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
