october 2007 $4.45 “Instaurare omnia in Christo” A Journal of Roman Catholic Tradition The University Institute of Saint Pius X The Mass Fr. Joseph Dunney W E N Sunday Missal Booklet The Mass is an illustrated commentary on the significance of the Latin Mass, the teachings of the Church, and their application in everyday life. Each part of the Mass is described with its historical and religious significances, the roles of the priest, his vestments, altar vessels, and symbols. Whether you have never assisted at the ancient Latin Rite of Mass or have been doing so your whole life, this book has plenty to offer. Newcomers will be indebted to Providence for having put this book in their hands. As for the “veterans,” they’ll wish they had read this book years ago. Are you fervent in your faith? Fr. Dunney will give you a greater depth of understanding. Are you lukewarm? Have a hard time concentrating on the Mass?–Then read this book. Not accessible to the average Catholic, you say? Too mystical? Think again. Liturgical scholars and authorities are quoted throughout, and 126 illustrations clarify important points. Fr. Dunney was pastor of St. James Church, Albany, New York. He was educated at Manhattan College, Columbia University, St. Joseph’s Seminary, Dunwoodie, and the Catholic University of America. He traveled extensively in the United States, Europe, Africa, South America, and the South Pacific. Volume I In the early 1980’s, Angelus Press printed its first Latin-English Missal booklet. Others have come and gone since then, but we believe that our new edition is the best available. From the durable cover to the twocolor printing (rubrics in red), this missalette is a gem. The complete Mass is in Latin and English. Features include: Short Instruction on the Holy Mass; Ordinary of the Mass for High and Low Masses; the Propers of Trinity Sunday; 22 original illustrations to help newcomers follow the Mass; directions for kneeling, sitting, and standing; copious commentary in the margins on the Mass itself taken from St. Thomas Aquinas and the writings of Frs. de Chivré, Gihr, and Beaubien; the afterMass Leonine Prayers, Prayer for the Sovereign of England, Thanksgiving Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas, Anima Christi, indulgenced Prayer Before a Crucifix, and the Prayer for All Things Necessary to Salvation. Also includes the Rite of Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. 64pp, 5½" x 8½", durable softcover, STK# 6636✱ $5.00. 10-pack, STK# 6640✱ $30.00 W E N “Instaurare omnia in Christo—To restore all things in Christ.” Motto of Pope St. Pius X The ngelus A Journal of Roman Catholic Tradition 2915 Forest Avenue “To publish Catholic journals and place them in the hands of honest men is not enough. It is necessary to spread them as far as possible that they may be read by all, and especially by those whom Christian charity demands we should tear away from the poisonous sources of evil literature.” —Pope St. Pius X October 2007 Volume XXX, Number 10 • Kansas City, Missouri 64109 English-language Editor and Publisher for the International Society of Saint Pius X letter from the editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Fr. Kenneth Novak PublisheR Fr. John Fullerton Editor Fr. Kenneth Novak Assistant Editor Mr. James Vogel Editorial assistant and proofreading Miss Anne Stinnett Design and Layout Mr. Simon Townshend MARKETING Mr. Christopher McCann comptroller Mr. Robert Wiemann, CPA customer service Mrs. MaryAnne Hall Mr. John Rydholm Miss Rebecca Heatwole Shipping and Handling Mr. Jon Rydholm The University Institute of Saint Pius X . . . . . . . . . 3 the consoling sisters of the sacred heart of jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Vigne, Italy Forming future seminarians . .Christendom . . . . . . .NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Angelus Press Edition Interview with Bishop Richard Williamson Freedom for the mass and the situation of the church today . .Christendom . . . . . . .NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Angelus Press Edition Interview with Bishop Bernard Fellay the traditional mass requires traditional doctrine . .Christendom . . . . . . .NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Angelus Press Edition Interview with Fr. Christian Bouchacourt Questions and answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Fr. Peter Scott july 2007 writing contest winning essay . . . . . . . . 43 The Angelus Monthly photo writing contest . . . 44 The Angelus (ISSN 10735003) is published monthly under the patronage of St. Pius X and Mary, Queen of Angels. Publication offices are located at 2915 Forest Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri, 64109, (816) 753-3150, FAX (816) 753-3557. Periodicals Postage Rates paid at Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright © 2007 by Angelus Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Manuscripts are welcome. They must be double-spaced and deal with the Roman Catholic Church, its history, doctrine, or present crisis. Unsolicited manuscripts will be used at the discretion of the Editorial Staff. Unused manuscripts cannot be returned unless sent with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Angelus, Angelus Press, 2915 Forest Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64109-1529. ON OUR COVER: Frs. Christian Thouvenot and Regis de Cacqueray (haloed) during the 2005 celebration commemorating the 25th anniversary of the founding of the University Institute of Saint Pius X in Paris, France. The Angelus Subscription Rates 1 year 2 years 3 years US $35.00 Foreign Countries (inc. Canada & Mexico) $55.00 $65.00 $105.00 $100.00 $160.00 All payments must be in US funds only. Online subscriptions: $15.00/year (the online edition is available around the 10th of the preceding month). To subscribe visit: www.angelusonline.org. Register for free to access back issues 14 months and older plus many other site features.  Letter from the Editor Thank you for your generous desire to be a partner with Angelus Press and provide financially what a new part of the Catholic world needs since Summorum Pontificum was issued. Yesterday, we could only fill half of an order of 300 Know Your Mass booklets to a New Jersey Novus Ordo parish using it as a primer on the Latin Mass for its adult study class. (This was the last of our first printing of 4000; we’ve gone to reprint.) After printing 8000 just three months ago, as of yesterday we have less than 2000 remaining of our Sunday Missal Booklet–a month’s supply. Yesterday, we were promised our first five-figure donation earmarked for printing childrens’ missals and Most Asked Questions About the Society of Saint Pius X. Trusting in the provision of Providence, we’ve directed our American printer to secure the special Bible-type paper for the third printing of our 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal and to schedule missals for shipment in early December. Thanks for the many mighty widow’s mites, creative financing ideas, and promises of prayer. I’ll be getting back to each of you, all with thanks, some with more. Angelus Press is a unique animal, part apostolate and part business. The apostolate side of it is revealed by this letter I received last week from Arizona: I’m the inmate you just sent the stack of books and back issues to. I was completely floored at your kindness. I started the book Consecration to Mary today and I’ve been reading No Crisis in the Church? which makes me appreciate the Society of Saint Pius X even more. I believe I told you that Pater __________________ of __________________ Roman Catholic Church in ________________ is my pastor, and I am here until 2027 and Pater is going to allow me to [consider taking] vows as a nun. [I began to consider this] last year while reading All the Great Magdalenes (a TAN book). Anyway, I loved The Angelus magazine, especially the stories on the nuns and monks. One day I’ll trade prison for a convent. For now, I guess this is my convent. All I can say is you couldn’t have made me happier if you’d given me a million dollars. I will read and cherish each book and magazine you sent. Thank you again. By the time you read this, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14) will have already passed and implementation in your diocese of Summorum Pontificum begun, if any. Beware, however. In the same way that we say that two wrongs don’t make a right, neither can two forms (i.e., ordinary and extraordinary) make a single rite. In any case, if the ordinary form (the so-called Novus Ordo Mass) is meant to morph into the extraordinary form (the so-called Latin Mass) and the extraordinary form morph into the ordinary, then a single and unanimous rite of Mass for the Latins of the Roman Church is still lacking, still non-existent, and both forms subject to changing. Remember, it’s not about people; it’s about principles. People change; principles don’t. If principles change, they cease being principles. The principle being violated in Summorum Pontificum is that of the law of non-contradiction, that is, simply, a thing is what it is and cannot be what it is not. Clearly, the Novus Ordo Mass is not the Latin Mass and the Latin Mass not the Novus Ordo Mass, even if the Holy Father says they are the same Mass. No square peg ever went into a round hole just because someone said it could. Principles must rule September 14, beyond, and forever. Now, back to the “Diagram from the Editor” in the June 2007 issue... What happens if the sanity of the June diagram is disturbed? What happens if the world successfully unmans men by taking away his opportunities for genuine, gratifying, sanctifying work? What happens if the world defiles a man’s vision of the common good and makes of him a selfish, fantasizing, effeminate brute or wimp with no real concerns beyond himself? Take away this center of a man’s life and he is no man; if no man, then no children nor family. If no family, then the woman has nothing to wrap herself around and is without identity. The feminine genius she is natured to offer in support of the man and his vision of the common good goes unreceived. Worse still, her genius is misplaced on some substitute for a man, often the work-world, where she herself becomes a man. The psyche and physique of a woman ends up aspiring to imitate the psyche and physique of a man! Go girl, not! But all of this has happened at the level of nature because we have first forced its happening at the level of supernature. Long ago, we denied to Our Lord Jesus Christ the necessity of His work to redeem us. We unmanned the God-Man by taking away His mission–His work–of redemption, the very vision of the Godhead for the common good. Having by denial removed the center of His life, He is no longer God-Man to the proud; if no God-Man, then no children of adoption nor spiritual family. If no children nor family, then Mother Church has no Founder nor family around Whom to wrap herself and she herself is without identity. Her genius as His Bride goes unreceived and she has had to be re-invented along lines acceptable to proud men. She has been made to aspire to become a creature of man, confined to the psyche and physique of the creatures of man. She is a business; she is a political campaign; she is a polling booth. And, what of Our Lady, the Virgin Mother who bore the Emmanuel, the God-with-us? Well, if not bearing the God-with-us, then she is no Mother of God. If no Mother of God, then she has none of the prerogatives due to the Divine Motherhood. No Immaculate Conception. No Assumption. No Co-Redemptrix. No children nor spiritual family. If no Mother of God, then she has no identity. She will have been refashioned into something the Blessed Mother surely was not, that is, a confused woman looking to find fulfillment outside her God-Man and His mission. Just like modernized woman. Instaurare Omnia in Christo, Fr. Kenneth Novak 3 The editor has always had an interest in finding out more about the Society’s University Institute of St. Pius X in Paris, France. Recently, an American student went abroad to pursue advanced studies here. Angelus Press took advantage of this opportunity to get a first-hand look at the Society’s premier institution of higher learning abroad. Photographs were taken by the authoress. A similar comprehensive article is being written about St. Mary’s College, St. Mary’s, Kansas, due to be published when received in The Angelus. “Au fond de la cour” Paris, France The UniversiTy insTiTUTe of sainT PiUs X Six-thirty, sunshine is coming in the blinds. Paris is not yet awake. Eight floors below, a few buses glide down the boulevard, bringing a few early-risers to work. The Eiffel Tower is still comfortably wrapped in its early morning mist. The smell from the boulangerie on the first floor creeps through the building and wafts sweetly in my window. A pleasant reminder; a promise for later. I’m not late, so I take the long route, through the Luxembourg Gardens. Such a pity, having to share my garden with the Senate and with so many tourists! But at 7:15, there is no one but a few brave joggers doing their morning “footing,” as the French call it. The Luxembourg is an eminently French garden, carved and lined and delimited by clearings and sycamores, statues of queens and courtiers presiding over the central fountain, stags and Ganymedes and languishing authoresses decorating the side alleys. Out the iron gates and back onto the Boulevard Saint Michel, toward the Seine. I head to the right toward the Pantheon, once the Church of St. Genevieve, now a blasphemy, the burying-place of all the gods of the Republic. Shaped like a sort of miniature US Senate with a cross on the cupola, it is majestic so early in the morning with the sunrise full behind it. To the left of the Place du Panthéon is the Library of St. Genevieve: in two hours the wall will be lined with students, slouching, smoking, in a winding sort of queue, waiting for the doors to open. I often wonder if they notice, 30 feet above their heads,  Tower of St. Sulpice with Bossuet The Pantheon Luxembourg Gardens St. Stephen’s carved into