Traditionalist Catholicism

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Traditionalist Catholic and traditional Catholic are terms used to refer to Roman Catholics who want to see the worship and customs of the general body of Roman Catholics return to those prevailing before the reforms of the 1960s.

Many of them claim that, since then, the presentation and the understanding of the Church's teaching have changed, at least in emphasis, to an unacceptable degree; some exclude from the meaning of the two terms those whose views on this matter are more liberal.

Traditionalist Catholics have in common dedication to attending Mass celebrated in Latin in accordance with a pre-1970 Roman Missal. Some reject the latest such Missal, issued in 1962 by Pope John XXIII, while a very few wish to return even to before the 1955 edition, which incorporates the numerous changes that Pope Pius XII made in the liturgy of the days from Palm Sunday to the Vigil of Easter (see Novus Ordo Missae).

While no organization links all or even a majority of traditionalist Catholics, they generally associate with the society or individual priest who provides the earlier-style Mass ("Tridentine Mass") that they prefer. Some of these priestly societies are canonical institutes within the Catholic Church, of which they are fully part. These include the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, and the Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney. The Society of St. Pius X is a priestly society that, while not in "formal schism", is in a "situation of separation".[1] The Society of St. Pius V, the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen, the Orthodox Roman Catholic Movement, and others that reject the Popes most recently elected by conclaves in Rome, come under the heading of sedevacantism (belief that the Holy See is in fact vacant). Other groups, such as the True Catholic Church and the Palmarian Catholic Church, are headed by a self-styled Pope, leaving no room whatever for doubt that they are in formal schism. There are also other Independent Catholic Churches, as well as individual priests who, after breaking with their diocese or religious institute, gain a personal following.

Traditionalist Catholics believe that they preserve orthodoxy by refusing to accept certain changes introduced since the Second Vatican Council, changes that some of them describe as "a veritable revolution".

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Those who accept Pope Benedict XVI and his immediate predecessors as true Popes view the Second Vatican Council as a valid, albeit problematic, Council. But most "sedevacantists" regard Pope Pius XII as the last true Pope, and judge the Council, convened and ratified by his successors, to be as invalid as these were as Popes.

Traditionalist Catholics claim that what mainstream Catholics now accept would have been considered "Modernist" or "liberal" at the time of the Second Vatican Council, and that they themselves hold views that were then considered "conservative" or "traditional".

What Pope Benedict XVI called "the interpretation of discontinuity and rupture" of the Council’s documents is common among traditionalist Catholics, as opposed to the interpretation of "reform and continuity" proposed by the Popes, beginning with Pope John XXIII, who, on opening the Council, said that the Council "wishes to transmit the doctrine, pure and integral, without any attenuation or distortion", and added: "Our duty is not only to guard this precious treasure, as if we were concerned only with antiquity, but to dedicate ourselves with an earnest will and without fear to that work which our era demands ... This sure unchangeable doctrine, which must be faithfully respected, has to be studied in depth and presented in a way that answers the needs of our time. For the deposit of the faith, that is, the truths contained in our venerable doctrine, is one thing, and the way in which they are enunciated, while still preserving the same meaning and significance, is another."[2] [3]

Traditional Catholics, instead, largely believe that errors have crept into the presentation and understanding of Catholic teaching, either because of liberal interpretations of Vatican II documents, and/or because of post-conciliar pastoral decisions that they believe have harmed the Church, and/or, as some believe, because of the Council's documents themselves. Most traditionalist Catholics see the Second Vatican Council itself as a valid Council, but one that was pastoral and produced no infallibly-presented, solemn definitions that Catholics must accept as part of the Faith. Support for this claim is sought in Pope John XXIII's Opening Address to the Council, Pope Paul VI's closing address, the lack of formal definitions and anathemas in the Council's sixteen documents, and the alleged ambiguity of the documents themselves, which makes an "authentic" interpretation, other than that presented and acted upon by the Holy See, difficult to discern.

Foremost among the perceived errors they see as having crept into the presentation and understanding of Catholic teaching are:

• A new understanding of collegiality which they claim has weakened the papacy and made bishops' conferences a veritable "second Vicar of Christ" for the Church. They see this as contradicting, among other documents, Pope Leo XIII's Satis Cognitum and the Nota Praevia (appendix) to Vatican II's Lumen Gentium.

• A new ecclesiology that they claim doesn't equate the Catholic Church with the Church established by Jesus Christ, but treats the Church established by Jesus Christ as merely "subsisting in" the Catholic Church in an undefined way. They claim that the typical interpretation of this "subsistence" contradicts Pope Pius XII's Mystici Corporis Christi, among other papal documents, and leads to "false ideas" of ecumenism.

• A new focus on the natural world coupled with a de-emphasizing of the supernatural and preternatural worlds. This, they say, leads to Deism, Pragmatism, and moral relativism.

