In Defense Of Pope Pius XII

 The last pope before the Great Apostasy, His Holiness Pope Pius XII, is one of the most unfairly attacked pontiffs, especially among those purporting to be "Traditionalists." Coming into the world March 2, 1876, Eugene Pacelli was born into a family of devout Catholics. He felt called to the priesthood, and on Easter Sunday, April 2, 1899, he was ordained. Incredibly intelligent, young Father Pacelli received his doctorate in theology in 1904, being just 28 years old. His mentor was the great Cardinal Gasparri, whom he helped with the codification of Church Law, promulgated in 1917 by Pope Benedict XV as the Code of Canon Law. He also was good friends with Raphael Cardinal Merry del Val, the "power behind the throne" of Pope St. Pius X. It was Cardinal Merry del Val who helped drive Pope St. Pius X's attack on Modernism. If we had a real pope, I'm confident the holy and erudite Cardinal would have an "St." in front of his name.

On May 13, 1917, the same day the Blessed Virgin appeared at Fatima, 41 year old Father Pacelli was consecrated a bishop at the Sistine Chapel by His Holiness Pope Benedict XV, who had appointed him as nuncio to Bavaria. On December 16, 1929, Pope Pius XI gave Bp. Pacelli the Cardinal's hat, and in February of 1930--a mere two months later--promoted him to Vatican Secretary of State. This appointment made Cardinal Pacelli one of the two most powerful men in the Church after the pope himself (the other powerful position is Pro-Prefect of the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office).

Pope Pius XI died on February 10, 1939. In the conclave that followed, Cardinal Pacelli was elected Supreme Pontiff on his 63rd birthday, after the third ballot. He took the name Pope Pius XII in honor of his immediate predecessor who had named him both cardinal and Secretary of State. Pope Pius had his solemn coronation ten days later, on March 12th. As the three-fold tiara of the papacy was placed on his head, he took seriously the words that were spoken for centuries: "Receive ye this tiara adorned with three crowns, and know that thou art the Father of Princes and Kings, Pastor of the Universe, and Vicar on Earth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom belongs all glory, world without end." His papacy was tumultuous, and lasted 19 years, 7 months, and 7 days until he went to Judgement on October 9, 1958. In this post, I will not be defending Pope Pius against the asinine attacks of those who claim he didn't "do enough to save the Jews," or that he was "Hitler's Pope," and other rank calumnies. There is enough literature out there that puts such lies to shame.

The purpose of my post will be to outline his many shining achievements, and expel the charges of those, from Vacancy Pushers (those who "push the time of the papal vacancy" before Roncalli), to the simply misguided, who believe that Pope Pius XII was "responsible" for the Great Apostasy, or allegedly promulgated "harmful changes" such as the mitigated Eucharistic Fast, and the New Rites of Holy Week.

Pastor Angelicus

 Pope Pius XII is sometimes thought to be the "Angelic Pastor" spoken of by the so-called "Prophesies of St. Malachy" regarding the popes. The so-called prophesies have no Magisterial approval, but have been influential in some "conservative" Vatican II sect circles. Nevertheless, the title for "Papa Pacelli" is most fitting. Here is a run down of some major theological accomplishments.

1. A True Marian Pope.

As a priest, the future pope celebrated his First Mass on April 3, 1899, at the altar of the icon of The Most Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title Salus Populi Romani in the Basilica of St. Mary Major. As previously written, he was consecrated a bishop the same day the Blessed Mother appeared at Fatima. As Pope, in 1940, he approved the Fatima apparitions as "worthy of belief," and in 1942, consecrated the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. (I refuse to get bogged down in argumentation over the "true meanings" of private revelations, and therefore will not argue with those whom assert he should have specifically consecrated Russia, as was the hallmark of "Fr." Gruner). 

Pope Pius XII claimed to have seen the "Miracle of the Sun" no less than four times. According to the Fatima visionaries, Mary had said there would be a miracle October 13, 1917, so that people would come to believe. Thousands had gathered at the site of the visions, and the sun "danced," reportedly drying instantaneously the rain-soaked land and spectators. Pius XII wrote, "I have seen the 'miracle of the sun,' this is the pure truth." 

