Newsletter of the District of Asia  Jan - June 2003 St Pius X : “The Saint and the Guide for today’s men!” (Pope Pius XII, 1954) By Fr. Daniel Couture " By his person and by his work, God has willed to prepare the Church to the new andhard duties a troubled future was preparing. To timely prepare a Church united in itsdoctrine, firm in discipline, efficient in its pastors, generous laymen, an instructed people,a youth sanctified in its first years, a well-formed conscience in relation to the socialproblems. If nowadays the Church of God, far from backing up in the face of the forces destructive of every spiritual value, suffers, fights, and by the divine power progresses and continue to redeem, that is thanks to the foreseeing action and sanctity of Pius X. It appears manifest today that his whole Pontificate was supernaturally directed according to a loving and redeeming plan to prepare souls to face our own struggles and to ensure our victories and the victories of future generations." Pius XII, sermon for the Beatification of Pius X, June 3, 1951 "As apostle of the interior life, he is given, in this age of machines and technology, as the Saint and Guide of today’s men." Pius XII, sermon for the Canonization of Blessed Pius X, May 29, 1954 The following parallel between the writings of St. Pius X and some of the Conciliar Church’s texts - a parallel that would need more development - gives a striking illustration of the words of the great Pope Pius XII quoted above, "to prepare souls to face our own struggles..." We mean here the struggle to keep the Catholic Faith in this day and age when modernism, "the synthesis of all heresies", has made its way to all aspects of the Church’s life. It is certainly providential and admirable that the name and the whole program of St Pius X is being kept well alive throughout the whole universe, on the five continents, in all the world’s main languages, thanks to a small "band of Gideon" called after the saintly Pope. It is no accident. The welfare of His Immaculate Bride, the Church, is too important for Our Lord not to provide at all times the means to preserve its deposit of faith and its channels of grace, the sacraments. 1) Christ-centered or man-centered religion? St Pius X Encyclical ‘E Supremi Apostolatus’ Oct. 4, 1903 To restore all things in Christ. "We proclaim that We have no other program in the Supreme Pontificate but that "of restoring all things in Christ" (Ephes. 1, 10), so that "Christ may be all and in all" (Coloss. 3, 2)... The interests of God shall be Our interest, and for these We are resolved to spend all Our strength and Our very life. Hence, should anyone ask Us for a symbol as the expression of Our will, We will give this and no other: "To restore all things in Christ. (...) When all this is considered there is good reason to fear lest this great perversity may be as it were a foretaste, and perhaps the beginning of those evils which are reserved for the last days; and that there may be already in the world the "Son of Perdition" of whom the Apostle speaks (II Thess. 2, 3). Such, in truth, is the audacity and the wrath employed everywhere in persecuting religion, in combating the dogmas of the faith, in brazen effort to uproot and destroy all relations between man and the Divinity! While, on the other hand, and this according to the same apostle is the distinguishing mark of Antichrist, man has with infinite temerity put himself in the place of God, raising himself above all that is called God; in such wise that although he cannot utterly extinguish in himself all knowledge of God, he has condemned God’s majesty and, as it were, made of the universe a temple wherein he himself is to be adored. ‘He sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God" (II Thess. 2, 2). (...) But, Venerable Brethren, we shall never, however much we exert ourselves, succeed in calling men back to the majesty and empire of God, except by means of Jesus Christ. ‘No one,’ the Apostle admonishes us, ‘can lay other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.’ (I Cor., 3, II.) It is Christ alone ‘whom the Father sanctified and sent into this world’ (Is. 10, 36), ‘the splendor of the Father and the image of His substance’ (Hebr. 1, 3), true God and true man: without whom nobody can know God with the knowledge for salvation, ‘neither doth anyone know the Father but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal Him.’ (Matth. 11, 27.) Hence it follows that to restore all things in Christ and to lead men back to submission to God is one and the same aim. To this, then, it behoves Us to devote Our care - to lead back mankind under the dominion of Christ; this done, We shall have brought it back to God. When We say to God We do not mean to that inert being heedless of all things human which the dream of materialists has imagined, but to the true and living God, one in nature, triple in person, Creator of the world, most wise Ordainer of all things, Lawgiver most just, who punishes the wicked and has reward in store for virtue."   The Conciliar Church Vatican II Closing Discourse of Paul VI, Dec. 7 1965 "Yes, the Church of the Council has been concerned, not just with herself and with her relationship of union with God, but with man - man as he really is today: living man, man all wrapped up in himself, man who makes himself not only the center of his every interest but dares to claim that he is the principle and explanation of all reality. Every perceptible element in man, every one of the countless guises in which he appears, has, in a sense, been displayed in full view of the Council Fathers. (...) Secular humanism, revealing itself in its horrible anticlerical reality has, in a certain sense, defied the Council. The religion of the God who became man has met the religion (for such it is) of man who makes himself God. And what happened? Was there a clash, a battle, a condemnation? There could have been, but there was none. The old story of the Samaritan has been the model of the spirituality of the Council. A feeling of boundless sympathy has permeated the whole of it. The attention of our Council has been absorbed by the discovery of human needs (and these needs grow in proportion to the greatness which the son of the earth claims for himself). But we call upon those who term themselves modern humanists, and who have renounced the transcendent value of the highest realities, to give the Council credit at least for one quality and to recognize our own new type of humanism: we, too, in fact, we more than any others, honor man. (...)  