the stone: “Ptolemy–Aristotle–Plato–Boetius–Albert the Great–Thomas Aquinas–Dante–Francis de Sales...” At any rate, they ought to be happy, for the age of long lines will soon be ending: more reading rooms are in preparation in the old College of St. Barbara, recently annexed to the venerable library–the old College of St. Barbara, where Francis Xavier and Ignatius Loyola burned the midnight oil. But this morning there are no students, the street belongs to me, and I make my way toward the Seine, passing in front of the Church of St. Stephen: unusual, an oddly beautiful conglomeration of turrets and towers and winding columns flanking the sober Pantheon. It is here that the last relics of St. Genevieve are conserved–a finger bone, if I am not mistaken, along with the burial stone on which she was first laid to rest. But not forever. The revolutionaries threw her body into the Seine. And so the two great saviors of France, heroines of “la Patrie,” Joan and Genevieve, came to sanctify the same waters. heon ns  Now I am off the straight avenues and into the heart of the Latin Quarter: the little Street of St. Genevieve’s Mountain winding sharply down toward the Seine. The towers of Notre Dame are straight ahead, but I turn right at the Place Maubert, two streets before the river. “Maubert,” “Master Albert,” Albert the Great, who taught class at this intersection 800 years ago, with Thomas Aquinas at his feet, or at his side; the great St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, the Parisian Doctor. It is here in the Latin Quarter that he wrote much of the Summa Theologica. Nearly there. And suddenly the bells are ringing. The Angelus bells—one, two, three; one, two, three...and the final volley, all the bells at once, calling to praise, calling to Mass, filling the air, stating their calm possession of this apostate city of saints. Just in time. If Mass hasn’t already started. Because here comes Fr. Lorans [say “Low-rawnce”], out the door, passing me in the crosswalk, smiling, surprised. “Bonjour, Monsieur l’abbé,” “Bonjour, Mademoiselle”; he would surely tip his hat if he had one. And Fr. Thouvenot [say “Too-ven-oh”], younger, quicker, resolute, with his black briefcase in hand. Quick, but he holds the door when he sees me. “Merci, Monsieur l’abbé,” “Bonjour, Mademoiselle,” and a bow, and off. Off, through the Place Maubert, across the Rue Saint Jacques, across the Boulevard Saint Michel, perhaps by way of the Rue Dante (yes, Dante lived here, too, and did some writing...). If Father wanted, he could cross through the Luxembourg Gardens, crisscrossing my own path of 20 minutes before, in front of the Senate, out the north gate near Saint Sulpice, near Saint Germain des Prés. But he probably takes the quicker route, straight west along the Rue des Écoles, down the Rue de l’École de Médecine, before St. Sulpice, under the shadow of the great Bossuet, orator of princes and prince of orators, reigning over Visconti’s “Fountain of the Four Bishops,” across the Rue de Rennes. When they were carving out the Rue de Rennes in the 19th century, they uncovered a well-shaft and found it full of bones: the bones of over 100 priests, victims of the September Massacres of 1792, slain in the gardens of their own monastery. Most of the slain were the clergy of St. Nicholas du Chardonnet, but there were also a number of Carmelite priests. Their relics now lie enthroned, exposed in the crypt of the church that opens onto the same gardens; that church which was their prison in the days before their martyrdom. The Carmelite monastery is now a seminary of the diocese of Paris, behind the Catholic University of Paris. Find an obliging seminarian to show you around. Across the Rue de Rennes, and left into the Rue du Cherche-Midi. Past the gourmet bakery, past the shoe shop, past the jewelers... 21 Rue du Cherche-Midi, “au fond de la cour–at the end of the garden.” That is Paris: on the street, all you see is an iron gate or a massive, weathered, wooden door. But type in your code, or push the door, and you realize that Paris, the garish city of lights, is in fact a city of great discretion. A city with a sense of privacy. A city that opens inward. Behind the gate, 21 Rue du Cherche-Midi, a circle of brick Parisian apartments with their typical high windows. All is silence here behind the gate. A little later in the day, for hours on end, a pianist somewhere in one of the apartments serenades the passers-by; at odd hours, piano music filters into the classrooms. Father walks straight ahead and briskly up the steps of the building at the far end. “Au fond de la cour,” all the shutters are closed, it is only a little after eight. The chapel is still locked. The secretary isn’t in yet. Some black coffee, a little breakfast, check the fax machine; and the first students push through the same gate. Laughter, greetings as they walk to class, “at the end of the garden.” And up the stairs. “Bonjour, Monsieur l’abbé !”  The University Institute of Saint Pius X Interview with Fr. Thouvenot Father, you have been the rector of the Institute of Saint Pius X since 2002. Was this your first contact with the Institute? No. I knew the Institute for having attended conferences here as a student and followed a few courses. After my ordination, I was appointed here as a professor before succeeding Fr. Lorans. Tell us a little bit about the history of the Institute and the circumstances of its founding. Who founded the Institute of Saint Pius X, and why? The Institute of Saint Pius X has been here for 27 years. Archbishop Lefebvre founded the Institute in 1980 at the request of several professors. Many came from the Sorbonne and wanted to rescue higher education from the post-1968 disaster by providing a Catholic atmosphere for studies, rather than purely secular if not atheist. Most of them had signed a petition in support of Archbishop Lefebvre during the “hot summer” of 1976.1 The Archbishop blessed their project after taking time to reflect, seeing that the idea was serious, that the professors were motivated. In his sermon for the ordination Mass in 1980 he announced the foundation of this university institute, which he considered as a real blessing from our Lord, a gift from heaven for the tenth anniversary of the Society. It is the crown of the Society’s educational work in France, the continuation of its schools. What is the relation today between the Society of Saint Pius X and the Institute of Saint Pius X? The Institute forms a part of the educational works directed by the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X. What are the specific advantages of your professorial staff? Competence and quality, first of all. The professorial staff is highly qualified. We have several doctors, or doctorate plus agrégation,2 graduates of the École Normale Supérieure,3 of the École des Chartes,4 etc. Next, their approachability. The family atmosphere of the college facilitates conversation between the professors and their students, makes it easy to ask advice. Finally, the love of what they do, under the eyes of God, faithful to the educational mission of the Church. Do they teach elsewhere than at the Institute? Yes. Our professors teach in other universities, in Paris and in other major cities of France, or in preparatory schools5 or in high schools. What is it that attracts these professors? The desire to teach classes that are intellectually stimulating within a privileged environment. We do not have the problems of discipline or promiscuity that you find in the huge universities, where anarchy, student strikes, and mental mishmash too often reign supreme. We foster a spirit of genuine civility, teaching classes of a reasonable size with a coherent curriculum. How are the relations between the Institute and the French Ministry of Education, the French university system? The Institute of Saint Pius X is a private establishment of higher education offering classes toward the Licence (in English, the licentiate degree) and the Maîtrise in philosophy, classics, and history. But it is the Paris Board of Education [Rectorat de l’Académie de Paris] that delivers the diplomas, which are recognized not only nationally but throughout Europe. Was that the case from the beginning? Was there a struggle to gain recognition? In the beginning we had an agreement with the Sorbonne, which theoretically guaranteed us a certain autonomy for our curriculum. But our autonomy kept shrinking as the years went by, until one day it effectively was no more. Providence took care of everything in 2001: henceforth, a board of directors [jury rectoral] composed of professors at the Institute answers for the seriousness  of the establishment, watches over the curriculum, organizes the examinations, grants equivalencies, etc. Which means we now have total freedom to offer a quality higher education. What is the value of the diplomas obtained by your students? Because the French State holds the monopoly of university degrees, the Commissioner of the Paris Board of University Education [Recteur Chancelier des Universités de Paris] delivers our diplomas of Licentiate and Maîtrise. Their value is the same as at any other university, since the diploma is recognized nationally and even throughout Europe. Officially obtained, of course, at the Institute of Saint Pius X. Describe the program of studies put in place by your predecessors. What was their inspiration in their choice of a curriculum? In the beginning there was the agreement with the Sorbonne, which meant that we were obliged to follow the same program as the Sorbonne, but obviously we gave it a Catholic touch: Thomistic philosophy, history of the Church, Christian authors, in order to teach differently. There would have been no point in coming here if it were only to receive the same teaching as in the State universities. So from the very beginning there were classes in introduction to philosophy for every major, Latin and Greek, classical and Christian civilization, spiritual conferences, symposiums, etc. However, ever since 2001, ever since we were set free, ever since we obtained the recognition of our independence, we have tried to organize our programs even better, following more closely the scholastic formation in philosophy, introducing more history of the Church, studying Christian authors, the Fathers of the Church, etc. The order of studies has likewise been improved, made a more coherent whole. To give you a few examples, this year we gave a history class on the relations between the Cross and the Crescent: the age-old battle between Islam and Christianity, especially around the Mediterranean, from the Byzantine Empire all the way to the Ottoman Empire. We have also inaugurated a “French Heritage” course which helps the students better know the treasures of the capital. We continue to concentrate on the classical humanities, Latin and Greek. In English, the students are discovering Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest, currently at the Odeon, by the way.6 Could you tell us more about the curriculum, the different courses of study? All of our programs are described on-line on our website, www.iuspx.com, or else anyone interested can write and ask for greater detail. Just to give you an idea, in philosophy, for example, we follow the scholastic formation. There are logic classes over three years. The formation begins with a general introduction, ethics before political science, physics before metaphysics, psychology then epistemology, and we complete the program with an initiation to theology, the crowning glory of the program and of all Christian philosophy. You do not offer a degree in theology? No. To give a little bit of context to our readers, how does the American bachelor’s degree, particularly in liberal arts, compare with the licentiate degree that you offer? For one thing, the French degree is over three years, the bachelor’s is a four year degree. In America, liberal arts universities often impose a “core curriculum” in the first two years of the bachelor’s degree, requiring that all students take a certain number of hours of class in every discipline, before specializing in one subject which will be their “major.” Do you impose a similar program? I’m afraid the two systems are not really comparable. In France, the students specialize in their fourth year, but they already choose their course of study in the first year. For example, if they are working on a licentiate in history, for three years they will have to take classes in ancient and medieval history, modern and contemporary history, plus geography or art history. They will only specialize in their fourth year, when they begin the Maîtrise. Of course, ever since 2005 and the European educational reform, they are trying to make the different courses of study more flexible, to open up the partitions, as they say [décloisonner], so that students can choose electives in other subjects. But they remain electives for those students who already have their “major.” The only thing which resembles what you describe is the class of introduction to philosophy, which is required for all of the students in their first semester, as a kind of propaedeutics [preparatory instruction]. Could you explain the new reform of the French system, which just changed to be in line with the Anglo-Saxon diploma system? There is no longer a national system of education, but “a great European domain of knowledge,” as one of the French Ministers put it. France used to have a diploma after two years, the DEUG; after three years, the licentiate, after four years the Maîtrise, after five years the DESS or the DEA (“diploma of applied studies” or “diploma of specialized higher studies”), and finally the dissertation, the doctorate. So we had diplomas of baccalaureate +2, +3, +4, +5, and +8. Now the system has been simplified, there are only three diplomas, baccalaureate +3, 5 and 8: Licentiate, Master’s, Doctorate. Did you follow them in this reform? Yes, we reformed our Licentiate, reorganizing it over six semesters, over three years, and eliminating the DEUG, which had become obsolete. However, we have not yet received