Remnant News Watch

Mark Alessio

REMNANT COLUMNIST, New York

The Institute of Christ the King & Vatican II

The Chicago Tribune reports (Dec. 5, 2004) that the 81-year-old St. Gelasius Church, located in the city’s South Side, which was shut down in 2002 “because it had too few parishioners,” has been given new life thanks to the Institute of Christ the King (ICK). The ICK has undertaken a renovation expected to continue for three years, which will include the hiring of American and European artists to work on the altar and statuary. The ICK, which is headquartered in Italy, expects to raise $5.9 million for the renovation with the help of a company that specializes in religious fundraising.

After the renovation is completed, the church will be renamed the Shrine to the Divine Mercy and will serve as the order's U.S. headquarters. The Latin Mass will be celebrated there. "I believe it gives people a sense of the mystery of God," said Monsignor Michael Schmitz, Vicar General of the ICK. "They try to pray, and the Latin and the chants and the beautiful music and the vestments—all the details of the Latin Mass give them the feeling that God is greater than our human heart can think of."

The Chicago Tribune report notes that “The Institute of Christ the King, established in 1990, does not oppose the Vatican II changes and is therefore welcomed by many bishops seeking to offer a traditional Latin alternative to the contemporary mass,” according to Monsignor Schmitz.

Comments: As a young child, I grew up with the Traditional Latin Mass, and I was taught the Catholic Faith by old-fashioned priests and nuns. The first Latin Mass I attended as an adult, after a “long, strange trip” away from the Faith, was an Indult Mass. I walked out of that church floating on air for such a gift. Later on, of course, I would meet Trads who would say that Indult Masses were “the devil’s work,” people who would rather swallow live coals than attend such a “tainted” Mass. Then, there are independent chapels that are suspicious of the Traditionalist orders, while some of these orders persist in attacking others. There are other well-intentioned Catholics out there who attend the Novus Ordo grudgingly because they have absolutely NO access to the Latin Mass. Some of our Traditionalist brethren would see these poor souls damned before they would dare imagine a similar fate for old “Joe Invincibly Ignorant Native,” out on his lost desert island somewhere.

If anything, it appears that Traditionalist Catholics are united by a lack of unity (if you want to start a civil war, get a bunch of Trads together and talk about the validity of the Novus Ordo or “baptism of desire”). But there is, in fact, one thing all Traditionalists agree on. We know that the changes wrought by Vatican II have been disastrous for the Church. This is why the statement that the Institute of Christ the King “does not oppose the Vatican II changes” is rather odd. On their website, you can read the following: “If only for the many children that frequent our churches, we could already be sure that the liturgical tradition of the Church will survive in the future.”

Do we want the Traditional Latin Mass only to “survive,” or do we want it to become the life-blood of the Church once again? In describing the Latin Mass, the ICK website describes the moment of Consecration as “a pike of a majestic mountain from which the streams of Paradise flow down into our daily life.” It warns that “no one would like to jeopardize his contact with the Almighty by the casual behavior or the gratuitous and willful change of words and gestures that establish, according to God's will, this relationship [with God].” It defends the use of proper rubrics by reminding us that "the law of prayer is the law of the faith" (lex orandi, lex credendi) gives to the exact and careful celebration of the liturgy great importance.” It reminds us that “liturgical matters are not minor details, but they are and they have always been one of the main preoccupations of Holy Mother Church,” and thus, “it is a worthy task and a highly important aim to maintain the fullness of the liturgical tradition to safeguard the meaning of its mystical gestures and to defend the right to do today what the Church has always done.”

How can one make such statements and NOT “oppose the Vatican II changes?” The ambiguously written schemas of the liberal Vatican II periti ensured that later enemies of the Traditional Faith would have ample material upon which to launch an assault upon the Church. They wasted little time in doing so. The devastation is all around us. Why deny the obvious truth?

One church at a time. Perhaps that’s the only way the restoration of the Traditional Faith will occur. The Institute of Christ the King is doing a noble, and important, thing by creating an oasis out of a discarded church. However, is it not a dangerous thing to build a house upon a desire to please today’s bishops? Firstly, had these bishops truly wanted the Latin Mass in the first place, they would have fought for it, and fought hard, a long time ago. Secondly, the continued support of bishops cannot be relied upon as a certainty. It’s not a matter of questioning papal authority, or the validity of the New Mass. It’s a matter of recognizing that the Vatican II changes, which have fragmented the Church and robbed millions upon millions of Catholics of their spiritual patrimony, can not be put on a par with the Faith which Traditionalists are struggling to preserve. One weakens and destroys; the other nourishes and elevates.

