The Emperor's New Clothes: A Parable for Today's Church

Written by a Priest

Words from St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Galatians: "When Peter came to Antioch, however, I rebuked him to his face, since he was manifestly in the wrong" (2:11).

There is a popular children's story, written by Hans Christian Anderson, called "The Emperor's New Clothes." It goes something like this: Once upon a time (for all fairy tales begin this way), there was an Emperor. He was very rich, as Emperors are, and he lived in a pleasant, peaceful and prosperous kingdom. The Emperor had, as Emperors do, everything, materially-speaking, that he wanted. He had one consuming interest, however, and that was his imperial wardrobe. He loved good clothes and, indeed, he had the best—the best that his infinite riches could buy. In fact, he had at least one set of the most outstanding clothes for every day of the year.

Well, like most rich people who have everything they want—houses, fine foods and wines, cars, holidays, friends and so on and so on, this particular Emperor (our friend), wasn't really happy. He wasn't satisfied with all the wondrous things the world could offer: he wanted more... He wanted, in particular, to find a set of clothes so wonderful, so like nothing that had been made before, that would astonish his nation, amaze his neighboring Kings and Emperors, and which would, in fact, make him the envy of all men on this earth!

Well, one day he woke up with the best idea (he thought), he had ever had! He would send out an edict to the whole of the known world that should a tailor be able to make him a set of clothes so wonderful, so surpassing everything that had so far been known to man for beauty, originality, practicality and design, he, the Emperor, would give this genius half of his empire!

And so the competition began...

Tailors came from the north. Tailors came from the south. They came from the East and the West. But from wheresoever they came they could produce nothing new. The Emperor had seen it all before. In fact, he'd already got their designs hanging up in his wardrobe...

Then one day, one insignificant day, one like all the rest, a stranger came to town. He came, he said, from a far off kingdom, and he had only recently heard of the Emperor's request, but he had himself the answer. He had some clothes beyond the wildest dreams of man, some clothes never before (never, again, in fact, never), to be seen on this earth! He must, therefore, be admitted to the palace.

Well, the doorkeeper called for the chamberlain who was, like most royal chamberlains, a pompous and proud but basically very stupid man. The royal chamberlain looked down at the stranger through his pince nez spectacles and addressed him disdainfully, "I am given to understand that you have produced some clothes for His Imperial Majesty of a quality the like of which has never been seen before and which will, without doubt, please His Majesty?" "Oh yes, indeed!" said the stranger. "Hmmm, I hope you are aware that the very best tailors in the Kingdom have all produced what they thought were the most outstanding garments, but failed to produce anything truly new?" "Oh, yes, sir," said the stranger. "So, you have made something really different?" "Really different," said the stranger. "Well, I think we had better see this creation," said the chamberlain. "Of course," said the stranger, "but first, I must explain: these clothes are exceedingly rare. They are so fine as to be made of such a material never been seen before. In fact, it may only be seen and appreciated in its superlative beauty by the wise and intelligent such as yourself. Ignorant, uneducated and really stupid people are quite unable to appreciate the wonder of my creation."

Whilst the stranger was explaining this most important point, the royal chamberlain was straightening himself and puffing out his royal chamberlain's chest, and putting on his wisest and most intelligent look. The more the stranger emphasized the need for the beholder to be wise, highly educated and very intelligent, the more wise, highly educated and very intelligent the royal chamberlain tried to appear. "Well, of course, sir, I should have no trouble at all in seeing these wondrous garments," said the chamberlain, and all the other royal flunkeys, who were now crowding around the stranger and his box were quick to agree.

The chamberlain went off to inform His Majesty of the tailor's arrival, and also to brief him on the nature of the clothes, their wonder and the need for the beholder to be much above the ordinary sort of people in order to appreciate their astonishing beauty. Indeed, the chamberlain, having known the Emperor for many years, and having come to understand him as basically a foolish and stupid man with a great desire to be flattered, respected and adulated by the populace, was careful to emphasize the necessity for great intelligence, and the inability of lower beings to see anything at all!

