Changes to the TLM from Traditionis Custodes

• Motu Proprio, Traditionis Custodes, Pope Francis
• Letter to the Bishops on Traditionis Custodes, Pope Francis

1. No more TLMs at parish churches, which must mean there will no longer be a proximal coexistence with the NO Mass at a regular parish church.
2. No more new “personal parishes” which are basically what a regular parish looks like and how it operates, but exclusively offers the TLM Sacraments, to the exclusion of the NO Sacramental forms.
3. Days and times set by the bishop.
4. Readings in the vernacular.
5. Readings using the New American Bible in the US, unless other translations are approved for use.
6. Appoint a bishop’s delegate for the pastoral care of the TLM groups.
7. Regulate and assess the parish life of the personal parishes.
8. No “new groups”.
9. Priests ordained after 7/16/21 need to request permission from the bishop, who then needs to consult with Rome.
10. Current priests who offer the TLM need to request authorization to continue offering the TLM.
11. The FSSP, ICK, and the like are now under the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies for Apostolic Life (ICLSAL).
12. The Congregation for Divine Worship (CDW) and the ICLSAL are in charge of regulating these regs.
13. Ecclesia Dei Adflicta, Summorum Pontificum, etc. are done. They no longer have any force of law.
14. All the above, in force, right now.

1971 Statement by Scholars, Intellectuals, and Artists Living in England

1971 Statement by Scholars, Intellectuals, and Artists Living in England (after the New Mass was introduced, and the Old Latin Mass was seemingly abrogated by Paul VI)

“If some senseless decree were to order the total or partial destruction of basilicas or cathedrals, then
obviously, it would be the educated -- whatever their personal beliefs -- who would rise up in horror to oppose such a possibility.
Now the fact is that basilicas and cathedrals were built so as to celebrate a rite which, until a few months ago, constituted a living tradition. We are referring to the Roman Catholic Mass. Yet, according to the latest information in Rome, there is a plan to obliterate that Mass by the end of the current year.
One of the axioms of contemporary publicity, religious as well as secular, is that modern man in general, and intellectuals in particular, have become intolerant of all forms of tradition and are anxious to suppress them and put something else in their place.
But, like many other affirmations of our publicity machines, this axiom is false. Today, as in times gone by, educated people are in the vanguard where recognition of the value of tradition is concerned, and are the first to raise the alarm when it is threatened.
We are not at this moment considering the religious or spiritual experience of millions of
individuals. The rite in question, in its magnificent Latin text, has also inspired a host of priceless
achievements in the arts -- not only mystical works, but works by poets, philosophers, musicians, architects, painters and sculptors in all countries and epochs. Thus, it belongs to universal culture as well as to churchmen and formal Christians. In the materialistic and technocratic civilisation that is increasingly threatening the life of mind and spirit in its original creative expression -- the word -- it seems particularly inhuman to deprive man of word-forms in one of their most grandiose manifestations.
The signatories of this appeal, which is entirely ecumenical and nonpolitical, have been drawn from every branch of modern culture in Europe and elsewhere. They wish to call to the attention of the Holy See, the appalling responsibility it would incur in the history of the human spirit were it to refuse to allow the Traditional Mass to survive, even though this survival took place side by side with other liturgical forms.”

Signed,
Harold Acton
Vladimir Ashkenazy
John Bayler
Lennox Berkeley
Maurice Bowra
Agatha Christie
Kenneth Clark
Nevill Coghill
Cyril Connolly
Colin Davis
Hugh Delargy
Robert Exeter
Miles Fitzalen-Howard
Constantine Fitzgibbon
William Glock
Magdalen Gofflin
Robert Graves
Graham Greene
Ian Greenless
Joseph Grimond
Harman Grisewood
Colin Hardie
Rupert Hart-Davis
Barbara Hepworth
Auberon Herbert
John Jolliffe
David Jones
Osbert Lancaster
Cecil Day Lewis
Compton Mackenzie
George Malcolm
Max Mallowan
Alfred Marnau
Yehudi Menuhin
Nancy Mitford
Raymond Mortimer
Malcolm Muggeridge
Iris Murdoch
John Murray
Sean O'Faolain
E.J. Oliver
Oxford and Asquith
F.R. Leavis
William Plomer
Kathleen Raine
William Rees-Mogg
Ralph Richardson
John Ripon
Charles Russell
Rivers Scott
Joan Sutherland
Philip Toynbee
Martin Turnell
Bernard Wall
Patrick Wall
E.I. Watkin

