Still Celebrating Half A Century of Apostasy

by Thomas A. Droleskey

Although I have been very busy completing another long writing project that is out for review before making it available for purchase after Easter, I do find it is becoming increasingly more and more difficult to write anything original about the apostasies of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI and his counterfeit church of conciliarism as he keeps repeating himself over and over again again. How many new ways are there to call madness as madness or to call apostasy as apostasy? Thus it is that, having written about as much as one can about this madness, the most productive thing that I can do now and again is to write brief articles such as this one to help newer readers of this site navigate their way through the morass of apostasy in which we find ourselves.

We are now well into what will turn out to be a three year celebration of apostasy as the lords of conciliarism congratulate themselves on the "wonders" worked for their counterfeit church and for the world with which it has made its reconciliation wrought by the "Second" Vatican Council and its "renewed" liturgy and the "magisterium" of the postconciliar "popes." 

How very appropriate, therefore, that the leader of the theological and liturgical revolution that has been responsible for the loss of so many countless souls to the Faith will commence a three day visit to the home of the Communist revolution in Cuba today. For no matter how much Ratzinger/Benedict condemns Communism as a sterile ideology, it is, after all, but the penultimate expression of the "healthy secularity" that he has praised so much. Civil states must devolve into some form of totalitarianism over the course of time when they do not acknowledge, accept and submit to the Social Reign of Christ the King that He himself as a matter of fundamental principle. Ratzinger/Benedict XVI is incapable of seeing that the modern civil state is born of the same anti-Incarnational errors that gave rise to Bolshevism.

Dr. George O'Brien noted that the Calvinist system of unbridled capitalism and Communism are but two sides of the same materialistic coin:

The thesis we have endeavoured to present in this essay is, that the two great dominating schools of modern economic thought have a common origin. The capitalist school, which, basing its position on the unfettered right of the individual to do what he will with his own, demands the restriction of government interference in economic and social affairs within the narrowest  possible limits, and the socialist school, which, basing its position on the complete subordination of the individual to society, demands the socialization of all the means of production, if not all of wealth, face each other today as the only two solutions of the social question; they are bitterly hostile towards each other, and mutually intolerant and each is at the same weakened and provoked by the other. In one respect, and in one respect only, are they identical--they can both be shown to be the result of the Protestant Reformation.

We have seen the direct connection which exists between these modern schools of economic thought and their common ancestor. Capitalism found its roots in the intensely individualistic spirit of Protestantism, in the spread of anti-authoritative ideas from the realm of religion into the realm of political and social thought, and, above all, in the distinctive Calvinist doctrine of a successful and prosperous career being the outward and visible sign by which the regenerated might be known. Socialism, on the other hand, derived encouragement from the violations of established and prescriptive rights of which the Reformation afforded so many examples, from the growth of heretical sects tainted with Communism, and from the overthrow of the orthodox doctrine on original sin, which opened the way to the idea of the perfectibility of man through institutions. But, apart from these direct influences, there were others, indirect, but equally important. Both these great schools of economic thought are characterized by exaggerations and excesses; the one lays too great stress on the importance of the individual, and other on the importance of the community; they are both departures, in opposite directions, from the correct mean of reconciliation and of individual liberty with social solidarity. These excesses and exaggerations are the result of the free play of private judgment unguided by authority, and could not have occurred if Europe had continued to recognize an infallible central authority in ethical affairs.

The science of economics is the science of men's relations with one another in the domain of acquiring and disposing of wealth, and is, therefore, like political science in another sphere, a branch of the science of ethics. In the Middle Ages, man's ethical conduct, like his religious conduct, was under the supervision and guidance of a single authority, which claimed at the same time the right to define and to enforce its teaching. The machinery for enforcing the observance of medieval ethical teaching was of a singularly effective kind; pressure was brought to bear upon the conscience of the individual through the medium of compulsory periodical consultations with a trained moral adviser, who was empowered to enforce obedience to his advice by the most potent spiritual sanctions. In this way, the whole conduct of man in relation to his neighbours was placed under the immediate guidance of the universally received ethical preceptor, and a common standard of action was ensured throughout the Christian world in the all the affairs of life. All economic transactions in particular were subject to the jealous scrutiny of the individual's spiritual director; and such matters as sales, loans, and so on, were considered reprehensible and punishable if not conducted in accordance with the Christian standards of commutative justice.

The whole of this elaborate system for the preservation of justice in the affairs of everyday life was shattered by the Reformation. The right of private judgment, which had first been asserted in matters of faith, rapidly spread into moral matters, and the attack on the dogmatic infallibility of the Church left Europe without an authority to which it could appeal on moral questions. The new Protestant churches were utterly unable to supply this want. The principle of private judgment on which they rested deprived them of any right to be listened to whenever they attempted to dictate moral precepts to their members, and henceforth the moral behaviour of the individual became a matter to be regulated by the promptings of his own conscience, or by such philosophical systems of ethics as he happened to approve. The secular state endeavoured to ensure that dishonesty amounting to actual theft or fraud should be kept in check, but this was a poor and ineffective substitute for the powerful weapon of the confessional. Authority having once broken down, it was but a single step from Protestantism to rationalism; and the way was opened to the development of all sorts of erroneous systems of morality. (Dr. George O'Brien, An Essay on the Economic Efforts of the Reformation, IHS Press, Norfolk, Virginia, 2003.)

Dr. O'Brien went on to state that true pope after true pope has stated concerning the necessity of men and their nations subordinating themselves to the Catholic Church as they pursue the common temporal good in light of man's Last End:

There is one institution and one institution alone which is capable of supplying and enforcing the social ethic that is needed to revivify the world. It is an institution at once intra-national and international; an institution that can claim to pronounce infallibly on moral matters, and to enforce the observance of the its moral decrees by direct sanctions on the individual conscience of man; an institution which, while respecting and supporting the civil governments of nations, can claim to exist independently of them, and can insist that they shall not intrude upon the moral life or fetter the moral liberty of their citizens. Europe possessed such an institution in the Middle Ages; its dethronement was the unique achievement of the Reformation; and the injury inflicted by that dethronement has never since been repaired. (George O'Brien, An Essay on the Economic Effects of the Reformation, first published in 1923, republished by IHS press in 2003, p. 132.)

