Traditionalist Catholic

Traditional Catholic is a broad term used to groups of Roman Catholics who follow more traditional aspects of the Catholic Faith associated with pre-Second Vatican Council Catholicism. Some of these Catholics reject some or all of the reforms instituted after the Second Vatican Council, especially the Novus Ordo Missae, i.e., the revised rite of Mass. Traditional Catholics normally attend the older Tridentine Mass which was effectively replaced, by Pope Paul VI, with the Novus Ordo Missae (or "New Order of the Mass")." ¹

Many traditional Catholics believe the pre-Vatican II Mass, Catechism, and some or all of the Code of Canon Law are necessary to keep the Catholic faith.

Contents
1 "Conservative Catholic" vs. "Traditional Catholic"
2 Traditional Catholicism and Sedevacantism
3 Other Self-Proclaimed Catholics Who Reject Vatican II or the Post-concilar Changes
4 Traditional Catholic claims
5 Differing Traditional and Conservative Catholic attitudes towards Vatican II
6 Attitude of most Conciliar Catholics towards Traditional Catholics
7 Demographics
8 See also
9 Pro-traditional Catholic publications
10 Footnotes
11 External links

"Conservative Catholic" vs. "Traditional Catholic"

The distinction between "conservative" and "traditional" Catholics is that the former tolerate (some with unease) many of the reforms that followed the Second Vatican Council while the latter insist that those changes were "modernist" and thus out of step with traditional Catholicism. They instead remain attached to what was considered "conservative" or "traditional" at the time of the Second Vatican Council ("Vatican II"). "Conservative Catholics" accept the revised Mass introduced by the Church after the Council, believing it to be valid and consistent with the Catholic Faith, while "traditional Catholics," who may or may not accept it as a "valid Mass," reject it, at the least, as "Protestantized," weak in doctrine, and dangerous to the faith of Catholics who attend.

"Conservative" Catholics tend to attribute post-conciliar problems simply to local bishops who are disobedient to the Pope. Traditional Catholics allege that Council documents were ambiguous and that the pastoral orientation assumed after the Council has led to a "watering-down" of Catholic teaching and practice.

Traditional Catholicism and Sedevacantism

Traditional Catholics can be generally divided into two groups. The majority of traditional Catholics accept the authority of and claim union with the Roman Pontiff. Despite this, they often reject what they claim are the 'liberal opinions' of Catholic prelates and teachings which they believe contradict previously accepted doctrine. Such groups include the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) and the Fraternity of the Society of Saint Peter (FSSP), the former group being formed by Archbishop Lefebvre, an attendee of the Second Vatican Council - subsequently said to be "excommunicated" for engaging in illegal ordinations - while the latter was formed in reaction to the perceived schism of the SSPX.

The smaller group, called "sedevacantists", believe in the papacy itself but reject one or more of the "Vatican II popes" (Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul I, and Pope John Paul II). They consider one or more of these men antipopes, claiming they have taught heresy and, therefore, lost any authority they may have had as Pontiff. A small subset of sedevacantist groups, often called "Conclavists" have elected popes of their own.

Other Self-Proclaimed Catholics Who Reject Vatican II or the Post-concilar Changes

Not all groups which consider themselves Catholic yet reject Vatican II are considered traditional Catholic. Most notably, Orthodox Christians reject not only Vatican II, but all Councils that followed the Great Schism.

In the People's Republic of China, the state sponsored Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) denies the papacy entirely and rejects all pronouncements by the Vatican after the Communist Revolution in 1949 including those regarding the Tridentine Mass. It is used as a way of keeping state control over the church, and is one of the main reasons that the Vatican has not established diplomatic relations with the Chinese state.

Ironically, within the PRC holding a non-Tridentine Mass implied recognition of the authority of the Vatican rather than that of the Chinese government and is an act of political dissent. In the early 1990s however, the CCPA reversed this policy, specifically with regards to the liturgy, and now uses a ceremony modeled closely after the Novus Ordo Missae.

However there is also a large underground church that retains alligence to the Pope and the Vatican. A large number of clergy - estimated at about 70% - in the CCPA have reconciled with the Vatican and are secretly part of the underground church. Members of the underground church are often harassed, and some leaders have been jailed on what have been termed political reasons.