Christianity or Chaos - Evelyn Waugh

Christianity or Chaos
Evelyn Waugh

"I think one has to look deeper before one will find the reason why in England today the Roman Church is recruiting so many men and women who are not notably gullible, dim-witted or eccentric.It seems to me that in the present phase of European history the essential issue is no longer between Catholicism, on one side, and Protestantism, on the other, but between Christianity and Chaos…Today we can see [the loss of Christian faith]…as the active negation of all that western culture has stood for. Civilization – and by this I do not mean talking cinemas and tinned food, nor even surgery and hygienic houses, but the whole moral and artistic organization of Europe – has not in itself the power of survival. It came into being through Christianity, and without it has no significance or power to command allegiance. The loss of faith in Christianity and the consequential lack of confidence in moral and social standards have become embodied in the ideal of a materialistic, mechanized state… It is no longer possible, as it was in the time of Gibbon, to accept the benefits of civilization and at the same time deny the supernatural basis upon which it rests…That is the first discovery, that Christianity is essential to civilization and that it is in greater need of combative strength than it has been for centuries.The second discovery is that Christianity exists in its most complete and vital form in the Roman Catholic Church. I do not mean any impertinence to the many devout Anglicans and Protestants who are leading lives of great devotion and benevolence; I do find, however, that other religious bodies, however fine the example of certain individual members, show unmistakable signs that they are not fitted for the conflict in which Christianity is engaged. For instance, it seems to me a necessary sign of completeness and vitality in a religious body that its teaching shall be coherent and consistent. If its own mind is not made up, it can hardly hope to withstand disorder from outside…Another essential sign one looks for is competent organization and discipline. Obedience to superiors and the habit of submitting personal idiosyncracies to the demands of office seems to be sure signs of a real priesthood…Most important of all, it seems to me that any religious body which is not by nature universal cannot claim to represent complete Christianity…No one visiting a Roman Catholic country can fail to be struck by the fact that the people do use their churches. It is not a matter of going to a service on Sunday; all classes at all hours of the day can be seen dropping in on their way to and from their work…The Protestant attitude seems often to be, ‘I am good; therefore I go to church,’ while the Catholic’s is, ‘I am very far from good; therefore I go to church.”"

Does the Latin Mass Offer More Grace than the Novus Ordo?

Totally agree here.
I used to argue, years ago, that the Latin/Tridentine Mass/Extraordinary Form (EF) was superior to the Vernacular Mass/Novus Ordo/Ordinary Form (OF).
I still believe that, but now I make a distinction.
I made a video on this last year but suffice it to say:
1) The Mass, all validly offered Masses, in every Rite, is a participation in the one eternal Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross of Calvary.
2) The OF is a validly recognized, "form" or "rite" (depending on who you ask, Gamber and Davies would probably say rite, Benedict XVI would say form) of the Catholic Church.
3) The EF, of all degrees of solemnity, also offers the same eternal Sacrifice whether in Low form, or Solemn Pontifical form.
4) Therefore, the OF offers the same grace that the EF offers.
That's what I would call the "substance" of the Mass, to borrow from the doctrine on Transubstantiation.
The accidents of the Mass, which are the external ceremonials, art, music, architecture, vestments, etc. serve to accentuate the Mass, and varying degrees of their quality helps to dispose the Catholic to be able to receive more or less grace, depending on their subjective disposition.
That's the level, in my opinion, where more or less grace is accessed.
Further, a poorly disposed person attending a solemn Pontifical EF Mass probably accesses less grace than a properly disposed person attending a simple weekday OF Mass.
To put it simpler, grandma makes a delicious pie and says "come and get it".
Depending on your situation at the time, you may be inclined to take some or all of that pie. That's on you.
Don't overthink it!
The bottom line is the true Church says the OF is legit.
If you believe otherwise, well, you are basically a sedevacantist, and we should be debating that issue.

