VIDEO: Michael Matt reacts to the SSPX consecrations

This is a follow-up to "Letter from Michael Matt re the Society of St. Pius X's intended consecration of new bishops",WWW 30/6/26. The consecrations took place in Switzerland this morning, as promised. On the latest Remnant Underground, Mr Matt asks: What happens now?

 

Mr Matt, like the rest of us traditional Catholics, is waiting for Pope Leo's slipper to drop. Will he blink, or will he drop the excrement-mallet on all those who dare to be Catholic? Stay tuned!!!

UPDATED: The end of Western civilization is here (VIDEO)

I don't want readers to think of me as one of those street-corner preachers, wearing a hair shirt and holding a sign saying "The end of the world is coming!" But, as I wrote in  "Not only the Vatican opposes woke gender ideology" (WWW 20/11/25), the end of our world -- of our Western (i.e. Christian) civilization -- is what the One-Worlders, including many Catholic hierarchs, are planning for us and pushing on us. 

Their replacement will be a New World Order of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in which all cultures are equal -- some more so than yours, dear reader -- and Christianity is replaced by the New World Religion of secular humanism, in which believers are their own gods and define their own morality. (Offer void where prohibited by Sharia law.)

The latest episode of Anthony Stine's Return to Tradition vlog, a priest who lost everything speaking the truth to the Church, has a new warning about the end of the Christian age.

Mr. Stine seems to assume that his followers already know of Father Donald Kloster. For those who don't, Fr. Kloster is a priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport CT, and a very traditional Catholic. Reader who would like to see and hear him are recommended to click here to see "What Vatican II Did and Did Not Do".

UPDATE AND WOW!!! (added at 1237 FMT): "State Dept. Warns Mass Migration an ‘Existential Threat’ to Western Civilization", Breitbart News, 22/11/25. The first two paragraphs:

"The United States government has warned that mass migration represents an 'existential threat' to Western civilization and has warned Europe against the continuing open borders policies and the creation of two-tier justice systems that favour foreigners over native populations. 

In a shot across the bow against the open borders ideology that has taken hold in the halls of power in many Western European capitals, the U.S. State Department urged its allies 'to take bold action and defend citizens against the threats posed by mass migration.'"

"Catholic" governor of WA signs law requiring priests to break the seal of the confessional

The great state of Washington is known to be liberal in its politics and policies, every bit as much as its neighbours of the Left Coast. On Friday, its governor, Bob Ferguson (D - are you surprised?) signed a controversial state law that requires priests to report child abuse to authorities, even if they learn of it during the Sacrament of Confession.

The measure, introduced in the state Legislature earlier this year, adds clergy to the list of mandatory abuse reporters in the state but doesn't include the exemption for information learned in the confessional which was written into the 2023 version of bill. 

The original version carved out abuse allegations learned "solely as a result of a confession." The latest bill explicitly notes that clergy do not qualify for a "privileged communication" exemption. 

Just like Sleepy Joe Biden, Governor Ferguson calls himseslf a Catholic. He told the meejua that as a Catholic he was "very familiar" with the Sacrament of Confession. He did not say, though, when he last availed himself of the sacrament, or whether he intended to do so at the first opportunity, to confess to the grave sin of putting the laws of Caesar ahead of those of God. 

Apparently Mr Ferguson either did not attend RK class at school, or was instructed by some modernist who doesn't know the Faith. Canon law is explicit that any priest who breaks the seal of the confessional is, by so doing, automatically excommunicated from the Church, and, as part of that, is no longer a priest. He can only be reinstated by order of the pope (in practice the local ordinary). 

Most Rev. Thomas Daly, the Bishop of Spokane, issued a statement on Friday saying that the clergy of his diocese would not break the seal of confession, even if required to by law. "[S]hepherds, bishop and priests," the bishop said, "are “committed to keeping the seal of confession — even to the point of going to jail." 

