A corporal work of mercy.

A corporal work of mercy.
Click on photo for this corporal work of mercy!

Thursday, 7 November 2019

Zita Ballinger Fletcher has become a writer of toxic arrogance, lies and manipulation - What is her agenda?

No doubt, you've come across, if not read, a screed of hate, intolerance, distortion and satanic bile upon the Mass in its traditional form and language by a writer at the National "Catholic" Reporter. I've copied the articled below, the NCR can come and sue me for copyright violation. As I read it, I find actual physical reaction from doing so at the ignorance, the hypocrisy and the utter evil from the pen of this alleged "journalist and author." I had to stop and do nothing more than give it a scan. I had intended to do a parse of the whole thing. I simply cannot. The diatribe is filled with the same old shibboleths.

Rather than take the time, which I do not have, to give her screed and adequate response, I have instead decided to give you the response by the most qualified and erudite, Dr. Joseph Shaw.


As an adjunct to the above, there is always Eccles.




However, let me state this. Fletcher, Ivereigh, Faggioli and the rest of this ilk are living in fear. They know that not only faithful Latin Mass attending Catholics, but those Catholics in the "Novus Ordo" world have woken up to the horror that is Bergoglio. Fletcher and her ilk know that the mainstream church is in collapse. There goal of a church to their own ends is collapsing. They and their rotten Bergoglio have overreached. It is delightful to watch. They fear what is coming. At the Latin Mass community where I chant and lead the choir each Sunday, we have doubled in size in three years. What parish has seen that happen? Last Sunday was rather difficult to chant, it was like a nursery school. (Parents, bring your little ones, but please, show respect to everyone else and attend the vestibule when they are disturbed.) But, this is one of those things that we put up with. Zita Ballinger Fletcher is a liar, an manipulator and a pompous trollop. She has an agenda. She has already lost.

* * *

Zita Ballinger Fletcher portends to be a journalist and the author of more than 10 fiction and nonfiction books including a fictional account of the Holy Mass in Latin and according to the Roman Missal of 1962. She writes on military history, genealogy and international affairs and has written articles for many publications including World War II History magazine, America's 1st Freedom magazine and the Gloucestershire Family History Society Journal (U.K.). She is fluent in German and has reported extensively on Germany's Catholic Church for Catholic News Service. Heretofore unknown, this ginger pagan and probable homosexualist and Wiccan sympathizer and Marxist has written for the National “Catholic” Reporter, a hit piece on the growing traditional Catholic Latin Mass movement.

In a previous era, the Latin Mass was merely a uniform and standard way of celebrating the liturgy in the United States. In the wake of much needed reforms instituted by the Second Vatican Council, the Latin Mass has become a rallying point for change-resistant sects within the church. The ultra-conservatism practiced by these Latin Mass groups is radical and narrow-minded. They utilize the Latin Mass structure to wield control over believers — particularly women, who are reduced to a state of discriminatory subjugation in Latin rites. The stubbornly resistant, anti-modern practices of these Latin Mass adherents border on cultism.

The Latin Mass fosters clericalist structures in the church. The liturgy — spoken in an ancient language no longer in modern vernacular usage — places all power in the hands of the priest. The priest keeps his back turned to the people for most of the ceremony. Aside from making occasional responses, the congregation plays no active part in worship. All people inside the church are expected to kneel on cue at various points. The priest is at the center of the spectacle. He is separated from the people he is supposed to serve by an altar rail — a barrier that gives him privileges. To receive the Eucharist, people must kneel at his feet.  

Meanwhile, the Latin tradition oppresses women. Women are expected — indeed, in some cases commanded — to wear skirts instead of trousers, cover themselves with long clothing and wear veils over their heads. No such rules exist for the men. It is discrimination, and therefore the Latin Mass actively endorses sexism. Instead of a unifying form of worship, the Latin Mass has become an instrument of oppression and a gathering point for Catholic fundamentalists.

In most cases, it is useless to politely disagree with people in the Latin Mass sect. Their attitude creates blindness — not only to true faith, but to their own behavior. They treat others with pride and animosity, but their conscience fails to kick in because they are convinced their way is holy and other ways are not.
Anyone who may accuse me of not knowing what I'm talking about — a favorite indictment of the Latin Mass ideologues — would be wrong. My opinion is based on facts and personal experiences.

I grew up in a household of challenged but growing faith, which grew stronger over time. My parents were divorced. My mother was a fallen-away Catholic who hadn't been to church in over 30 years. In the branches of my family tree were relatives who might best be described as atheists, and others of a more traditional Christian type. My mother decided to return to the Catholic Church when I was young. From an early age, I believed in Christ and considered myself a Catholic — other relatives tried in vain to convert me to atheism while I was still in elementary school.