Methods of Participating at Holy Mass

Here are a few resources on methods of participating at the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite. 

"Many of the faithful are unable to use the Roman missal even though it is written in the vernacular; nor are all capable of understanding correctly the liturgical rites and formulas. So varied and diverse are men's talents and characters that it is impossible for all to be moved and attracted to the same extent by community prayers, hymns and liturgical services. Moreover, the needs and inclinations of all are not the same, nor are they always constant in the same individual. Who, then, would say, on account of such a prejudice, that all these Christians cannot participate in the Mass nor share its fruits? On the contrary, they can adopt some other method which proves easier for certain people; for instance, they can lovingly meditate on the mysteries of Jesus Christ or perform other exercises of piety or recite prayers which, though they differ from the sacred rites, are still essentially in harmony with them.”

- Pius XII, Mediator Dei, n. 108

Meditations On Jesus’ Sacrifice At The Latin Mass (Printable PDF)

Meditations on the Traditional Latin Mass by St Francis de Sales Booklet PDF

The Hidden Treasure, Chapter 2, Devout Method of Hearing Mass

Thomas Merton

"This is what I think about the Latin and the chant: They are masterpieces, which offer us an irreplaceable monastic and Christian experience. They have a force, an energy, a depth without equal. All the proposed English offices are very much impoverished in comparison–besides, it is not at all impossible to make such things understood and appreciated. Generally I succeed quite well in this, in the novitiate, with some exceptions, naturally, who did not understand well. But I must add something more serious. As you know, I have many friends in the world who are artists, poets, authors, editors, etc. Now they are well able to appreciate our chant and even our Latin. But they are all, without exception, scandalized and grieved when I tell them that probably this Office, this Mass will no longer be here in ten years. And that is the worst. The monks cannot understand this treasure they possess, and they throw it out to look for something else, when seculars, who for the most part are not even Christians, are able to love this incomparable art."

-Thomas Merton

Re: The Holy Ghost acting in the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass

Father Justin Rose

923 Congress St.

San Bernardino, CA 92410

January 1, 2009

Re: The Holy Ghost acting in the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass

Dear Father Rose,

For the past 4 years, ever since I discovered your mission-church in San Bernardino where the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom enshrined in the Melkite Rite of the Catholic faith is celebrated, I have had the pleasure of worshipping at your church 4-5 times so far, from time to time. I have taken many of my friends along with me, as I have also taken them to the Tridentine Mass of the Roman Rite, now called the “extraordinary form of the Roman Rite”. I was asked to film your seminar that you gave to a group of about 25-30 people about 6 months ago. It was on the history and ceremony of the Eastern Rites or Churches. I enjoyed my time with you, your community as well as the visitors and organizers. However, there was a point that you made which I had disagreed with at the time, but I did not have adequate resources along with me, or the 1962 Roman Missal handy to justify my objection. The point you made was that the Second Vatican Council was the first to have representatives from the Eastern Churches since the split of 1054. So, because of their influence, and the ceremony of the Eastern liturgies, the role of the Holy Ghost in the Holy Mass was rediscovered and introduced into the post-Vatican II liturgy. Your point was that the priest does nothing of his own, that it is the Holy Ghost who works the change from bread and wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord. So, then we have the prayers in the Novus Ordo Missae, “Let your Spirit come upon these gifts and make them holy, so that they may become the Body and Blood of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.” The difficulty I had with this is that, the Tridentine Mass already had a prayer which showed the action of the Holy Ghost in effecting the Transubstantiation. The prayer is as follows: Veni, sanctificator omnipotens aeterne Deus: et benedic hoc sacrificium, tuo sancto nomini praeparatum (Come, O Sanctifier, almighty, eternal God, and bless this sacrifice prepared for Thy holy Name).

