As the ecclesiastical crisis continues to deepen in 2017, I have found myself facing a certain exhaustion; a feeling that, while knowing the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church, that Christ will have the final victory, there is no respite from the near-constant series of assaults from the enemies of God’s truth. I know that many of you feel the same way. While we here at OnePeterFive believe we have an obligation to continue to cover the news of what is happening within our beloved Church, however unpleasant, there is also need for reassurance, a rediscovery of the most important elements of being a Catholic no matter what comes. We must at all times remind ourselves of why we fight, and what treasures we have that can never be taken from us.
With this in mind, I reached out to Bishop Athanasius Schneider, who is not only one of the most learned and fearless prelates in the Church today, but also, in my opinion, one of the most holy. I have enjoyed a few private conversations with him and assisted at his Masses; I have also had the unique honor of him baptizing my youngest child. In my observations of the man, I have sensed not only a quiet fearlessness, but a deep and abiding love of Christ, His Church, the Sacraments, and the souls of every person entrusted to her maternal care. He is a man who exudes the peace of Christ, even while being among the most outspoken in his analysis of the gravity of our present situation. In short, he seemed the perfect man to tell us: How should we handle this? Where do we go from here?
In the following interview, I sought to ask him the questions I thought many of you would also wish to ask. His answers do not disappoint. I ask that in thanksgiving for his faithfulness, you pray ardently for this true apostle and all those valiant clergy who now, despite being outnumbered, do all that they can to preserve the Holy Catholic Faith.
Steve Skojec: Many of the faithful feel exhausted and beaten down. There seems to be an endless succession of scandals or even insults coming from Rome, where they are accustomed to looking for consolation and guidance. What would you tell people who find themselves losing hope, or beginning to doubt the Church during this time?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: This time of an extraordinary grave crisis in the Church is a permission of Divine Providence. God in His omnipotence permits this crisis in order to bring out a greater good. It is for us a trial of faith and of the supernatural hope. We have to hope apparently against hope. Our faith and hope in the Divine character of the Church and in the fact, that Christ Himself guides His Church in midst of such an immense confusion, is purified like the gold in the fire (cf.1 Pe 1, 7). When Catholics begin to doubt the Church during this time, it is a sign that their faith and their hope is not strong enough.
SS: Many Catholics were encouraged by Cardinal Burke’s suggestion that if Pope Francis will not answer the dubia, a formal correction may be in order. Some fear that this correction will never come, or that it will never be made public, and that they will be abandoned by their shepherds to the wolves. In this moment of confusion and crisis, should the faithful pin their hopes on a such a correction, or should their focus be elsewhere? Should they be patient even though they feel that the situation is an emergency?
A fraternal correction to the Pope, made on behalf of some members of the Episcopal or Cardinalitial College, is an extreme and last measure in the Church. It happened in the history, even though rarely. The first case was the formal public correction to Saint Peter made by Saint Paul. A fraternal correction is considered in moral theology as a part of the love for the neighbor. God oftentimes makes towards us a paternal correction and the Holy Scripture says that this is a sign of the love of God towards us (cf. Hebr 12, 6). The Holy Spirit says: “Whoever heeds correction is prudent” (Prov. 15, 5) and “Correction gives wisdom” (Prov. 29, 15). A correction has no automatic positive effect, but depends on the humility and docility of the person to whom the correction is addressed. The faithful should therefore not pin their hopes on such a correction, but focus on prayer for the Pope, because only God can ultimately touch the mind and heart of a person.
SS: I have spoken with priests who seem unable to know how best to handle the implications of Amoris Laetitia on a pastoral basis. Some are approached by people who are living in these so-called “irregular unions” and who feel emboldened to approach the sacraments because they believe the pope supports this. Some fear that they will come into conflict with their bishops if they do not give themselves up to this new regime of “mercy”. I spoke to one recently who really didn’t know what to make of it, or what he could do. What advice would you give to priests about living their vocation in fidelity to Christ while under the obedience of a bishop who may want to follow the more heterodox interpretation of Amoris Laetitia?
BAS: To admit the so called divorced and remarried persons, who have no serious intention in stopping their adulterous acts, to Holy Communion, is against Divine law. Therefore, no authority in the Church has the competency to allow such a sacramental practice, because it contradicts de facto and evidently the Divine law of the absolute indissolubility of a valid and consummated marriage and contradicts at the same time the absolute Divine prohibition of committing sexual acts outside a valid marriage. It is evident, that no real Catholic priest can obey a command of his superior to give Holy Communion to adulterers who have no intention to stop with their adulterous acts. Such a command would represent a glaring abuse of power to the example of the Pharisees and Scribes. A priest has to prefer to be punished or banished rather than to collaborate with the evident impiety of such a “pastoral” practice, which in reality is an extremely non-pastoral practice, because it confirms and leaves the poor adulterous sinner in the unhappiness of the sin and in the real danger of losing his eternal salvation.
SS: It is an unfortunate reality that because of the controversy surrounding Pope Francis, many Catholics have begun to express their belief that he is not the pope, that he has abdicated due to heresy, that Pope Benedict remains the true pope, and so on. What would you say to these people? How should a faithful Catholic respect not just the office of the papacy but the man who occupies it when they feel that his actions and words are harming the Church and the souls entrusted to her care?
BAS: Pope Francis is without any doubt the legitimate Pope. To deny this is just wishful thinking and a misrepresentation of the juridical facts. We have to keep a sober attitude with a healthy common sense. A Catholic should not be too much focused in his daily life on what the Pope says and does. Such an attitude is not sound, but helps to increase an unhealthy “pope-centrism” and a mundane personality cult. We have to believe that the real Head of the Church is Christ, that the real soul of the Church is the Holy Spirit, that the mother and the heart of the Church is the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Pope is only the visible Vicar of Christ. There had been times in the history of the Church, when during two or three years the Church had no Pope, as e.g. in the beginning of the 4th century there was twice a period of two years without a pope (304-306 and 309-311): in this time lived Saint Anthony the Great, Saint Athanasius in his youth; there was no pope from 1268-1271, from 1292-1294, from 1314-1316, from 1415-1417: despite of this in these periods of time the Church existed and even flourished. There lived in this “pope-less” times for example Saint Albert the Great, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Bonaventure, Saint Louis King of France, Saint Raymond of Penafort, Saint Gertrud the Great. There are no significant indications of complaints about the “pope-less” years on behalf of these Saints. These Saints did simply their work: they prayed, they were teaching the Catholic doctrine, converting sinners and striving for holiness. It seems that they had no time to observe the deeds or actions of the Popes or debate the theme of the papal election, which was indeed a very serious issue in that time. Likewise we shall remain more calm and do each of us his duties and pray, teach and defend the Catholic faith, convert sinners and live a life in deep union with our Lord. The Lord will surely intervene in this current crisis.
