? Then blogs were created and I knew, which is vastly better than the wondering.
Steve is not sure what to do from this point on and I appreciate his candor. He should be thoughtful at times, it is a big responsibility and it is obvious all blogs, that I read anyway, are dead serious about the faith. We are all tired, but bloggers are probably more tired at times, much more tired, so it seems natural to stop and question as he has. He has a family, and must provide for them and consider them as well. I don't blame anyone if they stop blogging altogether. They have lives as well.
We are fatigued, and the world grows darker and uglier by the very day. We all see it, a spirit of anger and venom is infecting our world. Satan is having his field day. We should resist this, and not become a volatile, circular firing squad, shooting each other out of sheer frustration for our difficult times. We are a tiny remnant, a fragment, we are smaller than I thought even six months or a year ago. There is a great deal of pressure being applied. We need to keep our heads and if possible, our actual allies.

Peter Lamb said...

Charmaine, Louis banned me long ago. :) I was probably one of the earliest sedes on his blog. I only knew of one other, who occasionally piped up, whilst I was very active. Only thing different about us sedes is we say an heretic cannot become pope, because he is not a Catholic and that if a Pope were to become an heretic he would ipso facto fall automatically from office, his having left the Church. And Catholic doctrine backs us fully. Everything else in this modernist mess flows from the simple doctrinal fact that an heretic excommunicates himself. All the conciliar "popes" were/are demonstrable heretics therefore - false council, false liturgy, invalid sacraments, false novus ordo church and false "pope". Catholic dogma is pretty simple, logical and comprehensible.

Irenaeus said...

Spot on, just ... spot on. Timely, too. Thank you for all that you do, Vox.

Anonymous said...

I think you hit the nail on the head w/the word: MONEY. When I read the post, I couldn't believe what I was reading. Seems like he's moving right into Michael Voris territory w/his friend Hillary White who's shut down her big mouth blog criticizing the pope. Why? Here's the reason 1P5 gives: "My friend Hilary White said to me recently that she thinks we’ve been hoodwinked into playing the enemy’s game. That they do something awful, and we react. Again and again, this cycle repeats itself, until we suddenly realize that we’ve long since been dancing to their tune. You may have noticed that she shut down her blog, What’s Up With the Synod? These realizations — and the alarming awareness that this isn’t good for any of us — were among the reasons she made that decision."

See they're not going to criticize da pope no more. What they're gonna do is exactly what Church Militant does: “Focus on becoming a saint,” the bishop replied. “Taking action can only accomplish so much, but one saint can convert an entire country....We need to study our faith. To re-learn it, or even to learn it for the first time. There are a lot of young Catholics now looking to tradition. They haven’t read the books. ... We need to get serious about providing resources for people to grow in their faith, not just show them the horror show in Rome and hope they don’t lose it."

Like I say, sure would like to know who's providing the money, but I know it's some VC2 group. This is where they lost me, but you people also lose me: "Now, the challenge is keeping the people who have woken up from jumping ship." If the ship is headed to hell, there's only one thing to do--unless you want to go to hell--and that is to jump ship. Luther, atheists, Jews, Buddhists everything is on board boat, but Jesus Christ, but somehow you people stay on board. Sit in the pews. Now if it was Hitler and you all were stayin' Nazis to make the party good would you stay? St. Paul tells the congregation to expel the evil doer from amongst them (1 Corinthians 5:13). If the evil doers are being welcomed into the congregation, then you are in the midst of false teachers. And what do the apostles teach about false teachers? As we said before, so now I say again: "If any one preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema." (Gal 1:9) But you all think you can sit on the pews and SAY NOTHING but then post on blogs and that excuses you, but it's just like those who sat in the Nazi meetings--they are Nazis and they are accountable for the deeds of the Nazis. If you all (and 1P5, the Remnant, the Vortex, Canon 212) all of you who sit in the pews are violating God's teaching and are endangering your souls. If you stood up in the CHURCH and denounced the CCHD, or the CRS, or the promoting of sodomy, or communion in the hand, or the priest's butt to the tabernacle, or the teaching of heresy to your children, you would be excommunicated. But because you sit and say nothing you will go to hell w/the ship you're on. It is you w/your $5 that is enabling this heresy to continue.

Anonymous said...

I can't believe that Steve would do anything like that. (Then again, I'm not on FB.)

Anonymous said...

"Fr. Lefebvre"??? Do you mean Archbishop Lefebvre? If so, why are you referring to him as "Fr."?