In commenting about this prayer to the Holy Ghost, the great Benedictine reformer Dom Prosper Gueranger comments on the prayer I mentioned that was introduced into the Novus Ordo Missae from the Eastern liturgies as follows:

The Eastern Church has not this prayer in her liturgy, but wishing, as she does, to make known to the people the action of the Holy Ghost in this great mystery, after pronouncing the words of Consecration over the bread, the celebrant says: “O Lord, God, deign to send Thy Spirit that He may change this bread into the Body of Thy Son”; and all the people answer: Amen… But this looks like an anomaly; for when the priest utters each of these invocations, Transubstantiation has already been effected. Why then call on the Holy Spirit? This is a remark that has more than once been made; their custom has been maintained, and this is the reason alleged. In order not to mix the acclamation of the people with the words of the sacred mysteries, the Eastern Church placed, after these, the invocations relative to the operation of the Holy Ghost, that is to say, they occur at the very moment chosen in the Latin Church for the Elevation, when she presents the Body and Blood of our Lord to the adoration of the faithful. Then it is that the Eastern Church pays homage to the power and work of the Holy Ghost. (Explanation of the Holy Mass, 139-140)

Just thought you might find this information interesting.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

Laurence Gonzaga

President

Una Voce San Bernardino

Holy Week 2017

In the Archdiocese of LosAngeles!

Please feel free to forward, re-post, steal, re-blog, send smoke signals, etc. Spread the word to friends, colleges, and other mailing lists.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE TIMES OF THE YEAR…….HOLY WEEK!!!!!!!

As we start Lent, we have some preliminary Holy Week Announcements. We want to get this information out to everyone as early as possible to people can make arrangements as necessary:

