An Editorial

Dear Friends and Readers,

We present you with this very special issue on the occasion of the historic consecration of four bishops by Their Excellencies, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and Bishop de Castro Mayer, on June 30, 1988, for the continuation of the Tradition of the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Church.

Some of you already approve of this; others disapprove. All of you have many questions, which are unanswered by the news media. We hope, by means of this issue, to bring you the documents which will give the answers you seek.

First of all, we present the sermon of Archbishop Lefebvre on June 29th, for the ordination of sixteen to the Holy Priesthood. During his sermon, His Grace explains the formation and spirit given to the seminarians to prepare them for the priesthood. I was, myself, very happy to hear this sermon, which reduces to nought the objection oftentimes heard of pride. For the media, for the men of the world, for one or two bishops to stand up against 2,400 bishops is pride! This beautiful sermon shows that the traditional Catholic attitude is that subjection to God is the opposite of pride. Judge for yourselves: who is proud? The one who submits himself to the doctrine of Christ, handed down through the centuries in its integrity and entirety (by the assistance of the Holy Ghost), that is, without any changes or diminution? Or the ones who wish to change and purge the doctrine of Christ, in order to adapt it to the modern world? If 2,400 bishops wish to change the doctrine and adapt it to the modern world (or, at the least, do not oppose such changes and adaptations), it makes 2,400 proud bishops (or, at the least, weak ones)! How much criticism Archbishop Lefebvre would have spared himself if he had gone along with the rest of them!

It is precisely his submission to God that gives him the strength to stand up against so many. St. Augustine says that God created everything under man, and man under Himself. When a man refuses to acknowledge his subjection to God, then disorder is established, and by a just Judgment of God, the other creatures are no longer subject to this man. When, on the contrary, a man submits himself to God willingly, then everything else will come back into place. Thus saints had a wonderful power over nature, even animals such as wolves obeyed St. Francis.... I would add to St. Augustine's words by saying that when a man submits himself to God, then even his fellow men will much more willingly submit themselves to him in a loving obedience. Archbishop Lefebvre does not need to ask people to fall at his feet and kiss his episcopal ring! The faithful do this naturally, without feeling oppressed by authority; on the contrary, the feel much honored for having been able to approach such a man of God. Obedience to him is very easy, since it is clear that he first strives to obey God.

Then, we present the most important documents, which are the sermons of the consecrations: one sermon by Archbishop Lefebvre and an excellent address delivered on this occasion by Bishop de Castro Mayer. We also present some reflections by two priests, Professors of Canon Law, showing how the law of the Church has foreseen that, in cases of necessity, there was no penalty applicable. We also present an article on the life of Archbishop Lefebvre, who has always been a great missionary: what he did before the Council with the blessings of Pope Pius XII, he continued to do after the Council, in spite of the persecution of the Liberals! His works have carried lasting fruits, before and after, since they were built on the Rock of the Eternal Faith, not on the sand of the changing human mind.

Since the Visit of Cardinal Gagnon...

Several elements of this chronology were not available a few weeks ago. It was, therefore, difficult for some to understand why His Grace stopped the negotiations with Rome. Let us review the events.

During Cardinal Gagnon's visit, Archbishop Lefebvre gave him a letter, a proposal for a solution, on November 21, 1987. It is very interesting to see how Archbishop Lefebvre, convinced that only a return to the Tradition of the Church can restore her former beauty, now so disfigured by the Modernists, wanted to protect the Tradition from adulterating its spirit, and desired that we be recognized as we are!  He asked for three essential and practical points:

On January 5, 1988, Cardinal Gagnon gave his report to the Pope. Even though he had promised us a copy, which is the normal thing, we still have not received it, exactly as happened after the 1974 Visitation. More than two months after the Visit, nothing had come from Rome, so the Archbishop wrote a letter to Pope John Paul II on February 20th, urging concrete moves toward a solution.

He received an answer from Cardinal Ratzinger on March 18th, inviting him to send some members for a joint commission. His Grace sent Father Bernard Tissier de Mallerais as theologian, and Father Patrice Laroche as canonist. Cardinal Ratzinger had nominated Father Ocaris, from the Opus Dei, as theologian; Father Bertone, a Salesian, as canonist; and Father Duroux, O.P., as moderator to oversee these meetings.

On April 8th, the Pope wrote a letter to Cardinal Ratzinger, urging him to find a solution for "the family of Tradition."

On April 12th, 13th, and 14th, this commission met and discussed much, without finding a solution. On April 15th, the minutes of these discussions were signed.

