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THE ATHANASIAN
A publication of Traditional Catholics of America t Editor: Fr. Francis E. Fenton, STL t Volume VII, No. 5 t July 15, 1986
UNDER FIRE-CATHOLIC GE
John Kenneth Weiskittel
' 'M any marriages are not of God and do not please
Our Lord." This sounds very current, doesn't
• Directly related to this is the dramatic rise in the
number of annulments. Since Vatican II ended in
it? Who among us, upon gazing out at the sorry state of the 1965, Taft writes, there has been "a conservatively
institution of matrimony in our day, doesn't find himself estimated 600 percent increase in the number of an-
echoing such sentiments? And yet these words were spoken nulments granted annually by the church." The rate is
nearly 70 years ago, being part of a message given by the even higher in the three-county Miami Archdiocese,
Blessed Virgin Mary to Jacinta Marto, one of the three Por- where annulments have "jumped from 24 in 1979 to
tuguese shepherd children favored with visions of Our Lady 700 cases last year. Two priests used to handle the
at Fatima. load part time, but it now takes all the time of four
priests." Conciliar lawyer Joseph P. Zwack, in his
If the situation gave much offense to Christ then, what must book Annulment: Your Chance to Remarry Within
He think of this current era of "revolving-door" marriages? the Catholic Church (Harper & Row, 1983), lists the
Consider these U.S. statistics: number of formal cases for U.S. cities in 1981, in-
cluding Boston, 1,889; Chicago, 3,246; Cincinnati,
• In 1920 the marriage rate per 1,000 population was 944; Denver, 503; Detroit, 1,590; Los Angeles, 933;
12, while the divorce rate was 1.6, for a ratio of a little New Orleans, 461; New York, 405; and Seattle, 634.
better than one divorce for every 10 marriages. By (By way of comparison, there were only 338 such
1980 the rates (also per 1,000) were 10.6 and 5.2, cases for the entire nation as recently as 1968.)
respectively, or about one marriage dissolved for According to Zwack, there then (in 1981) were about
every two contracted. Today the figures are about the eight million divorced Conciliarists in the U.S., with
same as those in 1980. about 250,000 more joining the ranks yearly-and
about 80 percent of them enter second civil mar-
• But even the above statistics are a bit misleading as riages. And six million or more children suffer the
to the magnitude of the problem. In her book The consequences, the most heartbreaking of all the
Second Time Around: Remarriage in America statistics.
(Viking, 1977), Leslie A. Westoff-who is now on her
own third time around-writes, "Our first-marriage " This in a country that many believe to be Christian! What
rate has actually been failing for the past thirty years, we are seeing now is a systematic shift away from the sacra-
and what has buoyed up the figures has been remar- mental "till death do us part" view of wedlock to an oppor-
riage." She cites Dr. Paul Glick, senior demographer tunistic "as long as we're happy" view. We say systematic
of the Census Bureau, who in 1975 projected that because the powers that be in America are moving away
only 75 percent of the nation's marriages for that year from the traditional position. In 1980, Ronald Reagan be-
were between first-time participants, while 20 percent came the first divorced-remarried· man ever to be elected
involved those putting a second set of vows under president, a fitting development when one considers gov-
their belts and five percent tying the knot (presumably ernment policies that have liberalized divorce proceedings
a slipknot) for the third time or more. About 36 to the point where some states accept "no-fault" cases filed
percent of first marriages and 40 percent of seconds on the grounds of incompatibility. Other laws (or lack there-
will end in divorce c0urt and, asserts the author, four of) have removed the stigma associated with unwed pairings
out of five of the men and women divorcing each year and "legitimized" the sad absurdity of "gay marriages."
will remarry. Popular culture-books, films, music, TV shows, etc.-
nearly always paints marriage in a bad light, while romanti-
• The Conciliar "Catholic" Church, of course, is right cizing the alternatives (except celibacy, of course)-even
in step, as is reported by religion writer Adon Taft in adultery. Government schools and colleges have no inten-
The Miami Herald for April 25, 1986. In an article tion of imparting to their pupils such "sectarian" notions as
entitled "Dissolving Marriages," Taft writes, "Once a the sanctity and indissolubility of marriage. The news media
rarity among Catholics in the United States, divorce editorializes that the nation is moving in the right direction
now occurs in almost half the marriages, just as it does and that anyone denying this stands in the way of "pro-
in the general population." gress." And the religious community, by and large, has
either remained silent or been active in advancing this des- each with a list of demands bolder and more radical than their
ecration of marriage as an expression of its "deepening un- predecessors.
derstanding" of the mind of God.
