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Traditionalist Catholicism

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"Traditional Catholic" or "traditionalist Catholic" are terms used to describe Roman Catholics who seek to preserve (and restore, where wanting) the Mass and other Sacramental rites in use before the post-Vatican II liturgical revisions, and to preserve the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church in the same manner that they believe those teachings had always been understood throughout the Church's history.


Traditional Catholics fall into two main groups:

  1. Catholics who accept Benedict XVI and his recent predecessors as Popes and do not withdraw submission to them. Into this group fall:
    1. Catholics who worship by indult (with the permission of their local Bishop) within the ordinary diocesan structures (i.e., at regular Catholic parishes). The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, or "F.S.S.P.", is the largest priestly fraternity offering traditional Masses by indult.
    2. Catholics who worship in chapels and oratories outside of ordinary diocesan structures (the Society of St. Pius X, or "S.S.P.X.", is the largest priestly fraternity offering Masses outside of the normal structures). Those who worship outside of ordinary diocesan structures tend to believe they must do so in order to ensure that they are able to offer or receive all of the Sacraments in the traditional way, and are able to give or hear sermons on controversial matters (e.g., homosexuality, contraception, sin, Purgatory, Hell, political issues, the recent sex scandals, etc.) without fear of political reprisal from disapproving Bishops. They see their situation as comparable to that of traditional Catholics during the Arian heresy when the majority of Bishops were heretics or condoned heresy, and Catholics like Saint Athanasius (who was excommunicated by Pope Liberius and exiled from his see) were vilified yet ultimately canonized.
  2. Sedevacantist Catholics who accept all of the dogmas of the Catholic Church, including teachings about the papacy, but who believe that Benedict XVI is not a true Pope. Sedevacantists have different opinions as to when they believe the "Chair of Peter" became empty. Most claim that Pope Pius XII, John XXIII, or Paul VI was the last true Pope. A very small sub-set of Catholics commonly referred to as "sedevacantist" have elected their own popes and are more correctly referred to as "conclavist."


Most traditional Catholics fall into the first group, accept the acclaimed Pope, and see the Second Vatican Council as a valid Council, but one which was pastoral and which produced no infallibly-given, solemn definitions that Catholics must accept as a part of the Faith. Support of this claim is found in Pope John XXIII's Opening Address to the Council, Pope Paul VI's closing address , the lack of formal definitions and anathemas in the Council's sixteen documents, and the ambiguity of the documents themselves.

Contrary to popular belief, traditional Catholics do believe that liturgies and practices can change, but they believe that they should only do so: "organically"; with great prudence; in a manner consistent with Scripture, Tradition, and Natural Law; and never if it harms souls or leads to sin or unbelief. They believe, though, that while the Church's understanding of eternal truths might develop, those truths themselves can neither change in substance nor contradict themselves, and that what they believe was taught by Christ, his apostles, and their successors 2,000 years ago, 1,000 years ago, and 50 years ago is still true today.

They (unofficially) see as their "motto":

We are what you once were.
We believe what you once believed.
We worship as you once worshipped.
If you were right then, we are right now.
If we are wrong now, you were wrong then.


Traditional Catholic claims

Traditional Catholics believe that errors have crept into the presentation of Catholic teaching, either directly because of Vatican II documents, and/or from liberal interpretations of Vatican II documents, and/or from post-conciliar pastoral decisions that they believe have harmed the Church. They see as foremost among these perceived errors:

  • A new understanding of collegiality which they claim has weakened the papacy and made bishops' conferences a veritable "second Vicar of Christ" for the Church. They see this as contradicting, among others, Pope Leo XIII's Satis Cognitum and the documents of Vatican I.
  • An ecclesiology that they claim doesn't equate the Catholic Church with the Church established by Jesus Christ, but states that the Church established by Jesus Christ merely "subsists in" the Catholic Church. They claim this contradicts Pope Pius XII's Mystici Corporis Christi among other papal documents, and leads to false ideas of "ecumenism".
  • A focus on "the dignity of man", which they claim ignores original sin and the need of supernatural grace, and which they also claim has led to a sort of Utopianism that sees peace as possible without recognizing the Kingship of Christ. They see this supposed attitude, and teachings rooted in it, as contradicting Pope Pius XI's Quas Primas, Pope Leo XIII's Testem Benevolentiae Nostrae, Pope Pius X's Notre charge apostolique, and other papal and conciliar documents.
  • A "false" ecumenism that has as its goal a unity that they see as not requiring conversion to the Catholic faith. They see this as contradicting Sacred Scripture, Pope Pius XI's Mortalium Animos, Pope Pius XII's Humani Generis and other documents.
  • An interpretation of ecclesiastical tradition that sees it as extremely changeable and has led to what they see as dangerous modifications in Catholic practices, the liturgy, and the Church's pastoral orientation. They see this as contradicting, among other papal and conciliar documents, the Fourth Anathema of the Second Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, the teaching of the First Vatican Council (especially the document Pastor Aeternus).
  • A pastoral orientation that they claim was unheard of in the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council. Some of them see this as contradicting the papal oath alleged to have been written by Pope St. Agatho in ca. 681 and to have been taken by all Popes from Pope St. Agatho himself to Pope Paul VI inclusive, Pope Pius X's Motu Proprio Sacrorum antistitum (an oath taken by all priests prior to the Council), Pope Gregory XVI's Mirari Vos, the Fourth Anathema of the Second Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, and other papal and conciliar documents.
  • "Paschal theology", which they see as de-emphasizing the Sacrifice of the Mass and which they claim leads the faithful to believe that it is Christ's Resurrection alone, and not the Blood shed by His Sacrifice on the Cross, that saves. Traditional Catholics see the revision of the Mass liturgy under Pope Paul VI as a fruit of this "paschal theology," a theology they see as contradicting Scripture and Encyclicals such as Pope Pius XII's Mediator Dei. They also see this paschal theology as de-emphasizing the meaning of suffering, ignoring Christ's admonition to Christians to "take up their crosses" (Matthew 10:38), and forgetting St. Paul's admonitions to mortify the flesh (Galatians 5:18-25, Colossians 1:23-24).
  • A focus on the natural world coupled with a de-emphasizing of the supernatural and preternatural worlds. This they say leads to Deism, Pragmatism, and moral relativism.
  • An ignoring of the traditional belief that the Church and the world are at variance with one another to some degree, and that the Church has enemies. They believe that Pope Pius X's warnings in Pascendi Dominici Gregis, Leo XIII's Humanum Genus, and other papal warnings against secret societies and enemies of Christendom have gone unheeded and that the enemy warned against has entered into the Church itself.
  • a new Order of the Mass that they see as rooted in the aforementioned Paschal Theology and that, therefore, de-emphasizes traditional Catholic teaching on the Mass as a Sacrifice (the offering up of Jesus to his Father in a re-presentation of Calvary and for the remission of sins). They believe that the Novus Ordo Missae has been stripped of important Catholic prayers; is open to abuse because of the various options allowed; de-emphasizes the ordained priesthood; is divisive because of the eradiction of Latin which brought people of various nations together; is man-centered rather than God-centered; and is less beautiful, poetic, and able to act as a sign of Mystery, etc. (some of these problems are summarized in the "Ottaviani Intervention"). Different traditional Catholics have different view as to the validity of the Novus Ordo Missae ("the New Mass"):
    • Some see it as valid and as a viable option if necessary, though the traditional Mass should be attended when at all possible. This is believed by most priests who operate inside the ordinary diocesan structure.
    • Some see it as valid if offered using valid matter, form, and intent, but that it should be avoided, nonetheless, because the changes are sacrilegious and harmful to the Catholic Faith, and because the actual use of valid matter and intent is often questionable in many parishes. The priests of the Society of St. Pius X (the S.S.P.X.) -- the largest priestly fraternity working outside of ordinary diocesan structures -- teaches this.
    • Some see it as not valid at all. Most sedevacantists fall into this category.

Traditional Catholics as Contrasted with Conservative Catholics

Traditional Catholics, as opposed to mainstream conservative Catholics who might simply prefer the traditional Mass for aesthetic reasons and who might consider themselves "traditional," agree that Catholicism is about much more than just the traditional Mass; in addition to preserving the liturgy, they see as crucial preserving all of the traditional Sacramental rites, and the teachings of the Church in a way they see as consistent with what has always been taught and what has been solemnly defined by Pope or Council. Traditional Catholics also strive to preserve private devotions and customs which have served to pass the Faith on from one generation to the next.

The distiction between mainstream conservative Catholics and traditional Catholics can be summarized by saying that the former accept what the latter believe would have been considered "Modernist" or "liberal" at the time of the Second Vatican Council, while traditional Catholics strive to remain consistent with what they believe was considered "conservative" or "traditional" at the time of the Second Vatican Council ("Vatican II").