 

Although Ratzinger/Benedict invoked the phrase "Viva Cristo Rey!" in his Angelus reflection yesterday in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico yesterday, Passion Sunday, he did so by way of commemorating the Mexican martyrs who, unlike himself, actually believed that Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has the right to reign as King of Mexico and all nations. It is not for phrase that they gave up their lives. It is for the belief signified by the phrase, a belief that Ratzinger/Benedict rejects utterly as he and his conciliar church teach that the Kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ is to be understood solely in an eschatological, not a social, sense. And what utter blasphemy was it for Ratzinger/Benedict to claim that Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Mother of the "original" and the "new evangelization" of conciliarism that has nothing at all do with seeking with urgency the unconditional conversion of all men and nations to the true Church, outside of which there is no salvation and without which there can be no true social order. Even though Ratzinger/Benedict works in pious sounding phrases in his addresses to Catholics, he, as a Modernist, is careful to drop his little bits of poison in the well, so to speak, which is why one must always remember that Modernism is a mixture of truth and error and that, as Pope Saint Pius X noted in Pascendi Dominci Gregis, September 8, 1907, a thousand noxious devices are used to clothe their apostasy in what seems to be the language of the Faith.

Consider the cleverness of the false "pontiff" in his Angelus address yesterday:

At this time, when so many families are separated or forced to emigrate, when so many are suffering due to poverty, corruption, domestic violence, drug trafficking, the crisis of values and increased crime, we come to Mary in search of consolation, strength and hope. She is the Mother of the true God, who invites us to stay with faith and charity beneath her mantle, so as to overcome in this way all evil and to establish a more just and fraternal society.

 

With these sentiments, I place once again this country, all of Latin America and the Caribbean before the gentle gaze of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I entrust all their sons and daughters to the Star of both the original and the new evangelization; she has inspired with her maternal love their Christian history, has given particular expression to their national achievements, to their communal and social initiatives, to family life, to personal devotion and to the Continental Mission which is now taking place across these noble lands. In times of trial and sorrow she was invoked by many martyrs who, in crying out “Long live Christ the King and Mary of Guadalupe” bore unyielding witness of fidelity to the Gospel and devotion to the Church. I now ask that her presence in this nation may continue to serve as a summons to defence and respect for human life. May it promote fraternity, setting aside futile acts of revenge and banishing all divisive hatred. May Holy Mary of Guadalupe bless us and obtain for us the abundant graces that, through her intercession, we request from heaven. (Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI, Recitation of the Angelus Domini, León, March 25, 2012.)

 

Our Lady has never invited anyone to "fraternity." She has invited people into the Catholic Church. In this manner, you see, Ratzinger/Benedict attempts to use Catholic-sounding language that he knows will resonate with Mexican Catholics as he seeks to get everyone on board the S. S. One World Ecumenical Church. Fraternity? Our Lady is not inviting people to live "fraternally." She invites us to follow her Divine Son as He has revealed Himself to us exclusively through His true  Church.

Consider the words of Our Lady, uttered three hundred fifty-six years ago yesterday, to a Catholic apostate named Pierre Port-Combet as she appeared to him near Plantees, France:

Heaven was watching over Pierre and after seven years, on March 25, 1656, Our Lady appeared to him. On that day, Pierre was working in the field and saw a Lady standing far away on a little hill. The Lady wore a white dress, a blue mantle and had a black veil over her head, which partly covered her face. As the Lady came toward Pierre, she suddenly picked up speed and in a flash, she stood beside him. With her beautiful, sweet voice, the Lady spoke to Pierre, "God be with you my friend!"

For a moment, Pierre stood in amazement. The Lady spoke again, "What is being said about this devotion? Do many people come?"

Pierre replied, "Yes many people come,"

Then the Lady said, "Where does that heretic live who cut the willow tree? Does he not want to be converted?"

Pierre mumbled an answer. The Lady became more serious, "Do you think that I do not know that you are the heretic? Realize that your end is at hand. If you do not return to the True Faith, you will be cast into Hell! But if you change your beliefs, I shall protect you before God. Tell people to pray that they may gain the good graces which, God in His mercy has offered to them."

Pierre was filled with sorrow and shame and moved away from the Lady. Suddenly realizing that he was being rude, Pierre stepped closer to her, but she had moved away and was already near the little hill. He ran after her begging, "Please stop and listen to me. I want to apologize to you and I want you to help me!"

The Lady stopped and turned. By the time Pierre caught up to her, she was floating in the air and was already disappearing from sight. Suddenly, Pierre realized that the Most Blessed Virgin Mary had appeared to him! He fell to his knees and cried buckets of tears, "Jesus and Mary I promise you that I will change my life and become a good Catholic. I am sorry for what I have done and I beg you please, to help me change my life…"

On August 14, 1656, Pierre became very sick. An Augustinian priest came to hear his confession and accepted him back into the Catholic Church. Pierre received Holy Communion the next day on the Feast of the Assumption. After Pierre returned to the Catholic Faith, many others followed him. His son and five daughters came back to the Catholic Church as well as many Calvinists and Protestants. Five weeks later on September 8, 1656, Pierre died and was buried under the miraculous willow tree, just as he had asked. (Our Lady of the Willow Tree.)

 

This is how Our Lady speaks. She invites apostate souls back into the true Church. She does not call men to "fraternity" or to live "fraternally" as do so would be the equivalent of inviting men to join the nearest Masonic lodge so as to live in "fraternity" with their fellow men.

