When Radicals Misrepresenting Traditionalism (RMTs) Lose Their Minds: COVID-19 Edition

Hello Everyone,

I’m taking time out of my busy schedule (including being an essential Full Time worker!) to have to call out some unfortunate idiocy which is being peddled out by Radicals Misrepresenting Traditonalists (RMTs,) and insults that have been (maybe) indirectly, but more likely directly, via commentary, launched on another blog I won’t name, against my friends in the Latin Mass and I. I refuse to name the blog as it is still a platform featuring Radical Traditonalist authors, and/or are friends/allies to those RMTs that bitterly hate us so.

Lauding a bishop that opened his churches in his diocese to public Mass? Now? When COVID-19 has NOT DECLINED WORLDWIDE!

My first, partial disappointment is due to a Facebook post on my feed from an acquaintance, whom is cheering on a bishop in the United States in the diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico, Bishop Baldacchino, (not a Catholic liturgy joke!) who is allowing the Mass to be held once again and opening his parishes' doors. My acquaintance, is showering this bishop with much praise for his actions. This person is not one of my close friends, however they are heavily involved in the Latin Mass community close to where they live. The very fact they are promoting this shows a lemming-like following to the RMT party line, where spiritual selfishness and Novus Ordo Church bashing (via its hierarchy) is de rigeur.

Now before you accuse me of not thinking it through, I get that in the States (and also in Canada) there is SOME variance, to approaches to the tackling of the COVID-19, as in Canada, health falls under provincial governance, but at least here most provinces are taking cues from the Federal government and its health experts. These experts are monitoring the situation and communicate with each provincial premier. In addition the Federal officer of Health, Dr. Theresa Tam, has become the literal "face" of this crisis in Canada, doing media briefings and public service announcements in various forms of media. In the States, there is even MORE variability in terms of governance as States in general have even more authority/power to act independently of the Federal government under Trump, which may be a good thing as he has been flippantly ignorant and bullying as a world leader in this crisis.

In my province of Ontario, the issuance is that now, no more than 5 people (excluding large families in a single residence) can be present together, to limit the spread of the virus. Break such rules and the law can mettle out stiff penalties to individuals or businesses/owners of properties who defy medical orders or emergency laws. This is virtually zero-tolerance, even going as low as fining a father $880 CDN who let his kids rollerblade in a public park. Now in the States, it is highly possible individual states are varied as to the numerical limit of people that can congregate together. This also makes sense geographically as more rural areas have a decreased chance of spreading the virus, vs densely populated states/cities. Also some states depending on politics and the size or presence of police forces, may be regulating heavily, or willfully ignoring those who defy such laws.

In terms of New Mexico, I found the following briefings and legal orders on the state government's website as follows: 1) As of Mar 16, 2020, (https://cv.nmhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/031620-DOH-PHO-r.pdf) it did limit gatherings to under 100 people. 2) HOWEVER, as of March 24, 2020, this was issued and additional restrictions were imposed (https://cv.nmhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/SignedPHO03-24-2019.pdf) INCLUDING the closing of non-essential businesses, workplaces, etc. Guess what? Religious places of worship DO NOT QUALIFY as an essential service under current civil laws. Now, yes the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 2210 does merit civil disobedience when authorities are truly unjust, but, are we in extreme times of persecution as I will give examples further on? NO! If the virus declines in future will our worship spaces open again? Yes. Finally, the Church ALWAYS has Her mind in interpretation of things and approaches to things of finite nature with the most mercy, including human affairs, and when action must be taken, it is only in extreme circumstances were no other moral/ethical possibility exists.

In spite of that, I would say that this bishop is acting imprudent and anyone championing his actions is to the spiritual and medical detriment of others! Further this bishop is encouraging his priests to defy the medical/civil orders of the state of New Mexico. Does he want the Church to be fined further, and possibly, his priests jailed!!!??? Even in a crisis these whitewashed sepulchres of Pharisees can only think about their spiritual needs and their interpretation of the laws! People who are doing such measures without OBJECTIVE, FACT/MEDICAL based evidence or permission, AND its ardent supporters, are ill in spirit, and need serious examination of Conscience (and a confession, for blatant disregard of life, when we can meet in person w/priests in the confessional again!)

Firstly, what kind of message are you sending to the holy Priests in service the Church by lauding this bishop’s actions? You basically are asking priests to risk their lives needlessly to give us the Sacraments/give into YOUR selfish-spiritual needs. Are we in any kind of crisis scenario or persecution akin to Japan in the latter half of the 2nd millennium, for 200+ years having no priests? Or the Christeros war in the early 1900’s in Mexico were all Catholics were under threat of execution? NO! These are not scenarios where martyrdom is a necessity or a calling for the Church. We still have the freedom to practice religion in most countries in the world. What is happening is a necessary, social/medical practice to STOP needless, unnecessary deaths from happening in the community and the Church at large. Now, you will probably accuse me of being spiritually stupid or not taking the spiritual crisis in the Church with seriousness.

Do you think I would be having a blog devoted to the Latin Mass and/or serving in some capacity (and now, thanks to virtual practice, learning how to sing/read Gregorian chant from my good friends of St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir) if I didn't care? Absolutely not! Yes there is a lot going on spiritually and morally that is sick within Her bosom, but not is not the time to act stupidly and put others at risk!

Secondly, do you think that even if a priest limited his house of worship to a handful of people, he and everyone wore at least surgical masks (newsflash: they are not highly effective for AIRBORNE contaminants. "Gold standard" protection belongs to N95 masks which protects against 95% of airborne particles/contaminants 300 microns and under with Coronavirus being 170 nm (0.17 micrometers,)) and stood the required 6 ft/ 2m apart from each other there is NOT the possibility of still getting infected with COVID-19? Your thinking is wrong. The virus is contact/droplet spreadable. All it takes, potentially, is for one to be in the same airspace close to a person who sneezes or coughs, even talks as spit particles a.k.a “droplets” not visible to the naked eye, and you can get the virus via contact, or the droplets going into your un-protected eyes. I can tell you that the Church is NOT supplying N95s and/or face-shields to all its clergy. Single-person doorways, hallways, bathrooms, and small narthexes also come to mind here. Let it be also stated, not everyone is masking themselves, or has access/capability to make homemade masks. Also, humans are prone to touching themselves, even subconsciously. All it takes is father to have touched his contaminated mask surface (or yourself) before taking it off, then touch his/your naked skin or rub your eyes and voila! ILLNESS!

While we are at it, what if a homeless person wanders off the street and in their stupor (because in Ontario, government foolishly let LCBO stores still run for the alcohol addicts,) or disregard, parks himself on one of the pews or goes to other areas of the parish with NO protection, and is ASYMPTOMATIC but carrying COVID-19, yet to break out into fever, sweats, etc.? Unless Fr and his custodial staff disinfect EVERY public area after each Mass thoroughly after all people leave, you are creating a potential ground of illness for Father and his parishioners! Speaking of that homeless person, or asymptomatic carriers, if they touch a surface and leave the virus on them, according to this screen graphic, the virus can still linger on certain surfaces, up to 3 days! (source: https://www.fox17online.com/news/coronavirus/how-long-does-a-coronavirus-live-on-common-surfaces)

Most of our parishes, sadly, aren't decorated anymore with materials such as high quality metals, including brass, which is the most viral-repulsive material giving the virus a mere 4 hrs to live before it is inactive or molecularly deteriorates. Common materials persist (with credit to the false "spirit" of Vatican II liturgical "wreck-o-vation"), such as wood, drywall/plaster, concrete, etc, ALL having longer lifespans for the virus over brass. If you look at this chart, the worst offenders are, GASP! PAPER AND WOOD AT 4-5 days! Even if many pews are lacquered, many churches' pews are worn down or NOT lacquered at all. All it takes is for poor Father to run his hands along that surface, itch his nose or breath near his contaminated hand, and potentially that's another one of Christ's Alter Christi DEAD! One less person who can administer the Sacraments.

Finally, do you think that you are safer in the community, or a hospital with a COVID-19 test center? If you guessed the community, you are WRONG! I can vouch for this personally as I work in a health care career. While I will NOT disclose my workplace as I have in past been harassed and/or threatened with lawsuit by one of my enemies (through my then, pastor of my parish at the time,) I will say that I am more safer than the general population. See here, for example, of a grocery store chain where a particular store was hit TWICE with COVID-19 positive workers, resulting in shutdown of the store, and the 2nd time two stores had to be shut down in the area. As for my workplace, we screen everyone, employee or patient, at both entrances, and send them to the COVID-19 assessment centre or nearby emergency room (ER) for ANY noted symptom to get swabs of their sinuses for PCR testing of COVID-19.  Other clinics/areas are pre-screening patients and any symptom means self-isolation/re-booking appointments at least 2 weeks later. Also we have access to a supply of at least one mask per employee per day, hand sanitizer, medical gloves, and anti-virus/virucidal sanitization wipes of MEDICAL GRADE. Considering even one of those items is hard to access as the general population and of short supply, how safe do you think you are outside of essential service or medical workplaces?