Mel Gibson Visits Sr. Lucia at Fatima

On January 11, 2005, NewsMax.com reported that Mel Gibson had visited Sr. Lucia dos Santos, 98, the last living Fatima visionary. The story has finally been told by Richard Salbato of the Fatima-based Unity Publishing Company.

Mr. Salbato relayed that during Lent of 2004, he wished to obtain a copy of The Passion of The Christ to show the nuns of Sr. Lucia’s convent in Coimbra, Portugal, since the Carmelite nuns were not permitted to leave the convent to see the film in a theater. At this time, there were no DVD’s of the Passion available, and the only television set in the convent was a very small set that was used for editing tapes of important events in the convent. Word got out that the sisters would like to see the film, and a young girl named Luciana Regadas, who knew a volunteer for Mel Gibson and his company, Icon Productions, stepped in. The volunteer, Lourdes Gutierrez, had been helping to arrange screenings of the Passion in the Miami, Florida area. She promised to do everything she could to get the information into the hands of Mr. Gibson, but prudently asked for some sort of proof that the request from the convent was genuine.

When Mr. Salbato and Luciana went to the convent for a written confirmation of their request, the nuns were at their Lenten prayers and could not be reached. They then contacted Fr. Luis Condor, Vice Postulator for the cause of canonization of the Fatima seers, who in turn got in touch with the Convent Mother Superior, Sr. Celina.

After almost a hundred e-mail exchanges, an arrangement was made with Icon Productions to show the Passion to the nuns in Sr. Lucia’s convent. Permission was even granted to Mel Gibson to have a private meeting with Sr. Lucia. Gibson insisted that, when the time came, the meeting would be a secret one, so that his opponents could not accuse him of using Sr. Lucia to promote the film.

The date of the showing of the Passion at the convent was known only to Fr. Condor, the convent and the Icon production crew. Because there were no DVD copies of the film available, only one-inch tape copies, which require special cameras, pull-down screens and speakers, Mel Gibson spent approximately $20,000 to provide these materials, plus a full crew of camera operators and extras, for the convent screening of the Passion.

Mel Gibson met with Sr. Lucia when he visited Portugal to promote The Passion of The Christ. Mr. Salbato says of the meeting, “We were told not to print this or let anyone know unless the Convent or Mel Gibson gave permission for it. This did not come until after the film ran its course in the theaters and the DVD ran its campaign in the stores.”

Mr. Gibson was accompanied by his wife, Robin, and Fr. Condor for the meeting. Sr. Lucia and another nun, Sr. Sophia, were seated behind the grate where the Carmelites meet visitors to the convent. Mother Celina, the convent Superior, described the Gibsons as “wonderful and humble people.” She said of Mel: “He is very outspoken and a person easily to be liked, and he answered all of our questions about the movie. Some questions were asked by Sr. Lucy, who attended the meeting which lasted for about an hour, and was always very alert, following the conversation." She also stated that the conservation was held in English “since various nuns do speak and understand English well."

Richard Salbato closed his report with this statement: “What the nuns or Lucia said about the movie is not known and may never be known because statements by Lucia or for that matter any Carmelite nun throughout the world are always sent through the bishop or the Holy Father first. Because of her power of influence Lucia must be very careful what she says publicly.” [Photos of the meeting between Mel Gibson and Sr. Lucia can be found at www.unitypublishing.com/Newsletter/GibsonLucia.htm or at www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2005/1/11/104058.shtml]


Comment: Think about it. During the filming of the Passion, each day began with the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass and Confessions. Both Mel Gibson and Jim Caviezel say the Rosary. And, according to Mr. Salbato, “Mel Gibson had come to Fatima in September of 2003 to ask Our Lady for help in the film.” After pondering the subject of Our Lord’s Passion and contemplating his film for over a decade, Mr. Gibson put the project in Our Lady’s hands. This is why The Passion of The Christ is unique, unlike any other “Jesus film” before or since.