Palm Sunday Sunday, April 9th, 2017
Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Church 515 West Opp Street Wilmington, CA 90744 (310) 834-5215 Low Mass @ 6:30 AM	St. Mary Magdalen Chapel 2532 Ventura Blvd Camarillo, CA 93010 ‎ (805) 484-0532 High Mass @ 10 AM
San Felipe Chapel 738 N Geraghty Ave Los Angeles 90063 Father Masutti, FSSP Mass @ 11 AM	St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church 1100 East Alhambra Road, Alhambra, CA 91801 (626) 282-2744 Father Bishop High Mass @ 1 PM
St. Anthony Catholic Church 720 E Grand Ave El Segundo, CA 90245 (310) 322-4392 Father Carcerano Solemn Mass and Procession of Palms @ 1:30 PM	St. Victor Catholic Church 8634 Holloway Dr West Hollywood, CA 90069 (310) 652-6477 Father Fryar, FSSP Solemn Mass and Procession of Palms @ 7 PM
Monday-Wednesday of Holy Week: April10th-12th, 2017
St. Victor Catholic Church 8634 Holloway Dr, West Hollywood, CA 90069 (310) 652-6477	Monday @ 7 AM Tuesday @ 7 PM Wednesday @ 7 AM
San Felipe Chapel Chapel of San Felipe De Jesus 738 N Geraghty Ave Los Angeles, CA 90063	Monday @ 7 PM
Maundy Thursday: Thursday, April 13th, 2017 The Mass of the Last Supper:
St. John Chrysostom Catholic Church 546 E. Florence Avenue Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 677-2736 Father Carcerano with Father Fryar, FSSP as Deacon and Father Masutti, FSSP as Subdeacon Solemn Mass @ 5 PM Nota Bene: There will be NO 7 AM MASS at St. Victor
Good Friday: Friday, April 14th, 2017 Mass of the Presanctified:
St. John Chrysostom Catholic Church 546 E. Florence Avenue Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 677-2736 Father David, O.Praem. with Father Fryar, FSSP as Deacon and Father Masutti, FSSP as Subdeacon Solemn Liturgy @ 3:30 PM Nota Bene: There will be NO 7 PM MASS at St. Victor There will be NO 7 PM MASS at San Felipe
Easter Vigil: Saturday, April 15th, 2017 Solemn Mass of the Easter Vigil:
St. John Chrysostom Catholic Church 546 E. Florence Avenue Inglewood, CA 90301 (310) 677-2736 Celebrant: Father Masutti, FSSP with Father David, O.Praem. as Deacon and Father Carcerano as Subdeacon Solmen Mass at 11 PM St. Mary Magdalen Chapel 2532 Ventura Blvd Camarillo, CA 93010 ‎ (805) 484-0532 Father Fryar, FSSP High Mass @ 11 PM Nota Bene: There will be NO 9 AM MASS at St. Victor
Easter Sunday: Sunday, April 16th, 2017
Ss Peter and Paul Catholic Church 515 West Opp Street Wilmington, CA 90744 (310) 834-5215 Low Mass @ 6:30 AM High Mass @ 9:00 AM	St. Mary Magdalen Chapel 2532 Ventura Blvd Camarillo, CA 93010 ‎ (805) 484-0532 Father Fryar, FSSP High Mass @ 10 AM
San Felipe Chapel 738 N Geraghty Ave Los Angeles 90063 Father Masutti, FSSP Low Mass @ 11 AM	St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church 1100 East Alhambra Road, Alhambra, CA 91801 (626) 282-2744 Father Bishop High Mass @ 1 PM
St. Anthony Catholic Church 720 E Grand Ave El Segundo, CA 90245 (310) 322-4392 Father Carcerano Mass @ 1:30 PM	St. Victor Catholic Church 8634 Holloway Dr West Hollywood, CA 90069 (310) 652-6477 Father Masutti, FSSP Low Mass @ 7 PM

EF Pontifical Mass with Cardinal Burke in Oakland, California, March 19 (Sunday) at 12:30PM

A once in a lifetime event in the San Francisco Bay Area! His Eminence, Raymond Cardinal Burke, will be celebrating a Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form at St. Margaret Mary (1219 Excelsior Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610) on March 19, 2017 at 12:30PM. There will be a welcome reception after mass at the church courtyard, to be followed by a 5PM conference at the Cathedral of Christ the Light (2121 Harrison Street, Oakland, CA) and concluding with a Solemn Benediction. Share the news and invite your friends!

15th Century Roman Mass

Historical Recreation of the Traditional Latin Mass in the 15th Century (The Mass and the Priest are Real).

All Saints & All Souls

ALL SAINTS DAY – TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST 2016:
San Felipe Chapel:
9:00 AM
HIGH MASS with Father Masutti, FSSP
738 N Geraghty Ave

Los Angeles 90063

St. Victor Catholic Church
6:30 PM
HIGH MASS with Father Masutti, FSSP
Address:
8634 Holloway Dr West
Hollywood, CA 90069

Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church:

7:30 PM
SOLEMN HIGH MASS according to the Premonstratensian Rite!

515 West Opp Street 

Wilmington, CA 90744

(310) 834-5215

ALL SOULS DAY – WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2ND 2016:

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church
7:00 PM
HIGH MASS with Father Masutti, FSSP
Address:
4018 E Hammel St
Los Angeles, CA 90063

Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church:

7:30 PM
SOLEMN HIGH MASS according to the Premonstratensian Rite!