On May 3rd, Cardinal Ratzinger gave to the Archbishop a letter asking for indefinite postponement of the episcopal consecrations. On May 4th, the last meeting of the commission was held, in the presence of Cardinal Ratzinger and Archbishop Lefebvre. During the course of this meeting, the Cardinal insisted that the Society would not need a bishop, and could address itself to the local bishops. Archbishop Lefebvre insisted on the absolute necessity, in the present crisis of the Church, of having bishops committed to Tradition, who have not compromised with Modernist errors. Cardinal Ratzinger conceded with difficulty the eventuality of such a bishop... but one without any power!

On May 5th, the famous Protocol was signed. (This Protocol, along with all other recent documents cited in this Editorial will be available immediately in pamphlet form from The Angelus Press.) Readers will be able to compare it with the proposal of Archbishop Lefebvre, and see how Rome granted the bare minimum, without sufficient guarantees, and with a completely different view on the "reconciliation."

This became more manifest when, on the very same day, a letter was given to the Archbishop, asking him to write an "apology." Apology for what? Was he wrong to hold fast to Tradition and its fruitfulness while almost all the other bishops in the world have embraced Modernism and its sterility? Moreover, after having signed the Protocol, Archbishop Lefebvre asked when the consecration could take place. "On June 30th?" "No, it is too soon." "On August 15th?" "No, all the Roman secretariats are on holiday." "In October?" "No, it takes time to inquire about a bishop." "Before the end of the year?" "I cannot guarantee you..."

Following this conversation, Archbishop Lefebvre did not sleep the whole night. The next morning, May 6th, he wrote a letter, asking for a definite date for the consecration. The Cardinal answered on the very same day, saying that such a request would put in question the whole Protocol! On May 20th, His Grace wrote a letter to the Pope, and another letter on May 24th, showing the importance of protecting Tradition, and of the urgency of having several bishops wholly dedicated to Tradition and taken from Tradition, in order to restore the Church through Tradition. He gave these two letters to Cardinal Ratzinger at their meeting on May 24th, during which the Cardinal proposed the date of August 15th for the consecration, which the Archbishop was disposed to accept. A letter from the Cardinal on May 30th confirmed this proposal, but refused the request of the Archbishop on the number of bishops needed and on the composition of the Roman Commission for Tradition to be established—which requests the Archbishop deemed essential for the protection of Tradition.

On May 30th, there was a meeting of the different traditional foundations in France: Benedictines, Dominicans, Franciscan monks and nuns, plus the Society of the Transfiguration (for men), the Carmelite nuns, Father Coache and Father André. The Archbishop informed them of the situation and listened to their recommendations. Three days later, on June 2nd, he wrote a letter to the Pope (which is included in this issue), saying that, due to the refusal to provide what is needed for Tradition, he thought the time had not yet come for the return of Rome to Tradition. The Pope answered on June 9th, not providing what was needed, but simply calling for unity.

On June 13th, Archbishop Lefebvre received at Ecône the four candidates for the episcopacy, whom he had chosen. He gave them a retreat at Sierre, Switzerland. On June 15th, he gave a press conference, announcing his decision. Two days later there was a threat from Rome.

The Ceremony

"With special thanks to the Blessed Virgin Mary," as he said, and since he undertook the decision to perform "Operation Survival," Archbishop Lefebvre has felt a great peace, which he communicates to all around him. It is in peace that the ceremonies took place on June 29th and 30th. There were many more priests present at Ecône this year, and many more faithful—the police estimated 8,000. They had come from all over the world: I myself was very happy to see faithful from many cities in America, and some faithful I had known when I was in Australia and New Zealand! Both Archbishop Lefebvre and Bishop de Castro Mayer preached. The sermons were immediately translated into German and English. The whole ceremony of the consecrations took more than five hours.

Five beautiful hours!

How many bishops are faithful to their episcopal consecration today? The Introit of the Mass of the Holy Confessors says: "Non est inventus similis illi qui conservaret Legem Excelsi—No one has been found like to him in keeping the Law of the Most High." Of which bishop could this be said today? I know two. How many more?

The ceremony starts with an examination of the Faith of the chosen one. Among other things he promises to be always attached to the divine things and detached from worldly things and shameful gains. He professes the Faith in the Most Holy Trinity in a beautiful text, then "anathematizes also all heresy raising itself against the Holy Catholic Church."