Maybe this sounds like the beginning of a happy story of faith and discovery. It was not. My family's journey into the Catholic Church was a long, tumultuous and unpleasant road punctuated by a series of awful mistreatments by Catholic clergy, religious, schools and parishioners. (It's a miracle that I'm still Catholic and became a Catholic journalist.)

The Latin Mass rears its veiled head in this unholy history at several points. The last Masses my mother remembered attending took place before the Second Vatican Council, so naturally she started going to Latin Masses when she returned to the church because they were familiar. The church was going to welcome us, she thought. The treatment we got was slightly shy of the Spanish Inquisition.

Needless to say, anything in the church looking remotely female was completely veiled. The people had the humor of a gallows crowd and the pastor, arrayed in lavish vestments, was more like a Renaissance baron. After over an hour spent every Sunday drowning in incense smoke and getting sneered at, we did not feel any closer to God.

Rules, also, were a strange issue. For example, the color red was forbidden to be worn in the church. A confessor there hit one of my family members with a "permanent daily penance"— a rosary every day, forever, to atone for an alleged life of iniquity. After some while of this torture, my mother spoke with a different priest about the unbearable situation. He advised her that genuine Catholic faith did not forbid wearing certain colors or allow priests to inflict a "lifetime penance" for sins. Immediately we stopped going to Mass at that parish.

But it wasn't the last time I would run into Latin Masses — or the Latin Mass sectarians, present today in many Catholic organizations.

After almost leaving the church as a teenager, I chose to stay Catholic by practicing my faith as a free agent — belonging to no parish, attending different churches for Sunday Mass. On one instance, a priest noticed I was showing up semi-regularly and approached me with a persuasive speech to convert me to the Latin Mass faction — disguising discrimination as encouragement. "You should come to the Latin Mass instead and wear a veil. Women look the most beautiful in church when they are veiled," he tried to persuade. "The long veils are the best kind — the really long ones, past the shoulders. I recommend that for you — you have such pretty red hair, but it would even look nicer if you wore a veil over it. I think the long kind would be best for you."

Most disturbing about this conversation was his effort to make repression sound positive. Of course it made no sense that my hair would somehow look better if people couldn't see it. Indignant, I asked him to explain why he thought I should consider covering my head.

"Because it's respectful," he replied solemnly.

When asked why it was disrespectful to show the hair that God gave me — and why men in church did not have to cover their hair — he was not able to answer. He reacted badly because I challenged his authority. Anyway, I had no intention of listening. I knew I was free to take my belief in God elsewhere. I never returned to that church afterwards. 

The priest's attitude towards veiling women is typical of Latin Mass cultists. They seem to believe that women look better in church when people can't see them. They try to sell the veil to girls as a symbol of feminine piety. They hold that covering up and hiding yourself is beautiful although such a practice is the very opposite of natural beauty.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter how pretty, lacy or colorful the veils may seem to potential wearers — the veils are meant to conceal female beauty and prevent people from noticing women. By promoting the veil, Latin Mass fundamentalists rob women of freedom, while trying to make it seem like a liberating choice. Their attitude is not much different from religious extremists in the Middle East and Asia.

Given such practices, it should come as no surprise that a contingent of men active within the sectarian Latin Mass environment have sexist worldviews. These types believe they are superior to women simply because they are male.

I cite two examples to support my view. One occasion that remains burned into my memory was when I attended Mass at a Catholic university. It was a busy Sunday and my schedule demanded I attend Mass at a particular time. I did not know it was a Latin Mass until I stumbled over the doorstep. The atmosphere was typically medieval. I was surprised to recognize some people there. One of them was a professor who was known to be a chauvinistic person. When I saw his wife, I was shocked — and suddenly realized the ugly extent of his prejudices. His wife was a mere ghost of a woman. She was covered from head to foot. Her dress was so long that it dragged on the floor. Even her entire neck and her hands were covered. She kept her head bowed and always walked behind her husband. She carried a rosary and looked physically weak — almost ill.

The professor, by contrast, looked swaggering and hearty. He strutted around and chatted with others in church as she followed him like a pale shadow. Seeing this, I believed I had witnessed a very dark side to the professor's spirituality. His religion was a mechanism of abusive control.

My second example concerns a younger Catholic age group — many of whom are apparently falling victim to the ultra-traditional Latin Mass ideology promoted in Catholic activity groups and on college campuses. A female acquaintance of mine, about my age, decided to brave the Catholic dating scene — a recipe for disaster, in my personal opinion. Among the stories I heard from her were of traditional Catholic males shopping for wives, asking her and other girls, "Are you willing to be veiled?" before agreeing to date them. These men did not want to associate with women whom they couldn't religiously dominate.