Freemasonry took it as an obligation to further Luther's pro-
A number of questions come to mind. How has matrimony gram and was singled out by Pope Leo XIII on more than one
come upon such hard times? Is it reasonable to speculate occasion for its role in weakening the marriage bond. In
whether there is a movement behind the staggering Humanum Genus (1884), His Holiness writes:
figures? What is the Conciliar Church, which claims to be
upholding Catholic morals and dogma, doing in response What refers to domestic life in the teaching of the Natu-
to the assault on these very morals and dogma? Besides ralists (i.e., those who profess the Masons' philosophy;
answering these questions, this article will briefly recall the namely, that nature is all that exists and that God, if He
Roman Catholic Church's infallible teaching on the subject exists at all, must be identified with nature in a panthe-
of marriage. istic way) is almost all contained in the following
declarations: that marriage belongs to the genus of con-
The Usual Cast of Characters tracts, which may rightly be revoked by the will of those
From her earliest years, the Church has had to defend the who made them; and that the civil rulers of the State
Sacrament of Matrimony from repeated attacks. Saint have power over the matrimonial bond … These things
Paul, in his first letter to Timothy (4:3), warned that the Freemasons … have long determined to make into a
heretics would come, "forbidding to marry." It was not long law and institution. For in many countries, and those
before sects such as the Gnostics and Manichaeans did nominally Catholic, it is enacted that no marriages shall
precisely that, -claiming that to wed was evil (while often en- be considered lawful except those contracted by the civil
gaging in secret debaucheries). rite; in other places the law permits divorce; and in
others every effort is used to make it lawful …
Then in the sixteenth century, England's King Henry VIII
achieved odious distinction by attempting to force from the And in Praeclara (1894), Pope Leo warns that Masonry
Holy See an annulment of his marriage despite the fact that "strives to eliminate the Christian character from marriage
it was a clearly valid one. When the Vatican refused to be- and the family and the education of youth, and from every
come "a respecter of persons," the willful Tudor formed in form of instruction, whether public or private, and to root out
1534 the Church of England over which he was "spiritual" from the minds of men all respect for authority, whether
ruler. (It never fails to amaze us how critics of the Catholic human or divine."
Church allege that she will give annulments for the right
price, while ignoring such evidence to the contrary.) Similarly castigated by the popes are the goals of the socialists
and communists of whom, writes Pope Leo, Masonry "greatly
Nevertheless, these were mere skirmishes compared to favors their designs, and holds in common with them their
what was to come. The blame for the modern onslaught chief opinions." Marx and Engels called for "abolition of the
must rest largely upon the massive German shoulders of family!" in The Communist Manifesto, and admitted that
the "Father of the Reformation," Martin Luther, who "(e)ven the most radical flare up at this infamous proposal of
taught that "marriage is a mere worldly thing" and who the Communists." Marriage, they charged, is a bourgeois
lived in a manner that seemed to put it into practice. Di- sham, to be replaced with "an openly legalized system of free
vorce was virtually unknown in the Christian world befone love." When Lenin took Russia in 1917 he instituted post
the Reformers granted it in cases of adultery. Of this card divorces to facilitate the change, but the Bolsheviks soon
change, Father John A. O'Brien wrote in The Faith of learned that, along with religion, marriage and the family are
Millions (0.S.V., 1956 ed.): among the toughest remnants of the "old order" for them to
overcome. Pope Leo observes in lnscrutabili (1878) that "the
It was· the fatal entering wedge that was destined to theories of Socialism would quickly destory (this) family life
pry apart millions of unions which Christ had for- since, the stability afforded by marriage under religious sanc-
bidden man to put asunder. Under the pressure of tion once lost, paternal authority over children and the duties
. man's unbridled lust, the grounds for divorce began of children to parents are necessarily and most harmfully
to be multiplied, until today they are so numerous as slackened." On the consequences of adopting the Communist
to permit people to sever the sacred tie for the slight- position, Pope Pius XI writes inDivini Redemptoris (1937):
est and silliest reasons. (Or now, 30 years later, for no
reason. -JKW) Refusing to human life any sacred or spiritual character,
such a doctrine logically makes of marriage and the
Luther's teaching that marriage was not a sacrament is still family a purely artificial and civil institution, the out-
the stance taken by most Protestant theologians and in no come of a specific economic system. There exists no
small way helped to bring about the bitter fruits we see all matrimonial bond of a juridico-moral nature that is not
around us. By devaluing it to the level of a mere civil con- subject to the whim of the individual or of the collec-
tract, Martin Luther set the stage for those who followed, tivity.
