Father Augustin Barruel described the tradition thus: “In this legacy of the past, we naturally discover everything that man can transmit, including in himself the good and the bad, the true and the false, history and legend. The word is frequently used to designate, in the etymological sense, inherited and ancient knowledge
, that which is distinguished from , or even opposed to, contemporary discoveries, innovations and inventions . It turns out that a large number of minds, whether cultivated or not, instinctively nourish a favorable opinion towards the vestiges of the past, where all
The experience of ancient times accumulates. Even the most rationalists cannot defend themselves from this opinion, always reserving a corner of their thinking for the traditional lifeline . The ecclesiastical lexicon reserves the term TRADITION for a more restricted meaning.
It no longer encompasses the entire heritage of the past independently of its content. It is now exclusively reserved for the part of divine Revelation which was not recorded in writing, but which was transmitted orally. Each Revelation, in fact, leaves
Two types of traces: a written one, which contributes to forming the HOLY WRITING by adding to those already recorded, and an oral one, which is added to the TRADITION. We obviously seek and collect the slightest vestiges of precious divine words. Divine revelation is revealed in three main phases. First, a
Primordial Revelation received by the Patriarchs, without generating Scripture. Then, a second Revelation giving birth to the Old Testament, and finally, a third, that of the Messiah, generating the New Testament, marking the closure of Public Revelation. Each phase introduces a particular form of Tradition, conveying the unwritten part
Of Revelation, which the Church, in its current form, strives to preserve. Historians of Religion agree that the Church, although taking different forms, goes back to the most ancient origins of humanity, therefore to the first Revelations. »
So, after having touched a little on the etymology of the word tradition and having, thanks to Augustin Barruel, described a little what tradition actually meant, let us now move on to the traditionalist movements of today. But before that, let’s see what the differences are, of course, for that, I would only take
The case between a parish of the new mass and one which claims to be traditionalist, and the list is not exhaustive of course, I simply raised what I remember from memory. First of all, the language of the mass is celebrated in the vernacular, while that
Of the traditionalists is in Latin. Genuflections are rarely practiced in the new mass, unlike the extraordinary form. During communion, the host is received in the hand in the vast majority for the new mass, while for the other form, it is received on the knee and directly in
The mouth. The clothes are also different: for the new mass, there is no particular style, everyone can come as they wish while remaining respectful, of course. For the Latin mass, men are very often in costume and women in skirts below the knees with a veil hiding their hair.
The peace of Christ is given in addition to the priest, by the faithful themselves. Everyone expresses a gesture, a word, or an act of charity towards their brothers. In the traditional mass, only the priest gives the peace of Christ to the faithful. Which leads us to see
That in the new mass we can see clapping, dancing, physical expressions during the mass, although personally, I have never witnessed this in the local parishes. It still exists. Regarding the Latin Mass, the atmosphere is calmer, there are no such expressions and the participation of the faithful is of less importance.
The homilies are also different. As for the new Mass, I would say that the priests place much more emphasis on the love of Jesus, mercy. Some The homilies are a little soft and carefree compared to the homilies of priests who
Celebrate mass in Latin. They are more focused on the justice of God and the duties of Catholics. Which allows us to conclude that the participation of young people is much higher in the Latin Mass than in the New Mass. The quality of certain homilies,
The mentality, the search for benchmarks and roots of French youth are more in line with the old form than the new. Young people need to hear something that does not shout with society, something that reassures them and opposes decadence with strong words.
For traditionalist movements which do not recognize the Pope, there is also the fact that the Pope is not cited during the mass. After this quick recap, let’s get to the heart of the matter and see what the institutions and traditional movements are in France. The most important traditionalist movements in France
Since the Second Vatican Council, various traditionalist organizations have emerged, some of which subsequently obtained the approval of the Catholic Church. These entities adhere to the documents of the Second Vatican Council and recognize the legitimacy of the resulting changes, such as the revision of the Mass. However, they choose to celebrate
Older liturgical forms with the approval of the Holy See. These are the ones we will see, before moving on to the others. Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP) The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter is a clerical society of apostolic life
And pontifical right. Founded in 1988, this community of priests at the service of the Church works on a double mission: the training and sanctification of priests. According to 2021 figures, there are 341 active priests. Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICRSP)
The Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest was founded in 1990 by Monsignor Gilles Wach and Father Philippe Mora and first canonically erected in Gabon, the land of our missions still today . There are just over 130 priests for this institute. Institute of the Good Shepherd (IBP)
The Institute of the Good Shepherd is a society of apostolic life of priests and traditionalist Catholic seminarians , erected on September 8, 2006 by the Congregation for the Clergy. Concerning this institute, there are 48 priests in total. Brotherhood of Saint Vincent Ferrier
The Brotherhood of Saint Vincent Ferrier became a religious institute of pontifical right in 1988. Is a traditionalist Catholic religious community of Dominican inspiration, but not affiliated with the order of Preachers. In 2020, the community had 13 priests.
