Michael Fighting
"Michael…who standeth for…thy people," — Dan. 12:1-12
Because of their rejection of the changes of Vatican II, Traditionalists claim that they are the Catholic Church rather than the Church founded by Vatican II. That the Vatican II People of God is not the Catholic Church is without question. It was founded by heretics. However, the Traditionalists are equally not Catholic as several articles on this site aptly demonstrate. Traditionalists agree on several propositions. These doctrines they hold in common, while holding wildly different view in regard to the current possessor of the Papacy.First of all Traditionalists hold that Epikeia provides their priests and bishops with ecclesiastical authority to function universally throughout the world in this crisis. Second Traditionalists hold that infallibility is a rare occurrence. The Popes have exercised infallibility three times in the past two millennia, the definition of the Immaculate Conception, the Definition of the Assumption and the Definition of Infallibility at the Vatican Council in 1870. Even those who hold that Vatican II is true, if interpreted in the light of tradition, do not consider it to be an ecumenical council with infallibility, but merely a pastoral council, whatever that is. There are various positions on the Papacy from those who are in total visible communion with Joseph Ratzinger to those who reject the Popes clear back to Pope Pius IX as heretical antipopes and usurpers. These groups can be reduced to three basic propositions.The first group propose that Joseph Ratzinger is their Pope Benedict XVI. They are divided into two groups. The Society of Saint Peter is in total communion with the People of God under Ratzinger, and receive their Holy Orders from the bishops of this church. The second group holds that because the People of God do not hold to Tradition, they may lawfully disobey the Pope, while claiming that he is pope. It should be noted that to accept Ratzinger as Pope it is necessary to accept the New Rite of Ordination as valid, because Ratzinger was consecrated bishop in this rite. According to the Papal Election Law of the People of God, a man must be validly consecrated bishop before he receives the papacy validly. The same is true of the office of Local Ordinary in their Church. Therefore, if the New Rite of Ordination is doubtful, then Ratzinger is not Pope.The second group hold that Angelo Roncalli was not Pope, although many are unclear about when and how he ceased to be Pope or if he validly became Pope in the first place. However, they act as if a Pope is unnecessary to the Church. They function with their bishops and priests, as if the Roman Pontiff was totally unnecessary. These are popularly called sede vacantists. The third group holds that Ratzinger and Wojtyla were only materially pope, because they physically occupied the papacy, while being totally unqualified. Because they appeared to be pope, they had some claim. Some of this propose that when Ratzinger converts, he will receive the papacy, which he has been elected to. However, this proposition ignores the Bull Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio, which infallibly declares that heretics lose all authority in the Church, which is the constant teaching of the Church. Further the electors in 1978 and 2005 were not members of the Church, having resigned long before because of their various heresies at or after Vatican II. Following the principles enunciated in Jurisdiction, During the Great Apostasy, some from the sede vacantists have rightfully rejected their clergy as unable to function in the Catholic Church, but have decided to remain home-alone saying their Rosary and waiting for the final trumpet. However, this position is heretical in that it implicitly denies that the Catholic Church is a perfect society, by denying that it can provide itself without a visible head without Divine Intervention. A perfect society, of its very nature possesses all it needs to function, including the ability to perpetuate its government. A few from the sede vacantists have held their own Papal Elections. The first was in 1994, which elected an illegitimately ordained priest, Victor Von Pentz as Antipope Linus II. This election was held by some from the Roux line of alleged Thuc Bishops, which has been demonstrated to be invalid. A sede vacantist priest, Lucian Pulvermacher, who left the Novus Ordo in 1975 to join the Society of Saint Pius X for a short time before starting his own mass circuit throughout the United States held a phone in Papal Election on October 28, 1998. That such election violates all of the principles of general Church Law is without question. Neither election even considered the claim that David Bawden was elected Pope on July 16, 1990. Another segment of the sede vacantists reject the ordination of priests and the consecration of bishops as illegitimate, while maintaining the function of duly ordained priests as legitimate. A duly ordained priest is any priest ordained prior to the introduction of the New Rite of Ordination in 1968. It does not mater that he has spent years or in some cases decades celebrating the heretical Novus Ordo. The only thing important is the date of his ordination. Because this latter group is quickly running out of duly ordained priests, it is now following the thesis that Joseph Siri was elected as Pope in 1963, both 1978 elections and then after some thought also in 1958. Pope Siri has either provided them with a secret successor or line of successors, or with secret Cardinals who have waited until after Wojtyla's death to announce their papacy or the election of a Pope. At least Siri will have consecrated a secret bishop to provide a new supply of Siri bishops and priests to repopulate the hierarchy. This latter theory rests on private prophecy, which is the least certain of proofs that we have. In practice the Sirianists follow the same basic doctrines as all other Traditionalists. And there are many other things. This serves as a summary. Please follow the links at the right for more information. Pope Saint Pius X said it best in Pascendi: 2. That We make no delay in this matter is rendered necessary especially by the fact that the partisans of error are to be sought not only among the Church's open enemies; they lie hid, a thing to be deeply deplored and feared, in her very bosom and heart, and are the more mischievous, the less conspicuously they appear. We allude, Venerable Brethren, to many who belong to the Catholic laity, nay, and this is far more lamentable, to the ranks of the priesthood itself, who, feigning a love for the Church, lacking the firm protection of philosophy and theology, nay more, thoroughly imbued with the poisonous doctrines taught by the enemies of the Church, and lost to all sense of modesty, vaunt themselves as reformers of the Church; and, forming more boldly into line of attack, assail all that is most sacred in the work of Christ, not sparing even the person of the Divine Redeemer, whom, with sacrilegious daring, they reduce to a simple, mere man. There are many things, which could be said. Note well that in these discussion many links lead to Traditionalist sites. This is not an endorsement of these sites. These are linked to verify the information presented!