Well, the stranger was brought into the throne room, his box being carried before him on a great velvet cushion by two footmen in livery. It was carefully laid in front of His Majesty, whilst the tailor knelt and awaited the royal sign to set up.

"Well, sir," His Imperial Highness proclaimed, "we are given to understand that you have produced for us the very clothes that we require; wondrous, like nothing ever made, such finery that will astonish our nation, and make us the envy and adulation of our royal neighbors." "Yes, Your Majesty," replied the stranger, "it is so." "Well, we desire to view these garments, and should they be as you say, we are going to keep our word and you shall be mightily rewarded with half our kingdom!" "I feel you will indeed be pleased, Your Highness, but before I display this creation of such exceeding wonder, I would remind Your Majesty that the nature and exceeding rarity of the cloth, which is imported from the far off land of Modliberalia, is of such that ill-educated and foolish folk can but rarely appreciate it." "Oh yes, we know all about that. Our chamberlain has informed us. Come along, open the box!" "Very well, Your Majesty," and with a flourish, the stranger threw open the chest to the consternation of all. There were gasps of delight, there were veritable squeals of pleasure, and everyone present began to speak at the same time, so excited they were and keen to express their appreciation of the immaculate splendor, the gorgeous nature, the ineffable rarity and inestimable value of the Emperor's new clothes. But none amongst them was so utterly bowled over with delight as His Imperial Majesty, who felt it most necessary to deliver a speech immediately in his most exalted voice in praise of this man of genius who had produced such a marvel. After waxing with the greatest eloquence for all of twenty minutes he announced, firstly, that the World's Greatest Tailor was to be most handsomely rewarded and that tomorrow the World's Best Dressed Emperor would ride in a great procession throughout the capitol to display the World's Finest Set of Clothes that were now all his!

And so, the next day came. But it was not without preparation. The royal chamberlain who secretly had been most exceedingly embarrassed not to have seen anything at all when the tailor had opened his chest before the Emperor, just in case there might be others who also, because of their exceeding stupidity and obtuseness, would fail to see anything either, was busy issuing orders that the people should be informed most carefully that His Imperial Majesty would be processing in the most wonderful set of clothes the world had ever seen, and if the plebs were just too thick to realize it they'd better cheer and rejoice as if they'd actually been able to see them. Otherwise, they'd be in for it.

Unknown to the chamberlain, indeed, completely unknown to each other—for who on earth would admit to being so foolish—not a single other member of the royal court had been able to see the clothes. And, for that matter, neither had His Imperial Majesty!

Well, the hour came for the great procession. Before it went the outriders with the royal trumpets, then came the noble lords and ladies of court, brilliantly attired on horseback. Then came the imperial guard and, finally, mounted on a most thoroughbred regal charger came His Majesty. The crowd cheered its heart out, "Long live His Majesty!" "Three cheers for the royal tailor!" "Three cheers for the most wonderful set of clothes ever to be worn by man!"

Then, all of a sudden, a little voice was heard. A shrill, childlike voice, piping out above the crowd. It belonged to a little boy. He'd come into town from the distant countryside and nobody had explained to him about the Emperor's new clothes. Nobody had impressed upon him that it was only the stupidest and lowest born who couldn't see any! And so he cried out: "Look, how funny! There goes the Emperor, and he's not wearing any clothes!"

Well, there was an uproar in the crowd. "Silence, fool!" "Shut up, bonehead!" "Get that peasant out of here!" And similar sentiments. Before much more ado members of the imperial police had arrested the boy and were taking him away, but some other members of the crowd had been shaken by what he said. "Of course, he's right! The Emperor is naked! This is a scandal!" Whereupon a roar came forth from the royal chamberlain, the minions and the flunkeys: "Away with them! Arrest all the royal detractors! Anyone who speaks against the Emperor's new clothes will be punished most severely!" And so, some of the crowd were taken away to prison with the boy, but others kept quiet, but harbored doubts about the nature of the clothes in their hearts. Meanwhile, the chamberlain, the minions and the royal flunkeys were in consternation. By now, they too were having their doubts. Perhaps, after all, the Emperor's new clothes were not all they were made out to be... just where was that tailor? But, for goodness sake, the Emperor mustn't get to know of this... they'd all look so frightfully stupid! They might even lose their jobs! Worse still, they might even lose their heads! Wait... yes, whatever happens, the Emperor must be made to continue to think he's wearing the finest clothes in the whole wide world... and so must the people!