So, after all that, if one has ANY rational or logical ability to think, is it at all sane or reasonable for a bishop such as +Baldacchino to open their parishes and allow gatherings of even a few select people, and create a potential scenario for disaster, such as our nursing homes? What if in your diocese, your bishop opened the churches before COVID-19 was declared reduced or null, and your self and/or your young childen, and/or your grandparents got sick because they went to Mass, even with the utmost precaution? Any usual person save those with a euthanasia mindset would likely EXPLODE at the bishop and the Catholic Church for allowing your kid/your relative to die and expose them to the Virus. Anyone up for a damages lawsuit akin to those for sexual abuse scandals that would close parishes/dioceses due to financial bankruptcy? Do YOU even care if others die from the Virus?

Oh, and for you young RMTs of 20-40 years old, don't think the virus can NOT kill you at your age. IT CAN! If you are lucky enough to have a pre-disposition in your immune system you don't know about, or it compounds onto a medical condition you didn't know, or you just get "overwhelmed" due to its symptoms and your body shuts down, IT CAN KILL YOU! Youth is NOT a guarantee of survival. This virus discriminates against no-one and doesn't care if you can chant the Dies Irae in perfect tone at Solemn requiem Latin Masses, or blog on the Internet.

Also, should you be fortunate enough to be in "good health," this virus can still place you in an intensive care/inpatient ward in a hospital for MORE THAN 14 DAYS! Here is a young 28 year old male athlete, who was training for the 2020 Olympics as a martial artist in Karate. This 4 minute video gives you just some snapshots what his daily life was like in the hospital after contracting COVID-19. Yes you can say, "He is doing strenuous exercise in the video" but that's not the point! The point is even healthy members of the population can end up in a hospital, and this young man is BLESSED because he is in peak condition physically as an athlete, which helped him not be in worse shape health wise, even allowing him to do some exercise physically. Most men and women are NOT professional athletes in the Church. Should a regular member like yourself of the population get sick, I can say with confidence you would likely NOT be doing any physical activity on the floor of your patient room. You'd likely be a lot worse off than him.

Detraction/Slander of My friends of St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir and likely, I again ....

As for my second point of contention, it is truly sad that even in this time of crisis, armchair theologians/RMTs with keyboards seem to still want to personally attack, or detract from the characters of my allies and I in the Latin Mass community, with smug superiority in their hearts. Those people should follow the maxim, "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all."
Personally I do keep a watch on those who attack us, and/or my allies, for the sake of monitoring behavior, as well as documentation should things come down to ecclesial/legal matters. Also, their behaviors are the very reason that the Latin Mass has reached stalling points in our Archdiocese of Toronto to grow and proliferate beyond its initial flourish post-Summorum Pontificum in the last decade.

On a local blog, where the main bloggers are involved partially, or are, allies/friends to those who hate and revile St. Patrick's Gregorian Choir (SPGC) and I, one of them decided to dig deep into their spiritual hate bin and pull out old gripes about certain behaviours. What did one blogger decide to take a stab at us with? First the listing of clericals and/or main persons in the liturgy including name of the choir in promotional posters or the liturgical booklets printed for Masses. Second, to take a stab at altar servers who pose in front of altars. Not only did they do so, they did it as a comment, not naming any party in particular. Talk about cowardice. They even had the gall to name it part of "liturgical tourism."

Regardless of not naming parties, the Internet IS a public forum in Canada. I have freedom of speech to offer criticism, and so I choose, and to defend my friends and I whose names and character are still attacked by these misguided souls to this day.

On the naming of ministers and the choir, first of all, it is appropriate to indicate whether a Mass is being held by the parish itself/organized by the parish and/or pastor itself, or being done by outside parties. It is only right to credit the right people for organizing these liturgies and all the hard work placed into it. It would be foolish to lead on innocent laity into a false assumption that parish x or Father Y is "Traditional" and responsible for the Mass, only for said Traditionalist to be mistaken and shocked when said parish and choir are regular Novus Ordo. It is appropriate to let people know who is doing what so they know where to go/which Father to go to for their spiritual Latin Mass needs.

Further, do not the clergy, choirs, and even altar servers, who bravely allow the EF to happen in this spiritual climate of anti-Traditonalism/anti-Latin Mass deserve respect and even, gasp, WANT people to come to the EF offerings? It also works both ways. If we cannot name ourselves or our clergy, neither can this blogger's allies/friends whom they support. If we cannot make ourselves known, neither can they. Also, when the Latin Mass loses avenues of promotion, all parties in the Church loses people who would have otherwise grown deeper in their Catholic Faith and maybe been SAVED via the Latin Mass. Funny, I thought Trads, even RMTs, wanted souls to become full blown Traddies attending the EF? Guess I was wrong. While the naming of parties is a small nit picky detail, it does go in-part in promoting the EF.

Oh, and SPGC only stopped because one or more of the blogger's friends/allies/fanboys and/or fangirls harassed the choirmaster by email about it. The blogger might have not "entered the scene" at that time, but regardless SPGC knows who the main culprits are. That means bullying forced them into it, and BULLYING IS A SIN! Do you think they honestly stopped that for anyone’s good or by someone’s logic and reason, secular or spiritually? NO! It was a silencing tactic.

Further, the blogger's logic is faulty, because SPGC does these Masses in diocesan parishes, with the approval of, and in some cases such as St. Mary's Polish Church (Davenport,) the actual participation of, its clergy who DO the Latin Masses, in order to do said offerings of the Mass. While not all these Masses are at their usual time slots, these have been according to the EF calendar of the Latin Rite. They are not "Extra." Further, is it not a general principle that is touted in "Trad-land," that the exemplar of the Latin Mass is the Pontifical Latin Mass, and that whenever possible for MAJOR EF feasts, the highest level of feast is done so as to follow said example?

As a final kicker, this critic is guilty of violating his own words. There is actual photographic evidence on the Internet that they HAVE participated in "Liturgical tourism" at the same parish mentioned above in an "extra" offering. See below:

(Taken from the twitter account of his own blog which I will not name, posted from a Mass for the Ascension done May 10, 2018. Face blackened out, as well as the RMT blog, out of charity)

This offering was a Missa Canata, and did gain the assistance of, and internet promotion by, a lay-led organization, or at least it's president and choirmaster, in order to hold the level of the Missa Cantata. To go to extremes of his logic of avoiding "liturgical tourism," it should have not been held because it wasn't at a normal Mass time, or made at the level of a Missa Lecta. Should music have been done, someone from the parish should have been cantor and organist. There is NOT a soul to the best of my knowledge at that parish who CAN do the EF for such a Mass. I guess the Mass shouldn't have been anything more than a music-less Missa Lecta then or not held at all ... too much grand-standing and liturgical pomp then. Maybe we should just settle for the Novus Ordo too while we are at it ...

Based on my arguments above, I dare the blogger to call his close friends' efforts and those priests who have been assisting SPGC and other efforts and parishes, MUTUALLY, be it in past or in present, guilty of such sins of “liturgical tourism” and let me know their replies in writing.

Now to address their second insult. As for the altar servers posing in front of altars for a photo? That hasn’t happened in years! Long before this critic discovered the Latin Mass, I recall when +Boissineau was homilist at a Solemn Mass of approx 500 People was held on Canada Day 2011, organized by SPGC, a picture was taken of the choir and other servers who have been in the “scene” longer than I, (back before when everyone helped each other in the Archdiocese no matter who organized the EF,) who are likely some of this blogger’s current allies/friends, or were at this time, and did so. Despite that a number of the servers from that Mass have reduced or no no longer serve the EF, a picture was taken of the combined clergy, choir members, and servers for that Mass.

However, it is also possible this blogger is more likely pointing the finger at me, or including me anyways. My profile pic on Google+/Blogger is me in front of the altar at St Patrick’s Toronto in 2011, after my first EF Mass, when I was a torchbearer and the servers were plentiful. It was a memory for myself and I did it alone outside of anyone else involved in that Mass:

Yep, that's me, the "Liturgical tourist" ha ha ha!

I haven’t taken a photo in front of a parish altar in years to my best recollection. In addition, the critic has a personal beef with me, since I criticized them a few years ago in a reflection piece on my blog, as symptomatic of a new threat to the EF: Young people with a Radical Traditionalist (read: anti-Novus ordo Church and anti-Francis) mentality, who were NOT the ages of their friends/allies who experienced spiritual/liturgical wreck-o-vation or a truly harmful experience at the hand of a leader in the institutional church, laity or clergy.

So I am not surprised I am being at least indirectly insulted with “word daggers” despite my name not mentioned but lumped with SPGC, or at its worst being directly stabbed with a “literary broadsword” over a simple picture. A truly sad use of one's time in this social/spiritual isolation.

Summary

What both examples of behaviour demonstrates is the following:

- these RMTs have blatant disregard for your physical well-being to the extent of their OWN personal spiritual “well-being” (if it can be said to be such, in the most “charitable” terms,) as well as that of our clergy, most of whom are the primary targets by age and overall health for the COVID-19 virus. They abandon all forethought, logic, and scientific/biological evidence or downplay it cause they want their Masses and Sacraments now!

- In RMT world, no one is immune from the least senior altar server to clergy for perceived spiritual/liturgical violations. If you aren’t doing the EF to their standards you are unfit to even be a Traditonalist, which is implied even if not written or spoken directly to you.