THE ATHANASIAN 2 JULY 15, 1986
Naturally, therefore, the notion of an indissoluble holes. Zwack quotes one tribunal official who boasts: "There
marriage tie is scouted. Communism is particularly is no marriage which, given a little time for investigation, we
characterized by the rejection of any link that binds cannot declare invalid."
woman to the family and the home, and her emanci-
pation is proclaimed as a basic principle. She is Further, as papal quotes above clearly indicate, the true
withdrawn from the family and the care of her chil- Church has always abhorred the ease with which Masonically-
dren, to be thrust instead into public life and the influenced governments have tom apart families with worldly
collective production under the same conditions as divorce laws. Not so the Conciliar Church, as we can see from
man. The care of the home and children then de- this quote from Zwack:
volves upon the collectivity.
In recent years the Church has come to the position
We will permit the readers to draw their own conclusions that, while sacramental marriages are indeed unbreak-
as to how closely the modern feminist movement parallels able, they are rarer than once thought If, by civil stan-
this with its calls for working women and day-care centers dards, a marriage has been irretrievably broken down,
for children, and how far all this has been accepted as it is quite likely that by current standards there was
public policy in the U.S. of the 1980's. (Those readers never a true sacramental union.
seeking more on the subject are directed to our earlier
article, "Roman Catholics and the E.R.A.") So, if Conciliar annulment figures are any evidence, true
marriages are as rare as hens' teeth. And, if the world's view
Conciliar Nuptial Nonsense of marriage is used as the true gauge to validity, is it any
There is, perhaps, no clearer indicator of the contrasts be- wonder that Conciliar divorces are as common as those
tween the true Roman Catholic Church and its Conciliar among the general public?
counterfeit than their respective attitudes towards mar-
riage and annulment. Thirty years ago Father O'Brien Mention must be made of Marriage Encounter (M.E.), a
could write that "during a recent five year period this court group allegedly founded, write Don Demarest and Jerry and
(the Roman Rota), which hears (marriage) cases for the Marilyn Sexton in a book by the same name, as "an answer to
whole world, granted only 98 decrees of nullity." (op. cit.) the doom-ccyers who claim that monogamy is outmoded … "
Chances are that this figure is reached every week in the (Carillon, 1977) This dangerous movement was started in
U.S. Conciliar marriage courts! 1962 by a Spanish priest, Gabriel Calvo, who has linked it
with liberation theology, saying: "The family is the key to the
As the statistics near the start of this article indicate, it is revolution. The energy of the family is not dying; until now
now ridiculously simple for Conciliar Church couples to families have been in the stone age … Revolution is neces-
have their marriages dissolved. Take, for example, this sacy. If we don't bring it about, someone else will. The M.E.
question posed to Conciliar Church lawyer Joseph Zwack: couples are the ones who are building the reality of the 'new
"But my first marriage lasted for years, and we had several family.' If you do not succeed, your children will find other
children. How can I possibly receive an annulment?" ways.'' (ibid.)
Answer: "This will make absolutely no difference." (op.
cit., emphasis added.) And Adon Taft (The Miami Herald) Marriage Encounter applies humanistic group therapy tech-
cited a specific case: that of Bill and Jeanne Wescott, niques to the teachings of radical theologians such · as
whose marriage was ruled invalid after 19 years and thr.e Teilhard, Avecy Dulles and E. Schillebeeckx. What takes
children. The husband and father is quoted as saying, "My place at M.E. meetings may involve listening to and singing
divorce surprised me. I never expected to be a divorced songs by identified Communist Pete Seeger or by humanist
Catholic." (op. cit.) pop star John Denver, and other secular "love songs,"
keeping notebooks with contents "too personal and erotic to
Quite possibly the Wescotts' union was severed on psycho- reproduce here" or participating in group sessions where the
logical grounds, as have 80 percent of U.S. Conciliar mar- conversation "is most decently conveyed by the favorite (and
riages in the last decade. This innovation, which Zwack most meaningful) convention used by Victorian novelists … "
correctly calls "nothing short of revolutionary," was de- (Demarest, et al., op. cit) M.E. also promotes "ecumenism"
veloped in 1970 by the "reformed" Roman Rota and and employs Transcendental Meditation and other disciplines
argued that "the capacity to give valid assent at the time of connected with Eastern religions. Its practitioners prefer
marriage was probably not present in persons who had dis- calling marriage by names other than sacrament, such as
played such problems after the marriage." (ibid.: Zwack "love union," "communicating sign" or "Covenant-Mystecy."