Men she met in this traditional Catholic peer group would interview girls about theology before deciding to spend time with them — they were arrogant and believed they were somehow morally superior to the women. Instead of standing up for her own dignity, she decided to cave into the pressure — go to traditional services and start wearing veils. I still don't understand why she wanted to associate with that group, or why she decided to give in to oppression.

It is very unfortunate that younger generations of Catholics seeking to deepen their faith are getting sucked into this vortex of toxic, traditional radicalism. I saw many young families at a Latin Mass recently when I was invited to attend a speaking engagement at a traditional church. I happened to arrive before Mass was quite over — having nowhere else to go before the event, and wishing to receive Communion, I decided to sit in on the Mass. Unsurprisingly I found myself surrounded by veiled women who entertained themselves in between kneeling bouts by casting disapproving glances at my leggings and earrings.

Looking around, I was astonished to see many college-aged men and women among the crowd. The priests seemed to be in their 30s. Clearly these people were too young to remember times before Vatican II. Yet something had drawn them here. Parental influence? Doubtful. It seemed to be a shared spirit of ultra-conservatism. I found it frightening to reflect on how the closed, Latin Mass mindset had managed to replicate itself over time and spread like a virus.
Unsurprisingly, while there I had another memorably bad experience. I asked to receive Communion in the hands. Most traditional-type priests I'd encountered in my lifetime would give me the Eucharist in the hands. Not this pastor. He literally made a scene at the altar and jerked the Eucharist away from me when I reached out to receive it — as if my hands would contaminate the very Jesus who, according to the Catholic faith, seeks Communion with my soul. I seriously considered walking out of the church at that point, but decided to receive the Eucharist instead since I wanted to pray. After Mass I gave the priests a piece of my mind.

Clericalism defined the response I received. When I informed an assisting priest that the pastor had been very rude to me at the altar and asked that my views be relayed, he replied: "I won't throw our pastor under the bus. He's the pastor. I refuse to tell him to correct his behavior," the priest said.
I reminded him that, as a priest, he was supposed to be of service and value my feedback as a believer. The priest took a step back and looked at me in astonishment, as if the notion of service had never occurred to him. "Very well. I'll tell the pastor what you said," he said condescendingly. "But I don't think he did anything wrong."

His attitude was a trademark example of the culture within the Catholic Church that encourages abuse. His first reaction was to default to absolute loyalty to his pastor, then dismiss my views. When pressed further, he flat-out denied all wrongdoing. To clericalists, complainers are always the problem — not those who belong to the herd, and certainly not clergy.

With feudalistic rigidity, the priest argued in defense of his pastor against the traditions of the "novus ordo"—a derogatory term used by Latin Mass cultists to denote regular English-language Masses. He said the Masses I regularly attended were invented "only 40 years ago" — as if that devalued them somehow —and insisted they were only "allowed to exist, but not standardly recommended." He claimed the church only allowed Communion in the hands "in extreme cases." Of course, I know this is not true. He capped his radical fundamentalist arguments by saying the Latin Mass is a solemn rite equal to Byzantine and Coptic rites and that rules cannot be changed for anyone. He accused me of being "rude" by expecting them "to change their rites."

I feel it necessary to point out — lest readers be confused by his illogicality — that the Byzantine and Coptic rites originate in the traditions of distinct Catholic churches in foreign countries. The Latin Mass, by contrast, is merely an extinct model of tradition practiced in the United States and other countries, and was never a separate church nor imported from a foreign country. Therefore the Latin Mass can be compared to Coptic and Byzantine churches as much as apples can be compared to oranges. No ancient Romans or native Latin speakers will be disenfranchised by changes made to the Latin Mass — just hardliners unable to let go of their particular ideology.

What I gained from this experience was a deeper recognition of how the Latin Mass foments the clericalist culture within the Catholic Church that Pope Francis is actively working to change.

In his homily earlier last month, Pope Francis warned Catholics against hypocrisy. He described hypocrisy as "appearing one way, but acting in another," and said that a hypocritical attitude "always kills."
Jesus did not tolerate hypocrisy, according to Pope Francis, but enjoyed unmasking it. "A Christian who does not know how to accuse himself is not a good Christian," the pope said.

The intolerant atmosphere of the Latin Mass stands in stark contrast to Pope Francis's description of what the Catholic Church is supposed to be. "The church is not a fortress, but a tent capable of expanding and offering access to everyone," said Pope Francis. "The church is 'going out' or it is not church, either it is walking, always widening its room so that all may enter or else it is not church."
Compassion defines true Catholicism. Radical traditionalists who cling to the pomp, ceremony and narrow-minded rituals of outdated Latin practices would do well to follow the advice of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 9: "Go and learn the meaning of the words, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'"

14 comments:

Peter Lamb said...