- WHY, STILL, the Latin Mass is NOT thriving in dioceses, and/or why clergy including bishops want NOTHING to do with the EF, as these people are the most vindictive souls in the Church. Who needs cliche “angry Protestants” when your own Brother and/or Sister in Christ commits vile sins against you and has no respect for the priestly class unless those priests sing their tune and think like them?

- How even in the stupidest of times, or the most awful of times, they still will find time to snipe at you personally or their chosen target of angst when spiritually, they are experiencing the closest thing they will ever experience to monastery life, or a time un-distracted by the outside world to deepen their spiritual lives in prayer and reading. They shirk developing real holiness and charity and opt for sinning via sins of the mind and word, be it written or otherwise. And they still cannot forgive you for your transgressions, or to even once maybe, consider we are a Communal Body of Christ and abandon the “US vs the New World Order and them, the “Novus Ordo Church,” mentality.

I shouldn’t have to make posts like this but staying silent is being an accessory to the sin of defending the ill will done via silence. And maybe, just maybe, a few minds and hearts will be moved to FINALLY see what is right in all this, and for once promote the EF Liturgy and the Church in a good light, than trying to tear it down from within and it’s people for what .... bragging rights? Knowing you are right and others are wrong?

Since when does being right constitute the Summum Bonum, the Greatest Good, which is God, who came down to us for our Salvation as the Word Made Flesh for our salvation, which we commemorated (albeit virtually for almost all laity,) most recently in the Holy Triduum?

Priorities people, priorities. Perhaps a rosary for everything going on may remind you of the One True Focus ... and if you want to direct it against me like a non-Catholic Christian when they say with emptiness "I'll pray for you," don’t bother praying for me at all. Or, pray with deep meaning in your Heart that one day, as Christ wished, your enemy (me,) and you, may be “United as one” here on Earth and in Heaven.

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.

Radicals Misrepresenting Traditionalists and Their Infection Within the Body Of Christ: 1 Peter 5 and My Brother in Christ

UPDATE as of 22/01/18 - Finally with a uncommon day off of work, I can update this story. The Vatican HAS spoken on this matter. This article in the National Catholic Register (affiliated with EWTN), a credible source, reports on the matter. Turns out that Ms. Ploumen got the award as part of a delegation with her country of the Netherlands, and it was a matter of political protocol between visitation of one entourage of state with another. 

Personally, this was a political and institutional screw-up on the part of the Vatican STATE and likely, that of the Secretary of State in the Vatican. In addition, I cannot speak in the defense of Pope Francis' (possibly?) calumnious allegations in his recent jaunt in Chile, in defense of a South American Bishop buddy of his, which could be true if he has internal knowledge from witnesses/investigations, but is indefensible both as a head of state and as Vicar of Christ of the Catholic Church. Let me state that such statements in Chile had NOTHING to do with the defense or teaching of Faith or Morals as the Church`s earthly head, but rather a gross injustice of a grotesquely immoral action, and the failing of the Institutional Church at large (e.g. clergy, buildings/institution, heretics, liberal liars.) The beliefs and truths of the Church are still exactly those, regardless of what sinners do ministry and are ordained, and there are still thousands of decent Catholics around the world, living within it and adhering to the faith, despite the failings of its human, yet apostolic leader, who was born into this world in sinful flesh, with a will marred by concupiscence (inclination to be tempted to sin,) just like you and I.  

Back to the awarding to Ms. Ploumen, this act does NOT have any direct trace to Pope Francis, who doesn't care for pomp and circumstance. I stand by what I wrote on how RMT tabloid junkets smearing gossip of the Devil, such as 1 Peter 5 with Skojec and The Lepanto Institute under Hitchborn, commit grievous sin against the Church, the Magisterium, the Pope, and the Body of Christ, poisoning the minds and souls like my brother Knight, who without people like myself or knowledgable priests, have little to no defense against such filth disguised as "fighting for the faith." I have proven as such with a "Traditional Encyclical", Mystici Corporis Christi, though that has even not convinced some radical traditionalists to see the Satanic evil committed by RMT bodies and websites. 

Radicals Misrepresenting Traditionalists and Their Infection Within the Body Of Christ: 1 Peter 5 and My Brother in Christ

Hello everyone,

Happy new year to all my viewers and any curious onlookers.

For those who have actually viewed my site in past, you may have dismissed my warnings and my cautions against the infiltration of Radical Traditionalism and in the life of the Latin Mass in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as ordinary life of the Body of Christ, that is every single baptized Catholic under the church. Other prelates, or priests, who have given some attention to this increasingly warring factions in the church, have warned people to stay away from this faction such as reigning Canadian prelate, ++Marc Oullett, in his recent speech on Amoris Laetitia to my Conference of Canadian Catholic Bishops' Plenary meeting.

However prelates today simply do not understand the power this faction yields, particularly against those who are more deeply invested in their faith including at the parish level. They are not the type to present their works to their bishops for Nihil Obstat and Impriaturs for their works, and contain deep mistrust and antipathy towards the hierarchy of the Church, including its Magisterium. Further, prelates do NOT understand that this NOT something contained to those with possible mental/spiritual deficiencies, or even the Latin Mass. Even worse, such "fake news" or "literature" (to use the term loosely,) does tend to travel in said circles, and should NOT become a staple of media for such participants, especially the youth!. If you do NOT believe me, please reread my reflection on 10 Years of Summorum Pontificum, to see the effect it has had on one particular, "yute" under "deeper, darker concerns..." .

Examples of websites from this faction I mentioned, are: LifeSiteNews with its totally anti-Francis and anti-modern Church bias (of whom it views today's Pontificate and the modern "Church" as anti-family and life due to corrupt clergy and laity), Rorate Caeli which the very moment Francis was elected called him, "The Horror," and new to the gang in the last few years, a site I will be looking at in this post, is 1 Peter 5 (1P5), helmed or with heavy contributions from the ever increasingly, cycnical layman named Steve Skojec, whose works have been rapidly deteriorating into hatred for the Church and the Magisterium. Sadly, 1P5's motto is "Rebuilding Catholic Culture. Restoring Catholic Tradition."

Being a Catholic apologist (that is, a defender of the Catholic Church,) one loyal to Christ's church, and Him as Holy King, including His Magisterium and the Pope, I must post upon something that has happened to me today to illustrate just how powerful the radical traditionalist faction is growing, and now in infiltrating the normal life of those of the body of Christ in the every day parish life, sadly to their own understandable ignorance, yet attacking them whom have no meaningful defense.

What's going on here?
This morning, I received a message on Facebook(TM) from my fellow brother Knight, in my local Knight's Council, with an article from a website called 1 Peter 5 (I will not link to such Radical Misrepresenting Traditionalist (herein, RMT) garbage.). The article in question, from 1P5, is titled, "Pope Francis Awards Architect of Safe-Abortion Fund with Pontifical Honour." Below is a screenshot of the Facebook message, with his image and name edited out to protect his identity:

Being a pro-life advocate, and a good Catholic family man and my brother Knight, I can see why he would send something out to his friends, as it would be confusing for him. My wife informed me that he is such, so it now makes sense why this would end up in my Facebook Messenger today.

The summary of the article is (besides the usual hatred and venom laced notes,) is that, supposedly, Pope Francis, who is a ``spiritual head`` of sorts, of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great which has been around since 1831, has given a prestigious award and entry into said order of the title of ``Commander,`` to Lilianne Ploumen, former Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the Netherlands. If one dares read the article, she has a laundry list of grievous offences against the dignity of life against her, meticulously compiled by Hitchborn in the 1P5 article. The article itself even questions just what Lilianne is receiving this award for, as it is supposed to be given for service to the Catholic Church.

The Dubious Article

Taking apart the article, first, I look at the author, Michael Hichborn, who heads the theo-politically "conservative" racket online called "The Lepanto Institute." When one does a general, cursory examination of Lepanto, one can see that the tone of the authors, the articles presented, and their stance towards the current pontificate and Church IS exactly the same as Skojec and 1P5, though Lepanto does cover areas politically/culturally that tie into the Church, though are not specific to it. Seeing who the author is and their sites' works, already, we have a bias present in the article: RMT type! The article originated from the Lepanto site, written by Michael. "Birds of a feather flock together they say."

Further, is there ANY supporting evidence, such as other videos on YouTube from legitimate or alternative sources, such as the official Vatican News sites like vaticannews.va or the Vatican's website with an announcement of the awarding? NONE. The only video being circulated is the ones on the sites such as 1P5 are reporting such news, as well as the article/reporting of the "incident." While there is no general website for the Pontifical order, none of the main Catholic news sites are reporting any of this. Hence, there must be doubt as to the legitimacy of the claim. Could the mainstream Catholic sites and the Vatican be so biased as to "media scrub" something like this under the radar? Possibly, but with no alternative evidence from them, one cannot attach legitimacy to this media hit piece to give it validity that said event is/has happened, nor to the claims of the article that Pope Francis is directly responsible.