points out that it has been noted that the same conditions (ibid.) A fuller treatment of M.E. isn't possible here but, suf-
could apply to the validity of some ordinations to the fice it to say, it has done little to slow the rush of U.S. annul-
priesthood as well.) Catholic marriage courts have always ments since it was imported in 1967; quite likely it has led to
held out in favor of the validity of a marriage until proven many by inviting couples to "inspect" their relationship with
beyond a shadow of a doubt to the contrary. Conciliar each other. Those who are still together and who frequent its
courts, on the other hand, go out of their way to find loop- sessions are being subtly radicalized and edged away from a
THE ATHANASIAN 3 JULY 15, 1986
proper Catholic appreciation of their wedlock. safety of religion, but for that of civilization. " (Arcanum –
1880 – Pope Leo XIII) t
Some Conciliar conservatives reading this article will no
doubt complain, "Yes, we admit there's a problem, but isn't
the Vatican trying to do something about it? What about
the Curran case?" This refers to the recent request by the
New Rome to Father Charles Curran, a professor of moral An Idea
theology at the Catholic University of America, to "retract" The article on cremation in the April 15, 1986 issue
his stands on many issues, including marriage and forni- and the one on the fish symbol in the last issue of The
cation. He argues that his views, that, for example, forni- Athanasian resulted from suggestions to us by two
cation is sometimes acceptable and that it is permissible to newsletter subscribers. And so the thought occurred
question the indissolubility of marriage, are "accepted by that it might be a good idea to ask our readers for
the majority of Catholic theologians today." In many ways similar suggestions as to topics which they think
this resembles the case of Father Hans Kung, since Father would be worthwhile subjects for treatment in The
Curran is opposing traditional Catholic positions and is Athanasian. Such suggestions, then, are welcome.
being asked to meet "the conditions necessary for a pro- Time will not permit us to write a note of thanks for
fessor to be called a Catholic theologian." He is being de- each one that may be received nor can we give any
fended in America, as was Father Kung, by Father Richard assurance that any particular subject suggested will
McBrien, the radical Notre Dame educator. But the New necessarily be found acceptable for treatment in
Vatican is long on rhetoric and short on action; this is but these pages. With this understood, we would be
another smoke screen to conceal what it is really doing. pleased to receive any ideas our readers may have for
The "Pope" John Paul II, who can speak eloquently about articles for future issues of The Athanasian.
the need for the family to "be defended with might and
main," is the same one who instructed the already swift
annulment process to be speeded up to three months and
who also supports Marriage Encounter. Who's kidding "The most powerful single force promoting the
whom? worldwide advance of the Communist conspiracy
is the government of the United States. "
Defending Catholic Marriage
What can I do, the reader well may ask, in the face of such (Robert Welch)
an onslaught? When we consider the magnitude of this des-
ecration, the task is formidable indeed. We, but a small
handful against the all-encompassing spirit of the age, are
called upon by God to bear witness with our lives as an
island of sanity and sanctity amidst troubled waters. We
were never promised by Our Lord that the going will be
Pray
easy but only that He will give us the wherewithal to endure
if we remain faithful to Him. the Rosary
At the beginning of this article we remembered Our Lady's
words: "Many marriages are not of God and do not pleas~
Our Lord." Above all, Catholic couples are obliged to lead
Daily
godly lives together. Husbands are called to sobriety and
industry in order to provide for the family; wives are called
to provide a proper home life; and both are called to fidel-
ity, to raise their children as Catholics and to work for the
salvation of each other and of their offspring. From Catho-
lic married couples God expects pure love and such love is SUBSCRIPTION RENEWALS
sorely wanting in so very many of the worldly marriages of The date on the envelope address label indicates the
today. month and year in which the recipient's subscription is due
for renewal. At the proper time, a subscription envelope will
We all must realize and bring to the attention of others the be enclosed with the newsletter. One may enter a new sub-
fact that the current crumbling state of marriage is, at least scription at any time, of course, and will then receive the
in large part, the consequence of a calculated attack on the eight following newsletter issues. t
family. Those who aim to overturn Church and State seek
to destroy the family for it is the family which is the basic
unit of each. As true Roman Catholics we follow the lead of
countless pontiffs who, in fighting for the indissolubility of
marriage and against divorce, "fought not only for the
THE ATHANASIAN 4 JULY 15, 1986
ABOUT THOSE CONCILIAR CHURCH BISHOPS-
MQRE PLAIN TALK
Fr. Francis E. Fenton
I n reading conservative publications associated with the
Conciliar Church, of which The Remnant and The
Wanderer are among the best examples, I sometimes
ferent Church would be the end result of their efforts. And
that latter purpose has been fully realized in the Conciliar
Church.