SS: You have made comparisons between our present situation and the Arian crisis of the 4th century. What was life like for the faithful of that time? How did your namesake, St. Athanasius, console them? What did it take to return the Church to her senses after, as St. Jerome famously said, “the whole world groaned and marveled to find itself Arian”?
BAS: There is a famous letter with which Saint Athanasius consoled the faithful in midst of the huge confusion and the infidelity and political correctness on behalf of the overwhelming majority of the episcopacy of that time. We quote a part of this letter: “May God console you! What saddens you is the fact that others have occupied the churches by violence, while during this time you are on the outside. It is a fact that they have the premises – but you have the Apostolic Faith. They can occupy our churches, but they are outside the true Faith. You remain outside the places of worship, but the Faith dwells within you. Let us consider: what is more important, the place or the Faith? The true Faith, obviously. Who has lost and who has won in the struggle – the one who keeps the premises or the one who keeps the Faith? True, the premises are good when the Apostolic Faith is preached there; they are holy if everything takes place there in a holy way. You are the ones who are happy; you who remain within the Church by your Faith, who hold firmly to the foundations of the Faith which has come down to you from Apostolic Tradition. And if an execrable jealousy has tried to shake it on a number of occasions, it has not succeeded. They are the ones who have broken away from it in the present crisis. No one, ever, will prevail against your Faith, beloved Brothers. And we believe that God will give us our churches back some day.”
SS: You have spoken about your experiences growing up in the Soviet Union, and have indicated that you see the spread of Russia’s errors even now. You have said that “We have to pray that the Pope may soon consecrate explicitly Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary”. As we now embark on this centenary year of Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima, do you believe Our Lady’s warnings will come to fruition? How urgently is the consecration needed?
BAS: We have to take it at serious when God sends us His Immaculate Mother to warn us. If we hear the admonitions of Our Heavenly Mother, Her Divine Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ will make miracles, as He did at the wedding in Cana. A solemn act of consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on behalf of the Pope in moral union with all bishops will undoubtedly cause the pouring out of abundant graces for the Church and for all mankind, as it foretold Our Lady in Fatima. It is tragic that prophetic appeals are heard oftentimes too late. Let us pray and ask the Holy Father to do what Our Lady asked in Fatima.
SS: You are an apostle of the Eucharist and a champion for truly sacred liturgy. There are rumors now stirring in Rome that the Vatican has an eye toward demolishing the 2001 instruction on liturgical translations, Liturgiam Authenticam, and possibly also the “correction” of Summorum Pontificum. In that letter, Pope Benedict XVI said that the ancient liturgy had never been “juridically abrogated” and insisted that “What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too, and it cannot be all of a sudden entirely forbidden or even considered harmful.” Should Catholics who love the venerable rite of the Roman liturgy be concerned?
BAS: It is not very much realistic to assume that Pope Francis will abolish the traditional form of the Liturgy, since Pope Benedict XVI said that the ancient liturgy had never been “juridically abrogated”. As a last resort there could be issued norms, which would practically restrict the possibility of the celebration of the ancient liturgy. However, I don’t believe in such a possibility, since Pope Francis is in favor of a regional and ritual pluralism in the Church. In any case, the faithful and especially the youth should defend this inestimable treasure of the Church and spread it ever more. The traditional liturgical form of the Holy Mass became already the very Mass of the youth. The liberal minded nomenclature in the administrative power in the Church of our days should not stifle or silence the voice of the youth, who seriously demand the celebration of the traditional form of the Mass, otherwise it will lose all credibility and reveal itself as displaying an ideological and rigorist attitude, throwing stones upon these honest and deeply believing young people.
SS: You have urged Bishop Fellay of the Society of St. Pius X “not to delay his acceptance any longer” to bring the Society into full, canonical communion with Rome. Why do you believe that now is the time? Can the Society trust Rome at this moment, when so much else in the Church appears subject to the scalpel of novelty?
The more the general doctrinal and liturgical confusion is increasing, the more we do need the combined and united strength of all good forces inside the Church. This is the order of the day in these highly critical hours of the history of the Church. Thus did Saint Athanasius when in 362 he assembled a synod of union in Alexandria, to which he invited even the good minded and sincere semi-arians, the so called “homoi-ousians”, in order to combat the generally spread Arianism and the heretical semi-arianism. Some radical opponents of Arianism, as e.g. Lucifer, bishop of Cagliari, who was a friend of Saint Athanasius, an intrepid fighter for the true faith and who suffered in exile, declined the invitation of Saint Athanasius. Contrary to the attitude of Saint Athanasius, Lucifer of Cagliari accepted no other explications than the “homo-ousios” of the Council of Nicaea, and wanted to “save” the Church with his group, which isolated itself considering itself as the only “healthy” part of the Church. When the FSSPX will follow the principle of “trust in Rome”, it will demonstrate by this a quite human attitude and a lack of the supernatural view of the Church. We have not to trust in the person of a concrete Pope and in his collaborators, who all change more or less quickly (even the time of 30-70 years is a very short time in the eyes of the 2000 years of the Church and in the eyes of God all the more). The famous historian Ludwig von Pastor, the expert and pious author of the chef d’oeuvre “History of the Popes” said: “However different the personalities of the popes might be, it is always the same Peter whom we venerate”. We can find in the catacombs the following painting: a lamp in the shape of a ship; in the ship is sitting the Lord who commands the storm and the waves; Saint Peter stays at the rudder of the ship; and there is this inscription: “Peter does not die”.
SS: You recently observed that the Masonic goal of corrupting morality to defeat the Catholic Church has become very relevant again. The Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita was written now over a century ago. Have they achieved their stated aims? Have they infiltrated the Church at the highest levels? How can we fight back?
