Trip to Rome Dear Friends and Benefactors,
A literally flying visit to Europe last week enables me to give you a little news of Mother Church, locked in her deadly struggle with the enemies of Our Lord, and a little news of the Society.
The division and disorder within the Catholic Church continue to worsen, such that unless God intervenes, the situation may in a few years' time make today's look like a holiday! The disorder and division seem to start within the Holy Father himself. It is true he went to the Lutheran Church in Rome on December 11 of last year, but a front row witness (an Italian layman whom I know personally) says that he looked distinctly troubled and ill-at-ease. Maybe the letter of the two Bishops (enclosed last month) helped to prevent the Pope from committing a still more terrible blunder in the name of ecumenism. As it was, the Italian people, until now slow to react, did not appreciate the Pope's appearing and speaking in a Protestant Church. Nor it seems did French Catholics appreciate the Holy Father's heavily televised and media-ised meeting in prison with his would-be killer of May 1981.
Amongst the Cardinals and prelates in Rome, many are commonly known to be Free-masons! "Edella parroquia" says one about another – "He belongs to the Parish", meaning the Masonic Lodge. Here again, deep division. Shortly before the new Code of Canon Law appeared on the First Sunday of Advent, not even explicitly mentioning, let alone condemning, Freemasonry, Cardinal Ratzinger showed the Holy Father a book recently written in German by a Free-mason proving the deep implication of the late Cardinal Koenig of Vienna in the undoing of the Church's ban on Free-masonry. The result was that on the very eve of the New Code's appearing, on the Saturday, Cardinal Ratzinger's office issued another explicit exclusion of Freemasons from Catholic Communion. Does Rome itself believe in its new Code? Incredible confusion! (Archbishop Lefebvre calls the promulgation of this Code "a monstrous scandal").
Amongst Bishops in Rome the same confusion. At the Bishops' Synod of last year, one speaker praises the traditional Pope Pius XII, the very next praises in exactly the opposite sense Pope John XXIII for up-dating the Church!
And Rome and the Archbishop, and the two Bishops' letter? No official reaction yet, but such a general silence that the word must have gone out to keep silent until Rome could either recover from the Christmas season, or sort out its own confusion enough to take a position. The Archbishop (whom I saw briefly at Rickenbach and who seems in good health, Deo Gratias) says he does not think Rome will excommunicate him or Msgr. de Castro-Mayer. Meanwhile he is contacting individual Bishops directly in the hope of finding a few more to take their stand, but so far in vain...
Against this virtually desperate back-drop, the Society makes plans with the grace of God to continue its world-wide advance. Externally, it is difficult to conceive of the two Bishops' Cry of Alarm going indefinitely unheeded, and internally Fr. Schmidberger has for instance projects for starting our first house in South Africa, and for re-constructing in the United States after the misfortunes of last April. One guiding principle will be that a priest should not be left alone if possible; which may mean the laity being disappointed in some parts, doubly delighted in others..
God willing, the four new priests will be ordained by Archbishop Lefebvre Sunday morning, May 13 at the Seminary in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Start planning to come in large numbers, because the Archbishop wants many people to be around their future priests at the great moment for everyone of their receiving the immense Grace of the priesthood. The four of them are now Deacons, able to preach, and one of them, Rev. Tom Mroczka, helped Fr. Petit to give the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in the week following Christmas. He much enjoyed preaching the Exercises, and these were a great success, as usual, so there is, please God, one more apostle of His in the making!
Better to light a candle than curse the darkness, says the proverb, The Society of St. Pius X is lighting its candle, however little, and however menacing the all-round darkness of this New Year, 1984. Many thanks to all of you that sent us Christmas cards with your good wishes, and many thanks for your support, and for your prayers' above all.
The Seminary is financially surviving, and spiritually thriving. May God reward you for your goodness, and keep you in His Grace throughout the coming year!
