Fr. Cekada's Arguments were just demolished.
Often, this is quoted as the 1968 rite of consecrating a bishop:
"So now pour out upon this chosen one the power that is from you, the governing Spirit whom you gave to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the Spirit given by him to his holy apostles, who founded the Church in every place to be your temple for the unceasing glory and praise of your name."
Guess what?
That is NOT THE ENTIRE PRAYER OF CONSECRATION!
This is what Paul VI said: "the form [of ordination] consists in the words of the consecratory prayer, OF WHICH the following BELONG TO the essence and are consequently required for validity..."
So, this is the PRINCIPLE PART that theo other co-consecrators all intone together, but it is by no means the END of the Consecration!
The Consecration in FULL is this:
Prayer of Consecration
26. Next the principal consecrator, with his hands extended over the bishop-elect, sings the prayer of consecration or says it aloud:
God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of mercies and God of all consolation, you dwell in heaven, yet look with compassion on all that is humble. You know all things before they came to be; by your gracious word you have established the plan of your Church.
From the beginning you chose the descendants of Abraham to be your holy nation. You established rulers and priests, and did not leave your sanctuary without ministers to serve you. From the creation of the world you have been pleased to be glorified by those whom you have chosen.
The following part of the prayer is recited by all the consecrating bishops, with hands joined:
So now pour out upon this chosen one the power that is from you, the governing Spirit whom you gave to your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the Spirit given by him to his holy apostles, who founded the Church in every place to be your temple for the unceasing glory and praise of your name.
Then the principal consecrator continues alone.
Father, you know all hearts. You have chosen your servant for the office of bishop. May he be a shepherd to your holy flock, and a high priest blameless in your sight, ministering to you night and day; may he always gain the blessing of your favor and offer the gifts of your holy Church. Through the Spirit who gives the grace of high priesthood grant him the power to forgive sins as you have commanded, to assign ministries as you have decreed, and to loose every bond by the authority which you gave to your apostles. May he be pleasing to you by his gentleness and purity of heart, presenting a fragrant offering to you, through Jesus Christ, your Son, through whom glory and power and honor are yours with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, now and for ever. R. Amen.
27. After the prayer of consecration, the deacons remove the Book of the Gospels which they have been holding above the head of the new bishop. One of them hold the book until it is given to the bishop. The principal consecrator and the consecrating bishops, wearing their miters, sit.
Sorry guys. I can no longer consider this rite invalid, at least not materially.
The prayer of consecration itself, in its ENTIRETY clearly and univocally denotes the grace of the holy spirit, that this grace is the gift of the high priesthood, and that the rank of bishop is being conferred, with some of the particular powers of bishops mentioned: "Through the Spirit who gives the grace of high priesthood grant him the power to... assign ministries as you have decreed, and to loose every bond by the authority which you gave to your apostles"
This, for me is earth shattering. There is absolutely no doubt as to the intention here. I agree Paul VI shouldn't have changed it, but I mean, LOOK. It clearly spells out the Role of a Catholic Bishop.
There is nothing earth-shattering here. The Church's teaching is that the
essential form must
signify univocally, both the grace of the Holy Ghost and the power of order. You are basically advancing the "argument from context," which Fr. Cekada addressed in
"Absolutely Null and Utterly Void" (Part IX, pp. 11-12).
Objections to this study were addressed in a follow-up,
"Still Null and Still Void".
A simplified summary of the study is here:
"Why the New Bishops Cannot be True Bishops"Finally, Fr. Cekada's response to the SSPX's French district:
"New Bishops, Empty Tabernacle"I have no idea how anyone could say that Fr. Cekada argues that Benedict XVI isn't the Pope because he's not a valid bishop. That is absolutely
not his argument, as anyone can find out for himself by looking through the articles on sedevacantism written by him and other authors.