Then, when his head is anointed with Holy Chrism, as the head of Aaron was anointed with holy oil by Moses, the consecrator says: "Give him, O Lord, the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, so that, without glorifying himself of this power, he uses it unto edification and not unto destruction." How many bishops have used their power to destroy and not to build? When one bishop, in the midst of the destruction, has been building up the Church, founding six seminaries and a living Society all over the world, the Modernist bishops want to add to the destruction of their own dioceses, by suppressing this holy Bishop's work by excommunicating him? The very fact that they received this power "unto edification and not unto destruction" means that such an excommunication cannot be but null and void.

The consecrator continues with these words of Isaias: "Let him hate pride, and love humility and truth.... Let him not put light darkness, nor darkness light; let him not call evil good, nor good evil." Again, who has been faithful? What was condemned for over 150 years by Popes and Saints, is now promoted to all levels of the ecclesiastical hierarchy!

Then, at the end of the Mass, the consecrator imposes the mitre upon the new bishop and recalls Moses, who came down from Mt. Sinai with two horns of light, symbolizing the strength which the new bishop must have in defense of the Truth, light of the souls. He says: "We impose, O Lord, upon the head of this bishop, Thy champion, this helmet of protection and salvation: so that, with the face thus adorned and the head armed with the horns of the two Testaments, he may appear terrible to the enemies of the Truth; and that, with the help of Thy grace, he may be a strong fighter..." How many bishops, far from being fighters for the Truth, have tried to change it? Or have tried to put it on the same level as error, in ecumenical meetings such as Assisi? Or have completely lost it, such as Archbishop May of St. Louis, "searching for the truth..." with the Hindus on Pentecost Sunday!

After this beautiful and historic ceremony, we had one certitude: Tradition is living, and shall not die!

What is the life of Tradition? It is not a life of change. It is not a life such as that of a plant or an animal, which changes constantly. No! It is a sharing in the Life of God, Who is Immutable. For minds accustomed to the modern, materialistic atmosphere, it is hard to understand a life without any change. Yet it is clear that the proper of life is not movement alone: when I push with my foot the body of a dead cat, I give him movement... but not life. The proper of life is rather the immanence of the movement; when Our Lord said: "Lazarus, come out!" the dead came out without anyone pushing him. His movement was from within: he had come back to life.

As for the life of the Church, one must first of all distinguish the life of each faithful, and the life of the Church as a whole. Each faithful passes from the ignorance of the Faith (before he became faithful) to the knowledge of it, and must always deepen his Faith. But the object of this Faith is One, Immutable; it is the Eternal Truth: Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh.

Each faithful passes from the state of sin (before he became faithful) to the state of grace. He must constantly fight against temptation and the residue of sin; he must purify his soul more and more in the Blood of the Lamb; he must become closer and closer to God in Our Lord Jesus Christ, "walking in charity": this is spiritual progress. Thus it is clear that there is movement in the life of the faithful. But this is a spiritual movement: the deepening of the knowledge of the Truth and the strengthening of virtues. It is not the abandonment of what he believed and strived to practice yesterday!

Now for the Church there is even less movement. Christ has given to His Church the complete Deposit of Faith. Each individual may deepen his knowledge of this Deposit, but the Church had it all since its beginning. The Church may defend it more and more explicitly against the negators and the heresies, but neither adds to it, nor loses any parcel of this Eternal Truth.

Concerning the life of virtue, the Church possesses from her Divine Founder the Seven Sacraments—seven fountains of the life of holiness. The Church cannot add a new one (as some pentecostals would like to do), nor subtract another (some would like to take away Confession, or Confirmation). The Church possesses, from the beginning, the Perfect Example of Virtue: the Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ. All the saints have imitated Him; we have to follow in their footsteps. The way to heaven is not to be invented; there is one, and only one; it is Our Lord Jesus Christ: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Me!"

Therefore there can be no change in the Church's morals, which are all summed up in these words of Our Lord: "Be ye perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt. V:48). The Divine Perfection is eternal and immutable. In heaven the saints "rest" in God, thus without changes, sharing Divine Eternity. On the contrary, in hell, the damned will be tormented by unrest: the unceasing succession and changes of torments, one worse than the other. Folly of those who love change for the sake of change! They might have an eternity of changes... in hell!

If there is some change in the Church as such, it is her wonderful capability of putting into practice her eternal principles to meet the needs of each era. This is particularly manifested in the many religious orders which have sprung up throughout the whole history of the Church. All of them follow the same Model: Jesus Christ, and the same principles of Faith and morals, but adapt them to their particular circumstances. In this regard, one can see Tradition living in the work of Archbishop Lefebvre and all the other traditional foundations. They have all come to the Eternal Principles to receive Eternal Life from them.

