Priests of every Nation Dear Friends and Benefactors,
"The time is at hand. He that hurteth, let him hurt still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is just, let him be justified still: and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still." This quotation from the Apocalypse (XXII, 10,11), meaning the good are to get better and the bad to get worse, sums up my impressions from several days spent in June at the Seminary of the Society of St. Pius X in Ecône, Switzerland, and a few days spent in July at the Society's house in Albano, near Rome.
On the one hand, the situation steadily worsens in Rome. Just one hour before boarding the plane for Europe, I picked up a book to read called "In God's Name: an Investigation into the murder of John-Paul I" by a certain David Yallop. It is a fascinating. It must contain many truths, because in arguing that Pope Luciani was certainly murdered, it presents a picture of him behind the scenes corresponding perfectly to the puzzling mixture of good and an evil of the personna which he presented in public at the time. For instance, we knew that as Patriarch of Venice he favored ecumenism and oppressed traditionalists; David Yallop goes further, quoting how he fully intended as Pope to reverse Pope Paul VI's stand against contraception! (Interestingly enough, David Yallop's clear approval of this intention shows that it is not Traditionalism making him criticize the Vatican). On the other hand we also knew that Pope John-Paul I was reaching to the people as out of a prison in the Vatican, for on a holy card I have seen with my own eyes which he inscribed in Latin for a South African Catholic who had just written to him to congratulate him on his election, he chose the verse from Acts XII: "Peter therefore was kept in prison. But prayer was made without ceasing by the church unto God for him". This interesting choice is more than explained by David Yallop's picture of the tremendous tussle shaping up between Pope Luciani and the officials around him, just when the Pope died..... It really looks as though Pope John-Paul I was on the point of straightening out the Vatican's involvement in some very crooked finances, (Archbishop Marcinkus, Roberto Calvi), and of removing from office some very high-ranking Free-masons (Cardinal Villot, Cardinal Baggio), but they got to him before he could get to them.....may his soul rest in peace.
As for Rome six years after Pope John-Paul I, the situation is dramatic. To a heroic Italian priest thoroughly versed in current events in Rome, I put the question whether Rome is aware of the ruination of the Church, and if so, how can Rome possibly be allowing it to continue? He replied: "There is nothing to be done: They are all sold men. They realize they are doing wrong, but they don't want to recognize that wrong is wrong .... Nowadays it is very easy to play a double game .... the situation is tremendous.... These men are egotists. They do not understand what Our Lord is about." And this alarming diagnosis was confirmed to me by others. Thus an intimate knowledge of what is happening at the very center of the Church shows that what is bad, is getting worse.
However, we who follow Catholic Tradition should not lose sight of the fact that Rome is still in some respects hampering the Modernists – these do not love Pope John-Paul II, and we must be careful, in our criticisms of what Rome is doing, not to lend strength to the liberals who would throw over Roman control altogether. For our part, we look forward to the day when we can again in everything obey Rome, truly guiding us in the Faith. Meanwhile this "tremendous situation" is also a tremendous object lesson in the love and power of God, choosing to leave His Church in such frail and wicked hands and yet saving it despite the worst they can do. For even as the wicked get worse, so He is enabling the good who cooperate with His grace to become better.
For instance, in perfect early summer weather I saw 25 new Priests being ordained at Ecône on June 29, including 17 for the Society, and six more were ordained two days later at the Society's Seminary in Germany. Of these 23 new Society Priests, an Australian is being sent to South Africa, a Belgian to Holland, a Canadian to England, an Italian to Portugal, a New Zealander to Australia, and a Spaniard to Mexico, but I do not know of any of these countries complaining about having "foreign" Priests sent to them. The complaint is rather that they would all like more good Priests, whatever their nationality, and such is the reaction of true Catholics. Did not our Lord say to his all Jewish Apostles, "Go and teach all nations" (MT. XXVIII, 19)? And were not countless nations duly evangelized by them, foreigners in all but the Faith? How would these nations have received the Faith, had they refused foreigners? And so it has been right down the history of the Catholic Church.
