Catholic Resistance

Purpose

The WikiProject Dictionary of the Catholic Resistance has been created in order to describe the various factions, schools or parties associated with various Catholic movements, in order to facilitate better understanding of concepts and beliefs.

Radical Traditionalist Catholicism

See main article Integrist

The more standard name for the movement, but not always accepted by those so described; it means those who identify themselves as Catholics who refuse to accept changes to Catholic Tradition, Theology and doctrines, praxis and liturgies instituted under John XXIII and the Vatican II Council (Henceforth, for brevity's sake, this will be concisely called "the Vatican II reforms").

One of the names used by a minority of Traditionalist Catholics to describe the same movement is Catholic Resistance. The term means the resistance to the reforms, with the reforms being seen as part of the Modernist heresy.

Traditional Catholics

Some traditional Catholics accept the Novus Ordo Missae but are highly critical of what they see as the abuses that have crept in the Roman Catholic Church.

Those who object to the "Vatican II Reforms" as a Matter of fact include John XXIII's Aggiornamento and Pope Pius XII's Easter Week reforms organized by Mons. Annibale Bugnini, who is denounced as the architect of most of these reforms. The latter - being discovered by Pope Paul VI to be a Freemason - was transferred as a Nuncio to Iran to avoid being in the limelight.

Neo-Conservative Movements

Neo-Conservative Catholics are defined as those persons, groups or organizations which accept what is understood in secular circles as being the Roman Catholic Church, but have certain problems (not standard) to varying degrees and with different understandings, with the Vatican II reforms.

It must be noted that the label is accepted by some persons; others, however, object to it being applied to them, and allege that it is a pejorative or derogatory label.

Accepting this church, they also accept its supreme leaders — those persons who are understood by the secular world as being Catholic popes, as legitimate Popes.

It must be noted that there is no true unity among these, but only personality-led factions that believe in differing degrees of distinction among themselves.

Also, that this category itself is very varied, with some being extreme left, trenchantly criticizing the reforms and post-Vatican II "popes", as the Fathers of Traditio.com do, and others (for a blindly "loyalist" form of Neo-Conservativism, see Jesse Romero, David & Joseph Moreaux http://www.kingdomofchrist.net etc.).

E.g.: the late Fr. Gommar de Pauw of the Catholic Traditionalist Movement, the Fathers of Traditio.com, Dr. Marian Horvat of Tradition in Action, Robert Sungenis, Fraternity of St. Peter, Institute of Christ the King, other "Indult" or "Ecclesia Dei" followers.

Lefebvrism

See main article SSPX

The largest and best organized movement of Catholics faithful to Tradition is centered around the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, or SSPX, the international pious union founded in 1970 by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, missionary Archbishop of Dakar, Senegal and Apostolic Delegate for French-Speaking Africa.

Lefebvrism is a pejorative term used to ostracize those who admire and applaud the doctrinal position of Archbishop Lefebvre who acknowledged as legitimate the reigning Pope of the Catholic Church, but refuse to obey any command or decree impeding or prohibiting them from being faithful to Catholic Traditions, rituals, practices and sacraments.

Although the SSPX publicly acknowledges the Pope as the head of the Church and prays for him in the Canon of every Mass, in 1988 Pope John Paul II issued a statement that Mons. Lefebvre, Mons. Antonio de Castro Mayer, and four bishops consecrated by them had excommunicated themselves from the Church for consecrating these bishops without a Papal Mandate.

Eight prominent Canon Law experts, three Cardinals among them, however, have pointed out that Mons. Lefebvre and Mons. de Castro Mayer were not in fact excommunicated. Consecrating the four bishops allegedly without the consent of the Apostolic See is not enough to incur excommunication. There must be the proper volition. Mons. Lefebvre and Mons. de Castro Mayer had made it clear on many occasions (and no one has ever disputed this point) that they were acting in obedience to their episcopal oath to guard the Faith and that they were consecrating these bishops to ensure the continuance of the true Roman Catholic Faith. Therefore, lacking an intent or will to break with the Pope, the alleged excommunication is invalid. Some critics note that interpretation of Canon Law belongs to the Pope, and that the Pope has interpreted Canon Law as excommunicating Mons. Lefebvre, with prior warning having been given.

