Remnant Editor’s Note: In February of 1973, the late, great French thinker, Jean Ousset—author of Action, the definitive guide to Catholic action—wrote a letter to a Catholic who having witnessed the auto-demolition of the Church in France, had lost his Faith. Originally written in French, Ousset’s letter was translated into English for The Remnant by Michael Davies, who noted at the time that Ousset “depicts the current dark disorder as a call to action rather than a cause for despair.”

The Neo-Catholics are again raging against the Traditionalists, desperately insisting that we are leading the sheep in the direction of the cliffs of despair by accurately assessing and realistically addressing the unprecedented crisis in the Church. Not so, said Michael Davies. Not so, said Louis Veuillot. Not so, said Jean Ousset. 

In fact, these great Catholic activists beleived that, far from justifying despair, the darkness we see all around us is a subject for meditation, really—for action!—for as bad as things have become in Europe, the Americas and all across the world, we can see through Hell’s very refusal to give up the fight against the Cross that the triumph of Christ the King is inevitable.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Neo-Catholicism and neo-Catholic are shorthand terms for a new form of "conservative Catholicism" or "neo-conservative Catholicism" that emerged in the Catholic Church during and after the Second Vatican Council. Use of the terms was first popularized in the book The Great Façade; Vatican II and the Regime of Novelty in the Roman Catholic Church (2002), a study of unprecedented changes in the Catholic Church since Vatican II. The essential element of this current in the Church is its progressivism relative to Catholicism as it existed before Vatican II.

In 2007 URI celebrated its 10th anniversary in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires, Argentina.  On the far-right is Jorge Mario Bergoglio

Question: What explains the love affair going on between the Vicar of Christ on earth and the modern executioners of his Mystical Body in the media?  The Rolling Stone magazine cover, Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year”, the Advocate’s glowing praise, and now CNN Money (Fortune) is listing the Holy Father as the “Greatest Leader” in the world today—edging out frontrunners Angela Merkel, Warren Buffet and Bill Clinton.

Really?

Meanwhile Pope Benedict XVI and even Pope John Paul II are vilified by the same media as intransigent traditionalists, personally responsible for the spread of AIDS and the sexual abuse of children by priests all over the world. In dramatic fashion, for example, PBS Frontline recently took it upon itself to highlight this contrast between Francis and his “evil predecessors” in the deeply disturbing documentary Secrets of the Vatican (viewer discretion strongly advised).  

Joan of Arc cut her hair short and wore men’s clothes.  She particularly fancied beautiful armor and fine horses, which she rode astride, and was admired for her prowess with the lance.  She led troops into battle, remaining in armor for six days running if necessary, and never faltered in her objective even after the enemy captured her. They tried her and executed her, not for war crimes, but for being a witch.

We might expect to see her commemorated on a postage stamp or a silver dollar along with other intrepid females who fought for women’s rights or otherwise beat men at their own game. But feminists seem wary of Joan, as if they didn’t quite trust her.  Anyway, they don’t often mention her, at least in public, and they certainly don’t carry her banner in demonstrations. That shows a degree of political acumen on their part, for were they to call attention to her it would soon become painfully clear that she didn’t care a fig for equal rights, for either man or woman.

■ As one advocate for victims stated, “In his more than 25 years as the world’s most powerful religious figure, we can’t think of a single predatory priest or complicit bishop who experienced any consequences whatsoever for committing or concealing heinous child sex crimes.

Did you hear what one English writer, Jerome K. Jerome, said to the other English writer, Ford M. Ford?

“There’s something, old boy, which I’ve always abhorred: When people address me and call me, ‘Jerome’, Are they being standoffish, or too much at home?” Said Ford, “I agree; it’s the same thing with me.” There is something about reduplicated names that is not only repetitive but just a bit odd. I have an inherent distrust of those so named.

Peritus at Vatican II on What Really Happened

(Editor’s Note:  Monsignor Bandas was a member of two commissions during the Second Vatican Council, one on dogma and the other on seminaries. He attended every session of the Second Vatican Council, and he died on June 26, 1969. The founding editor of The Remnant, Walter L. Matt, a close friend of Msgr. Bandas, used to say that in a very real sense Vatican II brought on the early death of Msgr. Bandas—a brilliant, holy priest who died of a broken heart over the Council.  Msgr. Bandas, upon his return from Vatican II, predicted that, before all this was over, “the blood of faithful Catholics would flow in the sanctuaries.”  May the following inspiring and yet sobering words of the late, great Msgr. Bandas remain with us always, and may we never forget such fallen heroes of the old Faith. The following is reprinted from The Remnant, Feb. 12, 1968. MJM)

During the three years of His public ministry Our Lord rapidly attained an immense popularity.  Huge crowds hailed Him at every side, followed Him, pressed upon Him, so that on one occasion only through an opening in the roof could a paralytic be placed before Jesus. 

