Number CCCXXXIII (333)   30 November 2013

FATHER RIOULT I

Why was there not an uprising amongst priests of the Society of St Pius X when their leaders' loss of grip on Catholic doctrine and subsequent betrayal of Archbishop Lefebvre's work became absolutely clear from March of last year onwards ? Fr. Olivier Rioult, trail-blazer of the "Resistance" in France, gave several good reasons last month in an interview accessible in French on pelagiusasturiensis.wordpress.com. The following summary is freely adapted from the original text:--

Basically, original sin: Once the original fight for Tradition in the 1970's and '80's had succeeded in guaranteeing the survival of the essentials of the Faith, Traditionalists sat back on their laurels to enjoy their cosy enclaves, and they settled into a comfortable routine which they are now reluctant to lose. They have lost the spirit of fighting for the Faith.

Secondly, that particular form of original sin which is liberalism: Over the last ten years Society leaders have given the lead in weakening the fight against liberalism, error and immodesty. But to cease swimming against the current is to drift backwards, and a number of SSPX priests -- by no means all -- have grown weaker in their convictions and their preaching.

Thirdly, activism: some colleagues can also let themselves be run off their feet by their priestly tasks, leaving themselves no time or inclination to read or study. Turning into mere administrators and communicators, they weaken their convictions and preaching.

Fourthly, Bishop Fellay's trickery: for years his double-talk deceived everybody except a small minority of clear-sighted souls who could absolutely not get a hearing. Only last year did his mask come off with the March "Cor Unum" and with his reply of April 14 to the three bishops. The great majority of Traditionalists he had put to sleep (as he is now doing again).

Fifthly, fear of the unknown: when the whole world around you is going mad, and you find an enclave of sanity, and then that enclave also begins to go mad, it requires unusual strength of character to face up to the reality and not prefer some illusion or other, and of illusions there are plenty ! Thus many priests realize that they are living through a drama calling for some crucifying decisions, but they lack the necessary fortitude to launch into the unknown.

And last but not least, bad leaders: of course there have always been liberals within the SSPX as within the mainstream Church, but for as long as the leaders hold firm, these can be held in check. However, when in the mainstream Church John XXIII and Paul VI favoured their liberalism, the result was a tidal wave , and now that SSPX leaders have turned liberal, liberalism is sweeping through the Society as it would never have done under good leaders, true leaders.

These reasons given by Fr Rioult are all true, but none of them are stronger than that Faith which is "our victory over the world" (I Jn.V, 4). Indeed one might say that all the reasons come down to the lack of a strong enough Faith on the part of the priests, because they are living in a world in which the grip on Truth of every soul alive has been loosened, and if Truth is not true, how can Faith be true ?

Then what is the simplest way to strengthen one's grip on Truth, as we absolutely need to do in today’s crazy circuмstances ? In my opinion:--

"Watch and pray, watch and pray,
Fifteen Mysteries every day".

Kyrie eleison.

I always find Bishop Williamson's words to be inspiring.  What additional comments are necessary?  He's just saying that we need to be vigilant against falling into the trap laid for all Catholics by the modernists, early in the 20th century.  He gives the example of what happened to the conciliar church and points out that the disease is spreading.  We need to be prayerful, penitential, and militant against falling into error.  I find it hard to imagine what, from these comments, anyone could take issue with.

Secondly, that particular form of original sin which is liberalism: Over the last ten years Society leaders have given the lead in weakening the fight against liberalism, error and immodesty. But to cease swimming against the current is to drift backwards, and a number of SSPX priests -- by no means all -- have grown weaker in their convictions and their preaching.

Liberalism is a sin.  (Book written over 100 years ago)

It does not take an open pronouncement and admission that one is now liberal for one to now be liberal.  It is usually a gradual slide from PRINCIPLES that is at the root of it, and this is why DOCTRINE is so important.

Immodesty both in dress and in behavior and/or ideas apply to this.  You can appear by sight to be entirely modest but act with an air of immodesty, or you can appear and act with ostensible modesty while you speak words of immodesty.  

The latter is probably the worst because it is deceptive and especially children might be "sucked in" to the practice, so they can be entertaining to their friends or whatever.

When you do not actively swim against the current you will therefore begin to drift with the current, which inevitably leads to destruction.  This is what Our Lady came to warn us about in 1917, but all too few are willing to listen.

Among those SSPX priests who have grown weaker in their convictions and in their preaching is unfortunately ALL of the Chapter Capitulants who would elect a new SG to replace this defective one.  But +W isn't going to say that.  Perhaps it has partially to do with his relationship with his two brother bishops who have been somewhat fence-sitters, but who knows?  Keeping hope alive???


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just that, the english do spell cosy, with an s...... :smile:

The Cult of Cosy Enclaves may just about describe the trad scene. There is an inner conflict between the quest for spiritual security and the quest for truth. Do not linger too long in any one place; you may become part of the furniture. Fr. Girouard's admirable 'sense of belonging' mentioned elsewhere may point one in the right direction but it can result in complacency. The future now is so uncertain and good things do not last.

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it requires unusual strength of character to face up to the reality and not prefer some illusion or other, and of illusions there are plenty

One of the more important observations in this essay. The great danger of falling into belief in an illusion and closing one's eyes to the sometimes disquieting truth which is before them.
It is a pitfall which encompasses the SSPX, the indulters and the Resitance movement.
When such groups do not move to a greater purpose then they inevitably become one of the aforementioned  cultive cosy enclaves. The trappings without substance or mission.

Wow, you know, I read this with an additional "er" in that word, which made me think of a better word.

I would usually say "indultarians" but I found a new word out of the one you used here. "Indulterers" is the one I will start using to describe these folks.

Thanks.

 :dancing-banana:So, is "indultery" now a mortal sin?

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Indultery is at least a vice, akin to a sin against faith insofar as it is hostile to the practice of the traditional Catholic faith in all its particulars, but it might not appear that way to the indulterers who commit it.  So it comes down to subjectivism, again, and as +W has explained previously, it is subjectivism that is the fundamental problem in this crisis.  This crisis is arising from a false belief that reality is in the mind, as if we create our own universe with our imagination, therefore what is true to one person can be false to another and vice versa, to the point where no one agrees on anything.  But that state of chaos, being the principle enemy of Liberalism (Liberals don't like to be known as being those who instituted chaos, even if it's true!), is what Liberals would then deny that it's happening, and are wont to pretend that they get along with each other on matters of principle only so as to APPEAR to be in agreement, because appearances, after all, are all that matter.  (Evidence the B16 'hermeneutic of continuity' for example, and by extension, +F's complicity with its essential but false doctrine.)  Consequently, it is the appearance of "unity" that is their goal, as you can see in the concluding photo-op of the 2012 General Chapter when +Fellay proclaimed they had achieved unity.  If they were Communists, it would have made sense, but Catholic priests?  For them it made nonsense, but being Liberals, they proudly proclaimed their nonsense for all the world to see.


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