SharpeningtheHornsofOurDilemma(FatherSmith)

[Publisher's note: Father Lawrence C. Smith is offering this commentary as a further reflection on the social implications of Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio. While some are dismissing Pope Paul IV's 1559 Papal Bull as merely a disciplinary document that no longer binds the Church, there are others who hold that it is still valid and in force. What does "in perpetuity" mean, after all? Nevertheless, a study of the document's implications if it is still valid and in force is very useful. As always, Father Smith's insights are thought-provoking, emanating from his thorough grasp of all of the constituent elements that comprise the Social Reign of Christ the King. I thank him for making this reflection available to the readers of this site.]

…in the future also [if any] shall [so] deviate, or fall into heresy, or incur schism, or provoke or commit either or both of these, or shall be detected or shall confess to have, or shall be convicted of having [so] deviated, or fallen into heresy, or incurred schism, or provoked or committed either or both of these; (since in this they are rendered more inexcusable than the rest) in addition to the aforementioned sentences, censures and penalties, shall also automatically, without any exercise of law or application of fact, be thoroughly, entirely and perpetually deprived of:- their Orders and Cathedrals, even Metropolitan, Patriarchal and Primatial Churches, the honour of the Cardinalate and the office of any embassy whatsoever, not to mention both active and passive voting rights, all authority, Monasteries, benefices and Ecclesiastical offices, be they functional or sinecures, secular or religious of whatsoever Order, which they may have obtained by any concessions whatsoever, or by Apostolic Dispensations to title, charge and administration or otherwise howsoever, and in which or to which they may have any right whatsoever, likewise any whatsoever fruits, returns or annual revenues from like fruits, returns and revenues reserved for and assigned to them, as well as Countships, Baronies, Marquisates, Dukedoms, Kingships and Imperial Power;

(ii) that, moreover, they shall be unfit and incapable in respect of these things and that they shall be held to be backsliders and subverted in every way, just as if they had previously abjured heresy of this kind in public trial; that they shall never at any time be able to be restored, returned, reinstated or rehabilitated to their former status or Cathedral, Metropolitan, Patriarchal and Primatial Churches, or the Cardinalate, or other honour, any other dignity, greater or lesser, any right to vote, active or passive, or authority, or Monasteries and benefices, or Countships, Baronies, Marquisates, Dukedoms, Kingships and positions of Imperial power; but rather that they shall be abandoned to the judgement of the secular power to be punished after due consideration, unless there should appear in them signs of true penitence and the fruits of worthy repentance, and, by the kindness and clemency of the See itself, they shall have been sentenced to sequestration in any Monastery or other religious house in order to perform perpetual penance upon the bread of sorrow and the water of affliction;

(iii) that all such individuals also shall be held, treated and reputed as such by everyone, of whatsoever status, grade, order, condition or pre-eminence he may be and whatsoever excellence may be his, even Episcopal, Archiepiscopal, Patriarchal and Primatial or other greater Ecclesiastical dignity and even the honour of the Cardinalate, or secular, even the authority of Count, Baron, Marquis, Duke, King or Emperor, and as such must be avoided and must be deprived of the sympathy of all natural kindness…
– Pope Paul IV, Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio

Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio of Pope Paul IV has ramifications beyond the confusion wrought by casting in doubt the legitimacy of the entire post-conciliar hierarchy. Even were there somehow to be a consensus that, indeed, the post-conciliar Popes, Bishops, and priests were all invalid and in need of replacing, there would remain a dilemma as to just who their replacements would be. This does not stem merely from the question of who the prelates would be to accomplish a wholesale reconstitution of the episcopate and then the presbyterate, in addition to establishing a new and uncontested occupant of the Throne of St. Peter. As well, there would be the quandary posed by the clear statements within Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio of to whom sovereign authority in the Church and the state would be given when the document declares that anyone guilty of heresy is forbidden office within the Church and the governing structures of the secular society. Pope Paul IV raises the question for us as to who is not in the least guilty of:

1) The heresy of Americanism, wherein the Holy See is denied the recognition that the Church is the final arbiter among nations as to what constitutes justice in keeping with the rights of man and the Law of God;
2) The error of separating the state from the Church, in which it is falsely claimed that human justice is possible without reference to the supreme Law of God as taught in and guaranteed by His one, true Church, the Catholic Church under the Pope;
3) The error of maintaining that a nation has the right to establish something or nothing as its official faith in the stead of the one, true Church, the Catholic Church under the Pope;
4) The error that the citizens of a nation state have the right to worship in ways other than that mandated by Jesus Christ, the Son of the only God and the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary, namely, the rites approved by the one, true Church of God, the Catholic Church under the Pope;
5) The error that the Church in general and her Pope and Bishops in particular do not have the right or authority to exercise force in defense of the prerogatives of God over and against His enemies warring on the Bride of Christ, the Catholic Church;
6) The error that usury may be employed as a means of economic activity;
7) The error that capital punishment is forbidden the state as a means for justice to be meted out to criminals;
8) The error that innocent human life may be taken actively or passively through the denial of food and water during an illness;
9) The error that the abomination of sodomy may be reduced to a legal consideration regarding property rights and due process, rather than the laws of a nation demanding the punishment of the criminals who engage in and/or encourage the sin, which cries to Heaven for vengeance;
10) The error that a nation may legislate the murder of children, unborn and in the process of being born, for any reason or for no reason at the discretion of a mother and/or her medical counsel and/or the persons wielding the power of the government;