E.g.: late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, founder of the SSPX http://www.sspx.org ; Fr. Franz Schmidberger, former Superior, SSPX; Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais from France; Bishop Richard Williamson from the United Kingdom; Bishop Bernard Fellay from Switzerland, Superior, SSPX; Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta from Spain, and the several religious congregations, universities, colleges, schools, presses, publications, and lay associations working worldwide under the spiritual direction of the SSPX.

Sedevacantism

See main article Sedevacantism

Sedevacantists are persons who reject the claims of the men since October 1958 who are understood by secular circles as Catholic popes and who claim that the Papacy is vacante (vacant).

Various groups have been identified or labelled as "Sedevacantist" but whose ideologies are in fact distinct from Sedevacantism and who must be categorized differently.

Sedevacantism, while being monolithic in belief, is divided into numerous disunited bodies or groups with no central authority.

E.g.: Bishop Kelly of the SSPV http://www.sspv.net , Dr. Eberhard Heller, Association of St. Athanasius and editor-publisher of the periodical "Einsicht", Germany; Bishop Oliver Oravec, the Czech Republic and Canada; Bishop Mark Anthony Pivarunas, C.M.R.I., U.S.A; Bishop Daniel Lytle Dolan, U.S.A.; Bishop Martin de Avila y Gandara, Acapulco, Mexico; Bishop Thomas Sebastian, S.S.C.R., U.S.A.; Bishop Patrick C. Taylor, S.V.M., U.S.A.; Bishop Jose Ramon Lopez y Gaston, U.S.A.; Bishop Jose Franklin Urbina y Aznar, U.S.A.; Bishop Merrill William Brian Adamson, U.S.A.; Bishop Guido Jaime Alarcon y Zegada, Cochabamba, Bolivia; Bishop Gary Alarcon y Zegada, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia; Bishops Richard F. Bedingfeld & Terence Dowling, F.S.S.Th., Cascades, South Africa; Bishop John E. Hesson, New Jersey, U.S.A.; Bishop Peter Hillebrand, Japan; Bishop José de Jesus Roberto Martínez y Gutiérez, Jalisco, Mexico; Bishop Augustinus Pohl-Dungen, Germany; Bishop Francis Slupski, Rockford, Illinois, U.S.A.; Bishop Louis Vezelis, Rochester, New York, U.S.A.; Rama P Coomaraswamy, U.S.A, Catholic Doctrine Forum, (Chuck Sampair) various laypersons and organizations, such as the John Daly-John Lane group, etc.

Sedeprivationism

See main article Sedeprivationism

Also called the Cassiciacum Thesis, for the journal, Cahiers de Cassiciacum in which it was first published, or as the Materialiter-Formaliter Thesis, or Guerardism, after its author.

It was first propounded by the late Guerard des Lauriers who latter become a bishop at the hands of Bishop Peter Martin Ngo Dinh Thuc, brother of the President of Vietnam, John Baptist Ngo Dinh Diem, murdered by Buddhists with John Kennedy's approval.

Sedeprivationism postulates that the 'Conciliar Popes' have been 'materially Popes only.' Hence, that the See of Peter is not strictly vacant but rather in a state of privation.

E.g.: Bishop Robert Fidelis McKenna, O.P., and his Orthodox Roman Catholic Movement based in Monroe, Connecticut, U.S.A.; Bishop Donald Sanborn, U.S.A.; Fr. Francesco Ricossa of the Italy-based Institute of the Mother of Good Counsel, a faction that had broken off from Marcel Lefebvre's group, and by Bishop Geert Jan Stuyver, consecrated by Bishop McKenna.

Conclavism

See main article Conclavism

Certain Sedevacantists proceed from the idea of a Sede vacante to the idea of organizing, somehow or the other, an election to supply the lack of the pope on which Sedevacantism is premised.