As for Mel Gibson’s visit with Sr. Lucia? Imagine the honor of meeting someone who actually saw and conversed with the Queen of Heaven, someone who saw the Mother of God in all her beauty and glory. Was this meeting with Sr. Lucia a gift from Our Lady to Mr. Gibson for the manner in which he used his artistic talents to honor the sufferings of her Divine Son? I wouldn’t doubt it for a minute!

Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue Praises Tribal Cults

On January 12, 2005, Zenit News reported that the Vatican sponsored an international conference focusing on “the resources for peace in traditional religions.” The meeting, which was held from January 12-15, was promoted by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council, said that attendees at the conference would analyze “the contributions that can be made to peace by followers of tribal cults, spread throughout the continents, especially in Africa, where their number is estimated at 60 million." He went on to explain that "when we speak of traditional religions, we are thinking of ethnic or tribal religions, that is, those that have developed in a specific ethnic group and which, therefore, are different from the world religions, which go beyond national borders."

"We avoid the word 'animist,'” said the Archbishop, “as it gives the idea that animism considers wind, water and animals as inhabited by spirits which demand worship. In reality, it is not so. Normally in these religions there is belief in the creator God, a supreme God, but there are also other mediating entities between God and humanity: forebears and other spirits. But it is not worship where a forest, tree, etc., is venerated. Divinity is not there.”

The Archbishop also said that the traditional religions "are not organized in a hierarchy. Many times the 'chief' is the head of the family, who offers prayers [and] sacrifices .... they have secrets which they guard and which they don't want to talk about. However, many people have converted to Christianity, starting from the 'background' of these religions. And this is the objective of the study we are undertaking: to see what are the values of these religions for today's society, for peace.”

Participants in the conference were all Catholic experts in traditional religions, hailing from North and South America, Africa, Asia and the South Pacific. Due to the difficulty of engaging in direct dialogue with the followers of the tribal religions, no followers of these cults were in attendance.

"The Holy Spirit inspires good everywhere,” remarked Archbishop Fitzgerald, “and we can see good things in these traditional religions that might also help our society." The final statement of the conference, released at the end of January, included the following assertions:

• Traditional religions contribute to peace by emphasizing a sense of responsibility and stewardship for the gifts of the created world.
   

• Traditional religions tend to value the role of women as peacemakers and to promote restorative justice as well as forgiveness.
   

• Peace in traditional religions is fostered by a communitarian as opposed to an individualistic way of life.
   

• Many of the religions, which usually are confined to a small ethnic group in a limited geographical region, struggle to promote the values of their faith in a world increasingly marked by globalization.
   

• In areas where there are traditional religions, the Catholic Church must engage in dialogue with them.
   

• Through ... dialogue, both Christians and the followers of traditional religions will come to a better understanding of the richness of traditional religions, but also of their possible limitations.
   

• If the Catholic Church took more seriously the positive values found in traditional religions the quest for peace in the world would advance.

Comments: In chapter seventeen of The Book of Acts, we read of a discourse delivered by St. Paul to the people of Athens. After days of public debates with Jewish leaders in the marketplace, Paul was approached by some philosophers of the Epicurean and Stoic schools. Because the Apostle had been preaching the Resurrection of Jesus, these philosophers accused him of trying to introduce “new gods.” St. Paul’s reply is a lesson in rational debate. Standing in the midst of the Areopagus, a hill revered as the sacred meeting place of Athens’ prime council, he told the Athenians that they were “too superstitious.” He continued:

For passing by and seeing your idols, I found an altar also, on which was written: To the Unknown God. What therefore you worship without knowing it, that I preach to you. Being therefore the offspring of God, we must not suppose the divinity to be like unto gold or silver or stone, the graving of art and device of man. And God indeed having winked at the times of this ignorance, now declareth unto men that all should everywhere do penance. Because He hath appointed a day wherein He will judge the world in equity, by the Man whom He hath appointed: giving faith to all, by raising Him up from the dead.

So few words, and such a wealth of teaching! St. Paul laid the Truth out clearly and succinctly, sending no mixed messages by which the Athenians might suppose that their current beliefs would avail them.

Contrast this to the statement issued after the “Conference on the Resources for Peace in Traditional Religions.” Where St. Paul preached the death and resurrection of Christ and the forgiveness of sins through Him alone, the conference teaches that the Catholic Church “must engage in dialogue” with tribal religions. Where St. Paul, in all charity, told the Athenians that they were “too superstitious,” the conference speaks of “the positive values found in traditional religions.”

