While I think the sedevacantists got it wrong I do get their frustrations. Pope Francis has pushed my buttons too, and the easy ‘solution’ would be so say some version of ‘he is not the pope’. So I say he is the pope, not a good pope, but the one we have, the one we have to pray for. Pray hard.
The "easy solution" of sedevacantism appears to confirm to the liberals their worst fears about traditionalists, and in doing so makes them even more fervently rabid in their ways.
The harder solution is actually trusting in God, being faithful to traditions and to His vicars, and doing our part whatever that means to support them in truth. I don't like the phrase "recognize and resist" as I think it sends the wrong tone, but if it means something like the spirit of St. Catherine of Sienna who lovingly, very lovingly, admonished the popes of her time to do their duty, then I would say that's the position to take.
Thank you for this. I have family that follow these people and I just don’t understand how they can essentially choose despair! Since there are no licit sacraments what does it matter if we go to mass? Everyone is going to hell anyway according to them.
They get fear of God right and caution about our salvation, not being too assured of it. They are reacting to real problems, yet I believe they're overreacting out of a paranoid fear which takes the love out of the love of God, and turns it into a robotic, scrupulous fear.
When Protestants complain about Catholics being Pharisaical and missing the relationship with Christ, they are right, except that they're most properly referring to sedevacantists' approach to the Faith...
I’m a Catholic trying to remain faithful in a time of great darkness. I don’t attend the Novus Ordo because I believe it is not the true Mass—it’s a man-made fabrication that came out of Vatican II, a council filled with errors, compromises, and ultimately, apostasy. But I also don’t attend the independent or “Traditional” chapels (SSPX, CMRI, SSPV, etc.) because they lack lawful mission and jurisdiction. They were not sent by the Church. And no matter how traditional they may look, they have no authority.
The root of the problem is the papacy itself. After the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, men who openly taught heresy assumed the papal office. “John XXIII,” “Paul VI,” and their successors promoted doctrines and liturgical practices that had already been condemned by the Church.
According to Canon 188 (4), when a cleric becomes a heretic, he loses his office ipso facto, automatically, without any need for a declaration. While some argue that laypeople can’t interpret Canon Law, I would say that plain facts—open heresy, invalid rites, and contradiction of prior magisterium—are within the ability of any Catholic to recognize. We are not judging hearts. We are identifying manifest error and clinging to what the Church always taught.
Some may still say, “That can’t be. God would never allow His Church to be without a pope for this long.” But we must not put limits on God's providence. He never promised the visibility of the Church would be easy to recognize in times of crisis—only that it would remain. Our Lady warned at La Salette (1846):
“Rome will lose the Faith and become the seat of the Antichrist.”
Though private revelation does not require belief, the Church has permitted this message to be spread. And in light of what we see—a Rome that promotes error, false worship, and universalism—it’s not hard to believe that her words may now be fulfilled.
Scripture also prepares us for such a time:
“I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.” (Mark 14:27)
“Ravening wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock.” (Acts 20:29)
“When the Son of Man comes, do you think He will find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8)
These are not poetic warnings—they are real. And they were meant for times like ours. The Church has been infiltrated. The shepherds have failed. And the faithful are scattered. Our duty is not to pretend the crisis isn’t happening—but to remain faithful to what the Church has always taught, even when that means doing so at home.
This is why I pray and keep the Faith at home. I avoid the Novus Ordo and also avoid illicit chapels with no mission. I do not go looking for comfort or sacraments where there is no authority. We don’t stay home because we’re lazy or indifferent, like some say. I would do anything to attend a valid and licit Mass. It's so scary and so hard to find the truth these days. I'm not judging anyone, I just thought I'd put my beliefs out there.
I just subscribed since you were recommended by Chris Jackson from BigModernism.
The Fathers of the First Vatican Council concluded that no Pope had ever been a heretic - not Liberius, Honorius I, John XII, John XXII, nor any other name that is brought up in association with the accusation of “papal heresy.” Nor had any pope failed to maintain Apostolic Tradition in doctrine, worship, sacramental rites, discipline or anything essential to the Catholic faith & practice. Never happened and never will. This is the Tradition of the Church. "...this See of Saint Peter always remains unblemished by any error, according to the divine promise of our Lord & Savior to the prince of his disciples: ‘I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail....’” - Vatican I, Pastor Aeternus, 6.