The papal note says that at 4 p.m. on Oct. 30, 1950, during his "habitual walk in the Vatican Gardens, reading and studying," having arrived to the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, "toward the top of the hill […] I was awestruck by a phenomenon that before now I had never seen."

"The sun, which was still quite high, looked like a pale, opaque sphere, entirely surrounded by a luminous circle,” he recounted. And one could look at the sun, "without the slightest bother. There was a very light little cloud in front of it."

The Holy Father’s note goes on to describe "the opaque sphere" that "moved outward slightly, either spinning, or moving from left to right and vice versa. But within the sphere, you could see marked movements with total clarity and without interruption." (See https://zenit.org/articles/pius-xii-saw-miracle-of-the-sun/)

For Pius, this served as a confirmation of one of his greatest acts as pope. On November 1, 1950, wearing the papal tiara and invoking his Supreme Apostolic Authority as infallible teacher of all Christians, he declared ex cathedra the dogma of the Assumption. The Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus declares:

 "For which reason, after We have poured forth prayers of supplication again and again to God, and have invoked the light of the Spirit of Truth, for the glory of Almighty God Who has lavished his special affection upon the Virgin Mary, for the honor of her Son, the immortal King of the Ages and the Victor over sin and death, for the increase of the glory of that same august Mother, and for the joy and exultation of the entire Church; by the authority of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by Our own authority, We pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.Hence if anyone, which God forbid, should dare willfully to deny or to call into doubt that which We have defined, let him know that he has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith."

The text of the Apostolic Constitution was drafted by the eminent theologian, Fr. Michel-Louis Guerard des Lauriers, one of the first sedevacantists, who was consecrated a bishop in 1981 by Archbishop Thuc.

2. Foe of Communism.  Pius was doggedly anti-Communist. On July 1, 1949, the Holy Office published a decree, approved by His Holiness, declaring any Catholics who became Communists as apostates.

DECREE OF THE HOLY OFFICE
FORMULATED BY PIUS XII
JULY 1, 1949


This Sacred Supreme Congregation has been asked:
1. whether it is lawful to join Communist Parties or to favor them;

2. whether it is lawful to publish, disseminate, or read books, periodicals, newspapers or leaflets which support the teaching or action of Communists, or to write in them;

3. whether the faithful who knowingly and freely perform the acts specified in questions 1 and 2 may be admitted to the Sacraments;

4. whether the faithful who profess the materialistic and anti-Christian doctrine of the Communists, and particularly those who defend or propagate this doctrine, contract ipso facto excommunication specially reserved to the Apostolic See as apostates from the Catholic faith.

The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Fathers entrusted with the supervision of matters concerning the safeguarding of Faith and morals, having previously heard the opinion of the Reverend Lords Consultors, decreed in the plenary session held on Tuesday (instead of Wednesday), June 28, 1949, that the answers should be as follows:

To 1. in the negative: because Communism is materialistic and anti-Christian; and the leaders of the Communists, although they sometimes profess in words that they do not oppose religion, do in fact show themselves, both in their teaching and in their actions, to be the enemies of God, of the true religion and of the Church of Christ;

to 2. in the negative: they are prohibited ipso iure (cf. Can. 1399 of the Codex Iuris Canonici);

to 3. in the negative, in accordance with the ordinary principles concerning the refusal of the Sacraments to those who are not disposed;

to 4. in the affirmative.
And the following Thursday, on the 30th day of the same month and year, Our Most Holy Lord Pius XII, Pope by the Divine Providence, in the ordinary audience, granted to the Most Eminent and Most Reverend Assessor of the Sacred Office, approved of the decision of the Most Eminent Fathers which had been reported to Him, and ordered the same to be promulgated officially in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.
Given at Rome, on July 1st, 1949.

(Signed) Petrus Vigorita,

Notary of the Sacred Supreme Congregation
of the Holy Office.

A further dubium ( a question answered) dated April 4, 1959 from the Holy Office made the provisions of the 1949 Decree more specific, stating that it implied a prohibition on voting for parties that were helping Communists, even if such parties themselves had inoffensive doctrines or even called themselves "Christian."

