The Recusant

(Source: http://www.ecclesiamilitans.com/2015/03/07/eternal-rome-vs-eternal-life/)

“Rome will lose the faith and become the seat of the Antichrist.”

(Our Lady at La Salette, 1846)

It seems to be a popular destination, this Rome – even the Devil is jostling for a seat or two for his progeny.

Father Michel Simoulin, in his article, ‘Romanitas: essential for Catholicism’ (http://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/romanitas-essential-catholicism-7057), issued through the SSPX E-pistola, lavishes the readers with more neo-SSPX inspired sappy laments for eternal Rome. He recounts a recent pilgrimage of the Dominican sisters, with their charges, to Rome, wherein he relates, “...their minds still embalmed with the ‘perfume of Rome’. What happiness!” Embalmed? Are they still alive? A stench so overpowering it proves fatal? Might it have been a whiff from the seventh circle of Hell, home to the ... stunted and gnarled trees with twisting branches and poisoned fruit?

What happiness, he exclaimed? He should have said: What a mess!

It is a messy maze, indeed. Father Simoulin later notes: “Obviously, but I do not want to dwell on this, we would have liked to sing the Mass, at least once, in one of the Roman basilicas.” So, the “hosts of the Vatican” threw open the doors for the pilgrims, but forbade entrance of the Traditional Latin Mass kits, which had to be left at the door, so to speak. In other words, Christ was not welcomed in eternal Rome – His Rome. The Rome that is the pope’s “...but . . . belongs first to Jesus Christ.” He was denied access to His own Roman basilicas? Shame! Our Lord shall repay them for their coldness in due course.

It would appear, from Father Simoulin’s article, that neither the pilgrims nor their superiors offered even a slight protest to this insult to our Lord; obviously, proving themselves to be somewhat less than great friends of our Lord! Not to mention, a terrible example for the students in tow. In which circle might Dante have placed such a brand of culprits? A lyrical translation of such culpable cold-heartedness must be penned. Let us call it The Chant of the Ingrates:

Leave Him at the door,

we wish to explore.

The treasures of Rome,

we will adore,

Not Him, Whom

we left at the door!

Such an exclusion is acceptable by the standards of the neo-SSPX? That perfume, spoken of earlier, might have been the same infamous smoke of Satan, said to have lingered in Rome, which now seems to have embalmed the minds of far too many within the neo-SSPX hierarchy. One fundraising idea, to help pay for all those public relations initiatives, might be to set-up a business for the production of doormats, to be sold throughout eternal Rome, especially Vatican City and now Menzingen, which might read: Christians welcome, but not their Founder; or, perhaps, a more general option: All welcome, except the Creator. It is the Age of Transparency, so they say.

On the topic of business, a simple rule to facilitate commercial success has been distilled into three words: Location, Location, Location. That is, the location of a storefront business often determines its degree of success. This catchphrase was coined to serve as a simple reminder for those embarking on a new business venture.

What of our Faith? Is its success dependent on a geographical location? If the Vicar of Christ, the Pope, becomes dislodged from Rome, Vatican City, would this spell the end of our Faith? Or, lessen it to any extent? Keep in mind the fact that even if Rome, as a geographical entity, ceased to exist, then we would still be subjected to a personal judgement, upon death (after exposure to some of Rome’s perfume, perhaps), according to our individual fidelity to the precepts of the Faith. In reality, this grandiose idea of eternal Rome is a nice-to-have, not a necessity.

His Excellency, Archbishop Lefebvre recognized the duality of the Roman dilemma, but he remained clear on the matter as it relates to the Faith as noted in his Declaration of November 21, 1974: “We hold firmly with all our heart and with all our mind to Catholic Rome, Guardian of the Catholic Faith and of the traditions necessary to the maintenance of this faith, to the eternal Rome, mistress of wisdom and truth. We refuse on the other hand, and have always refused, to follow the Rome of Neo-Modernist and Neo-Protestant tendencies, which became clearly manifest during the Second Vatican Council, and after the Council, in all the reforms which issued from it.”

Consider the recent statements and actions of Pope Francis, plastered all over the media. Can any prudent person believe that in light of such effuse demonstrates that he, the Pope, is a faithful Guardian of the Catholic Faith and of the traditions necessary to the maintenance of this faith? It must be acknowledged that Rome has changed, but only to become progressively worse since the close of the Second Vatican Council.

Shirk the sentimentality and longing for unity, for a moment, at least, and be honest on this one point. If you answered in the negative to the above question, then consider if it is reasonable, at this time, to move toward any form of unsanctioned cohabitation with the Rome of Neo-Modernist and Neo-Protestant tendencies? Is it judicious even to ignite such sentimentality for eternal Rome amongst the faithful, which could lead to a misplaced reverence toward the conciliar hierarchy? This becomes a question of life and death, the eternal destination of your soul.

Eternal Rome is figurative. The Faith is eternal. The Faith is Truth. Truth is unchanging. Rome has been graced as the temporal home of the Church, Vatican City. The Vicar of Christ, who resides at the Vatican, has been entrusted as the Guardian of the Catholic Faith and of the traditions necessary to the maintenance of this faith, hence its earthly prominence. The ultimate and true eternal Rome is Heaven, because it is Heaven that is eternal as well as the final end of those who have kept the Faith – in its entirety.

His Excellency, Archbishop Lefebvre, when he spoke at Rennes, France, in November of 1972 asked a question: “What does faith give you?” He answered: “Eternal Life.” [1]

It is the untainted deposit of the Faith of which His Excellency spoke and to which we much adhere in order to earn eternal life. Verboten are the compromised, liquidated, distortions propagated by a modernist, enemy embracing, Conciliar loving Rome, still dizzy, obviously, from a diabolical disorientation.

In his Spiritual Journey, Archbishop Lefebvre wrote: “The higher they come from, the more scandals provoke disasters. Certainly, the Church itself guards its sanctity and its sources of sanctification, but the control of its institutions by unfaithful popes and apostate bishops ruins the faith of the faithful and the clergy, sterilizes the instrument of grace, and favours the assault of all the powers of Hell which seem to triumph.” [2]

And so it remains “. . . until such time as the true light of tradition dissipates the gloom which obscures the sky of the eternal Rome” [3]

Instead of joining the hullabaloo for eternal Rome, true Roman Catholics should herald a little catchphrase to remind themselves to aspire to the ultimate success: Salvation, Salvation, Salvation. Strive for the true eternal, which is Heaven, and spurn the disorienting smoke and mirrors roadshow peddled by the traitors to Our Lord Jesus Christ. He, Who lives and reigns forever, in eternal Heaven. Deo gratias.

Let us give thanks to our dear Lord for having sent us such a faithful and wise bishop, who was His Excellency, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.

[1] A Bishop Speaks: Writings and Addresses 1963-1976, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, p. 119.

[2] Spiritual Journey, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, p. 54.

[3] Archbishop Lefebvre’s Declaration of November 21, 1974, p. 5, retrieved from 

      http://fsspx.com/Convictions/2010/Convicitons_26_2010.pdf

Note: The four marks of the true Church are One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. Roman is not a mark of the Church, but it might become one, unofficially, should the neo-SSPX ever decide to issue their own catechism.

- Sister Michaela Raphaela TOSF