Sedevacantism is supported theologically: novusordowatch.org; historically: whitesmoke1958.com; & from reliable prophecy, including the real, or else complete 3rd Secret of Fatima, suppressed by the enemy colonizers of the Vatican. See my pinned tweet replies @rosaryknight on that.
My views are more in the vein of internal ideological infiltration (as Taylor Marshall or Malachi Martin would argue). Something has entered the Church, but I don't believe it has substantively corrupted it. Gradations of corruption have befallen the hierarchy (including the Popes) but nothing has corrupted or changed (or can change) the Church itself (though I believe the corruptions began long before 1958 and I see the Lateran Treaty being a major negative tipping point as while as perhaps certain excesses at Vatican I that Dr. Kwasniewski has profiled.
I will look more into the arguments in the future, but I believe even while Chris is more catastrophically pessimistic than I am, he isn't a sedevacantist either.
The R&R position of Marshall, Kwazniewski & Co. is incompatible with Catholic teaching.
Malachi Martin was a double agent for Judeo-Freemasonry (& was Jewish himself). Gary Giuffre did the trailblazing research on the vitiated 1958 papal conclave & had personal dealings with Martin. Little known info from Giuffre's interviews on the double agent, womanizer & limited hangout specialist Martin:
Martin turned "white as a ghost" when he unexpectedly heard Gary Giuffre in 1989 tell him in person how he knew about the overthrow of a validly elected pope on Oct. 26, 1958, when there was the officially unexplained "mistake" of 5 minutes of white smoke and the Vatican Radio announcement, "There can be no doubt - a pope has been elected!" Soon after that he sent Giuffre a thinly veiled death threat. Siri was dead a couple days later. On the 1958 overthrow of a rightful pope 2 days before John XXIII appeared, see whitesmoke1958.com
While I think the sedevacantists got it wrong I do get their frustrations. Pope Francis has pushed my buttons too, and the easy ‘solution’ would be so say some version of ‘he is not the pope’. So I say he is the pope, not a good pope, but the one we have, the one we have to pray for. Pray hard.
Absolutely. I don't think Peter's chair is vacant; I just wish Judas wasn't sitting in it.
With all due respect, just look at St. Peter...
Then look at the 14th and 15th centuries...
Then think about the fact that the Holy Spirit brought us past both of them...
What St. Catherine of Sienna said to the Popes of her time offers a great example of how to both correct them and submit in charity at the same time.
The "easy solution" of sedevacantism appears to confirm to the liberals their worst fears about traditionalists, and in doing so makes them even more fervently rabid in their ways.
The harder solution is actually trusting in God, being faithful to traditions and to His vicars, and doing our part whatever that means to support them in truth. I don't like the phrase "recognize and resist" as I think it sends the wrong tone, but if it means something like the spirit of St. Catherine of Sienna who lovingly, very lovingly, admonished the popes of her time to do their duty, then I would say that's the position to take.
Thank you for this. I have family that follow these people and I just don’t understand how they can essentially choose despair! Since there are no licit sacraments what does it matter if we go to mass? Everyone is going to hell anyway according to them.
I'm debating or talking to a pretty avowed sedevacantist (informally) tonight, so please pray for the Holy Spirit's light and truth, and aid there!
They get fear of God right and caution about our salvation, not being too assured of it. They are reacting to real problems, yet I believe they're overreacting out of a paranoid fear which takes the love out of the love of God, and turns it into a robotic, scrupulous fear.
When Protestants complain about Catholics being Pharisaical and missing the relationship with Christ, they are right, except that they're most properly referring to sedevacantists' approach to the Faith...
I’m a Catholic trying to remain faithful in a time of great darkness. I don’t attend the Novus Ordo because I believe it is not the true Mass—it’s a man-made fabrication that came out of Vatican II, a council filled with errors, compromises, and ultimately, apostasy. But I also don’t attend the independent or “Traditional” chapels (SSPX, CMRI, SSPV, etc.) because they lack lawful mission and jurisdiction. They were not sent by the Church. And no matter how traditional they may look, they have no authority.
The root of the problem is the papacy itself. After the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, men who openly taught heresy assumed the papal office. “John XXIII,” “Paul VI,” and their successors promoted doctrines and liturgical practices that had already been condemned by the Church.