Some of these suggest an Acephalous Council of Bishops, which others reject as impossible given that all territorial bishops have defected to Modernism, others postulate that in the emergency situation currently existing the Church permits a lay conclave or a mixed clerical-lay conclave to elect the true pope to end the Sede vacante.

Several writers have postulated such ideas, especially on the Sangre de Cristo Newsnotes, a Traditionalist Catholic publication put out by Fr. Dan. Jones.

It is claimed that Fr. Joaquin Saenz y Arriaga, S.J., was the first to articulate this idea in his book Sede Vacante.

Teresa Benns and David Bawden became the first to take concrete steps in this line, resulting in the election, September 1990, of Bawden, who took the name Michael I.

Four years later, in 1994 under the inspiration of former Una Voce founder-member, Dr. Elizabeth von Gerstner, who had once worked in the Vatican under Pope Pius XII, a group of some 20 Thuc lineage bishops and several laypersons assembled at Assisi, Italy, where Fr. Victor von Pentz was elected, resulting in Linus II.

Again, in 1998, Lucian Pulvermacher gathered his followers for a phone-in election, as a result of which he claimed to have been elected and took the name Pius XIII.

Conclavists are also sometimes called Post-Sedevacantists.

Mere Sedevacantism

Sedevacantists who refuse to assent to Conclavism are denounced by Conclavists as "Mere Sedevacantists", people whose ideas are arrested at Sedevacantism and who do not follow its logic into Conclavism. Those so designated reject that label.

Mysticalism

See main article Mysticalism

Besides Sedevacantists and Conclavists, there are a great many persons who claim to be Pope, but who do not claim to have been elected by men, but to have been constituted Pope by some supernatural figure from heaven in an apparition which was revealed to themselves.

The Frenchman, Michel Colin, who began his claim in 1953-54, and re-asserted it in 1963 during the Vatican II Council, is sometimes asserted to have been a "Mysticalist"; however, he and several others of these claimants have not arisen from within the Traditionalist Catholic movement, and so are not eligible to be considered here.

E.g.: The late Clemente Domingues y Gomez in Seville as Gregory VII; Julius Tischler as Peter II in Germany; Maurice Archieri as Peter II, France; Aime Baudet aka "Peter II", Brussels, Belgium; Peter Henry Bubois aka "Peter II", Canada, etc.

Manuel Alonso Corral in Seville as Peter II as the successor of Clemente Dominguez y Gomez, can be considered by extension as a Mysticalist; he is, however, better described as a Palmarian.

Palmarianism

See main article Palmarianism

Palmarianism was commenced by the late Clemente Dominguez y Gomez who claimed that he was mystically constituted Pope, that he was to be the last pope, the Great Pope and Great Monarch of Catholic prophecies (but the prophecies portray them as two separate persons) who would become World Emperor and then be murdered at Jerusalem commencing the Reign of Antichrist; that the See of Peter has been henceforth permanently transferred from Rome to the Sevillan hamlet of El Palmar de Troya, where he (Clemente) was enthroned as the Bishop of El Palmar de Troya and thus Pope; and that the name of the Church has been changed from Roman to Palmarian.

Against this, it is contended:

1. It is Catholic Doctrine that submission to the Roman Pontiff is essential to salvation (Unam Sanctam, etc.)
2. It is Catholic Doctrine that the See of Peter is fixed immoveably in Rome, and so that, even when a Pope lives in exile, he is Bishop of Rome as the basis of being Pope.
3. It is Catholic Doctrine that the Church of Rome is Indefectible and that its Faith is the Norm for the Universal Church. (Vatican I, Pastor Æternas).

Therefore, in practice, Palmarianism denies, contradicts or negates these fundamental Catholic doctrines, thus constituting Palmarianism a distinct heresy according to Catholic Canon Law.

E.g.: The late Clemente Domingues y Gomez in Seville as Gregory VII; Manuel Alonso Corral in Seville as Peter II as the successor of Clemente Dominguez y Gomez.