But one must realize that this Council, which exposed itself to human judgment, insisted very much more upon this pleasant side of man, rather than on his unpleasant one. Its attitude was very much and deliberately optimistic. A wave of affection and admiration flowed from the Council over the modern world of humanity. Errors were condemned, indeed, because charity demanded this no less than did truth, but for the persons themselves there was only warming, respect and love. Instead of depressing diagnoses, encouraging remedies; instead of direful prognostics, messages of trust issued from the Council to the present-day world. The modern world’s values were not only respected but honored, its efforts approved, its aspirations purified and blessed. (...) Another point we must stress is this: all this rich teaching is channeled in one direction, the service of man, of every condition, in every weakness and need. The Church has, so to say, declared herself the servant of humanity, at the very time when her teaching role and her pastoral government have, by reason of the Council’s solemnity, assumed greater splendor and vigor: the idea of service has been central. It might be said that all this and everything else we might say about the human values of the Council have diverted the attention of the Church in Council to the trend of modern culture, centered on humanity. We would say not diverted but rather directed. (...) Hence no one should ever say that a religion like the Catholic religion is without use, seeing that when it has its greatest selfawareness and effectiveness, as it has in the Council, it declares itself entirely on the side of man and in his service. In this way the Catholic religion and human life reaffirm their alliance with one another, the fact that they converge on one single human reality: the Catholic religion is for man. In a certain sense it is the life of man. (...) Our humanism becomes Christianity, our Christianity becomes centered on God; in such sort that we may say, to put it differently: a knowledge of man is a prerequisite for a knowledge of God." John Paul II The 25th anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul II will be celebrated next Oct. 15-18, 2003. To prepare the commemoration "of this Pontificate at the service of man and to put its historical value in service" a colloquy has been held in the Vatican last May 8 –10, 2003. Another congress was held at the Lateran University at the same time on the theme: "The Church at the service of man". John Paul II has expressed his satisfaction to the organizers of this congress for having chosen this theme. "During all the periods of my university life and of my pastoral ministry, he stated, one of the essential points of reference has been for me the attention to the person, put at the center of all philosophical or theological research." (DICI, May 17, 2003) 2) The Sacred Liturgy : for God or for Man? St Pius X Motu Proprio ‘Tra Le Sollicitudine’ Nov. 22, 1903 On Sacred Music, and the respect in churches "Among the cares of the pastoral office, not only of this Supreme Chair, which We, though unworthy, occupy through the inscrutable dispositions of Providence, but of every local church, a leading one is without question that of maintaining and promoting the decorum of the House of God in which the august mysteries of religion are celebrated, and where the Christian people assemble to receive the grace of the Sacraments, to assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar, to adore the most august Sacrament of the Lord’s Body and to unite in the common prayer of the Church in the public and solemn liturgical offices. Nothing should have place, therefore, in the temple calculated to disturb or even merely to diminish the piety and devotion of the faithful, nothing that may give reasonable cause for disgust or scandal, nothing, above all, which directly offends the decorum and sanctity of the sacred functions and is thus unworthy of the House of Prayer and of the Majesty of God. Sacred Music Today Our attention is directed to one of the most common of them, one of the most difficult to eradicate, and the existence of which is sometimes to be deplored in places where everything else is deserving of the highest praise - the beauty and sumptuousness of the temple, the splendor and the accurate performance of the ceremonies, the attendance of the clergy, the gravity and piety of the officiating ministers. Such is the abuse affecting sacred chant and music. And indeed,whether it is owing to the very nature of this art, fluctuating and variable as it is in itself, or to the succeeding changes in tastes and habits with the course of time, or to the fatal influence exercised on sacred art by profane and theatrical art, or to the pleasure that music directly produces, and that is not always easily contained within the right limits, or finally to the many prejudices on the matter, so lightly introduced and so tenaciously maintained even among responsible and pious persons, the fact remains that there is a general tendency to deviate from the right rule, prescribed by the end for which art is admitted to the service of public worship and which is set forth very clearly in the ecclesiastical Canons, in the Ordinances of the General and Provincial Councils, in the prescriptions which have at various times emanated from the Sacred Roman Congregations, and from Our Predecessors the Sovereign Pontiffs." We do therefore publish, motu proprio and with certain knowledge, Our present Instruction to which, as to a juridical code of sacred music (quasi a codice giuridice della musica sacra), We will with the fullness of Our Apostolic Authority that the force of law be given, and We do by Our present handwriting impose its scrupulous observance on all. (...) Sacred music should consequently possess, in the highest degree, the qualities proper to the liturgy, and in particular sanctity and goodness of form, which will spontaneously produce the final quality of universality. It must be holy, and must, therefore, exclude all profanity not only in itself, but in the manner in which it is presented by those who execute it. It must be true art, for otherwise it will be impossible for it to exercise on the minds of those who listen to it that efficacy which the Church aims t obtaining in admitting into her liturgy the art of musical sounds. But it must, at the same time, be universal in the sense that while every nation is permitted to admit into its ecclesiastical compositions those special forms which may be said to constitute its native music, still these forms must be subordinated in such a manner to the general characteristics of sacred music that nobody of any nation may receive an impression other than good on hearing them."   