Monday, April 5, 2021

When Strangers Come Knocking---Part 20

 


This is the next installment of my series to be published the first Monday of each month.

There are members of false sects, like Jehovah's Witnesses, that come knocking door-to-door hoping to convert you. Instead of ignoring them, it is we who should try and convert them. In 1 Peter 3:16, our first Pope writes, "But in thy hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks thee to give the reason for the hope that thou hast. But do this with gentleness and respect,..." Before the Great Apostasy, the Church would send missionaries to the ends of the Earth to make as many converts as possible. 

Those in false religions don't always come (literally) knocking at your door. It may be a Hindu at work who wants you to try yoga. It could be a "Christian Scientist" who lives next door and invites you to come to their reading room. Each month, I will present a false sect. Unlike the Vatican II sect, I do not see them as a "means of salvation" or possessing "elements of truth" that lead to salvation. That is heresy. They lead to damnation, and the adherents of the various sects must be converted so they may be saved.

In each month's post, I will present one false sect and give an overview of: 

  • The sect's history
  • Their theology
  • Tips on how to share the True Faith with them

Voodoo/Santeria/Yoruba

I wish to credit  Alfred Metraux Voodoo in Haiti (2016), and Jeffrey Anderson Hoodoo, Voodoo, and Conjure: A Handbook (2008) for much of the informtion in this post.---Introibo

The word voodoo conjures up images of Africans in tribal clothes engaging in corybantic dancing  while someone sticks pins in a doll. While not entirely untrue, there is more to it than that. In 1993, John Paul the Great Apostate visited the African country of Benin. The L’Osservatore Romano gave this definition of voodoo upon the occasion of his visit:

VOODOOISM (voodoo-deity) is a religion originating in West Africa (particularly Benin) that is also widely practiced in Haiti and the Antilles. It is characterized by various rites to the “Great Master” or good God who is the creator of the spirits responsible for protecting human beings. The great God and the spirits are identified with the Christian God and the saints of the Catholic Church. The calendar of voodoo feasts imitates that of Christian worship.

Voodoo ceremonies consist of rituals invoking the spirits and the great God and are marked by drums and songs accompanying an animal sacrifice. The rite culminates in a trance in which a ritual dancer is thought to be possessed by a divinity. Ceremonies are conducted by a man (hungan) or a woman (mambo), who are often knowledgeable about witchcraft as well.

While the practitioners of voodoo have a nominal belief in a “master creator,”--similar to the "Great Architect of the Universe" in Masonry-- it is a "god" incompatible with the Theistic God of Christianity. Voodoo does believe in a deity above the other gods, though one without many of the qualities the Church recognizes in the True God, such as omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, etc. It is a god far removed from the affairs of the world, which it allows "lesser spirits" or "lesser gods" to control. These spirits are thought to reside in trees, water, animals, and other natural phenomena. This primitive cosmology is known as animism.

Likewise, the Yoruba religion system is comprised of traditional African practices and spiritual concepts. They believe that before one is born, they determine their destiny. They decide long before they ever arrive on Earth on what they will be doing in the world, where they will live, and who they will love, and even on how they will die. The religion also states that after one is born into the world all their plans and promises are forgotten and similarly their destiny is even forgotten. There are orishas or spirits that inhabit things and act for or against humans. Olorun (also called Olodumare) is the supreme deity. You must become one with him through successive reincarnations. Unlike Eastern pagans (Hindus, Buddhists, etc.) they view reincarnation as something positive; each alleged rebirth bringing you closer to Olorum.

Santeria derives from the correspondences made by some devotees between the Yoruba deities and the saints (santos) of  Catholicism. It has its origins in Cuba, and many identify as "Catholics." They will also pray to the statues of the true saints, but to them those saints signify demonic "deities." The very name is Spanish for “The Way of the Saints." Santeria is based upon the development of personal relationships through divination, sacrifice, initiation, and mediumship between practitioners of the religion and the orisha deities, who provide their devotees with protection, wisdom, and success. About 60 percent of Cuba's 11 million people are baptized in the Vatican II sect, however, an equal number practice Santeria or another form of Afro-Cuban religion. 

