Another Memorandum to “Bishop” Joseph Strickland: Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is Inseparable from His true Church

The hour in this era of apostasy and betrayal is late.

We have lived through nearly sixty-eight years of “papal” and “episcopal” efforts to wage an unrelenting assault against Catholic Faith, Worship, and Morals.

Here is a little review for anyone out there who is still searching for “clues” about whether what has been happening since the crapulous old Rosicrucian Mason named Angelo Roncalli stepped onto the loggia of the Basilica of Saint Peter on Tuesday, October 28, 1958, the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, to claim that he was “Pope John XXIII.”

Those who look endlessly for “clues” about “Pope Leo XIV” have yet to come to grips with the simple truth that anyone who embraces even the following partial listing of conciliarism’s defections from the Catholic Faith is simply not a Catholic as (and I think you’ve heard this a time or two before) Either the Faith is Had Entirely, Or It is Not Had At All:

The honor and glory of the Most Blessed Trinity, which has been profaned by the worldly nature of liturgical rites that are designed to appeal to the “people” and not to reflect the reverence due to Him in the Holy Sacrifice of Mass and the sacrality necessary to raise the people out of the muck and mire of this passing world, The Protestant and Judeo-Masonic Novus Ordo liturgical service celebrates the world, sacralizes the profane, and profanes all that is holy and sacred (please purchase G.I.R.M. Warfare: The Conciliar Church's Unremitting Warfare Against Catholic Faith and Worship if you have done not so already). God’s honor and glory has also been blasphemed and profaned by the abundant praise heaped upon false religions, their false doctrines, their false leaders and by the esteem shown to idols by the conciliar “popes” and “bishops.”
God’s immutability, which has been rendered mutable by dogmatic evolutionism’s different contemporary appellations (Karol Josef Wojtyla/John Paul II’s “living tradition,” Joseph Alois Ratzinger/Benedict XVI’s “hermeneutic of continuity,” Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s open embrace of dogmatic evolutionism by means of distorting and misrepresenting the teaching of Saint Vincent Lerins, each of which ignores the condemnations of dogmatic evolutionism found in The Third Council of Constantinople, Singulari Vos, May 15, 1834, The Syllabus of Errors, December 8, 1864, the Decree on the Doctrine of the Faith issued by the Fathers of the [First] Vatican Council, April 24, 1870, Lamentabili Sane, July 1, 1907, Pascendi Dominicae Gregis, September 8, 1907, Praestatia Scripturae, November 18, 1907, The Oath Against Modernism, September 1, 1910, and Humani Generis, August 12, 1950.
The unicity and infallibility of Holy Mother Church, which has been granted a “perfect immunity from error” (e.g., cf. Pope Pius XI, Quas Primas, December 11, 1925.)
The ends proper to Holy Matrimony, which have been inverted by the conciliar revolutionaries according the “personalism” of Father Herbert Doms and Dietrich von Hildebrand that was condemned directly by Pope Pius XII on April 1, 1944.)
The very nature of the papacy itself, which was become an object of derision, ridicule, and abject disobedience in the past sixty years with the recrudescence of the Gallicanism by the Society of Saint Pius X and then by scores of others in the “resist while recognize” movement.
Religious liberty and the separation of Church and State.
New ecclesiology.
Episcopal collegiality.
Ecclesial synodality.
False interpretations of Sacred Scripture.
Misrepresentations of the teachings of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Apostles, Martyrs, Doctors, and Confessors.
False Mariology.
False Eschatology.
False Canon Law.
False Ecumenism and inter-religious “prayer” services.
A rejection of the fact that the Old Covenant was superseded by the New and Eternal Covenant instituted by Our Lord at the Last Supper and ratified by the shedding of every single drop of His Most Precious Blood on Good Friday.
Endless praise of pagan religions that deny the doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity and thus of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’s Sacred Divinity.
An embrace of the very language of the French Revolution: liberty, equality, fraternity:

Liberty, equality and fraternity

103. Fraternity is born not only of a climate of respect for individual liberties, or even of a certain administratively guaranteed equality. Fraternity necessarily calls for something greater, which in turn enhances freedom and equality. What happens when fraternity is not consciously cultivated, when there is a lack of political will to promote it through education in fraternity, through dialogue and through the recognition of the values of reciprocity and mutual enrichment? Liberty becomes nothing more than a condition for living as we will, completely free to choose to whom or what we will belong, or simply to possess or exploit. This shallow understanding has little to do with the richness of a liberty directed above all to love.

104. Nor is equality achieved by an abstract proclamation that “all men and women are equal”. Instead, it is the result of the conscious and careful cultivation of fraternity. Those capable only of being “associates” create closed worlds. Within that framework, what place is there for those who are not part of one’s group of associates, yet long for a better life for themselves and their families? (Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Fratelli Tutti, October 3, 2020.)

Robert Francis Prevost/Leo XIV has endorsed the entirety of the conciliar agenda of apostasy, including Fratelli Tutti and the Abu Dhabi document.

Why, oh why, does anyone have to look for “clues” about what “Pope Leo XIV” really believes or says as anyone who propagates the errors of conciliarism, which are the errors of Modernism with the contributions to Joseph Alois Ratzinger/Benedict XVI’s “new theology,” is not a Catholic.

It is amazing that many Catholics who speak out against the apostasies of the moment have yet to come to grips with the simple truth that anyone who embraces even the partial listing of conciliarism’s defections from the Catholic Faith above is simply not a Catholic as (and I think you’ve heard this a time or two before) Either the Faith is Had Entirely, Or It is Not Had At All.

It is even more amazing that “conservative” or “semi-traditional” “bishops” within the counterfeit church of conciliarism can posit we must adhere to the truth of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and not to the false teaching of this or that “pope” as if Our Lord is inseparable from His true Church, she who can never give false teachings or heresies of any kind:

Are we now in a situation where a faithful Catholic is sometimes forced to choose between truth and obedience, or truth and unity?

Real obedience never conflicts with truth. Real unity never conflicts with truth.

Any authentic unity is unity in Jesus Christ. Any authentic obedience is obedience to Jesus Christ.

When leaders within the Church fail to proclaim the truth faithfully, Catholics must remain faithful to Christ above all.

St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that obedience is ultimately owed to God.

We must respect the Petrine Office and pray for the pope, but fidelity to Christ comes first. If bishops, cardinals, or even popes speak contrary to the truth revealed by Christ, then charity requires us to say: “Father, return to Jesus Christ. Return to His truth.” (EXCLUSIVE: Bishop Strickland says 'real obedience is to be obedient to the truth that is Jesus Christ’.)

This is what passes for ecclesiology within the counterfeit church of conciliarism?

Then again, the man who appointed Joseph Strickland to the See of Tyler, Texas, in 2012, believed that Martin Luther's "cause" was Our Lord Jesus Christ without mentioning that Luther had separated himself from the bosom of Holy Mother Church, which was an act that was inspired by the adversary and has continued to retard, not advance, Our Lord's cause:

Another important point: God, the one God, creator of heaven and earth, is no mere philosophical hypothesis regarding the origins of the universe. This God has a face, and he has spoken to us. He became one of us in the man Jesus Christ – who is both true God and true man. Luther’s thinking, his whole spirituality, was thoroughly Christocentric: “What promotes Christ’s cause” was for Luther the decisive hermeneutical criterion for the exegesis of sacred Scripture. This presupposes, however, that Christ is at the heart of our spirituality and that love for him, living in communion with him, is what guides our life. (Meeting with representatives of the German Evangelical Church Council in the Chapter Hall of the Augustinian Convent Erfurt, Germany, September 23, 2011.)

Why should we have to encounter Martin Luther with anything other than total rejection?

The cause of Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is to be found only in the Catholic Church, nowhere else as Our Lord and His true Church are indivisible.

True or false?

There has never been a heretical pope.

There never can be a heretical pope as he is guided infallibly by God the Holy Ghost in all that pertains to Faith and Morals.

A true and legitimate Successor of Saint Peter is the guarantor of doctrinal orthodoxy who is to be reverence and obeyed, not disparaged and defied.

The Catholic Church enjoys a perpetual from error and heresy.

Perhaps it is good to review some documentation for the declarative statements made just above.

Father Joachim Salaverri on The Nature of Papal Infallibility and That of Holy Mother Church Herself

I believe that it is useful to review similar arguments made by Father Joachim Salaverri, SJ, in Sacrae Theologiae Summa, which was translated from Latin into English by Father Kenneth Baker, SJ, and published in the English language by Keep the Faith, Inc., nine years ago.

First, Father Salvaerri quoted the [First] Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith's declaration that a Catholic is duty bound to believe everything taught by the Catholic Church even in her ordinary and universal teaching office:

645 Scholium 2 Is there one or are there two ways in which the Pope exercises infallibility? In the Constitution on the Catholic faith of Vatican Council I there is this definition: " All those things are to be believed with divine and Catholic faith that are contained in the word of God, written or handed down, and which by the Church, either in solemn judgment or through her ordinary and universal teaching office, are proposed for belief as having been divinely revealed ": D 3011.

From this definition of the Vatican it is inferred that the teaching Church or the College of Bishops constituted under the Pope can exercise infallibility in two ways -- one extraordinary and the other ordinary: in the extraordinary way, when in an Ecumenical Council it defines something with a solemn judgment; in the ordinary way when, dispersed throughout the world, the Bishops proposed some doctrine to be held absolutely by all the faithful. Joachim Salaverri, SJ, and Michaele Nicolau, SJ, Sacrae Theologiae Summa 1B—On the Church of Christ and On Holy Scripture. Translated from the Latin by Father Kenneth Baker, SJ, and published by Keep the Faith, Inc., in 2015, p. 235.)

In other words, Catholics are not free to reject the teaching of Holy Mother Church's universal ordinary magisterium, which is infallible in and of itself, something that many within the “resist while recognize” movement either fail to understand or obstinately reject and dispute even though the matter is not in dispute. As Monsignor Joseph Clifford Fenton, the editor of the American Ecclesiastical Review between 1943 and 1963 explained:

It is definitely the business of the writer in the field of sacred theology to benefit the Church by what he writes. It is likewise the duty of the teacher of this science to help the Church by his teaching of him. The man who uses the shoddy tricks of minimism to oppose or to ignore the doctrinal decisions made by the Sovereign Pontiff and set down in his " Acta " is, in the last analysis, stultifying his position as a theologian. (The doctrinal Authority of Papal allocutions .)

Are there any further questions about the binding nature of what a true and legitimate Successor of Saint Peter places in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis ?

Monsignor Joseph Clifford Fenton denounced "the shoddy tricks of minimism to ignore the doctrinal decisions made by the Sovereign Pontiff and set down his his 'Acta' ."

The same shoddy tricks of minimism that were being used by the likes of Father John Courtney Murray, SJ, and the "new theologians," including Father Joseph Ratzinger, in the 1950s that prompted Pope Pius XII to issue Humani Generis, August 12, 1950, have been employed for the past fifty years or more have been used during that same time frame with ever-increasing boldness by those seeking to claim the absolutely nonexistent ability to ignore and/or refuse the teaching of men they have recognized to be a true and legitimate Successor of Saint Peter. I know. I contributed to that literature for a while. I was wrong. So are those who continue to persist in their willful, stubborn rejection of the binding nature of all that is contained in the Universal Ordinary Magisterium of the Catholic Church even though if not declared infallible in a solemn manner.