Sincerely yours in Our Divine Lord,
Fr. Richard Williamson
A literally flying visit to Europe last week enables me to give you a little news of Mother Church, locked in her deadly struggle with the enemies of Our Lord, and a little news of the Society.
The division and disorder within the Catholic Church continue to worsen, such that unless God intervenes, the situation may in a few years' time make today's look like a holiday! The disorder and division seem to start within the Holy Father himself. It is true he went to the Lutheran Church in Rome on December 11 of last year, but a front row witness (an Italian layman whom I know personally) says that he looked distinctly troubled and ill-at-ease. Maybe the letter of the two Bishops (enclosed last month) helped to prevent the Pope from committing a still more terrible blunder in the name of ecumenism. As it was, the Italian people, until now slow to react, did not appreciate the Pope's appearing and speaking in a Protestant Church. Nor it seems did French Catholics appreciate the Holy Father's heavily televised and media-ised meeting in prison with his would-be killer of May 1981.
Amongst the Cardinals and prelates in Rome, many are commonly known to be Free-masons! "Edella parroquia" says one about another – "He belongs to the Parish", meaning the Masonic Lodge. Here again, deep division. Shortly before the new Code of Canon Law appeared on the First Sunday of Advent, not even explicitly mentioning, let alone condemning, Freemasonry, Cardinal Ratzinger showed the Holy Father a book recently written in German by a Free-mason proving the deep implication of the late Cardinal Koenig of Vienna in the undoing of the Church's ban on Free-masonry. The result was that on the very eve of the New Code's appearing, on the Saturday, Cardinal Ratzinger's office issued another explicit exclusion of Freemasons from Catholic Communion. Does Rome itself believe in its new Code? Incredible confusion! (Archbishop Lefebvre calls the promulgation of this Code "a monstrous scandal").
Amongst Bishops in Rome the same confusion. At the Bishops' Synod of last year, one speaker praises the traditional Pope Pius XII, the very next praises in exactly the opposite sense Pope John XXIII for up-dating the Church!
And Rome and the Archbishop, and the two Bishops' letter? No official reaction yet, but such a general silence that the word must have gone out to keep silent until Rome could either recover from the Christmas season, or sort out its own confusion enough to take a position. The Archbishop (whom I saw briefly at Rickenbach and who seems in good health, Deo Gratias) says he does not think Rome will excommunicate him or Msgr. de Castro-Mayer. Meanwhile he is contacting individual Bishops directly in the hope of finding a few more to take their stand, but so far in vain...
Against this virtually desperate back-drop, the Society makes plans with the grace of God to continue its world-wide advance. Externally, it is difficult to conceive of the two Bishops' Cry of Alarm going indefinitely unheeded, and internally Fr. Schmidberger has for instance projects for starting our first house in South Africa, and for re-constructing in the United States after the misfortunes of last April. One guiding principle will be that a priest should not be left alone if possible; which may mean the laity being disappointed in some parts, doubly delighted in others..
God willing, the four new priests will be ordained by Archbishop Lefebvre Sunday morning, May 13 at the Seminary in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Start planning to come in large numbers, because the Archbishop wants many people to be around their future priests at the great moment for everyone of their receiving the immense Grace of the priesthood. The four of them are now Deacons, able to preach, and one of them, Rev. Tom Mroczka, helped Fr. Petit to give the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius in the week following Christmas. He much enjoyed preaching the Exercises, and these were a great success, as usual, so there is, please God, one more apostle of His in the making!
Better to light a candle than curse the darkness, says the proverb, The Society of St. Pius X is lighting its candle, however little, and however menacing the all-round darkness of this New Year, 1984. Many thanks to all of you that sent us Christmas cards with your good wishes, and many thanks for your support, and for your prayers' above all.
The Seminary is financially surviving, and spiritually thriving. May God reward you for your goodness, and keep you in His Grace throughout the coming year!
Sincerely yours in Our Divine Lord,
Fr. Richard Williamson