By now, you may very well be wondering: is the author off his head? Why is he wasting our time repeating this fairy tale? Well, there is a reason behind all this and, I think, when I have explained, you will agree with me it is a fairly good one...

This fairy tale is a kind of parable of the Catholic Church over the last twenty-five years. Let us identify the characters in it. The Emperor is the Pope, the chamberlain, minions and flunkeys, the cardinals and bishops. The Emperor's subjects, the faithful. Who is the little boy? Why, His Grace Archbishop Lefebvre. The few people who hear him and publicly agree are the traditional Catholic priests and laity. Many more agree but, out of fear, keep silent.

Do you not now see how this fairy tale fits perfectly the situation we find ourselves in the Church of today? The Emperor, the Holy Father, is going about stark naked: the most wonderful set of clothes the world has ever seen is what so very many consider the most wonderful thing that ever happened to the Church of God: Vatican Council II and its marvelous "spirit of renewal." The wondrous clothes of the Emperor never existed, just as the "renewing fruits" of the Council never existed. Witness the destruction of the Church that followed the Council—the incredible reversal of the Church's fortunes; the amazing decline in conversions; the astonishing reduction in vocations; the disastrous fall in Mass attendance, baptisms, marriages, confessions; the horrendous abortion and divorce figures in one-time "Catholic" countries, to say nothing of other lands; the closed seminaries, monasteries and convents; the scandal of worldly and venal religious; the most disgusting and laughably puerile liturgical abuses and antics: clown Masses, banjo Masses, Hindu Masses, rock, gay, pop, jazz and feminist Masses! And, finally, the international and inter-confessional "joke" of the pantheon of all religions espoused at Assisi! It is clear for all to see that the disastrous Council of Vatican II is responsible for all this, especially in its espousal of the "right" of religious liberty. But those around the Pope, and indeed, the Holy Father himself, continue to proclaim to the world that the Church is in the midst of a "new Pentecost"! They keep on telling us that the great and long-awaited "renewal" is coming, coming coming... coming? They've been telling us that the bad things—which they do not deny—are but the birth pangs of the great new age of renewal, the great awaited time of triumph for Christ and His Church. Well, twenty-five years is a long time for the people to be duped: but not all of them: "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time."

Let us awake to reality: The Emperor has no clothes! There is no "renewal." There will be no "renewal," at least not in the Vatican II sense. Vatican II will be judged by history as a false council, a "robber" council, a disaster, a council of the devil, a council that all but destroyed the gem in the Church's crown—the holy Mass, and by its false and most evil spirit of ecumenism flaunted in the face of an astonished world at Assisi, a council that has all but destroyed God's holy Church itself! Almost the devil's final triumph! Almost.

But, when we come back to that little voice of sanity shouting out in the crowd... His Grace Archbishop Lefebvre has been shouting out now for twenty-five years, proclaiming to the world the most unpleasant message that Vatican Council II was a disaster and its fruits poisonous. And who, we may ask, has heeded his voice? Well, the Emperor's minions and flunkeys have certainly heard it, but they have done their utmost to silence it, scorn it, discredit. They have done their utmost to pass off His Grace as a "fanatic," a "pathetic old man, living in the past..." They are too terrified, petrified, by their own pride to admit they are wrong and he is right. In some cases, I'm sorry to say, they are so downright evil as to be dedicated to the destruction of the Church. Some know, in their hearts that what His Grace says is right, but they just haven't got the humility and the repentance to admit their mistake. In the midst of all this, the Emperor, the Pope, goes about fostering the dream, fostered in the dream by his "most faithful servants" that Vatican II is the most wonderful event in the Church's history since the "first" Pentecost.

