Of Popes and Catholic Churches

The Roman Catholic Church, like all institutions dominated by humans, is not perfect. It nevertheless remains the cradle of European civilisation, the teat from which the nations of Europe were nursed. If you are a Catholic, then you believe that your Church, however flawed at the hands of Men it might have become, was instituted of Christ and entrusted to Peter's safekeeping. For many, this is enough to bind their faith forever, but Catholicism is a complicated creature. Like any corporate entity, made up of so many constituent parts, it is very easy to incorrectly define it in terms of one part of the whole. Such is a common fallacy, when we posit that P = Q when in fact P + R + P1 et al. = Q. Generalisations are inevitable, but it is hard to miss noticing that many on the New Right, Alt-Right and wider reactionary orthosphere are Traditionalist Catholics. It's not an unusual phenomenon, since Catholicism has been embraced by those reacting against the excesses of the left since at least the time of the French Revolution (cf. the historical Joseph de Maistre, or Adam Mueller). The accusation that the European and American New Right is anti-Christian in some way is blatantly untrue [a caveat: the linked video is very poor in many ways, but nonetheless sums up the mainstream conservative perception of the New Right well], although we at Reflections have some interesting ideas about the many neopagans and heathens who flock to white nationalism - a story for another time. For now though, we focus on Catholicism, a defence, and an admonition. 

Standing around shouting Deus vult in the face of leftists doesn't get us very far at all. Terms like that have legitimate uses and legitimate power in the right situations, but before continuing it is important to point out that religion stands separately from, but nevertheless interested in, politics. It is wrong, and in fact quite vacuous to use traditional religion as a cover for controversial viewpoints. Religion can lead to such viewpoints of course, but if you shout Deus vult at the end of every speech, but fail to appreciate Catholicism in anything other than a superficial way, it would probably be better for all involved if you spent some more time with your Confessor, and at the Eucharist. Religion remains a mystery which only the complex discipline theology and a few blessed mystics have come close to understanding. Yet, however much time we may spend reflecting and seeking the knowledge of the Divine, the real problems with Traditionalist Catholicism remain. This brief essay will be dedicated to working through the major problems that Traditionalist Catholics face today, particularly with regard to politics and liberal theology, Papal authority, and the war of attrition against Christ's people. 

Traditionalist Catholicism has great appeal precisely because it is one of the few quasi-successful conservative projects to have survived within a pan-national institution. Vatican II, and the reforms which have kept following in its wake did change the character of the Catholic Church forever, and in many unhelpful and nonsensical ways. It is contentious that claim that the Council's intentions were heretical, but its consequences certainly normalised a number of clearly heretical practices. The Church had always exercised a degree of economy in its teachings in order to allow for awkward or mundane situations which fell outside the black-and-white prescriptions of Canon Law. One only needs to look at the history of medieval convents and monasteries, and the various chapters and brotherhoods that grew up in Europe to see evidence of real Christian tolerance; event Saint Francis was considered by some to be a heretic, but nay, the Church claimed him, because he was clearly a man deeply touched by Divine Compassion. Despite Vatican II, however, many clergy and laymen remain dedicated to traditional doctrine, and many churches still offer a Tridentine Mass at least every so often, whilst some fewer still offer it exclusively, albeit in private and somewhat surreptitious circumstances. So long as there are Catholics, there will remain Traditionalists who will not let the ancient and perfected doctrines and liturgies of our Church fall into the hands of neglect so easily. That at least should give Trad Catholics hope. 

It was the Protestant liberal theology of the late 19th and early 20th century that set the ball rolling with regard to corruption of traditional doctrine, although the capitalisation upon this by the neo-Marxist left in the 20th century accelerated doctrinal decline in most of Europe. If you look at the statistics today, secularisation in Europe has meant that the majority of Roman Catholics are now concentrated in the Southern Hemisphere (God save them!) and the religious gap seems only set to widen. 'Spirituality' is on the increase at the expense of Christianity, so Traditionalist Catholicism seems a natural retreat for those who seek the truth behind European civilisation's past successes. It has many truths to offer, but it is naturally, due to its more mystical theology and stubborn orthodoxy, a counter-cultural religious movement, and successive Catholic administrations have proven that counter-culture is increasingly becoming something which successive Popes would rather condemn and distance themselves from, rather than stand firm maintain the doctrines which the Christ-hating left spits upon. 