The apparition of the Mother of God at La Salette in France was succeeded by two more great mariophanies. At Lourdes in 1858 she identified herself to little St. Bernadette Soubirous as the Immaculate Conception and requested the recitation of the Holy Rosary. At Fatima in 1917, while World War I was still raging on the European continent, she announced that she wished to establish devotion to her Immaculate Heart, insisting once more on the recitation of the Rosary, to which she promised to attach “a new efficacy” for the salvation of souls. She also told little Lucy dos Santos that at some future date, “I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia.” That day turned out to be Thursday June 13, 1929.

The Passion really begins at the Nativity, since Jesus, in His Divine Omniscience, always knew, saw and willed the sufferings which awaited His Humanity. The first blood shed for us was on the occasion of the Circumcision, eight days after Christmas. One can readily imagine what it must be for a man to be able to foresee his martyrdom.

The holocaust was to begin at Gethsemane. Jesus, having given His own body to eat and His blood to drink, leads His apostles by night to that grove of olives where they were in the habit of going. He allows them to rest at the entrance, taking with Him a little further Peter, James and John, from whom He separates Himself about a stone’s throw, to prepare Himself in prayer. He knows His hour has come. He has sent out the traitor Judas (“That which thou dost, do quickly”). He is eager to be finished with it and it is His will.

If all religions can lead to God and there may not be any souls in hell, couldn't it be argued that all departed men and women are, in fact, already enjoying eternal beatitude? And if that were the case, then obviously it would render canonization quite redundant.  What exactly does the post-conciliar Vatican mean by salvation, sanctity and canonization? Devil's advocates everywhere would like to know.

As the days go by, we are getting closer to the scheduled canonizations of Blesseds John XXIII and John Paul II. Most Catholics, unaware of the true significance of this event, are looking forward to a worldwide celebration of these two popular popes. John XXIII is remembered by older generations as “Good Pope John”, a moniker given due to both his affectionate demeanor and media praise for opening the Church to the world.

Similarly, John Paul II was, and is still, very popular due to his personal charisma, globetrotting travels, and fantastical World Youth Days. Thus, a certain cult of personality has developed around both men. In the case of Blessed John Paul, the fervor for his canonization has not subsided from the time of his death in 2005.

Supremes Hear Oral Arguments
Over Contraception Mandate

Washington, D.C.—For those who have never visited the U.S. Supreme Court during a trip to the District of Colombia, a very pleasant aesthetic surprise awaits you. Although there are other government buildings constructed during the decade of the 1930s, many of them in the older "Federal style" using classical architectural forms, the Supreme Court's outside and interior design clearly make it one of the most impressive, along with the original Library of Congress. 

Editor’s Note: After long and inexplicable delays the great Pope Pius IX was finally beatified (alongside, incredibly, Pope John XXIII) on September 2, 2000 by Pope John Paul II. A few weeks from now, John XXIII is scheduled to be promoted again, this time as a canonized saint—despite the lack of any particular cult surrounding his cause, the required miracle or even a serious claim of heroic virtue. He is apparently being canonized on the grounds that during Vatican II, Yves Congar wrote in his diary that Cardinal Suenens “planned to conclude his ‘De Ecclesia’ speech asking for John XXIII’s immediate canonization by acclamation.”  Evidently, John XXIII is to be canonized because his friends in the curia, mourning his death at the time, said they wanted his canonization recorded as a "Council decision". Fifty years later, they're still at it. Good for them! But on a more serious note and given Pius’ massive contribution to the Church’s heroic last stand against the very liberalism that is today tearing the world in half, some Catholics are wondering why the Vatican seems to have chosen style over substance once again. Could it possibly be that  canonization  has  become  somehow politicized?  Meanwhile Pope Pius IX is again waiting in the wings, which is why even as he did for so many years back in the 1990s until Pio Nono was finally beatified, Dr. Rao is again calling for the Vatican to do the right thing. MJM

Conquered peoples frequently adopt their victors’ language, customs, religion and heroes as their own. Indeed, they often so reject their former ways as to wince with shame at the mere mention of the names of their past champions, or forget them entirely. We are rightly edified at the thought of a powerful barbarian tribe like the Franks under Clovis, Pippin, and Charlemagne being conquered by what it saw to be a superior Roman Catholic culture, and abandoning in horror its traditional pagan brutality.