Moreso, why would Pope Francis, just simply abuse a Papal award and give it to a known abortion and anti-culture/life advocate intentionally? He is NOT stupid. If anything, an argument can be made that if we were to stoop to the lowest level, believe in the very facts that enemies of the Holy Father are touting in their "literature" (loosely used) that: leading up to his Papacy he was a politician of sorts back in Argentina, formed in some sort of Machiavellian philosophy (e.g. upcoming "The Dictator Pope" and another e-novel by some pseudonamed author ...) then it backfires in their faces and actually PROVES Jorge Maria Bergoglio, as the Pope, is clearly a SMART man, who would know of online spies or enemies, and wouldn't be so bold with the Internet watching as to stupidly make a bold statement in giving a Papal award to a known anti-life and anti-family advocate. It would be a disaster from a PR standpoint, and only increase division and doubt in the church, including in his followers, the lay Faithful. This would also backfire in his enemies faces because this is NOT his supposed usual tactic of subtle undermining of the Church via pastoral practice/his underlings. Why would he be so bold, NOW? It makes absolutely no sense at all to the average person with some intelligence and is Catholic.

The only, likely way he would do so, is if he had been misinformed by his subordinates, who would likely have delivered the award to Ms. Ploumen. Being a busy head of the Church/Vatican with little time to himself to do research, not to mention sit down and spend hours cruising blogs and other sites in between Papal Visits, conferences, and we must give the Holy Father the benefit of the doubt, that if he DID award this medal, he was highly misinformed of this woman.

Posting that article, ironically, is violating the Teachings of a Prior Pope LOVED by RMTs, Pope Pius XII

In posting bile like this online, which is meant with purpose to divide those in the Church against the Holy Father and the Magisterium, authors like Hitchborn, and purveyors of their works of similar mindset like Skojec and 1P5, are attacking the Communal AND Mystical Body of Christ in this way, via the Holy Father, and the dissemination of this information to souls like my brother Knight via the Internet. To explain this, I`ll go Traditionalist for a moment and use a ``Trad`` encyclical of a Papal favourite to the Anti-Vatican II RMTs, Pope Pius XII.

Pius XII is a favourite to RMTs, as well as sedevacantists, who believe the Papal seat is vacant, usually stating this Pope was the last 'legitimate one' because all those involved with Vatican II such as Leo XXIII to Francis I today are "modernist Popes." In 1943, Piux XII penned an encyclical called Mystici Corporis Christi, "The Mystical Body of Christ."

To begin, Pius XII speaks once again, as many Popes, Saints, and Church Fathers have many a times, about the Pope's Primacy, and how Christ purposely gave us a visible head of the Church in the Holy Father, to govern the Church and yes, men, for we would absolutely need it as finite creatures:

"  40. But we must not think that He rules only in a hidden [59] or extraordinary manner. On the contrary, our Redeemer also governs His Mystical Body in a visible and normal way through His Vicar on earth. You know, Venerable Brethren, that after He had ruled the "little flock" [60] Himself during His mortal pilgrimage, Christ our Lord, when about to leave this world and return to the Father, entrusted to the Chief of the Apostles the visible government of the entire community He had founded. Since He was all wise He could not leave the body of the Church He had founded as a human society without a visible head. Nor against this may one argue that the primacy of jurisdiction established in the Church gives such a Mystical Body two heads. For Peter in view of his primacy is only Christ's Vicar; so that there is only one chief Head of this Body, namely Christ, who never ceases Himself to guide the Church invisibly, though at the same time He rules it visibly, through him who is His representative on earth. After His glorious Ascension into Heaven this Church rested not on Him alone, but on Peter, too, its visible foundation stone. That Christ and His Vicar constitute one only Head is the solemn teaching of Our predecessor of immortal memory Boniface VIII in the Apostolic Letter Unam Sanctam; [61] and his successors have never ceased to repeat the same. (Mystici Corporis Christi (MCC), 40.)

Pius XII, then also, gives this stinging, yet prominent note about giving lip service to Christ while intently denying fealty to His Holiness, living life in the Church on earth in paragraph 41:

"41. They, therefore, walk in the path of dangerous error who believe that they can accept Christ as the Head of the Church, while not adhering loyally to His Vicar on earth. They have taken away the visible head, broken the visible bonds of unity and left the Mystical Body of the Redeemer so obscured and so maimed, that those who are seeking the haven of eternal salvation can neither see it nor find it. (MCC, 41)

That very quote, should be part of every Catholic Traditionalist's prayers every day, repeated multiple times a day. Now, just what does the above have to do with those as part of the Mystical and/or Communal body of Christ? Christ himself, is directly connected to His Body, the communal/Mystical Body of Christ in the Catholic Church. In fact, he PURPOSELY is intimately tied to it, and he WANTS and DESIRES perfectly to have His Body be a part of His Life and works. Most of all, he NEEDS it to cooperate with Him to achieve said goals. In paragraph 44, Pius XII pens this about the relation of Christ as Head of Church, needing his Body:

``44. Because Christ the Head holds such an eminent position, one must not think that he does not require the help of the Body. What Paul said of the human organism is to be applied likewise to the Mystical Body: "The head cannot say to the feet: I have no need of you."[69] ... every advance of this Mystical Body towards its perfection derives from Christ the Head.[71] Yet this, also, must be held, marvelous though it may seem: Christ has need of His members. First, because the person of Jesus Christ is represented by the Supreme Pontiff, who in turn must call on others to share much of his solicitude lest he be overwhelmed by the burden of his pastoral office, and must be helped daily by the prayers of the Church. Moreover as our Savior does not rule the Church directly in a visible manner, He wills to be helped by the members of His Body in carrying out the work of redemption... He has so willed it for the greater glory of His spotless Spouse...`` (MCC, 44)

Hence, without the works of those members of the Mystical and/or Communal body of Christ, His will cannot be done, and the salvation of souls is abruptly halted. When people like Hitchborn and associated blogging outlets, leave this trash floating in the river of cyberspace, what are they doing?

They are:

1) Attacking the Holy Magisterium of the Church in a public forum, whereby they set themselves up as an alternative magisterium to discern who is right and true in the Church and who is wrong, similar to separated Christian brethen who have their own "Churches" made of individual councils in churches or "Synods."

2) By doing what is said in No. 1, anyone who is looking in from outside the Church, will be appalled that Catholics from within (or those defending Catholic teachings) are "smearing their own Faithful," which they will now consider as they reflect and see the same disgusting behaviour that is possibly being carried out in their own dysfunctional "churches." Talk about being "ecumenical." Does it occur to them that perhaps the Marks of APOSTOLIC authority with the Pope as the supreme Spiritual Vicar on Earth, is a big drawing point for them to consider maybe converting to the Faith? (as a related side note, that is part of why my council's current Grand Knight, a convert, became a Catholic. He saw that within the Church, unlike the opposite in his own prior church, of how individuals or 'councils' of humans, determine approach to moral situations and beliefs.)

3) Furthermore, this directly violates paragraph 40 in MCC, when the attack is directly pointing the finger at the Holy Father or implicating him because it is his "Papacy," when the supposedly evil or doctrine-violating work is directly being done at the hand of a lesser prelate or others who are abusing Francis' name and the Church's name to commit said evils.

4) Even more wicked, by placing these articles in a public forum, to be picked up by said people, this attacks and erodes their Faith, by sowing initial seeds of doubt which will be further cemented with repeated attempts, and then said corrupted lay member or priest then consumes this media, not trusting the messages of (their parish or other) priests, bishops, and the Holy Father, leading to further abandonment of Christ and His Church from within, all the while NOT defecting to another "denomination" or out of the Church altogether. In doing so, Hitchborn et al. also violate paragraph 44 in MCC, because in corrupting that of Christ's faithful in the Church, they thus cut off the Body of Christ from it's head. 

Christ, so willingly dependent on His Mystical and/or Communal body of Christ to carry His work, as in MCC 44, is unable to do so because His body is incapacitated from dissent. Cells, such as individual lay members and clergy, poisoned or mutated into dissenting cancerous cells. The only result of a cancerous body not starved of its cells ... is death. The "death" of the Body of Christ and His Bride, the Church.

A concluding end-note, a Biblical Note on False Teachers.

Should we be surprised that such drivel is being spewed online where anyone with Internet access can attach to such spiritual poison? No. As long as Christ's One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church exists, there will be false prophets, and we all should be aware. Christ Himself, tried to warn us, as well as his Holy Servant, St Paul in his OTHER letter to the first Pope, St. Peter himself, the one 1P5 ignores, 2nd Peter 2 (NRSV CE, 1-3): `

`But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who brought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their licentiousness, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words; from of old their condemnation has not been idle, and their destruction has not been asleep.``

However, in what I have emphasized in bold and underlined, the destructive power they bring into the sheepfold, has also been acknowledged in Sacred Scripture and how they will do it: It will destroy the love of those for Christ and His Truth from reaching their hearts, and it is done with false words that repel the truth from them. Now, while we cannot control the actions of subordinates under the Holy Father, we nonetheless must be wary of those wielding such lies and power to deter people from expressing that Cardinal Virtue of Faith in Holy Mother Church.

