I have a question in all charity and with all due respect. And I truly ask this purely out of curiosity as I cannot make any sense of this position. What is the difference, practically speaking, between Sedevacantist Clergy and Resistance Clergy? Both operate and function as if there is no Pope. Both hold to the Roman Catholic Faith and reject modernism. Both serve the faithful and provide sacraments. Both maintain the Priesthood, and consecrate Bishops without a Papal Mandate, and set up missions and Mass centers outside of the structures of the modernists. In what ways in 2026 is the Resistance different than Sedevacantists?
Is it simply because they still call the modernist in the Vatican the Holy Father? What good does it do to recognize someone as the successor of St Peter, but reject all of his public statements, his teachings, his liturgy, and his authority?
I have respect for all of our Clergy that are truly Catholic, including the Resistance, so please understand I ask this not in any disrespectful or divisive tone. I just simply do not understand the difference. I don't agree with many positions of the SSPX, but at least you have to give them credit that they sought approval for their Episcopal Consecrations from whom they declare is the Pope before doing them. That is at least a public declaration that they do consider him to be the legitimate head of the church before they disobeyed and publicly defied him. But the Resistance, to my knowledge, has performed numerous Episcopal Consecrations without seeking any permission from whom they consider to be Pope.
So how is that different than the Sedevacantist clergy that you would not be willing to go to? As Lad has said many times in the past, what good does it do to put up a picture of the "Holy Father" in the vestibule only to throw darts at it? How does it benefit the faithful to say that we have a true and valid successor of St Peter, and then to reject any obedience to him whatsoever.
The resistance is basically what the SSPX should be, or what it used to be - more of a loyal son of Archbishop Lefebvre, back in the 1990s and prior I like to think of. Think SSPX in its more primitive days, before it became ultra incorporated and compromised - gradually through the 2000s and very openly in 2012 after Fellay, Pfluger and Nelly took the helm. But resistance is not sedevacantist, even though a few of Bishop Williamson's consecrated bishops have veered in that direction.
Remember that Archbishop Lefebvre said that he "went too far" in his discussions with the Romans when he was asking permission to consecrate. It became clear that they were employing tactics of a dishonest nature, hoping he would die before he consecrated. (even trying to whisk him away in a car the night before). He had great respect for the pope but he had to admit that the pope was among those destroying the church... If Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated again, I dont believe he would seek permission from the pope. The crisis has gone on much further than he saw even in his lifetime.
Remember also that the pope has not said anything infallible for a very long time, that is nothing strictly binding. Also to pray for the intentions of the pope does not mean for his intention this month of fighting climate change. There are specific (five I believe) intentions that are permanent that the Faithful must pray for.
You receive the indulgences by praying for the pope. The resistance is una cuм in the Mass and they typically mention the pope's name during Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Sedevacantists do not.
Im not doing the best job explaining it. Your best resource would be the SAJM and search online "Dominicans of Avrille France". They are what I would call the true resistance and they have a very clear head on their shoulders so to speak about why they are not sedevacantist but why they recognize the pope but seperate themselves from the false conciliar church. They try to be very loyal sons of the Archbishop. They have posted many articles online you can read. Old issues of "sel de la terre" are great where you can find English translations.
Remember that Bishop Faure was the 4th pick of the Archbishop to become a bishop in 1988, but he humbly bowed down. Fellay was put in his place..now by providence he is a Bishop by +Williamson and has founded the SAJM (also the original name picked for the Society by the Archbishop).
The sedevacantists in the SSPX left in the early 1980s with the split of the 9. Archbishop Lefebvre introduced the 1962 missal and new breviary. He also put his foot down that wheres he previously tolerated the non una cuм position in his seminary, he would no longer.
Topic: Resistance in Chicago (Read 878 times)