Father Joachim Salaverri, SJ, elaborated on how the Roman Pontiff exercises his infallibility:

646 Now this is the question: In how many ways does the Roman Pontiff exercise his infallibility? 1) It is certain that he exercises infallibility in an extraordinary way or when he defines something ex cathedra with a solemn judgment. For, the Code of Canon Law 1323 [1917], after 1 quotes the definition of the Vatican that we cited in the previous number, and then it adds 2: "It is proper both to an Ecumenical Council and to the Roman Pontiff speaking ex cathedra to pronounce a solemn judgment of this kind."

647 Therefore there is a further question, whether the Supreme Pontiff exercises his infallibility also in an ordinary way, or not? It seems to us that the answer to this question must be 2) in the affirmative. For, according to Vatican Council I, the Roman Pontiff "possesses the infallibility with which the Divine Redeemer willed his Church to be endowed": D 3074. With this judgment the Fathers suppose the general principle against the error, which they intend to condemn, of the Gallicans who said: "the Pope is inferior to the Church also in questions of faith": see Msi 49,673;52,1230. Therefore, according to the Vatican, the Pope in no way is inferior to the Church in his power of teaching him. But the Church is endowed with infallibility which she exercises in extraordinary and ordinary ways: D 3011. Therefore it must be granted to the Roman Pontiff that he exercises his infallibility in these same ways (see Msi 52,1193 ). Joachim Salaverri, SJ, and Michaele Nicolau, SJ, Sacrae Theologiae Summa 1B—On the Church of Christ and On Holy Scripture . Translated from the Latin by Father Kenneth Baker, SJ, and published by Keep the Faith, Inc., in 2015, pp. 235-236.)

The false ecclesiology of the “resist while recognize” movement is opposed to Catholic teaching and has done as much, if not more, harm to the sensus Catholicus than have the conciliar “popes” themselves. One cannot oppose the false teaching of the conciliar “popes” without admitting that a true pope can give us false teaching on matters of Faith and Morals or that, worse yet, he is not in himself the guarantor of Catholic orthodoxy. If one truly believes that that a particular claimant to the papacy is not a guarantor of Catholic orthodoxy then one either does not believe in the Catholic Faith or the claimant himself is simply not a true and legitimate Successor of Saint Peter.

Father Salaverri explained that Holy Mother Church is infallible, which means that she cannot issue decrees or documents that are in any way defective or erroneous:

693. We deduce the infallibility of the Church concerning the primary object: 1) from the decrees of Vatican Council I; 2) from the definition of Papal Infallibility; 3) from further definitions, which were prepared on this matter by the same Vatican Council.

That the object of infallibility is per se revealed truths was defined by Vatican Council I: D [Denizger] 3011, 3020, 3069-3070.
The thesis on the direct and primary object of infallibility is considered implicitly in the definition of pontifical infallibility, since the Council says that its object is “doctrine concerning faith or morals”: De 3074.

For the Secretary, Bishop Grasser, in the name of the Committee for the Faith, while explaining to the Fathers the definition of the Council, said “In this definition it deals in #4 with the object of infallibility, which was promised in order to guard and interpret whole deposit of faith. Therefore as a whole it is easily made clear that the object of infallibility is the doctrine concerning faith or morals. Now, in the very word of God itself is contained also without doubt that infallibility not least to those things which per se constitute the deposit of faith, namely in order to define the dogmas of faith, and what comes to the same thing, to condemn heresies. . . The present definition enunciates the object of infallibility only in a general way, when it says, namely, that it is doctrine concerning faith and morals… In this object, so stated in a general way, the infallibility of the Pontiff extends neither less nor more broadly than the infallibility of the Church extends in her definitions of doctrines concerning faith and morals. Hence, just as no one denies that is heretical to deny the infallibility of the Church in defining dogmas of faith, in virtue of this decree of the Vatican it will be no less heretical to deny the infallibility of the Supreme Pontiff in the definitions of the dogmas of faith. Joachim Salaverri, SJ, and Michaele Nicolau, SJ, Sacrae Theologiae Summa 1B—On the Church of Christ and On Holy Scripture . Translated from the Latin by Father Kenneth Baker, SJ, and published by Keep the Faith, Inc., in 2015, p. 255.)

Father Salaverri explained in a later section noted that Holy Mother Church's infallibility extends to the decrees issued by Sacred Congregations of the Roman Curial, including those made by the Pontifical Biblical Commission, to dogmatic fact, to disciplinary decrees, to the canonization of saints, to liturgical decrees, and even in the realm of speculative truths connected with the Sacred Deposit of Faith. These decrees and decisions are owed both external and internal absent by every Catholic without exception.

Father Salaverri noted that the Jansenists claimed that they could withhold internal assent while maintaining only an “obediential silence” to the condemnations of Cornelius Jansen's propositions by Popes Innocent X and Alexander VII and confirmed by Pope Clement XI in 1705. This is false as no one is morally free to reject anything proposed for belief a true and legitimate Sovereign Pontiff and/or issued under his authority and/or with his formal approval by the Roman Congregations. No Catholic is “free” to sift the teaching of one they recognize as a true and legitimate Successor of Saint Peter, and no amount of saying “the pope is the pope” can excuse one from not recognizing that anyone who could make the following statement about the perpetual validity of Mosaic Covenant is not a member of the Catholic Church and hence could never be her visible head on earth:

247. We hold the Jewish people in special regard because their covenant with God has never been revoked, for “the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable” ( Rom 11:29). The Church, which shares with Jews an important part of the sacred Scriptures, looks upon the people of the covenant and their faith as one of the sacred roots of her own Christian identity (cf. Rom 11:16-18). As Christians, we cannot consider Judaism as a foreign religion; nor do we include the Jews among those called to turn from idols and to serve the true God (cf. 1 Thes 1:9). With them, we believe in the one God who acts in history, and with them we accept his revealed word of him.

248. Dialogue and friendship with the children of Israel are part of the life of Jesus' disciples. The friendship which has grown between us makes us bitterly and sincerely regret the terrible persecutions which they have endured, and continue to endure, especially those that have involved Christians.

249. G od continues to work among the people of the Old Covenant and to bring forth treasures of wisdom which flow from their encounter with his word. For this reason, the Church also is enriched when she receives the values of Judaism. While it is true that certain Christian beliefs are unacceptable to Judaism, and that the Church cannot refrain from proclaiming Jesus as Lord and Messiah, there exists as well a rich complementarity which allows us to read the texts of the Hebrew Scriptures together and to help one another to mine the riches of God's word. We can also share many ethical convictions and a common concern for justice and the development of peoples. (Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Evangelii Gaudium , November 26, 2013.)

"Pope Francis" chose to have this "apostolic exhortation" published in the December, 2013, edition of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis .

Here are the three passages as found in the Italian language (not Latin, by the way!) in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis as it is published in its conciliar captivity:

247. A very special look is turned to the Jewish people, whose Covenant with God has never been revoked, because "the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable" (Rm 11, 29). The Church, which shares an important part of the Holy Scriptures with Judaism, considers the people of the Covenant and their faith as a sacred root of its Christian identity (see Rom 11:16-18). As Christians we cannot consider Judaism as a foreign religion, nor do we include Jews among those called to abandon idols to convert to the true God (see 1 Thess 1:9). We believe together with them in the one God who acts in history, and we welcome with them the common revealed Word.

248. Dialogue and friendship with the children of Israel are part of the life of the disciples of Jesus. The affection that has developed leads us sincerely and bitterly to regret the terrible persecutions of which they were and are the object, particularly for those that involve or have involved Christians.

249. God continues to work in the people of the Ancient Covenant and gives birth to treasures of wisdom that arise from his encounter with the divine Word. For this reason, the Church is also enriched when it gathers the values of Judaism. Although some Christian beliefs are unacceptable for Judaism, and the Church cannot give up announcing Jesus as Lord and Messiah, there is a rich complementarity that allows us to read the texts of the Hebrew Bible together and help each other to discover the riches of the Word, as well as sharing many ethical convictions and a common concern for justice and the development of peoples. (Date at St. Peter's, at the closing of the Year of Faith, November 24, Solemnity of Saint Jesus Christ King of the Universe, of the year 2013, the first of my Pontificate. Acta Apostolicae Sedis, December, 2013. )

If one professes belief that a particular claimant to the Throne of Saint Peter is legitimate and is indeed the Vicar of Christ on earth, a matter about which no Catholic is free to err or to profess indifference, then one must accept as binding upon his conscience and beyond all criticism even Evangelii Gaudium as part of the Universal Ordinary Magisterium of the Catholic Church without complaint, reservation or qualification of any kind.

Well, is the Mosaic Covenant still valid?

Has it never been revoked?

Alas, the late Jorge Mario Bergoglio's "teaching" on the Jews was heretical, and it was in this and in so many other ways that he showed himself to be a perfect disciple of the falsehoods promulgated by the authority of his predecessors since the death of Pope Pius XII on October 9, 1958. Jorge Mario Bergoglio lacked the Catholic Faith, He openly denied Catholic doctrine on this subject with great boldness. Although his style was more vulgar, visceral profane that those who had preceded him, he was, of course, merely following those before him who have denied, whether implicitly or explicitly, the Catholic truth about the Old Covenant that was summarized so clearly by Pope Pius XII in Mystici Corporis , June 29, 1943:

28.That He completed His work on the gibbet of the Cross is the unanimous teaching of the holy Fathers who asserted that the Church was born from the side of our Savior on the Cross like a new Eve, mother of all the living. [ 28 ] "And it is now," says the great St. Ambrose, speaking of the pierced side of Christ, "that it is built, it is now that it is formed, it is now that is .... molded, it is now that it is created . . . Now it is that arises a spiritual house, a holy priesthood." [ 29 ] One who reverently examines this venerable teaching will easily discover the reasons on which it is based.

29. And first of all, by the death of our Redeemer, the New Testament took the place of the Old Law which had been abolished; then the Law of Christ together with its mysteries, enactments, institutions, and sacred rites was ratified for the whole world in the blood of Jesus Christ . For, while our Divine Savior was preaching in a restricted area - He was not sent but to the sheep that were lost of the house of Israel [ 30 ] -the Law and the Gospel were together in force; [ 31 ] but on the gibbet of his death Jesus made void the Law with its decrees, [ 32 ] fastened the handwriting of the Old Testament to the Cross, [ 33 ] establishing the New Testament in His blood shed for the whole human race. [ 34 ] "To such an extent, then," says St. Leo the Great, speaking of the Cross of our Lord, "was there effected a transfer from the Law to the Gospel, from the Synagogue to the Church, from many sacrifices to one Victim, that, as our Lord expired, that mystical veil which shut off the innermost part of the temple and its sacred secret was rent violently from top to bottom ." [ 35 ]

30. On the Cross then the Old Law died, soon to be buried and to be a bearer of death, [ 36 ] in order to give way to the New Testament of which Christ had chosen the Apostles as qualified ministers ; [ 37 ] and although He had been constituted the Head of the whole human family in the womb of the Blessed Virgin, it is by the power of the Cross that our Savior fully exercises the office itself of Head in His Church of him. "For it was through His triumph on the Cross," according to the teaching of the Angelic and Common Doctor, "that He won power and dominion over the gentiles"; [ 38 ] by that same victory He increased the immense treasure of graces, which, as He reigns in glory in heaven, He continually washes on His mortal members it was by His blood shed on the Cross that God's anger was averted and that all the heavenly gifts, especially the spiritual graces of the New and Eternal Testament, could then flow from the fountains of our Savior for the salvation of men, of the faithful above all; it was on the tree of the Cross, finally, that He entered into possession of His Church of him, that is, of all the members of His Mystical Body of him; for they would not have been united to this Mystical Body. (Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis , June 29, 1943.)