In one word, the life of Tradition is a life of contemplation of the Eternal Truth and love of the Eternal Good—not a constant change!

Injustices of the Condemnation

Those who condemn us, try to accuse us of not being faithful to the "living" Tradition. I hope the above reflections show that the true faithful to the Living Tradition are those who keep it and live it, without adulterating it with the spirit of the world. This is the very meaning of the word "faithful," i.e., the one who keeps the Faith! Not the one who changes it! Liberal principles, which the Popes have repeatedly condemned, shall never be able to become a part of the Catholic Faith. In a time when so many have tried to marry the Church and the Revolution, it is urgent to keep Tradition, and to provide for its continuation. Therefore, according to the very principles of Canon Law, in cases of real emergency, there can be no sanction. Any sanction is unjust, since its motive is to destroy the Tradition of the Church, to refuse it the means to continue.

If the excommunication delivered to Archbishop Lefebvre on July 1st has any meaning, it is an excommunication from the pantheon of religions of Assisi. Thank you! We do not want to have any part in it! The superiors of all the seminaries, districts and autonomous houses, gathered at Ecône on July 4th to 6th, asked for the honor to be excluded from this pantheon of religions! (See their letter this issue.)

Looking closely to the letter of Canon Law, and not only to its spirit, manifests too that, in our present case, Canon 1382 does not apply. The text of Cardinal Gantin is not the sentence of a judge, who could have added on a particular penalty (if there had been any fault), but is the mere application of an unapplicable canon, as the studies presented in this issue clearly show.

The injustice of such a measure is even more manifest when one considers the state of the Church today: everything is allowed and left unpunished—the greatest crimes against the Faith and morals... but not simple fidelity to the Church of All Times! This very clear double standard is evident even to non-Catholics. This is not justice!

If any one still had doubts, the Good Lord in His divine providence, arranged some enlightening coincidences. On the very same day, June 30th, Rome was publishing a directory for "Celebrations Without Priests." When Archbishop Lefebvre was providing for the continuation of the Catholic Priesthood, Rome was providing for the absence of priests! What will be these celebrations? They will be much like Protestant services.

Another coincidence, in the widely diffused USA Today, of July 1st, the article announcing the Roman sanction against Archbishop Lefebvre was just above an article concerning Archbishop Hunthausen, entitled "Masses for Homosexuals"; the Archbishop of Seattle was resuming this abominable practice! If one had doubts about Archbishop Lefebvre's rights, he had just to read a little further to get the answer: there is no justice in this current situation!

A third coincidence: the insistence of Rome on compromising with ecumenism, which Archbishop Lefebvre refused, arrived at the same time as the trip of Cardinal Casaroli and others to Moscow: his agreement with Gorbachev is the reason for our disagreement! Communism is intrinsically evil, Pope Pius XI said. Is this forgotten at Rome? Mr. Jean Madiran, editor of the famous review Itinéraires, and of the daily paper Présent, wrote: "I have been looking for a French bishop who has recalled the Church's teaching on Communism clearly and without compromise, who has stood up against the imposture of the 'opening to the left' I found none! None but Archbishop Lefebvre! I am not going to leave him!"

And Our Attitude Now?

"Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil by good." These words of St. Paul are for each one of us. When evil seems to reign, we must not be discouraged and fall into bitterness. Our Lord, at the height of the hatred of the Jews and compromises of Pilate, did not curse, but rather prayed for His enemies: "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." This must be our attitude: pray for the Church, pray for the Pope, pray for the bishops, that they may come back, as the Apostles who had abandoned Our Lord on Good Friday came back to the Faith on Easter Sunday. But do not follow them in their abandon; stay at the foot of the Cross with the few faithful to Christ, to the Sacrifice of Calvary, to the Sacrifice of the Mass.

This is a time for heroism—heroic faith and heroic charity. "Do not render evil for evil, nor cursing for cursing, but, on the contrary, blessing" (I Peter 111:9). "Love your enemies, do good to your enemies, do good to those who hate you: and pray for those who persecute and calumniate you" (Mt. 5:44).

Indeed, Tradition is not only the handing down through the centuries of the Deposit of Faith, but also the example of the holiness of Our Lord, the examples of the saints. May the Blessed Virgin Mary help all of us to be faithful to the whole of Tradition: to the Truth and holiness of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The original documents mentioned in
Father Laisney's Editorial will be available in
pamphlet form from The Angelus Press in
mid-August, at $3.50 each.