Voodoo and Santeria began in the West when African slaves brought their pagan traditions with them as they were transported to the New World. However, they were generally forbidden from practicing their evil religion. To get around these restrictions, the slaves started to equate their gods with Catholic saints. They also performed their rituals using the items and imagery of the Catholic Church. These sects have no so-called sacred texts only oral traditions. It's not hard to understand how backwards, poverty-stricken countries like Haiti would cling to pagan traditions from Africa. The Church was trying (successfully) to make in-roads eliminating such false religions--but then came Vatican II. 

Why would people in the United States and other developed countries choose to practice voodoo? It lures a dark part of the human psyche that covertly craves uninhibited behavior and revenge. Voodoo dolls are mostly associated with a form of African folk magic called “Hoodoo,” which is a mixture of animism, spiritism, and a combination of other religious beliefs and practices originating in Africa. Hoodoo/Voodoo dolls have traditionally been made to represent an individual who the practitioner is attempting to put a spell or curse upon during a religious ceremony. It satisfies a person's anger and desire for revenge.

There is no hierarchy, only lone practitioners in these pagan sects. They believe that all objects have indwelling spirits; hence the spirits can be invoked by means of objects they manipulate as amulets and charms. Hungans and mambos sacrifice animals to the "spirits" and channel them, asking that they may injure someone who hurt their client in some way, or cure said client of illness, or bring some other benefit upon them. Hence, at the heart of Voodoo, Santeria and Yoruba is spiritism. The Bible makes it clear:

 "Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD; because of these same detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you." (See Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Emphasis mine.)  According to theologian Jone, "Spiritism claims to be able to communicate with the spirit world and endeavors to establish such commerce with it. Although spiritism is for the most part fraud, still the intention alone to enter into communication with spirits is gravely sinful. Therefore, it is mortally sinful to conduct a spiritistic seance or to act as a medium." (See Moral Theology,[1961] pg. 100; Emphasis mine). 

While "spiritism is for the most part fraud," it sometimes is not. When Fr. Jone's theology manual was published in 1961, the Great Apostasy had not yet occurred. Most of spiritism at that time consisted of old ladies reading palms and pretending to contact spirits (or souls of the dead) for extra money; it was a fraud. Since Vatican II there has been an occult and pagan explosion world-wide, such that Fr. Jone couldn't comprehend at the time of his writing. While some spiritism is still fraudulent, I dare to say much--if not most---is real today. The direct and deliberate calling upon "spirits" (i.e., demons) to enter your life will rarely go unheeded. I will examine the striking similarities between Biblical accounts of possession and voodoo practitioners in Haiti calling upon a loa; their name for the Yoruban orishas

Demonic Possession in the Bible

There are nine (9) cases of possessed people in the Bible:

1. The demoniac in the synagogue at Capernaum (St. Mark 1:23-26; St. Luke 4:33-37)

2. The Gadarene demoniac (St. Mark 5:1-20;  St. Matthew 8:28-34; St. Luke 8:26-39)

3. The daughter of the Syro-Phenician woman (St. Mark 7:24-30; St. Matthew 15:21-28)

4. The demoniac boy (St. Mark 9:14-29; St. Matthew 17:14-20; St. Luke 9:37-43)

5. The mute ("dumb") man (St. Matthew 9:32; St. Luke 11:14-15)

6. The blind and mute ("dumb") man (St. Matthew 12:22-28)

7. The crippled woman (St. Luke 13:11-16)

8. The slave girl at Philippi (Acts 16:16-18)

9. The strong man at Ephesus (Acts 19:13-17)

According to theologian Sagues, the signs of someone possessed are: (1) to speak a foreign language never studied or to understand someone speaking it; (2) to know things hidden far away; (3) to possess strength beyond one's age or natural condition. (See Sacrae Theologiae Summa, II B:221; these signs are also mentioned in the Rituale Romanum). 

The first sign is not expressly mentioned in the Bible. 

The second sign is also referred to as clairvoyance; which is defined as perceiving things or events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact. The clearest example of this is the slave girl in Philippi. In other instances, the possessed person appeared to recognize Jesus for all that He was without ever having been introduced to Him. This happened in both of the cases in the book of Acts as well as in the cases of the Capernaum and Gadarene demoniacs.