The Conciliar Church Vatican II Constitution ‘Sacrosanctum Concilium’ Dec. 4, 1963 Latin & Vernacular "36. (1) The use of the Latin language, with due respect to particular law, is to be preserved in the Latin rites. (2) But since the use of the vernacular, whether in the Mass, the administration of the sacraments, or in other parts of the liturgy, may frequently be of great advantage to the people, a wider use may be made of it, especially in readings, directives and in some prayers and chants. Regulations governing this will be given separately in subsequent chapters. (3) These norms being observed, it is for the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Article 22:2, to decide whether, and to what extent, the vernacular language is to be used. Norms for adapting the Liturgy to the temperament and traditions of peoples 37. Even in the liturgy the Church does not wish to impose a rigid uniformity in matters which do not involve the faith or the good of the whole community. Rather does she respect and foster the qualities and talents of the various races and nations. Anything in these people’s way of life which is not indissolubly bound up with superstition and error she studies with sympathy, and, if possible, preserves intact. She sometimes even admits such things into the liturgy itself, provided they harmonize with its true and authentic spirit. 38. Provided that the substantial unity of the Roman rite is preserved, provision shall be made, when revising the liturgical books, for legitimate variations and adaptations to different groups, regions and peoples, especially in mission countries. This should be borne in mind when drawing up the rite and determining rubrics. 39. Within the limits set by the typical editions of the liturgical books it shall be for the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Article 22:2, to specify adaptations, as regards the administration of the sacraments, sacramentals, processions, liturgical language, sacred music and the arts, according, however, to the fundamental norms laid down in this Constitution. 40. In some places and circumstances, however, an even more radical adaptation of the liturgy is needed, and this entails greater difficulties. For this reason: (1) The competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Article 22:2, must in this matter, carefully and prudently consider which elements from the traditions and cultures of individual peoples might appropriately be admitted into divine worship. Adaptations which are considered useful or necessary should then be submitted to the Holy See, by whose consent they may be introduced. (2) To ensure that adaptations may be made with all the necessary, the Apostolic See will grant power to this same ecclesiastical authority to permit and direct, as the case requires, the necessary preliminary experiments over a determined period of time among certain groups suitable for the purpose. (3) Because liturgical laws usually involve special difficulties with respect to adaptation, especially in mission lands, men who are experts in the matters in question must be employed to formulate them." Comments: Liturgical inculturation has destroyed the four marks of Sacred Liturgy: Universality or Catholicity: the liturgy has become a local - sometimes not even national - ‘product’, un-exportable, unusable outside its immediate circumstances; Unity is gone with the vernacular and the promotion of liturgicalcreativity - which is not an abuse as can be read in the text above (n.38); Apostolicity, that is the link with apostolic and multi-secular rites and prayers - gone at the profit of the spur-of-the-moment rites, rites even borrowed occasionally from non-Christian religions...(see n.37) Sanctity: perhaps the most striking and significant absentee in this reform. 3) Holy Communion St Pius X Decree ‘Sacra Tridentina Synodus’ Dec. 20, 1905 On the dispositions for frequent communion “ 1.Frequent and daily communion being greatly desired by Our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Catholic Church, must be made accessible to all faithful of whatever class and condition they be, in such a way that, none if he be in the state of grace and approach the Holy Table with a right intention, may not be denied. 2. The right intention consists in approaching the Holy Table, not by habit or vanity, or for human reasons, but to satisfy the Will of God, to be more united to Him by charity, and thanks to this divine remedy, to combat his defects and infirmities. 3. Although it is highly desirable that they who receive frequent and daily communion be free from affection to venial sins, at least fully deliberated, it is enough that they be without mortal sin with the firm resolution not to sin in the future. With this firm purpose, it is not possible that those who do communicate daily do not also overcome venial sins and the affection to these sins.” Decree ‘Quam Singulari’ Aug. 8, 1910 On the age of First Holy Communion “This practice of preventing the faithful from receiving on the plea of safeguarding the august Sacrament has been the cause of many evils. It happened that children in their innocence were forced away from the embrace of Christ and deprived of the food of their interior life; and from this it also happened that in their youth, destitute of this strong help, surrounded by so many temptations, they lost their innocence and fell into vicious habits even before tasting of the Sacred Mysteries. And even if a thorough instruction and a careful Sacramental Confession should precede Holy Communion, which does not everywhere occur, still the loss of first innocence is always to be deplored and might have been avoided by reception of the Eucharist in more tender years. No less worthy of condemnation is that practice which prevails in many places prohibiting from Sacramental Confession children who have not yet made their First Holy Communion, or of not giving them absolution. Thus it happens that they, perhaps having fallen into serious sin, remain in that very dangerous state for a longtime. (...) The age of discretion for receiving Holy Communion is that at which the child knows the difference between the Eucharistic Bread and ordinary, material bread, and can therefore approach the altar with proper devotion. Perfect knowledge of the things of faith, therefore, is not required, for an elementary knowledge suffices-some knowledge (aliquacognitio); similarly full use of reason is not required, for a certain beginning of the use of reason, that is, some use of reason (aliqualis usus rationis) suffices. To postpone Communion, therefore, until later and to insist on a more mature age for its reception must be absolutely discouraged, and indeed such practice was condemned more than once by the Holy See."   