3. Pope Condemning Modern Errors. 
One of the greatest encyclicals of the 20th century was Humani generis "concerning some false opinions threatening to undermine the foundations of Catholic Doctrine" which was promulgated August 12, 1950. It was drafted by the Dominican theologian Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange. Its salient points include:

• Encyclicals usually speak to matters already expounded upon in doctrine; however, should the Pope pass supreme judgment on a disputed matter, it should be considered closed for discussion.
• Divine revelation was given by God as guidance for the Church to exercise her living teaching authority, not for private deterministic interpretation.
• Some dispute the divine authorship of Scripture in part or in whole and interpret it on the basis of exegesis, looking for hidden meanings, instead of on the Church’s teachings.
• They claim that a new exegesis of the Old Testament would replace literal difficulties with symbolic/spiritual truth.
• Their claims oppose the norms of interpretation explained in previous encyclicals.
• Doubt regarding revealed truths is a result of this way of thinking. (e.g. Creation out of love, God’s eternal foreknowledge of men’s free choices, etc.)
• Angels, essence, the supernatural order, original sin, sin in general, the efficacy of Christ’s sarifice, and the Real Presence or all debated.
• The necessity and value of the Church and the faith itself is questioned.
• These errors are being pointed out herein because some Catholic theologians are committing them and are hereby censured.
• The Church relies on reason to understand the faith, God’s law, the mysteries, and even the existence of God. Reason comes with training and leads to truth.
• Teaching Authority only covers matters of faith and morals. "New" truth cannot overturn established truth, but it can correct errors.
• Priests must learn philosophy and Aquinas’ method is tried and true.
• Opponents claim that the traditional philosophy used by the Church is adequate for basic instruction but not for practical application, and that all other philosophies, albeit evolving, are ultimately compatible with Catholicism.
• They claim that the Church’s philosophy appeals to intellect and ignores the will and emotions; however, this is clearly and historically false, for the Church teaches that the will can see truth beyond what the intellect can deduce on its own.
• Theodicy and ethics (philosophical sciences) are threatened by these new opinions. Not only are they themselves debased, but so is the protection provided by the Church’s Teaching Authority.
• Discussion of theories not yet proven scientifically but merely hypothesized must follow. Theories can only be considered if they do not oppose Church teaching.
• Human evolution (origin of man from pre-existent and living matter) is up for discussion, but cannot contradict that God is the immediate creator of souls.
• Polygenism (origin from two or more distinct ancestors) is irreconcilable with the doctrine of original sin.
• The first eleven chapters of Genesis may not fit the modern concept of history, but any inclusion of folklore was done under divine inspiration.
• Thus, these are not imaginative myths but expressions of truth. Ancient sacred authors were clearly superior to secular ("profane") authors of the same period.

Thus while condemning the modern errors, Pope Pius was careful to allow discussion on evolution of the body of humans, and a non-literal interpretation of Genesis in certain instances (which idea was advanced by Pope St. Pius X).

4. Pope who developed the traditional and correct ecclesiology and also defended the Mass. 
In his great encyclical Mystici Corporis (1943), His Holiness taught that the One True Church is the Mystical Body of Christ on Earth. It made clear that the Church of Christ is not a mere collection of believers (as taught by Protestants), but is identical to the Roman Catholic Church. This teaching would be repudiated for "the People of God" false ecclesiology at Vatican II, whereby the Church of Christ is not identical to the Roman Catholic Church, but merely "subsists" there in its fullness, yet can be found in false sects as well.

In Mediator Dei, Pius, as if seeing the year 1969 and the Novus Bogus "mass," he condemns those who, under the guise of "returning to old ways," would make unlawful and radical changes to the Mass in these words:

"But it is neither wise nor laudable to reduce everything to antiquity by every possible device. Thus, to cite some instances, one would be straying from the straight path were he to wish the altar restored to its primitive table-form; were he to want black excluded as a color for the liturgical vestments; were he to forbid the use of sacred images and statues in Churches; were he to order the crucifix so designed that the divine Redeemer's body shows no trace of His cruel sufferings; and lastly were he to disdain and reject polyphonic music or singing in parts, even where it conforms to regulations issued by the Holy See." (para. #62; Emphasis mine).

5. The "greatest act of my papacy." Near his death, when Pope Pius reflected upon all he had done, he considered one act to be "the greatest act" of his papacy. What was this act to which he referred? On May 29, 1954 when he canonized his predecessor Pope Pius X, and enrolled the "Foe of Modernism" among the saints of the Church!