the authorization to open a complete Master’s program, so we have kept the old system of www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007  the Maîtrise, which retains its value as a diploma, since it is still in effect. Where do most of your French students come from? Solely from traditional chapels? And for students who have earned a Maîtrise and who would like to earn a Master’s... Normally, they would just register for Master’s second Year, and obtain a recognition of their Maîtrise from the new university. Not only, but in general. Most come from traditional high schools, boarding schools or day-schools, others come from public school and knew about the Institute because their parents are among the faithful at our chapels. Some of them found us through the Internet or on the radio. It generally goes very smoothly? You advertise on the radio? Yes, of course. At least as long as the universities are not too autonomous from one another and have fairly similar criteria of selection. You have to see case by case, because different universities can have different requirements. Is this system going to make it easier for American students to pass into the European university system and vice-versa? I think with the new system of credits it amounts to the same thing. For a student coming to the Institute with credits from an American university, our board of directors comes together for an evaluation or equivalence committee and authorizes inscription or not, and at a given level, according to previous education and transcripts. Have you already welcomed foreign students? Yes. Mostly from Europe? Not only. Over the seven years that I have been here, I have seen students from the Ukraine, from England, from Belgium, Italy, Angola, Gabon, Argentina, Mexico, Columbia, Germany, and Switzerland, and the United States, of course! There is a certain amount of diversity. Even among the French, we have students from the Caribbean island of Reunion, from Martinique, etc. What would you say to a young American who is thinking about the possibility of coming to study in France? Could you tell us a little bit about the steps he would have to take and the obstacles he may have to overcome? Everything depends on his level of studies, that is all. There is also the obstacle of the language. You have to have a mastery of the language before registering. There is a competency test organized every year in order to verify that the students would be able to follow classes in French. It is the TCF, the French Competency Test, which takes place on March 9. An American who wanted to register at the Institute of Saint Pius X would have to pass this test the year before his enrollment.7 So you could accept credits from students who had already completed a year or more of university studies? They would not necessarily have to start all over? No, but everything depends on the decision of our evaluation and equivalence committee. THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org On Radio Courtoisie, which broadcasts from Paris.8 We also host other activities, symposiums, the review of the Institute. How many students enroll at the Institute every year? It depends. This year I have around 100 students including about 30 auditors at our night classes. What do most young French traditionalists do after the baccalaureate? 9 They continue their studies, because the baccalaureate is not worth much anymore, the level has really gone down... Professional formations normally open to students with bac +3, which means after the licentiate. So they have a good reason to come to the Institute of Saint Pius X, earn a licentiate, and then go on, either along the same lines as our literary studies, which are centered around teaching and university research, it is true; or else specializing in another area of studies. At least they will have acquired the maturity they may not have had at 18. What would you say to French parents, especially parents of boys, who object that a liberal arts education will not get their son a job, and that he would be forced to go to school for several more years? Everything depends on whether the student has genuine qualities or aptitudes for teaching or university research. In that case he will be like a fish in water. Moreover, I direct an establishment of higher studies and so I expect the students to study. When they leave here, they will know how to write, how to work; they will have acquired a method of study, they will have matured. If they do not wish to continue in the liberal arts and their natural career outlets, they can easily branch off into complementary or parallel formations. To my knowledge, no former student is out of work. Are the activities of the Institute limited to courses for young students? No. The Institute publishes a university review, Vu de Haut [Seen from Above], which you can obtain if you go to the Institute’s website, www.iuspx.com. Every year we have symposiums on different themes, and Monday evenings during the academic year we give conferences on various subjects: history, theology, spirituality, politics, economics... C  Father, what is you vision for the future? You have obtained official State recognition for the Institute; you have helped to build up an extraordinary professorial staff and a very serious program of studies. What progress remains to be accomplished in the years to come? Eh bien, better. Doing better what we already do, focusing even more on rendering our teaching truly Catholic, on the intellectual quality demanded of candidates; correcting what may still be lacking. We certainly are not perfect. Paris was not built in a day... but “impossible” isn’t French! 1 The summer of the “suspensio a divinis,” after the ordinations at Ecône. (1976 also happened to be a year of record heat-waves in Europe.) 2 The agrégation is a prestigious professional qualification for high school and university teachers in France; it consists in a series of examinations at which only 10% of candidates succeed. 3 The École Normale Supérieure is one of the “grandes écoles” of France, intended for future teachers and university researchers; only 5-10% of candidates pass the entrance exam. 4 The École des Chartes is another of the extremely prestigious “grandes écoles,” for the formation of historians, archivists, and librarians. 5 The French “classes préparatoires” or “écoles préparatoires” consist in two years of intensive study after the baccalaureate for students aiming to pass the agrégation or enter one of the grandes écoles. 6 The Odéon was founded by the Académie Française in 1782 to lodge the king’s official players; it was closed for a time during the Revolution and the actors placed under arrest for having staged a play denouncing the Terror. From Theater of the Nation it officially became the Theater of Europe in 1990 and specializes in international productions. It remains the most famous theater in Paris, alongside the Opéra (cf. www.theatre-odeon.fr). 7 See www.ciep.fr/en/tcf/ (The present writer was not obliged to take this test for entry into graduate work. It may be possible to present equivalencies.) 8 www.radiocourtoisie.net. 9 The baccalaureate is a series of standardized examinations administered by the State after high school and are the equivalent of a diploma. High schools in France do not have the right to give a valid diploma, but only prepare students for the “bac.” Courses of Study Classics: French Language and Literature: l l l l l Introduction to literary genres: poetry, theater, narrative prose, novels Literary methodology toward the study of classical 17th-century literature The great 20th century authors Literature and language of the Middle Ages French grammar Latin Language and Literature: l l l Mastery of the language and grammar, initiation to linguistic studies Selected works of Latin literature Roman history and civilization Greek Language and Literature: l l l l Greek classes for beginners Linguistics Selected works of Greek literature History of Greek civilization History: Ancient History: l l l l Introduction to the history of Rome The Roman Republic, from the Punic Wars to Augustus The Roman Empire, from its foundation to its conversion to Christianity Greek History, from Athenian hegemony to Alexander’s Empire Medieval History: l l l l The High Middle Ages, from the barbarian invasions to the Carolingian renewal The Capetian Middle Ages The Hundred Years’ War and its consequences The Duchies of Brittany and Burgundy in the 14th and 15th centuries Modern History: l l l l l Political institutions and society under the Ancien Régime From the Italian dream to national unity (16th-17th centuries) Religious France and its role in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries France under Louis XV and Louis XVI The Enlightenment Contemporary History: l l International relations in the 19th century The question of nations and French nationalism from Napoleon III to the Great War l l The Holy See, Church and State in France (1849-1939) France between the wars History of Political Ideas: from Ancient times to present day Geography Elective: Physical geography and demographics Art History Elective: l l l Medieval art, pro-Romanesque and Romanesque History of Renaissance and Western arts: Northern Europe, France and Spain in the 15th and 16th centuries. Baroque and classical art in Italy and Europe (1590-1660), Rome in the 17th century Philosophy: l l l l l l Philosophy of nature, history of ancient philosophy Psychology, moral philosophy, methodology, logic Metaphysics, philosophy of science, modern philosophy, political philosophy First philosophy, history of modern and contemporary philosophy History of political ideas Initiation to theology Integrated Preparations (parallel to the degree programs): Teacher Formation: Preparation for teaching through the study of genuine pedagogical methods, taking into account the elements of realistic psychology. The formation includes four hours per week over two years, with internships in primary or secondary schools. Political Science: Preparation for the entrance exam for the Paris Institute of Political Studies through the acquisition of a solid formation in general culture, contemporary history and the English language. The formation includes classes in general culture and the history of political ideas (4 hours) as well as preparation for the history exam (2 hours). Weekly evaluative tests. Living Latin: Latin for beginners all the way through to advanced level, under the direction of Professor Viain, according to the internationally reputed Ørberg method. www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 The 10 University Institute of Saint Pius X Interview with Catherine Catherine, why did you choose to come to the Institute of Saint Pius X instead of going to school in England, for example? I would have liked to study maybe classics at Oxford, but it was only kind of a small idea because my parents wouldn’t have wanted me to go to Oxford on my own. The way that universities are, it’s very hard to keep the Faith and lead a proper moral life, especially if you’re on your own with no other Catholic friends to support you, so I decided to stay in France, especially as we’ve just moved to France. So do you live then with your parents, or are you living on your own in Paris? I live on my own in Paris, and I go home quite regularly, back to Normandy, where my parents live now. What are you studying? History, with an option in history of art. Where did you learn French? I learned it when I arrived at school, in the 8th form [fourth grade], so I was eight. I’d had a couple of French lessons before but just learned as I went along, really. Is this degree which you are earning at the Institute going to be valid if you decide to return to England, THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org for example, or continue your studies elsewhere? You haven’t finished, in any case; you still have a year to go. No, I haven’t finished. I’ve just finished my second year, so I have one more year to get the license, which is a European diploma. I haven’t really actually looked into what way it’s going to be valid, but it’s a European system, and it’s been changed especially to fit to European standards. Including England? If you consider England to be a part of Europe. I haven’t checked, to be honest, but I should think it should, or at least a Maîtrise, should be the equivalent of a Master of Arts. But you’re not planning on going back to school in England? What are you planning? Not at all at the moment, no; I’m planning to carry on in France obviously for one more year, then afterwards hopefully to go to a State university, like the Sorbonne, to do an equivalence in history of art, then go to Italy for my Master’s course, then maybe to work in Italy in history of art. Do you have friends who are going to the university in England? Do you have any comparison with the level of studies at the Institute versus the level of universities in England? All my friends who went to university in England went to Oxford, so obviously the comparison is 11 difficult. I think compared to—obviously in England I don’t know really what the level is, apart from Oxford and Cambridge, which is obviously a very good level, especially in things like classics—but compared to French universities, the Institute is definitely superior, above average, especially even compared to the Sorbonne, which has good teachers, but the Institute has better working conditions that make it easier to have a more personal working method....The teacher follows you up much more in the Institute, and it’s easier to talk to him, to get help if you need it. Do you work part-time or are you just a student? Do you have other activities? In the way of leisure I sing in a choir. Next year I’ll have singing lessons, but as for working, I haven’t done so yet for these first two years, but I hope maybe next year to get something in the way of just baby-sitting or something. Do you have difficulty adjusting to being in a different country and dealing with the French all day long? Or are you just so used to