Reading the passage above, this is exactly what these people and their blog sites do: Sow Satan`s division to entice the lay faithful to rebel against the Church and the Holy Father, no different from Satan`s rebellion over God, because they think their false ``truth`` is better than God`s TRUTH expressed through Jesus Christ, his Vicar Pope Francis, and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

With Scripture and MCC via Pius XII, this is exactly WHY we should NOT simply ignore these minority of bloggers, sites, etc. as lost causes to be ignored. Because the very acts they perform, reaches SUCH a broad audience in the Church today, an audience who is either NOT going to Mass, or even worse, an audience who is actually STILL committed to Christ but seeking more spiritual nourishment in our daily lives.

Of those people are the youth, the next generation of Christ`s workers in the vineyard, and of absolute necessity: our future priests who can perform the sacraments, our future religious sisters who aid the Bride of Christ and are joined to her, and our future laymen, who if they trust in the Church still, will marry and have families who will provide the next generation of vocations in the Church.

Further, of those people who are STILL in the Church, are good men like my brother Knight, striving through his daily work and in his marriage to remain faithful to Christ and to his family. Thankfully, I did reply immediately to his text and told him about the situation of the article and 1P5. I told him to consult me about future articles such as that of 1P5, as I am aware of a number of the major players spewing this fake news, and I know firsthand from my online and personal experience, encountering Radical Traditionalism in the Latin Mass environment, what form such spiritual poison comes in.

However, what about others like him, who have no trusted friend or family or spiritual superior to rely upon, or is not aware of apologetics sites, or is perhaps older and not technologically savvy? What defense does a layman or woman like him (or even, our pastors as priests) have to know to counter against such anti-Catholic propoganda that can sever their link to the Magisterium and the Head of the Church in the Pope?

It is for this reason, that we MUST not take lightly, articles like this, that have no legitimate journalistic credibility or supporting evidence from other legitimate sources, as viable and dangerous threats to the faithful in the Body of Christ. We must stand united together in protecting those spiritually vulnerable, or just trying to make their pilgrim journey home to Christ in Heaven, remaining on that treacherous, yet rewarding narrow path. Christ depends on His Earthly Body in us, the Mystical and/or Communal Body of Christ, to defend itself from such foreign invaders, and to expel them as its immune system. In Nomine Christi, Defende!

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.

Highlight: Homily from Pope Francis Regarding the Deadly Sin of Envy

Hello Everyone,

It seems that as of recently, around my life, but also sadly in the life of the Church, many people, those who should know better, are being sorely tempted by the Devil and associates. Many a loose tongue is flying around, slandering, gossiping, and doing the Evil One's work.

I see this most recently in the Church in light of a couple of issues. First, Benedict Emeritus XVI came out with a new book with Peter Seewald, post-retirement from the Papacy. Right away a number of Radicals Misrepresenting Traditionalists bashed his Holiness Emeritus, accusing him of being a coward because he revealed after his last WYD, he couldn't travel. Instead of chalking it up to health issues, they go for the jugular instead of their former Trad Hero who "saved" the Latin Mass because they think his "cowardice" led to "Pope Francis the Destroyer" being put into power.

Secondly, someone either leaked or posted a pastoral letter the Pope gave to some bishops back in his home country for their bishop's conference. Because it dealt with communion and remarrieds without annulments (w/divorces,) and how to implement 'the most heretical document that has evuh been released by the Church,' Amoris Laetitia, the RMTs screamed bloody heresy and accusations foul of His Holy Father, for dealing with a situation pastorally, despite it using something called the "Internal Forum" which is acceptable in certain circumstances in the Church when applied properly, as discussed here by GladTrad Fr. Mcdonald of Southern Orders.

As for personally, myself and a few other friends of mine are coming under attack by forces we can discern is not of Christ, from those who seem friends and "good" Christians, but are truly doing the Evil One's work with loosened and foul tongues of slanderous/detracting nature, and gossip. Between our work for a living, our spare time, and personal challenges, it seems like the Lord is allowing us to undergo these times of trial, bringing us closer to our Faith and showing us what is His Work, and what is not. He certainly is testing our faith. We know, though, that as he showed the disciples in the Gospel with the crashing waves that stormy day (Mark 4:31-41,) when you have true Faith and love of the Lord, the most violent storms will be dissipated by Him, who is our Sovereign King!

In light of the nastiness flowing about, both online from these RMTs and from those in our personal lives, allow me to repost a valuable catechesis shared to me by one of my Catholic friends from our Holy Father. What great timing! Thanks for the gift! My emphasis will be bolded and red coloured text, occasionally underlined too. Deo Gratias. Pax, Julian.

Pope: jealousy and envy are sins that kill with words

Pope Francis celebrating daily Mass at Casa Santa Marta. In his homily, the Holy Father spoke against the sins of jealousy and envy. - OSS_ROM

21/01/2016 11:47

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass on Thursday, the feast of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr. In his homily, the Holy Father prayed that God might preserve us from the sins of envy and jealousy – ugly sins that kill others with words and that exist even in our Christian communities.

Envy is an ugly sin that grows like a weed
The first reading (1 Sam 18:6-9; 19:1-7) tells the story of Saul, the king of Israel, and his jealousy towards David. After the victory over the Philistines, the women joyfully sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” From that day forward, Saul looked on David with suspicion, fearing that David might betray him. Ultimately, Saul decided to kill him. Later he followed the advice of his son and reconsidered. But his wicked thoughts returned. Jealousy, the Pope said, is “a sickness” that returns and brings with it envy:

“How ugly envy is! it is an attitude, it is an ugly [DEADLY] sin. And jealousy or envy grows in the heart like a weed: it grows, but it doesn’t allow good plants to grow. It harms everything that its shadow seems to fall upon. There is no peace! It is a tormented heart, it is an ugly heart! But the envious heart, too – we hear it here – leads to killing, to death. And Scripture says clearly: through the envy of the devil, death entered the world.”

Envy kills, even in our communities
“Envy kills,” the Pope said. “It does not tolerate others having something that I do not have. And it always suffers, because the heart of an envious or jealous person suffers. It is a suffering heart!” It is a suffering that desires “the death of others.” “But how many times,” he asked, “in our communities – and we don’t have to look too far to see this – are people killed, through jealousy, with the tongue? Someone is envious of this, of the other, and they begin to gossip – and gossip kills”:
“I too, thinking and reflecting on this passage, invite myself – and everyone – to see if, in my heart, there is any jealousy, any envy, which always leads to death and doesn’t make me happy; because this sickness always leads us to regard the good others possess as if it were against us. And this is an ugly sin. It is the beginning of many, many crimes. Let us ask the Lord to give us the grace not to open the heart to jealousy, not to open the heart to envy, because these things always lead to death.”

Jesus handed over out of envy
Pope Francis concluded by noting that Jesus was handed over to Pontius Pilate because of the envy of the chief priests and the scribes:

“According to the interpretation of Pilate – who was very intelligent, but a coward – envy was what lead to the death of Jesus: the instrument, the ultimate instrument. They handed him over out of envy. Let us also ask the Lord the grace never, because of envy, to hand over to death a brother, a sister of the parish, of the community, or even someone in our neighbourhood. Everyone has their sins, everyone has their virtues. They are specific to each individual. Look at the good, and do not kill with gossip through envy or jealousy.

Dangerous Tides A Swimming? Pope Francis' Mission Of Mercy and the SSPX: Silver Lining or Pandora's Box Part II?

Hello Everyone,

Now begins part II, whereby after last evening's post here, I will give you my reasoning for why Pope Francis should NOT allow the SSPX into Holy Mother Church in their current state.

We Should Not Let Them In .... Without Diligent Re-Education and Monitoring ...

Fine, yes without them the Latin Mass may have faded from existence as they were the biggest publically known "presence" for the EF in the Church, and yes, they are at least on paper not being lie-berals and such, but the real problem is their disobedient and anti-Church of Post Vatican II stance (including the Holy Father, Francis I himself.)

If Francis does let them in unchecked, I can forsee much division and they will act contrary to the Pope's wishes of ecumenism and reconciliation, causing more division and the falling away of the devout, orthodox faithful. I mean such in the following ways (word of warning: drug abuse analogies to be used to illustrate the problem. No intentional offense to people valiantly fighting the addiction of drugs/alcohol):

1. Abuse of Mercy, the Parable of the Just Judge and the Lower Lord - Do you remember in Scripture when Christ is speaking about the merciful judge and the ungrateful slave? Here's a little refresher, from the NRSV Catholic translation used in Canada:

"The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents[c] was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii;[d] and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister[e] from your heart.”

While the whole servants and kings thing isn't happening in a literal sense, this does relate to the SSPX. Allowing the SSPX, whose mentality has hardened into one of anti-Papacy, anti-Church, and even at times Protestant nature, is akin to treating a person for alcohol/drug abuse, and then letting them lose in society without serious outpatient monitoring and teaching them HOW to live post-treatment. How many times have we seen this happen with our modern celebrities (e.g. Lindsay Lohan) where they then just relapse into the same drug-addicted, partying lifestyle that put them in physical, emotional, and spiritual harm from before? As for those who do not partake in modern media/entertainment, when those people do come back and relapse, they lash out in their addicition-based rage against their family due to being drug addicted all those years, or still on the drugs.

