Fr. Libietis: A Bishop Speaks from Beyond the Grave

[Stone]

A Bishop Speaks FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE
The Archbishop’s words on the subject of UNION WITH ROME

[Fr. Libietis - Resistance Brochure #2 of 7]

Part 2 of 2

As Fr. Ludovic Barrielle (the priest chosen to be the chief spiritual director of Ecône said, a religious order risks losing its way after a period of around 40 years. We have seen groups split from the SSPX over the years, only to lose their “traditionalism” in the years that followed—despite an insistence that they would always remain staunchly traditional! These “splits” or “break-aways” always constituted a minority.

Today, in the words of Bishop Fellay (“I cannot exclude that there might be a split.”—CNS interview, May 11, 2012) it seems as though a majority, not a minority, would split from the SSPX and align itself with Rome. Previously, only branches fell from the solid SSPX tree, today the trunk itself risks splitting away and taking many branches with along with it.

The SSPX risks becoming the NOVUS-SSPX before finally being absorbed fully into the NOVUS-ORDO—as the philosophical axiom says, “the greater absorbs the lesser,” or as Archbishop Lefebvre once said:

“To stay inside the Church, or to put oneself inside the Church... I would have been completely swamped. I would have been able to do nothing!”

The problem of Eve was that she let herself be drawn into a discussion with the serpent (devil). The serpent did not look like the devil, but he was the devil. The danger of all prolonged negotiations is compromise. A “quid pro quo” or give and take! We see that in the temptation of Christ by the devil. Satan offers Jesus all kinds of things. But as Scripture says: “What concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath the faithful with the unbeliever?” (2 Cor. 6:15).

Archbishop Lefebvre visited Rome many times, he spoke with popes, cardinals and bishops, he was almost fooled on a few occasions— but he learnt many a thing about wily Rome and tried to communicate that experience to those who would listen. These quotes show his resoluteness and avoidance of all compromise. Let us learn from his supernatural wisdom! 1986 “We have allays refused to collaborate in the destruction of the Church. Since we refused this, it is obvious that we placed ourselves in opposition to those who appear to be the legal Church. We were the outlaws of the Church and they appeared to respect the law ... In fact it is they who have distanced themselves from the legality of the Church and we, on the contrary, have remained within the legality and validity. ”(Archbishop Lefebvre, Sept. 1986, Priests Retreat Ecône)

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1986:
“Rome has asked us if we have the intention of proclaiming our rupture with the Vatican on the occasion of the Congress of Assisi. We think that the question should rather be: “Do you believe and do you have the intention of proclaiming that the Congress of Assisi consummates the rupture of the Roman authorities with the Catholic Church?”...The present acts of John Paul II and the national episcopates illustrates, year by year, this radical change in the conception of the Faith, the Church, the priesthood, the world, and salvation by grace. The high point of this rupture with the previous Magisterium of the Church took place at Assisi, after the visit to the synagogue. The rupture does not come from us, but from Paul VI and Jo


1987:
“The magisterium of today is not sufficient by itself to be called Catholic unless it is the transmission of the Deposit of Faith, that is, of Tradition. A new magisterium without roots in the past, and all the more if it is opposed to the magisterium of all times, can only be schismatic and heretical. ”
(Archbishop Lefebvre, July 8, 1987, Letter to Cardinal Ratzinger)


1987:
“The See of Peter and the posts of authority in Rome being occupied by anti-Christs, the destruction of the Kingdom of our Lord is being rapidly carried out even in His Mystical Body here below....This is what has brought down upon our heads persecution by the Rome of the anti-Christs. This Rome, Modernist and Liberal, is carrying on it’s work of destruction of the Kingdom of our Lord, as Assisi and the confirmation of the liberal theses of Vatican II on Religious Liberty prove...” (Archbishop Lefebvre, Letter to future bishops Aug. 29, 1987)


1987:
“I said to him [Cardinal Ratzinger— who became Pope Benedict XVI] ‘Even if you grant us a bishop, even if you grant us some autonomy from the bishops, even if you grant us the 1962 Liturgy, even if you allow us to continue running our seminaries in the manner we doing right now —. You are working to de-Christianize society, the human person and twe cannot work together! It is impossible! Impossible! Because we are working in diametrically opposing directionshe Church, and we are working to Christianize them. We cannot get along together!’ Rome has lost the Faith, my dear friends! Rome is in apostasy! I am not speaking empty words! That is the truth! Rome is in apostasy! One can no longer have any confidence in these people! They have left the Church! They have left the Church! They have left the Church! It is certain! Certain! Certain! Certain!”  (Archbishop Lefebvre, Conference, October 4, 1987, Marcel Lefebvre by Bishop Tissier de Mallerais, pp. 547-548; also )