The third sign of superhuman strength is not mentioned in every Biblical case, but the exhibition of unusual or supernormal strength characterizes some instances of Biblical demon possession. The possessed man in Ephesus overpowered seven other men. The Gadarene demoniac could tear chains apart. 

The three signs of possession are primary, but not exclusive. Demons can display themselves possessing a human in other ways. (See https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344067436_The_Devil's_Habits_and_Exorcism_in_the_Catholic_Church_Father_Amorth's_Account).  Two such traits exhibited in the biblical accounts are moral impurity and seizures.  The Gadarene demoniac, for instance, ran about naked, and the spirits in him seemed to have no regard for the property rights of others. The demoniac boy had seizures, convulsions, and other symptoms such as rigidity and foaming at the mouth. According to Alfred Metraux in Voodoo in Haiti (2016), mambos and houngans need the "gift of eyes" to see the future; often dress half or fully naked; roll on the ground frothing at the mouth; speak strange words; and can lift heavy objects when in a trance. Sounds like possession? I'll let the readers decide. 

The Great Apostate and Voodoo

Keeping in mind all that has been shown about Voodoo, Santeria, and Yoruba, here is what Wojtyla ["St" John Paul II] had to say to a Voodoo houngan in Benin on February 4, 1993 [English translation of Wojtyla's words from page 4 of L'Osservatore Romano 2/6/93]:

Dear friends,

I am pleased to have this occasion to meet you, and I very cordially greet you. As you know, I came to Benin principally to visit with the Catholic community, to encourage it and confirm it in the faith. However, I have always thought that contact with persons who belong to other religious traditions is an important part of my ministry. Indeed, the Catholic Church[sic] is favorable to dialogue: dialogue with Christians of other churches and ecclesial communities, dialogue with believers of other spiritual families, and dialogue even with those who do not profess any religion. The Church establishes positive and constructive relations with persons and human groups of other creeds for a reciprocal enrichment.

Vatican Council II …. recognized that there are truth and good, seeds of the Word, in the various religious traditions. …These provide the foundations for a fruitful dialogue, as the Apostle Paul said to the first Christians: “Everything that is true, noble, just, pure, amiable, honorable, whatever is virtuous and deserves praise, let all these things be the object of your thinking.” From this comes our approach of respect [toward you]: respect for true values wherever they are, and overall respect for the man who looks to live these values that help him set aside fear.

You are strongly attached to the traditions which your ancestors transmitted to you. It is legitimate to be grateful to the ancestors who transmitted to you the sense of the sacral, faith in a one and good god [sic], the taste for celebrations, and consideration for moral life and harmony in society. (Emphasis mine). How can anyone maintain this man was "pope"? A true pope would not, indeed, could not say such about paganism.

Proselytizing Members of Voodoo Sects

I have dealt with people who practice Santeria. Since those sects (Yoruba/Voodoo/Santeria) will have some superficial knowledge of the Vatican II sect, they will claim to be "Catholic," and even cite to Wojtyla's approval. I was shown a pamphlet by the National African Religion Congress, which said, “Voodoo is based on the belief in one God. We recognize Christ as the Savior and we believe in the Holy Spirit (the Holy Loa). The Loa (singular or plural) are divine forces or the messengers of God. You may know them as the Holy Spirit, the saints or as angels. The Loa guide us and govern the activities of our daily lives.” They teach the (alleged) compatibility of Voodoo and Christianity. This is  syncretism, i.e., he combining of different beliefs, sometimes even when incompatible. 

Traditionalist Catholicism cannot be combined with Voodoo or with any other form of religious worship. To worship Christ at all is to worship Christ alone. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (St. John 14:6); He did not say, “I am a step along the way, a partial perspective on the truth, and one among many equally-valid lifestyle choices.” With Christ it is Him and His One True Church alone that saves. 