"The sacrament of penance is sacred and will remain that way in the Diocese of Spokane," he added. "As this matter continues to unfold, I intend on keeping you informed and updated. An important element to the greatness of America is our constitutional commitment to religious freedom."

Yes, Virginia, there really is a Saint Nicholas

There are modernists in the Catholic Church who downplay the importance, even the very existence, of the saints, especially those canonized long ago, who aren't mentioned in the Bible and about whom little is known. 

Saints Christopher and Valentine, for instance, no longer appear in the post-Vatican II calendar. Another saint about whom there are doubters is Saint Nicholas, the philanthropic Greek bishop and inspiration behind the Christmas icon, Santa Claus.

Born some time after A.D. 260 in Myra (now the Demre district of Antalya, Turkïye), Saint Nicholas was an early Christian bishop. He became idolised for his kindness and generosity, tales of him giving money to those less fortunate lending themselves to legends of miracle work. He is now the patron saint of children and sailors.

Over time, reverence for the holy figure evolved into the creation of Santa Claus, the jolly bearded present-giver and symbol of western Christmas celebrations. The name Santa Claus came from the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas -- Sinter Klaas. His feast day is December 6th. Coincidentally -- call it a miracle? -- it was on that day that archaelogists announced that they have discovered what they believe to be the saint's tomb!

Very little is actually known about the real Saint Nicholas, except that he was buried in the church named after him following his death around A.D. 343 A.D. His actual body's whereabouts have always remained a mystery. It was thought to have been stolen in 1087 and smuggled to the Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, Italy. While scientific studies have been carried out on these bones, the evidence that they actually belonged to Saint Nicholas remain inconclusive.

What has been unearthed now is a six-foot-long limestone sarcophagus found buried six feet deep within the two-story annex of the Church of Saint Nicholas Church in Demre, long considered the final resting place of the saint.

Excavations have been under way there since 1989, but this latest find is the most intriguing yet. The project was led by Ebru Fatma Findik, an Associate Professor at Hatay Kemal University, as part of the "Legacy for the Future Project". 

Professor Findik told Turkish media,  "The fact we have found a sarcophagus near the church, which is thought to house his tomb, may indicate that this is indeed the sacred area we have been searching for. This is a significant archaeological confirmation of historical sources regarding the burial place of St Nicholas." 

So far, only the lid of the tomb has been completely uncovered, with a small section of the burial chamber visible. The team are planning further excavations in the coming months to find more clues. While its location lends credibility to the tomb belonging to Saint Nicholas, the research team are now hoping to find an inscription that might reveal more details about who was inside. Speaking to Türkiye Today, Prof. Findik added, "Our biggest hope is to find an inscription on the sarcophagus. This would help clarify the burial contents and allow us to determine the exact period it dates from."

This news should give people -- the doubters as well as the faithful -- pause to recollect that Christmas is, in fact, a Christian festival, based on not just the Holy Bible, but on the traditions handed down to us from our fathers in Faith... like Saint Nicholas.

VIDEO: Why the weaponized FBI is targeting traditional Catholics

Last November, Most Rev. Joseph Strickland was "fired" by "Pope" Francis from his position as Bishop of Tyler (Texas). His crime? Opposing globalism, wokeism, and the leader of the New Church of the World Order. 

Following an apostolic visitation (a word with some interesting meanins) in September, several of Francis' cronies in the Vatican advised him Francis to pressure "Bishop Joe" to resign. But the good bishop refused to bend the knee! In October he penned an open letter to the faithful saying "[resigning] would be me abandoning the flock that I was given charge of by Pope Benedict XVI." 

On 31 October 2023, at the Rome Life Forum of LifeSiteNews, Bishop Strickland read out a letter (attributed to a "friend") which included the question: "Would you now allow this one [Francis] who has pushed aside the true Pope [Benedict XVI] and has attempted to sit on a chair that is not his define what the church is to be?" The letter also described Francis as an "usurper of Peter's chair" and "an expert at producing cowards". 