it? Well, this is my tenth year in France, so obviously I get used to it! Interview with Diego Diego, could you start by telling us how you heard about the Institute? I heard about the Institute from priests of the Society who come to Mexico, and for a long time they had been telling me that there was a university of the Society in Paris. So I looked on the Internet for the Institute’s website, and I found information there. Did you already speak French? No, when I got to France I did not speak French yet, but I first went to a Society school, to follow some 11th grade classes. I did that for six months, then I stayed with three different families, and I had to speak French. So I took a year to learn French, and then I came to the Institute. The school was in Alsace, and I also lived in Lyons, and then starting in February 2005 I was in Paris. Where do you stay now? Did you already know people who lived in France? I found my lodgings through the priory, St. Nicholas du Chardonnet. I called the Mutual Aid number, and there I found an elderly lady who offered to rent me a room. What is your major at the Institute? I am working on a Licence in history. I am in my first year. Do you intend to return to Mexico with that degree? Yes, exactly, I intend to return to Mexico at the end of my studies, normally at the end of my Master’s, so that means five years of studying in France. Then I will go back to Mexico, since in Mexico a foreign diploma is more impressive than a national diploma. If you don’t mind talking about it, I know you had a serious car accident at the beginning of the year. Did you feel that the students and professors at the Institute supported you during your recovery? Are you going to lose your year, or is the Institute helping you catch up? It is true that I felt the support of my classmates, even those I didn’t know very well. For example, there was a boy in my class who was with me at the time of the accident, Pierre-Joseph. He stood by me during the whole time I was in the hospital, he often came to see me. Beyond that, some of the other students from the Institute came to see me, especially when I was back in [the hospital in] Paris. While I was still in Tours, Nolwenn came to visit me just before she went home on vacation. Several other people came to see me when I was in Paris. At first I thought I was not going to be able to carry on with my studies, because I had lost three months and I did not feel at all up to continuing. But after speaking with some of the professors at the Institute, with the Rector, the secretary, they told me that if I worked hard I could just maybe pull through the year. So in spite of that feeling of powerlessness after the accident, I decided to go ahead and try, and in fact I am about to take the final exams in June for the second semester. In September I will take the make-up exams for the first semester, which I lost. But it is truly thanks to the professors at the Institute, especially to the Rector, that I came back to school. Otherwise, I had decided to come back next year and redo my first year. But now I am going to try to make it this year. Normally, if everything goes well, even if there are still two or three classes that I fail, I can still go on next year and at the same time work on the classes I didn’t pass this year. Are you spending the summer in France, or are you going back to Mexico? For the summer vacation I am going back to Mexico, for the first time in two years. I think it’s important; I really miss my family. www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 12 The University Institute of Saint Pius X Interview with Monsieur Lanavère Mr. Lanavère,1 you have been with the Institute of Saint Pius X for many years. Can you start by telling us what subjects you teach here? I teach French literature. One of the founders of the university, Jean-Pierre Brancourt,2 a law professor who taught government history, brought me over from the Sorbonne, where my specialty was 17th-century French literature. Right away I had to start teaching all of French literature. Are you still a professor at the Sorbonne? I am still there, not as a professor, but as a conference master. What first attracted you to the Institute? What made you come and what makes you stay? What makes me stay is that the atmosphere at the school is extremely pleasant. A small number of students, all of them–or nearly all of them–hard workers, enjoyable personalities. Every now and then we have students with difficulties, and it is rewarding to be able to become involved and help them. And then there are the rectors. I have been under three rectors: Fr. Simoulin,3 Fr. Lorans, and now Fr. Thouvenot. All of them are very different, all of them extremely pleasant, good colleagues; again, all of them very different, coming from all sorts of backgrounds. In the beginning, the Institute had professors from all over France, not only Paris; people who wanted there to exist a Catholic university, faithful to Tradition. And now some of my colleagues are former students! Eh, oui! Time has gone by, because I must be the most senior professor, along with Mr. Buron.4 THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org The school has always been very pleasant. At the least problem, we can meet with the parents. The parents tell the rector about their worries. We are able to have a real impact on the students. And then, the school is Catholic: there is a chapel on the ground floor, there is Mass every day, you can stop in and say a prayer, speak with a priest. So the school pleases me a great deal, all the more so because I have taught at the Catholic Institute of Paris for even longer, for 40 years, and I saw a Catholic university little by little becoming less and less Catholic, less and less Christian, with students brought on board any which way, priestly colleagues leading scandalous lives, theology and philosophy departments where they teach everything except Catholic theology and Christian philosophy. So I have witnessed the decline. Obviously there are still students, there are still professors. But the directives of the popes in matters of Catholic teaching are never respected at the Catholic Institute of Paris. So I witnessed the decline over there, and in spite of everything I still teach there, because I love teaching, and because they have a splendid library; but their teaching is no longer Catholic, or even Christian. Whereas here it is the contrary. How do you find the level of studies here compared to what you find elsewhere? Better? Worse? Watered down? As regards the level of classes, the seriousness of the students? I think it is better, because I know my colleagues, professors of Philosophy and History, and they are remarkable. As for Classics, I don’t mean to praise e 13 myself (many of my former students are professors) but the level is better because here we only have Classical Literature, so not Modern literature. That might seem to be a disadvantage, from a certain point of view, because if we had Modern Literature we would certainly draw more students. But here the young men and the young women come to us with Latin and Greek; those are serious subjects, first of all very demanding. They have to translate French into Greek or French into Latin. And then it gives them an excellent culture in the very foundations of the West. So here I have no difficulty teaching 17th-century literature. When we study Tartuffe, for example, [by Molière], I am not obliged to give them a little introductory catechism lesson and explain that in Paris in 1664 Catholicism was the dominant religion. No, the level here is better. The pity is that we do not have more students. And do you think it is because of the subjects that are offered? In literature, yes. And I also think that for children coming from traditional families, educated in traditional schools—it is true of them, but it was true of me, too, when I was in high school–there comes a moment, after graduation, when you dream of freedom, of total freedom, and I think the children do not want to find themselves back in an environment they think is going to restrict them. So, you have to make their studies more attractive, offer cultural activities that are enriching and original. In the literature curriculum, we try to introduce works that have never been studied. The students we have are good. I have kept in contact with a good number, and students send me news after they graduate. Young women who are now religious, very good religious, teaching or contemplative; others teach, they are excellent professors, in traditional schools or elsewhere. Many of the young women are married, have children, they raise them well. I have the impression that the students leaving here perfectly succeed their passage into adult life. Which, as we know, is not the case elsewhere. Let’s talk a little bit about “elsewhere.” At the Sorbonne, for example, have you noticed a decline in the behavior of students? Are there real problems? The tragedy with the Sorbonne—and I wish them no ill because I think it is one of the least bad universities as far as literature goes, and we have good presidents, who try very hard—but the tragedy is that we have a huge number of students who are there without the least vocation to literature. They were bad in science, so they are not in a science program, they are not preparing to enter engineering school. They are bad in foreign languages; they cannot handle a foreign language. Ultimately, they are bad in everything, they are very mediocre students. Don’t worry, I have been teaching for 40 years, and there is still the same small proportion of excellent students. But what has disappeared is the solid average student. Now, 70-80% of the students are frankly poor and decide to study literature because they do not know what else to do. The do not want to read, they do not know how to write, they do not know how to think, they have no logic, they do not want to study Latin, they do not want to study foreign languages. You can see it in the hallways: In February there are little notices on the walls from students selling their books from the first semester. They sell Molière, Victor Hugo, Baudelaire–because they do not need them, they are no longer of any use, they have their “credit” and that is enough. We are dealing with students without a vocation. Not unpleasant, not very well bred, very, very poor intellectually. Here, no. We have had students with psychological problems, like you find everywhere, less than elsewhere, but they are still students who love to read. They were taught how to read. Is it possible to attend class in peace? Yes, but that has not always been the case. The students are becoming less and less political. There were certain years, after May 1968,5 which were sometimes very turbulent. But on the whole that is over. Today is the consumer generation, very ill-bred. I have taught classes where the boys keep their baseball hat on their head, everyone chewing their chewinggum. The young ladies are constantly drinking. They think it makes them thinner. They are lazy; they come late and leave early. The French no longer read—except the free newspapers they hand out in the subway. Here, at the Institute of Saint Pius X, I know that the boys and girls have a number of healthy activities alongside their studies. They are leaders of scout troops, they sing in choirs, they are active in Catholic movements; several of the boys are in theater. One of my students had an excellent reading voice and she used her talent to record books for the blind. I find them all very active. It is a sign of intellectual health. Fr. Thouvenot granted us an interview and spoke of the events of a year ago, with all the student strikes, and two months without classes. Did those events have any echo at the Institute? Did you have any problems at the Sorbonne? At the Sorbonne, yes. My memories are a little confused because there have been so many strikes, student strikes and public transportation strikes! In general, the students at the Sorbonne do what they can to come, but they cannot come when there are bus and metro strikes. And then there is always some leftist student commando, extreme left, who does something idiotic, and then the Paris Board of Education, which has authority over all the public universities, closes the Sorbonne to avoid damage being done. At that point there are no more classes. The professors cannot www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 14 come, starting up again is always laborious. Every time there is a vacation or else a strike, the students take advantage of the opportunity to abandon everything. Yes. You must never give students a vacation! (If you want to keep them from the beginning of the year to the end.) At the Institute, there was no problem, except that certain students who lived far away, in the suburbs, couldn’t manage to get here. Otherwise, no problem. That is typically French, always going on strike. Typically. Alas, alas. It is truly absurd. But actually, that is not quite true! Let me remind you that the great European upheavals of 1968 started at Berkeley, which is not a French university. True enough. So May ’68 began in America? Yes, the Vietnam War protests, the strikes, the student sit-ins, and the far left, Marxist extremism with Marcuse.6 And then sexual liberation, cohabitation in the university dormitories. It all began over there, and then Europe imitated: Berlin first, then Paris, and then Milan, Barcelona... I have the impression that the effects were more lasting and more severe in Europe. Alas. Alas. But here, truly, we do not have that kind of problem. You speak of politics; we have a few boys here who have a tendency to be active politically, usually not left-wing! So we professors tell them to be careful. Political activism can be very engaging, and their studies pay the price. So we try to tell them, fine, go put up posters, distribute literature, it is good to be involved; but be careful, your studies come first! Archbishop Lefebvre used to tell the students: “Your duty of state is to pass your tests. To learn as much as you