They Simply Cannot Coexist in One Body

In our recent Open Letter we wrote: “Through years of trials and experience we have come to the unfortunate conclusion that the Traditional Catholic Faith, the Faith of all times and of the saints, is incompatible with the new, modern Church, the fruit of the Second Vatican Council. They simply cannot coexist in one body.”

Some people seem quite shocked that we could consider there to be a new, modern Church at all, or that we could think that the old Faith is not compatible with it. Some have said that our letter “is incompatible with the Catholic sense of the Church’s unity.”

But it isn’t as if we have proposed some strange new and indemonstrable theological opinion. Here is some of the Old Faith:

“I am the way, the truth and the life,” says Our Lord, “No man cometh to the Father, but by me” (Jn. 14:6). “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,” (Jn. 8:32) He says in another place.

The Council of Trent taught the following in its decree concerning the canonical Scriptures:

“The sacred and holy, œcumenical and general Synod of Trent, lawfully assembled in the Holy Ghost, the same three legates of the Apostolic See presiding therein,—keeping this always in view, that, errors being removed, the purity itself of the Gospel be preserved in the Church; which [Gospel], before promised through the prophets in the holy Scriptures, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, first promulgated with His own mouth, and then commanded to be preached by His apostles to every creature, as the fountain both of every saving truth, and discipline of morals; and perceiving that this truth and discipline are contained in the written books, and the unwritten traditions which, received by the apostles from the mouth of Christ himself, or from the apostles themselves, the Holy Ghost dictating, have come down even unto us, transmitted as it were from hand to hand; [the synod] following the examples of the orthodox fathers, receives and venerates with equal affection of piety, and reverence, all the books both of the Old and of the New Testament,—seeing that one God is the author of both, as also the said traditions, as well those appertaining to faith as to morals, as having been dictated, either by Christ's own word of mouth, or by the Holy Ghost, and preserved by a continuous succession in the Catholic Church.”

Pope Leo XIII also taught the following in his Encyclical Divinum illud munus written in 1897:

“Thus was fully accomplished that last promise of Christ to His apostles of sending the Holy Ghost, who was to complete and, as it were, to seal the deposit of doctrine committed to them under His inspiration. ‘I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now; but when He, the Spirit of Truth, shall come, He will teach you all truth’ (Jn 16:12-13). For He who is the Spirit of Truth, inasmuch as He proceedeth both from the Father, who is the eternally True, and from the Son, who is the substantial Truth, receiveth from each both His essence and the fullness of all truth. This truth He communicates to His Church, guarding her by His all powerful help from ever falling into error, and aiding her to foster daily more and more the germs of divine doctrine and to make them fruitful for the welfare of the peoples.”

Pope Gregory XVI taught in his Encyclical Mirari Vos of 1832:

“To use the words of the fathers of Trent, it is certain that the Church ‘was instructed by Jesus Christ and His Apostles and that all truth was daily taught it by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost.’ Therefore, it is obviously absurd and injurious to propose a certain ‘restoration and regeneration’ for her as though necessary for her safety and growth, as if she could be considered subject to defect or obscuration or other misfortune. Indeed these authors of novelties consider that a ‘foundation may be laid of a new human institution,’ and what Cyprian detested may come to pass, that what was a divine thing ‘may become a human church.’”

Given this previous magisterium of the Catholic Church, how is it that Leo XIV could say last Sunday (26th October) during his sermon on the occasion of the Jubilee of Synodal Teams, that “being a synodal Church means recognizing that truth is not possessed, but sought together, allowing ourselves to be guided by a restless heart in love with Love”, and that “no one possesses the whole truth; we must all humbly seek it and seek it together”? He went on:

“Dear friends, we must dream of and build a more humble Church; a Church that does not stand upright like the Pharisee, triumphant and inflated with pride, but bends down to wash the feet of humanity; a Church that does not judge as the Pharisee does the tax collector, but becomes a welcoming place for all; a Church that does not close in on itself, but remains attentive to God so that it can similarly listen to everyone. Let us commit ourselves to building a Church that is entirely synodal, ministerial and attracted to Christ and therefore committed to serving the world.”

Pope Gregory’s words above ring in one’s ears: “…that a ‘foundation may be laid of a new human institution,’ and what Cyprian detested may come to pass, that what was a divine thing ‘may become a human church.’”

But there’s more. This past week has seen the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, Vatican II’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church to non-christian religions. Several events were staged in Rome in which Leo XIV joined the leaders of many non-Catholic religions in a sort of celebration of “unity” apart from the Truth on which all unity is founded. During these gatherings, Catholicism was placed on the same level as all other world religions. Before one of the “cultural performances” hosted by the Vatican in the Paul VI Hall — a dance from Indonesia in which three religions of that country were represented by groups of dancers — the act was introduced with the following words:

“Let’s make a journey. Let’s make a journey to Indonesia because from the depth of the Indonesian history and its many forms of spirituality and worship of the only God Almighty, several artistic and cultural expressions have emerged in religious communities to praise the only God and to promote harmony between Indonesian peoples despite their well-known differences. Three Apsari, the three dancing celestial bodies. So it's three choreographies of traditional dance. Rejang Dewa from Bali that represents Hinduism, Bedhayan Satya Mataya from Java that represents Catholicism and Zapin Awal Bismillah from Sumatra that represents Islam.”

