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Ultramontanism / Spirit of Vatican I

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Ultramontanism and the False Spirit of Vatican I

When we released our editorial stance last year we identified one error above others which seems to be at the root of our current crisis: the false spirit of Vatican I. This false spirit – meaning a false interpretation of said council – goes by many names: hyperpapalism, neo-ultramontanism, extreme ultramontanism or my personal favourite,…

How Protestants, Orthodox, Magisterialists, and Traditionalists Differ on the Three Pillars of Christianity

Historically and theologically, there are three “pillars” of Catholicism: Scripture, Tradition, and Magisterium. All are necessary; all are mutually implicated; and none of them is absolute, in the sense that it can be taken as greater in every respect than the others. Each is first but in a different way. There is an almost Trinitarian…

St. John Henry Newman’s Conscience Against the Pope and the Vaccine

One can only presume that the relative unpopularity of St. John Henry Newman’s “Letter to the Duke of Norfolk” comes from its very name. A tract called “On Papal Infallibility and the Duty of Conscience,” written as it is by one of the greatest Christian writers of the past two centuries, would certainly gain notoriety, and serve as a better…

The Failure of the Ultramontanist Hermeneutic of Continuity

Translator’s Preface: The following book review, which appeared in German at kathnews.de on January 4, 2022, is illuminating for many reasons. In describing the oddity of a new (but not updated) German translation of a book written by Bishop Rifan of Campos around the year 2006, the author, Clemens Victor Oldendorf, paints a portrait of…

Are Traditionalists Guilty of “Private Judgment” Over the Popes?

Author’s Note: Readers who follow Rod Dreher at The American Conservative may have noticed an article published on December 18th in which he cites my article from OnePeterFive on the Responsa ad Dubia document, followed by a quotation from a recent Substack post of Steve Skojec arguing against the traditionalists. Mr. Dreher then mentions that…

Leo XIII: The First Liberal Pope Who Went Beyond His Authority

Liberal Catholics: “The Sole Rule of Salvation Is to be With the Living Pope” (as Long as He is a Liberal…) — In a previous article, I cleared up the misunderstanding that has led some traditionalists to blame ultramontanes and a so-called spirit of Vatican I for the “papolatry” exhibited by some Catholics who believe…

Clandestine Ordinations Against Church Law: Lessons from Cardinal Wojtyła and Cardinal Slipyj

One of the most remarkable episodes in the life of Karol Wojtyła—and one from which we can learn a great deal today—took place during his time as Cardinal of Kraków. It is astonishing to me that, with all the attention lavished on John Paul II, this incident has failed to attract notice, much less commentary. The…

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