The Conciliar Church Code of Canon Law (1983) Proper dispositions “Can. 916 Anyone who is conscious of grave sin may not celebrate Mass or receive the Body of the Lord without previously having been to sacramental confession, unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, which includes the resolve to go to confession as soon as possible.” Comment: The case of the priest in the state of sin who has to offer the Holy Mass is different - as the common good is involved - from that of the faithful. The practice of simply making an act of contrition rather than going to confession has been frequently recommended to the faithful, especially in the case of penitential ceremonies with general absolution. This leads to a very Protestant attitude of confessing directly to God. “An interior disposition of devotion is necessary for the reception of the Eucharist.” Archbishop Nicolas Chia of Singapore, ‘Catholic News’, June 22 & 29, 2003, p. 1. Comments: What remains of the other requirements: of being Catholic, in the state of grace, fasting, modestly dressed, etc..? Frequency “Can. 917 One who has received the blessed Eucharist may receive it again on the same day only within a eucharistic celebration in which that person participates, without prejudice to the provision of can. 921 §2." Children "Can. 913 §1 For holy communion to be administered to children, it is required that they have sufficient knowledge and be accurately prepared, so that according to their capacity they understand what the mystery of Christ means, and are able to receive the Body of the Lord with faith and devotion. Can. 989 All the faithful who have reached the age of discretion are bound faithfully to confess their grave sins at least once a year." Comments: In spite of this, the age of holy Communion is being delayed in many places (as in Ireland in the 1990s when it went from 7 to 8 years old; in Malaysia it is 8 or 9 years old). In many places, the first confession is after the First Holy Communion. Canon 989 does not mention the need of confession before the first communion: 4) The Priest, a man of God or a man of the world? St Pius X Exhortation 'Haerent Animo' Aug. 4, 1908 To encourage priestly sanctity "Therefore, beloved sons, we will begin this exhortation by stimulating you to that sanctity of life which the dignity of your office demands. Anyone who exercises the priestly ministry exercises it not for himself alone, but for others. For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in the things that pertain to God. (Heb. 5,1) Christ himself taught that lesson when he compared the priest to salt and to light, in order to show the nature of the priestly ministry. The priest then is the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Everyone knows that he fulfills this function chiefly by the teaching of Christian truth; and who can be unaware that this ministry of teaching is practically useless if the priest fails to confirm by the example of his life the truths which he teaches? Those who hear him might say, insultingly it is true, but not without justification: They profess that they know God but in their works they deny him (Tit. 1,16) they will refuse to accept his teaching and will derive no benefit from the light of the priest. Christ himself, the model of priests, taught first by the example of his deeds and then by his words: Jesus began to do and then to teach. (Acts 1,1) Likewise, a priest who neglects his own sanctification can never be the salt of the earth; what is corrupt and contaminated is utterly incapable of preserving from corruption; where sanctity is lacking, there corruption will inevitably find its way. Hence Christ, continuing this comparison, calls such priests salt that has lost its savor, which is good for nothing any more, but to be cast out and to be trodden on by men. (...) Priestly Associations Another suggestion which we warmly recommend is that priests, as befits brothers, should form a closer union among themselves, with the approval and under the direction of the bishop. It is strongly to be recommended that they should form an association in order to help one another in adversity, to defend the honor of their name and office against attack, and for other similar objects. But it is even more important that they should form an association with a view to the cultivation of sacred learning, particularly in order to apply themselves with greater solicitude to the object of their vocation and to promote the welfare of souls by concerting their ideas and their efforts. The annals of the Church show that at times when priests generally lived in a form of common life, this association produced many good results. Why might not one re-establish in our own day something of the kind, with due attention to differences of country and priestly duties? Might not one justifiably hope, and the Church would rejoice at it, that such an institution would yield the same good results as formerly? There are, indeed, associations of this kind which enjoy episcopal approval; and the advantages they confer are all the greater if one becomes a member early in life, in the very first years of the priesthood." Comments: The SSPX therefore corresponds exactly to this warm desire of the Saintly Pope!   The Conciliar Church Pope John Paul II has written many times on the issue of the priesthood, urging priests to live up to their noble calling. However, since the doors of the aggiomamento - updating of the Church to the world - have been opened with Vatican II, without strict and strong disciplinary action on the part of the Vatican, written documents have remain dead letters. "How many of the reforms of Vatican II reflect Luther's own conclusions? The abandonment of clerical and religious dress, widespread marriages of the religious sanctioned even by the Holy See, the suppression of distinctions between priest and lay man. This egalitarianism is further manifested in the sharing of liturgical functions formerly reserved to the Priesthood. The abolition of the minor orders and the sub-diaconate, and the creation of a married diaconate, have also contributed to the purely administrative conception of the priest, to the detriment of his essentially priestly character, Thus one is ordained primarily to serve the community and no longer for the purpose of offering Christ's Sacrifice which alone is the justification for the Catholic concept of the Priesthood. Worker-priests, priests in labor unions, or in positions remunerated by the State similarly contribute to the blurring of distinctions between Priesthood and laity. In fact, the innovations go much further than those of Luther." (Archbishop Lefebvre, 'Luther's Mass', 1975) "In our countries there are no more vocations because the priest has lost his sense of identity", Archbishop Bernardin of Cincinnati speaking for English-speaking countries of the world at the Synod of Bishops in Rome.   5) Social Kingship or Separation of Church and State? St Pius X Encyclical 'Vehementer' Feb. 11, 1906 Encyclical 'Une fois encore', Jan. 6, 1907 Encyclical 'lamdudum in Lusitania' May 24, 1911 Against the separation of Church and State "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. (...) 