wonder how long more it will take before they face up to
reality on the subjects of John Paul II, the Conciliar Am I suggesting that a number of the bishops of the Con-
Church and its bishops. As I read such publications it often ciliar Church may actually be subversives, infiltrators,
strikes me as incredible that their articles and comments enemies of the true Church (and some of them enemies of
about John Paul II and the bishops aligned with him could our country as well)? Yes, I am. "By their fruits you shall
possibly refer to the same individuals discussed in The know them." Those once-Catholic (?) bishops bear the pri-
Athanasian. How can it be that, on the same subjects, the mary responsibility for the existence of the Conciliar
position of The Athanasian is so diametrically opposed to Church and for the manifold abominations associated with
that of The Remnant, The Wanderer and other publica- it, some of them active traitors to the True Church and
tions of like kind? others passively so by their silence. But others may well
have always been conscious enemies of the Church, men
Since my conviction (and the reasons for it) that John Paul who became "priests" and "bishops" for the sole purpose
II is a non-po~ has been stated in a number of previous of trying to destroy the Church. Are some of them Masons
issues of The Athanasian, no purpose is served in my fur- or Communists? I don't know-but it might very well be.
ther belaboring the point. True enough, it remains for the There are Masons in clerical garb in the Vatican-and so
ghurch at some future timeofficially to make sucli.as .de.- why not among the Conciliar hierarchy and lesser clergy?
claratiop~My conviction is, then, nothing more than that, (The vast majority of the current crop of Conciliar Church
my personal certainty on the matter. The facts, however, bishops in the USA are the appointees of either Paul VI or
are crystal clear to anyone who makes it his business hon- John Paul II-and there isn't a solidly Roman Catholic
estly and objectively to study the situation. The record bishop in the whole lot. Of course there isn't because the
speaks for itself and to deny or ignore it is to defy reason Conciliar Church is no more Roman Catholic than
and reality and common sense. John Paul II is a non-pope, Hinduism is.)
an invalid pontiff because, for o.ne reason, his public, per-
sistent position on the subject of r~}igious liberty is blatant The Conciliar Church bishops in this country are enemies
b.gresy. And that's that.