515 West Opp Street 

Wilmington, CA 90744

(310) 834-5215

Understanding When to Kneel, Sit, and Stand at the Traditional Latin Mass

Since the publication of the first edition of this essay online by California Latin Mass in 2013, and subsequent postings by other blogs such as the Traditional Latin Mass Society of San Francisco, Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem, and most recently Rorate-Caeli, readers have expressed to me not only their appreciation for what they've learned, but also to point out unintended typos and errors in the text and in the order of postures in the tables. I have corrected those typos and errors in this revised edition.

I have also added a new section discussing the posture at Orate Fratres, which I believe deserves more than just a passing mention and a footnote. The impetus for this was the change in the mandated posture at Orate Fratres in the Novus Ordo. 

Up until 2010, the common posture for all Roman rite Catholics, whether assisting in the Novus Ordo or in the Traditional Latin Mass, was to remain seated while the priest says Orate, fratres, recite the response while seated, and then only rise afterwards. The English text of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (Novus Ordo, of course), revised and approved for U.S. and Canadian dioceses in 2012, now instructs the faithful assisting in the Novus Ordo to rise for this prayer and recite the response standing. The word fratres could now also be properly rendered as “Brothers and sisters” in lieu of “brethren.” I would advise anyone inclined to think that this is just more evidence of the propensity in the Novus Ordo to innovate unnecessarily and that it has nothing to do with the Traditional Latin Mass to withhold your judgment and read section VI first. There is more to this than you think. 

My advice to all those who want to effect changes in the order of postures in their communities is to talk to your priest about it. Getting him to read this essay in full (admittedly a challenging request) is a crucial first step towards understanding why you want those changes. If you can convince your priest and also persuade him to take the time to catechize the faithful on Mass postures, you will have greater chances of bringing about a change. Be forewarned, however, that you will be up against entrenched Latin Mass “old-timers” who cannot be persuaded to change for whatever reason and who somehow exercise a veto power over any deviation from the postures indicated in the red booklet. Given a choice between following what a mere layman wrote in an essay and avoiding a potentially serious division by just following what is clearly indicated in the ubiquitous red booklet, the decision is rather simple for the harried priest who has not read this essay or doesn't have the time or energy to take on the task. 

This is not a reason to be discouraged, however. There is so much ignorance even among folks who religiously follow the erroneous red booklet postures for Low and Sung Masses. I have witnessed many instances of people assuming the red booklet Low Mass postures for Sung Masses, even among long-time parishioners of a TLM-only personal parish who are used to following the red booklet distinctions in postures between Low and Sung Masses. This occasional confusion seems to be a common occurrence in many TLM communities (and hardly ever in the Novus Ordo).

These embarrassing lapses belie an ignorance that engenders an unhealthy herd mentality and retards the development of a proper understanding of the nature of the liturgy. If you've read this far into the essay, you've taken the first step to educating yourself and your friends and help tear down this seemingly invincible wall of liturgical illiteracy. 

Finally, I want to thank all those readers who took the time to read my previously “short” essay and email me their pithy comments.[1] Please don't forget to include the Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem in your prayers, especially their founder, the Very Rev. Dom Daniel Oppenheimer, CRNJ, who for many years was the sole voice in the Latin Mass landscape to talk about a matter that affects everybody but about which nobody was talking.

Richard Friend October 1, 2016

[1] Readers can email me at richardfriend62@gmail.com.

Download PDF (2nd edition)

CA Latin Mass List

Los Angeles Archdiocese
Please see complete list at Latin Mass of Los Angeles Blog

Orange Diocese
Please see complete list at Una Voce Orange County
Serra Chapel (San Juan Capistrano)
St. John the Baptist (Costa Mesa)
Pope John Paul II Polish Center (Yorba Linda)

San Bernardino Diocese
Please see complete list here

Northern California
Archdiocese of San Francisco
Santa Rosa Diocese
Oakland Diocese
San Jose Diocese
Sacramento Diocese
All of the above, Please see complete list at The Traditional Latin Mass Society of San Francisco
Diocese of Fresno
Please see Fresno Traditional Latin Mass Society and Facebook Page
Please see Bakersfield Catholic in Bakersfield
Monterey Diocese
Please see Monterey Bay Area Traditional Latin Mass and Facebook Page

No Injustice in Limbo (New Oxford Review, Sep 2008)

From New Oxford Review (Sep 2008) http://www.newoxfordreview.org/letters.jsp?did=0908-letters

In regard to the article by Hurd Baruch ("On Freeing Children From Limbo," April) and subsequent letters (June), many important factors have been neglected.