Unjust Criticisms

With all the great things this pope did, how could he be so harshly criticized? He was a theologian who looked up to, and surrounded himself with, Anti-Modernists. I will list the criticisms I hear most often, and devote a separate section to the revised Rites of Holy Week. 

• Pope Pius was "soft on Modernism." It is claimed he didn't clamp down on Modernist theologians as he should have done, and promoted heretics such as Roncalli and Montini. First, there is nothing that protects a pope from making poor choices in whom he elevates to Cardinal or appoints as a bishop. While Montini and Roncalli were "suspect of Modernism," the word "suspect" means just that--not yet guilt. His confessor, Cardinal Bea, may have convinced him they were rehabilitated. Bea was a real snake in the grass; a closet Modernist no one suspected until he came out at Vatican II. Has not (unfortunately) almost everyone been betrayed by a trusted family member or friend? Does that somehow cast doubts on your character? Did Pius make poor choices in appointments? Objectively, yes, but subjectively we don't know all the reasons. It's another case of playing "Monday morning quarterback." The calumny that Pius knew certain facts about clergy and deliberately elevated them is on the same level as the Jews who scream that he knowingly and willingly helped Hitler.
• Pope Pius "praised the Masonic United Nations." Actually, he enunciated (in 1953) the sound principle that should guide such a body: "Within the limits of the possible and the lawful, to promote everything that facilitates union and makes it more effective; to raise dykes against anything that disturbs it; to tolerate at times that which it is impossible to correct, but which, on the other hand, must not be permitted to make shipwreck of the community of peoples, because of the higher good that is expected from it." The detractors of His Holiness never mention this, or the fact he never "praised" Masonry or Masonic ideals. 
• Pope Pius modified the Eucharistic fast. Yes, he did, and (a) he had every right to do so as Supreme Legislator, and (b) there was good reason for it. With the increasing secularization of the world, people had to work on Holy Days of Obligation, and sometimes on Sundays (police officers, doctors in hospitals, etc.) with it being harder and harder to take off and make ends meet for their families. They had to miss Mass and say an extra Rosary that night and/or read devoutly from the missal. Pope Pius therefore allowed evening Masses. The ancient fast began at midnight. If I'm working and the Traditionalist Chapel near me has an 8pm Mass, I would need to go over twenty (20) hours without food. Many people due to infirmity, old age, or the need to keep their strength for work (especially in manual labor) would not be able to do it. They would have to go to Mass and abstain from Communion, or risk their health and job performance. With his decree Sacra Tridentina Synodus (1905), Pope St. Pius X encouraged frequent Holy Communion, not as a reward for the just but as the antidote to sin. The Saint said, "Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to Heaven." By mitigating the fast to three hours before Communion (water and medicine don't break the fast and may be taken at any time), Pope Pius XII was ensuring the will of His Predecessor was continued. I agree with some of my readers who say that, if you can do so without harm to your health or occupation, the midnight fast should be voluntarily kept as penance. Those who cannot do so (such as my now deceased mother who was sickly most of her life), should not be the least afraid to avail themselves of the modified fast. 
• Pope Pius changed some feast days and made some changes in the Mass rubrics. As I stated above, yes, he did, and he had every right to do so as Supreme Legislator. He instituted the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (August 22) and The Queenship of Mary (May 31). On May 1st, the day used by Communists as "May Day" to show the might of Marxism, Pope Pius made it the feast of St. Joseph the Workman. Here he clearly shows the proper understanding of labor exemplified by St. Joseph as opposed to the evil system of Karl Marx. With Cum hac nostra aetate (March 23, 1955), he slightly changed the rankings of feasts, eliminated some octaves and suppressed the Proper Last Gospels for the usual Last Gospel of St. John.  

None of the above makes him a promoter of heresy or evil. The following section deals with the most controversial aspect of his papacy---only controversial, I may add, after Vatican II and complained of by some Traditionalists---the Reformed Rite of Holy Week. 