Trad Catholics tend to value some sort of ultramontanism, or Papal authority, even infallibility. All Catholics are obliged to have tremendous respect for their Pope. His Holiness Francis is obviously a sincere man, but the endless pressure which appears to be placed on him by liberal Catholics and shady figures wishing to destroy our Church from within is clearly taking its toll. His recent comment that "it is communists who think like Christians" provoked some laughter in the author. His own ideological priorities in leading the Catholic Church appear to have been already decided for him - but what is to be done by the Trads, who at once respect the Pope, but cannot abide the destruction of our doctrine via liberal-Marxist corruption? 

Some have found a solution by claiming that modern Popes have no authority. Some have appealed to alternative Popes. These options are clearly not viable for the majority, and the legacy of the past fifty or so years is not going to be rolled back any time soon. The present times show us reasons to be sceptical about Papal infallibility. Ultimately the Pope is a man, subject to as much corruption as any human, and whilst he may have been afforded his position through grace, and through love of God, it is just as possible for evil forces to influence the Holy See, as history teaches us, as it is for good. It is not healthy to speculate about the plan of the Divine without firm evidence, but oftentimes, the tests of God prove even too much for the most holy among us. The best option in the first instance is to raise awareness of those forces who influence our Church and its leaders, the metapolitical Marxists, the Soros lobby etc. Their reasons for trying to destroy Christianity have little to do with justice or liberty - if they cared about such things, they would truly believe in God - their path is one of destruction and the end of of virtue, the only medium for the responsible use of power.

Having had many conversations with Catholics of various persuasions over the years, Reflections' author, de Maistre II, has some idea of the internal debates that frequently arise. When same-sex marriage was brought onto the statute books in the United Kingdom a few years ago, conservative Christians voiced objections, of course accompanied by the chorus of homophobe-crying accusators that is to be expected. Many 'liberal' Catholics expressed support for same-sex marriage. This term 'liberal Catholic' is a curious one. For one thing, it doesn't appear to mean anything tangible at all, it is a loose term bandied around which sometimes can refer to mainstream Catholicism, and at other times, to liberal political activism within the Catholic Church. You get some Catholics who say strange things like "I oppose abortion, but wouldn't force anyone to be subjected to my view", which is obviously a grave moral contradiction in itself - if you don't support the right to murder, why would it be right to sit back an allow abortions to take place, even if you considered them morally abominable? Such people wouldn't let other murders go uninvestigated or unpunished after all. It  makes little sense, but this is one expression of liberal Catholicism. Another sort is simply the abandonment of doctrine, the Christians who would rather have Catholics imitate the numerous liberal Protestants who have given up on tradition, who bleat with a syrupy sickliness: "the Church should accept gay marriage; should accept abortion; should accept and love all." Most such people have thought about theology for about five minutes and decided that the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ gives them the right to absolve everyone of every sin, however tragic or destructive. Such views are dangerous, and are not so much liberal Catholic, as un-Catholic. Just look at all the supposed 'good' that comes from accepting these sorts of changes.

Liberalism is leaning on the Church, it has been for some time, and the Church is starting to give way, with only the relatively small number of concerned Trads trying to seal the cracks with concrete defences. Trad Catholics appreciate tradition not because they are grumpy and obstinate, but because it was Trad Catholicism which saw Europe through its golden age. Being a TC does not involve a complete rejection of individual rights or a surrender of all agency to Papal authority. It means tapping into the timeless teachings of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as manifest in Church tradition, Patristic tradition, and ultimately the numerous revelations of God. Attempts to drag Catholicism towards a neo-Marxist agenda is no Catholicism at all. TCs needn't be worried about themselves too much, because they will always have a support network in the form of their sympathisers and Trad brothers. In order to combat the potential destruction of this age-old institution of ours, there needs to be a concentrated force of action centred around changing the attitudes of mainstream Catholicism, and demonstrating to our leaders that a break with tradition means a break with God.

It may be a long shot, but such a move is the only future for the Church as it stands. Perhaps we need a figure such as the Young Pope (which, by the way, despite initial fears, proved to be a welcome artistic break from the received view of Trad Catholics, and presented a conservative Pope for once in a vaguely sympathetic and human way). Or, perhaps we need to take Catholicism elsewhere. Only time will tell - for now, we must guard our hearts, and remember to never give up in the pursuit of truth, spiritual and temporal.

Keep an eye on that smile - who knows who pulls the strings for it.