• A new focus on "the dignity of man", which they claim ignores original sin and the need for supernatural grace, and which they also claim has led to a sort of Utopianism that sees peace as possible without recognizing the Kingship of Christ. They see this attitude, and teachings rooted in it, as contradicting Pope Pius XI's Quas Primas, Pope Leo XIII's Testem Benevolentiae Nostrae and Rerum Novarum, Pope Pius X's Notre charge apostolique, and other papal and conciliar documents that deal with social teaching.

• A "false" ecumenism that has as its goal a religious unity that they see as not requiring conversion to the Catholic faith. They see this as contradicting Sacred Scripture, Pope Pius XI's Mortalium Animos, Pope Pius XII's Humani Generis and other documents.

• A new view of ecclesiastical tradition that sees it as extremely changeable and has led to what they see as dangerous modifications in Catholic practices, the liturgy, and the Church's pastoral orientation. They see this as contradicting, among other papal and conciliar documents, the Fourth Anathema of the Second Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, the teaching of the First Vatican Council (especially the document Pastor Aeternus).

• A new pastoral orientation and attitude toward novelty that they claim was unheard of in the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council. Some of them see this as contradicting the papal oath that they claim was taken by all Popes from Pope Agatho to Pope Paul VI, Pope Pius X's Motu Proprio Sacrorum antistitum (an oath taken by all priests prior to the Council), Pope Gregory XVI's Mirari Vos, the Fourth Anathema of the Second Ecumenical Council of Nicaea, and other papal and conciliar documents.

• A new and critical attitude towards Sacred Scripture that contradicts Leo XIII's Providentissimus Deus and Benedict XV's Spiritus Paraclitus among other documents.

• An ignoring of the traditional belief that the Church and the world are at variance with one another to some degree, and that the Church has enemies. They believe that Pope Pius X's warnings in Pascendi Dominici Gregis, Leo XIII's Humanum Genus, and other papal warnings against secret societies and enemies of Christendom have gone unheeded and that the enemy warned against has entered into the human element of the Church itself.

• A new "Paschal theology", which they see as de-emphasizing the Sacrifice of the Mass and which they claim leads the faithful to believe that it is Christ's Resurrection alone, and not the Blood shed by His Sacrifice on the Cross, that saves. Traditional Catholics see the revision of the Mass liturgy under Pope Paul VI as a fruit of this "paschal theology," a theology they see as contradicting Scripture and Encyclicals such as Pope Pius XII's Mediator Dei. They also see this paschal theology as de-emphasizing the meaning of suffering, ignoring Christ's admonition to Christians to "take up their crosses" (Matthew 10:38), and forgetting St. Paul's admonitions to mortify the flesh (Galatians 5:18–25, Colossians 1:23–24).

• A new Order of the Mass that they see as rooted in the aforementioned Paschal Theology and that, therefore, de-emphasizes traditional Catholic teaching on the Mass as a Sacrifice (the offering up of Jesus to his Father in a re-presentation of Calvary and for the remission of sins). They believe that the Novus Ordo Missae has been stripped of important Catholic prayers; is open to abuse because of the various options allowed; de-emphasizes the ordained priesthood; is divisive because of the eradiction of Latin which brought people of various nations together; is man-centered rather than God-centered; includes an order of readings that omits controversial things (Hell, Pharisaism, miracles, etc.); and is less beautiful, poetic, and able to act as a sign of Mystery, etc. (some of these problems are summarized in the Ottaviani Intervention). Different traditional Catholics have different views as to the validity of the Novus Ordo Missae ("the New Mass"):

However, with regards to this new Order of the Mass:

• Some see it as valid and as a viable option if necessary, though the traditional Mass should be attended when at all possible. This is believed by most priests who operate inside the ordinary diocesan structures (see below).
• Some see it as valid if offered using valid matter, form, and intent, but that it should be avoided, nonetheless, because the changes are sacrilegious and harmful to the Catholic Faith, and because the actual use of valid matter and intent is often questionable in many parishes. The priests of the Society of St. Pius X (the S.S.P.X.) — the largest priestly fraternity working outside of ordinary diocesan structures — teaches this.
• Some see it as not valid at all. Most sedevacantists fall into this category.

Some of the places where traditionalist Catholics attend "Tridentine" Mass are within ordinary diocesan structures. The Congregation for Divine Worship's circular letter Quattuor abhinc annos of 3 October 1984 granted diocesan bishops an indult by which they may authorize the celebration of Mass according to the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal in favour of priests and faithful who request it and who clearly do not share the positions adopted by those who question the lawfulness and doctrinal soundness of the 1970 edition. The priests who offer these Masses may be members of priestly societies to which the Catholic Church grants recognition, such as the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, or they may be ordinary diocesan priests or members of religious institutes. Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, himself occasionally celebrates Mass in public in accordance with the 1962 Missal, and other cardinals also have done so in recent years, though much less frequently.