~
of the One, True and Eternal Church of Christ. I do not
hesitate to call them such. But we traditional Catholics
As for the several hundred bishops of the Conciliar Church must not allow our unhappiness, our dissatisfaction, our
in the USA, is there even one who has retained the Roman disillusionment with them to affect the supernatural
Catholic Faith? If there is, who is he and where is he? In charity we must have towards them. As noted-tn my article
fact, it is, I think, a distinct possibility that some of thedi in the previous issue of this newsletter in reference to
never had the true Faith when they were allegedly made Communists, we have it on the command of Christ Himself
bishops. Conservative publications of the Conciliar Church that we must love our enemies and pray for them with a
would have us believe-and, regrettably, so many of their supernatural charity despite our adverse feelings towards
readers do believe-that the many and varied anti-Catho- them. We are thoroughly opposed to the evil the Conciliar
lic and anti-American words and deeds of the Conciliar Church bishops represent and we deplore the destruction
bishops are merely the consequence of their being naive or they have inflicted upon our beloved Church-but we must
not understanding or being badly advised or whatever. love them nonetheless. Such is the will of God. So, I gen-
Nonsense! How come we know the score and these uinely love those bishops with a supernatural charity-
bishops do not? No one could possibly convince me that, but I sure don't like them! t
for example, the "Red bishop of Detroit," Thomas
Gumbleton, doesn't Know what he's doing or that he
means well. And so perhaps there is another explanation
as to why at least the more notorious of the Conciliar
Church bishops talk and act as they do. As one such ex-
planation I submit that the men to whom I refer have the
set purpose of destroying the Roman Catholic Church (an
impossible thing, as we know) or at least of so radically
transforming it over a period of time that an essentially dif-
THE ATHANASIAN 5 JULY 15, 1986
THE MIDDLE AGES:
DARK AGES OR THE AGES OF FAITH? (PART IV)
Jill Wiesner
T he thirteenth century has often been called The Golden
Age of the Church for during that century the sacrifices
of the martyrs and labors of the missionaries bore abundant
followed the Rule of Saint Augustine and were called
Canonesses Regular. One of the first Canonesses Regular in
Ireland was Saint Bridget
fruit The arts and sciences flourished; warfare diminished;
and civilization thrived. Higher education was obtained at the universities, which
were started by students who organized into corporations
After the Crusades many serfs and freemen moved from the and hired professors to teach them. Each university special-
manors to the towns, the serfs becoming artisans and the ized in a particular field of study. The oldest university, at
freemen merchants. The townspeople, only rarely in need of Bologna, was renowned for the study of law; the University
protection from the lords, became increasingly independent of Salemo taught medicine; the University of Paris special-
The Church, ever a watchful mother, drew spiritual leaders ized in philosophy and theology. The term "faculty" was
from the townspeople to guard the Faith of her children. The first used to describe the teachers of a university by Pope
mendicant orders, whose monks took vows of poverty and Honorius III in 1219. The head of the university, the chan-
supported themselves through begging, became the apostles cellor, was appointed by the Holy See.
of the towns.
Architecture in the Middle Ages was an expression of love
The physical well-being of the people was also watched over for God as well as a tool of education. The great Gothic
by the Church and, as a result, hospitals, shelters for pilgrims cathedrals of Sainte Chapelle, Notre Dame, Salisbury and
and homes for the poor and aged were established through- Cologne made use of vaulted ceilings, rose windows and
out Europe. When leprosy spread into Europe, a community flying buttresses to attract the eyes heavenward. Stained
known as the Order of Saint Lazarus was formed to nurse glass windows and statues represented scenes from the life
those afflicted with the disease. of Christ and the lives of the saints. These magnificent
structures, "books in stone," inspired and instructed all who
The Church encouraged the formation of guilds by the crafts- entered. The most remarkable feature of the Gothic cathe-
men and merchants. These organizations protected their drals is the fact that those who built them did so, not out of
members from unfair treabnent by others and encouraged coercion, but out of love for their Faith.
superior workmanship. If a man's work was faulty or careless,
he was expelled. Each guild had its own patron saint, its own Painting and poetry were also used to express love for God.
chaplain, a special. chapel in the church and its own object of The master painter, Giotto, who had begun as a shepherd
charity. On the feast of their patron saint, the members of the boy drawing on stones, painted scenes from the life of
guild went to confession and received Holy Communion to- Christ and of Saint Francis. The vibrance of his figures and
gether. An additional feast was chosen to collect alms for the his use of perspective inspired later painters such as Michel-
sick and for the widows and orphans of deceased members. angelo and Leonardo Da Vinci.
r
The Church encouraged literacy by establishing cathedral Though hymns such as the "Salve Regina" and "Veni
and monastery schools. The Third Council of Lateran, held Sancte Spiritus" were composed in Latin, the monks also
in 1179, decreed: wrote hymns in the newly developing languages of English,
French and German.
The Church of God, being like a good and tender
mother obliged to provide for the spiritual and corporal Dante Alighieri, who is called "the greatest of all Christian
wants of the poor, is desirous of procuring for children, poets," gave form to the Italian language. In his master-
destitute of pecuniary resources, the means of learning piece, the Divina Commedia, he led the reader on an imag-
to read and of advancing in the study ofletters, and or- inary journey through hell, purgatory and heaven, visiting
dains that every cathedral Church shall have a master the souls of pagan and Christian kings, bishops, cardinals,
who will instruct gratis the ecclesiastical students of that priests, monks and nuns.
