http://www.catholic.com/blog/patrick-coffin/meet-the-mad-trads

Meet the Mad-Trads

Patrick Coffin
July 12, 2013

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the Friday, May 31, edition of Catholic Answers Live, guest Tim Staples and I tackled the phenomenon of radical Traditionalism. The concept is fairly straightforward, typified by groups like the Society of St. Pius X (and the two splinter groups who had no choice but to flee the SSPX's creeping liberalism), the sedevacantists (those who believe that the last legitimate pontiff was Pius XII), and others on the ecclesial far right who have broken communion with the Roman pontiff for their own sundry reasons.

Put another way, Extremely High Church Protestantism.

Tim took special pains throughout the broadcast to distinguish this phenomenon from the kind of "Traditional Catholics" who exhibit often heroic public witness to the Faith: that merry band of Latin-Mass-going, chapel veil-donning, homeschooling, nightly rosary-praying, great books-loving Catholics. In the courage of their faith and willingness to share it, these salt-of-the-earth Catholics deserve emulation.

Take for example their invariably bold public pro-life commitment. Drive past any abortion facility in America or Canada and among the prayer warriors on the sidewalk you're bound to find at least one such Catholic. They love the pope, they love the beautiful Extraordinary Form (the Traditional Latin Mass), they love big families, and they love our Lord Jesus Christ and his mother.

The subject of the May 31 show had nothing to do with any of this. And Tim Staples sharply contrasted a traditional expression of Catholicism with those who willingly break communion with the Church.

Easy to see the difference, right?

Wrong, apparently.

We found ourselves on the business end of a nasty backlash. Of all the hot-button issues we've tackled head-on with me behind the mic (start the list  with abortion, sɛҳuąƖ sin, feminism, and ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖity) no previous topic generated the kind of vitriol from (some) listeners. We got positive feedback, too, but here's a small sample of the negative, pasted verbatim from emails (none of these people picked the phone up and called):

"Amazing! Wow! I am deeply disappointed by this apparent arrogance."

"That show was an embarrassment to all Catholics."

"I was extremely annoyed with the . . . program criticizing the "radical traditionalists," which is a reference that in and of itself makes no sense whatsoever" (sic).

"I finally turned the radio off in disgust."

"To treat anyone in such a manner—much less our fellow Catholics—is a serious failure in justice and charity, and I seriously doubt you would indulge in this kind of careless and misleading attack on any other group."

One correspondent relished calling Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI "Doktor von Frankenchurch." Another dressed down the Ordinary Form of the Mass (in the vernacular) as "the Novus Ordo" with the same tone as "the colored lady who should stay at the back of the bus."

These people are not Rad-Trads outside the Church, they're Mad-Trads inside the Church.

What is a Mad-Trad? Well, if you accept the norms of the Second Vatican Council, to a Mad-Trad you’re a "Neo-Catholic," a misguided liberal; you know, like Mother Angelica and Blessed John Paul II.


The main Mad-Trad hobbyhorse is strident resistance to the Second Vatican Council and all its pomps and all its works. The Catholic charismatic renewal is frequently singled out for tarring and feathering, despite (or because of?) strong papal support of that movement since the late '60s.

Further, in addition to a strange attraction to conspiracy theories involving Jєωs and Masons, Mad-Trads tend invariably to reject the position of the Catholic Church regarding the 1984 consecration to Russia by Blessed Pope John Paul II as requested in 1917 by our Lady of Fatima. In the face of repeated affirmations by the Holy See to the contrary, Mad-Trads say that consecration didn’t “take” because her request was not fulfilled.

The com boxes of their websites function as echo chambers of depression and disenfranchisement, which in turn reinforce the assumption that they're a brave minority fighting waves of persecution. They alone hold to the Purity of the One True Church [TM], and they're royally ticked that others can't see it.

Sadly, some of these individuals have already left the Church, at least inwardly. A thought experiment: If the 2007 motu proprio by Pope Benedict XVI Summorum Pontificuм (and the 1984 docuмent Quattuor Abhinc Annos from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, aka the Indult of John Paul II) were revoked today by Pope Francis, God forbid, how long would these unhappy souls remain in the Catholic Church?