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.' 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.' (...) Hence, mindful of Our Apostolic charge and conscious of the imperious duty incumbent upon Us of defending and preserving against all assaults the full and absolute integrity of the sacred and inviolable rights of the Church, We do, by virtue of the supreme authority which God has confided to Us, and on the grounds above set forth, reprove and condemn the kw voted in France for the separation of Church and State, as deeply unjust to God whom it denies, and as laying down the principle that the Republic recognizes no cult. We reprove and condemn it as violating the natural law, the law of nations, and fidelity to treaties; as contrary to the Divine constitution of the Church, to her essential rights and to her liberty; as destroying justice and trampling underfoot the rights of property which the Church has acquired by many titles and, in addition, by virtue of the Concordat. We reprove and condemn it as gravely offensive to the dignity of this Apostolic See, to Our own person, to the Episcopacy, and to the clergy and all the Catholics of France. Therefore, We protest solemnly and with all Our strength against the introduction, the voting and the promulgation of this law, declaring that it can never be alleged against the imprescriptible rights of the Church." ('Vehementer', nn. 3,13) "Accordingly, under the admonition of the duty of Our Apostolic office that, in the face of such audacity on the part of the enemies of God, We should most vigilantly protect the dignity and honor of religion and preserve the sacred rights of the Catholic Church, We by our Apostolic authority denounce, condemn, and reject the Law for the Separation of Church and State in the Portuguese Republic. This law despises God and repudiates the Catholic faith; it annuls the treaties solemnly made between Portugal and the Apostolic See, and violates the law of nature and of her property; it oppresses the liberty of the Church, and assails her divine Constitution; it injures and insults the majesty of the Roman Pontificate, the order of Bishops, the Portuguese clergy and people, and so the Catholics of the world. And whilst We strenuously complain that such a law should have been made, sanctioned, and published, We utter a solemn protest against those who have had a part in it as authors or helpers, and, at the same time, We proclaim and denounce as null and void, and to be so regarded, all that the law has enacted against the inviolable rights of the Church." ('Jamdudum', n.9)   The Conciliar Church Declaration Dignitatis Humanae' On Religious liberty "2. This Vatican Council declares that the human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in association with others within due limits. The Council further declares that the right to religious freedom has its foundation in the very dignity of the human person as this dignity is known through the revealed word of God and by reason itself. This right of the human person to religious freedom is to be recognized in the constitutional law whereby society is governed and thus it is to become a civil right. (...) 6. (...) Government is to see to it that equality of citizens before the law, which is itself an element of the common good, is never violated, whether openly or covertly, for religious reasons. Nor is there to be discrimination among citizens. It follows that a wrong is done when government imposes upon its people, by force or fear or other means, the profession or repudiation of any religion, or when it hinders men from joining or leaving a religious community. All the more is it a violation of the will of God and of the sacred rights of the person and the family of nations when force is brought to bear in any way in order to destroy or repress religion, either in the whole of mankind or in a particular country or in a definite community." Paul VI Closing Speech of Vatican n, Dec. 7,1965 To the Rulers "And what does this Church ask of you after close to 2,000 years of experiences of all kinds in her relations with you, the powers of the earth? What does the Church ask of you today? She tells you in one of the major documents of this council. She asks of you only liberty, the liberty to believe and to preach her faith, the freedom to love her God and serve Him, the freedom to live and to bring to men her message of life. Do not fear her. She is made after the image of her Master, whose mysterious action does not interfere with your prerogatives but heals everything human of its fatal weakness, transfigures it and fills it with hope, truth and beauty." 6) The Structure of the Church St Pius X Encyclical 'Gravissimo Munere' Aug. 10,1906 On the French Association of worship Historical Note: The French government, having voted the law of separation of Church and State, triedalso to force St Pius X to accept committee-run dioceses and parishes. These committees - Associations of Worship - would have been composed of clergy and laymen. "It is for this reason that, with reference to the associations for public worship as the law establishes them, we decree that it is absolutely impossible for them to be formed without a violation of the sacred rights pertaining to the very life of the Church. But as this hope fails Us while the law remains what it is, We declare that it is not permissible to try this other kind of association as long as it is not established in a sure and legal manner that the Divine Constitution of the Church, the immutable rights of the Roman Pontiff and of the Bishops, as well as their authority over the necessary property of the Church and particularly over the sacred edifices, shall be irrevocably placed in the said associations in full security. To desire the contrary is impossible for us, without betraying the sanctity of Our office and bringing about the ruin of the Church of France."   The Conciliar Church Vatican II Constit. 