Amidst literally thousands of examples, the "Apostle of Germany" was an Englishman, St. Boniface, and my own country, England, was evangelized and re-evangelized by two Italians, St. Augustine of Canterbury and St. Dominic Barberi. Now here in the U.S.A. some of us Society priests are called foreigners, although I wonder just how many Catholic priests in America can claim as I can a great-great-great-grandfather who fought as a Patriot in the Revolutionary War. James Nelson of McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania (1757-1828) entitles me to be an authentic Son of the American Revolution! But all such boasts are foolishness (II Cor. XI 21), we will glory in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ alone (Ga1.VI,14). Nationality is as trivial, compared with the Faith, as earth is when compared with Heaven. England was built by Catholics who put God before all else, it was in the 16th century ruined by Protestants who pretended to be true patriots. Likewise, woe unto America from Catholics, even Traditionalists, who would bend their Faith to suit their nationality! On the contrary America has been and always will be built up by Catholics who seek first and without interference the kingdom of God (Mt. VI 33) – was not a Spanish priest, Fr. Junipero Serra, a founding Father of California? And was it not a Belgian priest, Fr. de Smedt, who opened up large parts of the mid-West and North-West to this nation?
Be assured, the Society of St. Pius X forges ahead, the good with God's grace becoming better, and in the United States we are with your help steadily consolidating and advancing. Many thanks to all of you who faithfully send a monthly donation to support the Seminary. At the moment we have a good dozen vocations due to enter in mid-September. Pray, and that will be a dozen more good priests in May of 1990!
Already your prayers may have brought you another priest. The one mentioned last month as having twice visited us from the Novus Ordo decided to write to his Bishop to ask for a year's leave of absence. The answer – oral, not written – was that he must choose between submitting to psychiatric treatment or being officially suspended! He has chosen to take refuge for the time being with ourselves, and in return he looks like rendering us valuable service. Deo Gratias!
Another little item of good news is that the lady whose name and address we printed last month as having received from Cardinal Oddi approval of her attending on Sundays the Tridentine Mass at a Society Chapel, has received positive letters from all over the country. She means to reply to them all, but begs forgiveness if it takes her a little while. She has been heartened by the positive response. So should we be. All is not lost.
May God bless you and keep you, and may Our Lady grant you a special favour on the Feast-day of her Assumption.
With all good wishes in Our Divine Lord,
Fr. Richard Williamson
"The time is at hand. He that hurteth, let him hurt still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is just, let him be justified still: and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still." This quotation from the Apocalypse (XXII, 10,11), meaning the good are to get better and the bad to get worse, sums up my impressions from several days spent in June at the Seminary of the Society of St. Pius X in Ecône, Switzerland, and a few days spent in July at the Society's house in Albano, near Rome.
On the one hand, the situation steadily worsens in Rome. Just one hour before boarding the plane for Europe, I picked up a book to read called "In God's Name: an Investigation into the murder of John-Paul I" by a certain David Yallop. It is a fascinating. It must contain many truths, because in arguing that Pope Luciani was certainly murdered, it presents a picture of him behind the scenes corresponding perfectly to the puzzling mixture of good and an evil of the personna which he presented in public at the time. For instance, we knew that as Patriarch of Venice he favored ecumenism and oppressed traditionalists; David Yallop goes further, quoting how he fully intended as Pope to reverse Pope Paul VI's stand against contraception! (Interestingly enough, David Yallop's clear approval of this intention shows that it is not Traditionalism making him criticize the Vatican). On the other hand we also knew that Pope John-Paul I was reaching to the people as out of a prison in the Vatican, for on a holy card I have seen with my own eyes which he inscribed in Latin for a South African Catholic who had just written to him to congratulate him on his election, he chose the verse from Acts XII: "Peter therefore was kept in prison. But prayer was made without ceasing by the church unto God for him". This interesting choice is more than explained by David Yallop's picture of the tremendous tussle shaping up between Pope Luciani and the officials around him, just when the Pope died..... It really looks as though Pope John-Paul I was on the point of straightening out the Vatican's involvement in some very crooked finances, (Archbishop Marcinkus, Roberto Calvi), and of removing from office some very high-ranking Free-masons (Cardinal Villot, Cardinal Baggio), but they got to him before he could get to them.....may his soul rest in peace.