Church and the poor scholars, and that a grant be
assigned him which, by sufficing for his maintenance, As they directed the minds of people toward God, the arts
will thus open the door of the school to studious flourished and learning advanced at a rapid pace. In the
youths. · midst of this happy situation, however, the agents of evil
were laying their snares. T~o particl!larl~ virulent h~~-
. Education for girls became possible for the first time with the originated in France. The Waldensian heresy, instigated in
establishment of communities of teaching nuns. These sisters the twelfth century by Peter Waldo, a merchant banker of
THE ATHANASIAN 6 JULY 15, 1986
Lyons, claimed that bishops were murderers because they When Dominic's education was completed, he was
tolerated wars. They condemned all judges, contending assigned to teach Holy Scripture in the schools and to
that it is never lawful to punish wrongdoers or to put any preach to the people of Palentia. His gift for preaching was
man to death. They denied purgatory and rejected prayers augmented by his knowledge and good sense, and his
for the dead, indulgences and all festivals, including Easter advice was constantly sought in temporal matters as well as
day. They rejected invocation of the saints, veneration of spiritual. In 1198, Diego, the Bishop of Osma, invited
images, crucifixes and relics, and declared that all sacra- Dominic to join his order, which followed the Rule of Saint
ments were invalid if administered by a bad priest but that a Augustine. Dominic accepted, receiving the habit at 28
good layman had the power to remit sins and to confer the years of age.
Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. They rejected the
Canon of the Mass, only reciting the words of the Conse- Accompanying Bishop Diego on an official errand to the
cration in the vernacular. They divided themselves into two province of Languedoc, Dominic first encountered the
classes: the Perfect who did no manual labor and the Albigensians and his heart was filled with compassion for
Friends who were saved by their association with the their souls. Dominic and Diego petitioned Pope Innocent
Perfect. III to be allowed to remain in Languedoc as missionaries
and permission was granted. Among the heretics Dominic
The Albigensian heresy adopted the errors of the Walden- labored with meekness and determination. The hostility he
sians and added to them. Though they took their name encountered and the small results of his efforts, rather than
from the town of Albi in the province of Languedoc, their discouraging him, increased his resolve. Though a number
doctrine was that of Manichaeism, a heresy of the fourth of attempts were made on his life, he was protected by God.
century, which taught that there were two basic and eternal He never lost an opportunity to obtain conversions, even
powers, Good and Evil. God was the source of Good; Satan meeting with a band of heretics who had but recently mur-
was the source of Evil. Man was not responsible for physi- dered another monk. When asked by an assassin who had
cal or moral evil. been frustrated in an unsuccessful ambush attempt what he
would have done if he had fallen into their hands, he re-
The Albigensians rejected the Old Testament, accepting plied, "I would have thanked God and would have begged
only the New Testament. They claimed that the laity could as a favor that my blood might have been let out drop by
consecrate the Eucharist; that contrition was sufficient for drop, and my limbs lopt off one by one, to prolong my
the remission of sins; and that confession, penance, fasting torments and enhance my crown." When a poor man
and almsgiving were unnecessary. They believed in the rejected the Albigensian heresy but told Dominic he was
transmigration of souls; they commended suicide; and they financially dependent on the heretics, the saint offered to
preferred concubinage to marriage. They also referred to sell himself into slavery to free the man from their influ- .
themselves as the Cathari (the "Pure"). ence. God provided the man with another means of subsis-
tence, thus preventing Dominic from making this sacrifice.
Though the Albigenses heresy was condemned by The
Second Lateran Council in 1139, it continued to spread. Pope Innocent III had also sent a number of Cistercian
With armed troops, the Albigensians plundered monas- monks to preach against the Albigensians. In response the
teries and churches, expelling the priests and religious. heretics assassinated Peter, the Cistercian who was the
papal legate in Languedoc. The pope excommunicated the
During the period when the Albigensians were steppinglltp murderers and implored Philip Augustus, King of France,
their attacks, a child was born who would become a power- to raise a crusade against the Albigensians. Simon, the
ful defender of the Catholic Faith. The child, born in 1170 Count of Montfort, was chosen as general. The Catholic
to the noble Guzman family of Spain, was named Dominic. forces were outnumbered and lost a number of battles.