'Lumen Gentium', Nov. 21, 1964 On Collegiality "37. (...) Let the spiritual shepherds recognize and promote the dignity as well as the responsibility of the laity in the Church. Let them willingly employ their prudent advice. Let them confidently assign duties to them in the service of the Church, allowing them freedom and room for action. Further, let them encourage lay people so that they may undertake tasks on their own initiative. Attentively in Christ, let them consider with fatherly love the projects, suggestions and desires proposed by the laity. However, let the shepherds respectfully acknowledge that just freedom which belongs to everyone in this earthly city. A great many wonderful things are to be hoped for from this familiar dialogue between the laity and their spiritual leaders: in the laity a strengthened sense of personal responsibility; a renewed enthusiasm; a more ready application of their talents to the projects of their spiritual leaders. The latter, on the other hand, aided by the experience of the laity, can more clearly and more incisively come to decisions regarding both spiritual and temporal matters. In this way, the whole Church, strengthened by each one of its members, may more effectively fulfill is mission for the life of the world." Code of Canon Law (1983) "Can. 536 §1 If, after consulting the council of priests, the diocesan Bishop considers it opportune, a pastoral council is to be established in each parish. In this council, which is presided over by the parish priest, Christ's faithful, together with those who by virtue of their office are engaged in pastoral care in the parish, give their help in fostering pastoral action. §2 The pastoral council has only a consultative vote, and it is regukted by the norms laid down by the diocesan Bishop. Can. 537 In each parish there is to be a finance committee to help the parish priest in the administration of the goods of the parish, without prejudice to can. 532. It is ruled by the universal kw and by the norms laid down by the diocesan Bishop, and it is comprised of members of the faithful selected according to these norms." Comments Diocesan and Parish Councils composed of priests and laity are paralyzing the power of Bishops and Parish priests, not just in financial matters but also in truly ecclesiastical ones. Two very recent, simple and typical examples: 1) In the Angelus of May 2003, p-14, we read the letter of the bishop of Phoenix, USA to a priest, Ft Polycarpio, rebuking him for having returned to the traditional Mass recently: "(This issue) has come up for discussion at meetings both of the Presbyteral Council and Diocesan Pastoral Council. The last time the issue was addressed, it was strongly recommended to me by both my priests and members of the laity that I not grant permission for this Mass to be celebrated. My decision was not an arbitrary one, but involved consultation with both clergy and laity." 2)  This May 2003, in an Asian country, a Traditional Funeral Mass was allowed in a parish church by permission of the parish priest. Afterwards, the parish priest was severely rebuked by his parish Council, mostly lay people, for having given this permission. 7) Conversion or Ecumenism? St Pius X Apostolic Letter 'Our Apostolic Mandate' Aug. 25, 1910 Against the French movement "Sillon" "The same applies to the notion of Fraternity which they found on the love of common interest or, beyond all philosophies and religions, on the mere notion of humanity, thus embracing with an equal love and tolerance all human beings and their miseries, whether these are intellectual, moral, or physical and temporal. But Catholic doctrine tells us that the primary duty of charity does not he in the toleration of false ideas, however sincere they may be, nor in the theoretical or practical indifference towards the errors and vices in which we see our brethren plunged, but in the zeal for their intellectual and moral improvement as well as for their material well-being. Catholic doctrine further tells us that love for our neighbor flows from our love for God, Who is Father to all, and goal of the whole human family; and in Jesus Christ whose members we are, to the point that in doing good to others we are doing good to Jesus Christ Himself. Any other kind of love is sheer illusion, sterile and fleeting. Indeed, we have the human experience of pagan and secular societies of ages past to show that concern for common interests or affinities of nature weigh very little against the passions and wild desires of the heart. No, Venerable Brethren, there is no genuine fraternity outside Christian charity. Through the love of God and His Son Jesus Christ Our Saviour, Christian charity embraces all men, comforts all, and leads all to the same faith and same heavenly happiness. (...) We fear that worse is to come: the end result of this developing promiscuousness, the beneficiary of this cosmopolitan social action, can only be a Democracy which will be neither Catholic, nor Protestant, nor Jewish. It will be a religion (for Sillonism, so the leaders have said, is a religion) more universal than the Catholic Church, uniting all men become brothers and comrades at last in the 'Kingdom of God'. - 'We do not work for the Church, we work for mankind.' And now, overwhelmed with the deepest sadness, We ask Ourselves, Venerable Brethren, what has become of the Catholicism of the Sillon? Alas! this organization which formerly afforded such promising expectations, this limpid and impetuous stream, has been harnessed in its course by the modern enemies of the Church, and is now no more than a miserable affluent of the great movement of apostasy being organized in every country for the establishment of a One-World Church which shall have neither dogmas, nor hierarchy, neither discipline for the mind, nor curb for the passions, and which, under the pretext of freedom and human dignity, would bring back to the world (if such a Church could overcome) the reign of legalized cunning and force, and the oppression of the weak, and of all those who toil and suffer."   he Conciliar Church John Paul II Message to Heads of State Feb. 24, 2002 False ecumenism, the meetings of Assist. Towards One World Church "The inspired reflections of these men and women, representatives of different religious confessions, their sincere desire to work for peace, and their common quest for the true progress of the whole human family, found a sublime and yet concrete form in the 'Decalogue' proclaimed at the end of this exceptional day. I have the honor of presenting to Your Excellency the text of this common agreement, convinced that these ten propositions can inspire the political and social action of your government. I observed that those who took part in the Assisi Meeting were more than ever motivated by a common conviction: humanity must choose between love and hatred. All of them, feeling that they belong to one and the same human family, were able to express their aspiration through these ten points, convinced that if hatred destroys, love, on the contrary, builds up. I hope that the spirit and commitment of Assisi will lead all people of goodwill to seek truth, justice, freedom and love, so that every human person may enjoy his inalienable rights and every people, peace. For her part, the Catholic Church, who trusts and hopes in 'the God of love and peace' (II Cor 13,11), will continue to work for loyal dialogue, reciprocal forgiveness and mutual harmony to clear the way for people in this third millennium." "Assisi Decalogue for Peace 1.  