Sirianism or Sedeimpeditism

See main article Sirianism

Sirianism is the belief or suspicion that Giuseppe Cardinal Siri was actually elected the Pope in the 1958 Conclave, even taking the regnal name Gregory XVII, but was forced aside under duress, enabling Angelo Roncalli to assume the throne as John XXIII. However, because forced "resignation" under duress is not a valid ground for papal resignation, Sirianists believe that Siri was in actuality the Pope, probably until his death in 1989, thus invalidating subsequent officially-recognized popes as well. Another more technical term for this belief, which is not limited to the case of Siri, is Sedeimpeditism, after sede impedita, or "impeded See", meaning that the Pope has been barred by outside forces from exercising his de jure powers as Pope. This is used as an explanation for why Vatican II is in fact a Latrocinium and should be disregarded by Catholics as legitimate.

The claim that Giuseppe Cardinal Siri was elected pope in the Conclave of 1958 when on October 26, 1958, at 5:55 PM, white smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel for a full five minutes, according to reports of the Associated Press and news organizations throughout the world. White smoke traditionally means that a Cardinal has been elected Pope, that he has accepted the office, and that he has chosen a name.

However, the white smoke turned to black smoke five minutes later, at 6 PM on October 26, 1958, and no pope emerged at that time. It was not until two days later that Angelo Roncalli emerged on the balcony as John XXIII. Since the Vatican began a long series of "liberalizing" changes from 1958 onwards, the "Siri Thesis" advocates claim that Siri had been elected Pope at the sign of the white smoke of October 26, 1958, took the name Gregory XVII, but was then overthrown and prevented from taking control of the Chair of Peter and the Vatican.

Malachi Martin, a Vatican insider and assistant to Cardinal Bea in 1963, writing about Siri in his book "Keys of this Blood" (pages 600 to 610), said that Siri was also elected at the 1963 conclave, but was then forced under duress to resign, due to "the little brutality", which Martin says involved the very existence of the Vatican state. Siri Thesis proponents say that this is a strong suggestion from Martin that the cardinals were threatened with nuclear annihilation of themselves and the Vatican if they did not "dump" Siri immediately and replace him with a more acceptable candidate to one or more of the hostile world powers which possessed nuclear weapons at that time (i.e, USSR, or the USA, or both).

The most outspoken "Siri Thesis" advocates maintain that Siri retained his right and title to be Pope [Pope Gregory XVII] citing the 1917 Code of Canon Law 185 which decrees: "Resignation is invalid by law if it was made out of grave fear unjustly inflicted, fraud, substantial error, or simony." As "Siri" (A.K.A. Gregory XVII) was put under duress within the 1958 Conclave [resulting in a forced resignation]this "resignation" was invalid by Canon Law [185], as it was unjustly inflicted and made while under grave threat/fear.

A Vietnamese priest, Fr. Peter Khoat Van Tran, who met secretly with "Cardinal Siri" on June 14th, 1988 at the Istituto Ravasco Convent in Rome, Italy (and has photographic evidence of his meeting(s) See: http://www.thepopeinred.com/1988.htm) publicly stated on video tape before a group of Traditional Catholics on May 20th, 2006 that the Hostage Pope ("Siri") named Cardinals circa 1988. A website whose content Fr. Peter Khoat Van Tran supports (see: http://www.thepopeinred.com/bio-gregory-xvii.htm) claims that the "Siri" Cardinals elected Gregory XVII's Successor(s), who it seems remains hidden: security reasons have been speculated as to the lack of visibility of these Pontiffs.

The pioneer researcher of the "Siri Thesis" was Frenchman Monsieur Louis-Hubert Remy, who on May 18th, 1985 after meeting with and directly questioning Cardinal Siri about the rumored possible unlawful occurrences at various past conclaves that he (Siri) partook in - and witnessing Cardinal Siri's replies and reactions to his inquires - in the summer of 1986 published (in the bulletin SOUS LA BANNIERE No.06) the groundbreaking article "The Pope: Could He Be Cardinal Siri?" (see: http://www.theimmaculateheart.com/remy.htm).