Point out the contradictions between Voodoo, etc. and Church teaching. Remember the words of Jesus himself: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven” (St. Matthew 7:21). The native pagan African religions are a good example of what Christ meant. None of them believe that the one true God exists in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. For them, the Holy Ghost is not a Person, but a "divine force." Or He is made up of hundreds of angels (which are really demons in disguise). Since these pagan religions do not recognize God’s true Spirit, they cannot worship the true Christ, Who has unity with the Father and with the Holy Ghost but does not consort with pagan gods and goddesses.

A person could even use the heretical 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church, to show inconsistencies. If the Voodoo follower then asks, "Then why did the pope say what he did?" that would be a great opportunity to talk about sedevacantism and True Catholicism. Remember, these people converse with demons. You should always, in today's evil world, carry a St. Benedict medal on your person.  Leave them with somethings to think about and pray for them much.

Conclusion

The African pagan sects are on the rise thanks to Vatican II and its ecclesiology from Hell. Have nothing to do with these sects and their works of darkness; to do otherwise is to invite evil into your life. By giving such evil recognition, Wojtyla was, in fact, helping them spread their wickedness. With apologies to Cole Porter, John Paul the Great Apostate is paying the price for doing that voodoo he did so well. 



52 comments:

  1. It's clear that a true Pope and the true Catholic Church wouldn't praise the evil false religions, nor blessing sodomites pairs and impure acts like adultery and demons worship. That's clear that it's a false church and the white-dressed man is a false pope, as it was announced.

    In the prophecy of La Salette, the Virgin said that Lucifer and the demons would be freed from Hell in 1864. I think it happened a century later with the demonic council V2. The end of time is coming !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Simon,
      I must admit it does appear that way! God help us all.

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

      Delete
  2. Make the Sign of the Cross when you pass palm reading psychic buildings or other new age centers even the ones which offer Yoga.
    God bless -Andrew

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andrew,
      Great advice all should heed!

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

      Delete
  3. A religion built around dancing and playing with dolls, what could go wrong?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ryan,
      LOL! So true!

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

      Delete
    2. Introibo,
      Could the dancing the Pentecostals do have its origins in these religions? Also, the snake handling some Pentecostals do?
      Thanks.
      JoAnn

      Delete
    3. Joann,
      They are similar and are most probably the work of demons as well. However, I doubt there is a direct connection. See my post:
      http://introiboadaltaredei2.blogspot.com/2016/11/its-not-joke.html

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

      Delete
  4. Joann, while both are similar what Pentacostals do is much more stupid.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Who needs the solemn nonsense of proselytism when Jorge Bergoglio said "But I do not go to the doctor, I go to the witch!” as Liu Ming a Taoist monk (aka witch) who practices Reiki has been Jorge Bergoglio’s doctor since 2004.

    Thanks for posting the "St" John Paul II excerpt. It makes sense that he would say such things especially when he had previously prayed with Voodooist and to there gods in Assisi in 1986.

    Lee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lee,
      It is without question Wojtyla is an ecumenist, not a Catholic!

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

      Delete
  6. Fr. Hans Küng, a modernist heretic and apostate, died. Let us pray for his poor soul and hope that before he died, he repented of his sins and converted.
    Requiescat in pace!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @anon11:21
      With God, all things are possible. However, I'm not confident that the suit-and-tie wearing arch-heretic who did untold damage to souls repented. Nevertheless, you have the correct attitude, and God can reach anyone!

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

      Delete
  7. It's interesting, seeing the splash made by the recent article on N.O.W. regarding the influence of the occult (of which voodoo is a subspecies) in various "tradCath" circles (which, in the context of the article, would include conservative Novus Ordos and R&R types). It's gotten to the point where an ongoing back-and-forth in comments (and on Twitter) has ensued, where some - attempting to defend Charles Coulombe against accusations that he is an occultist - have written stuff like the following: "You are accusing a good man of dabbling in the occult. By that logic, Aquinas is a pagan because he uses Aristotle."

    (Notwithstanding that this comparison is simply inaccurate, because Aquinas never engaged in actual pagan practices as far as I'm aware. Twitter thread sourced here: https://twitter.com/JustACatholic1/status/1379443521900449796)

    My particular question is, why exactly is it a problem from the standpoint of the Novus Ordo if Charles Coulombe *is* an occultist?

    Because John Paul II certainly wouldn't have cared, based on how he treated voodoo.