Coming back to this small list, it should be noted that I have not listed all the communities. Indeed, some of them, although present, only have a limited number of chapels, or even just one in certain cases. Consequently, my attention was focused mainly on those which enjoy a strong presence in France.
Let us now explore the intermediate zone, that is to say, between recognition and non-recognition, before presenting those who are completely and officially against the Pope. As the Pope pointed out, the SSPX (Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X) is moving towards full communion
With the Holy See of the Vatican. This movement recognizes the Holy Father, while not yet accepting the entirety of the teachings of Vatican II. So, discussions around this issue have been going on for some time now. The Priestly Fraternity of Saint – Pius Charrière.
The solemn act is dated November 1, 1970, All Saints’ Day, marking the official recognition of the founding of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X by the Catholic Church. On February 18, 1971, the cardinal prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy expressed his praise
In a letter, saluting the work accomplished. Benefiting from the recognition and blessing of the Church, the Society of Saint Pius X then seemed destined for a promising and peaceful future. On September 14, 2011, Cardinal Levada presented Bishop Fellay with a draft of
Canonical recognition, preceded by a “doctrinal preamble” which should be accepted by all members of the Fraternity. Despite several attempts at reformulation, this preamble was deemed unacceptable by the Fraternity, including during the general chapter held in July 2012, because it contained too broad an acceptance of conciliar teachings.
The SSPX currently has 676 priests in its fraternity. In conclusion, let’s address the traditionalists who reject Vatican II as well as the Popes who have succeeded it until today. The Sedeprivationists Cassiciacum’s Thesis defines the arguments for the Catholic resistance position known as sedeprivationism. According to this thesis, at least since December 7,
1965, it has been affirmed that the Apostolic Chair must be considered formally vacant. This date marks the approval of the Conciliar Declaration Dignitatis Humanae on religious freedom , a document promoting a doctrine previously condemned by the Church’s Magisterium, they say.
From 1965, it is maintained that the chair of Saint-Pierre is occupied only materially by the elected representatives of the conclaves convened, all considered valid until proven otherwise. These elected officials would thus be considered only as potential “popes”, designated for the papacy but not truly popes in the strict sense. By teaching doctrines
Already condemned as heretical, they would publicly demonstrate their deprivation of the Authority of divine origin which preserves the Pope from error in his extraordinary and ordinary universal Magisterium. The Authority of the Pope is considered supernatural and assigned directly by Christ to his Vicar on earth only through valid election, guaranteeing
Magisterial infallibility and legal primacy. It is suggested that at the time of acceptance of election to the pontificate, those elected by the Conclave would have only verbally and outwardly accepted, internally posing an obstacle to acceptance. This obstacle is identified by the absence of the “objective and habitual intention to
Procure and achieve the good and the end of the Church”. Sedevacantists Sedevacantists believe that the Vatican II popes lost their position by accepting heretical teachings related to the Second Vatican Council, and therefore there is currently no true pope. They conclude, based on their rejection of the rite of the New Mass
And certain aspects of the Church’s post-conciliar teaching which they consider to be false, that the popes in question are also false. This is a minority position among traditionalist Catholics and is highly divisive, so many who support it prefer not to talk about it, while other sedevacantists have accepted episcopal ordination from sources
Such as Archbishop Pierre Martin Ngô Đình Thục. I have not found any lists regarding the number of sedevacantist priests. However, they constitute a minority among Catholics. I am aware that it is very simplified and misses a lot, but at least it allows those who are starting or discovering Catholicism to have some basics.
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