Ratzinger/Benedict concluded his day yesterday by addressing the conciliar "bishops" of Mexico and all of Latin America at a conciliar vespers service, telling them that--and I am not making this up--they needed to include the laity more than they had been permitted to participate heretofore in the liturgical and pastoral life of the Church in Mexico. This is incredible. This man, Benedict XVI, has a zeal for his false religion that burns bright in his Modernist heart. How can anyone, say, just perhaps, you understand, Bishop Bernard Fellay of the Society of Saint Pius X, think that this unreconstructed and unapologetic Modernist revolutionary wants anything other than the complete surrender of everyone to his revolutionary agenda that is from Hell itself. Consider these words to the Mexican and Latin American non-bishops:

Dear Brother Bishops, amid the challenges now facing us in our pastoral care and our preaching of the Gospel, it is essential to show great concern for your seminarians, encouraging them humbly “to know nothing … except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). No less fundamental is the need to remain close to your priests; they must never lack the understanding and encouragement of their Bishop, nor, if necessary, his paternal admonition in response to improper attitudes. Priests are your first co-workers in the sacramental communion of the priesthood, and you ought to show them a constant and privileged attention. The same should be said for the different forms of consecrated life, whose charisms need to be gratefully esteemed and responsibly encouraged, in a way respectful of the gift received. Greater attention is due to the members of the lay faithful most engaged in the fields of catechesis, liturgical animation, charitable activity and social commitment. Their faith formation is critical if the Gospel is to become present and fruitful in contemporary society. It is not right for them to feel treated like second-class citizens in the Church, despite the committed work which they carry out in accordance with their proper vocation, and the great sacrifice which this dedication at times demands of them. In all of this, it is particularly important for Pastors to ensure that a spirit of communion reigns among priests, religious and the lay faithful, and that sterile divisions, criticism and unhealthy mistrust are avoided. (Celebration of Vespers with the Non-Bishops of Mexico and of Latin America in the Cathedral of Our Most Holy Mother of Leon, March 25, 2012.)

 

Just incredible. The man won't quit. He won quit. Imagine what he could have done with his priesthood if he had this kind of zeal for the Catholic Faith rather than the contempt that he has for It, including the Social Reign of Christ the King.

Yes, the fact is that Ratzinger/Benedict and his brother non-bishops, including one who has been critical of his handling of the clergy abuse cases in Ireland, Dublin "Archbishop" Diarmuid Martin, believe that secular state is here to stay and that what they think is the Catholic Church has benefited from its existence:

Addressing the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association Conference in Dublin, he said the role of religion in Irish society has changed.

"There is a growing secularisation in Irish society," he said.

"This is not entirely a bad thing, if we understand ... secularisation correctly.

"Very few of us would wish to return completely to the type of society many of us grew up in, where the Church dominated so much of Irish culture, and where the bishops and the clergy dominated the Church.

"Irish society and the Church in Ireland have changed and it must be said that the change has, in great part, been good."

The archbishop said that, in the past, many thought the strength of the Church was in its numbers.

"But those numbers hid a faith and a commitment that was not as strong as many had imagined," he said.

"They hid the fact that the faith was not being nourished sufficiently."

However, he said the Church would not "simply take a bow and leave society for good".

"Perhaps Christianity may become in a way a minority culture in Ireland. What is important is not about becoming a minority; what is important is that the Church becomes an active and creative minority, and never an irrelevant one."

He said people of faith were often defensive when talking about religion in contemporary society.

"We appear as trying to justify our presence. We should rather start out from the point of view that religion has contributed to, continues to contribute to, and will continue to contribute to Irish society, as it contributes to any other society in the world." (http://www.irishexaminer.com.)

 

So much for Saint Patrick and the conversion of Ireland to become the Land of Saints and Scholars. No, it is "good enough" to be a "creative minority" in Catholic Ireland just as it would be say in the pluralist United States of America or in the pagan land of Japan. What apostasy. What utter betrayal of these words of our true popes concerning the necessity of converting all men and nations to the Catholic Faith:

Nor can We predict happier times for religion and government from the plans of those who desire vehemently to separate the Church from the state, and to break the mutual concord between temporal authority and the priesthood. It is certain that that concord which always was favorable and beneficial for the sacred and the civil order is feared by the shameless lovers of liberty.

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 promoting novelties 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.)

55. The Church ought to be separated from the .State, and the State from the Church. -- Allocution "Acerbissimum," Sept. 27, 1852. (Condemned Proposition in The Syllabus of Errors, 1864.)

As a consequence, the State, constituted as it is, is clearly bound to act up to the manifold and weighty duties linking it to God, by the public profession of religion. Nature and reason, which command every individual devoutly to worship God in holiness, because we belong to Him and must return to Him, since from Him we came, bind also the civil community by a like law. For, men living together in society are under the power of God no less than individuals are, and society, no less than individuals, owes gratitude to God who gave it being and maintains it and whose everbounteous goodness enriches it with countless blessings. Since, then, no one is allowed to be remiss in the service due to God, and since the chief duty of all men is to cling to religion in both its teaching and practice-not such religion as they may have a preference for, but the religion which God enjoins, and which certain and most clear marks show to be the only one true religion -- it is a public crime to act as though there were no God. So, too, is it a sin for the State not to have care for religion as a something beyond its scope, or as of no practical benefit; or out of many forms of religion to adopt that one which chimes in with the fancy; for we are bound absolutely to worship God in that way which He has shown to be His will. All who rule, therefore, would hold in honor the holy name of God, and one of their chief duties must be to favor religion, to protect it, to shield it under the credit and sanction of the laws, and neither to organize nor enact any measure that may compromise its safety. This is the bounden duty of rulers to the people over whom they rule. For one and all are we destined by our birth and adoption to enjoy, when this frail and fleeting life is ended, a supreme and final good in heaven, and to the attainment of this every endeavor should be directed. Since, then, upon this depends the full and perfect happiness of mankind, the securing of this end should be of all imaginable interests the most urgent. Hence, civil society, established for the common welfare, should not only safeguard the wellbeing of the community, but have also at heart the interests of its individual members, in such mode as not in any way to hinder, but in every manner to render as easy as may be, the possession of that highest and unchangeable good for which all should seek. Wherefore, for this purpose, care must especially be taken to preserve unharmed and unimpeded the religion whereof the practice is the link connecting man with God.