can. And the rest comes after.” He said it because, in the beginning, many students, men and women, were active in youth groups. Eh, oui. They spent hours and days organizing pilgrimages; they would be better off translating Latin and writing essays. That is a student’s duty of state. He was right. He always had so much common sense. Since you have known the Institute practically from the beginning, could you tell us a little bit about life under the different rectors? Angelus readers know Fr. Simoulin, for example, because his sermons are sometimes published in America. Did you know him well when he was here? Very well. Ah, yes. I have many memories of him. Our Rector Fr. Simoulin had been a career officer, a military man who then entered the seminary, so he conducted himself like a military man. He was demanding, straightforward, strict, did not want the young ladies to wear pants, did not want them in miniskirts. He was constantly posting up notices to remind THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org students of the rules. He was very imposing, with big black eyebrows. He looked very severe—too severe. But he had a wonderful sense of humor. We had a lot of fun together. I made fun of him, he made fun of me. We were partners in crime. I admire him because he was really not interested in directing a university. What he enjoyed was the ministry, he loved preaching retreats to monks and nuns. He was very spiritual, a man who loved the priestly ministry. He was not a university type. But thanks to him we had excellent relations with the Sorbonne because he was extremely dignified and had a lot of finesse. At that time the students had to pass all of their tests at the Sorbonne. We had to negotiate the curriculum. Everything went very, very well. In those days, Archbishop Lefebvre was still alive, and the Institute used to have a party at the Mutuality.7 The students sang, put on a play. And we had a Latin professor, a priest, Fr. Baillot,8 very scholarly, very original. He had the students stage a scene in Latin, a Medieval mystery play in Latin, and they staged a scene in Greek. All of the parents applauded, and they had not understood a single word! Archbishop Lefebvre came here many times, with his kind smile. He came to encourage us, and he was all kindness and encouragement. In the days of Fr. Lorans....Fr. Lorans was full of humor, always playing on words. He was a literary type, he had studied literature. The atmosphere suddenly became less military. The young ladies were very appreciative. Now they could get away with skirts to the knee! Fr. Simoulin wanted them well below the knee. The relations with the Sorbonne remained very good with Fr. Lorans, as well. There used to be a party for the rector’s birthday, and the students put on a play, which was performed in the room on the ground floor. I can remember... different professors used to recite poems. I read a poem I had pulled together, in Alexandrine verse, it must have been for Fr. Simoulin’s 50th birthday. I made great fun of him and his advanced age–I am a few months older than he is! For another birthday, or for some other event at the Institute, the students put on The Miser. One of the characters in Molière’s The Miser is a very unsavory woman who is a matchmaker. She is trying to sell a young lady to Harpagon. The part was played by a young lady who took on the most vulgar allure. You would have thought you had walked into a house of ill repute—that student is now a nun. And a good nun! Sometimes we would all go together to see a play when they were staging something that was on the curriculum. It was almost a family atmosphere, very convivial. No, life here has always been amusing, with a few eccentric professors. For example the Latin professor I mentioned, Fr. Baillot, who was very demanding, very strict with the students, always worried about the decline in quality–so of course the quality never declined! We had a history professor, Mr. Guillotel—he 15 is no longer here, he died—who thought that France was finished, finished, down the drain...ever since the Merovingians9! His specialty was the Merovingians. After that, everything basically fell apart. Forget the Capetians! Forget them! Yes, very original professors, enthusiastic, brilliant, amusing, who have always had a very good relationship with the students, very human, paternal, friendly. Which is indispensable. Since the students are relatively few in number, we know them, and we enjoy poking fun at them–and they poke fun at us, but nicely! Just this morning, I was sneezing, coughing, blowing my nose, and one of them told me I was just like the “imaginary invalid” of Molière, which is on the curriculum. No, the little anecdotes are all very sunny. And I can say that we have worked wonders. Every now and then we have had freshman who arrive here in a terrible state, young men who had failed in law, failed in literature; they get here and we made something of them. They regained their self-confidence, they learned how to smile again, they made progress in their studies, they passed their tests. Now they are married, fathers and mothers of families, and we can tell ourselves that it is thanks to the Institute. What would you say to young people who would be afraid to come to Paris, who would not come to the Institute because they would be afraid of this big city, crushing and full of vice? Is it an advantage or a disadvantage having the Institute in the heart of the capital? It is a great advantage. It is a very great advantage. I am not afraid for the students. We have a network of rooms, parishioners at St. Nicholas who rent rooms in their apartments, we can help them find lodging in Paris.10 Very quickly they are shown the good areas of Paris; good students find their niche. Students from the country have the opportunity to discover Paris–modern Babylon, Sodom and Gomorrah, but not only! In Paris you have the Académie Française, in Paris you have the Louvre. In Paris you have a quantity of national monuments, of walks to take. Archbishop Lefebvre used to say to us—and I love to repeat it—traditional families, families with the Society, must not close themselves into a ghetto, a church within the Church, almost like a sect. We have to stay Catholic and traditional, but we also have to live in our time. And the Archbishop wanted us to open the windows: girls especially, coming from their provincial towns, with very little exposure to the outside world, shut away in their families or in their boarding schools, but the boys, as well, who have their little youth group, their Mass times, their priest, their network of family and friends. The Archbishop wanted us to teach these boys and these girls—not how to live, they live very well!—not to change their faith or modify their commitment, but to look the world in the face, as it is. As he himself always did with so much lucidity. Right around the corner, you have St. Germain des Prés.11 Or even here in the Rue du Cherche-Midi, at certain times of the day you can see a shameless crowd of what they call the “bo-bo’s,” the “bohemianbourgeoisie.” Filthy rich Parisians glued to the shop windows, buying monstrosities at exorbitant prices. There are luxury restaurants where the bohemian intellectuals all pile in, television stars, eh oui, the street is crawling with them. All Paris knows their names. It is very good that our students run into them, even challenge them, not be ashamed to be what they are, and know how to practice their Christian virtues even in Paris. So I think that for foreigners or for young people from the outlying towns, it is fabulous that we should be here right in the heart of Paris, and that we should be able to offer them a solid framework for Catholic studies. Hearing you speak, apparently Archbishop Lefebvre put a lot of stock in the Institute, staked a great deal on the work to be done here. A great deal. He used to remind us that for the Society it was a serious expense; he wanted the school to be full to cracking. We could welcome 50 or 100 more students without a problem. And, it seems to me, so much the better if those students come from very different places. This year I was delighted to have two young ladies from England as students. It may be an opportunity for other students to go to England, stay with those families and learn English at the same time, eh oui! We had a very good student who came from Madagascar, Eva. We have a foreign language professor who is Russian, another who is British, and it is a very good thing. It adds a certain culture to our students, a certain open-mindedness. It is a beautiful building. We are welcomed here by an association honoring the memory of Bishop Gaston de Ségur, the son of Madame the Countess of Ségur, who is an author of children’s books, from the Second Empire.12 So we teach class in some of their rooms, which have a sort of 19th-century feel to them. The altar in the chapel was the altar of Bishop de Ségur. The house is modern, but they brought his altar from his private chapel, end of the 19th century, and installed it here. And the conference room of the association is actually the private study of Bishop de Ségur. You may have seen all the old pictures of bishops from the 19th century. The students are amused by that old-fashioned feel to the place because you almost feel like you are in another century. And then you go out in the street and you find modern people, people of today, and we are modern ourselves! www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 16 Frs. Thouvenot and De Cacqueray It is true that it is a lovely environment. Very lovely. But it does feel like, oui, like a 19th-century apartment! It used to be even more that way. The association which welcomes us, which lodges us, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. So there used to be old portraits of priests from the turn of the century, bishops from 1880, cardinals... Sounds like a pre-seminary! Yes, what the seminaries used to be like. They kept the portraits of old professors, of old bishops, of old dignitaries. The Institute still has that side, a little bit, but it is not unpleasant. You step into a different world, all in keeping your feet firmly in today. Then there is the chapel. You may have noticed the portrait of St. Francis de Sales; I think there is also a picture of St. Peter. Those are the works of Bishop de Ségur, who used to paint. Eh, oui! Who painted very well, who had real artistic talent, and he ended up entering the seminary. So we are in his private chapel, where he celebrated Mass all his life. He was a great friend of Pope Pius IX. But that brings us back to 1850. There is also a display window in the chapel containing vestments worn by the pope, if I am not mistaken? Yes. Pius IX had a great affection for Bishop de Ségur, and he offered him the miter which he wore for the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception. So on the one hand you have a modern building, but there is an historical side to it, which is fairly amusing. It is extraordinary. That is why I am going to keep teaching here for as long as I possibly can. 1 “Lan-a-vayre.” “Brahn-coor.” “See-moo-lahn.” 4 “Bew-ron.” 5 In May 1968, a wave of student protests, workers’ strikes, and rioting brought the government to its knees and resulted in a number of permanent reforms which changed the face of French society. 6 Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979), author of Eros and Civilization, was a German-American philosopher, influenced by Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud as well as Martin Heidegger and Edmund Husserl. He was one of the most influential members of the so-called Frankfurt School, an association of thinkers uniting Freudian psychology with Communist theory in view of radical social change. It was first founded in Germany in the 1920’s as the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt, before taking refuge in the US in the 1930’s. See the article by Arnaud de Lassus, “Cultural Revolution: The Frankfurt School,” published in the July 2007 issue of the Angelus. 7 The Maison de la Mutualité is a conference hall next door to St. Nicholas du Chardonnet. 8 “Bye-oh.” 9 Frankish dynasty reigning from the fifth to the eighth century. 10 The priory of St. Nicholas du Chardonnet can be reached by dialing 011-33-1-44-27-07-90, fax 011-331-43-25-14-26. The Mutual Aide organization, “Service d’Entraide,” can be reached at the same number, or by dialing 011-33-1-43-25-72-14. 11 St. Germain des Prés is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Paris, built around an abbey first constructed in the sixth century, but Mr. Lanavère is referring to the district around the old abbey, known for being the literary center of Paris, with many bookstores and publishing houses but also many fashionable nightclubs and literary cafés, the gathering place of existentialists and intellectuals after the Second World War. JeanPaul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir held court at the Café de Flore, for example. 12 The Œuvre de Saint François de Sales, founded by Bishop de Ségur in 1857 to promote solid Catholic piety, apologetics, and instruction. Louis-Gaston de Ségur was born in Paris on April 15, 1820, the eldest son of Sophie Rostopchine and Eugene, Count de Ségur. Sophie was born in Russia in 1797, the daughter of General Rostopchine; her father was instrumental in forcing Napoleon’s defeat before Moscow, but he was later a victim of a political rivalry and exiled with his family to France. Mme de Ségur is famous as a woman of deep piety but also of broad culture and literary talent: she is the author of a large number of short novels for children which are still widely read in France. Louis-Gaston attended art classes for a time after graduation from high school but felt the call to the priesthood during a voyage to the family estate in Russia. He was a heroic defender against liberalism and Gallicanism as well as a wise director of souls; he likewise distinguished himself as a zealous advocate of frequent Communion for the laity and of first Communion at a young age, thus battling against the after-effects of Jansenism still affecting much of the French clergy. He suffered from total blindness from the age of 35 until his death on June 9, 1881. 