Pope Pius XII's Mystici Corporis was inserted into the Acta Apostolicae Sedis in 1943. Although it was nothing new whatsoever, Pope Pius XII reaffirmed an irreformable teaching that is part of the Sacred Deposit of Faith. The fact that Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose to insert a contrary teaching into the Acta Apostlicae Sedis shows that he is not in perfect communion of mind and heart with his predecessors and is thus a heretic who is outside of the bosom of the Catholic Church, an impostor on the Throne of Saint Peter. Such a man is never to be obeyed as to do so is to obey the adversary himself.

Like examples on every matter of doctrine on which the conciliar revolutionaries defect from the Catholic Faith could be given ad infinitum, ad nauseam . However, I have neither the time nor the desire to rewrite Antichrist Has Shown Us His Calling Card, which was published over eight years ago.

Father Francis X. Weninger, S. J., on Papal Infallibility

I would like to once again call upon the writing of Father Francis X. Weninger, S.J., a legendary giant of an Austrian missionary to the United States of America in the Nineteenth Century who preached throughout the Midwest and who wrote many books in defense of the Holy Faith, including one entitled Protestantism and Infidelity.

Father Weninger wrote a book entitled On The Apostolical and Infallible Authority of the Pope When Teaching the Faithful, and On His Relation to a General Council after the doctrine of Papal Infallibility had been solemnly proclaimed by Pope Pius IX and the Fathers of the [First] Vatican Council that document how the doctrine was always believed and taught prior to its proclamation while also explaining the meaning of the doctrine in that no one can dissent from any teaching on a true pope on Faith and Morals even when not solemnly defined:

In a work, which owes its authorship to Moehler, and bears the title “Athanasius the Great, and the Church” of his we find the following pertinent reflection: “As the Pope succeeds to the authority of Peter, and thus becomes the head, with which all the members form an organic whole, the several Churches should be guided, in matters of faith, by his controlling care. When the Arian heresy devastated the fairest fields of the Church, and, with the malignity inspired by hatred, aimed its missiles, in a special manner, against Athanasius, all the Catholics, no less than this noble champion of the truth, instinctively looked toward the Holy See for support. Thence resulted a marvelous union of forces. Those who advocated the divinity of the invisible head, appealed to the visible head, and, when assured of his favor and countenance, they cheerfully returned to their homes to offer the remainder of their lives as a holocaust on the altar of the faith. Thus the history of Athanasius is like an epitome of the history of the Primacy, at that epoch. The record of his fortunes and his devotion is not a mere episode, a bare recital of isolated facts, but an abridgment of the most momentous events, which are felt, in their effects, by the remotest posterity.” (Father Francis X. Weninger, S.J., On The Apostolical and Infallible Authority of the Pope When Teaching the Faithful, and On His Relation to a General Council, Third Edition. New York: Sadlier and Company, 1890; Cincinnati, Ohio: John P. Walsh, 1890.)

Interjection Number One:

This passage alone speaks volumes about the necessity of accepting a true and legitimate Successor of Saint Peter as the infallibly authoritative teacher of the Catholic Faith and the need to make sacrifices for the Faith, a concept that is reject as “foolish” by Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who is not a true and legitimate Successor of Saint Peter as he hath not the Catholic Faith, which, as Saint Robert Bellarmine taught, is either had in its entirety, or it is not held at all.”

Returning now to the text of Father Weninger’s book:

The thought so happily expressed by this learned author, is well exemplified in our own times, when again the eyes of all Catholics instinctively look upon Pius IX, who, by his energy, is daily strengthening the bonds of Catholic unity.

In a letter of St. Basil's (f378), forwarded by the Deacon Sabinus to Pope St. Damasus, we read the following: “To your Holiness it is given to distinguish the adulterated and spurious from the pure and orthodox, and to teach, without alteration, the faith of our forefathers.” The holy Doctor then subjoins: “We pray and conjure your Holiness to send letters and legates to your children in the Orient, that we may be confirmed in the faith, if we have followed the path of truth, or be reproved, if we have gone astray. There is no one but your Holiness, to whom we can turn for help.” Pietati tuce donatum est a Domino , scilicet ut, quod adulterinum est, a legitimo et puro discernas et Jidem patrum sine ulla subtractione prcedices. (Father Francis X. Weninger, S.J., On The Apostolical and Infallible Authority of the Pope When Teaching the Faithful, and On His Relation to a General Council, Third Edition. New York: Sadlier and Company, 1890; Cincinnati, Ohio: John P. Walsh, 1890.)

Interjection Number Two:

A true pope is able to distinguish “the adulterated and spurious from the pure and orthodox, and teach, without alteration, the faith of our forefathers.”

Is this what the conciliar “popes” have done?

Of course not, and this is proof alone that these men have been antipopes of the highest order.

All right?

Back to Father Weninger:

Optatus, the learned and well-known Bishop of Melevi (f390), is the author of a book, entitled “Contra Parmenianum ,” in which he invokes, against some erratic spirits of his day, the authority of the Roman See, established by St. Peter. “Thou knowest,” remarks he, “and thou darest not deny, that at Rome, Peter established the Episcopal Chair, which he was the first to occupy, thus securing to all the blessings of perfect unity.” “In qua una Cathedra Uni ab omnibus servaretur.”

The Donatists themselves, conscious of the prevailing belief, which regarded Rome as the infallible teacher of Christian nations, seeking to give to their errors the semblance of orthodoxy, maintained, at the center of the Christian world, a bishop of their own choosing, to make the faithful of Africa believe that Rome tolerated their errors, and remained in communion with them.

The views, entertained by St. Ambrose (f 397), on the prerogative of the Roman See, are manifest, as well from his verbal declarations, as from his personal relations with the Sovereign Pontiff. In a letter, which he, in concert with other Bishops, addressed to Pope Siricius, the saintly Prelate gives utterance to the following sentiment: “In the pastorals of your Holiness, we recognize the care of the shepherd, who watches the entrance of the sheep-fold; who protects from harm the flock intrusted to him by our Lord; who, in fine, deserves to be followed and obeyed by all. As you well know the tender lambkins of the Lord, you keep guard against the wolves, and like a vigilant shepherd, prevent them from dispersing the fold.” “Dignus, quern oven Domini audiant et sequantur; et ideo, quia nosti oviculas Christi, lupos deprehendis et occurris quasi providus pastor, ne inti morsibus perjidia ma feralique ululatu dominicum ovile dispergant. But the unity of the fold, here referred to, demands above all unity of faith. (Father Francis X. Weninger, S.J., On The Apostolical and Infallible Authority of the Pope When Teaching the Faithful, and On His Relation to a General Council, Third Edition. New York: Sadlier and Company, 1890; Cincinnati, Ohio: John P. Walsh, 1890.)

Interjection Number Three:

Seriously, my friends, does anyone who has an ounce of rationality believe that the conciliar “popes” have guarded the “tender lambkins of” Our Lord safe “against the wolves,” or have they not been wolves themselves who have raised wolves of their own repulsive skins to blaspheme Our Lord and Our Lady and to disparage as “foolish” the teachings of the true Church?

We return now to Father Francis Weninger on Papal Infallibility:

In compliance with an ordinance from the Pope, the holy Doctor forbade the troublesome Jovinians the Episcopal city of Milan.

In a funeral oration on his brother Satyrus, he eulogized the zeal of the deceased in the cause of the Roman Church, and alluded, with undisguised satisfaction, to his custom of inquiring from all, whom he chanced to meet, whether they were in communion with the See of Peter. If Satyrus discovered that they had failed in this respect, he rebuked them, because he considered that thereby they had cut themselves loose from the communion of the whole Church.

In his forty-seventh sermon, the Saint advanced the principle: “Where Peter is, there is the Church.” “Ubi Petrus, ibi ecclesia.” If this axiom is once admitted, it is plain that Peter and his successors, when acting as vicars of Christ, can never err in doctrinal decisions. If they could, the Church herself would be in error. But this supposition destroys the very idea of the church. Therefore, according to St. Ambrose, Peter and his successors can never lapse into error. (Father Francis X. Weninger, S.J., On The Apostolical and Infallible Authority of the Pope When Teaching the Faithful, and On His Relation to a General Council, Third Edition. New York: Sadlier and Company, 1890; Cincinnati, Ohio: John P. Walsh, 1890.)

Interjection Number Four:

It has been the conciliar “popes” themselves, as part of a synthetic religion that claims to be but is not the Catholic Church, who have severed themselves from communion with the See of Peter as where the conciliar “popes” have been and continue to be, a true and legitimate Successor of Saint Peter is not to be found.

The conciliar “popes” have taught error, but a true pope “can never err in doctrinal decisions,” an ontological impossibility that would make liar out of Our Lord Himself, Who promised that the gates of hell would never prevail against His Holy Church, the Catholic Church, the one and only true Church, outside of which there is no salvation and without which there can be no true social order.

We return to Father Weninger once again:

A passage in the eleventh sermon of the Holy Bishop bears upon the same point: “Peter is the immovable basis, which supports the entire superstructure of Christianity.” “Petrus, saxum immobile, totius operis Christiani compagem molemque continet.” The Church of Rome, he exclaims, may have sometimes been tempted, but it has never been altered. “Aliquan dotentata, mutata nunquam.” . . . .

In his treatise against Ruffinus, he bursts forth into this brief profession of faith: The Roman Church can not countenance error, though an angel should come to teach it.” (Father Francis X. Weninger, S.J., On The Apostolical and Infallible Authority of the Pope When Teaching the Faithful, and On His Relation to a General Council, Third Edition. New York: Sadlier and Company, 1890; Cincinnati, Ohio: John P. Walsh, 1890.)

Interjection Number Five:

The Catholic Church is the spotless, virginal mystical bride of her Divine Founder, Invisible Head, and Mystical Bridegroom. It is impossible for her to teach error and it impossible for a true and legitimate Successor of Saint Peter to lead her into error, a truth that has been repeated throughout the course of her history:

These firings, therefore, with all diligence and care having been formulated by us, we define that it be permitted to no one to bring forward, or to write, or to compose, or to think, or to teach a different faith. Whosoever shall presume to compose a different faith, or to propose, or teach, or hand to those wishing to be converted to the knowledge of the truth, from the Gentiles or Jews, or from any heresy, any different Creed; or to introduce a new voice or invention of speech to subvert these things which now have been determined by us, all these, if they be Bishops or clerics let them be deposed, the Bishops from the Episcopate, the clerics from the clergy; but if they be monks or laymen: let them be anathematized. (Constantinople III).