Instructed carefully in the Faith by his mother, Dominic Finally, de Montfort's force of 1,200 men was besieged at
became devoted to prayer, pious reading and works of the town of Muret by an Albigensian army many times its
charity. size. Dominic, also within the city, informed the Count that
God would grant him a victory and, as the battle raged
When he was 14 he was sent to school in Salamanca. Sur- outside the walls, the saint spent the time in prayer. On
rounded by many temptations, he subjected his senses to September 12, 1213, the small Catholic force was victor-
constant mortification, a practice he continued throughout ious, severely damaging the power of the Albigensians.
his life. He was careful to avoid all unnecessary conver-
sation and to keep even that of a pious nature brief. From While in Languedoc, Dominic acquired a spiritual weapon
the example of his mother he had learned a deep devotion which brought him great success: the Rosary. His subse-
to the Mother of God and such a great love for the poor quent victories in that province prompted him to organize
that, during a famine, he gave all his money and personal a unit which would confront heresy worldwide. With the
property to help those in need, even selling his books and approval of Pope Honorius, he founded the Order of
his own writings. His actions inspired his teachers and Preachers, a mendicant order whose members took vows
other students to follow his example. of absolute poverty. They followed the Rule of Saint
THE ATHANASIAN 7 JULY 15, 1986
Augustine, in addition to observing perpetual abstinence A REQUEST
from meat and a rigorous Lenten fast. More effectively to The good news is that, with one minor exception,
combat the false doctrine taught by heretical priests and the TCA owes no money to anybody. The bad news is
apostate theologians, Dominicans were trained as eloquent that the TCA has little in the way of reserve funds. A
preachers. Dominican friars preached during the day and financial appeal is a rarity in the pages of this news-
did penance at night. Dominic himself often spent the en- letter. Nor would it be brought up now except for the
tire night in prayer. He instructed his religious: following reason.
Father Placid White is an 88-year-old priest of the
… a man who governs his passions is master of the Order of Saint Benedict. The chances are that no
world. We must either command them or be enslaved more soundly traditional priest is to be found this side
by them. It is better to be the hammer than the anvil. of Heaven. For many years he faithfully served the
cause of traditional Catholicism both in Colorado and
The founder of this army of scholars died at the age of 51, on the Mass circuit around the country. Even in his
exhorting his followers to humility, poverty, fervor and early 80's he continued to be active as the pastor of
watchfulness, especially against the vice of impurity. Our Lady of Victory Chapel in Aurora, Colorado. But
his advanced age gradually took its toll and in 1984
Guided by Saint Dominic, the Order of Preachers won (he was then 85 years old!) he relinquished his pas-
many victories against the promoters of false doctrines. torate of the Aurora chapel. For some time after that,
With undaunted loyalty to the Faith and with unwavering however, being the caliber of dedicated priest he is,
confidence in God, they regained countless souls from the he remained as active as his age and health permitted
errors of heresy and strengthened others against falling him to be.
into them. Although the abysmal spiritual and moral de- Since March, 1984, the TCA has had the financial
cadence of our modern world may well be without prece- responsibility for the care of Father White here in
dent throughout the history of Christianity, we Roman Colorado Springs. (He has been in a convalescent
Catholics have the same weapons at our disposal as did home or hospitalized for nearly all of the past 14
Saint Dominic and his confreres effectively to counteract months and will likely be in the convalescent home
the enemies of God and Church in this our day. It remains indefinitely.) The funds required to pay the expenses
for us to employ those weapons with hope and courage and involved have come in large part from several tradi-
tenacity. Another Golden Age of the Church seems at tional groups which Father White served in years past
present to be but the remotest of possibilities. But God's and from a few individuals, with the TCA itself paying
ways are not ours. Perhaps there will be another Golden the remainder of those expenses. The total cost to
Age of the Church and perhaps too we are part of the date has been approximately $28,000.
divine plan for the ultimate realization of that glorious Since the TCA receives sufficient support from tra-
era.t ditional Roman Catholics around the country to
cover its ordinary expenses, I would not ask for any
further financial help were it not for the additional
expenses we have in the care of Father White. We are
pleased that the opportunity and the privilege are
ours to be of assistance to this fine priest. In the
matter of the funds required to do so, however, we
could use a little more support. Thank you!
(Checks should be made payable to: TCA.)
Fr. F. Fenton
THE ATHANASIAN
Published by Traditional Catholics of America
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