The New Rites of Holy Week

 On Novenber 19, 1955, Pope Pius XII issued the decree Maxima Redemptionis, for a Revised Rite of Holy Week to take effect in 1956. (In 1951, the Vigil of Easter on Holy Saturday was altered experimentally, and made official in 1956). There are some Traditionalist clergy who hold the Revised Rites are obligatory. Still others hold that the Rites have ceased to bind because they have become "noxious" over time in a way Pope Pius XII could not have foreseen. They use the pre-Pius XII Rites. As I have no Magisterial authority, and I am not a theologian, I can not settle the issue. What all agree about, as do I, is that the reforms of Pope Pius XII are just as good and Catholic as the former Holy Week. Do the reformed Rites cease to bind? Not for the reasons given by those who reject them. I do believe a case can be made for using the older Rites. I have attended both with no problem. I prefer the older Rites, but that's all it is--a preference. So while I think a case can be made that the older Rites can be used, I believe the stronger arguments are on the side of those who use the Reformed Rites as obligatory. I will set forth my reasons below.

1. The Rites were promulgated by a True Pope. No Traditionalist clergy denies the legitimacy of Pope Pius XII. Some Traditionalist laymen have called his papacy into question, as well as Vacancy Pushers such as Michael Bizzaro. Their arguments hold no water, and the clergy know it.

2. The Church is Infallible in Her Universal Disciplinary Laws. According to theologian Van Noort, "The Church's infallibility extends to the general discipline of the Church...it can never sanction a universal law which would be at odds with faith or morality or would by its very nature conducive to the injury of souls...The Church's infallibility extends to the general discipline of the Church...By the term "general discipline of the Church" are meant those ecclesiastical laws passed for the direction of Christian worship and Christian living." (See Dogmatic Theology, 2: 114-115; Emphasis mine).

According to theologian Hermann, "The Church is infallible in her general discipline. By the term general discipline is understood the laws and practices which belong to the external ordering of the whole Church. Such things would be those which concern either external worship, such as liturgy and rubrics, or the administration of the sacraments…" ( See Institutiones Theologiae Dogmaticae 1:258).

Therefore, the Reformed Rites of Holy Week are guaranteed to be holy and non-heretical.

3. The Reformed Rites had some obvious improvements. Pope Pius XII allowed the times of the services to be held later, for more people to participate and to be aligned with when they actually occurred (Good Friday in the afternoon, Maundy Thursday in the evening) and allowed Our Lord to be received in Holy Communion on Good Friday.  It also lengthened the end of fasting and abstinence until midnight on Holy Saturday, rather than 12 noon.

So why the rejection by some clergy? Fr. Anthony Cekada has written on this extensively, and has recently made a change in the upshot of his arguments in a video. He (and others) argued:

1. The Rites introduced changes that "became harmful over time." To read the argument in full, please see http://www.traditionalmass.org/images/articles/P12MoreLegal.pdf. Fr. Cekada lists certain "false principles and practices," such as: the vernacular may be an integral part of the liturgy, the priest’s role is reduced, lay participation must ideally be vocal, etc. These were incorporated into the Novus Bogus of 1969. If a principle is wrong, it's always wrong, and does not become wrong. If the vernacular may never be an integral part of the liturgy, then it was wrong when Pope Pius XII introduced it, which is impossible, unless you want to say he wasn't pope. The application of the principle may be wrong, but not the principle itself.  Therefore, there was nothing that could have "become harmful." To use an analogy, praying to saints is good and laudatory. Certain "High Church" Anglican heretics, offer their invalid and heretical liturgy in honor of St. Thomas More as a "Martyr of the Reformation (sic)." The dishonoring of St. Thomas More through a false service that equates him with others who were Protestants in no way derogates from the principle that praying to saints is good, or that honoring St. Thomas More is in some way "rendered harmful" because of what some heretics have done.

2. Annibale Bugnini was a Freemason and behind the changes. It doesn't matter. If Pius XII was pope, the Holy Ghost protected all  Pius did in the Liturgy. Bugnini can say 2+2=4 and he's not automatically wrong because he's a Freemason. He was putting in true principles which could be misapplied later. That doesn't make them per se bad, and Fr. Cekada agrees they are not bad in and of themselves.

3. The Changes led to the "New Mass" of 1969. No. I believe the changes were transient and leading to a different form of the Mass that would fight Modernism. What this final product would look like, I have no idea. Pope St. Pius X and Pius XII were calling for and working on reforming the liturgy. Pope St. Pius X began with Divino Afflatu of November 1, 1911. The year after the change, Pope Pius XII declared, "...the faithful must seek from Scripture, tradition and the sacred liturgy as from a deep untainted source." (See Haurietis Aquas, May 15, 1956; the True Mass will always be untainted even when changes are made by the pope because it is the working of the Holy Ghost). It was not leading to a Masonic bread and wine service as in the Novus Bogus. The Modernists hijacked the Liturgical Movement beginning with Roncalli.