These and many other serious things, which at present would take too long to list, but which you know well, cause Our intense grief. It is not enough for Us to deplore these innumerable evils unless We strive to uproot them. We take refuge in your faith and call upon your concern for the salvation of the Catholic flock. Your singular prudence and diligent spirit give Us courage and console Us, afflicted as We are with so many trials. We must raise Our voice and attempt all things lest a wild boar from the woods should destroy the vineyard or wolves kill the flock. It is Our duty to lead the flock only to the food which is healthful. In these evil and dangerous times, the shepherds must never neglect their duty; they must never be so overcome by fear that they abandon the sheep. Let them never neglect the flock and become sluggish from idleness and apathy. Therefore, united in spirit, let us promote our common cause, or more truly the cause of God; let our vigilance be one and our effort united against the common enemies.

Indeed you will accomplish this perfectly if, as the duty of your office demands, you attend to yourselves and to doctrine and meditate on these words: "the universal Church is affected by any and every novelty" and the admonition of Pope Agatho: "nothing of the things appointed ought to be diminished; nothing changed; nothing added; but they must be preserved both as regards expression and meaning." Therefore may the unity which is built upon the See of Peter as on a sure foundation stand firm. May it be for all a wall and a security, a safe port, and a treasury of countless blessings. To check the audacity of those who attempt to infringe upon the rights of this Holy See or to sever the union of the churches with the See of Peter, instill in your people a zealous confidence in the papacy and sincere veneration for it. As St. Cyprian wrote: "He who abandons the See of Peter on which the Church was founded, falsely believes himself to be a part of the Church . . . .

But for the other painful causes We are concerned about, you should recall that certain societies and assemblages seem to draw up a battle line together with the followers of every false religion and cult. They feign piety for religion; but they are driven by a passion for promotingnovelties and sedition everywhere. They preach liberty of every sort; they stir up disturbances in sacred and civil affairs, and pluck authority to pieces.(Pope Gregory XVI, Mirari Vos, August 15, 1832.)

7. It is with no less deceit, venerable brothers, that other enemies of divine revelation, with reckless and sacrilegious effrontery, want to import the doctrine of human progress into the Catholic religion. They extol it with the highest praise, as if religion itself were not of God but the work of men, or a philosophical discovery which can be perfected by human means. The charge which Tertullian justly made against the philosophers of his own time "who brought forward a Stoic and a Platonic and a Dialectical Christianity" can very aptly apply to those men who rave so pitiably. Our holy religion was not invented by human reason, but was most mercifully revealed by God; therefore, one can quite easily understand that religion itself acquires all its power from the authority of God who made the revelation, and that it can never be arrived at or perfected by human reason. In order not to be deceived and go astray in a matter of such great importance, human reason should indeed carefully investigate the fact of divine revelation. Having done this, one would be definitely convinced that God has spoken and therefore would show Him rational obedience, as the Apostle very wisely teaches. For who can possibly not know that all faith should be given to the words of God and that it is in the fullest agreement with reason itself to accept and strongly support doctrines which it has determined to have been revealed by God, who can neither deceive nor be deceived? (Pope Pius IX, Qui Pluribus, November 9, 1846.)

As for the rest, We greatly deplore the fact that, where the ravings of human reason extend, there is somebody who studies new things and strives to know more than is necessary, against the advice of the apostle. There you will find someone who is overconfident in seeking the truth outside the Catholic Church, in which it can be found without even a light tarnish of error. Therefore, the Church is called, and is indeed, a pillar and foundation of truth. You correctly understand, venerable brothers, that We speak here also of that erroneous philosophical system which was recently brought in and is clearly to be condemned. This system, which comes from the contemptible and unrestrained desire for innovation, does not seek truth where it stands in the received and holy apostolic inheritance. Rather, other empty doctrines, futile and uncertain doctrines not approved by the Church, are adopted. Only the most conceited men wrongly think that these teachings can sustain and support that truth. (Pope Gregory XVI, Singulari Nos, May 25, 1834.)

In the Catholic Church Christianity is Incarnate. It identifies Itself with that perfect, spiritual, and, in its own order, sovereign society, which is the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ and which has for Its visible head the Roman Pontiff, successor of the Prince of the Apostles. It is the continuation of the mission of the Savior, the daughter and the heiress of His Redemption. It has preached the Gospel, and has defended it at the price of Its blood, and strong in the Divine assistance and of that immortality which has been promised it, It makes no terms with error but remains faithful to the commands which it has received, to carry the doctrine of Jesus Christ to the uttermost limits of the world and to the end of time, and to protect it in its inviolable integrity. (Pope Leo XIII, A Review of His Pontificate, March 19, 1902.)

There are some, indeed, who recognize and affirm that Protestantism, as they call it, has rejected, with a great lack of consideration, certain articles of faith and some external ceremonies, which are, in fact, pleasing and useful, and which the Roman Church still retains. They soon, however, go on to say that that Church also has erred, and corrupted the original religion by adding and proposing for belief certain doctrines which are not only alien to the Gospel, but even repugnant to it. Among the chief of these they number that which concerns the primacy of jurisdiction, which was granted to Peter and to his successors in the See of Rome. Among them there indeed are some, though few, who grant to the Roman Pontiff a primacy of honor or even a certain jurisdiction or power, but this, however, they consider not to arise from the divine law but from the consent of the faithful. Others again, even go so far as to wish the Pontiff Himself to preside over their motley, so to say, assemblies. But, all the same, although many non-Catholics may be found who loudly preach fraternal communion in Christ Jesus, yet you will find none at all to whom it ever occurs to submit to and obey the Vicar of Jesus Christ either in His capacity as a teacher or as a governor. Meanwhile they affirm that they would willingly treat with the Church of Rome, but on equal terms, that is as equals with an equal: but even if they could so act. it does not seem open to doubt that any pact into which they might enter would not compel them to turn from those opinions which are still the reason why they err and stray from the one fold of Christ. (Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos, January 6, 1928.)

For the teaching authority of the Church, which in the divine wisdom was constituted on earth in order that revealed doctrines might remain intact for ever, and that they might be brought with ease and security to the knowledge of men, and which is daily exercised through the Roman Pontiff and the Bishops who are in communion with him, has also the office of defining, when it sees fit, any truth with solemn rites and decrees, whenever this is necessary either to oppose the errors or the attacks of heretics, or more clearly and in greater detail to stamp the minds of the faithful with the articles of sacred doctrine which have been explained. (Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos, January 6, 1928.)

There can be no doubt in anything pertaining to the Catholic Faith as Pope Pius XI has assured us that the teaching authority of Holy Mother Church 'was constituted on earth in order that revealed doctrines might remain intact for ever, and that they might be brought with ease and security to the knowledge of men."

Indeed, Pope Pius XI also reminded us that the Catholic Church enjoys a perpetual immunity from error and heresy:

Not least among the blessings which have resulted from the public and legitimate honor paid to the Blessed Virgin and the saints is the perfect and perpetual immunity of the Church from error and heresy. (Pope Pius XI, Quas Primas, December 11, 1925.)

No, I am not yet through with quoting from Father Weninger’s book on Papal Infallibility:

In his 157th letter he remarks: “The Catholic faith derives so much strength and support from the words of the Apostolic See, that it is criminal to entertain any doubts concerning it.” “In verbis sedis Apostolicce tarn antiqua aique fundala, certa et clara est Catholica jides, ut nefas sit de ilia dubitare.” (Father Francis X. Weninger, S.J., On The Apostolical and Infallible Authority of the Pope When Teaching the Faithful, and On His Relation to a General Council, Third Edition. New York: Sadlier and Company, 1890; Cincinnati, Ohio: John P. Walsh, 1890.)

Final Interjection:

Yes, it is completely criminal to entertain any doubts concerning the teaching of the Apostolic See.

Why does anyone persist in the mistaken Gallican belief that one can do so?

Father Joachim Salaverri Refutes the Contention That There Have Been Heretical Popes

Have there been heretical popes?

Saint Robert Bellarmine refuted such a claim, which had to be reviewed by the Fathers of the [First] Vatican Council before issuing Pastor Aeternus , July 18, 1870, which was approved by a final vote of 433-2 (one of the two negative votes were cast by the Bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas, the Most Reverend Edward Fitzgerald, but there were several others who believed that they could withhold their internal assent and thus voted for the decree).

Very helpful in this regard, therefore, is Father Joachim Salaverri's own wonderful, concise summary refuting the charges against each pope who was deemed to be guilty of heresy:

1. Pope Liberius (352-366) signed the Arian or Semi-Arian formula of faith. Therefore he erred in the faith.

1) the fact historically is probably a fable, or at least there is no certainty about it. [Footnote: Saint Ambrose: Kch 597; Rufinus: Kch 715 the genuine letters of Saint Liberius: Kch 550-559; Saint Anastasius I, D 209; Silva-Tarouca, loc.cit. 90-95. He proves from their style that the four letters attributed to Liberius are spurious (Kch 560-569) see F. di Capua, The prosaic rhythm in the letters of the Popes (1937) 236-247.]

651 2. Pope Vigilius (540-555) at first condemned the so-called Three Chapters with his first Judgment in 548; then he revoked the condemnation with his Ordinance of him in 553; finally he condemned it with his second Judgment in 554. therefore, either in one case or the other he erred. The so-called Three Chapters are: a) the person and writings of Theodore of Mopuestia; b) the writings of Theodoret Cyrensis; c) the letter of Ibas of Edessa to Maris the Persian.

652 1. These facts historically are certain: a) Vigilius, taken to Constantinople, and detained by Emperor Justinian in 546, by his judgment in 548, seems to have condemned the Three Chapters, just as the Emperor, by a decree in 544, had previously condemned them. The text of this Judgment has been lost, and so we do not know the meaning and the limits of the condemnation. b) The same Vigilius, frightened by the dangers of schism, which his Judgment had caused, against the will of the Emperor, promulgated his Ordinance on May 14, 553, by which he revoked his first Judgment, condemned the heretical theses as taken from the writings of Theodore and Theodoretus, but he said that their persons and the letter of Ibas, since they had not been condemned by the Council of Chalcedon, should not at that time be condemned. c) Historically it is not at all certain that Vigilius was the author of the second Judgment, by which in 554 the condemnation of the "Three Chapters" is fully confirmed, which on June 2, 553 the Emperor Justinian obtained from the Council of Constantinople II.

2) The subject defining ex cathedra cannot be said to be Vigilius because of his first Judgment, because, having been forced and detained by the Emperor, he lacked the necessary independence to give an infallible judgment; nor is it the case because of the second Judgment, because either it is not the work of Vigilius or at least he is afflicted with the same crime of force. However, the Ordinance, carefully prepared and freely promulgated by Vigilius, can truly be said to be his definition ex cathedra.

3) The object of the infallible definition in the Ordinance is only the propositions given to Vigilius as they were taken from the writings of Theodore and Theodoret, and also the five anathemas whereby the doctrine of Nestorius and Eutyches is condemned. The remaining precepts are disciplinary. or prudential judgments concerning the appropriateness of condemning in 553 the person of Theodore, who died in the peace of the Church in 448, and the letter of Ibas, which the Council of Chalcedon in 451 did not condemn. However, the appropriateness was very doubtful because of the dangers of schism of the Churches especially in Africa. therefore, Pope Vigilius in no way contradicted himself by defining ex cathedra, what he had said previously with his Ordinance of him.

653 3 The council of Constantinople II in 553, contrary to the Ordinance of Vigilius, condemned the Three Chapters at the request of the Emperor Justinian. Therefore, there are two infallible definitions which contradict each other.