Now, it cannot be difficult to find out which is the true religion, if only it be sought with an earnest and unbiased mind; for proofs are abundant and striking. We have, for example, the fulfillment of prophecies, miracles in great numbers, the rapid spread of the faith in the midst of enemies and in face of overwhelming obstacles, the witness of the martyrs, and the like. From all these it is evident that the only true religion is the one established by Jesus Christ Himself, and which He committed to His Church to protect and to propagate. . . . To exclude the Church, founded by God Himself, from the business of life, from the making of laws, from the education of youth, from domestic society is a grave and fatal error(Pope Leo XII, Immortale Dei, November 1, 1885.)

There are others, somewhat more moderate though not more consistent, who affirm that the morality of individuals is to be guided by the divine law, but not the morality of the State, for that in public affairs the commands of God may be passed over, and may be entirely disregarded in the framing of laws. Hence follows the fatal theory of the need of separation between Church and State. But the absurdity of such a position is manifest. Nature herself proclaims the necessity of the State providing means and opportunities whereby the community may be enabled to live properly, that is to say, according to the laws of God. For, since God is the source of all goodness and justice, it is absolutely ridiculous that the State should pay no attention to these laws or render them abortive by contrary enactments. Besides, those who are in authority owe it to the commonwealth not only to provide for its external well-being and the conveniences of life, but still more to consult the welfare of men's souls in the wisdom of their legislation. But, for the increase of such benefits, nothing more suitable can be conceived than the laws which have God for their author; and, therefore, they who in their government of the State take no account of these laws abuse political power by causing it to deviate from its proper end and from what nature itself prescribes. And, what is still more important, and what We have more than once pointed out, although the civil authority has not the same proximate end as the spiritual, nor proceeds on the same lines, nevertheless in the exercise of their separate powers they must occasionally meet. For their subjects are the same, and not infrequently they deal with the same objects, though in different ways. Whenever this occurs, since a state of conflict is absurd and manifestly repugnant to the most wise ordinance of God, there must necessarily exist some order or mode of procedure to remove the occasions of difference and contention, and to secure harmony in all things. This harmony has been not inaptly compared to that which exists between the body and the soul for the well-being of both one and the other, the separation of which brings irremediable harm to the body, since it extinguishes its very life  (Pope Leo XIII, Libertas, June 20, 1888.)

As with individuals, so with nations. These, too, must necessarily tend to ruin if they go astray from "The Way." The Son of God, the Creator and Redeemer of mankind, is King and Lord of the earth, and holds supreme dominion over men, both individually and collectively. "And He gave Him power, and glory, and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve Him" (Daniel vii., 14). "I am appointed King by Him . . . I will give Thee the Gentiles for Thy inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession" (Psalm ii., 6, 8). Therefore the law of Christ ought to prevail in human society and be the guide and teacher of public as well as of private life. Since this is so by divine decree, and no man may with impunity contravene it, it is an evil thing for the common weal wherever Christianity does not hold the place that belongs to it. When Jesus Christ is absent, human reason fails, being bereft of its chief protection and light, and the very end is lost sight of, for which, under God's providence, human society has been built up. This end is the obtaining by the members of society of natural good through the aid of civil unity, though always in harmony with the perfect and eternal good which is above nature. But when men's minds are clouded, both rulers and ruled go astray, for they have no safe line to follow nor end to aim at. (Pope Leo XIII, Tametsi Futura Prospicientibus, November 1, 1900.)

Just as Christianity cannot penetrate into the soul without making it better, so it cannot enter into public life without establishing order. With the idea of a God Who governs all, Who is infinitely wise, good, and just, the idea of duty seizes upon the consciences of men.  It assuages sorrow, it calms hatred, it engenders heroes. If it has transformed pagan society--and that transformation was a veritable resurrection--for barbarism disappeared in proportion as Christianity extended its sway, so, after the terrible shocks which unbelief has given to the world in our days, it will be able to put that world again on the true road, and bring back to order the states and peoples of modern times. But the return of Christianity will not be efficacious and complete if it does not restore the world to a sincere love of the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. 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. Legitimate dispenser of the teachings of the Gospel It does not reveal itself only as the consoler and Redeemer of souls, but It is still more the internal source of justice and charity, and the propagator as well as the guardian of true liberty, and of that equality which alone is possible here below. In applying the doctrine of its Divine Founder, It maintains a wise equilibrium and marks the true limits between the rights and privileges of society. The equality which it proclaims does not destroy the distinction between the different social classes  It keeps them intact, as nature itself demands, in order to oppose the anarchy of reason emancipated from Faith, and abandoned to its own devices. The liberty which it gives in no wise conflicts with the rights of truth, because those rights are superior to the demands of liberty.  Not does it infringe upon the rights of justice, because those rights are superior to the claims of mere numbers or power. Nor does it assail the rights of God because they are superior to the rights of humanity. (Pope Leo XIII, A Review of His Pontificate, March 19, 1902.)