    Sincerely,

    A Simple Man

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I listened to a few of his talks. He seemed pretty knowledgeable, is he an occultist?

      Delete
    2. A Simple man,
      Very astute observation!

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

      Delete
    3. Ryan,

      I've not listened or read any of Coulombe's works; I was commenting on the reaction to this article: https://novusordowatch.org/2021/04/occultists-masquerading-as-traditional-catholics/

      The general reaction from Coulombe's defenders is that the original article by Alistair McFadden (which True Restoration summarized) is misinterpreting Charles Coulombe's words.

      My reaction to the defenders was simply to observe that, by the Novus Ordo/Vatican 2 standards, why exactly would it be a problem if Charles *were*, in fact, an occultist?

      Sincerely,

      A Simple Man

      Delete
    4. Thanks for the link A Simple Man!

      I’m about halfway through the article in question. One thing that struck me that I would like to share on this blog refers to a comment I made a little while back where I said something to the effect that Fr. Ripperger uses demons to confirm the NO mass is valid.

      Well it appears that FR. Ripperger, Charles Coulombe, and Dr. Taylor Marshall are buddies over at Tumblar house.... I don’t want to draw any premature conclusions but I find this interesting.

      “ Charles Coulombe, certainly, is an eccentric. But he is also a Contributing Editor at the traditionalist Crisis Magazine, as well as the “Scholar-in-Residence” at Tumblar House, a small but prestigious Catholic publisher that claims for itself “a reputation for publishing quality Catholic books that adhere to Catholic tradition and orthodoxy,” and whose authors include Robert Cardinal Sarah, Fr Chad Ripperger, and Dr Taylor Marshall. Coulombe’s “Hermetic Imagination” and “Ultra-Realism FAQ,” quoted above, were both published on the official Tumblar House blog.
      Fr Ripperger may have been more right than he knew when he warned on the same blog (albeit somewhat hyperbolically) that “the traditionalist movement is slowly becoming a Gnostic movement among some…”

      Delete
    5. Ryan,
      I tried to go through the blog post by "Fr." Ripperger you mentioned above but couldn't take his gobbledygook any longer after paragraph #7 ("Disrespect for authority and the Magisterium"):
      "We have an obligation to protect our faith and sometimes that even means avoiding people who tell us the truth for which we are unprepared psychologically, spiritually, or intellectually."
      With "clerics" like this one, no wonder the semi-trads are all mixed up and easily manipulated by entrepreneurs like Taylor Marshall, selling them gnosis while the Catholic Truth is free for the taking!
      I generally skimmed through that article and got the impression that Ripperger basically sees demons everywhere and has no notion of the Magisterium and authority. It's tragic that he's some sort of a household name in the semi-trad circles. These poor folks really need to start reading pre-Vatican II theology manuals and catechisms to learn the Faith, otherwise they'll be falling for the likes of Ripperger, Marshall, and Coulombe who are money-drainers and Faith-killers.

      God Bless,
      Joanna S.

      Delete
    6. Thanks Joanna,
      Although I’m not quite sure which blog post you are referring to I share your sentiments entirely about Fr. Ripperger. Something just didn’t seem right about him after I listened to a few of his talks. Too much cultish indicators in my opinion. Now it seems that he is very much associated with the occultist Coulombe, and the very questionable Taylor Marshal, as an exorcist no less.

      Delete
    7. The recent saga involving Coulombe continues to get more bizarre.

      For one, not *only* was he one of the men who incorporated the Feeneyite St. Benedict Center — West (located out of California, but still associated with the same organization as the one in Massachusetts based on the MICM acronym), but was also done alongside one Stephan A. Hoeller. Charles is still the CEO per public records as of 2020, while Stephan Hoeller is the Secretary.

      Hoeller turns out to be a Gnostic bishop, as well as a longstanding speaker for (if not a member of) the Theosophical Society of America.