BAS: It seems that the well known and historically proven Permanent Instruction of the Alta Vendita from the 19th century achieved their stated aims to a very large extent. Yet the Freemasonry, the ultimate enemy of Christ and of His Church, is not taking account of this one truth: “The gates of the hell will never prevail against the Church”. The freemasons don’t take account of this, because they don’t believe in the words of Christ. Even priests, bishops and even popes are unable to destroy the Church, because they are ultimately powerless in the face of Christ who is always the chief commander in the ship of His Church. We can fight back ultimately and most efficaciously with the spiritual weapons of prayer, penance, fasting, with the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the special devotion and invocation of the Holy Angels, in first place of Saint Michael the Archangel, using often the prayer and the general exorcism against Satan and the evil spirits, which composed Pope Leo XIII.
SS: In 2014, you gave a talk in which you said that you thought there would be “an interior split in the Church of those who are faithful to the faith of their baptism and of the integrity of the Catholic faith”. But you also said that “we have all the beauty of the divine truths, of divine love and grace in the Church. No one can take this away, no synod, no bishop, not even a Pope can take away the treasure and beauty of the Catholic faith, of the Eucharistic Jesus, of the sacraments. The unchangeable doctrine, the unchangeable liturgical principles, the holiness of the life constitute the true power of the Church.” Is the split now upon us? Should the faithful be worried about this split, or should we focus, as you said, on the beautiful things of divine origin that no one can take away? How should a Catholic weather this storm? Where should he take refuge?
BAS: The split inside the Church exists already for several decades. It became more acute and manifest in these our days after the Publication of the Papal document Amoris laetitia. There is not a formal exterior split or schism, but an interior split between those who still are keeping the integrity of the Catholic and Apostolic Faith and those who have already denied this faith regarding some essential truths, as e.g. the universal and absolute validity of the Sixth Commandment of God and of the indissolubility of the marriage, the uniqueness of the salvation through Christ and His Church. These heretics are not canonically schismatics, because some of them occupy powerful ecclesiastic positions. They are carrying however heresy and schism in their souls. When a future Pope or Ecumenical Council will demand from these, nowadays interior schismatics, an unambiguous and integral profession of the Catholic faith, they could out themselves and become formal schismatics. Our refuge we should take in the meantime in the Blessed Virgin Mary, our heavenly Mother, the victress over all heresies.
SS: Our Blessed Mother seems to be the key to so much of what troubles us. She stood by Jesus during every moment, including His Passion and death on the Cross. Is this moment, where the Church appears to be joining in the Passion of her Mystical Spouse, also perhaps a time for the promised Triumph of the Immaculate Heart? How should we plead for her intercession? What should we pray for?
BAS: We should pray and spread with a renewed zeal the prayer of the Holy Rosary, the devotion to the Immaculate Heart and we should put again Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist in the center of our life and of the liturgical life of the Church. The Church can be renewed authentically only with Mary, the Mother of the Church, and with the Eucharist, the foundation and the heart of the Church.
SS: Do you have any final words of encouragement for the faithful?
BAS: In this time of an extraordinary crisis of faith inside the Church we should be ever more convinced and be proud of the integrity and beauty of the Catholic faith and of the Catholic liturgy. We should be proud of the holiness and the powerfulness of the little ones in the Church, of the hidden Saints of our days, the hidden victim souls from all levels: religious, celibate persons in the world, mothers and fathers of family, young people and even children. From these treasures of the beauty of the faith, of the liturgy and of the victim souls, who live in midst of us, nobody can separate us, not even persecution and death (cf. Rom. 8, 39). God is the truth, and we serve His wonderful creation, the Church, the most and best through the integral and unadulterated truth. This our fidelity will keep us with the grace of God free and strong in the eyes of God. Only the view of God matters. And we shall say: my greatest honor are not the praises of this world, nor ecclesiastical titles, but to live and to die as a true Catholic.
Thank you Steve! And Bishop Schneider! Hope against hope! I had a little conversation with Jesus last night wherein He showed me some tall black pillars. I said, “Jesus, who are these?” He said the bishops. I said, “What can we do to help?” He showed me little tiny white pillars scattered all over the earth and He said, “These are the pillars that make up my Holy Catholic Church.” I kid you not.
“We should be proud of the holiness and the powerfulness of the little ones in the Church, of the hidden Saints of our days, the hidden victim souls from all levels: religious, celibate persons in the world, mothers and fathers of family, young people and even children.” Bishop Schneider – Many thanks for the clarity! Come Lord Jesus Come!
Wow! Thank you for sharing this with us! It helps–and to spur us on as well!
“You remain outside the places of worship, but the Faith dwells within you. Let us consider: what is more important, the place or the Faith? ”
Is he telling us to stay out of those parishes who take AL as a license to give communion to those divorced/remarried situations?
Good question. I’m wondering about this too. Do we continue to receive the sacraments from priests who embrace the heretical praxis of AL? They remain validly ordained priests who can still confect the Eucharist, after all. Their embrace of heresy doesn’t invalidate their ordination.
Isn’t that the same argument as to why we can or cannot go to SSPX chapels?
The disobedience doesn’t invalidate their ordination. And while you need jurisdiction for some sacraments, The Eucharist is not one of them, is it?
It’s also the tack taken by many English Catholics who later found themselves outside the Church.
Who?
Here’s my thought: even though he is validly ordained, a priest who embraces the heretical praxis encouraged by AL is to be avoided by the faithful – heretics are anathema, and to be avoided. A heretical priest cannot help but inject the poison of his heresy into his homilies, for instance.
So, unless someone can convince me otherwise, I will not assist at the Mass of a heretical priest, nor receive any sacrament from him.
Is it possible for you to request a meeting with the priest in order to lovingly rebuke him concerning his position? I think the more the priests realize the laity are educated and care for the Faith they will do more internal reflection…..sad to say, I was told by a priest that Christ did not teach in absolutes, little did he know, I could give more than enough evidence and he quickly shutdown the conversation.
Well, my own pastor, a young priest, has told me that he will not absolve committed adulterers in confession, whatever AL might state. So I’m fortunate there: my own priest does NOT embrace the heretical praxis of AL.
The young guys are A LOT better than many of the older guys! You are very blessed to have this priest as your pastor!
Did the priest learn, REALLY learn, from your encounter with him? From what you’ve said, I would guess not.
I would doubt it…he also mentioned that Pope Francis was going to bring in change…as if our whole faith was comprised of political slogans. I just wanted to make the point that the priests should know that even the laity will challenge them
That, IMHO, is the best course of action; assuming one has that option!
Ex opere operato. The efficacy of the sacraments doesn’t depend on the disposition of the priest.