(1) Although limbo may have been "elaborated by theologians beginning in the Middle Ages," as the Vatican's International Theological Commission states, it nevertheless goes back at least to the Fathers of the Church. For example, even though he does not use the word "limbo," St. Gregory Nazianzen wrote, "It will happen, I believe, that the children dying without baptism will never be admitted by the Just Judge to the glory of Heaven, nor condemned to suffer punishment since, though unsealed [by baptism], they are not wicked" (de Bapt., XVIII). Clearly, from this quote alone (and there are others like it found among the Fathers of the Church), the notion of limbo is an ancient tradition of the Church.

(2) The Code of Canon Law is very explicit in regard to the urgency of baptizing infants. Canon 867 states, "Parents are obliged to see that their infants are baptized within the first few weeks," and "If the infant is in danger of death, it is to be baptized without any delay." What is more, even the infant of a non-Catholic who is in danger of death is to be baptized immediately: "The infant of Catholic parents, in fact of non-Catholic parents also, who is in the danger of death (in periculo mortis) is licitly baptized even against the will of the parents" (can. 868; emphasis added). The Code also mentions that aborted babies, "if they are alive, are to be baptized, in so far as this is possible" (can. 871). Why worry about getting into an altercation, even a possible lawsuit, by baptizing some non-Catholic's dying baby if there is no limbo? Why worry about baptizing aborted babies if there is such assurance they go straight to Heaven? Why is Hell so bent on abortion if all babies go straight to Heaven? Even the Catechism (#1261), after giving room for an option other than limbo, follows up immediately by saying, baptize! In other words, "the Church does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry in to eternal beatitude" (#1257; italics added).

(3) Fr. Albert J. Herbert, in his book Saints Who Raised the Dead (TAN Books), indicates that around eleven saints raised little babies from the dead in order to have them baptized. Among them was St. Joan of Arc, who raised a child already turned somewhat black from being dead for some days. The child came to life, was baptized, and then died again. Other saints listed in the book include Hilary of Poitiers, Colette, Frances of Rome, Philip Neri, Francis Xavier, and Gerard Majella. Why did God do this if there is no limbo and all infants go straight to Heaven?

(4) We have the superhuman efforts of missionaries seeking to baptize every infant possible. St. Jean de Brebeuf summed it up when he declared that he would "go to the ends of the world to baptize a single savage." When St. Anthony Daniel was being shot with arrows and clubbed to death, he noticed a brave of his company dying who had not yet been baptized. He used all his remaining strength to move toward him in order to baptize him. He did not leave him to "baptism of desire," but rather made certain of his baptism by water, as our Lord commanded. These saints displayed a remarkable sense of urgency in seeking the baptism of each and every person, both children and adults, regardless of their own safety. We should ask ourselves what drove them to this. Was it not the Holy Spirit?