      Sources: http://callmejorgebergoglio.blogspot.com/2021/04/theosophist-gnostic-bishop-hoeller.html ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephan_A._Hoeller

      Sincerely,

      A Simple Man

      Delete
    8. The way Ryan Grant's come to Coulombe's defense has been particularly disappointing as well. Per this Twitter thread (https://twitter.com/chesterbelloc3/status/1380956156999266305), we have the following from Ryan:

      "When it comes to Charles, he has explained himself, and you reject his explanation. I don't. That's where the matter stands. But your calumny against Charles doesn't stop there. You claim he laments St. Thomas's canonization, which is revealed to be a lie in the source. He does take the view that Thomism has led to problems in the western tradition. I think he is wrong, but that is a permissable opinion for a Catholic."

      I'm sorry, but **what**?

      Notwithstanding that this is a misrepresentation of Coulombe's actual opinion on St. Thomas (as McFadden points out here: https://twitter.com/JustACatholic1/status/1380960510217220098), but Leo XIII's glowing terms regarding Thomism and St. Thomas in Aeterni Patris go far beyond the way Coulombe tried to downplay it (as a mere 'endorsement') in the "Ultra-Realism FAQ" (cited by McFadden in his original article).

      The way this is developing is VERY unexpected.

      Sincerely,

      A Simple Man

      Delete
    9. Ya its getting real weird because all these people have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar, but they think they can get away with it if they gaslight everybody.
      Anyways I made a meme a couple days ago which I just posted to gab which I think explains the situation perfectly lol.
      https://gab.com/TheRG

      Delete
    10. It gets even worse.

      This 1994 article was found on EWTN (https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/extra-ecclesiam-nulla-salus-outside-the-church-there-is-no-salvation-1012) on the Feeneyites. Quote:

      ----

      The case of Charles Coulombe represents a good example of this younger, pro-Feeney crowd. Coulombe, a movie critic and columnist for the , is a Generation-Xer who also runs the "Charlemagne Press" out of Arcadia, California. According to both Br. Bartholomew of the St. Benedict Abbey in Still River, Massachusetts and Br. Andre of the St. Benedict Center in Richmond, New Hampshire, Coulombe's involvement with Feeneyism is extensive. According to Br. Andre, Coulombe is one of three religious brothers of "St. Benedict Center West," (also known as the "St. Joseph House of Studies") the first outpost of Feeneyism on the West Coast. The superior of the community, Br. Leonard Mary, (aka J. Fred Farrell, Jr.), is the publisher and author of the foreword to Desire and Deception, the same pro-Feeney book Gerry Matatics was circulating on his lecture tour. The links here are not coincidental. Both Br. Bartholomew and Br. Andre independently asserted that Coulombe himself is the author of Desire and Deception, and that "Thomas A. Hutchinson" is merely a pen name.

      Aquinas The Heretic

      For anyone familiar with Coulombe, this does not come as a shock. The flamboyant style and frequent and forced attempts at irony are characteristic of Coulombe's aspirations at mimicking Chesterton. Furthermore, since Charlemagne Press has only published books written by Coulombe, his authorship is rather obvious. The reasons behind his choosing a pen name, even if it only thinly veils his authorship, are unclear; he is possibly reticent to publicly admit his allegiance to Feeneyism or is reluctant to have his status as a professional writer jeopardized, since besides his position as a writer for the , Coulombe also regularly contributes to the Society of St. Pius X's magazine. He might, after all, find himself in trouble with the traditionalists after they read in Desire and Deception an excoriation of Msgr. Lefebvre for his ignorance, duplicity, and naivete in accepting the "heresy" of baptism of desire.

      Anyhow, the main thesis of is that the Church has misunderstood[!!] the doctrine for centuries, and that the time of deliverance is now at hand. Having been duped into jettisoning the neoPlatonism of the early Church (which had preserved the "correct" understanding of ), and after having been led into heresy by its replacement, Thomistic scholasticism, the Church was finally saved from error by the heroic actions of Fr. Leonard Feeney. Interestingly enough, this disparaging of St. Thomas was never part of Feeney's original analysis, and some Feeneyites have even voiced their objections to much of Coulombe's analysis.

      Like other pro-Feeney writers, Coulombe wanders through various statements of the Fathers and Councils, picking and choosing those which best fit his needs. He dismisses the notions of baptism of desire and baptism of blood as scholastic accretions, and calmly asserts that St. Bonaventure called St. Thomas Aquinas "the Father of all Heresies"[!!!] because of the latter's use of Aristotle.