I’m afraid that a lot of people here are working themselves up into a state of panic which is precisely what Bishop Schneider warned against. We should heed his advice to put our faith in God who, in His wisdom, permits these crises to happen. He also advises us to pray and live our faith while going about our daily duties and not obsess about this current situation. Yes, it’s fine to be concerned as it’s a serious matter. But God does have it under control.
Some feel they have to absolutely insist that the formal correction be carried out to their way of thinking, as if they know better than the four cardinals. Believe me, these fine prelates are way ahead of you. So I would suggest that one and all take some deep breaths and calm down.
I’d suggest questions do not mean panic and because we question does not mean we are not calm.
No need to remind us that “God is in control” He was in control in the Arian crisis as well. He used people to overcome it. “The Gates of Hell will not prevail against The Church” attitude is fine but do remember two things.
First, one mass in a cave somewhere and there is The Church. It doesn’t help if you’re not by that cave.
Second, no where did Christ say the Latin rite would survive at all.
So while all of you are hashing that out, I’ll sit comfortably in my Chaldean parish and watch you fight about non-dogmatic teachings, which my Priest is clearly teaching against. God IS in control so you might want to learn some Aramaic.
I think your comments are correct as applied to yourself, mostly. The suggestion of panic is really not out of place as applied to the Faithful’s receipt of Amoris Laetitia nor is the appeal to calm and the reminder the God is in control. But maybe it’s because I don’t know any Aramaic.
Again, questions are not a sign of panic. Nor is discussing dogmatic vs. non-dogmatic Vatican documents.
I’m sorry if you’re panicking. The other readers are questioning.
Agreed. Time to get back to work. The work has been made much harder now, so we can show more love by diving into it. And get ready for the next round.
And pray…………..
I wondered the same exact thing when I read it. What did he mean by that? Are we to stay out of Churches that the Priest or Priests are going along with A.L. and all of it’s heresies? Or………were the faithful of the Arian Crisis forbidden by the Arian believing Prelates to enter the Church buildings as a form of persecution for not buying into the heresy. Maybe we should investigate the Arian Crisis to find out details:)
I cannot speak for Bishop Schneider. For me and my family, i must seek those priests who remain faithful to God and His Laws. I do so not want to be contentious, but only to guard my soul and that of my family’s. A priests who disobeys God’s basic laws, jeopardizes his soul and those of his flock.
It is just that way, I am afraid.
Maybe I am wrong here. Perhaps others are stronger than I, as I know, I too, can be seduced by this diabolical seduction that seems to be getting legitimate recognition in our Church.
And, I just cannot seem to minimize the possibility of it affecting my weaknesses nor my loved ones.
I must seek what it is good and true as St. Paul states. And there are many good and holy priests who will need our support in the manner as well.
Sounds to me like you’re doing things right…. not that I’m an expert or anything, but you and I have the same thoughts on the matter!
I am just praying God tells me what to do. And at this moment,as difficult as it is, I have found peace with this decision. It seems as though, for us, it is the only decision that God is leading us towards.
Those were the words that St. Athanasius used to console the faithful. Not the words Bishop Athanasius Schneider is using to refer to be literal advice to be taken now. The question was, after all, how St. Athanasius consoled the people of his time. And so it was answered.
That said, we can draw some conclusions. In those places where heresy is rampant in say your local parish, then it would be wise to find a parish where the teaching is still orthodox, for your own sake as well as your family, especially children who may be infected with bad teaching. If there is no place that remains faithful within a reasonable distance (you have to decide what that is…) then, depending on the situation, you will have to decide what is safe for you and your family. The Novus Ordo can be harmful to faith, but the Eucharist only helps…
Long story short… we can draw some logical conclusions, but don’t go beyond the plain text here. If he wanted to tell us not to go to those parishes, I really believe this bishop would tell us to do just that. He has said in the past that, if possible, you should avoid parishes where communion is given in the hand, but if you can’t, don’t stay away from the Mass. The other side uses subtleties and ambiguity. The side of truth speaks plainly.
Ordinarily, when heresy us rampant in a parish, the bishop is to be informed about it. If he does nothing, a letter to the Nuncio is in order. If that fails, the next step is a letter to the Vatican. In these times, that would be a dead letter.
perhaps
Good point. What if you lived in San Diego…. I wouldn’t. I would ask the priest. if he does, then leave. Find a real priest.
Tijuana just south of the border.
I would.
If PF is a legitimate Pope & many Catholics cannot in conscience submit to his teachings which they view as heretical & blasphemous, does this mean they excommunicate themselves from the CC? As Pope he is meant to uphold the teachings & commandments of Jesus Christ Our Saviour not the NWO of Marxist/Masonic/Modernism which is destroying the entire world. It would seem from this interview that Bishop Schneider doesn’t hold out much hope for a formal correction being made that might deliver us from this continuing evil, so in the longterm are Catholics opposed to the present ‘legitimate’ pope required to stay away from the sacraments of the Church? Maybe Cardinal Burke could provide clarity on this matter?
You won’t be excommunicated because you don’t agree with certain erroneous teachings of Pope Francis. There is no need to refrain from Holy Mass or the sacraments because of Pope Francis. That would be an error and just what the enemy wants to achieve.
The Mass is the Mass. The faith is the Faith it does not change. A bad Pope can’t alter that fact. Pray hope and be happy.
God bless
Paul
Thanks for that. It doesn’t personally worry me as I think this whole scenario has been the fault of VII & its instigators & not the laity. But there are a lot of cradle Catholics now extremely worried about this situation & it really hasn’t been explained by our priests – in fact, I’ve never heard anything from the altar covering the recent crisis which is quite disturbing, but I suppose they are afraid of the Bishop who is strictly NO.
Ana, can you give us an idea of what’s going on in your neck of the woods? I have family in Valencia.
Most churches are shut during the day. Our local church is shared with C of E & Evangelicals. They have a key but we Catholics haven’t. The priest says they keep moving around things in the vestry from where they should be & don’t pay any rent yet he won’t get rid of them. The Tabernacle is in a corner – you cannot see it on entering the church. No Holy Water font, no Stations of the Cross, no crib, one baptism recently to non-Spanish parents (first I can remember in about 27 years), about 6 weddings in that time also. No daily Mass, no devotions (Holy Hour, Benediction, Rosary etc.), no Confessions. No Angelus Bell although it is automatic but just not used. Our priest did try to start adult catechesis but apparently it is now difficult to get people interested as the parish was in the hands of an alcoholic for eighteen years who apparently liked the Protestants & often didn’t bother showing up for the Vigil Mass & the old residents have drifted away. At the Vigil Mass, when held, we are lucky to count about twenty on a regular basis. It does rise during summer.