4.  By using the Reformed Rite of Holy Week, we lend credibility to the lie of Montini (Paul VI). In a video, Fr. Cekada changed his argument slightly. In the video, he is "sent back in time" to have an audience with Pope Pius XII.  Fr. Cekada concedes that the changes made were not evil or heretical, but since Montini claimed they were the first step towards the Novus Bogus "mass," they should no longer be used because they give credibility to that notion. Pius agrees, and Fr. Cekada returns to 2018. The video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmsEOsohZKM. Actually, the argument works the exact opposite to what Fr. Cekada states. Since the reforms of Pope Pius XII were not the first steps to the "new mass," Montini lied (no surprise there). By refusing to use those reforms, it makes their rejection seem to stem from the fact that they were the first steps to the Novus Bogus "mass"---why else would you reject them?

5. We can't be sure Roncalli (John XXIII) and Montini (Paul VI) were not true popes (at least until 1964), so you can't reject those changes if you accept Pope Pius XII's changes. For clergy and laity in 1959-1964, that would hold true. However, since then, we have good reason to doubt the validity of Roncalli's and Montini's election on several counts. As theologian Szal explains, "Nor is there any schism if one merely transgresses a Papal law for the reason that one considers it too difficult, or if one refuses obedience inasmuch as one suspects the person of the Pope or the validity of his election, or if one resists him as the civil head of a state." (See The Communication of Catholics with Scismatics, CUA Press, [1948], pg. 2; Emphasis mine).  Since we can suspect the elections of Roncalli and Montini, we can safely disregard their "laws" at any stage. Not so Pope Pius XII.

6. Laymen don't understand these matters like clergy, so they have no business discussing them. This argument is fatuous at best. In the absence of a pope, which Traditionalist clergy do the laity follow when they disagree on a disputed point of theology? In this time of the Great Apostasy, we can't "check our brains at the door." Moreover, I received Holy Communion from the hands of my spiritual father, Fr. Gommar DePauw, on Good Friday for years, as he explained the changes of Pope Pius XII. Father was ordained in 1942, was an approved pre-Vatican II canonist (doctorate in canon law [JCD] in 1955 from Catholic University of America), and a peritus (theological expert) at Vatican II who fought the Modernists. He was a seminary professor for the Archdiocese of Baltimore (1955-1962), and was the first to publicly stand against Vatican II in 1964. I'd love Fr. Cekada, or any other Traditionalist priest, to tell me with a straight face that he "didn't understand" the complexities of the rubrics and all it entailed!

That the Reformed Rite was not meant to be permanent, and we don't know how it was heading in a truly orthodox way, in my opinion, would perhaps justify the Old Rites. I don't condemn (nor could I) the SSPV or Fr. Cekada in using them. However, the Reformed Rites are good and holy--equal to the Old. No one should claim that the Old Rites are "Bugnini-free" as if the Reformed Rites of Pope Pius XII were the work of Bugnini and not protected by the Holy Ghost. One may have a preference, but that's all it is; a preference. The CMRI has a much stronger position that the Rites can be considered obligatory. Finally, one must be careful when invoking epieikeia, for as theologians McHugh and Callan note:

"There is the danger that one may be wrong in judging that the lawgiver did not wish to include a case under his law. If this is not certain, one should investigate to the best of one’s ability, and have recourse, if possible, to the legislator or his representative for a declaration or dispensation. It is never lawful to use epieikeia without reasonable certainty that the legislator would not wish the law to apply here and now." (See Moral Theology 1:141).

Conclusion

Pope Pius XII was a good and holy pontiff. He has been attacked unjustly on the left by the Jews, and unjustly on the right by certain Traditionalists (and those of the lunatic fringe calling themselves "Traditionalists"). We need more unity and less diversity as we struggle to make our Catholic way in these perilous times. The chaos all began with the death of "Papa Pacelli" on October 9, 1958. I'd say that's a good date to retain all that was in place, and to reject all that comes after it, until we get a new pope, or Our Lord returns in glory.