1988:
“One is driven to wonder how intelligent persons can make a statement like, “They prefer to be mistaken with the pope, than to be with the truth against the pope.” That is not what the natural law teaches, nor the Magisterium of the Church... St. Thomas says...”if there was question of a danger for the faith, the superiors would have to be rebuked, by their inferiors, even in public.” (Archbishop Lefebvre, March 29, 1988)


1988:
“And why, Archbishop, have you stopped these discussions which seemed to have had a certain degree of success?” ... It is clear that the only truth that exists today for the Vatican is the conciliar truth, the spirit of the Council, the spirit of Assisi. That is the truth of today. But we will have nothing to do with this for anything in the world!” (Archbishop Lefebvre, June 30th 1988, Episcopal Consecration Sermon)


1988:
“We must not be under any illusions. We are in the thick of a great fight, a great fight. We are fighting a fight guaranteed by a whole line of Popes. Hence, we should have no hesitation or fear—hesitation such as, “Why should we be going on our own? After all, why not join Rome, why not join the Pope?” Yes, if Rome and the Pope were in line with Tradition .... But they themselves admit that they have set out on a new path. They themselves admit that a new era began with Vatican II. They admit that it is a new stage in the Church’s life, wholly new, based on new principles. We need not argue the point. They say it themselves! It is clear! I think that we must drive this point home with our people.” (Archbishop Lefebvre, Sept. 9, 1988, Ecône; Conference to Seminarians; Fideliter N° 66, Nov.-Dec., 1988)


1989:
“We would have to re-enter this Conciliar Church in order, supposedly, to make it Catholic. That is a complete illusion It is not the subjects that make the superiors, but the superiors who make the subjects...Amongst the whole Roman Curia, amongst all the world’s bishops who are progressives, I would have been completely swamped. I would have been able to do nothing... [As for the Pope appointing conservative bishops] I don’t think it is a true return to Tradition. Just as in a fight when the troops are going a little too far ahead one holds them back, so they are slightly putting the brakes on the impulse of Vatican II because the supporters of the Council are going too far... the supposedly conservative bishops are wholly supportive of the Council and of the post-Conciliar reforms... No, all of that is tactics, which you have to use in any fight. You have to avoid excesses...

[Asked about signs of benevolence to Tradition] There are plenty of signs showing us that what you are talking about is simply exceptional and temporary...So I do not think it is opportune to try contacting Rome. I think we must still wait. Wait, unfortunately, for the situation to get still worse on their side. But up till now, they do not want to recognize the fact....That is why what can look like a concession is in reality merely a maneuver to separate us from the largest number of faithful possible. This is the perspective in which they seem to be always giving a little more and even going very far. We must absolutely convince our faithful that it is no more than a maneuver, that it is dangerous to put oneself into the hands of Conciliar bishops and Modernist Rome. It is the greatest danger threatening our people. If we have struggled for twenty years to avoid the Conciliar errors, it was not in order, now, to put ourselves in the hands of those professing these errors.”  (Archbishop Lefebvre, Interview, Fideliter, July-August 1989)


1990:
“Some people are always admiring the grass in the neighbor’s field...they look to our enemies on the other side. “After all, we must be charitable, we must be kind, we must not be divisive, after all, they are celebrating the Tridentine Mass, they are not as bad as everyone says” —but THEY ARE BETRAYING US —betraying us! They are shaking hands with the Church’s destroyers. They are shaking hands with people holding modernist and liberal ideas condemned by the Church. So they are doing the devil’s work. They are now saying: “So long as they grant us the old Mass, we can shake hands with Rome, no problem.” But we are seeing how it works out. They are in an impossible situation. Impossible. One cannot both shake hands with modernists and keep following Tradition. Not possible. Not possible. Now, stay in touch with them to bring them back, to convert them to Tradition, yes, if you like, that’s the right kind of ecumenism! But give the impression that after all one almost regrets any break, that one likes talking to them? No way!...Unbelievable! Unimaginable! What kind of relations can you have with people like that? This is what causes us a problem with certain layfolk, who...have a kind of deep-down regret that they are no longer with the people they used to be with. “It’s a pity we are divided”, they say, “why not meet up with them? Let’s go and have a drink together, reach out a hand to them”—that’s a betrayal! Those saying this give the impression that at the drop of a hat they would cross over and join those who left us. They must make up their minds.” (Archbishop Lefebvre, Address to his priests, Ecône, September 6, 1990—just over 6 months before his death)



Fr. Libietis: So we must make up our minds! We cannot serve God and mammon—Tradition and Modernism! We cannot love the SSPX and the NOVUS-SSPX. We will love one and hate the other, or vice-versa. The former Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers sends his spirit to teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever he shall have said to you (John 14:26). His words will not pass away. Read him [Archbishop Lefebvre]. Know him. Love him. Follow him—and you will be on the safe path!