There is another church we go to on Sunday but have to travel to. The priest does hear Confessions for about twenty-five minutes before the Mass (not nearly enough time & people have to stand while waiting) & it is much more like a CC should be in appearance – tabernacle centre etc. & he has usually three seminarians assisting him, but he seldom speaks on anything other than the gospel. He shows a video after his homily supporting what he has talked about. Nothing controversial ever & seems to be fully supportive of PF. A member of the confraternity does recite the Rosary before Sunday Mass & the priest uses incense & once a year gives the Blessing of the Sick, but you have to be lucky in hearing the announcement as the date isn’t displayed on the notice board. I would say this church is better run that almost any other church in the diocese but still there is a very low marriage & baptism rate. Everyone cohabits now – I don’t know if they also take Holy Communion with or without the knowledge of the priest.
Most people of my generation are in despair & don’t know what they can do other than keep going to Mass & saying their Rosaries. They have little hope of getting the Last Rtes when they die unless they have fair warning of that event in which case I feel this priest would answer the call, but this would not generally be the case. There are no First Friday visits to the sick & housebound & no hospital will call the priest when life is in danger (accidents or heart attack victims etc. in Urgencias). There are no Traditional Order churches one can attend so no choice, that’s why it is annoying when so many keep saying to go to our nearest SSPX or TLM church – you have to take a plane flight & even then they only say Mass & the church is shut afterwards, so it doesn’t really meet the situation. We need the full parish activities & schools to get the faith back to a living faith.
We are now dependent on this formal correction to be successful in calling for an Imperfect Council & pray for a Traditional Pope to be elected. If not, the faith will cease to be here very soon. Anyone under sixty hasn’t been formally catechised & are going by what PF & his NO Bishops say. I blame VII & hope it can be fully rescinded but I know not many agree with me. I am not sedevacantist & neither is anyone around here. We will keep going while not supporting them in our hearts – there is nothing else we can do I fear.
Ana, thanks for the response. Very distressing.
It looks like there is a Ukrainian Catholic community/mission in Malaga. Have you tried going there?
Call +34 647 09 78 17
http://www.misas.org/p/parroquia-de-la-santa-cruz-y-san-felipe-neri-malaga
https://www.facebook.com/ugccmalaga/
i don’t know Ukrainian language unfortunately, but it is good they are here. I’ll contact them to verify if they say Mass in Spanish. Thanks for that information.
Even if they use Ukrainian, go.
Although those of us in Ruthenian parishes don’t use Ukrainian, the liturgy is the same, and when I attend a Ukrainian church, I know exactly what’s going on.
It is the ancient liturgy of St. John Chrysostom (and sometimes St. Basil).
You can watch at the link. This one is Ruthenian, with our Metropolitan, not Ukrainian.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4cTjJ80hNI
You can get English translations of the liturgy here:
http://www.byzcath.org/index.php/resources-mainmenu-63/liturgical-texts
Typical Ukrainian cathedral in U.S:
http://www.clevelandpeople.com/groups/ukrainian/st-josaphat.htm
https://www.facebook.com/StJosaphatCathedral/
As Bishop Schneider said, the effectiveness of the correction for an immediate positive effect is dependent on the soul of the one receiving it. So pray for Pope Francis to be willing to submit to such a correction. Miracles happen!
Another point drawn from the broader message of what the good bishop said and a point I regularly forget… For centuries, the people had no idea what the Pope in Rome was saying. Weeks or months might go by before they discovered that a pope had died and a new pope had been elected. Encyclicals were so called because they were circulated among the bishops of the world… not the laity. Our new communication technology should be a great boon in being able to hear almost immediately the words of our Supreme Pontiff, but it seems, in most cases, to have actually been a detriment and has caused a great deal of distress.
The point is this: We live in an unprecedented time of strife and crisis. We are greatly distressed. But the proper response is not to be overly troubled or dissuaded, but to trust in the words of Our Lord, and ask for Our Lady’s intercession. I can’t do anything specific to change the situation. All I can do is pray, fast, and teach whomever I can the truth, and try to spread the Gospel. I may get a chance to encourage one of our faithful prelates, but everyday I can pray for them. I can ask the heavenly hosts to guard them. I can also ask Mary, Mother of God, and Sts. Peter and Paul, and all the saints and angels of heaven to intercede for our Holy Father, that he may turn from this path. I don’t know the outcome, and I realize the horrible pain of having apostasy all around you with no or few reverent masses or faithful priests. But the Church will always stand.
The fraternal correction may do something… or it may not. It has no canonical jurisdiction. It simply is a statement correcting the erroneous teaching the Pope is spreading. The only thing that could definitively make a change is an imperfect council… and let us pray such a thing is not needed. It’s never been needed before, and we had best desire that it never be needed. The possibility for heresies to erupt regarding the Supremacy of the Pope after such a Council would be terrible. It may be necessary, but the enemy always tries to attack in the wake of something good. KEEP PRAYING! And if you have to… stop listening to all the news.
The news we get is no news. Everything swept under the carpet – all is fine & dandy, which as Cardinal Burke & Bishop Schneider admit it isn’t. As there are no reliable Catholic websites confronting these issues here, people are getting extremely worried about the whole situation, made worse by the visible increase in the Islamic population. They don’t want to stay at home & not assist at Holy Mass but neither do they want to fill the coffers of a heretical regime or give it sustenance in any way. To make matters worse, there has been no catechesis for at least forty years & practically no confession. On that account Catholics who feel they are not in mortal sin do go & receive Holy Communion after making an act of contrition (i was once told in confession not to go back for four years). At that time I had to go abroad to get it. I never thought I’d be living in such times – but then, I suppose no-one else did either.
I was telling myself this just yesterday, sometimes it’s best to turn the news off and develop our prayer life. And pray for the pope and the Church. It’s is painful, but somewhere out there is the next Athanasius, the next Chrysostum.
Saying King Francis is legitimately the Pope is not saying he’s a faithful Pope. It’s apples and oranges.
We don’t know for sure that he is due to the rules laid down by JPII being ignored & the strong canvassing from St. Galen Group (Mafia) who claimed they got ‘their man’ elected. Doesn’t sound to me to be legitimate but many theologians are taking the stance that as the people of Rome accept him then so should we all. It gets them off the hook.