Yes, giving the person mercy is good, but like the Samaritan woman, she was told to "sin no more." Unchecked, the SSPX would be given free reign to bash the Church and the Novus Ordo Mass, all the while offering sacraments only in the Extraordinary Form, and teaching things wrong or with a damaging spirit as they normally would. Like the drug addict without outpatient care, they would still, yet with licence, lash out at: the Pope, Novus Ordo Masses like the videos mentioned in Part I, Catholics who attend the Novus Ordo only, etc. while attesting the EF as the only form of salvation in the Latin Rite. They wouldn't be able to be contested because Pope Francis "approved" them back into canonization with the Church. Mind you they could always be re-suppressed, like the Jesuits, but in this modern technological age, they would elicit a firestorm of revenge, disobedience, and division in the Church and carry our a malicious campaign to tear Her apart after said re-suppression. They would take numerous souls with them in their campaign.

It would be best .... no ... there MUST be a strict restructuring process like the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. Here I applaud Pope Francis and those in charge of the restructuring, because without the swift correction of those malices brought about by the "EF only/SSPX "mindset" crowd in the community, they would have mentally and spiritually poisoned the novitiates, and these priests would carry out that poisonous mindset by infecting the laity who attend their Masses within their reach ... despite being canonically valid in the Church.

In addition, other young people who are more naieve or have started their journey of becoming Orthodox/Catholic Traditionalism and/or including the Latin Mass, may not have the ability to discern spiritually those in their company who are more rigid (and sinful) in their practice and thoughts of  "Traditionalism." If the SSPX Latin Masses were "OK" now to attend, and have made the Latin Mass their preferred, if not sole form of attendance in the Latin Rite, these debilitating influences in that young man or woman's life, combined with attendance at the SSPX chapels, will cause the young soul to be completely lost to the anti-Church mindset disguised as Radical Traditionalism. They would likely NEVER enter through the doors of another regular parish again, with (possible) rare exceptions for family events, that is, if the SSPX priest of the chapel does not corrupt the individual by preaching/saying that any Novus Ordo Mass puts the soul in occasion of sin. Under the same corruption or in their "happy land," that person's friends (and family, if they follow their relative,) will only support them in the hardening of their hearts, encouraging them to reject anyone, clergy or laity, who are not of their ilk or are "heterodox/heretics" according to the Radical Traditionalist and their SSPX clergy.

In summary, using one of the similar or same arguments poised by the RMTs, this would be the similar with the SSPX, albeit with one major additional problem. Here, I bring into my essay the change to the footwashing rite within the Mass on Holy Thursday. When Pope Francis legalized the foot washing of men and women in the Novus Ordo for Holy Thursday, they decried this as the legalization of disobedience to the Church." However, that change to the rite was disciplinary and did not attack the sacramental validity of a rite and/or form of the Holy Mass, promulgated by a Pope, and also the magisteruim of the Church by employing Pharisaical twists on its teachings and crude, indirect and direct attacks on the mentioned parts of Holy Mother Church. Argue as you will (organic vs. disruptive,) this is entirely NOT the same as legitimizing the SSPX unchecked, who would cause dissent from within Holy Mother Church, with a valid and legal "licence" to do so, an unintended consequence of Pope Francis' mercy.

2. The Katholic Krazies Would Be in Paradise! 
We already have it bad in the Traditional Catholic/Latin Mass scene worldwide. With lay organizations, bloggers, etc. it's clear that these (usually) Latin Mass loving extremists, already exhibit severe hatred for the Church they purport to "love" and "defend." With their calumny, slander, and detraction online and in person, they do not serve Christ and His Church, rather they serve some other master than Him. They make it bad enough for all of us who try to do it the "proper" way, in love with Mother Church, respecting her liturgical rites INCLUDING forms. These people/groups/websites give bishops and priests legitimate excuses to shy away from the Latin Mass, or prevent Ecclesia Dei requests from being fully granted (and I include in this "ghettoization" of the communities that DO get a request granted for a Latin Mass.)  

Already, based on that presence, and how they assault and belittle the Holy Father, the Novus Ordo Mass and its attendees, and the Church herself (just check my archives for postings, like this one as a sample,) these false "heroes" or "leaders" (self-appointed of course with NO actual Church authority) would now have legitimate reason to harden their hearts and souls even more, and even become more extreme with the SSPX's legitimacy. They already express their views publicly, and share in their Church hate.

In fact when I presented commentary similar to this posting on the Southern Orders post of 27/4/2016, save a couple of them, multiple commentators came out with daggers of the Devil against me, or flat out defended the SSPX as if they were not guilty of anything, for violating their golden calf (which is the SSPX,) despite me saying this would be a major mistake of Pope Francis. If anything, it reveals that upholding the First Commandment and going against the SSPX, is a greater "sin" in the RMT's books than defending Pope Francis. The moderator, Fr. Allan McDonald, could have easily dismissed my comment as ``trolling`` according to his policy in the comments section of Blogger, but clearly has NOT replied directly to my comment in chastizement or deleted it, and has allowed what has transpired to remain. If anything, he has allowed the discussion and the stabbing to ensue, possibly to demonstrate their insanity and idolization of the SSPX.

The only thing keeping them from being full radicals in liturgy, aside from their false "faith" is the fact that frequent attendance at SSPX chapels constitutes a possible (and likely self-schismatic) break from Holy Mother Church, the more you attend:

" PCED: "Catholics who frequent the chapels of the Society of St. Pius X do not incur any sin or canonical delict by doing so. However, we further refer you to what we have already stated in #4 above ...." "".... While it is true that participation in the Mass at chapels of the Society of St. Pius X does not of itself constitute "formal adherence to the schism" (cf. Ecclesia Dei 5, c), such adherence can come about over a period of time as one slowly imbibes a schismatic mentality which separates itself from the teaching of the Supreme Pontiff and the entire Catholic Church ...." (Published, PCED private correspondence with layman, and journalist, Brian Mershon for www.renewamerica.com)

If the SSPX were granted canonical validity, making their Masses licit AND VALID, using another drug/alcohol addiction analogy, this would be like giving a (non-medical) marijuana addict crack cocaine! The once user of gateway drugs would likely, (with great probability,) become so addicted and change into an extreme drug abuser! Sadly, based on what was unleashed against me in the post above, and some bloggers' sympathies out there in their incessant postings about the SSPX, the obvious interpretation is they want the perfect excuse to "jump over" and the SSPX is perceived as the "only hope" is saving the Catholic Church, especially liturgically in the Latin Mass.

Whether their reasons are wholly for the liturgy of the Latin Mass, or the whole extremist environment, or just to spite the institutional Church (read, parish pastors, institutions, individual priests, bishops, etc.,) they would get exactly what they want .... which would be catastrophic for their already damaged souls. At the very least, being in valid and licit Latin Masses approved by Holy Mother Church, keeps them in unison with Her, with a chance of salvation and Her mercy. While approving the SSPX outright might restore full abilities and sacramental privilege to the priests who hold those Masses, the environment and the untreated minds and hearts of the SSPX clergy, would make the heart of those mentioned, damaged souls, truly absent to those blessings within the EF Mass.

It would be akin to a beautiful pearl being held in a misshapen ugly clay jar, absent of all light inside. Because the of the ugliness of the clay jar surrounding the pearl, no one would come near the jar and dip their hand into the darkness to get the pearl, and it would lay there forever, forgotten, and never obtained. The blessings and graces possible in the EF Mass, would be that pearl, and the deadly sins of Pride, Anger, Envy, etc. with many additional sins, would be that darkness. The SSPX Masses, despite the Mass itself NEVER being a source of evil in itself, but because of the anti-Church and anti-Pope environment and erroneous teachings from the SSPX priests that would channel all that, would be the ugly misshapen clay jar.

Conclusion
In summary, it is already bad that these RMTs embarass Traditional Catholics or Latin Mass attendees, by associating with licit and valid liturgical environments, groups, or parishes, spewing their hatred of the "N.O Church." Giving the SSPX full approval without harsh disciplinary measures or a thorough clean up like the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, would be giving those radicals what they truly desire in their hearts: A "Church approved" excuse to hate Her and abuse her from within her own house.

Analogy: If you knew your own son or daughter was extremely, verbally and/or physically violent, like the drug abuser mentioned above, and you knew your life was in danger by letting that person in, would you allow that threat to your life in your house? You would not. You would get that person committed to a psychiatric ward or drug rehab facility if possible, to treat them. In the worst case scenario, you would call the police, even if it meant a standoff with a possibility of firearm discharge and the death of your own son/daughter.

This instance, is one occasion, where I pray and hope the Holy Father, does NOT act without consideration, or ``off the cuff`` as it were, to extend his hand fully and give them his version of mercy that he is doing in this current Papacy. If he TRULY wants to be merciful to the souls of both the clergy and attached laity of the SSPX, as well as the current flock still in "good standing" in the Church (at least on paper,) Francis will not reconcile the SSPX, instead of giving them carte-blanche freedom to pilfer and plunder souls from WITHIN Holy Mother Church.