It is far less debatable that the Constitution of the United States mandates religious indifferentism, that the United Nations was established as an international replacement of Christendom, that the European Union actively attacks the teachings and rights of the Catholic Church, that the People’s Republic of China slaughters babies by the million as a matter of public policy, that every insurance company on earth is founded on usury, that active and passive euthanasia are considered acceptable by most of the citizens of western nations as a legitimate means to alleviate real or perceived suffering, and that the global media are an evangelical tool for sodomites; than that the sedvecantist position preserves the entirety of the teachings of the Catholic Church along with her identity inviolate. If indeed, however, the sedevacantist position is correct, then the resolution of the crisis involved would entail as well the necessity of restructuring practically every secular government on earth. The prohibitions of heretics in positions of authority within the Church would equally apply to the men needed to reestablish legitimate sovereignty over nations. Both communism and capitalism would need to be disavowed for their roles as participants in bringing about the current woeful state of affairs. Democracy would be severely scrutinized to determine the extent to which that form of government is consonant with the pursuit and attainment of sanctity, which history thus far demonstrates has never been the fruit of a national democracy.

The seats supposedly left vacant by heretics are housed not only in St. Peter’s in Rome and in cathedrals around the world, but in every national capital, every state and provincial capital, every city hall, and every boardroom on earth. Reestablishing Christendom, achieving the work of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, obtaining the freedom and exaltation of our Holy Mother the Church is a labor for ecclesiastics and the faithful in the world. Both the hierarchy of the Church and the governments of nations would be in want of eligible Catholics to fill vital positions within their respective institutions. The implications of Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio gravely reduce the number of men available for that purpose. Our quandary is not merely who will shepherd the Flock of Christ, but who will hold the reins of just commerce and who will pilot the ship of the Catholic state.

The Longer Version of the Saint Michael the Archangel Prayer, composed by Pope Leo XIII, 1888

O glorious Archangel Saint Michael, Prince of the heavenly host, be our defense in the terrible warfare which we carry on against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, spirits of evil. Come to the aid of man, whom God created immortal, made in His own image and likeness, and redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil. Fight this day the battle of our Lord, together with the holy angels, as already thou hast fought the leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and his apostate host, who were powerless to resist thee, nor was there place for them any longer in heaven. That cruel, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil or Satan who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss with his angels. Behold this primeval enemy and slayer of men has taken courage. Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all the multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out the Name of God and of His Christ, to seize upon, slay, and cast into eternal perdition, souls destined for the crown of eternal glory. That wicked dragon pours out. as a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men of depraved mind and corrupt heart, the spirit of lying, of impiety, of blasphemy, and the pestilent breath of impurity, and of every vice and iniquity. These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the spouse of the Immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on Her most sacred possessions. In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of the most holy Peter and the Chair of Truth for the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck the sheep may be scattered. Arise then, O invincible Prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of God, and give them the victory. They venerate thee as their protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defense against the malicious powers of hell; to thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude. Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly conciliate the mercies of the Lord; and beating down the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen.

Verse: Let us pray. O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Thy holy Name, and as suppliants, we implore Thy clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin, immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious Archangel Saint Michael, Thou wouldst deign to help us against Satan and all other unclean spirits, who wander about the world for the injury of the human race and the ruin of our souls.

