Bishop Tissier refutes Fr. Iscara's "St. Basil Thesis"

 

The following is an excerpt from a sermon preached by Bp. Tissier de Mallerais

in St. Nicolas du Chardonnet Church, Paris

3rd June, 2012

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"...Anyway, St. Basil of Caesarea in Pontus arose and protested against this error saying no, the Holy Ghost is truly God. ... And he fought against those who professed error. And in our situation when we're thinking of resolving the crisis after twenty or thirty years when the heretics are beginning to convert, St. Basil would say, the conciliarists are beginning to convert - but that's simply not true, anywhere, neither in Rome nor in the dioceses, none of them are converting. Anyway, St. Basil seeing that the pneumatomachians, as they were called, were beginning to convert and were returning to the Catholic faith decided not to shock them; he couldn't say the Holy Ghost is God because they wouldn't have liked to have said that. So, he used a softer way of saying it, viz. The Holy Ghost is to be adored with the Father and the Son. He receives the same glory as the Father and the Son. We have to adore the Holy Ghost like the Father and the Son and we give the same glory to the Holy Ghost as to the Father and the Son. A nicer way of saying it but which expresses the Catholic Faith. Unambiguous. If we have to adore the Holy Ghost it's because he's God; if we have to give the same glory to the Holy Ghost as to the Father and the Son it's because he is God. So, St. Basil didn't use ambiguous expressions with those who wanted to return to the Church. He demanded that they profess the entire Catholic Faith but using a nice way of saying it. He was prudent, very good, but in professing the true faith. He was not willing to sign ambiguous texts, dear faithful. That's what we must do today. Refuse ambiguous texts, not stop condemning error and correctly professing the Catholic Faith. And when the conciliarists come back, one day, in twenty five years, repenting of the council, when they see the continual catastrophes, the empty seminaries, the churches in ruins, apostasy everywhere, immorality everywhere, they will repent deeply, and when they do, when they begin to come back, full of repentance we can use formulae to help them. But not now; the crisis is in full swing, now we have to be firm and condemn the errors of the council, especially the denial of Christ the King, the refusal of Christ the King. That, dear faithful, is our plan of action. There's no point in deceiving ourselves, there's no way the crisis is almost over, the crisis is far from being over, the fight is going to last a long time and so we need to get organised, to last out and to continue to profess the whole Catholic Faith in full confidence in the power of Our Lord Jesus Christ."

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