We commit ourselves to proclaiming our firm conviction that violence and terrorism are incompatible with the authentic Spirit of religion, and, as we condemn every recourse to violence and war in the name of God or religion, we commit ourselves to doing everything possible to eliminate the root causes of terrorism. 2.  We commit ourselves to educating people to mutual respect and esteem, in order to help bring about a peaceful and fraternal coexistence between people of different ethnic groups, cultures, and religions. 3. We commit ourselves to fostering the culture of dialogue, so that there will be an increase of understanding and mutual trust between individuals and among peoples, for these are the premises of authentic peace. (...)"(Zenit, March 4, 2002) 8) Teach all nations! St Pius X Encyclical Acerbo nimis April 20,1905 Publication of a universal catechism, 1912 On the necessity of teaching catechism as the great means of evangelization "We are forced to agree with those who hold that the chief cause of the present indifference and, as it were, infirmity of soul, and the serious evils that result from it, is to be found above all in ignorance of things divine. This is fully in accord with what God Himself declared through the Prophet Osee: 'And there is no knowledge of God in the land. Cursing and lying and killing and theft and adultery have overflowed: and blood hath touched blood. Thereafter shall the land mourn, and everyone that dwelleth in it shall languish.' It is a common complaint, unfortunately too well founded, that there are large numbers of Christians in our own time who are entirely ignorant of those truths necessary for salvation. And when we mention Christians, We refer not only to the masses or to those in the lower walks of life - for these find some excuse for their ignorance in the fact that the demands of their harsh employers hardly leave them time to take care of themselves or of their dear ones - but We refer to those especially who do not lack culture or talents and, indeed, are possessed of abundant knowledge regarding things of the world but live rashly and imprudently with regard to religion. It is hard to find words to describe how profound is the darkness in which they are engulfed and, what is most deplorable of all, how tranquilly they repose there. And so Our Predecessor, Benedict XIV, had just cause to write: 'We declare that a great number of those who are condemned to eternal punishment suffer that everlasting calamity because of ignorance of those mysteries of faith which must be known and believed in order to be numbered among the elect.' "   The Conciliar Church Since Vatican II, we have noticed a complete destruction of the teaching of catechism. "The new catechesis has become a search rather than a teaching, and seeks to produce existential answers rather than intellectual convictions. "(Iota Unum, P-259) Multiplicity of catechisms have been encouraged, with a contempt of memorization. The modern catechisms have changed so much that after 10-12 years in Catholic schools, most Catholic students barely know their faith. Many catechisms - approved by the national Bishops' Conferences - actually deny some articles of faith or points of morality. The infamous Dutch Catechism denied the existence of angels, of a sacramental priesthood, of the real presence; the Canadian Catechism promoted Marxism; the French "Pierres Vivantes" denied the Ascension, etc. 9) Fight against or promotion of Modernism St Pius X Syllabus 'Lamentabili', July 3,1907 Encyclical 'Pascendi Dominici' Sept. 8,1907 Condemnation of the errors of Modernism, and indicating thomistic philosophy as the first means to eradicate modernism Decree 'Sacrorum Anstitistum' Sept. 1,1910 Practical rules to fight Modernism in seminaries, Anti-modemist-oath "Although (the modernists) express their astonishment that We should number them amongst the enemies of the Church, no one will be reasonably surprised that We should do so, if, leaving out of account the internal disposition of the soul, of which God alone is the Judge, he considers their tenets, their manner of speech, and their action. Nor indeed would he be wrong in regarding them as the most pernicious of all the adversaries of the Church. For, as We have said, they put into operation their designs for her undoing, not from without but from within. Hence, the danger is present almost in the very veins and heart of the Church, whose injury is the more certain from the very fact that their knowledge of her is more intimate. Moreover, they lay the axe not to the branches and shoots, but to the very root, that is, to the faith and its deepest fibers. And once having struck at this root of immortality, they proceed to diffuse poison through the whole tree, so that there is no part of Catholic truth which they leave untouched, none that they do not strive to corrupt. Further, none is more skillful, none more astute than they, in the employment of a thousand noxious devices; for they play the double part of rationalist and Catholic, and this so craftily that they easily lead the unwary into error; and as audacity is their chief characteristic, there is no conclusion of any kind from which they shrink or which they do not thrust forward with pertinacity and assurance. To this must be added the fact, which indeed is well calculated to deceive souls, that they lead a life of the greatest activity, of assiduous and ardent application to every branch of learning, and that they possess, as a rule, a reputation for irreproachable morality. Finally, there is the fact which is all but fatal to the hope of cure that their very doctrines have given such a bent to their minds, that they disdain all authority and brook no restraint; and relying upon a false conscience, they attempt to ascribe to a love of truth that which is in reality the result of pride and obstinacy. (...) Remedies to Modernism In the first place, with regard to studies, We will and strictly ordain that scholastic philosophy be made the basis of the sacred sciences. (...) And let it be clearly understood above all things that when We prescribe scholastic philosophy We understand chiefly that which the Angelic Doctor has bequeathed to us, and We, therefore, declare that all the ordinances of Our predecessor on this subject continue fully in force, and, as far as