      ----

      Unquote.

      Outrageous scarcely begins to describe it.

      Sincerely,

      A Simple Man

      Delete
    11. What if Coulombe turns out to be the head of the snake? We do live in absurd times after all. Apparently he was also best buddies with Malichai Martin

      https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=37&v=8XpZazvwzZU&feature=youtu.be

      Delete
    12. The Coulombe paradox: in order to go to heaven does one must be baptized while playing tarot.

      Delete
    13. Fr.Ripperger stands by his extremely doubtful novus ordo "Ordination."
      That raised Red Flags with me years ago upon first discovering him.
      God bless -Andrew

      Delete
  8. A simple man

    Are you aware CMRI are now in charge of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Orange,CT.We asked for info on this site some time ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon@6:18 PM,

      Given that Connecticut is hundreds and hundreds of miles away from my primary residence, I generally don't have reason to look up the Traditionalist scene there.

      As it stands, CMRI's website lists the following information:

      Orange, CT
      Our Lady of Sorrows Church
      Pastor: Fr. Brendan Hughes, CMRI
      Cell phone: (509) 714-8366
      378 Spring Street
      Orange, CT 06477
      Sunday Mass: 5:00 p.m. preceded by 4:30 p.m. confessions and Rosary
      Call for holy day Mass times

      Sincerely,

      A Simple Man

      Delete
  9. Introibo,
    I have several questions.
    1. Is all document approved by the pope, such as an encyclical, infallible in the sense that it contains no error against faith or morals - heresies and errors?
    2. If someone denies a moral truth, is he a heretic? E.g., if a Catholic recognizes abortion, is he a heretic or merely sinning mortally?

    God bless,
    Paweł

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pawel,
      1. Yes, the pope cannot teach that which is heresy or error, even when not speaking infallibly when he teaches the whole Church as in an encyclical.

      2.If someone denies abortion is murder, they would be heretical as the universal and ordinary Magisterium has always taught direct abortion is murder.

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

      Delete
    2. Yet if a Catholic believes abortion is murder yet out of weakness procures or assists in an abortion, then they would not be an heretic. They would be guilty of grave matter.

      Delete
    3. Tom,
      Correct. They would not be a heretic but guilty of murder and ipso facto excommunicated. They would still be separated from the Church not by heresy but by excommunicable crime.

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

      Delete
    4. Introibo, I understand the difference between infallibility and not able to teach heresy, but how can a pope be fallible while writing an encyclical but also cannot teach error? Aren't those opposite? Fallibility means ability to err?

      Delete
    5. @anon12:48
      I'll give two examples.

      1. Whether or not Mary died prior to her Assumption into Heaven has never been settled. If there was now a true pope, he may give an opinionative decision that Mary did not die. He wishes to close debate until a formal decision is made. Believing Mary did not die is in no way opposed to the faith. Later, another true pope revisits the issue and decides the issue that Mary did die. Case closed. Did the former pope err in closing debate and giving a tentative decision open to re-examination? No.

      2. The pope revised the Holy Week Rites in 1955. Can they contain errors? No. Does that mean you must like them better than the prior rites? No. Are they subject to further revision and/or being changed back? Yes. Are the changes thereby erroneous? No.

      I hope this helped!

      @Tom
      I received your comments, you didn't seem like yiu wanted them published. You are correct. The 1917 Code of Canon Law has an automatic excommunication for procuring or assisting with an abortion.

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

      Delete
    6. To Anon@12:48 AM,

      Beyond the examples offered by Introibo, a general stance to approach is as follows:

      On matters of faith and morals, the Extraordinary Magisterium and the Universal Ordinary Magisterium (UOM) are infallible, i.e. are guaranteed by the Holy Ghost to be protected from any and all species of error.

      When it comes to magisterial documents that are not protected by the charism of infallibility, the distinction to make is with regards to the subject matter being spoken of. For example, in an encyclical addressed to a particular nation or to a particular archdiocese (hypothetically speaking), the Pope may be in error on matters of historical fact or current events that are of a purely secular nature. However, anything within said encyclical that touches on faith and morals will nonetheless be **safe** for Catholics to follow and obey (especially those to whom said document is addressed to, as the orders and commands directed to an abbey of cloistered religious will differ from, say, a particular union of lay workers).