That the State must be separated from the Church is a thesis absolutely false, a most pernicious error. Based, as it is, on the principle that the State must not recognize any religious cult, it is in the first place guilty of a great injustice to God; for the Creator of man is also the Founder of human societies, and preserves their existence as He preserves our own. We owe Him, therefore, not only a private cult, but a public and social worship to honor Him. Besides, this thesis is an obvious negation of the supernatural order. It limits the action of the State to the pursuit of public prosperity during this life only, which is but the proximate object of political societies; and it occupies itself in no fashion (on the plea that this is foreign to it) with their ultimate object which is man's eternal happiness after this short life shall have run its course. But as the present order of things is temporary and subordinated to the conquest of man's supreme and absolute welfare, it follows that the civil power must not only place no obstacle in the way of this conquest, but must aid us in effecting it. The same thesis also upsets the order providentially established by God in the world, which demands a harmonious agreement between the two societies. Both of them, the civil and the religious society, although each exercises in its own sphere its authority over them. It follows necessarily that there are many things belonging to them in common in which both societies must have relations with one another. Remove the agreement between Church and State, and the result will be that from these common matters will spring the seeds of disputes which will become acute on both sides; it will become more difficult to see where the truth lies, and great confusion is certain to arise. Finally, this thesis inflicts great injury on society itself, for it cannot either prosper or last long when due place is not left for religion, which is the supreme rule and the sovereign mistress in all questions touching the rights and the duties of men. Hence the Roman Pontiffs have never ceased, as circumstances required, to refute and condemn the doctrine of the separation of Church and State. Our illustrious predecessor, Leo XIII, especially, has frequently and magnificently expounded Catholic teaching on the relations which should subsist between the two societies. "Between them," he says, "there must necessarily be a suitable union, which may not improperly be compared with that existing between body and soul.-"Quaedam intercedat necesse est ordinata colligatio (inter illas) quae quidem conjunctioni non immerito comparatur, per quam anima et corpus in homine copulantur." He proceeds: "Human societies cannot, without becoming criminal, act as if God did not exist or refuse to concern themselves with religion, as though it were something foreign to them, or of no purpose to them.... As for the Church, which has God Himself for its author, to exclude her from the active life of the nation, from the laws, the education of the young, the family, is to commit a great and pernicious error. -- "Civitates non possunt, citra scellus, gerere se tamquam si Deus omnino non esset, aut curam religionis velut alienam nihilque profuturam abjicere.... Ecclesiam vero, quam Deus ipse constituit, ab actione vitae excludere, a legibus, ab institutione adolescentium, a societate domestica, magnus et perniciousus est error." (Pope Saint Pius X, Vehementer Nos, February 11, 1906.)

But it is not only within her own household that the Church must come to terms. Besides her relations with those within, she has others with those who are outside. The Church does not occupy the world all by herself; there are other societies in the world., with which she must necessarily have dealings and contact. The rights and duties of the Church towards civil societies must, therefore, be determined, and determined, of course, by her own nature, that, to wit, which the Modernists have already described to us. The rules to be applied in this matter are clearly those which have been laid down for science and faith, though in the latter case the question turned upon the object, while in the present case we have one of ends. In the same way, then, as faith and science are alien to each other by reason of the diversity of their objects, Church and State are strangers by reason of the diversity of their ends, that of the Church being spiritual while that of the State is temporal. Formerly it was possible to subordinate the temporal to the spiritual and to speak of some questions as mixed, conceding to the Church the position of queen and mistress in all such, because the Church was then regarded as having been instituted immediately by God as the author of the supernatural order. But this doctrine is today repudiated alike by philosophers and historians. The state must, therefore, be separated from the Church, and the Catholic from the citizen. Every Catholic, from the fact that he is also a citizen, has the right and the duty to work for the common good in the way he thinks best, without troubling himself about the authority of the Church, without paying any heed to its wishes, its counsels, its orders -- nay, even in spite of its rebukes. For the Church to trace out and prescribe for the citizen any line of action, on any pretext whatsoever, is to be guilty of an abuse of authority, against which one is bound to protest with all one's might. Venerable Brethren, the principles from which these doctrines spring have been solemnly condemned by Our predecessor, Pius VI, in his Apostolic Constitution Auctorem fidei  (Pope Saint Pius X, Pascendi Dominci Gregis, September 8, 1907.)

But, on the contrary, by ignoring the laws governing human nature and by breaking the bounds within which they operate, the human person is lead, not toward progress, but towards death. This, nevertheless, is what they want to do with human society; they dream of changing its natural and traditional foundations; they dream of a Future City built on different principles, and they dare to proclaim these more fruitful and more beneficial than the principles upon which the present Christian City rests.

No, Venerable Brethren, We must repeat with the utmost energy in these times of social and intellectual anarchy when everyone takes it upon himself to teach as a teacher and lawmaker - the City cannot be built otherwise than as God has built it; society cannot be setup unless the Church lays the foundations and supervises the work; no, civilization is not something yet to be found, nor is the New City to be built on hazy notions; it has been in existence and still is: it is Christian civilization, it is the Catholic City. It has only to be set up and restored continually against the unremitting attacks of insane dreamers, rebels and miscreants. omnia instaurare in Christo. (Pope Saint Pius X, Notre Charge Apostolique, August 15, 1910.)

Let the Princes and Rulers of peoples remember this truth, and let them consider whether it is a prudent and safe idea for governments or for states to separate themselves from the holy religion of Jesus Christ, from which their authority receives such strength and support. Let them consider again and again, whether it is a measure of political wisdom to seek to divorce the teaching of the Gospel and of the Church from the ruling of a country and from the public education of the young. Sad experience proves that human authority fails where religion is set aside. The fate of our first parent after the Fall is wont to come also upon nations. As in his case, no sooner had his will turned from God than his unchained passions rejected the sway of the will; so, too, when the rulers of nations despise divine authority, in their turn the people are wont to despise their human authority. There remains, of course, the expedient of using force to repress popular risings; but what is the result? Force can repress the body, but it cannot repress the souls of men. (Pope Benedict XV, Ad Beatissimi Apostolorum, November 1, 1914.)

When, therefore, governments and nations follow in all their activities, whether they be national or international, the dictates of conscience grounded in the teachings, precepts, and example of Jesus Christ, and which are binding on each and every individual, then only can we have faith in one another's word and trust in the peaceful solution of the difficulties and controversies which may grow out of differences in point of view or from clash of interests. An attempt in this direction has already and is now being made; its results, however, are almost negligible and, especially so, as far as they can be said to affect those major questions which divide seriously and serve to arouse nations one against the other. No merely human institution of today can be as successful in devising a set of international laws which will be in harmony with world conditions as the Middle Ages were in the possession of that true League of Nations, Christianity. It cannot be denied that in the Middle Ages this law was often violated; still it always existed as an ideal, according to which one might judge the acts of nations, and a beacon light calling those who had lost their way back to the safe road.