But, let us remember, the fairy tale of the Emperor's New Clothes, like all fairy tales, has a happy ending. The Emperor, who is basically a good and kindly ruler, despite his vanity, finally realizes that he is indeed naked, and has been made to appear the most appalling fool. So he punishes those unfaithful servants of his who thought precisely nothing for the good of the empire and the honor of its ruler, but everything for their own positions. He vindicates and rewards the little boy who spoke the truth despite the odds, together with the good subjects who sided with him. And, of course, everyone lived happily ever after.

And so we believe will be the outcome of our own situation in the Church of our time. Almighty God, the Sovereign Lord of Truth and Justice, will either convert the heart of Pope John Paul II, or He will raise up a truly Catholic pope who will restore order and teach true doctrine in the Church over which he rules, who will purge the vile and stinking Augean stables of the Vatican that reek with the odious gases of Freemasonry, Marxism and pure human greed and lust for power. There will come a truly Catholic pope who will not only vindicate His Grace Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, but will declare him one of the greatest saints the Church has ever had the privilege to raise to its sacred altars...

This, we must believe. It is basic to our Faith; our holy Catholic Faith, that the gates of hell will never prevail... We are now in the darkness of Good Friday, but the Resurrection will come!

But what, many of you faithful Catholics who have sacrificed so much—money, good name, status in family and parish—what, you ask, are we to make of the present situation? Many of you are disturbed—and rightly—by the so-called "excommunications" issued against His Grace Archbishop Lefebvre, Bishop de Castro Mayer, and the four bishops consecrated on June 30, 1988. You will be disturbed also by talk of your own "excommunications," should you persist in your Catholic Faith and practice. Should you not, you will be asking, should we not remain faithful to Rome, one with Rome, uncondemned by Rome, at all costs? Many are saying, "Surely, since he is infallible, the Pope must be right: he can make no mistakes!" That brings me back to my initial quotation from Holy Scripture: "When Peter came to Antioch, however, I [Paul] rebuked him to his face, for he was manifestly in the wrong" (Gal. 2:11).

St. Peter, the first Pope, was publicly rebuked by a fellow bishop, St. Paul, because he was "manifestly in the wrong." He had acted as a hypocrite in his treatment of Gentile converts, forcing them to be circumcised in order to please converts from Judaism. And St. Paul told him so, to his face! St. Peter had made a mistake. The first Pope was not infallible in this particular matter. He was mistaken. Souls were at risk as a result of his mistake, and it was St. Paul's duty, since he was also a bishop in the Church of God, to tell him so, even going so far as to "rebuke him to his face"! I think the parallel to our present situation is manifestly clear...

It may be a surprise to many that popes are only infallible when they speak on matters of Faith and Morality, and they invoke their infallible teaching authority—and this has happened twice in modern history—when Pope Pius IX proclaimed the Dogma of Papal Infallibility and, again, in 1950, when Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Dogma of the Assumption of Our Blessed Lady. To believe that everything the Pope says is infallibly true is not Catholic. Popes can make mistakes, have made mistakes, and will make mistakes in their day-to-day governance of the Church.

And so, we say, that the action taken by Pope John Paul II in permitting the excommunication of His Grace Archbishop Lefebvre, Bishop de Castro Mayer, and the four newly-consecrated bishops was mistaken, unjust and invalid. And for it, we rebuke John Paul II to his face, as did St. Paul to St. Peter almost 2,000 years before, as being "manifestly in the wrong")!

There are other instances from Church history to reassure us. Here are just a few:

In the fourteenth century, the great St. Catherine of Siena traveled from Italy to Avignon, France, in order to rebuke the Pope, who was enjoying the good life there whilst the Church in Rome was collapsing. The Pope bowed to her admonition and returned to the Holy City to face his responsibilities.

The Pope, at the time of Gallileo, forced him to deny his discovery that the earth was not flat. The Pope was mistaken!