Attitudes have changed due to better education & especially better communication via internet & 24 hour news. You cannot expect people to deal with two popes – one active & the other contemplative. If PB has properly resigned & not coerced into doing so, he should leave the Vatican. We have the right to know why he hasn’t. This ‘extended’ papacy never occurred before, so how can it be authentic? No Pope can think up new rules just because he holds the Papal Office but too many of the laity falsely believe he can & this enables him to force his Modernist Agenda on everyone as the Word of Christ is being trampled into the ground.
You’re right, of course. The St. Galen mafia is always on my mind and I wonder why more has not been made of it. The facts have been public for a couple of years at least. The people of Rome, many of whom are heretics and apostates, have nothing to do with it.
I don’t see Benedict XVI’s living in the Vatican being an ‘extended papacy.’ He lives there for his own reasons and we do not have a ‘right’ to demand he explain why he lives there.
It looks like your closing remarks are directed to King Francis and I agree with you.
“These heretics are not canonically schismatics, because some of them occupy powerful ecclesiastic positions. They are carrying however heresy and schism in their souls.”
I wonder if Bishop Schneider includes the pope in that statement.
DJR.They are carrying heresy in their souls!Exactly.Papa Bergoglio has been taken over ,and influenced by,Satan but i pray for him and would die for him.I pray that he ,and Rome returns to the Faith!What a great interview.Thanks.
I agree with everything except the following;
A solemn act of consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on behalf of the Pope in *moral* union with all bishops will undoubtedly cause the pouring out of abundant graces for the Church and for all mankind, as it foretold Our Lady in Fatima.
June 13, 1929, in the Presence of the Most Holy Trinity, Our Lady said to Sister Lucia:
“The moment has come in which God asks the Holy Father to order and make in union with all the bishops of the world the consecration of Russia, promising to save it by this means.”
Sister Lucia later said that the Collegial Consecration of Russia should be made by the Pope and the bishops at the same time on the same day using the same form of consecration.
Example:. If the Pope says the prayer of consecration at 12 noon in Rome, then the bishops in the Eastern US would say the same prayer at 7 am., those on CST at 6 am etc.
Thus, the Pope and the bishops would consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary “with one voice and one heart” (Divine Liturgy) and peace will finally come to the world.
Cf. http://www.fatima.org for more information.
I read Steve’s second question about the Faithful ‘pinning their hopes on a formal correction of the pope’ as basically saying ‘Will a formal correction precipitate significant additional action(s) to ensure Divine Truth eventually prevails?’ E.g. all other supporters of the four cardinals finally breaking cover, a possible papal resignation or the convening of an imperfect council with all the consequences that would necessarily follow that event. Whereas Bishop Schneider’s reply solely addresses whether the faithful should ‘pin their hopes’ on the formal correction producing a papal volte-face and a return to orthodoxy which I suspect very few of those with a clear perspective on this crisis are confidently expecting. It would be interesting to hear the bishop’s views on what can and should follow any formal correction.
We should HOPE for the conversion of the Pope. What CAN happen is an entirely different matter.
Agreed.
As G.K.Chesterton put it, “To hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all”…and there are definitely many aspects of this crisis which appear hopeless at the moment.
God bless Bishop Schneider: “A solemn act of consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on behalf of the Pope in moral union with all bishops will undoubtedly cause the pouring out of abundant graces for the Church and for all mankind, as it foretold Our Lady in Fatima. It is tragic that prophetic appeals are heard oftentimes too late. Let us pray and ask the Holy Father to do what Our Lady asked in Fatima.” The late Fr. Gruner was right all along! Join us on Facebook at: Consecratio – World Group for Consecration of Russia and Fatima Message at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/329670727086733/
Joining!
“I ask that in thanksgiving for his faithfulness, you pray ardently for this true apostle and all those valiant clergy who now, despite being outnumbered, do all that they can to preserve the Holy Catholic Faith.”
Have done and will do!
Auxiliary Bishop indeed.
He is one of the few who are helping us survive the present unholy Saturday of the Church.
AMEN!!!
Does Bishop Athanasius Schneider ever give his view of the reasons for the present Crisis in the church? Has anyone ever asked him? It would be good to know the answer. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him say that the crisis is due to the Vll Council. Though he has said that two parts of the Council documents need to be clarified due to ambiguity.
Saint Athanasius was banished more than once, I believe. So he wasn’t always “with the Church.” He refused to give in to Arian beliefs. He once famously wrote in a letter to his flock…”They have the churches, but you have the faith.” I don’t believe that Saint Athanasius would have insisted that the SSPX put themselves into the hands of a Pope who does not hold the Catholic Faith. Bishop Schneider is wrong to believe that the SSPX should reconcile with Rome.
Another question: has Bishop Athanasius Schneider ever used the term “Modernism” to describe the resent Crisis? I don’t recall that he has done so, but I could have missed it. Bishop Schneider does celebrate the TLM. But he also celebrates the Novus Ordo. He is not a Traditionalist, though he obviously wants to influence them. He’s not the on;y one. Just my opinion.
There’s an older interview from the Bishop that was done I think by Church Militant where he discusses the need for a Syllabus of Errors that should be made by the Pope (whoever such a pope would be, not this one specifically) as an instrument of the Ordinary Infallible Magisterium that would be read alongside Vatican II and correct errors and clarify ambiguities. It would be a necessary companion document. That seems to indicate he sees the problem if you ask me.
I’m not sure that I’ve heard him use the word modernism, but talking about Freemasonry’s infiltration seems to indicate knowledge of the specific errors… and freemasonry seems to follow the modernist playbook almost perfectly. I know he came from a Traditionalist Order of priests before his episcopal consecration and favors quite strongly the TLM. I’ve never personally heard of him celebrating the NO but I could definitely be mistaken here. I know his preference is for the TLM though.
I’ve seen the interview that you mention. As I recall, there are two specific areas in the Council documents that he said need clarification. But does he equate the present Crisis at all with the Vll Council? That’s what I’m wondering about. I don’t believe that he has said so. Archbishop Lefebvre certainly did equate the present Crisis with the Council.
It’s good that Bishop Schneider warns about the dangers of Freemasonry. But Modernism is what Pope St. Pius X was concerned about. It’s also what Archbishop Lefebvre was concerned about – so much so that he named his Society after the saintly Pope. Bishop Schneider believes that Archbishop Lefebvre would have reconciled, but most who have studied the life, work and writings of the Archbishop would disagree. So in my opinion, Bishop Schneider is either ignorant of the stance of the Archbishop, or he knows the stance and says what he knows to be untrue. Either way, it’s irresponsible to say that Archbishop Lefebvre would have reconciled (with the most notorious Modernist Pope ever).