Bishop Strickland did not dispute these accusations, and described the letter as "challenging". He then made his own comment that Pope Francis backed the Vatican's "attack on the sacred". He was asked to resign on 9 November, and, after refusing again, was deposed on 11 November 2023.

But the prelate has not been silenced. He continues to stand up and speak up for the True Faith, whenever and wherever he can. Last week he spoke at CPAC at National Harbor Maryland. His subject was the FBI's investigation of traditional Catholics, revealed in hearings before the House Judiciary Committee last fall. See "New Report Details the Extent of the FBI's Weaponization of Law Enforcement Against Traditional Catholics".

Bishop Strickland was interviewed on this and related topics by Breitbart News' Matthew Perdie. Listen carefully as he gives a clear and concise explanation of why the liberals, wokesters, and Deep State have a hate-on for traditional Catholics and other Christians.

Key takeaway (at about the 5th minute):  “The Catholic Church is, and should be, totally opposed to this woke agenda … The Catholic Church should reject [the woke agenda] because it’s a rejection of God. It’s a rejection of who we are: created in the image and likeness of God... [Tyrannical leaders] are threatened by those who stand for the truth and won’t budge."

Thomas Gallatin asks: Is the Pope Catholic?

The following essay by Thomas Gallatin* appeared in The Patriot Post today, 12/11/23. Walt hopes the author won't mind our passing it along. 

Trust demands consistency, yet what has come out of the Vatican recently is anything but consistent. Indeed, much of the confusion is due to the pontiff himself, as Pope Francis has repeatedly made statements that appear to challenge long-held church doctrine.

The issues most concerning to many Catholics are those surrounding the ongoing sexual revolution that has effectively taken over the whole of western culture and is now proliferating throughout the Christian church, both Protestant and Catholic. 

Recently, five conservative cardinals from five continents sent five questions to Francis seeking clarification. These formal questions, known as “dubai,” [sic - should be "dubia". Walt] Latin for “doubts,” included a question on liberal priests, predominately in Germany, giving blessings to same-sex couples. 

According to church doctrine, marriage is only between one man and one woman, in accordance with God’s intended design for marriage. Anything that deviates from this God-given design is viewed as sinful, and in the case of homosexuality, disordered. Therefore, since the church does not bless sin, and since homosexual relationships are recognized by the church as sinful, how can priests issue blessings to inherently sinful unions?

Francis responded to the question by reiterating church doctrine. Marriage is an “exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to conceiving children,” he said. “For this reason, the Church avoids all kinds of rites or sacramentals that could contradict this conviction and imply that it is recognizing as a marriage something that is not.”

However, rather than leave it there, Francis proceeded to muddy the waters. Concern for pastoral charity requires a “defense of the objective truth,” but that “is not the only expression of that charity, which is also made up of kindness, patience, understanding, tenderness, encouragement,” he said. 

"For that reason, pastoral prudence must adequately discern if there are forms of blessing, solicited by one or various persons, that don’t transmit a mistaken concept of marriage."

In other words, Francis will not rebuke priests who have been blessing same-sex unions, while at the same time claiming to uphold the church’s doctrine. The problem is that just two years ago, Francis was explicit on the issue, denying that same-sex unions were permissible. Now he’s says that “pastoral charity should permeate all our decisions and attitudes” and that “we cannot be judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.”

If anything, it appears that Francis is trying to have it both ways. He’s clearly gotten soft on the issue, and appears frustrated by the conservative faction of the church, that keeps pressing for clarity and consistency with long-established doctrine. In short, the conservatives want the church’s practice to match its orthodoxy.

And this is where the rub is. According to recent reporting, Francis criticized the U.S. church for developing “a very strong, organized, reactionary attitude,” which he called “backward.” “Doing this,” he warned, “you lose the true tradition and you turn to ideologies to have support. In other words, ideologies replace faith. The vision of the doctrine of the church as a monolith is wrong. When you go backward, you make something closed off, disconnected from the roots of the church."