Dear Vox,

You are a fundi on Liturgy. Have you read Fr. Cekada's " Work of Human Hands"? If so, I would be very interested in your assessment of it. If not, please read it and express your views. I thought it was excellent and was absolutely horrified at the evil and most deliberate attempt to savage the Mass by the novus ordo heretics. Nobody who has read and understood this book would ever set a foot in a novus bogus "mass" again.

Michael Dowd said...

This is the second recent article I have heard about attacking the Latin Mass. And we know Pope Francis is not exactly an advocate. I wonder if the ground is being prepared to outlaw the Latin Mass entirely? Or find other ways to subvert it.

Phlogiston said...

Exactly Michael Dowd. The timing here is not accidental. The ultimate source of this screed is Rome. The NCR is a just a sock puppet. Until now, Francis has been relatively "friendly" (i.e., not overtly hostile) to the SSPX. Now that Fr. Pagliarani has publicly called for acts of reparation for the sacrilege that occurred with the synod, the gloves are coming off and this is just the first salvo in the battle.

Tom A. said...

This is a perfectly understandable article by an author formed in the Novus Ordo fake religion. It is the neo conservatives and semi trads who cling to the erroneous and false notion that somehow there is some continuity between the Catholic Faith of the Ages and the Novus Ordo Conciliar Church. There is none and the quicker everyone realizes this fact, the quicker real Catholics can figure out how to elect a real Pope and let the conciliar apostates go the way of the mainstream protestant sects. Stop with the square peg in the round hole already. Stop looking to the modernist apostates to somehow self-correct their conciliar errors. They will never give up their revolutionary false council.

Anonymous said...

Some people today seem to think God is subservient to them, they resent been expected to kneel to receive their Lord and Creator, Pope Francis is known for never showing reverence to the Blessed Sacrement. Some believe they have the right to demand Communion, and even to to walk up to the Altar in drag if they feel like it.In truth, they worship themselves not God. Heaven is not a communist commune, there is a hierarchy even amongst Angels, Its the Priests duty to offer the Sacrefice to God with praise and adoration on behalf of the people, the Altar is not a stage to entertain the people. That article screams "I will not serve".

geoff kiernan said...

With such talents, why does she persist with fiction

Anonymous said...

https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2019/11/gay-marriage-celebrated-by-priest-in.html?m=1#more

Michael Dowd said...


Unknown has left a new comment on the post "Zita Ballinger Fletcher has become a writer of tox...":

"Exactly Michael Dowd. The timing here is not accidental"

My guess is that Francis wants to end the Latin Mass and get rid of as many Traditional and Orthodox Catholics as he can. He will then blame us for all the trouble in the Church and the world by trying to thwart the Progressive agenda.

Johnno said...

Always so amusing how this sort always praises the Francis and likes to level charges of hypocrisy when they and especially Francis are the worst sort that with all the logs wedged in their eyes it's no wonder the only god they recognize is the rainforest.

Scalfari has just delivered another bombshell now saying Bergolio openly denied Christ's bodily resurrection.
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/scalfari-pope-francis-denies-bodily-resurrection-of-jesus

I look forward to how the novus ordo inc finally casting even the imaginative feeling of credibility they have left.

TH2 said...

Mr. Vox - Is that Seraphic's evil twin?

Kathleen1031 said...

I can't spend time reading the words of a disgruntled and probably mentally ill harpie. She is insignificant and so is anyone who reads her rants. Heck, we've got a pope that hates us and the faith, what is it to us what Red says. Naturally demon possessed people hate Catholicism.
It will not be in the least surprising that Francis ends Summorum Pontificum or seriously curtails it. Maybe he's waiting for Benedict to die to do it. He is lobbing grenades at faithful Catholics, every week something more scandalous. We are at the point of idol worship in St. Peter's. Should we really not expect him to go after SP? Of course he will. He's provoking a schism.
He wants it. Hagan lio, remember? Nothing more messier than a schism.
Pray, fellow Catholics. Read at LifeSite Abp. Vigano's interview with Diane Montagna.

Brendan Bradley said...

This screed is a perfect manifesto of the disaster of the NO. Its seething invective against the Mass of Ages reinforces rather than weakens the absolute need for it.

lizoleary said...

I can't believe you inflicted this on me.

Unknown said...


God create the Mass not to please you or entertain you.He created to save you, you have no idea or knowledge regarding the mass you are mooching Catholics because they do what a true Catholic need to do if you are a christian Catholic you have to know that we all have to adore and glorify God from inside to outside as well is on the teachings of Bible the word of God.

God call every one to be holy remember that and yes the way that we dress the way that we conduct specially at the mass is very important . I believe that you need to read more and study what happen before and after the Vatican II and then ask the Holy Ghost to guide to the truth

God bless you.