I would suggest that Bishop Schneider study Pascendi, by Pope St. Pius X. It would be a good place to start to learn about Modernism, and the serious present Crisis.
Don’t you think that it may be a little presumptuous to assume that, since you’ve never heard him say “modernism” as the source of errors, he doesn’t understand the current crisis and that he needs to study Pascendi? For whatever reason, he’s never said it that you or I know of. That doesn’t mean he’s ignorant. If there’s a prelate that gets it, and I’d be really surprised if only lay people get it, then it’s Bishop Schneider.
Because of his prominent position in the political capital of the U.S., the man who has done more than any other to cause the current crisis is Donald Wuerl. Over the years, Wuerl (and his predecessors Baum, Hickey, and McCarrick] have insisted that pro-abortion politicians be given Communion.
The lies that Wuerl has put out to rationalize his mortally sinful position are all in heavy use today to rationalize giving Communion to adulterers:
Canon 915 does not exist–only Canon 916.
Denial of Communion is a “penalty.” (Therefore a matter of “discernment” and “prudence.”)
A minister of Communion MUST know the “state of the soul” of a would-be communicant before considering denial of Communion.
Violating Canon 915 is “the pastoral approach,” while obeying Canon 915 is “the canonical approach.”
Communion is “medicine for the weak,” not “a reward for the perfect.” (When asked–on video–to name a pro-abortion politician who had become pro-life as a result of dialogue and reception of Communion, Wuerl admitted it had never happened.)
It must be noted that the American bishops have voted to approve “Catholics in Political Life,” in which they say that a bishop may “legitimately” give Communion to pro-abortion politicians. That’s right! The bishops have voted to GIVE THEMSELVES PERMISSION TO COMMIT MORTAL SIN! The mental chaos is total.
In reality, the victory of the Kasper Proposal was total BEFORE the synods and Amoris. In major part thanks to Wuerl and his majority among the bishops. And the several Popes who have ignored this scandal for forty-five years.
Undeniably true.
A bitter truth to be sure.
Absolutely true.
One of Wuerl’s excuses for allowing Catholic politicians in D.C. to receive the Sacrament is. “I’m not their bishop.” He deliberately ignores that he IS the bishop of the priests of his diocese and of the churches in which these politicians come to abuse the Body and Blood of Christ. He can, at any time, tell his priests they are not to admit Nancy Pelosi and her ilk to Communion. And he knows it. What he has forgotten, however, is God sees his every action, word and thought. Of course, if he doesn’t believe in God that means nothing to him.
The Catholics of Pittsburgh had him pegged. They called him ‘Donna.’ They called his auxiliaries ‘Wuerl’s Girls.’ Rotten fruit is rotten fruit to the core.
Baum too? Wow! That’s been awhile now!
Rich indeed.
This requires more than a few slow readings.
I am very grateful to both Bishop Schneider and Mr. Skojec. Good work!
Thank you to Steve and to the Bishop Schneider. We stand in some awe at his courage, especially since most of his confreres remain silent. May God bless and reward him.
The formal correction will hopefully come soon. The sheep are being scattered, and the church is in disrepair, being pulled apart. The papacy will not recover in our lifetime, too much has happened and we are jaded and corrupt. I doubt any of us will look at a pope or Cardinal or bishop in the same way as we did four short years ago. Nor will we see the Catholic church or faith the same way. We didn’t ask for that, these men caused it. The world is vile, and there are many within our church who are also vile. Destroyers, by whatever name you wish to call them, it doesn’t matter.
When the formal correction comes, please God it will be in words that make it plain the pope is operating outside of the teaching of Christ and the Church. It must be plainspoken and understandable by all. It must be public. It must make it clear that the positions in AL are contradictory to the faith and therefore are denounced and not Catholic.
Christ must be defended plainly. The Church must be defended plainly. Scripture must be defended plainly. The teaching of the church must be defended plainly. There can be no mincing of words and no timidity, everyone must understand.
Wonderful, made my day! Thank you, Steve… I like how Schneider admits the internal heretics and schismatics, and admits the crisis, but still gives us great hope
Isn’t Bishop Schneider FANTASTIC!! Such a holy, faithful, and learned shepherd!!
I was really down about all this. But now I’m more serene thanks to this article….
This interview has been very clear to me personally. Thank you Steve for asking the right questions and thank you Archbishop for very clear answers.
I’m usually pretty longwinded, but I have not much more to say than Thank You Steve and Bishop Schneider for this update.
OK.
“Hold until relieved”.
Got it!
This is the most comforting interview I’ve read in many months. Thank you Steve! Apt and fearless questions matched by non-evasive answers which guide us so much. Despite the comment re the FSSP who I’m sure Bishop Schneider knows are wonderful Priests, he would no doubt be sympathetic to their plight because as he has said elsewhere, the situation with the SSPX having remained separate from ‘communion with the Pope of the day’ for decades is not an ideal state for any Catholic to be in. There is an incompleteness about the Catholic Faith without that communion with the Pope. This is an obstacle for those formally engaged in passing on the Faith during these grave times. Perhaps it was the desire to not give up ‘communion with the Pope’ which led the FSSP to arrive at an arrangement, but at least they can offer the sacrifice of the Mass in an unambiguous way all the time and can deliver true catechesis without restraint. Thank you Steve for pressing ahead with these particular questions which cover so many themes raised in the blogs. Your action goes to support the value of blogging where Site hosts listen and follow through on behalf of other Catholics to generate peace of mind wherever they can. thank you!
Wow. Steve thank you for organizing this interview with his Eminence Archbishop Schneider. We can be sure that with such bishops in our midst there is still hope for the Catholic Church. I know there are few more like him in the Church. I pray for these to prosper and that the good Lord may lift them up to positions which will help them to serve the Church with more administrative power. God bless these true apostles of Christ who have the courage of Christ himself, the same courage with which we see Christ answering all this questioners during his passion. I saw the film, ‘Gospel of St. John(2003)’ yesterday on YouTube and I was amazed at the courage of Christ in front of the Jewish authorities and before Pilate. I see in Archbishop Schneider and the other Cardinals who submitted the Dubia to the Holy Father the same courage and it makes me so happy and hopeful. Praise the Lord!
