Pastoral Letter of the Two American Bishops

Sincere greetings to all Roman Catholics wherever they may be and united with the remnant Bishops. 

Our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God, promised to be with the Church Militant on earth until the end of time. He has never ceased to fulfill this promise to be with her as with His beloved Spouse. He has never abandoned the Church even in what seem like the darkest hours.

Jesus Christ is the invisible Head of the Roman Catholic Church. It is He who never ceases to be present to guide the Church when teaching, to bless her when at work, and to aid her in time of danger.

We have been forced out of the churches built by our fathers and forefathers, not by any perversely proud choice, but by virtue of our sound conscience that cannot tolerate dogmatic error nor sound discipline. In a time when we Catholics are constantly plagued with heretical ideas and urged to “respect” heretics and schismatics, there is hardly anyone with the courage to stand up for the unadulterated Faith.  It is not enough, as you know from the words of St. Paul that “Faith without works is dead” to merely talk about certain, select elements of the Faith; it is necessary to LIVE in this world with our daily lives influenced by the truths of our Faith.

The history of the Church is replete with examples of heroic virtue. We are surrounded by the great monuments in all countries that speak of the faith of those who lived in the time when such houses of God were built; when supernatural faith spurred on generous souls to take on every form of corporal and spiritual work of mercy.

It is with deep and bitter sorrow that we see around us so much grave evil because the Scriptures, Tradition and teachings of legitimate Popes and Councils are ignored. The heresies of the past are equally responsible for the heresies of the present. What are these heresies that have entered the Church as a “Satanic smoke”?

These heresies have rejected the divine teaching of the Church. From this flows as a logical consequence the usurping of the sacred authority of the visible Church by those not called to this function. We speak of the rebellious spirit of clergymen of all kinds. Whether regular (belonging to Religious communities) or secular clergy (belonging to a diocese), all have made themselves the final decision in matters of doctrine and discipline. Particularly do we have in mind those who style themselves as “Traditionalists”.

The Fathers of Trent had addressed the same heresies we face today. The Fathers of the true Vatican Council likewise addressed the errors that have become so common today. It was Pope St. Pius X who condemned the error of Modernism on the one hand, and we Bishops condemn the error of Traditionalists today.

The only Bishop of our times to make an heroic effort to preserve the Church was Bishop Ngo Dinh Thuc, the elder brother of the assassinated President of South Vietnam. It is through him that valid Bishops were consecrated in order to maintain the mark of Apostolicity so essential to the true Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. We cannot blame this heroic Prelate for the terrible proliferation of so-called “bishops” who suddenly appeared like mushrooms after a rain.

We must recognize the fact that Satan tries to corrupt every good work for the salvation of souls. Just as good parents cannot be blamed for their disobedient and wayward children, so also no one can blame this brave Prelate for those who have stolen Holy Orders through deception.

The old proscribed doctrine of naturalism never really died despite the efforts of holy Mother, the Church, to expose it for the work of Satan that it is.

This doctrine feeds the Modernist anti-Church and, under the guise of religion, destroys religion itself. This disguised naturalism opposes itself in every way to the Christian religion as a supernatural institution and works with great zeal to exclude our sole Lord and Savior from the minds and memories of men, and from the life and moral acts of nations.

After forsaking and rejecting the Christian religion, and denying the true God and His Christ, the minds of many have sunk into the abyss of Pantheism, Materialism and Atheism, until denying rational nature itself, and every sound rule of right, they work to destroy the deepest foundation of human society.

It is our wish as shepherds of that “little flock” of which Our Lord spoke that the Infant of Bethlehem pour His divine grace upon each and every member of the family of faith 

Bishop Giles Butler, OFM and Bishop Louis Vezelis, OFM

Christmas of 2011