ProLIFEmommy said...

You are a diamond in these rough times within the Church, Vox. I am grateful to God for you!

Peter Lamb said...

Anonymous @ 9:51, No disrespect intended. "Father" applies to Priests, Bishops, Cardinals and Popes. :) God bless Archbishop Lefebvre.

Peter Lamb said...

Anonymous @ 9:14, Amem, Amen, Amen! Please do not go away. Comment more. Here is truth, common sense, sound theology and Catholic obedience rolled into one:

" If the ship is headed to hell, there's only one thing to do--unless you want to go to hell--and that is to jump ship[!] Luther, atheists, Jews, Buddhists,[all are] on board [the] boat, [ all except] Jesus Christ ... Now if it was Hitler ... would you stay [to reform the party from within]? St. Paul tells the congregation to expel the evil doer ... (1 Corinthians 5:13). If the evil doers are being welcomed into the congregation, then you are in the midst of false teachers. And what do the apostles teach about false teachers? ... "If any one preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema." (Gal 1:9) But you all think you can [stay] on the pews ... but it's just like those who sat in the Nazi meetings--they are Nazis and they are accountable for the deeds of the Nazis."

Anonymous said...

"Only thing different about us sedes is we say an heretic cannot become pope..."

A *manifest heretic* who has already been declared so by the Church cannot become pope. All the VII popes and bishops have NOT been declared heretics by *the Church* and are considered in good standing. Until the *Church* declares otherwise, they are valid popes and bishops.

"...because he is not a Catholic and that if a Pope were to become an heretic he would ipso facto fall automatically from office, his having left the Church."

ONLY the Church has the authority to declare who is a heretic - NOT you, me or anyone else.

"And Catholic doctrine backs us fully." Baloney! You can twist Bellarmine, Suarez, and the Fathers and Doctors of the Church as much as you like, yet Catholic doctrine (pre-VII) refutes you.


M



Peter Lamb said...

No, dear Anonymous @ 8:36am, you are completely mistaken. We have been over this many times in some depth, so I'm gonna keep it short:

1. What is heresy?
“Heresy consists in a stubborn denial of truths which have been defined and proposed by the Church as divinely revealed doctrines.” (Canon 1324-1325 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law).

2. Who is a heretic?
“Any baptized person who … obstinately denies or doubts any of the truths proposed for belief by divine and Catholic faith, is a heretic.”(C. 1325)

3. Let's bury this old canard that we laymen may not judge a heretic by an exerpt from chapter 32 of "Liberalism [Modernism] is a Sin":
This excerpt specifically addresses the objection that a layman cannot discover heresy on his own, and/or cannot accuse another of being a heretic. Nothing could be further from the truth dear Anonymous:

CHAPTER 32 Liberalism and Authority in Particular Cases:
How is one to tell on his own authority who or what is Liberal, without having recourse to a definitive decision of the teaching Church?
When a good Catholic accuses anyone of Liberalism or attacks and unmasks Liberal sophisms, the accused immediately seeks refuge in a challenge of the accuser's authority, [just as Anonymous has done]:
"And pray, who are you to charge me ... with Liberalism? Who made you a master in Israel to declare who is or who is not a good Catholic? And is it from you that I must take out a patent on Catholicity?" Such is the last resort of the tainted Catholic on finding himself pushed to the wall.

How then are we to answer this opposition? Upon this point, is the theology of Liberal Catholics sound? That we may accuse any person or writing of Liberalism, is it necessary to have recourse to a special judgment of the Church upon this particular person or this particular writing? By no means.

If this Liberal paradox were true, it would furnish Liberals with a very efficacious weapon with which, practically speaking, to annul all the Church's condemnations of Liberalism.

Peter Lamb said...

The Church alone possesses supreme doctrinal magistery in fact and in right, juris et facti; her sovereign authority is personified in the Pope. To him alone belongs the right of pronouncing the final, decisive and solemn sentence. But this does not exclude other judgments less authoritative but very weighty, which cannot be despised and even ought to bind the Christian conscience. Of this kind are:
1. judgments of the Bishops in their respective dioceses.
2. judgments of pastors in their parishes.
3. judgments of directors of consciences.
4. judgments of theologians consulted by the lay faithful.
These judgments are of course not infallible, but they are entitled to great consideration and ought to be binding in proportion to the authority of those who give them, in the gradation we have mentioned. But it is not against judgments of this character that Liberals hurl the peremptory challenge we wish particularly to consider.