So, in an apparent effort to reinforce his views, the Vatican is holding a “Synod on Synodality” this week. National Review’s Michael Brendan Dougherty contends, “The aim of the Synod, rather plainly, is for a large group of bishops [led by the Vatican's "lavender Mafia" - Walt] to debate each other about survey material they guided some small number of lay Catholics through in their home diocese, and whether this pile of papers gives sufficient cover for the pope to begin chucking certain moral and dogmatic teachings of the church overboard in favor of newer understandings.”

He adds that Francis is “basically … going to ask a bunch of bishops to write up a document showing that the church in general has come to a new understanding of itself.” There is a clear divide developing in the Catholic Church, with the current pontiff siding with the liberal faction. One wonders how the church will bridge this growing theological gap. And this is no shallow ditch, but a deep crevasse.

*Thomas Gallatin is a history teacher and a staff analyst at The Patriot Post.

"If I don't respond, is that a sin, Father?"

I see Eliabeth II, Queen of Great Britain, Northern Ireland etc, surived this weekend's celebration of the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne. She made a three-minute curtain call on the balcony of Buck House yesterday, accompanied by Prince Charlie, the Duchess of Marlborough, Will and Kate and their sprogs.

Video clips seen over the weekend show the Royal Family and everyone else singing "God save the Queen". This is a venerable tune, written centuries ago by George Frideric Handel, which Americans might recognize as "My country, `tis of thee". It has served as the national anthem of the Disunited Kingdom and numerous countries, and is still the "royal anthem" in Canada and some other Commonwealth countries.

As I watched Charlie singing, I couldn't help but wonder if he means it. Perhaps he fears that his "mummy" (he called her that when speaking at St Paul's the day before) is going to live forever and he'll never get to be King Charles III. Don't worry kid. From the looks of things, "Brenda" is unlikely to make it to the 70th anniversary of her coronation, 2 June 2023. (Lifetime pct .983.) Eventually Prince William will be singing "God save the King" for you... with equal sincerity I'm sure.

A custom that Americans are spared [thank goodness! Ed.] is the obligatory toast to the Queen which precedes any formal dinner, in the same countries where "God save the Queen" is sung. (In Canada, when the MC says "Charge your glasses!", they fill `em with water! Shocking!)

The MC says, in a loud and solemn voice, "The Queen", and all present are supposed to respond, "The Queen", after which people who have served in a royal regiment may add, "God bless `er!" It's all terribly anachronistic and phony, and I wouldn't be surprised to leaern that in Northern Ireland there are many who refuse to make the appropriate response, if indeed the toast is offered at all.

Following this line of thought, [How much longer? Ed.], we have something foisted on Catholic worshippers by Hannibal Bugnini and the other Protestants and Freemasons responsible for the "improved" New Mass. I refer to the "Prayers of the Faithful" (derived from the Anglican "bidding prayers"), stuck in between the Creed and the Canon. 

These prayers can go on for quite some time, depending on the wokeness of whoever writes them, since the people are enjoined to pray for "those who rule over us" -- the Pope, the bishops, the Queen, the government, the authorities, yada yada yada -- and whichever people and whatever causes are in fashion on the day, e.g. refugees, social justice, rain, more yada yada yada. 

The usual format is to name the person or thing being prayed for, then say the layperson reading the prayers (they're prayers of the faithful, you see) says "We pray to the Lord", in whichever language is being used (but no Latin), and the faithful are supposed to respond "Lord, hear our prayer."

My question, as a traditional Catholic, and someone with a rather low regard for "those who rule over us", is: what if I don't respond? What if I don't feel like praying for this Pope, or for the police, or for asylum-seekers? Is it a sin not to respond? (Do we even have "sins" any more?) Will I go to hell, would it just be a venial sin? [Wozzat? Ed.]

And one more thing. Signore Bugnini and the other anti-Catholics who the Vatican put in charge of "reforming" the Mass told us it was important that people should be more involved, and should participate more in the ritual. No more going to hear Mass, as in the bad old days before 1963.