There exists an institution able to safeguard the sanctity of the law of nations. This institution is a part of every nation; at the same time it is above all nations. She enjoys, too, the highest authority, the fullness of the teaching power of the Apostles. Such an institution is the Church of Christ. She alone is adapted to do this great work, for she is not only divinely commissioned to lead mankind, but moreover, because of her very make-up and the constitution which she possesses, by reason of her age-old traditions and her great prestige, which has not been lessened but has been greatly increased since the close of the War, cannot but succeed in such a venture where others assuredly will fail. (Pope Pius XI, Ubi Arcano Dei Consilio, December 23, 1922.)

Every true and lasting reform has ultimately sprung from the sanctity of men who were driven by the love of God and of men. Generous, ready to stand to attention to any call from God, yet confident in themselves because confident in their vocation, they grew to the size of beacons and reformers. On the other hand, any reformatory zeal, which instead of springing from personal purity, flashes out of passion, has produced unrest instead of light, destruction instead of construction, and more than once set up evils worse than those it was out to remedy. No doubt "the Spirit breatheth where he will" (John iii. 8): "of stones He is able to raise men to prepare the way to his designs" (Matt. iii. 9). He chooses the instruments of His will according to His own plans, not those of men. But the Founder of the Church, who breathed her into existence at Pentecost, cannot disown the foundations as He laid them. Whoever is moved by the spirit of God, spontaneously adopts both outwardly and inwardly, the true attitude toward the Church, this sacred fruit from the tree of the cross, this gift from the Spirit of God, bestowed on Pentecost day to an erratic world.

In your country, Venerable Brethren, voices are swelling into a chorus urging people to leave the Church, and among the leaders there is more than one whose official position is intended to create the impression that this infidelity to Christ the King constitutes a signal and meritorious act of loyalty to the modern State. Secret and open measures of intimidation, the threat of economic and civic disabilities, bear on the loyalty of certain classes of Catholic functionaries, a pressure which violates every human right and dignity. Our wholehearted paternal sympathy goes out to those who must pay so dearly for their loyalty to Christ and the Church; but directly the highest interests are at stake, with the alternative of spiritual loss, there is but one alternative left, that of heroism. If the oppressor offers one the Judas bargain of apostasy he can only, at the cost of every worldly sacrifice, answer with Our Lord: "Begone, Satan! For it is written: The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and Him only shalt thou serve" (Matt. iv. 10). And turning to the Church, he shall say: "Thou, my mother since my infancy, the solace of my life and advocate at my death, may my tongue cleave to my palate if, yielding to worldly promises or threats, I betray the vows of my baptism." As to those who imagine that they can reconcile exterior infidelity to one and the same Church, let them hear Our Lord's warning: -- "He that shall deny me before men shall be denied before the angels of God" (Luke xii. 9).(Pope Pius XI, Mit Brennender Sorge, March 17, 1937.)

 

This is, of course, just a partial listing of the constant teaching (God cannot contradict Himself, ladies and gentlemen; the Catholic Church can never be spotted by any taint of error or contradiction) of the Catholic Church on the absolute necessity of the civil state recognizing her as the true religion and of the Social Reign of Christ the King that such a recognition makes possible.

Sure, as has been noted on this site most repeatedly, Holy Mother Church must make concessions to the actual realities of a given situation where she is not favored with the protection of the law, doing so without ever conceding the nonexistent validity of the separation of Church and State and without ever once relenting in teaching her children what the correct doctrine is and exhorting them to plant the seeds for the restoration of the Catholic City. Pope Leo XIII made this point clear in Longiqua Oceani, January 6, 1895:

 

 

Yet, though all this is true, it would be very erroneous to draw the conclusion that in America is to be sought the type of the most desirable status of the Church, or that it would be universally lawful or expedient for State and Church to be, as in America, dissevered and divorced. The fact that Catholicity with you is in good condition, nay, is even enjoying a prosperous growth, is by all means to be attributed to the fecundity with which God has endowed His Church, in virtue of which unless men or circumstances interfere, she spontaneously expands and propagates herself; but she would bring forth more abundant fruits if, in addition to liberty, she enjoyed the favor of the laws and the patronage of the public authority. (Pope Leo XIII, Longiqua Oceani.)

 

In other words, the Catholic Faith grew in the Nineteenth Century despite its constitutional provisions that failed recognize the Catholic Church as the true religion, not because of those provisions. She grew because of the "fecundity with which God had endowed" her, namely, the graces won for us by her Divine Bridegroom and Invisible Head, Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by the shedding of every single drop of His Most Precious Blood on the wood of the Holy Cross. The Faith will grow, Pope Leo noted, wherever Holy Mother Church is not impeded in her efforts to teach and to sanctify her children. Do not, Pope Leo was explaining to James Cardinal Gibbons, the Americanist archbishop of Baltimore, Maryland, from October 3, 1877, to March 24, 1921, attribute the growth of the Faith to the religious indifferentism of the American Constitution.

Alas, Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI does indeed consider the very thing condemned by Pope Leo XIII as not a model for the rest of the world as being exactly that, a model for the rest of world even though the American model has resulted in the corruption of most Catholics in the United States of America by the Americanist ethos of religious indifferentism, cultural pluralism and democratic egalitarianism into viewing the Church through the eyes of the world rather than viewing the world through the eyes of the true Faith. Ratzinger/Benedict is incapable of realizing that the social relativism he decries is the product of the rejection of the one and only true Faith, Catholicism, as the sole foundation of personal and social order, refusing to accept the truth that the anti-Incarnationalism of Modernity is but the logical result of the forces let loose by the Protestant Revolt and by the subsequent rise of the naturalism of Judeo-Masonry.