However I believe that Pope St. JP2 made a mistake when he gave a concession to the divorced re-married couples to practice sexual continence if they want to get recourse to the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Eucharist. He should have stuck to the teaching of the Church that such people are always in a state of perpetual mortal sin unless they get out of their 2nd marriage. Since this concession was given by Pope JP2, then it makes it easier for someone like Pope Francis or another Pope in future to bring in another concession that in certain cases such couples can take recourse to Confession and Holy Eucharist. One concession leads to the other.
One has to agree that sexual continence in practical terms is more easily said than done and that too when a man and woman who are supposedly married sleep on the same marriage bed. I don’t understand why Pope JP2 had to give this concession at all in his encyclical. If injustice happens to the 2nd illicit marriage it is better than the injustice isdone to the first valid marriage. I am not sure whether this concession was always allowed in the Church before Pope JP2 allowed this in writing? Steve can you help me on this? This is a genuine doubt that is entering my mind. I believe that in future any liberal Pope will say that if Pope JP2 could give a concession and Pope Francis could give a concession then any Pope in future can also give because no one Pope is better than any other in terms of the rights he has based on his authority of being seated on the seat of Peter.
interesting question!
I could not agree more with you!!!
Me too!
I agree. That Pope John Paul ll allowed couples in second irregular marriages to live together but be continent has lead, perhaps to a certain extent, to the current situation. The whole “living as brother and sister” thing is a novelty. It isn’t traditional. They shouldn’t be living together at all, traditionally speaking.
But they completely ignored his rules on electing a pope when it suited them. That’s why there is a grave doubt that PF is a legitimate pope. I think that St. Francis of Assisi’s prophecy before he died is coming true before our eyes.
Amen Bishop Schneider!
The Non Possumus blog (Spanish language) has an article regarding this interview with Bishop Schneider, for anyone who may be interested in viewing it. I can’t post a link, but it can be accessed with a google search, and the American flag icon on the top of the page should be clicked in order to translate it into English.
On the bright side, most of the modern Church buildings are not worth having.
Other than that, this is all pretty sucky, but we must remember Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Quito.
She will come to our aid, because Our Heavenly Father wants to see her properly honoured. He will intervene miraculously, through her.
Regardless, “our help is in the name of the Lord Who made heaven and earth”
Thanks, Steve, for asking the questions we want answers for.
Deo Gratias!
In fact, there are at least two areas in Canon Law which would contradict what Bishop Schneider states, namely that Bergoglio is “without doubt the legitimate Pope.” Those two areas in Canon Law which invalidate a pope deal with:
1. He does not hold the Catholic Faith
2. There was active campaigning for an individual to become pope.
It bears courageous research on the part of Prelates to investigate these two areas, especially since we have irrefutable evidence in both cases that in Bergoglio both conditions are met. In the case of point #1 above, we may just not be prepared to actually say it out loud.
We must also consider the prophecy of St. Francis of Assisi, that “a man not canonically elected”…will be elevated to the throne of Peter, and that his job would be to destroy the Church from within by leading many into error.
As hard as it may be for us to consider that we are living in the end times, we cannot ignore the “signs” of the times. At Akita Japan, Sr. Agnes Sasagawa was told by Our Lady that in these times we would see a major schism in the Church, with “Bishop against Bishop, Cardinal opposing Cardinal.” We must now see clearly that the foretold schism is “official”. And it is the very same schism Sr. Sasagawa was told about. The schism will now lead to the doorstep of Pope Benedict XVI, who will see his responsibility to the Church to weigh in and correct the errors that Bergoglio is promoting.
With regard to Bergoglio, we can agree at least agree with Bishop Schneider that he surely the present occupant of the Throne of Peter. Invalidly in my opinion.
God bless us and the Church. We pray for courage for all priests and especially pastors that they find the courage and strength to defend the Gospel, the Truth.
With regard to your #1, let’s just say that discretion is the better part of valor. Cardinal Burke is also treading very carefully in this area making very clear that he’s not suggesting the Pope is heretical. All four cardinals seem to be taking that same approach. These are prayerful men and they likely see no benefit to escalating an already delicate situation.
He’s certainly not acting like he was canonically elected, IMHO. Freemasonry DEFINITELY needs to be snuffed out!!! I understand it (Freemasonry) is quite prevalent in Argentina and that the Freemasons celebrated, with an article in their newspaper, his election/elevation!
We MUST keep praying and stay close to Mother Mary!
Hey stevie,
Have you ever seriously considered you are believing in something that is simply not true?
So thankful for this good and holy bishop! I just wish he expounded more on the assertion that “without a doubt Pope Francis is the legitimate pope.” I think the reason the faithful have been so focused on what is going on in Rome, is because we are trying to make sense if it.
I have heard from different sources that “St. Robert Bellarmine, St. Alohonsus Liguori, St. Antoninus and Pope Innocent III all teach that when the pope demonstrates himself to be a manifest heretic, i.e. a plainly manifested public heretic, he ceases to be pope (or, if already was a public heretic he was invalidly elected) because he is not a Catholic — not a member of the Catholic Church. Bellarmine explains that the Roman Pontiff is the visible head of the Church, and the head is a member. One who is not a member cannot be the head, and therefore the election to the supreme pontificate of a public heretic is canonically null and void.” Of course, there have been assertions of heresy on multiple subjects both before and after Pope Francis’ election, though I’m not certain any of these are “public” and/or “manifest.” I’m also not sure how magisterial authority versus personal opinion factors in.
It just is a source of confusion, and I wish Bishop Schneider addressed the heresy issue plainly and laid out the assurances as to why we should have no doubt that Pope Francis is the legitimate pope. Perhaps if there is another chance for an interview, the subject can be explored in further depth.
Thank you!
Mr. Skojec, Thank you for the interview.
Could we possible get Bishop Schneider’s comment on what’s happening at his home Diocese?
It turns out Astana, Kazakhstan has morphed into the Illuminati Capital of the world, as the following link points out:
https://youtu.be/iGHYUWZTiRk
His town is relevant backdrop to the widespread concerns of a “One World Religion”.
Many traditional Catholics fear this is the underlying agenda to the movement reconcile the FSSPX and absorb traditional Catholicism into the modern Church of Vatican II.
This was a very encouraging interview.
God bless Bishop Schneider!
And thank you, Mr. Skojec!
+JMJ+
Everytime I read about dear Bishop Schneider I am filled with hope by his witness. He gives very sound advice.