According to Canon 188 (4), when a cleric becomes a heretic, he loses his office ipso facto, automatically, without any need for a declaration. While some argue that laypeople can’t interpret Canon Law, I would say that plain facts—open heresy, invalid rites, and contradiction of prior magisterium—are within the ability of any Catholic to recognize. We are not judging hearts. We are identifying manifest error and clinging to what the Church always taught.
Some may still say, “That can’t be. God would never allow His Church to be without a pope for this long.” But we must not put limits on God's providence. He never promised the visibility of the Church would be easy to recognize in times of crisis—only that it would remain. Our Lady warned at La Salette (1846):
“Rome will lose the Faith and become the seat of the Antichrist.”
Though private revelation does not require belief, the Church has permitted this message to be spread. And in light of what we see—a Rome that promotes error, false worship, and universalism—it’s not hard to believe that her words may now be fulfilled.
Scripture also prepares us for such a time:
“I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.” (Mark 14:27)
“Ravening wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock.” (Acts 20:29)
“Many false prophets shall arise and shall seduce many.” (Matthew 24:11)
“When the Son of Man comes, do you think He will find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8)
These are not poetic warnings—they are real. And they were meant for times like ours. The Church has been infiltrated. The shepherds have failed. And the faithful are scattered. Our duty is not to pretend the crisis isn’t happening—but to remain faithful to what the Church has always taught, even when that means doing so at home.
This is why I pray and keep the Faith at home. I avoid the Novus Ordo and also avoid illicit chapels with no mission. I do not go looking for comfort or sacraments where there is no authority. We don’t stay home because we’re lazy or indifferent, like some say. I would do anything to attend a valid and licit Mass. It's so scary and so hard to find the truth these days. I'm not judging anyone, I just thought I'd put my beliefs out there.
I just subscribed since you were recommended by Chris Jackson from BigModernism.
The Fathers of the First Vatican Council concluded that no Pope had ever been a heretic - not Liberius, Honorius I, John XII, John XXII, nor any other name that is brought up in association with the accusation of “papal heresy.” Nor had any pope failed to maintain Apostolic Tradition in doctrine, worship, sacramental rites, discipline or anything essential to the Catholic faith & practice. Never happened and never will. This is the Tradition of the Church. "...this See of Saint Peter always remains unblemished by any error, according to the divine promise of our Lord & Savior to the prince of his disciples: ‘I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail....’” - Vatican I, Pastor Aeternus, 6.
novusordowatch.org/2022/04/felix-cappello-heretical-pope-impossible novusordowatch.org/2015/04/heretical-popes-first-vatican-council
Sedevacantism is supported theologically: novusordowatch.org; historically: whitesmoke1958.com; & from reliable prophecy, including the real, or else complete 3rd Secret of Fatima, suppressed by the enemy colonizers of the Vatican. See my pinned tweet replies @rosaryknight on that.
My views are more in the vein of internal ideological infiltration (as Taylor Marshall or Malachi Martin would argue). Something has entered the Church, but I don't believe it has substantively corrupted it. Gradations of corruption have befallen the hierarchy (including the Popes) but nothing has corrupted or changed (or can change) the Church itself (though I believe the corruptions began long before 1958 and I see the Lateran Treaty being a major negative tipping point as while as perhaps certain excesses at Vatican I that Dr. Kwasniewski has profiled.
I will look more into the arguments in the future, but I believe even while Chris is more catastrophically pessimistic than I am, he isn't a sedevacantist either.
The R&R position of Marshall, Kwazniewski & Co. is incompatible with Catholic teaching.
Malachi Martin was a double agent for Judeo-Freemasonry (& was Jewish himself). Gary Giuffre did the trailblazing research on the vitiated 1958 papal conclave & had personal dealings with Martin. Little known info from Giuffre's interviews on the double agent, womanizer & limited hangout specialist Martin:
rumble.com/v359b0a-you-really-think-you-know-malachi-martin.html
Martin turned "white as a ghost" when he unexpectedly heard Gary Giuffre in 1989 tell him in person how he knew about the overthrow of a validly elected pope on Oct. 26, 1958, when there was the officially unexplained "mistake" of 5 minutes of white smoke and the Vatican Radio announcement, "There can be no doubt - a pope has been elected!" Soon after that he sent Giuffre a thinly veiled death threat. Siri was dead a couple days later. On the 1958 overthrow of a rightful pope 2 days before John XXIII appeared, see whitesmoke1958.com
More on Martin: revisionisthistory.org/wire3.html