Traditional Catholic analysis is not widely shared by more mainstream Catholics, some of whom believe that traditional Catholics are merely "nostalgic," afraid of change, "integrist," disobedient, and similar to Protestants in their perceived dissent. Some balk at calling those Catholics who worship outside ordinary diocesan structures "traditional Catholic" and see them, instead, as "schismatic" at best. Traditional Catholics respond that mainstream Catholics often lack subtlety in their understanding of what traditional Catholics believe and do and that they often respond to traditionalists' criticisms out of emotionalism, in reaction to misinformation, and out of a false understanding of Christian obedience and the Magisterium (the teaching authority of the Church). They encourage study and prayer to discern the issues involved.

With regard to Vatican hierarchs, different groups of traditional Catholics have different relations with various members of the Holy See:

  • Those traditional Catholics who worship by indult at Masses offered through ordinary diocesan structures have little problem with most Vatican hierarchs, though they may have difficulties getting permission from local Bishops to operate, may find themselves under pressure to not "rock the boat" in any way by speaking of controversial matters, and may be able to offer the traditional Mass, but not the other traditional Sacramental rites depending on their Bishops' attitudes toward traditional Catholicism.
  • Traditional Catholics who operate outside of ordinary diocesan structures have a strained relationship with most Vatican hierarchs. The Sacraments they offer are seen to be valid but illicit. Relations between Vatican hierarchs and some priestly societies (such as the S.S.P.X.) who operate outside of normal diocesan structures are considered by those hierarchs to be "an internal matter" of the Church. A communique from the Ecclesia Dei Commission's Monsignor Perl (Protocol No. 539/99, September 28, 1999) advises that Catholics who attend Mass at S.S.P.X. chapels incur no penalty if they do so “because of the reverence and devotion which they find there, because of their attraction to the traditional Latin Mass and not because they refuse submission to the Roman Pontiff.”
  • Sedevacantist Catholics have no relationship with Vatican hierarchs and don't desire it for obvious reasons.

Demographics

Traditional Catholics make up a minority of Roman Catholics and, though their their number is hard to pin down, it is clear that their ranks are growing, their seminaries are full, and the demand for such traditional Catholicism is high. In common with other strongly religious groups, such as Orthodox Jews and Muslims, they tend to have large families and a high birthrate.

Demand for the the traditional Latin Mass is very high, and many families are hard-put to find one to attend, some driving very long distances each Sunday in order to worship in the traditional way. Conversions from other religions (mainly Protestants) are not uncommon, but the reverse seems to be quite rare. The sex scandals rocking the Catholic Church have not appeared to have affected this growth to any appreciable degree. Traditional Catholics appear to be most common in the United States, with significant numbers in western Europe (especially France and England), Canada, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.

External links

General Information

Liturgical Matters

References

Traditional Priestly Fraternities, Groups, Chapels, and Parishes

Books supportive of the traditional Catholic movement

  • Christopher A. Ferrara and Dr. Thomas E. Woods, Jr., "The Great Facade: Vatican II and the Regime of Novelty in the Roman Catholic Church" ISBN 1890740101
  • Michael Treharne Davies, "Cranmer’s Godly Order" ISBN 1912141247, "Pope John's Council," "Pope Paul’s New Mass" ("Liturgical Revolution" trilogy).
  • Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, "Open Letter to Confused Catholics"
  • Father Paul Kramer M.Div., STL, "A Theological Vindication of Roman Catholic Traditionalism"
  • Romano Amerio, John P., Fr. Parsons, "Iota Unum" ISBN 0963903217
  • Fr. Adrian Fortescue, "The Mass: A Study of the Roman Liturgy" ISBN 1930278268
  • Atila Sinke Guimarães, Michael J. Matt, John Vennari, Marian T. Horvat, "We Resist You To The Face" ISBN 096721663X
  • Monsignor Klaus Gamber, "Reform of the Roman Liturgy: Its Problems and Background" ISBN 0912141050
  • Griff Ruby, "The Resurrection of the Roman Catholic Church - A Guide to the Traditional Catholic Movement" ISBN 0595250181 and ISBN 0595771491
  • Benns T Stanfill and Bawden Davin, "Will the Catholic Church Survive the Twentieth Century?" http://www.WillCatholicChurchSurviv.Homestead.com/Book.html
  • Patrick Henry Omlor, Questioning the Validity of the Masses Using the New, All-English Canon


See also

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