The worst manifestation (IMHO) of this desire that the people should do something is the so-called "Rite of Peace", which now follows the Our Father just before communion. Before we receive Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, we are supposed to take a couple of minutes and exchange a sign of peace with our neighbours, just the same as the Pentecostals do.

It could have been worse. The original plan was for it to have been a kiss of peace, which the celebrant was supposed to share with the deacons and altar servers and laypeople participating in the ceremonies. It turned out some of the priests were enjoying that a bit too much, so the instruction was amended to "a handshake or other suitable gesture."

Even that got out of hand [no puns, please. Ed.] as the new woke priests actually came down from behind (not in front of) the altar and started wandering up and down the aisles shaking hands with everyone within reach. So also, worshippers were encouraged to shake hands with those beside them, behind them, in front of them, up in the choir loft, etc. It became a bit difficult to get everyone settled down and back into reverent mode.

One silver lining in the cloud of the Wuhan flu was that "social distancing" put a temporary end to the shaking of hands, because most people's arms were too short. Fist- and elbow-bumps wouldn't work either. But, lest they be accused of reverting to pre-Vatican II norms, most dioceses kept the "Rite of Peace", substituting a nod for a handshake. So people kind of wobbled at each other, while some flashed the "peace sign", a secular humanist gesture from the hippy-dippy `60s. 

Now that things have loosened up, people attending Novus Ordo services don't know exactly what they should do during this interruption to what should be the most solemn part of the Mass. My question would be: What if I don't feel like doing anything? 

I'm not a very sociable guy to begin with [the word "hermit" comes to mind. Ed.], but to me, going to Mass is not a social occasion, a cheery community get-together where we all join hands and sing "Kumbaya". It is, or should be, just me and the priest and God. What if I refuse to acknowledge the presence of others? Is that a sin, Father? &c, as above.

Pope Francis, the Consecration, the apology -- an assessment

In the course of the last two weeks, I have been asked several times what I think, now, about Pope Francis, his March 25th Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and his apology, yesterday, to the First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples of Canada for the abuse of children at residential schools run by the Church.

I confessed, in "Did Francis' consecration of Russia work?" (WWW 28/3/22), that I am unsure what to think about the purported Act of Consecration performed  by the Pope (with a goodly number of bishops joining from their cathedrals around the world), on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Francis' lengthy prayer added a good deal of "progressive" political sentiment to the simple prayer requested by Our Lady of Fatima. At the same time, the words "consecrate", "Russia", and "Immaculate Heaert of Mary" were there. The full video is embedded in our post, so you can watch it and judge for yourself. 

After all, in Francis' words, "Who am I to judge?" Heaven knows. All we mere mortals can do -- those of us who believe in the Message of Fatima -- is to keep praying for the period of peace promised to us by the Blessed Virgin.

With regard to the Papal apology to the indigenous peoples of Canada, I will say first that sight should not be lost of the fact that the residential schools were established by the government of Canada with the aim of providing for the education and upbringing of poor children who were, by the standards of the mid-19th century, uncivilized.

About 70% of the schools were run by various Roman Catholic orders, and it was not only in the Catholic schools that abuses occurred. You can call it "white supremacy" if you like, but the sentiment of the day was that Christian civiliation (read: Western, European civilization) was superior to that of the rest of the world.

We ought not to condemn the residential schools system outright. 1000s of residential school "survivors" got a decent education and health care, and grew up to lead successful and comfortable lives -- some as legislators and judges -- as citizens of Canada. That there were abuses is a fact, but much good was done.

Nevertheless, Francis made a fulsome and apparently sincere apology on behalf of the Roman Catholics who sinned by abusing the children for whom they had the duty of care. He also said that he would visit to apologize in person, and see what could be done to make amends. 