It happens to be easy to gripe about the many pressing problems facing the Church today, easy to be agog at the banality of many Ordinary Form (OF) liturgies with their clap-happy ditties that pass for sacred music, easy to lament the indisputable decline of Sunday Mass attendance since the early 1960s, and easy to be vexed by the pitiful state of catechesis in this country.

But let's keep our eyes on the ball. The end is the life of glory with God in the beatific vision, not the Traditional Latin Mass, nor the Ordinary Form, no matter how reverently done. We need to love Jesus Christ and his Bride. On his terms, not ours.

Because of the intensity of the reactions to the May 31 show, we are going to revisit radical Traditionalism on Monday, August 12, again with Tim Staples. Perhaps some of our unhappy interlocutors will call the show and debate the issues directly on the air, instead of relying again on third-party reports and then firing off outraged emails based on them.

We’ll be happy take their calls.

But let's keep our eyes on the ball. The end is the life of glory with God in the beatific vision, not the Traditional Latin Mass, nor the Ordinary Form, no matter how reverently done. We need to love Jesus Christ and his Bride. On his terms, not ours.

What irony!?!

Didn't Paul VI change virtually everything?  These clowns are loyal to the new church of Paul VI.

Why are they dumping on "mad trads" - which, I take to mean people who assist at the FSSP and ICKSP.  Rad Trads are SSPX and the sedes.

There is a split among the novus ordites and it's growing.

What I don't like is all the name calling; Rad Trads, Mad Trads, Novus Ordites, etc... It shows a lack of charity and respect.

Who cares what this man thinks.

 :applause:

Coffin says, in referring to "traditional" Catholics,

Put another way, Extremely High Church Protestantism.

No, the High Church Protestantism is operating out of the Vatican because they have not adhered to the true Catholic Faith, discipline and spirituality handed down by the early fathers of the Church. Their new religion is based off an arbitrary act to do away with roughly 1,965 years of true Catholicity. In essence, they are simply Roman calvinists, lutherans, anglicans and episcopalians.

Coffin says,

But let's keep our eyes on the ball. The end is the life of glory with God in the beatific vision, not the Traditional Latin Mass, nor the Ordinary Form, no matter how reverently done.

The most efficacious way of reaching God in Heaven is through the Faith taught and defended by the early Church fathers, and through the most holy of prayers - a true Catholic Mass as prescribed by the Church, not novelties from men who wanted to appeal to the modern age and a world that has given itself over to Satan.  

Coffin say,

We need to love Jesus Christ and his Bride. On his terms, not ours.

That's right, so why did Paul VI and the Vatican II Council "love" Christ and the Church on their terms by inventing a new religion and a sacrilegious novelty such as the novus ordo mass? If they wanted to truly love Christ and His Church on God's terms, then they would have stayed wrapped in the mantle of Truth.

It's really simple. The NewChurch (born from Vat II) broke communion from the true Church in the 1960s.

Ferrara responds!

A Catholic Answer to Catholic Answers

http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/Archives/201300731-ferrara-catholic-answers-mad-trad.htm

Good article. Quite lengthy, but worth the read. At the end, Ferrara says..."as Coffin and Staples have demonstrated, neo-Catholicism will remain a major impediment  - perhaps the major impediment - to the immense task of restoring our devastated vineyard."

I agree. But then I think that the neo-Caths on CAF WANT to be a major impediment to any kind of traditional restoration. Evidently, trads are getting in the way of their neo-Cath agenda.

This kind of thing:

Tim took special pains throughout the broadcast to distinguish this phenomenon from the kind of "Traditional Catholics" who exhibit often heroic public witness to the Faith: that merry band of Latin-Mass-going, chapel veil-donning, homeschooling, nightly rosary-praying, great books-loving Catholics. In the courage of their faith and willingness to share it, these salt-of-the-earth Catholics deserve emulation.

Seems like a very underhanded attempt to drive a wedge between "mad trads" and genuinely pious indulterers.