Traditional Catholic claims

Traditional Catholics see the Second Vatican Council as a pastoral Council whose documents were marked by a supposed ambiguity which has led to error or which contained errors themselves. Foremost among these perceived errors are:

Differing Traditional and Conservative Catholic attitudes towards Vatican II

Most traditional Catholics see the Second Vatican Council as a valid Council, but one which was pastoral and which produced no infallible definitions that Catholics must accept as a part of the Faith. Support of this claim is found in Pope John XXIII's Opening Address to the Council [14], Pope Paul VI's closing address [15], the lack of formal definitions and anathemas in the Council's sixteen documents[16], and the ambiguity of the documents themselves. Some traditional Catholics see the Second Vatican Council as having been deliberately hijacked by 'Modernists' and 'liberals', and its documents further twisted in post-conciliar interpretations. They see this alleged Modernist influence as the result of ignoring papal warnings against such, most explicitly in Pope Pius X's "Pascendi Dominici Gregis." [17]

Traditional Catholics see the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ which is united by the same Faith, same Sacraments, same discipline, and the same Sacrifice that they see as having united Catholics from the time of the Church's origins. Contrary to popular belief, they believe that practices can change, but should do so organically; with great prudence; in a manner consistent with Scripture, Tradition, and Natural Law; and never if it harms souls or leads to sin or unbelief. They see as their "motto":

We are what you once were.
We believe what you once believed.
We worship as you once worshipped.
If you were right then, we are right now.
If we are wrong now, you were wrong then.

Traditional Catholics worship at: parish "indult" Masses (those "Tridentine" Masses offered with the permission of local Bishops, such as those celebrated by the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP);); in the chapels of priestly societies, such as the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX); at other chapels run by traditional priestly orders; and/or at chapels run by independent priests. Traditional Catholics, as opposed to "conservative" (or "neo-conservative") Catholics who might simply prefer the "Tridentine" Mass for aesthetic reasons, agree that traditional Catholicism is about much more than the Mass; in addition to the liturgy, they see as integral to Catholicism all of the Sacraments and preserving what has always been taught, what has been solemnly defined, and all those practices which have served to pass the Faith on from one generation to the next.

Attitude of most Conciliar Catholics towards Traditional Catholics

Traditional Catholics make up a minority of Roman Catholic members, though their numbers are growing, their seminaries are full, and the demand for such Traditional Catholicism is high. Their analysis is not widely shared by more mainstream Catholics. Most Traditional Catholics see their situation as comparable to that of Traditional Catholics during the Arian heresy when the majority of Bishops were heretics or condoned heresy. Catholics like Saint Athanasius (who was excommunicated by Pope Liberius) and St. Joan of Arc (who was also excommunicated) were vilified yet ultimately canonized. The Catholic perception is that Eternal Truth does not change and that what was taught 2,004 years ago, 1,000 years ago, and 50 years ago is still true today. Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, Prefect for the Congregation of the Clergy, stated in a recent interview that "those who are attached to the old Rite are involved in expressing a legitimate religious ... sentiment that is ... rooted in the Ancient Tradition..." and that they should be "protected in their right to ... express their Faith and piety...." ² Nonetheless, the Traditional expression of the Faith is actively fought by many of the Conciliar Catholic clergy and hierarchy.

Traditional Catholic groups include, among others:

Demographics

The number of such Traditional Catholics is very hard to pin down. However, in common with other strongly religious groups, such as Muslims, Mormons, and Orthodox Jews, they tend to have large families and a high birthrate. Demand for the Tridentine Mass among the general Catholic population is very high; many families are hard-put to find one to go to. Conversions from other religions (mainly Protestants) are not uncommon, but the reverse seems to be quite rare. The sex scandals rocking the Catholic Church have not appeared to have affected this growth to any appreciable degree, though one sedevacantist 'pope' was arrested for child sexual abuse in the late 1990s in Canada. Traditional Catholics appear to be most common in the United States, with significant numbers in western Europe (especially France and England), Canada, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.

See also

Pro-traditional Catholic publications

Footnotes

1 Use of the Tridentine Mass has been allowed more freely in the last decade but it is still only allowed in specified circumstances and is prohibited from being used generally.

2 An Exclusive Interview with Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos, The Latin Mass: A Journal of Catholic Culture, Vol. 13, No. 2, Spring 2004, pp. 5–6.

External links

See also: Traditionalist Catholic, Antipope, Arian, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cardinal (Catholicism), Catechism of the Catholic Church, Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, Collegiality