Pope turns on traditionalists... from near reconciliation to a return to exile in a matter of weeks

Today’s startling, and sickening, news of the appointment of Archbishop Gerhard Müller as Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith is just one more nail in the coffin of the hoped for inauguration of a new era of understanding between the Roman authorities of the novus ordo establishment and Catholic traditionalists. This marks a startling departure from an attempt on the part of Rome to understand better the traditionalist critique, and quite possibly sets aside any real reforms of the Catholic Church for, perhaps, years.

With the appointment of Müller, who is one of the harshest critics of the Society of St. Pius X in Europe, hopes for a reproachment and eventual recognition of the Society are practically dead. It is hard to believe that there could ever be an increase of understanding and good will between this man and the Society. It is not only due to Müller’s criticism of the Society in Germany (which is headed by one of the Society’s most moderate regional superiors, no less), but also because of Müller’s extremely liberal and Modernist theological opinions. This is a man who has quite openly denied the dogma of the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, transubstantiation, the universal salvific nature of the Catholic Church, and is also an enthusiastic supporter of Liberation Theology.

Müller should be investigated by the CDF, not given control of it!

This fact will not be lost on the leaders of the Society in their upcoming general chapter, but more than this, Müller’s appointment ensconces a lock-step refusal to question any of the troublesome tenants contained in some documents of the Second Vatican Council. As a diehard ecumenist, who questions the universal salvific nature of the Catholic Church, only a naïve fool would expect any measure of openness to a criticism of post-conciliar ecumenism or religious freedom on the part of Müller.

The appointment of Archbishop Di Noia to Vice President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei gives no relief to traditionalists, either. Archbishop Di Noia characterizes traditionalists as a group of people with hurt feelings, as though we were children stomping our feet over the post-conciliar changes, immature infants incapable of understanding the wisdom of the liberal churchmen and Vatican II elites. This is a return to a characterization of former times, the characterization that shoved traditionalists and the Traditional Latin Mass into the margins of the Church’s life.

This question and answer from an interview of Archbishop Di Noia demonstrates well that the traditional critique is once again being pushed aside:

That being the case, why do you think some Catholics have decided to stick to “frozen” tradition, as it were, rather than coming into full communion?

I don’t honestly know; I can only speculate. To say why people are traditionalist I’d have to say it depends on their experiences. The [reform of the] liturgy has been a factor; it was a terrible revolution and shock for people. Many of these people feel abandoned, like the Church left them at the dock with the ship.

The question, itself, is stunning! It is incredible! How prideful and disdainful to characterize what the Catholic Church has taught and believed for centuries as “frozen” tradition! And how utterly unequipped is this man, Di Noia, to deal with traditionalists if he simply allows this comment to go by without correction! Instead of speculating, why doesn't he join us? Why doesn't he get know us? What a novel idea that someone given stewardship of traditional Catholics ought to know those for whom he has been given authority over! I'm impressed that he has read a few books. Good for him! But I'm sorry if his attitude and ignorance doesn't exactly instill any great measure of confidence from me due to his lack of... humanity?... yes, humanity.

We are stuck to “frozen” tradition?! We who are stuck to “frozen” tradition out-ordain and out-baptize, per capita, the novus ordo establishment year after year after year. We who are stuck to “frozen” tradition, with our growing communities of faith-filled, devote, and young Catholics, we who are "frozen" look out upon the bleak landscape of what is left of the rest of the Church and lament the obvious loss of faith, dwindling Mass attendance, divisions, heresies, dissentions, and disobedience. Quite to the contrary, the novus ordo establishment of Archbishops Di Noia and Müller, and Pope Benedict XVI, is that which is "frozen", stuck to the "frozen" Modernism of the 20th century, and the liberalism of the 1960s! After all, these are people who still insist that we take something like Gaudium et Spes seriously! Please!

And what are we to think of the “unfrozen”, elite Catholics like Archbishop Di Noia, his interviewer, and the likes of Archbishop Müller, communists who deny outright the dogmas of the faith?

I will tell you: Far better to be stuck on “frozen” tradition and truth, than to be unmoored among those like Müller and Di Noia whose obfuscations have fiddled away the faith for two generations of Catholics who are abandoning the Church in droves!

So what happened in just the course of a few weeks, from May to June? It seemed, but for a brief time, Tradition would be vindicated sooner rather than later. I’m not sure, but perhaps it was that a tiger simply doesn’t change his stripes. While I find the cliché a pessimistic denial of God’s grace, it does seem to pertain to those so obstinately in denial of the plain facts in front of them that they would rather see Rome burn than re-evaluate their ideology. Perhaps it would be better to wait until this tired old generation of misfit churchmen finally dies out altogether, and with them their fables.

In the meantime we continue as we traditional Catholics always have. We pray, we sacrifice, we strive for virtue, and we raise our children to do the same. We reject the world and it's god, Satan. We reject heresy, be it formal or material. We refuse to give an inch of our Catholic faith to the Modernist devils, be they in our parishes, in our schools, in our dioceses, or be they in Rome making their phylacteries broad and enlarging their fringes. And, oh yes! we will go right along ignoring the Second Vatican Council while we baptize, ordain and give countless religious vocations to Holy Mother Church!

Viva Cristo Rey!

Viva Tradición!