Some of those who are unfamiliar with this site and hence with my other articles on this subject (for a quick reference of those articles, please see No Christ the King? No Rosary? No Good Cause) might object at this point by claiming that Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI is not bound by the pronouncements of our true popes on matters of Church-State relations. While this is partially correct as Ratzinger/Benedict is not a member of the Catholic Church in actual point of fact and is thus not her true head on earth, thus making it possible to believe and do whatever it is he, as a member of a false religion, conciliarism, desires to believe and to, one aspiring to be maintain oneself as a member of the Catholic Church must believe in the pronouncements of our true popes on Church-State relations, something that Pope Pius XI made clear in Ubi Arcano Dei Consilio, December 23, 1922:

Many believe in or claim that they believe in and hold fast to Catholic doctrine on such questions as social authority, the right of owning private property, on the relations between capital and labor, on the rights of the laboring man, on the relations between Church and State, religion and country, on the relations between the different social classes, on international relations, on the rights of the Holy See and the prerogatives of the Roman Pontiff and the Episcopate, on the social rights of Jesus Christ, Who is the Creator, Redeemer, and Lord not only of individuals but of nations. In spite of these protestations, they speak, write, and, what is more, act as if it were not necessary any longer to follow, or that they did not remain still in full force, the teachings and solemn pronouncements which may be found in so many documents of the Holy See, and particularly in those written by Leo XIII, Pius X, and Benedict XV.

There is a species of moral, legal, and social modernism which We condemn, no less decidedly than We condemn theological modernism.

It is necessary ever to keep in mind these teachings and pronouncements which We have made; it is no less necessary to reawaken that spirit of faith, of supernatural love, and of Christian discipline which alone can bring to these principles correct understanding, and can lead to their observance. This is particularly important in the case of youth, and especially those who aspire to the priesthood, so that in the almost universal confusion in which we live they at least, as the Apostle writes, will not be "tossed 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." (Ephesians iv, 14) (Pope Pius XI, Ubi Arcano Dei Consilio, December 23, 1922.)

 

What does any of this mean to Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI? Nothing. Nothing at all, which is why it is evident that he does indeed belong to a false religion that has made its "reconciliation" with Judeo-Masonic principles of "toleration" and 'respect for all religions" that was condemned so forcefully by Pope Leo XIII in Custodi di Quella Fede, December 8, 1892:

 

 

Everyone should avoid familiarity or friendship with anyone suspected of belonging to masonry or to affiliated groups. Know them by their fruits and avoid them. Every familiarity should be avoided, not only with those impious libertines who openly promote the character of the sect, but also with those who hide under the mask of universal tolerance, respect for all religions, and the craving to reconcile the maxims of the Gospel with those of the revolution. These men seek to reconcile Christ and Belial, the Church of God and the state without God. (Pope Leo XIII, Custodi Di Quella Fede, December 8, 1892.)

Pope Leo XIII was not only condemning Italian Masonry in Custodi di Quella Fede. He was condemning the very mindset that is being propagated right now by a man, Ratzinger/Benedict, who considers himself to be one of his, Pope Leo's, true successors. Ratzinger/Benedict and men such as Diarmuid Martin do indeed have "respect for all religions" and he does indeed seek to reconcile "the Church of God and the state without God" as he rejects Catholicism as the one and only foundation of personal and social order.

The "Energizer Benny," however, never rests in his desire to propagandize in behalf of his false religion, preparing a video for his fellow apostates in France as they commence their own celebrations of half a century of "reconciling" with the "principles of that new era inaugurated in 1789" from which France, the eldest daughter of the Church, has never recovered:

 

Vatican City, 24 March 2012 (VIS) - The French Episcopal Conference has organised a meeting on the theme: "Joy and Hope, Fifty Years after Vatican Council II". The event is being held in the French shrine of Lourdes on 24 and 25 March, and is being attended by French bishops and some 2,500 lay people, religious and priests from all over the country. For the occasion, Benedict XVI recorded a video message which was projected this morning before the first session began. Extracts of the message are given below.

 

"Vatican Council II was a genuine sign of God for our time. If we know how to interpret and accept it within the tradition of the Church, and under the secure guidance of the Magisterium, it will become an increasingly important driving force for the future of the Church. For this reason I hope this anniversary will be - for you and for the entire Church in France - an occasion of spiritual and pastoral renewal".

 

"This renewal, which is part of a continuous and ongoing process, takes many forms. For the Year of the Faith, to which I have called the entire Church, we must seek a more conscious faith and renew our adherence to the Gospel. To this end, we must become increasingly open to the person of Christ, and rediscover the pleasure of the Word of God in order to achieve a profound conversion of heart and walk the paths of the world, proclaiming the Gospel of hope to the men and women of our time, in respectful dialogue with everyone. May this time of grace also make it possible to consolidate communion within the great family of the Catholic Church, and contribute to restoring unity among all Christians, which was one of the main objectives of the Council".

 

"The renewal of the Church also includes the witness of Christians' own lives, that the Word of Truth the Lord left us may shine forth. If you approach witnesses of faith such as St. Bernadette the humble seer of Lourdes, Pauline Jaricot who gave new missionary drive to the Church, and many others who have made the soil of France fruitful, you will gain a deeper knowledge of Christ. ... St. Joan of Arc, the sixth centenary of whose birth falls this year, is one shining example. She brought the Gospel into the most dramatic events of the history of France and of her time. Rediscovering the joy of believing and the enthusiasm of communicating the power and beauty of the faith is a fundamental challenge of the new evangelisation to which the whole Church is called". (Ratzinger/Benedict's Video Message to the French Apostates)

 

This "continuous and ongoing process" of "renewal" has done nothing but to redefine and thus destroy the life of the Faith in countless souls, something that I tried to point out in Celebrating Half A Century Of Apostasy, which contains many links to pertinent articles and a summary of some of the key conciliar apostasies.

One of the places where this "continuous and ongoing process" of "renewal" manifests itself has been the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California, where there has been no change under "Archbishop" Jose Horacio Gomez, who has permitted the hideous "Religious Education Conference" sponsored by the archdiocese that takes place annually at the Anaheim Convention Center, which is actually within the territorial boundaries of the Diocese of Orange, which is presided over to this day by the mortal threat to souls named "Bishop" Tod Brown, whose exploits have been discussed on this site on numerous occasions (see Makes Sense As Clear As Crystal) to continue its assault on simple Masonic decency, no less of the Faith itself. Yes, as I noted nearly two years ago, appointments such as Jose Horacio Gomez's are simply Ratzinger/Benedict's relentless efforts to Put Lipstick on the Conciliar Pig. Here what Opus Dei's Jose Horacio Gomez continues to permit:

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, March 22, 2012, (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ Religious Education Congress bills itself as an “opportunity to hear God’s voice in their own lives.” However, some of the featured speakers at the March 22-25 event, said to be the largest of its kind in the world, have described Barack Obama as “pro-life,” longed for “public models of gay priests,” opposed marriage protection legislation, and encouraged children to engage in [unprintable sins].