2 3 St Germain des Pres THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org The 17 University Institute of Saint Pius X Interview with Maître Bouscau Master Bouscau, I would like to give our readers in America an idea of the professorial staff at the Institute of Saint Pius X. You are a history professor here, and I know that you teach elsewhere. Moreover, you are also president of the board of directors of the Institute. Yes, I am a law professor and I teach in the city of Rennes, in Brittany, and I am also a lawyer. What classes do you teach at the Institute? Here I teach history, but in fact I am a law historian. I have a Maîtrise in history, so in the public universities I teach law history, from antiquity to modern times. That is where I am most at ease. Here I began by teaching medieval history, the Capetian period, meaning between 987, the beginning of the reign of Hugh Capet, and the Hundred Years’ War [1337-1453]. And this year I am teaching the history of monarchic institutions between the 16th and the 19th centuries, the modern era. How did you learn about the Institute? Who first brought you on board? It was in the days of Fr. Lorans, when the Institute was changing systems. Before, there was an agreement with the Sorbonne, since the State has a monopoly over university degrees, and at that time the private universities–which were not called universities but “institutes”–had to bring their students before State professors. And then the politics changed; I think it is tied to European pressure. There are truly free universities in many neighboring countries, in Belgium for example. As a result, the State gave up the system of agreements, at least in certain cases, for us anyway, and they began the system of boards of directors [juries rectoraux]. That is why Fr. Lorans called on me. And you knew the Institute already since you were present, in fact, at the taking of St. Nicholas.1 Yes, I was at the taking of St. Nicholas, and my family is very attached to tradition–religiously, politically, etc. I also audited certain conferences, especially on the history of the Fathers of the Church. So I had known the Institute for a long time. Could you compare the Institute with the other universities where you have taught? On the one hand it is difficult to compare because of the question of number. The French state universities have opted for “mass universities”–not necessarily the right option–so even outside of Paris there are huge numbers of students, and many of them do not stay very long. So the relations with the students are much better at the Institute because we know who they are. At the state universities, those who want to work, work, and those who do not want to work...you only realize it when you are grading exams, too late. So there is the clear advantage of a nearly family atmosphere, which means there is more following-up of students. Moreover, certain students wish they were a little less followed-up! They look toward the state universities with envy! But the serious students really appreciate it. There is also the question of quality of studies. The state program is not to be disdained, but for example at the Institute we teach Latin. I know that some people, even in traditional circles, are not sure whether Latin should be a subject, but I think at the very least it gives an intellectual formation that prepares the way for many things, and I think it is very good. I think the State would do well to put Latin back in the law curriculum. They study less and less Roman law because fewer and fewer people study Latin. So the Institute is on the cutting edge, if you will. I am thinking of the Living Latin program, for example, taught by my colleague Mr. Viain. www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 18 Could you tell us a little bit about what the board of directors [jury rectoral] represents for the Institute and the freedom which it gave, as well as your own work within the board? It is a system which is fairly foreign for us. The board of directors is composed of state professors who are chosen by the president of the state university, in light of their qualifications. This board vouches for the results of studies at the Institute and bestows on them the value of state diplomas. We do a kind of transmutation, we do not change lead into gold but we transform diplomas from the Institute into state diplomas, since the Institute, like every private establishment, can give its own diplomas. Moreover, there are certain subjects in which the board of directors does not intervene, for example in the teacher-formation program. So the Institute could very well make its own diploma alongside the official diploma. That is what it did under the old system, under the agreement [with the Sorbonne], and it sometimes happened, amusingly enough, that certain students would receive the state diploma and fail to obtain the Institute diploma. Now, everything takes place at the Institute, and the results are examined by the committee which makes a final judgment. Sometimes when the student is floating around a passing grade we let him pass, for example. But we are not lax–I’ll come back to that later. Nonetheless, the committee looks at all the results, declares them officially, and the diploma granted by the Institute is a state diploma, which means it is good anywhere. Now, when I say that we are not lax, I mean we are not a kind of diploma distributing machine. The unworthy students are asked to step aside, and we do sometimes refuse to give a diploma. To give you an idea of how a committee meeting works, it is fairly amusing, because there are three sections to the room. There is the committee in the middle, to the left you have representatives of the National Ministry of Education who watch over everything to make sure it all takes place according to the rules, and to whom we send the minutes of the meeting, and our test subjects, so we are followed really very closely. And then on the other side you have the representatives of the institution, the rector and a few professors. That is how it all takes place. Beside all that, there are certain powers proper to the president of the jury, for example in the matter of equivalencies: there the president alone, namely yours truly, has the right to grant equivalencies according to the diplomas presented. It is fairly strict. Sometimes there are foreign students with diplomas which are not covered by an equivalence agreement, and in that case we can grant an equivalence in light of the work previously accomplished. Once again, we are not lax, we are a serious operation, and moreover we are under a close watch because everything is sent on to THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org the Ministry of Education. As a side note, the Ministry has never had to step in and call us to order, because our policies are serious. We want our diplomas to be worth something, and the only way for our diplomas to be worth something is if we have serious policies. It is somewhat rigorous. On the other hand, we cannot go too far in the other direction; I hear students complain that it is more difficult to obtain a degree at the Institute than in a state university. That is not our wish, either. We want our diploma to be equitable. We believe we offer a unique framework for study, and that is the great advantage for these students. I have a question about equivalencies for American diplomas. The Bachelor of Arts, which is over four years, is not strictly equivalent to the French “Licentiate.” The Bachelor of Arts includes many different subjects; it is a different system. In a foreign diploma, we look at what is on the inside. For example, I have given equivalencies allowing students with a Bachelor of Arts to enter directly into the Maîtrise. It seems to me to be possible because it is a diploma which can vary a great deal. But in every university establishment, the board of directors has the final word and you can have different cases. There is nothing automatic in the domain of equivalencies. We look at precedents in what we have done in the past, what other universities do, as well as the contents of the diplomas presented. Candidates show us their diplomas, sometimes they show us their transcripts, with their grades and the different classes they have taken, and then we give an equivalence. We may give them the equivalence but oblige them to follow an extra class, for example. We can also take other factors into account, other studies elsewhere. An equivalence is not the same as a diploma. It is a permission to enroll in this or that program. If you have an equivalence from the Institute, it only has value at the Institute. An equivalence has value only for the university that granted it, public or private, same thing, whereas a diploma has a universal value. Normally, with [your Maîtrise from the Institute], you can go to any state university and ask to enroll in studies in view of a doctorate, saying, here you go, I have a Maîtrise which is worth a state diploma. 1 On February 27th 1977, under the direction of Monsignor Ducaud-Bourget, a large group of faithful gathered at the Palais de la Mutualité and entered the near-empty Church of St. Nicholas to celebrate Mass. They never left, in spite of the extreme indignation of the local clergy. For several months young volunteers (including Professor Bouscau) kept watch in the church night and day. A documentary in honor of the 30th anniversary of the church’s resurrection is available on www.stnicolas-lefilm.com. The film includes an interview of Professor Bouscau and also of Fr. Lorans. For more information: Institut Universitaire Saint-Pie X 21 rue du Cherche-Midi 75006 PARIS Phone: 01.42.22.00.26 FAX: 01.42.84.31.94 e-mail : iuspx@free.fr Website: http://iuspx.free.fr/ Traditional Religious Orders 19 The Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Vigne, Italy “T o love Thee and make Thee loved!” Such is the motto of the humble congregation of the Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus founded in 1961 by Fr. Basilio Rosati, Passionist. This Congregation is inflamed with the ideal of consoling the Divine Heart of Jesus, so afflicted by the coldness, the outrages, and the betrayals of so many souls that are particularly dear to Him, souls which He redeemed by His most precious Blood. Origins Fr. Rosati, propelled by his zeal to make the world recognize and love Jesus Crucified, preached missions and Lenten conferences throughout Italy. This gave him the opportunity to meet several young women who desired to dedicate 20 their lives to the Heart of Jesus agonizing. Thus, the first Community of five Sisters was born. Fr. Basilio entrusted their formation in the religious life to a soul of great virtue, his penitent and spiritual daughter, who from that day became their mother. The founder’s confrères placed at their disposition an unoccupied wing of their great convent of St. Eutizio, a little hamlet of the Soriano del Cimino commune, in the province of Viterbo, about 60 miles north of Rome. On December 2, 1961, the Most Reverend Roberto Massimiliani, Bishop of Civita Castellana, approved by decree the “pious union of the Consolers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” Confiding its direction to the Reverend Fr. Basilio Rosati, Passionist, and the novitiate to the Reverend Mother Elisabetta Pezzarossa. After the probationary period, which began in August, on the vigil of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, December 7, 1961, the first group of young women received the religious habit from the hands of the bishop. After their novitiate was completed, the religious profession of the first THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org 21 Community, which with time decreased more and more. Some of the Sisters were gained over to the novelties, and even the admonitions of Fr. Rosati failed to touch them in order to keep them upon the way of fidelity to their vocation. Only six Sisters heeded the warnings, corrections, and pleadings of Fr. Rosati, whose long, penitent hours before the Blessed Sacrament shared the agony of our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane. (He had retired to the convent in Vigne, just north of Rome where lived the Sisters who remained faithful to their constitutions.) A True Renewal Sisters took place. The familial little company spent its first few years in quiet recollection and spiritual growth. Their parish activities of teaching catechism and helping with functions made them much needed and beloved so that their numbers soon began to grow. A significant number or young ladies asked to join them. Thus, by 1975, their religious family numbered 30 members, and bishops having invited them to come to their dioceses, they were present in four dioceses of Italy. The Conciliar Era Such expansions should have brought forth many good fruits. Instead it was the prelude to bitter and painful disappointments for Fr. Rosati and the Sisters. The crisis in the Church and the pervading atmosphere of independence and novelty did not spare the Consoling Sisters Along with this bitter-sweet consolation, one last trial came for Fr. Rosati: the grave illness which would lead him to the tomb. Aware that he would soon leave this earth, he wanted to fulfill the last task: to ensure the spiritual safety of the faithful Sisters’ souls. On February 9, 1996, he entrusted the care of the congregation to Fr. Emmanuel du Chalard, SSPX, asking him in the name of God to guide them firmly in the way www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 22 of perfection. Fr. du Chalard’s acceptance was immediate and generous. Fr. Basilio Rosati, with supernatural serenity and thanksgiving for the welfare of the congregation, passed away on August 23, 1996. To this day the Sisters continue to benefit from the enlightened guidance of Fr. Emmanuel and the assistance of the bishops and priests of the Society of Saint Pius X. Visiting India Spirituality The Constitutions of the Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart encapsulate the ideals and mission given them by their founder: 1) The sanctification of the members by penetrating the mystery of the love hidden in the most Sacred Heart of Jesus, giving major development to the dispositions of adoration and reparation and by the personal engagement to live the great lessons given by the Divine Heart. 