You're cool, Deusvult. I'm sede because I don't believe the vicar of Christ can do the things these 'popes' have been doing and teach the things they've been teaching. If one believes in the indefectibity of God, they can't believe in V 2. The way I see it, the Holy Ghost led the Church one way for nearly 2000 years. Then over the course of a council, turned and went a different direction. Different direction means different management to me.
I fear their errors and want no part of them. I don't see it as mere imperfection, but as a very dangerous misleading. What really tore me up was their refusal to let us kneel to Jesus in communion. I could not reconcile that.
I understand, and what you say makes perfect sense.
What upsets me almost as much as that is how they have tried to marginalize our beloved Mary. It speaks to the same petty, small-minded, egotistical mentality.
In the end, history will give the full picture I guess.
What I am hoping is that, if we are lucky, it will turn out that actually, our beloved Church was a bit like a monumental ocean liner in that a mere council could not steer it off a course which had been laid in and travelled for over two thousand years. I am hoping that what we will actually see in the end, is that those crazies who dominated V2, actually jumped overboard, and although they thought the rest of the Church followed them, that in fact the rest of the Church didn't follow them. Maybe we will see that the rest of the Church slowly, but surely, resumed it's original course. It will not be long before that generation of 1960's and 70's priests who were infected with the V2 madness, dies out. Our slow, cuмbersome ocean liner of a Church may well eventually steer back onto it's original course again now their interference is on the wane.
Unltimately, isn't it our beloved Christ who is at the helm? Could anyone ever, really take away His Bride? Also, despite the madness; the doctrine of the Church has still not changed. Yes there has been abuse and error, but our Church stands for the same things today as always. Anti-abortion, anti-contraception, anti-euthanasia, anti-islam, celibate priesthood, anti-gαy, pro-family. I think it is safe to say that the RCC almost stands alone and has successfully stuck to it's guns on these issues while the rest of the world, without exception, caved right in, including most other so-called 'Christian' denominations.
What I am trying to say that is I hope it turns out that all of the Vatican 2 madness that we fear so much, will turn out to have been superficial. Much of it was appearance only, none the less damaging for that, but prone to a short lifespan exactly because of it's superficial nature. Whereas our core beliefs and traditions have not only survived the assault, but there are signs that traditionalism may yet be on the ascendent again in our Church. The Great Men who guided our Church throughout most of it's history, knew how to build a doctrine to last against an evil world!
Time will tell I guess.
I don't think Benedict is quite the Traditionalist hero we need, but I do think he is probably an early, tentative sign of movement in the direction of light, away from the darkness.
Apologies again for rambling. To me, our Church is like a vast, slow moving glacier. And what was Vatican 2? Maybe a forest fire that melted some of the ice, but the glacier will always win in the end (I hope :) ).
Yours In Christ,
DV