Giving the SSPX the freedom and the personal prelature without HARSH discipline and reorganization, will spell doom for many a good soul wanting more Traditional Catholicism, and a perfect excuse for those ``corrupted`` souls to make themselves further fit for Hell as desired .... it will be the kind of disguised ``Traditionalism,`` which is truly extremism, and neo-Jansenism, leading souls off the narrow path to salvation on the right side of the road instead of the left.

END

Due to the nature of this post, judging by the reaction I received here, in prudence comments will be closed for this posting. 

Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.

Dangerous Tides A Swimming? Pope Francis' Mission Of Mercy and the SSPX: Silver Lining or Pandora's Box Part I?

Hello Everyone,

Yes it's been quiet here on S.U.D. That's mainly because of me being squeezed out between my work, and wedding preparations. Only 2 weeks to go! That doesn't leave me much time for entries. But finally, I have something for you ..... something concerning ... yet it is Latin Mass/Traditional Catholicism related.

My basis started after I read a post on the great, Fr. John Zuhlsdorf's WDTPRS blog. It was reported here on these Orthodox "Glad Trad" blogs (e.g. Southern Orders, Fr. Z), and the RMT sites that I will not hyperlink to (e.g. Rorate Caeli), with confirmation on the Vatican's major news portal (see here: http://www.news.va/en/news/press-office-confirms-pope-francis-meeting-with-ss) that Pope Francis had a meeting with the current head of the Society of St. Pius X, "Reverend" Bernard Fellay. That is as far a title I will allot to him, because he and the other "priests" of the Society of St. Pius X are NOT in communion with Holy Mother Church. Also, pastors of Christian churches can be called "Reverend" so it's not just the SSPX. Turns out the SSPX leaked that their leader, "Reverend" Bernard Fellay, had a meeting with Pope Francis.

I couldn't believe this, and it got my wheels turning, so I started to draft this in response. After multiple starts and stops, an interesting article surfaced yesterday on Southern Orders blog run by Fr. Allan J. McDonald of the diocese of Macon in the USA. He featured an article from once-Boston Globe associated CRUX news about possible reconciliation between the SSPX and the Church. I took an alternative viewpoint in the comments box, which only further proved what I am about to say, and makes this posting more prominent in terms of its timing.

Throughout his papacy, there's been interesting news about Pope Francis and who he is choosing to extend his "Mission of Mercy" to. Now, while I take a lot of what the Radicals Misrepresenting Traditionalists (RMTs) (and Catholics everywhere,) say on their armchair thrones from their domiciles or workplaces, with a heavy grain of salt, there is something that has been going on that has me deeply concerned with whom Francis is possibly bestowing "Mercy" to.

Allow me to remind you of the status of the society as to WHY they are not in communion with the Church, and why I will NOT call Fellay a bishop, despite technical or formal jargon and processes, or not. This is important because this post and its follow up in Part II, concerns the news that has been floating around, and it's highly concerning for the future of the Church.

Background as to why to be deeply concerned with the SSPX's re-entry ...

As per Benedict XVI's lifting of the censure of excommunication from Fellay and his fellow "bishops", De Mallerais, Williamson (who is now likely RE-EXCOMMUNICATED for consecrating bishops without the authority of Pope Francis and the Holy Catholic Church), and Alfonso de Galarreta, ".... As long as the Society does not have a canonical status in the Church, its ministers do not exercise legitimate ministries in the Church...."

The only absolute exception is recently, with Pope Francis' granting of temporary faculties for confession until November 20th this year for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. As for their Eucharists, those done by the SSPX ``clergy`` are ALWAYS consecrated illegally, in disobedience to Holy Mother Church, but is likely valid due to the odd canonical situation of the Society. One, however, should not play with the safety of their salvation and consume it, due to its questionable status.

The SSPX became "non-canonical" due to then Vatican II council father and founder of the SSPX, Marcel Lefevbre, and a co-consecrating bishop (who had since reconciled with Holy Mother Church,) illicitly consecrating bishops without a papal mandate from John Paul II in 1988. Regardless of whatever supposed politics between the two parties happened, the four men above, including current head Fellay, were the illegally consecrated bishops. When this happened, the SSPX (that is, its clergy) incurred the status, having NO sacramental jurisdiction in the Church, and Lefevbre, that bishop, and the four "musketeers" being excommunicated (until Benedict's intervention for the four & the co-consecrator's reconciliation.) The Sacramental jurisdiction comes from being under the authority of a bishop, even one from Rome in the Church as part of a personal prelature or missionary order (e.g. Opus Dei, Fraternal Society of St. Peter.) Sadly, Lefevbre NEVER reconciled with the Church, which is a very concerning statement for the foundation of the Society: one founded on disobedience and rebellion to Holy Mother Church.

In current day, the SSPX STILL has not reconciled with the Church. While Benedict XVI tried with negotiations in 2012, they ended in failure because once again, the SSPX refused to submit doctrinally to Holy Mother Church, and it is rumored the log in their eye, Vatican II, was to blame. The refusal was supposedly against a direct order from Benedict XVI, a condition which if not filled, would not allow them to reconcile with the Church. Currently, they operate two major "seminaries" with their major one in the birthplace where its establishment began, Econe, Switzerland, and have numerous chapels (I will NOT call them parishes, that's only reserved for those priests and communities in canonical validity with the Church) as well as private schools.

More Holier than Thou ... or how the SSPX are Protestant in the Sense of Church Hating ...

However, in existing in the world, they adhere to an education that is almost 100% how it was "pre-1962" with its strictness, teaching methods, and application of such methods in strict authority. Unfortunately, coupled with all this is the teaching to their "adherents," a twisted theology that attacks Holy Mother Church, the Novus Ordo Mass, Pope Francis, even professing incorrect teachings that are not in force in the Church. An incorrect teaching, for example, I take from a former friend now with the SSPX, who told me it was a mortal sin to eat meat on Fridays. He goes to the chapel in my archdiocese (obviously NOT under the jurisdiction of ++Collins,) and never went to their schools, so this is likely where he learnt this error. This is entirely incorrect. The current Canon Law in the Church and its Catechism, do NOT state this, nor any document in the Church's history. Furthermore, our current Canon Law of 1983, clearly states that this version of the law is in effect, not this AND/OR any other version of Canon Law, here in Section 5, subsection 1:

``Can. 5 §1. Universal or particular customs presently in force which are contrary to the prescripts of these canons and are reprobated by the canons of this Code [of Canon Law promulgated in 1983] are absolutely suppressed and are not permitted to revive in the future. Other contrary customs are also considered suppressed unless the Code expressly provides otherwise or unless they are centenary or immemorial customs which can be tolerated if, in the judgment of the ordinary, they cannot be removed due to the circumstances of places and persons.``

As to hating the Novus Ordo, I turn to these YouTube videos: " Should Catholics Attend the New Mass? - Part I or II - Episode 14 - SSPX FAQ Series." and the second part in episode 15 with the similar title. I will not link to it, so you will have to do the grunt work, but if you do, watch it with caution and concern. I am merely watching these videos for the most relevant parts to this post.

First, at 2:19-2:30, the collared cleric begins to weave the web of confusion about the necessity of avoiding the Novus Ordo to be necessary. He tells the viewer that while the Church obliges all Catholics to attend Mass, it is "according to the Human Condition" and that there are occasions that might make attendance at Mass on a Sunday "impractical." This cleric's word choice is interesting. He does not say the more appropriate "unavoidable," but rather "impractical," meaning if it doesn't fit one's routine or personal needs, it is not necessary.

While continuing on in part I, the cleric correctly addresses common reasons for dispensation from the obligation, and the parish priest's ability to dispense the obligation when the situation falls outside common reasons or scenarios.

Part II is where the conspiracy theories and the hate train begins. They set you up in part I with the "basics" which are mostly correct. However, like how the Devil twists truths or things good to bring out malicious intention and sin, likewise the SSPX does so to go into part II to say why you should reject and hate the Novus ordo.

Immediately, as RMTs are wont to do, it goes for the conspiracy theory angle, implying that Pope Paul VI was directly responsible with Annibale Bugini, to create a Protestant, heretical product: ".. under the influence of Fr. Annibale Bugnini and Pope Paul VI, both of whom wanted a liturgy that was ecumenical and would not be a “stumbling block” to Protestants. This goal was accomplished with the new liturgy by obscuring or even removing from its prayers the Catholic doctrines concerning the propitiatory nature of the Mass, the sacrificial and mediatory character of the priesthood, and the dogma of the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist."

Further, the cleric goes on to say about the Novus Ordo:
"...  the New Mass departs from the Catholic Faith “as a whole and in its details .... this new liturgy has confused or destroyed the Faith of millions of Catholics since the 1970’s to the point that most churchgoers today have an erroneous understanding of the Catholic doctrine of the Mass and sometimes do not even believe in the real presence .... The Church cannot ask her members to endanger their Faith. This is the reason why Catholics are not obliged to attend the New Mass to fulfill the Sunday Precept. In fact, for those who have knowledge of its inherent problems, the New Mass is to be completely avoided, as they understand that it is also an offense to God ...."

So let's see, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the most POWERFUL form of prayer in the world, that which Christ has asked his Holy Priests to perform for all time, is a product hellbent on destroying the faithful of Millions?