2) To make of each soul an adorer of the Sacred Heart living in the most Blessed Sacrament, and an intelligent and generous collaborator of the priesthood. 3) Prayer, action, and sacrifice to obtain from God many holy priestly vocations, and so far as possible and according to the needs, to help them financially. 4) To dedicate themselves to Christian formation, whatever it might be, particularly the formation of girls and young women. 5) Helping the apostolate of priests in its diverse aspects with a special zeal in the teaching of catechism and doctrinal training, even by the means of publishing. 6) Devoting themselves to missionary works when Divine Providence gives them the opportunity. Some of their special works include: l Propagation of devotion to the Sacred Heart, especially by spreading the devotion of the first Fridays. l Propagation of the recitation of the Little Office of the Sacred Heart: The Sisters themselves recite it, and they teach others to recite it, too. A group of about 100 people recite it daily. l Propagation of the practice of the Guard of Honor, a devotion in which THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org the participants pledge to spend a particular hour of the week in closer union with Jesus and Mary, in reparation for the sins committed against them. No special prayers or practices are involved: it suffices to remain close to God and to offer all one’s actions for this intention. Thus each hour of the day has its “guards,” keeping company with the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and “defending” them against the insults and negligences of men. l Organizing camps for girls from 14-18 years old. l Assistance with Christian holidays for families. At present, eight of the Sisters are at the motherhouse in Vigne, where they are responsible for the personal care of nine 23 Daily Schedule 6:00 AM Rise 6:45 AM Prayers, Divine Office (Prime for work days, and Lauds for holydays), Meditation 7:45 AM Holy Mass 8:30 AM Breakfast (with a little spiritual reading) 8:45 AM Work 12:30 PM Sext 12:45 PM Lunch (with 15 minutes of spiritual reading) 1:45 PM Clean up 2:00 PM Recreation 3:00 PM Free time/repose 4:30 PM Vespers, Meditation, Rosary 5:45 PM Work 7:30 PM Dining (with 15 minutes of spiritual reading) 8:30 PM Recreation 9:00 PM Compline 9:45 PM Retire elderly ladies. Although the locals who are traditional Catholics can barely be counted on one hand, many people have recognized the quality of the care which the Sisters provide and wish to take advantage of it for their own beloved elderly. So far over 80 ladies have ended their days in the serene and peaceful surroundings of the convent. An International Apostolate Recently, events took an extraordinary turn for the Consoling Sisters. Having put down deep roots in Italy, the Sisters have recently accepted an accompanying apostolate from India: the orphanage and old folks’ home founded by Swarna Vongala in 2001. [A more detailed report from the SSPX’s Indian mission appeared in the March 2007 issue of The Angelus, pp.16-20.–Ed.] Miss Vongala began her work after completing studies in computer engineering in, of all places, Iowa, USA. Turning her back on a successful career, she returned home to devote herself to her neighbor in the service of God. Calling her organization the “Servi Domini,” she rescued 50 orphans from the street, as well as some old, abandoned ladies, and began the Nav Jeevan Orphanage. Learning of Catholic www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 Little Office of the Sacred Heart A means to practice perfectly the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and to be penetrated with the spirit of this devotion, is certainly to use the different Offices of the Sacred Heart. Every month, in a group or as a family, lots are drawn to choose one of the nine Offices. Each Office is done in union with one of the nine Choirs of Angels. This pious practice was begun by St. Margaret Mary. Many words of this Saint seem to indicate that Our Lord, Himself, was the principal Author of this practice. She wrote to a Religious on June 8, 1686, that the Sacred Heart had given her, HER OFFICE, making her His MEDIATOR (Office of Mediation) “to ask the Eternal Father to make known His Sacred Heart.” “...Moreover, Our Lord wants a REPAIRER who will very humbly ask pardon of God for all the injuries which are committed against Him in the Most Blessed Sacrament...” (Second Office). It is very easy to find the other Offices pointed out in the writings of the saint. Since the time of St. Margaret Mary, this Practice has been propagated in numerous Religious Congregations and among many pious persons living in the world.–Christian Warfare THE FIRST OF THE NINE OFFICES OF THE SACRED HEART From 12PM to 3PM, Thrones THE PROMOTER (MEDIATOR) May Jesus live in all hearts! Special Goal: Promote devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and strive to become, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a promoter between God and men, in view of establishing the Universal Reign of the Heart of Christ the King. Special Promise: Made, as we may piously believe, to St. Margaret Mary for those who would accomplish this office: that Jesus would be Himself their Mediator (in a very special way) with the Eternal Father. Special Virtue: To pray and sacrifice oneself in order to implore heavenly graces that would make the Sacred Heart reign in Society and to strive to win men to the love and imitation of the Sacred Heart. Maxim: If it is a grave sin to lead others into sin, there is great merit in devoting oneself to draw them to good. Note. Recall to yourself the present state of society. PRACTICE OF THE OFFICE 1) (First Friday of the Month) Offering of the practice of the office during the entire month: (As a daily Morning Offering change the word “month” to “day.”) O Lord Jesus Christ, I offer to Thy Divine Heart, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and in association with the Choir of Thrones, all my prayers, actions and sufferings of this month, in union with the intentions for which Thou dost never cease to immolate Thyself upon the Altar. I offer them especially beseeching the Heavenly Father that He enlighten poor men in order that they finally come to know the aspirations, ideals, affection, kindnesses and all of the excellent and eminent virtues of Thy Heart, so as to lead each one to take them as a rule of conduct towards each other and in all social, political and religious undertakings. In this way, Thy Kingdom will come and will be fully established on earth. I offer them that the Holy Ghost enflame all men with the love of Thy Divine Heart and the desire to see the world enflamed with the fire that Thou camest to send. 1 offer them, at last, so that the most Blessed Virgin interpose her powerful mediation, so that the entire world, especially those who confide in Thy Goodness, experience the powerful and salutary effects of the Kingdom of Thy “Heart of Infinite Majesty.” Amen. The ANgelus • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org 2) (Every day) Adoration in spirit (from 12pm-3pm). At 12pm, transporting yourself in spirit before the Tabernacle, say: CHRISTIAN WARFARE Contains the Little Office of the Sacred Heart. This prayer book is guided by the Spiritual Exercises. It has this as a unifying element and is not a haphazard collection of prayers. Includes the full text of the Ignatian Retreat. Prayers, litanies, rule for the SSPX 3rd Order–it is PACKED! And only 3/4" thick! 506pp, sewn hardcover, indexed, STK# 8155 $25.00 O Jesus, King of Heart Divine, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Choir of the Thrones, to supply for my insufficiency, I adore Thee in spirit during the entire day and especially for these three hours, Thou who art present in the Blessed Sacrament where truly thou remainest for love of me, and I take refuge with deep affection in the depths of Thy most Sacred Heart. May all men, learning of its unfathomable riches, and throwing off worldly satisfactions and pleasures, come to taste the ineffable goodness that Thou reservest in this Heart for those who love Thee. Ejaculatory Prayers: May Jesus live in all hearts! Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thy kingdom come! 3) Visit to the Blessed Sacrament. After a profound act of Faith and of fervent adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, striving to unite yourself with the sentiments of Mediator which beat in His Heart, say: O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I suppliantly beseech Thee, uniting myself to the Immaculate Heart of the Most Blessed Virgin and to the celestial spirits of the Choir of Thrones, that by the infinite merits of Thy Heart, Thou deignest to reign as Supreme Master in our Institution and in the hearts of all her children, in all other Religious Institutions, in the Hierarchical Holy Church, in the whole of Society, especially in so many millions of souls who have cost Thee Thy Blood, but do not adore Thee, because they do not know Thee. I beseech Thee also to grant to us the grace to accomplish faithfully the adoration in spirit and the virtue of this Office. (Recall it to your mind). 4) Practice of the Special Virtue: Perform a few actions such as those which follow at least five times a day, recalling for example the Wounds of Jesus Crucified: a) Try to reproduce in yourself the aspirations and virtues of your King. b) Profit from occasions to promote devotion to the Heart of Jesus. c) Repeat the prayer or the ejaculatory prayer of the office or say simply: Sacred Heart of Jesus, I desire ardently that all men know Thee and adore Thee more and more. d) Offer in spirit the Masses which are celebrated in the world so that the Truth, the Justice and the Mercy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus reign on earth. e) Recite the prayer for the Social Reign of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  acred by the ifying ection of the , rule KED! g e , e e e : f of n Tradition and meeting the Society’s priests in India led her to relocate her orphanage close to the SSPX mission in Tamil Nadu. Her devotion flowered into a religious vocation, not only for herself but also for several young ladies assisting her in the work. In the early summer of 2005, the foundress of the Nav Jeevan Orphanage and her assistant spent several weeks in Italy visiting the motherhouse at Vigne. After they had visited there, both agreed that they would like to join this order of Sisters. It certainly seemed that the work of the orphanage in India would dovetail with the life and work of the Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart, so in August 2006, three Sisters from the order traveled to south India along with their chaplain, Fr. du Chalard. While Fr. du Chalard could stay only two weeks, the three Sisters spent a full two months living at the orphanage in order to get a grasp on the situation. They helped the ladies to set up a daily schedule of prayer, work, and recreation modeled on the life led by the Consoling Sisters. The outcome of their long visit was that Miss Vongala traveled to Italy for her novitiate, receiving the habit on the Feast of the Visitation, 2007; and that the Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart will set up a house in south India. Many other Indian young ladies are interested in embracing this vocation. First Profession www.angeluspress.org The ANgelus • October 2007  Daily Life The Consoling Sisters’ daily life is varied and full: psalmody, meditation, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the traditional Mass. All the religious duties harmoniously blend with the diverse activities of the house. The most Blessed Virgin Mary is the great ideal whom each of the Sisters strives to imitate in her intention to console the Divine Spouse. A lively participation in the development of the Mystical Body and the conscious and loving adherence to the maternal solicitude of the Church for the development of Christian truth in the world and for a genuine witness given to Jesus Christ from the soul of all of their activity. Besides their daily prayers and devotions, there is adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Sundays and Thursdays from 4:30 to 5:30pm, nocturnal adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 9:00pm to 6:30am the night of the Thursday before the first Friday of the month, a sung Mass every Sunday and for solemn feasts, a monthly day of recollection, and an annual retreat. Community with Fr. Du Chalard Becoming a Consoling Sister The Congregation comprises Sisters and Auxiliaries. The latter live the same ideal of the Sisters at home and in the work place, and they are helpers for the apostolate’s activities. The Consoling Sisters have the usual requirements for candidates to the religious life, but for them weak health is not necessarily an impediment. The postulancy starts each year on August 15th or September 8th for six months. The novitiate, in keeping with canon law, lasts at least a whole year, but it can be prolonged depending upon the case. At the conclusion of the novitiate year, the Sister makes the traditional vows, which are renewed annually for four years, and once for three years. Finally, after ten years from the first profession and having reached the age of 40 years old, the Sister may pronounce her holy perpetual vows according to her desire and with the authorization of the General Mother Superior. There are presently eight professed Sisters, one novice, two postulants and three pre-postulants (in India). Of these, seven are Italian Sisters, one French, and one Mexican. They