April 26, 2006
Sharpening the Horns of the Dilemma by Father Lawrence C. Smith [Publisher's note: Father Lawrence C. Smith is offering this commentary as a further reflection on the social implications of Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio. While some are dismissing Pope Paul IV's 1559 Papal Bull as merely a disciplinary document that no longer binds the Church, there are others who hold that it is still valid and in force. What does "in perpetuity" mean, after all? Nevertheless, a study of the document's implications if it is still valid and in force is very useful. As always, Father Smith's insights are thought-provoking, emanating from his thorough grasp of all of the constituent elements that comprise the Social Reign of Christ the King. I thank him for making this reflection available to the readers of this site.] *Are they many, Lord, who shall be saved?* …in the future also [if any] shall [so] deviate, or fall into heresy, or incur schism, or provoke or commit either or both of these, or shall be detected or shall confess to have, or shall be convicted of having [so] deviated, or fallen into heresy, or incurred schism, or provoked or committed either or both of these; (since in this they are rendered more inexcusable than the rest) in addition to the aforementioned sentences, censures and penalties, shall also automatically, without any exercise of law or application of fact, be thoroughly, entirely and perpetually deprived of:- their Orders and Cathedrals, even Metropolitan, Patriarchal and Primatial Churches, the honour of the Cardinalate and the office of any embassy whatsoever, not to mention both active and passive voting rights, all authority, Monasteries, benefices and Ecclesiastical offices, be they functional or sinecures, secular or religious of whatsoever Order, which they may have obtained by any concessions whatsoever, or by Apostolic Dispensations to title, charge and administration or otherwise howsoever, and in which or to which they may have any right whatsoever, likewise any whatsoever fruits, returns or annual revenues from like fruits, returns and revenues reserved for and assigned to them, as well as Countships, Baronies, Marquisates, Dukedoms, Kingships and Imperial Power; (ii) that, moreover, they shall be unfit and incapable in respect of these things and that they shall be held to be backsliders and subverted in every way, just as if they had previously abjured heresy of this kind in public trial; that they shall never at any time be able to be restored, returned, reinstated or rehabilitated to their former status or Cathedral, Metropolitan, Patriarchal and Primatial Churches, or the Cardinalate, or other honour, any other dignity, greater or lesser, any right to vote, active or passive, or authority, or Monasteries and benefices, or Countships, Baronies, Marquisates, Dukedoms, Kingships and positions of Imperial power; but rather that they shall be abandoned to the judgement of the secular power to be punished after due consideration, unless there should appear in them signs of true penitence and the fruits of worthy repentance, and, by the kindness and clemency of the See itself, they shall have been sentenced to sequestration in any Monastery or other religious house in order to perform perpetual penance upon the bread of sorrow and the water of affliction; (iii) that all such individuals also shall be held, treated and reputed as such by everyone, of whatsoever status, grade, order, condition or pre-eminence he may be and whatsoever excellence may be his, even Episcopal, Archiepiscopal, Patriarchal and Primatial or other greater Ecclesiastical dignity and even the honour of the Cardinalate, or secular, even the authority of Count, Baron, Marquis, Duke, King or Emperor, and as such must be avoided and must be deprived of the sympathy of all natural kindness… – Pope Paul IV, Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio of Pope Paul IV has ramifications beyond the confusion wrought by casting in doubt the legitimacy of the entire post-conciliar hierarchy. Even were there somehow to be a consensus that, indeed, the post-conciliar Popes, Bishops, and priests were all invalid and in need of replacing, there would remain a dilemma as to just who their replacements would be. This does not stem merely from the question of who the prelates would be to accomplish a wholesale reconstitution of the episcopate and then the presbyterate, in addition to establishing a new and uncontested occupant of the Throne of St. Peter. As well, there would be the quandary posed by the clear statements within Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio of to whom sovereign authority in the Church and the state would be given when the document declares that anyone guilty of heresy is forbidden office within the Church and the governing structures of the secular society. Pope Paul IV raises the question for us as to who is not in the least guilty of: 1) The heresy of Americanism, wherein the Holy See is denied the recognition that the Church is the final arbiter among nations as to what constitutes justice in keeping with the rights of man and the Law of God; 2) The error of separating the state from the Church, in which it is falsely claimed that human justice is possible without reference to the supreme Law of God as taught in and guaranteed by His one, true Church, the Catholic Church under the Pope; 3) The error of maintaining that a nation has the right to establish something or nothing as its official faith in the stead of the one, true Church, the Catholic Church under the Pope; 4) The error that the citizens of a nation state have the right to worship in ways other than that mandated by Jesus Christ, the Son of the only God and the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary, namely, the rites approved by the one, true Church of God, the Catholic Church under the Pope; 5) The error that the Church in general and her Pope and Bishops in particular do not have the right or authority to exercise force in defense of the prerogatives of God over and against His enemies warring on the Bride of Christ, the Catholic Church; 6) The error that usury may be employed as a means of economic activity; 7) The error that capital punishment is forbidden the state as a means for justice to be meted out to criminals; 8) The error that innocent human life may be taken actively or passively through the denial of food and water during an illness; 9) The error that the abomination of sodomy may be reduced to a legal consideration regarding property rights and due process, rather than the laws of a nation demanding the punishment of the criminals who engage in and/or encourage the sin, which cries to Heaven for vengeance; 10) The error that a nation may legislate the murder of children, unborn and in the process of being born, for any reason