may be necessary, We do decree anew, and confirm, and order that they shall be strictly observed by all. In seminaries where they have been neglected it will be for the Bishops to exact and require their observance in the future; and let this apply also to the superiors of religious orders. Further, We admonish professors to bear well in mind that they cannot set aside St. Thomas, grave disadvantage." ('Pascendi' nn. 3,45) Motu Proprio 'Doctoris Angelici' June 29, 1914 "So far as studies are concerned, it is Our will and We hereby explicitly ordain that the Scholastic philosophy be considered as the basis of sacred studies. . . . And what is of capital importance in prescribing that Stochastic philosophy is to be followed, We have in mind particularly the philosophy which has been transmitted to us by St. Thomas Aquinas. It is Our desire that all the enactments of Our Predecessor in respect thereto be maintained in full force; and, where need be, We renew and confirm them and order them to be strictly observed by all concerned. Let Bishops urge and compel their observance in future in any Seminary in which they may have been neglected. The same injunction applies also to Superiors of Religious Orders. St. Thomas perfected and augmented still further by the almost angelic quality of his intellect all this superb patrimony of wisdom which he inherited from his predecessors and applied it to prepare, illustrate and protect sacred doctrine in the minds of men. Sound reason suggests that it would be foolish to neglect it and religion will not suffer it to be in any way attenuated. And rightly, because, if Catholic doctrine is once deprived of this strong bulwark, it is useless to seek the slightest assistance for its defence in a philosophy whose principles are either common to the errors of materialism, monism, pantheism, socialism and modernism, or certainly not opposed to such systems.   The Conciliar Church Vatican II Decree 'Optatam Totius', Oct. 28, 1965 "15. The philosophical disciplines are to be taught in such a way that the students are first of all led to acquire a solid and coherent knowledge of man, the world and of God, relying on a philosophical patrimony which is perennially valid and taking into accounts the philosophical investigations of later ages. This is especially true of those investigations which exercise a greater influence in their own nations. Account should also be taken of the more recent progress of the sciences. The net result should be that the students, correctly understanding the characteristics of the contemporary mind will be duly prepared for diaologue with men of their time. The history of philosophy should be so taught that the students, while reaching the ultimate principles of the various systems, will hold on to what is proven to be true therein and will be able to detect the roots of errors and to refute them. In the very manner of teaching there should be stirred up in the students a love of rigorously searching for the truth and of maintaining and demonstrating it, together with an honest recognition of the limits of human knowledge. Attention must be carefully drawn to the necessary connection between philosophy and the true problems of life, as well as the questions which preoccupy the minds of the students. Likewise students should be helped to perceive the links between the subject matter of philosophy and the mysteries of salvation which are considered in theology under the higher light of faith." Comments: The specific mention of Thomism is omitted in the above. 15 on the formation of priests, a mention that was ordered by Leo XIII in 'Aeterni Patris' and by Canon Law (1917), c. 1366. With Vatican II, and the New Theology re-habilitated by Vatican II, we have witnessed the flooding of all these condemned errors, the rejection of thomistic philosophy, in most seminaries. "Scholasticism doesn't adapt itself to non Western people... The Council should not take position on philosophical systems" Cardinal Leger, Intervention during Vatican II (Iota Unum (French) p.439.) This was the exact attitude of many bishops during the Asian Synod, in 1998. The anti-modernist oath was suppressed in 1967. Why? In the fight against modernism by maintaining the Tridentine Mass, those who have accepted the Indult and put themselves under Ecclesia Dei Commission, have never the less been obliged to remain silent on the very existence of the modernist crisis and of its causes (compare with the letter of St Pius X, Oct. 20, 1912, below) as can be seen by the first condition of the 1984 Indult. Indult for the Traditional Mass Oct. 3, 1984 "(T)he Supreme Pontiff... grants ... an indult whereby priests and faithful, who shall be expressly indicated in the letter of request to be presented to their own bishop, may be able to celebrate Mass by using the Roman Missal according to the 1962 edition, but under the following conditions: 1. That it be made publicly clear beyond all ambiguity that such priests and their respective faithful in no way share the positions of those who call in question the legitimacy and doctrinal exactitude of the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970." Comments: On the occasion of Assist II, the Apostolic Administration of St John Vianney of Campos, which had been very vocal in condemning Assist I, in 1986, kept mysteriously silent. "You see, there is a time to speak and a time to be silent.." (Bishop Rifan, in Versailles, Sept. 2002, BTAG 148, 20 April, 2003). They had been approved by Rome one week earlier... Letter "I answer with my own hand" Oct. 20, 1912 On the attitude towards newspapers 'of penetration', i.e. which appear Catholic but ignore the modernist crisis raging. :0)  Was working in this area. Not quite sure where I was up to… "How can We approve certain newspapers, hiding under the banner "Catholic", because they sometimes relate papal audiences and reproduce Vatican notes, while not only do they never say a word on the liberty and independence of the Church, but also pretend not to see the war done to the Church? (These newspapers), without converting any of our adversaries (who despise them for their sole Catholic appearance), cause the greatest harm to good people: these latter seeking light find only darkness; needing food, they suck poison; instead of finding truth and strength to maintain themselves firm in the faith, they find arguments to become, in such a grave matter, careless, apathetic, indifferent. Oh, how much harm do these newspapers do to the Church and to souls! And what great responsibility, especially for the clerics who spread them, encourage them, recommend them!" ('Documents Pontiflcaux de St Pie X', Editions du Courrier de Rome, vol. 2, p. 480-481)   back to Contents