1) the fact is historically certain, namely, that the bishops gathered together in Constantinople in 553 condemned the Three Chapters to please the Emperor, in opposition to Pope Vigilius. 2) It is not certain that this Council became the subject of infallibility except in 591 by the confirmation of Saint Gregory the Great (ML 77,478). 3) the object or doctrine of faith or morals defined by the Council and by Vigilius, the council adds a condemnation of the Letter of Ibae and of the person of Theodore, but for good reasons Vigilius thought that he should abstain from this further condemnation. Therefore there is no contradiction present of judgments as infallible, but at most progress both in the definition of a dogma and in the prudential judgment of expediency and decency.

654. 2. Pope Honorius (625-38) taught that there is one will in Christ: D 487-496. Therefore he erred in faith.

1) The fact from history is sufficiently certain. 2) The subject of the definition ex cathedra in this case cannot be said to be Honorius, since he clearly shows that he was not aware of the gravity of the question: D 487. 3) The object of the definition, if perhaps it should be called a definition ex cathedra, does not seem to be an error in faith, for from the context it is clear that Honorius is speaking about the will of Christ, not as physically one but as morally one, because of the perfect agreement of the two natural wills of the Son of God: D 487. So I will put it in form: I distinguish the antecedent: Honorius taught ex cathedra that there is one will in Christ, denied he taught with a lower grade of authority, I subdistinguish: that in Christ there is one moral will, granted; physically one, denied.

655. 5. The council of Constantinople III in 680 condemned Pope Honorius as a heretic: Kch 1082-84. therefore Honorius erred in faith by teaching that there is one natural or physical will in Christ.

1) the fact: historically it is certain that the body of Bishops intended to condemn Honorius as a heretic together with other Monothelite heretics. 2) The subject of the infallible definition cannot be said to be this body of Bishops, because it is lacking the essential and necessary confirmation of the Head, that is, the Pope, 3) The object of the definition of the Council confirmed by the Pope was not the condemnation of Honorius of heresy (D 496-498), but of negligence in putting down the heresy: Kch 1085-88. Hence in form: I distinguish the antecedent. The Council of Constantinople III as a body without its essential Head attempted to condemn Honorius as a heretic, I bypass that; as the Body of the Heads or as a Council confirmed by the Pope, I subdistinguish: it condemned Honorius for negligence in suppressing the Monothelite heresy, granted; for an error in faith or of the Monothelite heresy, denied.

656. Those things that are wont to be objected against John XXII concerning the beatific vision; against Sixtus V concerning the authentic Vulgate; against Urban VIII concerning the question of Galileo, and other similar things -- in these cases it is very certain that they are not dealing with definitions ex cathedra. Joachim Salaverri, SJ, and Michaele Nicolau, SJ, Sacrae Theologiae Summa 1B—On the Church of Christ and On Holy Scripture . Translated from the Latin by Father Kenneth Baker, SJ, and published by Keep the Faith, Inc., in 2015, pp. 237-239.)

This summary is very similar to the protracted analysis provided by Saint Robert Bellarmine, and, in the case of Honorius, the explanation contained in Dom Prosper Gueranger's hagiography of Pope Saint Leo II in The Liturgical Year.

Father Salaverri also addressed whether it is possible for a pope to fall into heresy, noting that Saint Robert Bellarmine and Suarez did not think that this could ever happen:

657 Appendix Whether or not the Pope as a private person can fall into heresy? Theologians dispute about this question. It seems to us "more pious and probable" to hold that God in his providence will see to it "that the Pope will never be a heretic." For, this opinion, which was held by Bellarmine and Suarez, also was praised at Vatican Council I by Bishop Zinelli, Secretary for the Faith, when he said: "Because we rely on supernatural Providence, we think it is sufficiently probable that this will never happen. For God is not lacking in essentials, and therefore, if He were to permit such an evil, there would not be lacking the means to provide for it . (Joachim Salaverri, SJ, and Michaele Nicolau, SJ, Sacrae Theologiae Summa 1B—On the Church of Christ and On Holy Scripture . Translated from the Latin by Father Kenneth Baker, SJ, and published by Keep the Faith, Inc., in 2015, p. 240.)

Fathers Francisco and Dominic Radecki, CMRI, summarize the matter as follows in their massive and well-documented Tumultuous Times :

A legitimate pope cannot contradict or deny what was first taught by Christ to His Church. An essential change in belief constitutes the establishment of a new religion.

The attribute of infallibility was given to the popes in order that the revealed doctrines and teaching of Christ would remain forever intact and unchanged. It is contrary to faith and reason to blindly follow an alleged pope who attempts to destroy the Catholic Faith--for there have been 41 documented antipopes. Papal infallibility means that the Holy Ghost guides and preserves the Catholic Church from error through the succession of legitimate popes who have ruled the Church through the centuries. All Catholics, including Christ's Vicar on earth, the pope, must accept all the doctrinal pronouncements of past popes. These infallible teachings form a vital link between Christ and St. Peter and his successors.

If a pope did not accept and believe this entire body of formulated teachings (the Deposit of Faith), he could not himself be a Catholic. He would cease to belong to Christ's Church. If he no longer belongs to the Catholic Church, he cannot be her Head. (Fathers Francisco and Dominic Radecki, CMRI, Tumultuous Times , p. 274.)

Indeed, Pope Leo XIII's Satis Cognitum, June 29, 1896, explains quite clearly that those who defect from even one teaching of the Catholic Church fall from the Faith and can no longer be considered a Catholic:

The Church, founded on these principles and mindful of her office, has done nothing with greater zeal and endeavor than she has displayed in guarding the integrity of the faith. Hence she regarded as rebels and expelled from the ranks of her children all who held beliefs on any point of doctrine different from her own. The Arians, the Montanists, the Novatians, the Quartodecimans, the Eutychians, did not certainly reject all Catholic doctrine: they abandoned only a certain portion of it. Still who does not know that they were declared heretics and banished from the bosom of the Church? In like manner were condemned all authors of heretical tenets who followed them in subsequent ages. "There can be nothing more dangerous than those heretics who admit nearly the whole cycle of doctrine, and yet by one word, as with a drop of poison, infect the real and simple faith taught by our Lord and handed down by Apostolic tradition" ( Auctor Tract. de Fide Orthodoxa contra Arianos).

The practice of the Church has always been the same, as is shown by the unanimous teaching of the Fathers, who were wont to hold as outside Catholic communion, and alien to the Church, who would ever recede in the least degree from any point of doctrine proposed by her authoritative Magisterium. Epiphanius, Augustine, Theodore:, drew up a long list of the heresies of their times. St. Augustine notes that other heresies may spring up, to a single one of which, should any one give his assent to him, he is by the very fact cut off from Catholic unity. "No one who merely disbelieves in all (these heresies) can for that reason regard himself as a Catholic or call himself one. For there may be or may arise some other heresies, which are not set out in this work of ours, and, if any one holds to one single one of these he is not a Catholic" (S. Augustinus, De Haeresibus, n. 88).

The need of this divinely instituted means for the preservation of unity, about which we speak is urged by St. Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians. In this he first admonishes them to preserve with every care concord of minds: "Solicitous to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. iv., 3, et seq.). And as souls cannot be perfectly united in charity unless minds agree in faith, he wishes all to hold the same faith: "One Lord, one faith," and this so perfectly one as to prevent all danger of error: "that henceforth we be no more children, coughed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. iv., 14): and this he teaches is to be observed, not for a time only - "but until we all meet in the unity of faith...unto the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ" (13). But, in what has Christ placed the primary principle, and the means of preserving this unity? In that - "He gave some Apostles - and other some pastors and doctors, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edification of the body of Christ" (11-12). (Pope Leo XIII, Satis Cognitum , June 29, 1896.)

In plain English, you see, at the heart of the whole crisis facing the Church Militant on earth right now is whether Robert Francis Prevost/ Leo XIV is indeed a true Successor of Saint Peter. If he is, then Catholics must submit to his governance of him on matters of Faith and Morals with docility.

There has never been a circumstance in the history of the Catholic Church where individuals, both in the clergy and in the laity, have acted on almost universal basis throughout the world as a sort of "super magisterium" to monitor the correctness of papal decrees and decisions. Sure, there have been instances of this confined to various regions at one point or another, which is why Pope Pius VI condemned the illegal Synod of Pistoia and its tenets in Auctorem Fidei, August 28, 1794.

However, there has never been a period before in the history of the Catholic Church in which one pope after another has contradicted the past dogmatic decrees and dared to commit one blasphemy after another against the honor and majesty and glory of God. One must come to recognize that such apostasy and blasphemy is not of God and that it cannot come from the Catholic Church. It took me long enough to "get it" despite entreaties made by one person after another dating back to November 25, 1976. Men who speak and act as the conciliarists have done have expelled themselves from the Catholic Church. Millions upon millions of Catholics gave up their lives rather than even to give the appearance of the sort of blasphemies that have become commonplace in the counterfeit church of conciliarism.

To be quiet in the face of such apostasy and blasphemy and betrayal is to betray Our Blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the true Church that He founded upon the Rock of Peter, the Pope.

It is to defend the very integrity of the papacy that those courageous priests who recognized that the conciliar claimants to the Throne of Saint Peter could not be true popes and that the Catholic Church cannot give us evil or defective liturgical rites took the measures that they did in the 1970s and the 1980s to attempt to correct the erroneous Gallican view of papal infallibility that was being propagated by the Society of Saint Pius X. These courageous priests spoke out. They acted. They defended the Catholic Faith. They would resist apostasy without acknowledging for one moment or by any act of omission that those promoting said apostasy could hold ecclesiastical office validly and exercise doctrinal authority in the name of the Catholic Church.

Our true popes never acted as the conciliar “popes” have done.

Alas, those in the “resist while recognize” movement have to realize that a true pope has the authority to bind and loose as he sees fit in all things, something that, once again, please, Pope Saint Pius X explained to Italian priests one hundred eleven years ago:

And how must the Pope be loved? Non verbo neque lingua, sed opere et veritate. [Not in word, nor in tongue, but in deed, and in truth - 1 Jn iii, 18] When one loves a person, one tries to adhere in everything to his thoughts, to fulfill his will, to perform his wishes. And if Our Lord Jesus Christ said of Himself, “si quis diligit me, sermonem meum servabit,” [if any one love me, he will keep my word - Jn xiv, 23] therefore, in order to demonstrate our love for the Pope, it is necessary to obey him.

Therefore, when we love the Pope, there are no discussions regarding what he orders or demands, or up to what point obedience must go, and in what things he is to be obeyed; when we love the Pope, we do not say that he has not spoken clearly enough, almost as if he were forced to repeat to the ear of each one the will clearly expressed so many times not only in person, but with letters and other public documents; we do not place his orders in doubt, adding the facile pretext of those unwilling to obey – that it is not the Pope who commands, but those who surround him; we do not limit the field in which he might and must exercise his authority; we do not set above the authority of the Pope that of other persons, however learned, who dissent from the Pope, who, even though learned, are not holy, because whoever is holy cannot dissent from the Pope.