There is so much fault at this explanation I'll only briefly wax over it.

First of all, I quote from Scripture from the NRSV-CE the Gospel of Luke 11:9-13:
"9 “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for[e] a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit[f] to those who ask him!”

I may be no JCD or P.hD, but I'm pretty certain that tied into the OH SO FAMOUS Matthew 16:18-19, that Christ would NEVER let the Church be destroyed by Satan, and above, would never seek to purposely poison his sheep. Think about it, if the Church, were to do so, then clearly Christ lied in establishing His One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, it would NOT be guided by the Holy Spirit, it would not bear the mark of HOLY, and at best Jesus as God made Flesh, reflecting God, would be nothing more than like the Greek Gods of old, who sometimes looked after humanity, but also sometimes had fun playing around with them, like in Oedipus Rex and other Greek tragedies.

Also fine you might go on about the whole Bugini thing and such. First, the general Church did NOT have the Internet to propagate information as quick as a button, so the majority of priests, lay leaders, etc., had to rely on whatever was taught/handed down to them. Liberal influences and people clearly got a hold of that to curb things in their favour. Secondly, the translators used dynamic equivalence, more meaning vs. literal translation in other words. That definitely screwed up the translation. Final point on the propagation of such a "malformed" product: If it was that bad, wouldn't the Church have more quickly closed up shop in multiple (arch)dioceses already, with barely a physical presence in the world today, with only Latin Mass parishes, Byzantine parishses, etc. surviving? If it was truly a product of the Devil, and we can trust our Lord to only give us truly GOOD gifts, as per His Holy Words above, wouldn't he have allowed rapid and quick destruction of those institutional parts of the Church with this new Mass to die immediately? Did he not also tell His Disciples that He would separate the wheat from the chaff, and cursed a fig tree producing no spiritual fruit to show that that which is not of God will wither and die?

Further to add, despite the calumnies of the SSPX against Holy Mother Church and the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, it STILL brings in converts and new faithful every year, around the world, at the Holy Triduum's Saturday Easter Vigil. If this Mass was clearly poison to the lay faithful, then why does the bosom of Holy Mother Church, continue to entice people to join her? Why then, would other noted apologists and lay leaders, such as Scott Hahn, Dave Armstrong, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Jimmy Akin, Marcus Grodi, etc. who are CONVERTS, attend such a "bastardized" form of the Mass, only to spread the faith and do their absolute best to bring other people into the Church, with their apologetics and Internet websites?

Now, listen, it's one thing to analyze the Masses properly, and state what has been gained/lost from prior forms/updates. It's also one thing to state that "Form X has a temptation to allow priests to become entertainers due to versus populum and factors a, b, c, in the Church." However to imply that the form itself is defective, as this "priest" has said, even if the statement does or does not literally say so, contains in itself heresy and hate for the Church.

On a final note, as for the Pope Hate? Once Pope Francis ascended to the Seat of Peter, Fellay had calumnious words for Pope Francis that he was practicing heresy by being a modernist from a sermon he did, and put it publicly for distribution on the SSPX regional websites, also committing the grievous sin of detraction, as well as what Pope Francis has called the Devil's work: gossip.

Conclusion Part I

With this history, and a gander of what these "fine" folks will bring into the Church with regards to their vicious stances against the Novus Ordo and Pope Francis, contravening Scripture and other important facets of the Church in the process, these are the "gifts" they will bring into the Church when they come in.

So then, with these gifts in mind and their current stance on our modern Church, why should the SSPX not be receiving the gift of mercy, unchecked, in having their canonical validity and status restored in Holy Mother Church?

That, my dear friends, and enemies and their fanboys/fan-maidens (I know you are watching me,) will be for Part II, which shall be scheduled for release this evening. But before I bid you adieu, Due. to the nature of this post, judging by the reaction I received here, in prudence, comments will be closed for this posting.

Ta Ta, and Pax.

Pope Francis is not Confusing ... He's Darn Right, and He's Consistent!!!

So the Radicals Misrepresenting Traditionalists are getting all confused over a statement Pope Francis Made about religious fundamentalists. They just don't know who he is talking about. Well maybe, just maybe, The Holy Father (and the RMTs) know absolutely who Pope Francis is talking about.

The "confusing" quote is what's being passed around and making these RMTs angry. It is this from media sources like the National Catholic Reporter:

""Fundamentalism is a sickness that is in all religions," said the pontiff. "We Catholics have some -- and not some, many -- who believe in the absolute truth and go ahead dirtying the other with calumny, with disinformation, and doing evil."They do evil," said the pope. "I say this because it is my church."

Well, the RMTs should not be angering themselves at others, especially Pope Francis, but rather take Pope Francis' words to heart.

Before we begin, let's clear up a couple of things:

The translation is incorrect, and other things were left out of the snippit being sent out online. 

The part where Pope Francis speaks, has been somewhat incorrectly translated, and things added that were not there. The full transcript, as seen here at Catholic World Report, shows it differently:

`` Fundamentalism is a sickness that exists in all religions. We Catholics have some, not just some, so many, who believe they have the absolute truth and they move forward with calumnies, with defamation and they hurt (people), they hurt. And, I say this because it’s my Church, also us, all of us. It must be combatted. Religious fundamentalism isn’t religious. Why? Because God is lacking. It’s idolatrous, as money is idolatrous. Making politics in the sense of convincing these people who have this tendency is a politics that we religious leaders must make, but fundamentalism that ends up always in tragedy or in crime, in a bad thing comes about in all religions a little bit.   ``

So guess what? He didn't directly call the lot of you evil. That's purposeful misquoting or misinterpretation.

Pope Francis was mainly answering a question in response to the terrorist attacks in France. The Fundamentalists were perhaps a part of it, but the end result was to answer the question.

The original question: "Philippine De Saint-Pierre, KTO (France): Holiness, good afternoon, you paid homage to the platform created by the archbishop, the imam and the pastor of Bangui. Today more than ever, we know that fundamentalism threatens the entire planet. We also saw this in Paris. Before this danger, do you think that religious leaders should intervene more in the political field? (Pope Francis asks for clarification) ...the religious “dignitaries,” bishops and imams?"

See the full quote above for Francis' answer.

Now onto business:

While Pope Francis was mainly responding to the reporters` question, spiritually speaking, HE`s damn consistent in his preaching, he IS talking about faith and morals, and yes he`s talking about your anti-Christian behaviour. He`s done it before many times, with similar or the exact same words. 

Funny, a little search of the old internet, connects material terrorism and religious fundamentalism, which he compares to spiritual terrorism:

".... In fact, those who spend their lives bringing reconciliation and peace are saints, and those who gossip are just “like a terrorist who throws a bomb and walks away”, destroying others while making sure they stay safe and sound, he said .... “This is an evil, this is a disease in our Church: to sow division, sow hatred, plant [what is] not peace, .... “Gossiping is terrorism because the person who gossips is like a terrorist who throws a bomb and walks away, destroying; they destroy with their tongue, they don’t make peace,” the Pope said....”

And this was all but a couple of months ago. The Paris attacks didn`t even happen until a couple of weeks ago. Eerie coincidence or foreshadow??? Only God knows. But no surprise he's said this message before.

More appropriately, Let's take a look back at this wonderful little Fervorino from the Casa Santa Marta back in April 15, 2013, appropriately titled, "Slander Kills":

"Slander destroys God's work because it is spawned by hatred. It is a daughter of the “father of lies” and wants to wipe out man and distance him from God ....  it wants to destroy God's work and is spawned by something very nasty... by hatred. And the person who generates hatred is Satan”. Falsehood and slander go hand in hand ....  "

_____________________________________

So yeah .... do these people have to ask who are his targets? It's a rhetorical question because they know the answer.

Pope Francis knows darn rootin` and tootin` well who he is addressing and he is consistent and intentional in his spiritual, fraternal correction.

Thing is, there's this Year of Mercy coming up in the Church. It might be best if the RMTs took some time out in this year to TRULY seek the Lord's healing mercy of their lives ... that is if they are not too spiritually blind to what the Holy Father is saying.

Oh, and to boot, their "Latin Mass heroes," the Society of St. Pius X (who consistently have partaken in slander and detraction against the Holy Father) can be accessed for valid and licit confession as of December 8 thanks to, who else, but Pope Francis granting them special privilege for that Sacrament, a la Matthew 16:19. That`s right, Pope Francis did that. And yet they accuse him of hating ``Traddies`` cause he is not making the Latin Mass the ``real`` Novus Ordo`` and he won`t just let the SSPX walk back into the Church uncontested. The message is behind their language.

Pax, Julian.

P.S. The whole `he does not kneel thing` is so incredibly stupid. He`s got health issues!!! Are you his primary physicians with his full medical chart and can therefore declare him free of arthritis and a clean bill of health to kneel? Or have you spoken directly to His Holiness and asked his straight out if he can kneel?

Now, if your mother grandmother was mostly or healthy, would you demand in a commanding tone for her to kneel before the tabernacle at a Church if she did not, or at the Liturgy of the Eucharist at Mass? Yeah I didn't think you would be that authoritarian to say yes. If you want to prove me wrong, by all means try it this Sunday and see what happens.