Following the lead of journalist Monsieur Remy, concerning what became known as the "Siri Thesis", was among others, a portrait artist and investigator, Mr. Gary Giuffre of Texas, who published about eight articles in 1988 and 1989 through the Sangre de Christi Newsnotes.

Gary Giuffre of Texas and his close friend James J. Condit Jr. of Ohio still support the "Siri Thesis" as to the most likely solution to what has happened to the Catholic Church since 1958. Some of the Giuffre articles can be found at: http://www.october1958.com -- and one of them has commentary from James J. Condit Jr. One of the articles, "Warnings from Heaven Suppressed", makes the case that the election and suppression of a true Pope, then replaced by an antipope, fits the prophecies of many holy persons over the centuries, and well as the scholarly analysis of many Catholic clergy. Proponents say that what happened to Siri in 1958 may have inaugurated the "Eclipse of the Church" spoken of by Our Lady of La Salette in 1846, a vision that was approved by Pope Pius IX and Pope Leo XIII.

At one time Mr. Hutton Gibson wrote in favor of the Siri Thesis in some of his books and newsletters in the 1990s, but in 2005 he retracted his support for the "Siri Thesis", reassuming his original position from the 1970s and 1980s that no (lawful) Pope had been elected at the 1958 conclave, and that the Catholic Church had been without a Pope since the death of Pope Pius XII on October 9, 1958. (This position is called sede vacante, or the "vacant chair" position.)

The owner of the website Novus Ordo Watch (was contacted by Giuffre with information relating to the subject) and agreed to publish a webpage on the "Siri Thesis" in 2004, which can be found at: http://www.novusordowatch.org/siri.htm

Mr. David Hobson, a business owner and the Editor of the (online) ultramontane Catholic News Journal, "In Today's Catholic World" from Minnesota (who first learned of the claim of "Siri" being elected Pope - in 1999) began publishing some of Remy's and Giuffre's material and his own in 2004 - as well as a piece that Condit Jr., agreed to contribute to in September of 2005 - on his "StGemma.com" ring of websites.

Hobson, through an independent source in December 2005, was put in touch with Fr. Peter Khoat Van Tran [the priest who met with "Siri" several times in 1988]. His group of "Catholic militant" websites have brought to light the most information on the subject to date. Hobson is reportedly to have recently told others that he believes there is a Pope through the lawful Apostolic Succession (i.e. Gregory VII) in exile now [in eclipse].

In September, 2006, Catholic Family News (CFN) Editor John Vennari published a one page article in that newspaper, noting that he rejected the Siri theory because by all appearances Cardinal Siri went along with all of the "Vatican II" Popes who controlled the Vatican after 1958. Hobson's "In Today's Catholic World" (TCW) published a point-by-point rebuttal to the Vennari (CFN) piece, stating Vennari did not represent the "Siri Thesis" accurately and cited evidence that "Siri" was under a documented death threat (duress) for decades. In addition (TCW's) Editor [Hobson] publicly challenged Vennari to reply to (TCW's) defense of the "Siri Theory" (against the CFN piece) in a news interview on September 27, 2006 [listen to audio at: http://www.todayscatholicworld.com/listensubscribe.htm] which Vennari did not reply to.

Michael Matt, Editor of the pro "Vatican II popes" Remnant Newspaper -a long time friend and associate of Vennari [Editor of CFN]- initially had posted the Vennari piece (against the "Siri Thesis") on his newspaper's website, yet after In Today's Catholic World's refutation of the (CFN) contra "Siri Thesis" article, promptly removed the Vennari piece (from his website) with no explanation.

Some say that publicly Cardinal Siri always condemned "Siri Vacantists", but these claims are not documented with citations, other than by citing the implications of the public record, such as John Vennari did in Catholic Family News.

The "Siri Thesis" seemed to gain new life when Cardinal Francesco Pompedda stated on 3 September 2005 in the Italian daily LaStampa that any reconciliation between "traditionalists" and the Vatican would have to include an explicit recognition of all the Papal elections since the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958. This was the first time any Vatican authority had ever conceded that there were questions being raised about these conclaves.