This is the cry of a heart filled with pain, that with deep sadness I express, not for your sake, dear brothers, but to deplore, with you, the conduct of so many priests, who not only allow themselves to debate and criticize the wishes of the Pope, but are not embarrassed to reach shameless and blatant disobedience, with so much scandal for the good and with so great damage to souls. (Pope Saint Pius X, Allocution Vi ringrazio to priests on the 50th anniversary of the Apostolic Union, November 18, 1912, as found at: (“Love the Pope!” – no ifs, and no buts: For Bishops, priests, and faithful, Saint Pius X explains what loving the Pope really entails.)

Whoever is holy cannot dissent from the pope.

This means that those who dissent from “Pope Leo XIV” in the belief that he is a true and legitimate Successor of Saint Peter are not holy o that “Pope Leo XIV” is no pope at all as it would never be necessary to oppose him and to dissent from his false teachings if he were such.

The hour is late, “Bishop” Strickland, and it is time to recognize the truth and to abide by it no matter the consequences.

Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is inseparable from His Catholic Church, she who can never give us error of any kind.

We must pray for the restoration of a true pope on the Throne of Saint in whatever manner Our Lord chooses to do so, whether by means of an “imperfect council” or, as I believe will be the case, miraculously through direct Divine intervention after a major chastisement:

On Christmas Day, 1813, Elizabeth was transported to a place bathed in light. There, numerous saints surrounded a humble manger, from which the Holy Child beckoned her.

I saw my beloved newborn Jesus bathed in his own blood. At that moment, I understood why the blood of the newborn Divine Infant had been spilled - the bad conduct of many priests and religious who did not behave according to their state, the poor education given children by their fathers and mothers.3The angels conducted Elizabeth to secret lairs where clerics conspired to topple thrones and destroy the remnants of Christian civilization.

I saw many ministers of the Lord who renounced one another, furiously ripping from their person the sacred vestments. I say the holy altars torn down by the very ministers of God. 4I saw the Sanhedrin of wolves that surrounded the Pope and two angels weeping. A holy boldness inspired me to ask the reason for their sad lamentations. Contemplating the city of Rome with compassionate eyes, they replied, "Miserable city, ungrateful people, the justice of God will chastise you."5

"The entire world was in chaos."

The angels showed Elizabeth the destruction that God has in store for a world that refuses to heed his words.

Thunderbolts of divine justice flamed about me. Buildings fell into ruin. Cities, provinces and countries - the entire world was in chaos. One heard nothing save voices weakly begging for mercy. The number of dead was incalculable.6

What most impressed Elizabeth was the sight of God as a giant.

His omnipotent hands were filled with bolts of lightning. His face was resplendent with indignation. His gaze alone was enough to incinerate the world. Neither angels nor saints accompanied Him - only His indignation.7

Of this vision, Elizabeth wrote, "Had it lasted more than a moment, I surely would have died."8

His gaze alone was enough to incinerate the world. "The Mother of God did not implore God for mercy."On June 13, 1917, Our Lady showed Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta her Immaculate Heart, surrounded by thorns, symbols of the wounds inflicted by our sins. Elizabeth was also shown how grievously our sins offend the Blessed Virgin. Seeing the sorrow in Our Lady's eyes, she asked her why she grieved."Contemplate, O daughter," Our Lady replied, "Contemplate the great impiety."

Hearing these words, I saw brazen apostates boldly seeking to wrench her Holy Son from her most pure bosom. In face of this outrage, the Mother of God did not implore God for mercy, but instead called for justice. Robed in inexorable justice, the Eternal Father turned his indignant gaze toward the world. At that moment, nature convulsed and the world lost its bearings as it sank beneath a misery beyond imagination.9

"Woe to those who embrace the condemnable philosophies of our day."

On July 6, 1815, God again revealed to Elizabeth the chastisement brought down on mankind by "rapacious wolves in sheep's clothing, bitter persecutors of Jesus Crucified and his bride, the Church." The whole world was in convulsion, especially the city of Rome. At the Sacred College, some had been dispersed, others humiliated and still others ruthlessly assassinated. The clergy and nobility suffered similar fates.10

On June 28, 1820, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, Elizabeth beheld the Prince of the Apostles descending from Heaven in pontifical vestments and escorted by a legion of angels. With his crosier, St. Peter drew an immense cross upon the Earth; on each of its ends verdant trees appeared enveloped in brilliant light. Here the godly - religious and lay alike - found refuge from the torment.

Yet woe to those religious who scorned the holy rules, because all will perish under the terrible scourge. This applies to all who embrace licentiousness and the condemnable philosophies of our day.11"With a wave of his right hand, He will punish them."Elizabeth continued her account of her fearsome vision:

The firmament was covered with a tenebrous blue, a terrifying sight. The wind's impetuous breath was felt everywhere as its violent roar - like that of a ferocious lion - echoed across the globe.

Terror will reduce men and beasts to utter fear, and they will kill one another without pity. The avenging hand of the omnipotent God weigh down on these miserable souls, and He will chastise their shameless pride and impudent temerity.

With a wave of his hand, He will punish them, setting loose from Hell legions of demons to scourge the world, executing the demands of Divine Justice.

Because they surrendered their souls to Satan and allied themselves with him to strike against the Holy Catholic Church, God will permit these iniquitous men to be chastised by ferocious demons who will devastate every place where man has affronted and profaned Him.12

"I will reform my people and my Church."*

Thanks be to God, the similarity of these supernatural manifestations a century apart does not end with their depiction of the catastrophic chastisement awaiting those who mock God and his laws. Like the consoling promise of the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary given us at Fatima, the message of Blessed Elizabeth offers the faithful cause for hope.

After the purification described above had been accomplished, Elizabeth saw Saint Peter descending from Heaven on a majestic pontifical throne. He was followed by Saint Paul, who: "traversed the world to imprison those malignant infernal spirits and bring them before the holy Apostle Saint Peter who, with authority, confined them to the dark netherworld from which they had been released. Then a beautiful radiance shone above the Earth, announcing the reconciliation of God and man"13 and the remnant of faithful Catholics were led from their place of refuge to the throne of Saint Peter.

The Saint chose the new Pope, and the Church was reformed to the precepts of the Gospel. The religious orders were reestablished, and every Christian home was permeated with such zeal for the glory of God that all acclaimed the triumph and honor of the Holy Catholic Church.14

Thus Our Lord would fulfill what He had confided to Elizabeth in 1821:

I will reform my people and my Church. I will send zealous priests to preach the Faith. I will form a new apostolate. I will send the Holy Ghost to renew the earth. I will reform the religious orders with holy men and women who possess the spirit of my beloved son Ignatius. I will give a new Pastor to my Church who, with holy zeal, will reform the flock of Christ.15 (As found at: The Coming Chastisement.)

We must carry our daily crosses with joy in these times, knowing that we are living in very similar circumstances that faced Catholics who were persecuted by the Roman emperors and their minions between 67 A.D. and 313 A.D., albeit noting intermittent periods of peace before a new period of persecution would ensue.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, triumph soon!

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

All to thee, Blessed Mother.

All to thy Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, we love you. Save souls!

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Gabriel the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us.

Saints Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, pray for us.

Saint Robert Bellarmine, pray for us.

On the One Hundred Ninth Anniversary of Our Lady’s First Apparition in the Cova da Iria near Fatima, Portugal

Everything about Our Lady’s Fatima apparitions were planned within the infinite perfection of God, including the specific dates on which Our Lady would appear in the Cova da Iria near Fatima, Portugal. Perhaps even most significantly of all, God, showing forth His ineffable mercy to us erring sinners, had the Queen of Heaven and earth, the Blessed Virgin Mary appear in the year 1917 as the “Great War” (World War I) was raging across the territory of formerly Catholic lands (and would end the Hapsburg Empire of Austro-Hungary, the last outpost of the Social Reign of Christ the King in Europe) and the mighty Russian Empire, which had long been the seat of ecclesiastical schism and doctrinal heresy, would be scourged by the Talmudically-financed triumph of Marxism-Leninism.

Our First Cause, Almighty God, puts first things first, and He first prepared the way for His Most Blessed Mother’s Fatima apparitions in the souls of the seers themselves. Consider William Thomas Walsh’s descriptions of the purity and simplicity of the soulof Lucia does Santos:

It was customary for children at that time to prepare to receive their first Holy Communion at the age of about nine or ten. It was in 1910, when Lucia was three years old, that Pope Pius X reminded the world of Christ's command, “Suffer the little ones to come to me, and forbid them not.” Possibly Maria Rosa had heard of this decree. It seems clear that she resolved, when her youngest daughter was only six, that the time had come for her to receive the hidden Jesus of the Blessed Sacrament; and aided by Caroline, who was then eleven and had received, she driller her in the questions and answers of the penny catechism. When at last she felt that her pupil was ready for an examination she took her to the church.

The Prior received them with kindness, and then, sitting in a chair on a platform in the sacristy, began to ask the child questions. “Who made the world?” “How many gods are there?” “What must we do to be saved?” And so on through the list that all Catholic children study.

It seemed to Lucia and her mother that she had not done badly. Yet after a little reflection the good priest decided that she was too young, and had better wait for another year.

It was the very day before the First Communion. They had never expected such a crushing blow. Almost stunned by disappointment, they went from the sacristy to one of the benches in the church, and sat with heads bowed, thinking. Lucia began to sob.

It happened that a Jesuit missionary from Lisboa, Father Cruz, had been preaching a triduum at Saint Anthony's to prepare for this First Communion, and was helping Father Pena to hear the many confessions. As he passed through the church, he saw the little girl in distress and stopped to ask what was the trouble. On hearing the story he tested her with questions from the catechism, and then took her back to the Prior in the sacristy.

“This child knows her doctrine better than many of the others who are going to receive,” he said.

“But she is only six years old!” objected Father Pena.

The Jesuits persisted. He was a gentle and humble man, but determined; and to the intense joy of Lucia, the Prior finally yielded. Now she must go to the sacrament of penance, so that she could offer a spotless heart and conscience to the divine Guest who was coming the next day.

It was at the movable confessional, which had been placed near the sacristy door, that Father Cruz heard her first confession. What a blessing! The famous Jesuit preacher was believed by many in Portugal to be a saint; and he could hardly have talked even with a small child without communicating some of his fervent love of God. He was a tall man of fifty, bent from study and austerities. When Lucia had finished teller her peccadilloes, she heard him say in a low voice:

“My daughter, our soul is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Keep it always pure, so that He can carry on His divine action in it.”

She promised, and said her act of contrition. She asked Our Lady to help her receive the Body and Blood of her Son worthily on the next day. Then she arose, and returned to her mother.

Maria Rosa looked embarrassed and out of sorts, and the women about her, for some reason or other, were laughing and whispering. But Lucia paid little attention to this; she was thinking only of what the priest had said. She knelt at the rail before the statue of our Lady of the Rosary, looked up at the sad face with the searching eyes, and said to her:

“Please keep my poor heart for God.”

And “it seemed to me,” she wrote years later, “that she smiled with a kindly look and gesture told me she would,”

Maria Rosa was waiting for her. “Don't you know,” she demanded as they started down the road to Aljustrel, “that your confession is a secret, and must be made in a low voice?”

Lucia hung her head.

“Everybody heard you.”

Silence.

“They heard everything except the last thing you said to the priest.”

Lucia scuffed resolutely along.

“What was the last thing you said to him?” asked her mother.