There is another factor in this matter that is entitled to respect, and that is:
5. The judgment of simple human reason, duly enlightened.
Yes, human reason, to speak after the manner of theologians, has a theological place in matters of religion. Faith dominates reason, which ought to be subordinated to faith in everything. But it is altogether false to pretend that reason can do nothing, that it has no function at all in matters of faith; it is false to pretend that the inferior light, illumined by God in the human understanding, cannot shine at all because it does not shine as powerfully or as clearly as the superior light.

Yes, the faithful are permitted and even commanded to give a reason for their faith, to draw out its consequences, to make applications of it, to deduce parallels and analogies from it. It is thus by use of their reason that the faithful are enabled to suspect and measure the orthodoxy of any new doctrine presented to them, by comparing it with a doctrine already defined. If it be not in accord, they can combat it as bad, and justly stigmatize as bad the book or journal which sustains it. They cannot of course define it ex cathedra, but they can lawfully hold it as perverse and declare it such, warn others against it, raise the cry of alarm and strike the first blow against it.

Peter Lamb said...

The faithful layman can do all this, and has done it at all times with the applause of the Church. Nor in so doing does he make himself the pastor of the flock, nor even its humblest attendant; he simply serves it as a watchdog who gives the alarm. Opportet allatrare canes "It behooves watchdogs to bark," very opportunely said a great Spanish Bishop in reference to such occasions.
Is not perchance the part played by human reason so understood by those zealous prelates who on a thousand occasions exhort the faithful to refrain from the reading of bad journals and works, without specially pointing them out? Thus do they show their conviction that reason, this natural criterion, illumined by faith, is sufficient to enable the faithful to apply well-known doctrines to such matters.
Does the Index of Forbidden Books itself give the title of every forbidden book? Do we not find under the rubric of "General Rules of the Index" certain principles according to which good Catholics should guide themselves in forming their judgment upon books not mentioned in the Index, but which each reader is expected to apply at his own discretion? Of what use would be the rule of faith and morals if in every particular case the faithful could not of themselves make the immediate application, or if they were constantly obliged to consult the Pope or the diocesan pastor?

Just as the general rule of morality is the law in accordance with which each one squares his own conscience (dictamen practicum--"practical judgment") in making particular applications of this general rule (subject to correction if erroneous), so the general rule of faith, which is the infallible authority of the Church, is and ought to be in consonance with every particular judgment formed in making concrete applications--subject, of course, to correction and retraction in the event of [a] mistake in so applying it. It would be rendering the superior rule of faith useless, absurd and impossible to require the supreme authority of the Church to make its special and immediate application in every case and upon every occasion which calls it forth.
This would be a species of brutal and satanic Jansenism, like that of the followers of the unhappy Bishop of Ypres, who exacted, for the reception of the Sacraments, such dispositions as would make it impossible for men to profit by that which was plainly intended and instituted for them by Jesus Christ Himself.

Peter Lamb said...

The legal rigorism invoked by the Liberalists in matters pertaining to faith is as absurd as the ascetic rigorism once preached at Port Royal [the seat of the Jansenist heresy]; it would result even more disastrously. If you doubt this, look around you. The greatest rigorists on this point are the most hardened sectaries of the Liberal school. But how [to] explain this apparent contradiction? It is easily explained, if we only reflect that nothing could be more convenient for Liberalism than to put this legal muzzle upon the lips and the pens of their most determined adversaries. It would be in truth a great triumph for them, under the pretext that no one except the Pope and the bishops could speak with the least authority, and thus to impose silence upon the lay champions of the Faith, such as were DeMaistre, Cortes, Veuillot, Ward, Lucas and McMaster, who once bore, and others who now bear, the banner of the Faith so boldly and unflinchingly against its most insidious foes.
Liberalism would like to see such crusaders disarmed and would prefer above all to succeed in getting the Church herself to do the disarming."
(Translation from Spanish by Conde B. Pallen; imprimatur 1899.)

So, yes Anonymous, I as a Catholic layman have the duty and authority to recognize an heretic and to sound the alarm to my brothers in Christ.