      It is in this sense that a non-infallible document can be said to be "free from error."

      You might benefit from reading my prior guest post on this matter, if you've not already done so: http://introiboadaltaredei2.blogspot.com/2021/02/whats-so-ordinary-about-authority.html

      Sincerely,

      A Simple Man

      Delete
    7. Thank you for the answers.

      As said, I understand that a pope can be fallible while being protected from heresy.

      Since according to your replies, I believe we're in agreement, Introibo, when you stated a pope cannot preach error at all, I assume you meant heresy by "error", am I correct? I thought error meant everything that wasn't the truth.

      Example, to answer your question: "Did the former pope err in closing debate and giving a tentative decision open to re-examination?" Yes, the pope did err but did not preach heresy, as it wasn't closed yet, but he still erred because it wasn't true.

      Delete
    8. @anon11:07
      If by "error" you mean anything incorrect at all, the pope may err when teaching as A Simple Man stated above:
      "the Pope may be in error on matters of historical fact or current events that are of a purely secular nature. However, anything within said encyclical that touches on faith and morals will nonetheless be **safe** for Catholics to follow and obey" With the "safe" qualification--we agree.

      ---Introibo

      Delete
  10. A simple man

    I believe you used to attend the FSSP in Denver?What were their numbers like at their chapels?Do you think others are starting to be given the graces to wake up and see they are nothing but a group in full communion with a apostate and false church.I like your writings.God bless you,your wife and your family.Pax

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon@8:00 PM,

      It was actually the FSSP parish in Colorado Springs that I attended for about five years. I would say, based on the parish registry records and the usual Sunday attendance that we had anywhere from 125-200 families at any given time.

      From what I've heard from one of the older parishioners who still goes there, however, is that their numbers actually grew in 2020 because the pastor there refused to follow the lockdowns and continued with Mass unabated. For those of the Novus Ordo with options that had been suddenly truncated as a result of the COVID lockdowns, it's only reasonable that the FSSP would be their most tenable option to (in their minds) satisfy their Sunday obligation.

      (As far as I'm aware, the pastor there still has Bergoglio's picture in the vestibule where the image of the Pope is supposed to be.)

      Sincerely,

      A Simple Man

      Delete
  11. Hello, Introibo, I'm curious & interested as to which Bible translation you quote from? Doesn't seem to be the Douay.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. @anon5:27
      I have used various translations including Douay. Confraternity and Knox are two others that come to mind. As I'm often pressed for time, I don't cite the translation.

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

      Delete
    2. Thank you.
      I'm finding for a less archaic translation than the Douay and see if it works for me. So if I can just ask what year/edition your Confraternity is from? Is it rare, can it be bought online?

      Delete
    3. @anon5:54
      My Confraternity is from 1958. It was purchased by my father and passed down to me. I would check Amazon and eBay.

      ---Introibo

      Delete
  12. Introibo, I love your When Strangers Come Knocking series. I think it would be entertaining if you did one on the Novus Ordo, the Indultarians, and the Resisters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tom,
      I might do just that! Thanks for the suggestion!

      God Bless,

      ---Introibo

      Delete
  13. ASM, Coulombe’s dabbling in these rituals is indeed troubling and no Catholic should associate with him till he publically renounces. That said, we should never take eccentricity as some sign of deep intelligence and wisdom. Another character who used this schtick was the late “Fr” Hesse.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coulombe is just like Ratzinger the only difference is that Charles believes in the Hermeticism of Continuity

      Delete
    2. @Ryan LOL true!

      -Andrew

      Delete
  14. I recall how my "Docent" in Latin, while teaching Aeneid VI, notes that the Sibyl of Cumae when possessed by Apollo compared to what voodoo is now, and what the girl with a Pythonic spirit was in the time of St. Paul.

    As he is in "full communion with Rome" (was then and also last time I checked), it is noteworthy his good theology on this one got the better of his loyalty - if he even recalled to make such a connection.

    ReplyDelete