No reply! Maria Rosa persisted all the way home, but she never learned the secret. Lucia was always a reticent child. As soon as she saw that anyone was trying to make her talk, she would take refuge in a sullen silence that could be very exasperating.

That night her sister worked late to get her ready for the great event of her life. There was a new white dress to be fitted, a garland of flowers to be woven to crown her dark hair. And when at last they let her go to bed, she was unable to sleep, thinking of all that was going to happen. What if nobody woke her for Mass next morning? Every hour she got up to see what time it was. It seemed as if the dawn would never come.

At last it did, however, and Maria came to call her. No doubt she gave the usual caution not to take a drink, or eat anything, for one must fast before Holy Communion. She made the final adjustments of the white dress and the garland. Then she presented Lucia to her parents, feeling her that she must beg their pardon for her sins, kiss their hands and ask their blessing. The little girl obeyed, and they blessed her.

“And mind you don't forget to ask Our Lady to made you a saint!” added Maria Rosa.

The family set out for the church. When Lucia could not keep up with the others her mother scooped her up in her strong arms, for it was late, and carried her the rest of the way.

There was no need of such haste. Some of the visiting priests from distant places had not yet arrived, and the Missa Cantata did not start for quite a while. This gave Lucia an opportunity to kneel once more before the statue of Our Lady of the Rosary and carry out her mother's instructions.

“Make me a saint!” she whispered. “Please ask Our Lord to make me a saint!”

Again she thought she saw the sad face relax into a smile of encouragement. She was not the first to report such an experience before a statue or a picture; there was little Saint Therese of Lisieux, for example, among others. Nor does Lucia attach too much significance to what theologians consider the least reliable sort of locution. “I don't know whether the facts I have written about my First Communion were a reality, or a little girl's illusion,” she wrote modestly when her bishop commanded her to commit all her spiritual adventures to paper. “All I know is that they had a great influence in uniting me to God all my life.” She remained so long gazing at the smiling Madonna that her sisters had to come and take her away. The procession was already forming.

Lucia was the youngest and smallest oi the four long files of children, two of girls and two of boys; and she was the first to receive. When the priest placed the white Host on her tongue, she felt, in her own words, “an unalterable serenity and peace." During all the remainder of the Mass she kept saying in her heart, over and over, “Lord, make me a saint! Keep my heart always pure, for You alone!” And she distinctly heard Him say within her, “The grace that I grant thee today will remain living in thy soul, producing fruits of eternal life.”

It was afternoon when the Missa Cantata ended, for the sermon was long, and it took some time for the children to renew their baptismal vows. When they were finally released, they trooped out of the church and separated into little groups, shouting, talking, running, some munching on pieces of bread their mothers had brought.

Lucia remained kneeling in the blue and rosy light that carne through the stained-glass windows. Her mother was alarmed, thinking she must be weak from hunger, and dragged her away. But when they got home the child could hardly eat. She was surfeited with the Bread of Angels, and she felt as if no other food would ever attract or satisfy her. For a long time after that people noticed that she seemed absorbed, abstracted, almost dazed. (William Thomas Walsh, Our Lady of Fatima, published originally by the Macmillan Company, New York, New York, 1947, and republished in

1990 by An Image Book, Doubleday, A Division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, pp. 6-10.)

Lucia dos Santos was given special lights as she had been chosen by Our Blessed and Saviour Jesus Christ to be a messenger of His Blessed Mother’s Fatima Message, especially by exhorting all people to pray the Holy Rosary and to be devoted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The following description of Saint Michael the Archangel’s two different apparitions to Lucia dos Santos and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, though, lengthy, is important to consider in order to explain that the care that God took to prepare these three chosen souls for the apparitions of His own Most Blessed Mother:

In the spring of 1916, three young Portuguese shepherds, Lucy dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, led their sheep to graze on a hill called the Cabeço. Rain began to fall, so the children found a place on the hillside to serve as a shelter. Even after the rain had passed and the sun had returned, the little shepherds spent the day at this spot, eating lunch, saying the Rosary and playing games. Lucy was then only nine years old, Francisco was eight, and Jacinta was six.

As they were playing, a strong wind suddenly blew, shaking the trees, and the children saw a figure approaching above the olive trees. Lucy described the figure as having "the appearance of a young man of fourteen or fifteen, whiter than snow, which the sun rendered transparent as if it were of crystal, and of great beauty. We were surprised and half absorbed. We did not say a word.

"While coming closer to us, the Angel said: ‘Do not fear! I am the Angel of Peace. Pray with me.’ And kneeling on the earth, he bent his forehead to the ground. Prompted by a supernatural movement, we imitated him and repeated the words which we heard him pronounce: ‘My God, I believe in Thee, I adore Thee, I hope in Thee and I love Thee. I ask pardon for all those who do not believe in Thee, do not adore Thee, do not hope in Thee and do not love Thee.’

"Having repeated that prayer three times, he got up again and said to us: ‘Pray in this way. The Hearts of Jesus and Mary are attentive to the voice of your supplications.’ And he disappeared."

Lucy recalled, "The supernatural atmosphere which enveloped us was so intense that, during a long moment, we barely realized the fact of our own existence. We remained in the position in which the Angel had left us, always repeating the same prayer. The presence of God made itself felt in such an intense and intimate manner, that we did not dare even to speak any longer among ourselves. The next day, we still felt our spirit enveloped in this atmosphere which only disappeared very slowly."

The Angel of Peace had come to speak to the children, to infuse them with this extraordinary grace through which they were penetrated with the Divine Presence, and to demonstrate to them the attitude, posture and fervor with which to pray to God. Interestingly, during the apparition Francisco could not hear the words of the Angel, and had to be told what was said afterward; this would be the case for all of the other apparitions as well. After some time the three little shepherds recovered their physical strength and playfulness.

The second apparition of the Angel took place during the summer of 1916. While the children were playing around their favorite well, the Angel suddenly appeared. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Pray, pray a great deal! The Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary have designs of mercy on you. Offer unceasingly prayers and sacrifice yourselves to the Most High."

Lucy asked the Angel how they were to make sacrifices.

The Angel replied, "Make of everything you can a sacrifice and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplication for the conversion of sinners. In this way, you will draw peace upon your country. I am its Guardian Angel, the Angel of Portugal. Above all, accept and bear with submission the sufferings which the Lord will send you."

Lucy comments, "Those words of the Angel engraved themselves in our spirit, as a light which made us understand Who God is, how much He loves us and wants to be loved by us, the value of sacrifice and how pleasing it is to Him, and that out of respect for it, God converts sinners." The dominant theme in this second apparition of the Angel was the importance of making offerings to God through every possible action and sacrifice, even the smallest, and of making the offerings with special intentions, especially for the conversion of sinners.

In the autumn of the same year, the children took their sheep to the same place where the first apparition took place. There in the blessed place of the Cabeço, they were reciting the prayer the Angel had taught them when above them an unknown light appeared. Lucy relates, "We got up again to see what was happening, and we saw the Angel again, who had in his left hand a Chalice over which was suspended a Host, from which some drops of Blood fell into the Chalice."

Leaving the Chalice and the Host suspended in the air, he prostrated himself down to the earth near the children and repeated three times this prayer:

Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He, Himself is offended. And I draw upon the infinite merits of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, that You might convert poor sinners.

Then, getting up, the Angel took the Chalice and Host. He gave Lucy the Sacred Host on the tongue. Then while giving the Precious Blood from the Chalice to Francisco and Jacinta, he said:

"Eat and drink the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Make reparation for their crimes and console your God." Then, prostrating himself on the ground he repeated with the children three times the same prayer: Most Holy Trinity, etc., and disappeared.

This final apparition of the Angel was clearly the summit of the three, as the children were graced to see the Precious Blood of Our Lord fall from the Sacred Host into the Chalice, and then receive Holy Communion from the hands of the Angel.

Again, the need for converting poor sinners was a theme in this final apparition of the Angel. The prayer repeated by the Angel demonstrates that through our prayers, united with the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, sinners can be converted. Our prayers and sacrifices alone amount to very little; but when they are united to the merits of the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts, they become infinitely valuable. Also emphasized was the need for reparation for the sins committed against God, by which He is constantly hurt and seeking consolation. In addition, the way the children received Holy Communion is particularly instructive for our time: they received Communion in the kneeling position, and the Sacred Host was given on the tongue.

The appearance of the Angel of Peace to three little Portuguese shepherds was a preparation for the signal grace that was about to be bestowed upon them: the appearance of the Queen of Heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary. The apparitions of the Angel prepared them for seeing the Mother of God, through the transforming Divine graces the Angel showered on them, and his instructions about prayer, sacrifice and offerings. Through his apparitions to Lucy, Francisco and Jacinta, the Angel of Peace came to ready them for the decisive roles they were each to play in the most important event of the Twentieth Century, the appearance of Our Lady at Fatima.

Yet the Angel of Peace’s instructions were not meant for the children alone. They apply to each of us, and just as they prepared the children for the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin, they can also serve as a preparation for our reception of Our Lady’s Fatima Message. (The Angel of Portugal.) This is not an endorsement of the Fatima Center and its “resist while recognize” position.)

There is much food for Catholic reflection doctrine contained in the facts as described above.

First, we must adore the one and only true God, the Most Blessed Trinity.

Jews do not adore the true God.

Mohammedans do not adore the true God.

Buddhists and Hindus and other pagans do not adore the true God.

Ah, but this means also that the conciliar revolutionaries do not adore the true God as they claim constantly that Jews, Mohammedans, Buddhists, Hindus, Yazidis, animists and other non-Catholics adore the true God of Divine Revelation and are thus “believers.”

Second, Saint Michael the Archangel taught the children the correct posture and attitude to have in prayer. We are knee erect and to be attentive to our prayers as we are addressing them to God directly or speaking to the Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph, our Guardian Angel, our patron saint and other saints to intercede for us with Him. This contrasts sharply with the Protestantization of posture while at prayer that has occurred within the structures of the counterfeit church of conciliarism as a result of the entire ethos of the Protestant and Judeo-Masonic Novus Ordo liturgical service.

Catholics who attend the Novus Ordo service stand to receive what they think is Holy Communion, which treats the reception of Our Lord as matter of egalitarianism, not the honor and respect due to the King of Kings through Whom all things were made and Who redeemed us on the wood of the Holy Cross. The thought of kneeling is foreign to most Catholics today. Indeed, most Catholics in the conciliar structures believe that it would be “beneath” their dignity to kneel, which is confined in the Novus Ordo to the “Eucharistic Prayer,” although there are places in the United States and elsewhere in the world where people stand, and after the Agnus Dei until they go up to stick out their paws to receive what purports to be Holy Communion, after which they may sit or kneel as they choose until the closing prayer.

The Angel of Portugal, Saint Michael the Archangel, gave Holy Communion to Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia as they were kneeling, and it was by a special privilege granted to Jacinta and Francisco that they, who were to die within several years after being visited by the Mother of God, that Saint Michael permitted them to drink the Precious Blood from the Chalice, which is given out freely in the Novus Ordo service to those who desire to consume what they think is the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord.

Third, the Angel of Portugal taught the children to sacrifice and pray for the conversion of sinners. Jorge Mario Bergoglio believes that unrepentant sinners are to be “accompanied” in their “journey,” not exhorted to quit their sins.