I’m sorry; if that is not complete denial of Catholicism as the only true Religion, the only means by which the One True God is worshipped, then I don’t know what is.

At the end of the performances, Leo XIV entered to address those who had gathered in the hall for the event. During his speech, he said the following astounding words:

“This historic document [Nostra Aetate], therefore, opened our eyes to a simple yet profound principle: dialogue is not a tactic or a tool, but a way of life — a journey of the heart that transforms everyone involved, the one who listens and the one who speaks. What is more, we walk this journey not by abandoning our own faith, but by standing firmly within it. For authentic dialogue begins not in compromise, but in conviction — in the deep roots of our own belief that give us the strength to reach out to others in love.”

The dialogue of the Catholic Church with non-Christian religions is not a tool for conversion. Rather, the members of non-Catholic religions should not abandon their false faith, but should stand firmly within it, otherwise they will be compromising themselves and their convictions about their false faith, which are necessary in order to reach out to others in love. We can only read from this, that Leo XIV believes and teaches that the Catholic Church is not necessary for salvation. He has no desire to convert those whom he is addressing so that they may save their immortal souls, but instead insists that they should remain firmly within their false religion.

But what does the unchangeable Catholic Faith of All Time teach? The Bull Cantate Domino of the Council of Florence, 1442, presented the Catholic Faith in the following words:

“[The Church] firmly believes, professes, and preaches that none who are outside the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but neither Jews nor heretics and schismatics can become partakers of eternal life, but that they are to go into the eternal fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41), unless before the end of life they shall have been joined to it; and that the unity of the ecclesiastical body avails so greatly that the ecclesiastical sacraments profit unto salvation only those who remain in it, and that fasts, alms, and the other works of piety and the exercises of the Christian militia bring forth eternal rewards; and that no one — however many alms he may have given, and even if he should have shed his blood for the name of Christ — can be saved, unless he shall have remained in the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church.”

Pope Gregory XVI taught in his Encyclical Mirari Vos (13):

“Now We consider another abundant source of the evils with which the Church is afflicted at present: indifferentism. This perverse opinion is spread on all sides by the fraud of the wicked who claim that it is possible to obtain the eternal salvation of the soul by the profession of any kind of religion, as long as morality is maintained. Surely, in so clear a matter, you will drive this deadly error far from the people committed to your care.”

The following erroneous statements were condemned by Bl. Pius IX in his Sylabus of Errors:

“15. Every man is free to embrace and profess that religion which, guided by the light of reason, he shall consider true.

16. Man may, in the observance of any religion whatever, find the way of eternal salvation, and arrive at eternal salvation.

17. Good hope at least is to be entertained of the eternal salvation of all those who are not at all in the true Church of Christ.”

It’s clear that Leo XIV’s teaching in these matters of Faith is not consistent with that which has gone before. It is equally clear from the silence of the Bishops, now and over the past 60 years, that they believe these things too. How then can anyone have difficulty with the statement from our Open Letter “that the Traditional Catholic Faith, the Faith of all times and of the saints, is incompatible with the new, modern Church, the fruit of the Second Vatican Council. They simply cannot coexist in one body.”?

It’s not rocket science. The two are mutually exclusive. You cannot both have all Truth committed to the Catholic Church, and at the same time have no one possessing the whole Truth. You cannot have Our Lord becoming incarnate, suffering and dying on the Cross to deliver man from his sins and institute the one Faith and Church by which men can be saved, and at the same time have all religions worshipping the same One Almighty God and have true love imparted by remaining in false, non-Catholic religions. The two are not compatible with one another because they teach opposite things. It’s just basic logic.

There is a great need publicly to proclaim the True Faith and denounce error. The Mass of All Time is not enough on its own. Its inseparable companion is the Faith of All Time. The one without the other is senseless. They are two organs of the same body.

This truth was well illustrated this past weekend. As part of the Annual Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage in Rome, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi celebrated the beautiful traditional Pontifical Vespers in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Rome. The faithful fell at his feet to receive his blessing as he passed.

(Photo Credit: New Liturgical Movement)

 

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 Just days later, the same Cardinal Zuppi joined other non-Catholics lighting candles for peace at an interfaith prayer gathering, which seemed like a prelude to a One World Religion, its unity based not in the God of Truth, but human fraternity. In such a religion there might be a place in a corner for the Traditional Latin Mass of All Time. But there will be no place at all for the Traditional Catholic Faith of All Time. The Truth of the past, and the truth of today cannot both exist at the same time in the one body.

Let us end with an interesting passage from a little booklet written by Fr W Frean, C.SS.R. called “How to Know the One True Church” (text here):

“In the midst of this blank-mindedness and confusion one Church stands forth in relief and makes the bold claim: ‘I am the One True Church.’ This stand taken by the Catholic Church is sometimes attributed to a spirit of narrow intolerance. But it is, at least in a negative way, one of the proofs of her divine origin. We would see that this is so if we should ever hear the Church say: ‘I do not know whether I am right or whether the others are, but you may take my doctrine or leave it, for I do not know whether it is true or not.’ In such an event she would prove one thing: that she was not the True Church.”

“Am I then become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”
(Gal. 4:16)