Neither Tod M. Tamberg nor Carolina Guevara, media representatives for the Archdiocese, responded to an e-mail from LifeSiteNews.com concerning allegations speakers at the REC deviate from the Church’s teachings by supporting homosexual priests or masturbation.

When LifeSiteNews called to follow-up, Tamberg insisted he did not receive the e-mail, then hung up on us.

When asked about the e-mail, which was sent Thursday morning, Tamberg said rapidly: “Didn’t get any e-mails. Um, didn’t get any e-mails at all. Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. And I’m running down to the Congress right now. So, sorry. Thanks for your call, though. Bye-bye!”

His side of the call lasted 13 seconds. He immediately hung up. Neither Tamberg nor Guevara returned calls for follow-up.

However, LifeSiteNews.com has confirmed a number of the speakers at the archdiocesan event, which runs Thursday through Sunday, have a history of dissent or controversy. (L.A. Archdiocese Religious Education Congress speakers support gay priests, Obama, Mortal Sins.)

 

This is a little sidebar to the well-meaning people at Lifesite News, where the various rallies in behalf of "religious liberty" that took place around the United States of America on Friday, March 23, 2012, has been much heralded even though "religious liberty" has been denounced as a "monstrous right" by Pope Pius VI and as a heresy by Pope Pius VII and as insanity by Pope Gregory XVI and as giving rise to "injurious babbling" by Pope Pius IX (sorry, folks, you are clueless about the teaching of the Catholic Church, which is immutable), the hideous nature of the Los Angeles "Religious Education" Conference is not exactly news. See, for example, Which religion is promoted at Catholic congress?, for a thorough review of the consistently offensive nature of this "conference," which has nothing at all to do with Catholic religious education and everything to do with promoting the agenda of the devil himself.

As if this is not enough, the "happy" non-cardinal, Timothy Dolan, is suggesting that women could be made cardinals in the counterfeit church of conciliarism, ignoring the little fact that even the apostate 1983 conciliar code of canon law that permits non-Catholics to receive what purports to be Holy Communion under certain circumstances has maintained the 1917 Code of Canon Law's ban on lay cardinals for men and that there have never been female cardinals in the history of the Catholic Church. Why not another "novelty" so as to appeal to the "empowerment" of women? See a story that contains a link to a video where Timothy Dolan makes the suggestion, which comes at three minutes, fifty seconds into the video, if you can stand it, that is: Sancte Pater.

Here's a little question for "Cardinal" Dolan: Would Our Lady, the very Mother of God Who made possible our salvation by her perfect fiat to the will of God the Father at the Annunciation, whose feast we celebrate today because of Passion Sunday having fallen on March 25 this year, have desired to be in an exalted position as a "cardinal"? If humility and perfect obedience were good enough for the Mother of God, why should it be any different for any woman today?

Alas, these apostates of the counterfeit church of conciliarism just happen to say whatever happens to pop into their skulls have been almost totally emptied of anything related to the true Faith, thus bewildering so many and causing needless conflicts amongst the ranks of well-meaning "conservatives" in the conciliar structures who continue to "fight within the structures" of a false church without realizing that, much like that Japanese soldiers in The Philippines who did not get word about the end of World War II, Still Hunkered Down In Mindanao.

Yes, the revolutionaries continue to propose revolutionary ideas as all manner of well-meaning Catholics try to justify what they know in their heart of hearts can never come from the Catholic Church but simply do not want to admit that those crazy, constantly in-fighting sedevacantists might be correct after all.

We must must remember that coming to an acceptance of the true state of the Church Militant in this time of apostasy and betrayal does not make us one bit better than others as we must remember that it is only by the graces that Our Lady sends to us erring sinners that we can see the truth, embrace it, accept it and suffer with gladness, gratitude and joy for it. Some of us, this writer most especially included, has much for which to make reparation, and it is by the patient endurance of misunderstanding, ostracism and isolation from those with whom we may have been associated in the past that one can help to make reparation for one's own sins and mistaken judgments while at the same time offering up to the throne of the Most Blessed Trinity through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary whatever merit we might earn by accepting with serenity each and every opportunity to be humiliated and thus thought ill of by men for our efforts, no matter how feeble or poorly executed, to defend the truth as we know it to be. 

We are living through a chastisement, and chastisements are not going to be wished away on the basis of a Rodney King kind of "why can't we all just get along" plea. We can't "get along" with error, no matter from whence it arises, while praying fervently for those from whom the circumstances of the moment have estranged from us.

We may not live to see the results of the seeds that we attempt to plant as we make reparation for our sins to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. We just have to remain faithful to the Catholic Faith by refusing to have anything to do with any bishop or any priest who is in the least accepts the nonexistent "legitimacy" of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI as a  Successor of Saint Peter, cleaving exclusively to those true bishops and true priests in the Catholic catacombs who make no concessions whatsoever to conciliarism or its false shepherds.

Every Rosary we pray well will help to plant a few seeds for the restoration of the Church Militant on earth and the restoration of the Social Reign of Christ the King in the world. May we always trust that Our Lady will help us to remain faithful to her Divine Son, Our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as He has revealed Himself to us exclusively through His Catholic Church as use the shield of her Brown Scapular and the weapon of her Most Holy Rosary to ward off the attacks of the devil in our own personal lives and thus to more recognize to recognize and to reject him in the person of the conciliar pirates who have offended God so greatly and so wantonly as they have devastated so many millions upon millions of souls.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, triumph soon!

 

Isn't it time to pray a Rosary now on this transferred Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary?

Viva Cristo Rey! Vivat Christus Rex!

 

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

Saint John the Evangelist, 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.

See also: A Litany of Saints