The Society of St. Pius X does not accept the conditions attached to the Quattuor abhinc annos indult. Not being permitted to operate within diocesan structures, it offers Mass according to the 1962 Missal in its own centres, maintaining that no authorization whatever is required. It teaches that "the Indult Mass ... is not for traditional Catholics",[4] and quotes an article that concludes that "those who are only near Masses 'of Pope Paul VI' or to traditional Masses said under the 'Indult'" are excused from the obligation of attending Sunday Mass, "[f]irstly because of the danger for the faith coming either from the priests who celebrate or from the faithful who attend them; secondly, legitimization is given to the new liturgy and finally an approval more or less implicit of the work of destruction of the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Tradition."[5]. With regard to the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter, the Society of St. Pius X declares that "a Catholic ought not to attend their Masses" because of what the Society calls the Fraternity's support for "the new religion which is being installed" and its "blanket acceptance of Vatican II's orthodoxy".[6]

Other priests too, whether belonging to sedevacantist groups such as the Society of St. Pius V and the Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen or unattached to any group, offer Mass in their own centres according to various editions of the Roman Missal anterior to 1970.

Those who thus worship outside of diocesan structures justify their position on the grounds that they must do so in order to ensure they are able to administer or receive all of the Sacraments - not just the Eucharist - in the traditional way, and to be able to give or hear sermons on controversial matters (e.g., ecumenism, evangelism, liberalism, sin, Purgatory, Hell, political issues, the recent sex scandals, etc.) without fear of reprisal from disapproving Bishops.

Though there is a certain level of dispute among these various groups at the official level, traditionalist Catholic lay people generally tend to have good relations with each other, though often with some tension between sedevacantists and those who accept the acclaimed Pope. A given traditionalist Catholic layman might have strong opinions for or against the advisability of worshiping outside of diocesan structures, or he might worship at more than one of the above settings without qualm.

Traditional Catholic analysis is not widely shared by more mainstream Catholics, who agree with the Second Vatican Council and believe that traditional Catholics are merely "nostalgic," afraid of change, and disobedient. Traditional Catholics argue that mainstream Catholics often lack subtlety in their understanding of what traditional Catholics believe and do and that they often respond to traditionalists' criticisms out of emotionalism, in reaction to misinformation, and out of a false understanding of Christian obedience and the Magisterium (the teaching authority of the Church). They encourage study and prayer to discern the issues involved.

With regard to the Holy See, different groups of traditional Catholics have different sorts of relations:

• Traditional Catholics who worship at Masses allowed by indult through ordinary diocesan structures have little problem, though trying to obtain permission from local Bishops often involves working with local officials who may not appove of an Indult, who may allow the traditional Mass non-weekly and/or at inconvenient times, who may allow the traditional Mass but not the other traditional sacramental rites, and who may object to any preaching that disagrees with typical interpretations of Vatican II documents.
• Traditional Catholics who operate outside of ordinary diocesan structures have a strained relationship with the Holy See. The Sacraments they offer are seen to be valid but illicit. In particluar, relations between the Vatican officials and the S.S.P.X., founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre before he was -- like, these Traditionalists say, SS. Athanasius and Joan of Arc-- excommunicated (in 1988), are considered by those officials to be "an internal matter" of the Church. A communique from the Ecclesia Dei Commission's Monsignor Perl (Protocol No. 539/99, September 28, 1999) advises that Catholics who attend Mass at S.S.P.X. chapels incur no penalty if they do so "because of the reverence and devotion which they find there, because of their attraction to the traditional Latin Mass and not because they refuse submission to the Roman Pontiff." Though Catholics thereby incur no ecclesiastical penalty, such as excommunication, their participation in SSPX Masses is, however, as a rule "morally illicit", as Monsignor Perl has also stated in declarations whose full text, unlike that of the communique, is published on the Internet.[7][8] Recent statements by Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, President of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, repeat the Holy See's judgement that, though there is not "a formal schism" between the Church and the SSPX, there is "separation".
• Sedevacantist Catholics have no relationship with the Holy See, as they do not recognize its authority.

• Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus
• Sedevacantism
• Papal Oath
• Tridentine Mass
• Novus Ordo Missæ

• Leonard Feeney
• Marcel Lefebvre

• First Vatican Council
• Second Vatican Council
• Council of Trent

• Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter
• Personal Apostolic Administration of Saint John Mary Vianney
• Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest
• Old Catholic Church
• Society of St. Pius X

• International Federation Una Voce The main international organization of traditionalists considered regular by the Holy See
• The Society of St. Pius X The largest traditionalist body considered irregular by the Holy See, founded by Marcel Lefebvre.