4. An heretic excommunicates himself, ipso facto and automatically in terms of Divine law by committing the sin of heresy. Declaration by the Church is not necessary! There is no baloney here! Catholic doctrine (pre-VII) refutes you, dear Anonymous. Read and learn:

Bull of Pope Paul IV — Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio, 1559:
“Further, if ever it should appear that any bishop (even one acting as
an archbishop, patriarch or primate), or a cardinal of the Roman
Church, or a legate (as mentioned above), or even the Roman Pontiff
(whether prior to his promotion to cardinal, or prior to his election
as Roman Pontiff), has beforehand deviated from the Catholic faith or
fallen into any heresy, We enact, decree, determine and define: —
“Such promotion or election in and of itself, even with the agreement
and unanimous consent of all the cardinals, shall be null, legally
invalid and void. — “It shall not be possible for such a promotion or
election to be deemed valid or to be valid, neither through reception
of office, consecration, subsequent administration, or possession, nor
even through the putative enthronement of a Roman Pontiff himself,
together with the veneration and obedience accorded him by all..."

Peter Lamb said...

Vatican I: ‘What is to be done with the Pope if he becomes a heretic?’
The Church would not be, for a moment, obliged to listen to him when he begins to teach a doctrine the Church knows to be a false doctrine, and he would cease to be Pope, being deposed by God Himself."

St. Francis de Sales: – “Now when the Pope is explicitly a heretic, he
falls ipso facto from his dignity and out of the Church . . . ”

St. Robert Bellarmine: – “A Pope who is a manifest heretic
automatically ceases to be a Pope and head, just as he ceases
automatically to be a Christian and a member of the Church. Wherefore,
he can be judged and punished by the Church. This is the teaching of
all the ancient Fathers who teach that manifest heretics immediately
lose all jurisdiction.”

St. Alphonsus Liguori: – “If ever a Pope, as a private person, should
fall into heresy, he should at once fall from the Pontificate. If,
however, God were to permit a pope to become a notorious and
contumacious heretic, he would by such fact cease to be pope, and the
apostolic chair would be vacant.”

St. Antoninus: – “In the case in which the Pope would become a
heretic, he would find himself, by that very fact alone and without
any other sentence, separated from the Church. A head separated from a
body cannot, as long as it remains separated, be head of the same body
from which it was cut off.”

Coronata — Institutions Juris Canonici, 1950: "... If indeed such a situation
would happen, [a Pope became an heretic] he [the Roman Pontiff] would, by divine law, fall from office without any sentence, indeed, without even a declaratory one."

Marato — Institutions Juris Canonici, 1921: “Heretics and schismatics
are barred from the Supreme Pontificate by the Divine Law itself..."

Billot — De Ecclesia, 1927 – “Given, therefore, the hypothesis of a
pope who would become notoriously heretical, one must concede without
hesitation that he would by that very fact lose the pontifical power,
insofar as, having become an unbeliever, he would by his own will be
cast outside the body of the Church.”

Wernz-Vidal — Canon Law, 1943: “Through notorious and openly divulged
heresy, the Roman Pontiff, should he fall into heresy, by that very
fact (ipso facto) is deemed to be deprived of the power of
jurisdiction even before any declaratory judgment by the Church ..."

Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913 – “The Pope himself, if notoriously guilty
of heresy, would cease to be Pope because he would cease to be a
member of the Church.”

Peter Lamb said...

Pope Innocent III: "... if for example he [the Pope] should
wither away into heresy; because he who does not believe is already
judged, In such a case it should be said of him: ‘If salt should lose
its savor, it is good for nothing but to be cast out and trampled
under foot by men.’”

Matthaeus Conte a Coronata — Institutiones Iuris Canonici, 1950: “If
indeed such a situation would happen, he (the Roman Pontiff) would, by
divine law, fall from office without any sentence, indeed, without
even a declaratory one..."

A. Vermeersch — Epitome Iuris Canonici, 1949 –
“At least according to the more common teaching; the Roman Pontiff as
a private teacher can fall into manifest heresy. Then, without any
declaratory sentence (for the Supreme See is judged by no one), he
would automatically (ipso facto) fall from power which he who is no
longer a member of the Church is unable to possess.”

Anonymous, formal declaration may be made by the proper authorities, for the crime of heresy against canon law, in terms of good Church governance, but the heretic has long before been deposed by God. There is no balony here, nor is there any twisting of Catholic doctrine. If you are who I think you are, you have heard all the above many times before. You have a lethal dose of willfull blindness. Remember, abettors of heretics suffer the fate of heretics. I pray to God that He will open your stubborn ears.

Michael Dowd said...

Peter Lamb--Thanks for all you do to uphold the true Catholic faith. May God always be with you.

Peter Lamb said...

Thanks Mike. :)