Also, in February of 2006, an article appeared in "Inside the Vatican" magazine, edited by long time collaborator of Cardinal Ratzinger (by then Benedict XVI), Robert Moynihan, entitled, "The Siri Thesis Unravels." This article was arranged by a man who collaborated with Gary Giuffre on the Siri investigation for several years, gaining enough confidence to obtain some of Giuffre's unpublished research. This man, Silvio Mattacchione from Canada, in collaboration with Moynihan, used one unpublished tidbit of information, still under investigation, to state that the Siri Thesis had "unraveled." This article, coming from a long time friend and associate of Benedict XVI, namely, Robert Moynihan, sparked renewed interest on the part of some into this little known position regarding the possible election and overthrow of Cardinal Siri in 1958 as an explanation for what has happened in the structures of the Catholic Churches since that time. A detailed three-part rebuttal to Moynihan and Mattacchione's article was posted on the Internet not long afterwards (see: 1 2 3).

Home-Alone

See main article Home Alone

Those who reject the validity of all Traditionalist Catholic priests and bishops who procured their orders without papal leave and under the principle of Epikeia or Ecclesia supplet since the reforms of John XXIII and Vatican II and in the Underground Catholic Church, preferring to worship at home, alone. E.g.: Patrick Henry, U.S.A.

Habemuspapamism

Habemus papam is Latin for "We have a Pope!", the announcement made when a new pope is elected to succeed the previous one.

The word names the theological opinion that the present pope in the Vatican is a true pope. Its opposite is sedevacantism, which opines that he is not and that there is no true pope today. Some have used the word by extension to refer also to those few who adhere to an alternative pope as the true pope, especially to distance sedevacantists from them.

Feeneyism

See main article Feeneyism

The doctrine associated with Fr. Leonard Feeney, originally of the Jesuits. Repeated Catholic dogma that only Roman Catholics are saved. Denied the doctrine of "baptism" of blood and "baptism" of desire. Organized a group called St. Benedict's Center. Supposedly excommunicated for refusing summons to Rome during the pontificate of Pope Pius XII.

Fr. Feeney was reconciled with the Catholic Church under Paul VI without any requirement to recant or apologize for anything.

Represented by

• The various St. Benedict's Centers, and the order founded by Fr. Feeney, the Mancipia Immaculata Cordis Mariae (M.I.C.M.)
• Richard J.M. Ibranyi, Catholic Evangelist, (www.JohnTheBaptist.us) 4
• David Brindle
• The Brothers Michael and Peter Dimond and their so-called "Benedictine" Most Holy Family Monastery. ( In truth, the brothers are not Benedictine. There is no "Most Holy Family Monastery" in Fillmore, New York, listed in the official Catholic Directory. Therefore, it is not authentically Catholic at all. Fillmore is located in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, and the bishop there has announced that the magazine and "Monastery" have no connection with the Catholic Church.) 5

Old Catholics

The Old Catholic Church is a community of Christian churches. Many of these were German-speaking churches which split from the Roman Catholic church in the 1870s because of the promulgation of the dogma of Papal Infallibility as promoted by the First Vatican Council of 1869–1870. The term 'Old Catholic' was first used in 1853 to describe the members of the See of Utrecht that were not under Papal authority. Some "National Catholic" Churches such as The Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC), as well as the Liberal Catholic Churches, emerged from this line. While many Old Catholic Churches are a part of the Union of Utrecht, there are just as many that are still independent, especially in the United States.

They are therefore, strictly speaking, not part of the so-called Catholic Resistance since they pre-date Vatican II.

Western Orthodoxy

See main article Western Orthodoxy

Movement of Catholics disaffected by the "Vatican II Reforms" that have altogether abandoned Catholicism for Greek Orthodoxy, Monophysitism or Nestorianism, with most heading for Greek Orthodoxy.

Continuing Anglicanism

See main article Continuing Anglicanism

Catholics and Anglicans combining together against the respective ascendant Modernism in their churches.