Most importantly, St. Paul told the Athenians that, until then, God had “winked” (i.e., held back His judgment) at their ignorance of the Truth, but that time was ended with the preaching of the Gospel. The conference, on the other hand, admonishes the Church to take more seriously “the positive values found in traditional religions.” Yes, the conference did state halfheartedly that some followers of tribal religions “have converted to Christianity, starting from the 'background' of these religions.” But, they also spoke of the “possible limitations” of these religions. Possible? The possible limitations of religions which do not know and acknowledge Jesus Christ? Then, again, they also tell us that “the positive values found in traditional religions,” and not the Reign of Christ, will bring “peace” to the world.

On the very day that this “tribal conference” ended, January 15th, Reuters reported on the ritual mutilation and murder of a 9-year-old girl in Johannesburg, South Africa. The girl had been missing since January 2nd, and her body was found under a tree in the Ezineshe Nature Reserve in the country's eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. Her tongue and genitals had been removed by a 45-year-old woman, who wanted to give the body parts to a witch doctor for potions and spells as traditional "muti” medicine. A 14-year-old boy present during the mutilations told police that the young girl “was alive while she was mutilated and was left under the tree to die of her injuries.”

No, St. Paul did not dance around the people of Athens screaming, “Repent, heathens!” He was charitable to them, but he was firm, for he knew what dangers they faced in the pursuit of false gods. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote:

But the things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God. And I would not that you should be made partakers with devils. You cannot drink the chalice of the Lord and the chalice of devils: you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord and of the table of devils.

No, not all followers of “tribal religions” are violent or cruel, but St. Peter warned us that “your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour.” The Reuters report cited above states that “there may be between 70 and 100 muti killings in South Africa each year, usually in the countryside where traditional beliefs run deeper.” The spiritual dangers of false religions are legion.

St. Paul spoke to the Athenians about the fate of their eternal souls, telling them that God “hath appointed a day wherein He will judge the world in equity.” As a result, “certain men, adhering to him, did believe.” If Catholic priests and theologians continue to encourage the practitioners of pagan religions in their accustomed ways, they will have failed miserably in both charity and honesty. And they will be untrue to themselves in the process.

The ADL & Evolution

A January 13, 2005 press release issued by the Anti-Defamation League states that:

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) welcomed the decision today by U.S. District Court Judge Clarence Cooper in which he ruled that Cobb County [Georgia] could not place stickers that undermine the teaching of evolution in biology textbooks.

Deborah Lauter, ADL Southeast Regional Director, congratulated the ACLU and the six plaintiff parents in the case who challenged the Cobb County School Board's March 2002 action placing the sticker in high school biology textbooks. And just what did the sticker say that “undermined” the teaching of evolution? It said simply:

This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered.

Comments: As regards the wording of the sticker, one could hardly ask for a fairer deal. Evolution is, in fact, a theory, and, in the reliable pursuit of scientific answers, theories should always “be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered.” But, no, this is too much for the ADL. An example of the twisted logic behind the ADL’s condemnation of the harmless sticker can be found in Lauter’s comments:

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court made it clear that any attempt to ban evolution or to include creationism in a school science curriculum is unconstitutional, creationists have developed new tactics to promote their goal of undermining the way biology is taught in the public schools. We are glad that Judge Cooper recognized that the Cobb County disclaimer sticker, although couched in the language of scientific skepticism, is plainly designed to encourage students to doubt the evidence underlying the process of evolution.

What? How does the sticker “attempt to ban evolution?” It doesn’t even mention “God” or a “creator,” and it doesn’t condemn the teaching of evolution. But this is what the ADL considers “new tactics” to undermine “the way biology is taught in the public schools?” These people need to get out more.

ADL Regional Director Lauter speaks as though she and her group had just saved the nation from some sort of hostile takeover. She tells us that their overblown horror of the mighty sticker “is ultimately good for religion because it leaves religious instruction to properly trained clergy and to parents, it keeps government out of religious controversies, and it ensures that public school classrooms remain hospitable to an ethnically diverse, religiously pluralistic country."

Saved once again by our moral and ethical superiors! Hey, has this bunch ever met a godless agenda it didn’t like?