or for no reason at the discretion of a mother and/or her medical counsel and/or the persons wielding the power of the government; It is far less debatable that the Constitution of the United States mandates religious indifferentism, that the United Nations was established as an international replacement of Christendom, that the European Union actively attacks the teachings and rights of the Catholic Church, that the People’s Republic of China slaughters babies by the million as a matter of public policy, that every insurance company on earth is founded on usury, that active and passive euthanasia are considered acceptable by most of the citizens of western nations as a legitimate means to alleviate real or perceived suffering, and that the global media are an evangelical tool for sodomites; than that the sedvecantist position preserves the entirety of the teachings of the Catholic Church along with her identity inviolate. If indeed, however, the sedevacantist position is correct, then the resolution of the crisis involved would entail as well the necessity of restructuring practically every secular government on earth. The prohibitions of heretics in positions of authority within the Church would equally apply to the men needed to reestablish legitimate sovereignty over nations. Both communism and capitalism would need to be disavowed for their roles as participants in bringing about the current woeful state of affairs. Democracy would be severely scrutinized to determine the extent to which that form of government is consonant with the pursuit and attainment of sanctity, which history thus far demonstrates has never been the fruit of a national democracy. The seats supposedly left vacant by heretics are housed not only in St. Peter’s in Rome and in cathedrals around the world, but in every national capital, every state and provincial capital, every city hall, and every boardroom on earth. Reestablishing Christendom, achieving the work of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, obtaining the freedom and exaltation of our Holy Mother the Church is a labor for ecclesiastics and the faithful in the world. Both the hierarchy of the Church and the governments of nations would be in want of eligible Catholics to fill vital positions within their respective institutions. The implications of Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio gravely reduce the number of men available for that purpose. Our quandary is not merely who will shepherd the Flock of Christ, but who will hold the reins of just commerce and who will pilot the ship of the Catholic state. Father Smith. 24 April 2006: St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen Holy Family House, Silver Cliff, Wisconsin Our Lady, Help of Christians, pray for us. Saint Joseph, 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 Peter and Paul, pray for us. Pope Saint Gregory the Great, pray for us. Saint Jerome, pray for us. Saint Athanasius, pray for us. Saint Basil the Great, pray for us. Saint Augustine, pray for us. Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us. Saint Charles Borromeo, pray for us. Saint Peter Canisius, pray for us. Saint Francis de Sales, pray for us. Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us. Saint Robert Bellarmine, pray for us. Saint Louis IX, King of France, pray for us. Saint Henry, pray for us. Saint Canute, pray for us. Saint Edward the Confessor, pray for us. Saint Philomena, pray for us. Pope Saint Pius V, pray for us. Pope Saint Pius X, pray for us. Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe, pray for us. Blessed Emperor Charles, pray for us. Blessed Jacinta, pray for us. Blessed Francisco, pray for us. Sister Lucia, pray for us. The Longer Version of the Saint Michael the Archangel Prayer, composed by Pope Leo XIII, 1888 O glorious Archangel Saint Michael, Prince of the heavenly host, be our defense in the terrible warfare which we carry on against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, spirits of evil. Come to the aid of man, whom God created immortal, made in His own image and likeness, and redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil. Fight this day the battle of our Lord, together with the holy angels, as already thou hast fought the leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and his apostate host, who were powerless to resist thee, nor was there place for them any longer in heaven. That cruel, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil or Satan who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss with his angels. Behold this primeval enemy and slayer of men has taken courage. Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all the multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out the Name of God and of His Christ, to seize upon, slay, and cast into eternal perdition, souls destined for the crown of eternal glory. That wicked dragon pours out. as a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men of depraved mind and corrupt heart, the spirit of lying, of impiety, of blasphemy, and the pestilent breath of impurity, and of every vice and iniquity. These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the spouse of the Immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on Her most sacred possessions. In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of the most holy Peter and the Chair of Truth for the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck the sheep may be scattered. Arise then, O invincible Prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of God, and give them the victory. They venerate thee as their protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defense against the malicious powers of hell; to thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude. Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church. Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly conciliate the mercies of the Lord; and beating down the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations. Amen. Verse: Behold the Cross of the Lord; be scattered ye hostile powers. Response: The Lion of the Tribe of Juda has conquered the root of David. Verse: Let Thy mercies be upon us, O Lord. Response: As we have hoped in Thee. Verse: O Lord hear my prayer. Response: And let my cry come unto Thee. Verse: Let us pray. O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Thy holy Name, and as suppliants, we implore Thy clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin, immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious Archangel Saint Michael, Thou wouldst deign to help us against Satan and all other unclean spirits, who wander about the world for the injury of the human race and the ruin of our souls. Response: Amen.


© Copyright 2006, Father Lawrence C. Smith. All rights reserved.

Sharpening the Horns of the Dilemma