Fourth, the Angel of Portugal taught the shepherd children that Our Lord, Whom they were about to receive in Holy Communion, “was horribly outraged by ungrateful men” and exhorted them to make “reparation for their crimes and console your God.” Reparation is part of the Catholic Faith, but it is not part of the conciliar revolution no matter the few times that the conciliar authorities might make gratuitous references to the term in reference to the “crimes” against the “climate” and “economic justice.”

William Thomas Walsh described the aftermath of the Angel of Portugal’s apparitions to Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia prior to Our Lady's first apparition to the seers on Sunday, May 13, 1917, the Fifth Sunday after Easter. Yes, Our Lady's first apparition in the Cova da Iria took place on a Sunday during Paschaltide:

“Ai tra-lari, lai-lai

Trai-lari lai lai

Lai lai lai!”

But something had gone out of the joy of such singing. In the words of the old spring song, the ah la la was all over. How could anyone see what they had seen, and be the same?

There was something different in the air that spring. It was like the odor of death hovering upon the fragrance of the new flowers. Nearly everybody was depressed. Maria Rosa was desolate when Manuel went away. One of Jacinta's brothers also had gone to war, and was said to have been killed. Fortunately the rumor proved to be false; but Ti Marto and his family had many days of torment and suspense. One day, when Jacinta and Francisco were weeping at the thought of their brother's death, Lucia proposed a dance to divert their minds; and the little ones began to dance, still wiping the tears from their faces. Yet they were often silent, all three, as they roamed over the scattered stones at Valinhos or gazed across the valley from the cave at Cabeco. They had become aware at last of a world of anguish, a humanity shackled for some obscure reason to the mystery of suffering.

Even May, the month of Mary, the month of new life and joy, weight heavily on the world that year. On May 5, as if to voice the universal sadness and to point out the only source of hope, Pope Benedict XV lamented in a memorable letter, “the cruel war, the suicide of Europe.” After begging God to turn the hearts of rulers towards peace, and urging all to purge themselves of sin and pray for peace, and especially asked that since all graces were dispensed “by the hands of the most holy Virgin, We wish the petitions of her most afflicted children to be directed with lively confidence, more than ever in this awful hour, to the great Mother of God.” He directed that the invocation “Queen of peace, pray for us,” be added to the Litany of Loreto, and continued:

“To Mary, then, who is the Mother of Mercy and omnipotent grace, let loving and devout appeal go up from chapels, from royal palaces and mansions of the rich as from the poorest hut- from every place wherein a faithful soul finds shelter-- from blood drenched plains and seas. Let it bear to her the anguished cry of mothers and wives, the wailing on innocent little ones, the sighs of every generous heart: that her most tender and benign solicitude may be moved and the peace we ask for be obtained for our agitated world.”

It is quite improbable that Lucia and her cousins had even heard of the Pope's letter (for it was still unpublished) when they went out to the Serra five days later, the thirteenth of May, 1917. (William Thomas Walsh, Our Lady of Fatima, published originally by the Macmillan Company, New York, New York, 1947, and republished in 1990 by An Image Book, Doubleday, A Division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, pp. 48-49.)

Even Pope Benedict XV’s insertion of the invocation of Our Lady of Peace into the Litany of Loreto on the Feast of Pope Saint Pius V served Heaven’s plan for the Queen of Peace herself to make her first apparition in the Cova da Iria eight days later.

There is a simple remedy for the problems of this wicked word. It is so simple that even many believing Catholics, all too many of whom are engrossed in the various farcical events in our world of Judeo-Masonic naturalism that are as much a distraction to the interior life of the soul as they are a chastisement for our sins, want something more “complex” than the remedy that Our Lady herself provided mankind at the behest of her Divine Son: namely, the collegial consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart by a true pope with all of the world’s bishops

Sister Lucia, however, explained to William Thomas Walsh on September 15, 1946, the Feast of the Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that Pope Pius XII's 1944 consecration of the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary did not fulfill Our Lady’s request:

Finally we came to the important subject of the second July secret, of which so many different and conflicting versions have been published. Lucia made it plain that Our Lady did not ask for the consecration of the world to her Immaculate Heart. What she demanded specifically was the consecration of Russia. She did not comment, of course, on the fact that Pope Pius XII had consecrated the world, not Russia, to the Immaculate Heart in 1942. But she said more than once, and with deliberate emphasis:

“What Our Lady wants is that the Pope and all the bishops in the world shall consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart on one special day. If this is done, she will convert Russia and there will be peace. If it is not done, the errors of Russia will spread through every country in the world.”

“Does this mean, in your opinion, that every country, without exception, will be overcome by Communism?”

Yes.

It was plain that she felt that Our Lady’s wishes had not yet been carried out. People must say the Rosary, perform sacrifices, make the five first Saturday Communions, pray for the Holy Father.

“Did Our Lady ever say anything to you about the United States of America?”

She gave me a rather studied glance, and then smiled in faint amusement, as if to suggest that perhaps the United States was not so important in the general scheme of things as I imagined. (William Thomas Walsh, Our Lady of Fatima, published by Doubleday, New York, New York, 1954, pp. 228-229.)

No, the United States of America is not as important as most Americans, including most American Catholics, have imagined, but it has been, of course, overcome by Communism, albeit of a “soft” nature that envelops both the false opposites of the naturalist “left” and “right.” There goes the Judeo-Masonic myth of "American exceptionalism" down the sink hole.

Sister Lucia wrote to Pope Pius XII in 1940 to make a request of him directly, specifying once again the necessity of a collegial consecration of Russia to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart:

Most Holy Father,

Humbly prostrated at your feet, I come as the last sheep of the fold entrusted to you to open my heart, by order of my spiritual director.

I am the only survivor of the children to whom our Lady appeared in Fátima (Portugal) from the 13th of May to the 13th of October 1917. The Blessed Virgin has granted me many graces, the greatest of all being my admission to the Institute of Saint Dorothy. (To here this is copy of the sketch the Bishop sent me.)

I come, Most Holy Father, to renew a request that has already been brought to you several times. The request, Most Holy Father, is from our Lord and our good Mother in Heaven.

In 1917, in the portion of the apparitions that we have designated "the secret," the Blessed Virgin revealed the end of the war that was then afflicting Europe, and predicted another forthcoming, saying that to prevent it She would come and ask the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart as well as the Communion of reparation on the first Saturday. She promised peace and the conversion of that nation if Her request was attended to. She announced that otherwise this nation would spread her errors throughout the world, and there would be wars, persecutions of the Holy Church, martyrdom of many Christians, several persecutions and sufferings reserved for Your Holiness, and the annihilation of several nations.

Most Holy Father, this remained a secret until 1926 according to the express will of our Lady. Then, in a revelation She asked that the Communion of reparation on the first Saturdays of five consecutive months be propagated throughout the world, with its conditions of doing the following with the same purpose; going to confession, meditating for a quarter of an hour on the mysteries of the Rosary and saying the Rosary with the aim of making reparation for the insults, sacrileges and indifferences committed against Her Immaculate Heart. Our good Heavenly Mother promises to assist the persons who practise this devotion, in the hour of their death, with all the necessary graces for their salvation. I exposed the request of our Lady to my confessor, who tried to have it fulfilled, but only on the 13th of September 1939 did His Excellency the Bishop of Leiria make public in Fatima this request of our Lady.

I take this opportunity, Most Holy Father, to ask you to bless and extend this devotion to the whole world. In 1929, through another apparition, our Lady asked for the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart, promising its conversion through this means and the hindering of the propagation of its errors.

Sometime afterwards I told my confessor of the request of our Lady. He tried to fulfill it by making it known to Pius XI.

In several intimate communications our Lord has not stopped insisting on this request, promising lately, to shorten the days of tribulation which He has determined to punish the nations for their crimes, through war, famine and several persecutions of the Holy Church and Your Holiness, if you will consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with a special mention for Russia, and order that all the Bishops of the world do the same in union with Your Holiness. I truly feel your sufferings, Most Holy Father! And, at much as I can through my humble prayers and sacrifices, I try to lessen them, close to our Lord and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Most Holy Father, if in the union of my soul with God I have not been deceived, our Lord promises a special protection to our country in this war, due to the consecration of the nation by the Portuguese Prelates, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary; as proof of the graces that would have been granted to other nations, had they also consecrated themselves to Her.

Now, Most Holy Father, allow me to make one more request, which is but an ardent wish of my humble heart; that the feast in honour of the Immaculate Heart of Mary be extended throughout the whole world as one of the main feasts of the Holy Church.

With the deepest respect and reverence I ask for the Apostolic Blessing. May God protect Your Holiness.

Tuy, Spain, 2nd of December of 1940.
Maria Lucia de Jesus

From Novos Documentos de Fátima, Fr. Anthony Mario Martins, SJ (Oporto: 1984). English edition: Documents on Fatima & Memoirs of Sr. Lucia. (Alexandria, SD: Fatima Family Apostolate, 1992). (Fatima Consecration Timeline. This timeline includes the false consecrations of the world to Our Lady of Fatima and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that were performed by Karol Josef Wojtyla/John Paul II. However, the documentation of Sister Lucia dos Santos's letter to Pope Pius XII is to be found there.)

Describing Our Lady’s Fatima Message as “Fatima is the summation of my thinking. The time for doubting Fatima is passed. It is now time for action,” Pope Pius XII consecrated the world, but not Russia specifically, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1942, and then instituted the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary two years later, that is, in 1944, and inserted it in the calendar to be celebrated on August 22, the Octave Day of Our Lady’s Assumption, which he would define dogmatically in 1950.

Sister Lucia had thus written to Pope Pius XII six years before her interview with William Thomas Walsh. She remained adamant in her conviction that His Holiness had not followed Our Lady's request.

Remember, it had been on June 13, 1929, that Sister Lucia saw the now famous image of the Most Holy Trinity during a Holy Hour. Our Lady spoke to her the following words:

The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father, in union with all the Bishops in the world, to make the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, promising to save it by this means. There are so many souls whom the Justice of God condemns for sins committed against me, that I have come to ask reparation: sacrifice yourself for this intention and pray.

Our Lord Himself amplified the words of His Most Holy Mother, speaking the following to Sister Lucia in 1931:

They did not wish to heed My request. Like the king of France, they will repent and do it, but it will be late. Russia will have already spread her errors throughout the world, provoking wars and persecutions of the Church; the Holy Father will have much to suffer.

What should matter to us is that we plant seeds for the restoration that Pope Saint Pius X himself told us was to come, a restoration some of us believe will take place after a true pope is restored miraculously to the Throne of Saint Peter after a time of worldwide chastisement of epic proportions and then fulfills Our Lady’s Fatima Message. Yes, that would be late in the course of time, but, as noted just above, Our Lord Himself told Sister Lucia dos Santos that it would be done.

What is our excuse for failing to take heed of Our Lady’s Fatima Message as we beg Our Lady for the graces to do so, especially by praying as many Rosaries as our state-in-life permits.

“It is never too late to have recourse to Jesus and Mary.”

I am not going to argue with that.

Are you?

Isn't it time to pray a Rosary now?

Viva Cristo Rey? Vivat Christus Rex!

You are here

Another Memorandum to “Bishop” Joseph Strickland: Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is Inseparable from His true Church

Support Christ or Chaos