That was all any pope could do. It should be noted that it is dogma that the Church Herself cannot sin. But members of the Church -- human beings, after all -- can sin and do sin. Even the Pope has to go to confession and ask forgiveness of God.

Francis has form when it comes to delivering apologies for wrongs committed by Catholic clerics. In August 0f 2018 he published an open letter to the laity, in which he wrote: With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives. We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them.

But, as politicians in the liberal democracies are learning the hard way, the distemper of our times is such that there will be no end to demands for more apologies, and... wait for it... "reparations". Words, however sincere, are no longer enough. There must be money on the table... lots of it. 

The more apologies are made, the more "victims" come forward, saying that they should be paid thousands, even millions of dollars for wrongs done to their grandparents, great-grandparents, and ancestors back to Adam. 

I do not wish to impute motive to Pope Francis. I give him credit for trying to do good things, according to his conscience. I believe he is sometimes the victim of bad advice from bad people -- inside and outside the Church -- who have bad motives, such as the establishment of the Great Reset / New World Order. And I pray that God's will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven -- with or without Francis.

Further reading: "Memorandum for Next Conclave Calls Francis Pontificate 'A Disaster'", Breitbart News, 18/3/22.  Dr Thomas Williams shares a 2000-word memo being circulated among Catholic cardinals, signed by "Demos" (Greek for "people"), likely (Dr Williams says) a pseudonym for George Cardinal Pell of Australia.

Further viewing: "Bishop Fulton Sheen knew the secret to save Russia", VIDEO, The Kennedy Report, 23/3/22.

VIDEO: Michael Matt on Jordan Peterson's "Warning to the World"

Last Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent, the season in which Christians prepare for the coming of the Light -- Jesus Christ -- into the darkness of the world. It's a pretty dark world we live in right now, and many people are looking for a light, a truth, to live by during these hard times. 

Among them is Dr Jordan Peterson, whose videos have been reposted here many times. Dr Peterson is a very wise man, wise enough to know he doesn't have all the answers. As he tells us at the beginning of this video, he too is searching for the verities of the Eternal Truth. 

Then Michael Matt, editor of The Remnant newspaper, explains why he believes the Truth is to be found in the Catholic Church. In just ten minutes he describes (much more powerfully than I could) why he is a traditional Catholic, and why we must pray and, yes, fight harder now than ever to make the Truth of the Faith known and believed.

This video was excerpted from "THE ONE WORLD RELIGION: Francis and the Abrahamic Family House", first posted on Remnant TV in November. We omitted the first part of the original, in which Mr Matt gives his further thoughts on the Covid "crisis". 

Part of our edited version was further edited by YouTube to cut out video of Pope Bergoglio signing an agreement with Muslim leaders to build a church next to a mosque and a synagogue in Abu Dhabi. The organization objecting to that being seen is called "the Committee for Human Fraternity". That tells you all you need to know, right there. Click on the link to hear the entire, uncensored program on Remnant TV.

Let us close with the Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel. Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. 

VIDEO: An unfashionable homily from Fr Roman Galadza

In the modern, post-Vatican II Catholic Church, you don't hear much about the Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. Francis, said by some to be Pope, prefers to "dialogue" with the enemies of Christianity about social justice, saving the planet, and other fashionable topics. 

It is left, then, to good bishops and priests, who hold fast to the Faith of Our Fathers, to warn up about what will -- not might, but will -- happen to all of us, sooner or later. Mitred Archpriest Roman Galadza, pastor of Saint Elias Ukrainian Catholic Church, in Brampton ON, is such a priest.

In this short homily, preached yesterday, the Sunday of the Last Judgement, he uses the example of the ugly pictures which dentists used to hang in their offices to show what will happen to your teeth if you don't look after them. So also, if we don't take care of our souls, so that, like the Prodigal Son, we come home to Heaven, we will surely spend eternity in Hell. Please listen and think.

Divine Liturgies, Matins and Vespers from Saint Elias are live-streamed to YouTube. Click here for more information about scheduled services and the parish.