(5) We must admit that there is no injustice with limbo. Limbo has always been considered merciful -- most fathers, doctors, and saints considered the only other option to be Hell itself. Such punishment would indeed be along the lines of injustice. We must recognize that we are all beggars, and no one has a right to Heaven or to grace (cf. Catechism, #2007). If a man gives to one beggar rather than to another, he does not violate justice. And here we arrive at the modern problem with limbo: We have lost the sense of sin. When we recognize the evil of sin, then we will see that it can have disastrous effects on our children and the generations that follow -- effects that reach beyond this life. This behooves us to take responsibility for seeking the conversion and baptism of the nations (cf. Mt. 28:19) instead of making God responsible for it all, when, in fact, He has given us the remedy in baptism. This means the Church has the remedy! And she does not bar children from this Sacrament, as the Code of Canon Law indicates. Rather, it is the sins of the parents and the loss of the sense of sin that are often visited upon the children. Is not the current vocations crisis at least in part brought on by the sins of our parents' generation -- i.e., indulgence in contraception and sterilization? Think of all the damage done to children by divorce, drugs, pornography, etc. It seems to me that this is "the serious pastoral problem" that needs to be addressed -- not limbo.

Neither the Catechism nor the recent International Theological Commission's report on children dying without baptism dismisses limbo as a reality, because it simply cannot be done. At the end of the day, all we can really do is entrust unbaptized babies to the mercy of God, because God Himself left the matter grey, if for no other reason than to encourage us all the more to fulfill His commandment: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt. 28:19).

Fr. Sean Kopczynski, C.P.M.
Carmelite Monastery of the Holy Cross
Iron Mountain, Michigan

TRUE OR FALSE POPE? Refuting Sedevacantism and Other Modern Errors

By John Salza and Robert Siscoe, 700 pages
Foreword by His Excellency, Bishop Bernard Fellay
who writes
"A comprehensive and definitive refutation, firmly grounded in ecclesiology, has been sorely needed. We thus pray that True or False Pope? finds its way to many Catholics of good will. Mr. Salza and Mr. Siscoe’s book will surely afford much clarity to the reader."

SNEAK PEAK
TABLE OF CONTENTS AND PREFACE
CFN INTERVIEWS SALZA & SISCOE ON THE BOOK

True or False Pope? is the most thoroughly researched, detailed and systematic refutation of Sedevacantism that exists. In this 700 page tome, John Salza and Robert Siscoe present material from Popes, ecumenical councils and Doctors of the Church that you will never find on a Sedevacantist website. Quoting directly from today’s leading Sedevacantist apologists, Salza and Siscoe reveal how Sedevacantists have distorted the teachings of their favorite Popes and theologians, especially St. Robert Bellarmine, and how they even contradict each other. The book also reveals the many unfortunate tactics used by Sedevacantists in an effort to “prove” their case, that is, to defend what is indefensible.

The authors begin by demonstrating that Sedevacantism logically results in a heretical denial of the attributes (visibility, indefectibility, infallibility) and marks (especially apostolicity) of the Catholic Church. After explaining the bonds that unite man to the true Church, the authors explain the distinction between heresy and lesser errors, and how the sin of heresy alone does not sever one from the Church. The authors then go on to provide the most detailed analysis in print of what the Church does in the case of a heretical Pope, based upon the teachings of all the classical theologians who addressed the topic. After a very important explanation of the scope of infallibility (papal, conciliar, disciplinary, New Mass, canonizations), the authors tackle and refute the Sedevacantist arguments against the new rites of episcopal consecration and ordination. The authors conclude by affirming the Recognize & Resist position of Traditional Catholics, and expose in great detail the bitter fruits of Sedevacantism.


This groundbreaking work proves the Sedevacantist thesis is an overreaction to the crisis in the Church, akin to the reflexive “faith” of Protestantism. This explains why Sedevacantists are divided into many competing factions and sects that even condemn each other, and some of these sects have also elected their own “Popes.” The book also underscores that the Church is currently suffering a mystical Passion similar to that of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Like those who lost faith in Christ during His Passion, Sedevacantists have lost faith in the Church, His Mystical Body. And, in doing so, they have become among her most bitter persecutors. No matter what one’s perspective is on the crisis of the Church, anyone who reads this book will conclude in no uncertain terms that Sedevacantism – one of the great modern errors of our times – far from being a “solution” to the crisis, cannot be held or defended in good faith by any true Catholic.