(Almost) Anything Goes

TRANSCRIPT
 

The hurt and anger and suffering faithful Catholics (laity and clergy) feel today is unprecedented in the Church's history. And every last bit of it can be laid directly and squarely at the feet of the bishops. For more than 60 years, these men have allowed heresy to flourish almost unchecked.

As a result — a direct response to those heresies — schisms are now exploding across the globe. What in the name of heaven would anyone expect? Outrage doesn't excuse schism, but it does explain it. Schism is a reaction to heresy. It stands second in line, but it is in line nonetheless. But we should be very clear here: The fact that there is a line at all is directly attributable to a lack of effective leadership on the part of the hierarchy.

While Vatican II suggested a blueprint, for example, of modifications to the liturgy, when that dog and pony show pulled into town, most parishes went absolutely bananas with felt banners and crappy guitar music and gay priests flitting around the sanctuary.

They ripped out the communion rails, tore down the statues and on and on. Vatican II called for none of that — not a single thing. Girl altar boys, folk groups, Holy Communion in the hand — the list of modernist garbage allowed to go in parishes by the bishops knew no end.

Of course, what was happening in the parishes was only a visible sign of the train wreck going on below the surface in Catholic education, religious orders and so forth. Again, all of it brought to you by your local cowardly, likely homosexual bishop, who demonstrated no love, zero care for the faithful. All they were to him was an ATM that he could slip on his vestments and then squeeze money out of. Of course, this could not go on forever, and it hasn't.

Eventually, when the "product" you sell is crap, most will stop buying it. And as a result of a generation or two ago of bishops, most Catholics have. They don't go to Mass anymore — why would they even want to? They don't believe the Church's teachings because they've never had them told to them.

They've been betrayed into the hands of modernist clerics who don't believe the Faith themselves, and, in exchange, the hierarchy has cashed in and is living comfortably off the fumes of billions of dollars given to the Church by well-meaning but largely naive Catholics.

But on the other side (the reaction side to the heresy), schism is breaking out everywhere. And while certainly not excusing it, it does at least appear on the scene as understandable. Again, confusion reigns supreme, and that confusion is being fed by the hierarchy, by their lack of clarity.

In fact, the hierarchy seems to be content to allow anything to go on except actual solid orthodoxy. Schism — well, that's okay. Heresy — give it a pass. But solid, nonschismatic orthodoxy — just straight up Catholicism with no adjectives in front of it — well, that's monstrous and divisive and simply cannot be allowed to persist — with warnings and letters and statements issued.

Ask yourselves why heretics and schismatics each get a pass, but normal, everyday orthodox Catholics don't. It's like a case of "anything goes." Well, almost anything — and that's exactly the point.

Want to run a little homeschool contingent in the parish gym a couple of hours a week where children learn the authentic Faith on diocesan property? Please, you are the most dangerous of all creatures. Want to teach the Faith in a Catholic school religion class and use the Baltimore Catechism as the teaching tool? How dare you?

But if you want to go into schism — if you want to go off the reservation with clown Masses or James Martin — then you get a gold star. There is something mentally ill, emotionally unstable, with too many bishops who are unwilling to offend schismatics or heretics — wouldn't dream of it — but won't think twice about lashing out at just plain old, normal Catholics.

It doesn't matter if you're a gay parish celebrating Pride Month for all the "all-are-welcome" LGBTQIA Catholics or some Vatican II-, pope-rejecting, "mad, rad, trad" Catholic, you can rest assured you will be left in peace by your local bishop, even if you reject his authority over you.

But just try and be a "nonadjective" Catholic — a normal guy, family or parish that wants a reverent Novus Ordo with (no girl) altar boys, Latin, ad orientem, Holy Communion on the tongue — and you'd think you are on the FBI's Most Wanted list.

When the extremes on both ends are being given preferential, hands-off treatment, but the Catholics in the middle are getting slammed, you know something is off — way off. They'll shut you down and completely look the other way with schismatics and heretics.