As for Rome six years after Pope John-Paul I, the situation is dramatic. To a heroic Italian priest thoroughly versed in current events in Rome, I put the question whether Rome is aware of the ruination of the Church, and if so, how can Rome possibly be allowing it to continue? He replied: "There is nothing to be done: They are all sold men. They realize they are doing wrong, but they don't want to recognize that wrong is wrong .... Nowadays it is very easy to play a double game .... the situation is tremendous.... These men are egotists. They do not understand what Our Lord is about." And this alarming diagnosis was confirmed to me by others. Thus an intimate knowledge of what is happening at the very center of the Church shows that what is bad, is getting worse.
However, we who follow Catholic Tradition should not lose sight of the fact that Rome is still in some respects hampering the Modernists – these do not love Pope John-Paul II, and we must be careful, in our criticisms of what Rome is doing, not to lend strength to the liberals who would throw over Roman control altogether. For our part, we look forward to the day when we can again in everything obey Rome, truly guiding us in the Faith. Meanwhile this "tremendous situation" is also a tremendous object lesson in the love and power of God, choosing to leave His Church in such frail and wicked hands and yet saving it despite the worst they can do. For even as the wicked get worse, so He is enabling the good who cooperate with His grace to become better.
For instance, in perfect early summer weather I saw 25 new Priests being ordained at Ecône on June 29, including 17 for the Society, and six more were ordained two days later at the Society's Seminary in Germany. Of these 23 new Society Priests, an Australian is being sent to South Africa, a Belgian to Holland, a Canadian to England, an Italian to Portugal, a New Zealander to Australia, and a Spaniard to Mexico, but I do not know of any of these countries complaining about having "foreign" Priests sent to them. The complaint is rather that they would all like more good Priests, whatever their nationality, and such is the reaction of true Catholics. Did not our Lord say to his all Jewish Apostles, "Go and teach all nations" (MT. XXVIII, 19)? And were not countless nations duly evangelized by them, foreigners in all but the Faith? How would these nations have received the Faith, had they refused foreigners? And so it has been right down the history of the Catholic Church.
Amidst literally thousands of examples, the "Apostle of Germany" was an Englishman, St. Boniface, and my own country, England, was evangelized and re-evangelized by two Italians, St. Augustine of Canterbury and St. Dominic Barberi. Now here in the U.S.A. some of us Society priests are called foreigners, although I wonder just how many Catholic priests in America can claim as I can a great-great-great-grandfather who fought as a Patriot in the Revolutionary War. James Nelson of McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania (1757-1828) entitles me to be an authentic Son of the American Revolution! But all such boasts are foolishness (II Cor. XI 21), we will glory in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ alone (Ga1.VI,14). Nationality is as trivial, compared with the Faith, as earth is when compared with Heaven. England was built by Catholics who put God before all else, it was in the 16th century ruined by Protestants who pretended to be true patriots. Likewise, woe unto America from Catholics, even Traditionalists, who would bend their Faith to suit their nationality! On the contrary America has been and always will be built up by Catholics who seek first and without interference the kingdom of God (Mt. VI 33) – was not a Spanish priest, Fr. Junipero Serra, a founding Father of California? And was it not a Belgian priest, Fr. de Smedt, who opened up large parts of the mid-West and North-West to this nation?
Be assured, the Society of St. Pius X forges ahead, the good with God's grace becoming better, and in the United States we are with your help steadily consolidating and advancing. Many thanks to all of you who faithfully send a monthly donation to support the Seminary. At the moment we have a good dozen vocations due to enter in mid-September. Pray, and that will be a dozen more good priests in May of 1990!
Already your prayers may have brought you another priest. The one mentioned last month as having twice visited us from the Novus Ordo decided to write to his Bishop to ask for a year's leave of absence. The answer – oral, not written – was that he must choose between submitting to psychiatric treatment or being officially suspended! He has chosen to take refuge for the time being with ourselves, and in return he looks like rendering us valuable service. Deo Gratias!
Another little item of good news is that the lady whose name and address we printed last month as having received from Cardinal Oddi approval of her attending on Sundays the Tridentine Mass at a Society Chapel, has received positive letters from all over the country. She means to reply to them all, but begs forgiveness if it takes her a little while. She has been heartened by the positive response. So should we be. All is not lost.
May God bless you and keep you, and may Our Lady grant you a special favour on the Feast-day of her Assumption.
With all good wishes in Our Divine Lord,
Fr. Richard Williamson
