Sliding Still – I ~ His Excellency Bishop Richard Williamson

Eleison Comments by His Excellency Bishop Richard Williamson

Sliding Still – I

”We have effaced Lefebvre. We die content.”
Such leaders are not Heaven-, but Hell-bent!

There have been signs to give one hope that the official Society of St Pius X is no longer sliding under the power and control of the Conciliar churchmen in Rome, but such signs are overwhelmed by the evidence to the contrary. For instance, on September 12 the new Superior General (SG) who was voted to take over from Bishop Fellay in July of last year, Fr Davide Pagliarani, made public an interview in which he said many good things, enough to make at least one reader of these “Comments” rejoice that the Society’s slide was being thrown into reverse. Alas, a recent report from Society HQ in Switzerland gives us to fear that Fr Pagliarani is being directed to say such conservative things in order to fool all Traditionalists who are not watching his actions. Here is the background and the report –

Catholic Tradition has houses in France of three outstanding Orders of monks and friars from the Church’s past: the Benedictines in Bellaigue, the Dominicans in Avrillé, the Franciscans in Morgon. All three were encouraged and helped to start in their day by Archbishop Lefebvre, but never did he claim authority over any of them, in fact he positively refused to do so, because he did not see the Society as having any mission to monopolise Tradition or to control all Traditional initiatives. Since their founding, all three independent houses have, relatively speaking, flourished, and in 2019, as is normal for monks and friars, all three exert a special influence over Traditionalists, all over the world one might say.

However, with the Society’s major change of direction which became public in 2012, relations of these houses with the Society have become problematic, because its leaders have naturally wanted these influential religious to change direction also. Several years ago the SSPX broke off relations with the Dominicans of Avrillé who were considered to be too independent, while the Franciscans have needed over the same period of time to adopt a policy carefully balanced between co-operation and independence. And as for the Benedictines, their young Superior from Brazil, Dom Placide, came last August under particular pressure from the Society.

Summoned to Menzingen by Fr Pagliarani, he was rebuked for his lack of co-operation with the Society, and a piece of paper was put before him by which he was to sign over to the Society all control over the Benedictine Monastery! When – to put it politely – he declined the offer, he was threatened that the whole world would be told that the SSPX was cutting off all relations with the Monastery. Dom Placide replied that it was up to the SG to do what he thought best, whereupon the threat changed. Now the threat was that all priories of the Society would be ordered to send no more vocations to Bellaigue. And this threat has been carried out. Dom Placide declined the offer to stay for lunch in Menzingen.

We are entitled to speculate upon such a conversation. If we wish to keep up our hopes for Fr Pagliarani personally, we might speculate that he himself was directed to use such bully tactics upon the relatively young head of the Benedictines. But he cannot avoid the responsibility for at least consenting to act the part of the bully. More seriously, the bully tactics suggest that Rome and Menzingen are plotting jointly to sweep together under the Society all presently independent Traditional groupings, and then to restructure the Society and replace it by a Personal Prelature under Conciliar Rome’s complete control. This would have two advantages for Rome’s war on Tradition: firstly the independence and last traces of Archbishop Lefebvre in the structure of the Society which he designed would disappear, and secondly Rome could then gently strangle, together with the Society, all Traditional groupings and initiatives in one fell swoop. Nor would the Society’s present leaders disapprove of the fell swoop, on the contrary, because as they gently dropped dead of the strangling they would at least have the official recognition for which they have striven for so long.

So much for the misleaders of the Society. But what about its followers, priests and laity?

Kyrie eleison.

Sliding Still – I ~ His Excellency Bishop Richard Williamson

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Michael on November 3, 2019 at 11:04am

This the crux of the issue. The CMRI has had quite a few people come to them either from the novey ordey due to the exploits of Francis or from the SSPX due to its slide toward Francis and the inherent compromise that comes with it. What I think that the CMRI offers to these faithful is structure. A bishop superior general, priests, sisters, and brothers, minor seminary, and an expanding group of chapels and schools. I am not a sede, but as I have said previously, I do not condemn them. They are doing the best they can in these upside down times of diabolic disorientation and are trying to save their souls, protect their families, and hang on to the Faith. I have several friends who attend CMRI and are at peace. I still believe that Benedict is the Pope and have serious reservations about the validity of the current claimant of the throne of Saint Peter. I know there are self proclaimed lay experts who declare anathema on any who do not embrace their position and would call me a fool or worse for my attitude toward the CMRI and its parishioners. I may be off base but I feel it is the FAITH that matters most and how we hold onto it no matter what comes. This is not a hybrid protestantism. I accept and believe in all the Church has taught prior to the disaster of the Second Vatican Council. The current leadership of the Church are working feverishly to undermine this teaching and to erect a new church and faith that openly mocks, derides, and apes the one given to us by Our Savior. Installing river demons in the See of Peter, need I say more?

His Excellency, is a profound intellect and if he would abandon his loose confederation of priests position could make a profound difference in helping traditional Catholics. Sometimes the mantel of leadership is foisted on a person whether they want it or not. I pray that Bishop Williamson takes up this mantel and use his great gifts to organize and galvanize traditional Catholic groups under one banner, much like Archbishop Lefebvre did. The confederation should be one made of groups and orders (SAJM, SSPX MC, Avrillé, Morgon, etc.) with Bishop Williamson as its leader, always affirming tradition as he does, and to encourage all now independent traditional priests worldwide to unite under the mantel of the SAJM. As Francis and his minions continue their attempt to destroy the Church more souls will be looking for a life raft and there needs to be one ready to take them in. Bishop Williamson could help immeasurably in bringing these souls to the truth.