To the everlasting shame of the Church, there have been evil popes, immoral popes, grasping and greedy popes, openly mistaken and quite wrong in their day to day conduct... but this was no challenge to our Faith! Papal infallibility does not mean that popes cannot make mistakes. Without the invocation of their infallible prerogative popes are as open to error in their day to day dealings as you or I! Papal infallibility guarantees freedom from error only when he speaks ex cathedra, and only in a matter of Faith or Morals.

Certainly, out of respect, love and loyalty to the Vicar of Christ, Catholics will listen very carefully to what the Successor of Peter has to say on a given issue. We should not take his pronouncements lightly. The present Pope is well informed and extremely intelligent, but he can make mistakes. If he were to proclaim that cows can fly or that black was now white, no Catholic would be bound to believe it! If he were to order every Catholic to jump off the roof of his dwelling, I don't think many would obey! Well, if we should be so quick to preserve our bodies in event of such papal nonsense, should we not be even more prompt to preserve our souls?

Let us then be very clear—to believe everything the Pope says is true, or to believe that everything he does is good, without question, is not Catholic. He is not an oracle. We must not fall into the heresy of Papolatry!

The Liberal popes, from John XXIII to John Paul II, have all been seriously mistaken in certain aspects of their teaching and government of the Church of Christ. Where they were culpable, they will have to answer for it. Our Lord addressed terrible words to pastors when He said: "It were better for a man to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be cast into the depths of the sea, than he should lead one of these little ones astray" (Mt. 18:6).

John XXIII erred seriously over his claim to have been divinely inspired to call a Council. Interior locutions must be submitted to the competent authorities before being acted upon, especially in such a serious matter as a general council of the Church—never before called to address anything other than a grave crisis of Faith! Was it out of the desire to go down in history as the man who "renewed" Christ's Church that John refused to ask advice about his "voice" that told him to call Vatican II? How was he to know whether this "inspiration" came from his own subconscious, from God—or the devil? I think we could hazard a guess at its sources after observing the appalling results after twenty-five years! John erred even more in that his "pastoral" council, called specifically to address issues of pressing contemporary import, intentionally avoided even mentioning the name of the greatest threat to civilization and to the Church of our age: Communism!

Paul VI was a pathetic figure—a weak, vacillating Liberal—who presided over and blessed by his silence and acquiescence, what he himself termed the "auto-destruction" of the very Church he had the bounden duty to preserve.

John Paul II has continued and, indeed, accelerated this "auto-destruction." Granted, the style is different: no longer the hand-wringing and moaning of the aged Italian. Now we have the confident, dynamic, globe-trotting style of a professional entertainer! True, he has spoken much about the "abuses" of Vatican II, but he has done nothing to discipline the wolves who daily are ravaging the Lord's flock. Instead, it is those who have sacrificed their all to preserve the Church who are singled out for persecution. Despite his being labeled as a "conservative" by the lunatic Liberal establishment, he is a Modernist by pre-Vatican II standards. In his refusal to discipline the Hunthausens, Weaklands, Bernardins and Humes he has encouraged the destruction of the Church and, by the scandalous pan-religionism of Assisi and like events, he openly destroys the spirit of the apostolate and endangers countless millions of souls!

Let us not be down-hearted. Truth will prevail. Our religion is one of Cross and Resurrection. We are now somewhere between the afternoon of Good Friday and the morn of the Resurrection. Please God, vindication and true renewal will come in our time! Please God, in our time, the Church's greatest allies and the Pope's truest friends in the year 1988 will be publicly identified by Rome as the six bishops of Ecône!

Let us be sure of one thing: His Grace Archbishop Lefebvre, Bishop de Castro Mayer, and the four newly-consecrated bishops have done no wrong. Very much the opposite. The so-called excommunications are null and void. His Grace acted to save the Church! We have not changed! We have demanded and done nothing new! Rome has! The great defender of the Faith, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, has merely followed in the footsteps of that other great bishop and apostle, St. Paul, who "when [Peter] came to Antioch, rebuked him to his face, since he was manifestly in the wrong."