can speak and understand Italian, French, English, Spanish, and German. The Sacred Heart’s “Bethany” The Sisters’ great desire is that their houses be so many “Bethanies” where Jesus Christ, rejected by so many souls, families, and societies, will find generous hearts who will welcome Him and console Him, as when He would stop at the dear and hospitable home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. It is the devout wish of the Sisters that their little band become a numerous legion so that such a noble and holy program can be brought about. For information: Reverend Mother Superior Suore Consolatrici del Sacro Cuore di Gesù Via Flaminia Vecchia 20, 05030 Vigne (TR), Italy. Tel. [39] (744) 79.61.71 Fax [39] (744) 79.70.07 consolatrici@libero.it Christendom NEWS Angelus Press Edition  ForminG Future seminarians interVieW With BishoP riChard Williamson Fr. Alain Lorans: Your Excellency, you have launched a five-day humanities course for young people at the seminary at La Reja (Argentina), where you are the rector. In what way does it compare with the humanities year you initiated for the seminarians in the United States, when you were rector of the seminary at Winona? This course and the humanities year share the same spirit. We have to take into account the total absence of human education of young people today. This is why we are organizing five days of “cultural exercises” this July. The year of humanities is an academic year preliminary to the six years at the seminary. It is a probationary year, during which the students also study their vocation. They follow courses in six disciplines: Latin, catechism, history, literature, music, and grammar. Grammatical analysis? Yes, because young people today scarcely know their own language, nor their own grammar. Since May 1968, as we know only too well, grammar is considered “fascist”; this is the reason why it has been removed from modern education. Grammar, in fact, gives shape to our thinking, and so it has to be banished. Likewise, in modern education, spelling is becoming completely a matter of whim. In the name of liberty, children have the right to spell words however they wish. It is the decomposition of education as we knew it in former times. Are there other priests, or seminary rectors like yourself, who are interested in what you are doing? Is your successor at Winona, Fr. Le Roux, continuing this? Fr. Le Roux continued this humanities year, and I think it can be said that he is now firmly persuaded of its necessity, and not simply its desirability, as if it were no more than a luxury. For young people it is more and more of a necessity, because education is deteriorating dreadfully. Three education experts in institutions in the US, as early as the 1990’s–the Dominican Mother Gabrielle in the Northwest, Dr. White at the Naval Academy, Fr. Anglés at St. Mary’s Academy and College–all three realized the decline in the quality of the education of the young entrants. Therefore it became more and more necessary to give them a basic formation. Have you been able to discuss this in France with the rector of Flavigny, Fr. Troadec? Is he also concerned? In France the problem is offset by the existence of our schools. And I believe that for a good many of the young men who enter Flavigny, coming from these schools, the problem is not as serious. However, in Belgium I organized a little classical music session in February, and Fr. Schmidberger is also in the process of setting up a similar session in Germany for young people at the end of the week. We have to seek out the good in these young people and open up their horizons, just as we must foster vocations. But convinced as I am that a vocation is personal, I do not broach the subject during the fivewww.angeluspress.org The ANgelus • October 2007 28 day session, nor even during the year of humanities: More than ever, the idea of a vocation must come from the young men themselves, because the world which these young priests are confronted with is one of total chaos. For example, a priest in Italy confided to me that the marriages of young couples are no longer lasting. We are seeing young people from Tradition marrying, but these marriages do not endure. It is this individualistic society which is destroying the social aspect of marriage. Marriage is social! As much social as it is personal, in fact. This dimension of marriage has been completely lost. The young people of Argentina are also affected by these evils. And what does a lot of harm, obviously, is the Internet. Temptations are so accessible and so easy, so enticing on that little screen. But what exactly do you yourself propose during these five educational days? What is the program? There are four or five conferences per day: two in the morning and two in the afternoon, and sometimes one in the evening. At 9:00am there is a history lecture on the Greeks, the Romans, the Middle Ages or the modern age. It is a course with much detail, covering 3,000 years in five sessions of 50 minutes! Then at 11:00am, a conference on literature where ideally, the literature corresponds with the era studied in the preceding hour. For example, a Greek work or a Latin work. Thus we pass from a classical work of ancient literature to modern literature. A good enough program, I hope, to stimulate the appetite. To make them want to read… Precisely. We are striving in order that this world of the past be no longer a world completely unknown. We try to give them the basic knowledge, in order to awaken in them a desire to read. The afternoon may be concerned with the fine arts. Last year we presented, with the help of images of course, works by Van Gogh and Rembrandt. This could also be icons. During the first year, it was the works of Picasso. Then in the evening we tackle music, which is very important. Fr. Labouche, who is familiar with rock music, is capable of giving a very interesting talk on the subject, because the young people are completely at home with rock. Rock music is woven in the very warp and weft of their souls. It is terrible, but that’s the way it is. So we have to first of all suggest, then argue, that rock music is so poor. Last year and this year, we staged two live classical music concerts; that is, a pianist came and played Beethoven for example. Then we had a violin and a piano, also for some Beethoven sonatas. With a certain amount of explanation, and a presentation of the structure of these works because there is indeed a structure in this music–it seems that these live concerts were of real benefit to them. They have almost no knowledge in this domain. Last year, for the first time, they were able to put questions to three or four priests THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org 29 How many people do you manage to reach per session? who had made themselves available. It was very interesting and there were some good questions, but for the most part these young people were not willing to speak up, they did not dare yet. Oh! The youth of today, how poor it is... Passive, you mean… Impoverished, rather. How difficult it is! Many of them live in the big cities. But what sort of life do they lead? What is offered to them? What are they told about life? At first sight, they walk along just one road which leads them to this materialistic world, revolving around money and politics. Politics which disappoint. The life of the nation arouses no enthusiasm. Community life for them is nonexistent. In the suburbs there is no community. In these huge towns, there is the school community, where the teachers do not set them a good example. In Argentina there still remains some remnant of good from the past. But very little, and it is disintegrating. The adults want to replace the old world with a new one. This new world is a world of the worst American kind, in other words materialistic, with money, pleasure and holidays as the top priorities. This is what they want, this is what they choose, and so all that is left for the old world to do is disappear. This new world is obviously driving out the Catholic Church. It is forcing the Church to “aggiornamentise,” to fall into line. So how can we ever make priests of these young men? In the first year, much to our surprise, 95 young people came. Then around 75 in the second year and in the third year, 80. It must be said that they normally have three weeks of vacation in the winter. Many of them do not know what to do with themselves for these three weeks, and so coming to the seminary and being present at some conferences where they meet their friends, does not seem too disagreeable to them. They are all interested in history. For the other conferences, it varies. But we don’t force everyone to attend every lecture. We say to them “You have to be at the conferences,” but that does not mean they will all be there. They have five days in each other’s company; this gives an aspect of a “summer camp.” We cannot say that they all strive to acquire culture. But at least they come. Is it mixed, or for boys only? Mixed? No, no, no! Boys only. That’s wise. Yes, I remember an Australian long distance athlete from around 50 years ago, very much a star of his time. His Austrian coach told journalists that he taught other coaches and his world famous athlete that they should keep away from women, at least during training. He told them to follow the principle of a wise farmer: “If you want your bull to work, keep him away from the cows.” www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 30 That’s common sense. It is very down-to-earth, but if we want to be serious… Several priests in Argentina have noticed that the girls are better pupils than the boys. The girls go to university, they are serious, they study, they apply themselves. Whereas the boys choose the university which will give them a degree in exchange for a minimum of effort. But what boy is going to apply himself if next to him there is a girl student who excels? He will deliberately not make the effort. Because if he does apply himself and she gets a better grade then he, his masculine pride will not accept it. This is why, amongst other reasons, co-education is a disaster. Mixing girls and boys creates all sorts of complications. What kind of feedback do you receive? Do some of these boys come and say to you: “I have learned this, discovered that, and it has done me so much good”? Do you hear any accounts this kind? Brother John of the Cross at the seminary hears them. And sometimes the parents say that this is opening up horizons for their children. We have to scatter the seed as we are doing, but we never know when or where or which seed will germinate and grow. I also have heard such accounts, and I am convinced that this does do them some good, because they at least get an idea of something else. We must realize that the only evening out for these boys is the discothèque. In the big city where they live, their family is not a family: dad goes to work, but if dad’s income is insufficient, mom has to work too. In many countries, mom is obliged to work. And it can already be considered a success if the parents stay together! The house is empty and in general, there are no more than two or three children. So the family is not really a family at all, it is several individuals under the same roof. There are few adults who listen to these young people, and few who take care of them. Also, left to their own devices, these young people advise, listen to, and understand each other. There is no community, unless we count the school. There is no village in the big city, there is no social grouping, unless we count the college. At college drug abuse is rife, and only physics, chemistry, computers, and mathematics count for anything. So for the human soul and the human mind, it is a desert. Is there any way out of this existence for them? Shut up in the big city, there is only the discothèque where they can “have a good time.” It’s suicidal; one senses a suicidal instinct behind all of this. Two years ago, there was a terrible accident in Buenos Aires in a packed discothèque, where a boy, amidst the deafening noise, threw a firework into the air. Apparently this is common practice, but on this occasion the action caused a fire. Everyone rushed to the exits. In the smoke and the crush, 200 people died. What do adults offer these young people to open them up to other things? THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org The young people you receive come from everywhere, and are not necessarily sons of traditionalist families. A large number nevertheless, because word gets around among families through the priories, through traditional families. However, there are a few who come from outside. But we have no illusions about the young traditionalists! Do they go to discos like the others? They have to face up to the same environment. And the problem remains of Sunday Mass. Because they don’t really know why they are traditionalists. They follow their parents. They have the Faith. But the teenager who comes to Mass on Sundays is subject to this non-education all the rest of the week, and this can even lead him to drug abuse. In the midst of their contemporaries, both boys and girls, faced with all these distractions, all these temptations, all this emptiness for the mind and soul during the entire week, how can they reconcile the Mass with this life? There is a chasm between the two. And it is because of such a chasm that we often lose the teenagers from our Mass centers around 14–15 years old. And you do not have traditional schools which could supplement their education? Four years ago, the Society opened a school next to the seminary. It was Fr. Guillaume Devillers who launched the project, and now there is a young Mexican priest who is in charge, helped by six sisters. There are around 60 pupils, boys and girls, aged from 5 to 17 years. When you propose this literary and artistic patrimony to sensibilities which have been damaged by wild rhythms, do they still have the capacity to receive it? Well, it seems that they are all interested in history. So perhaps we should go in this direction. Those who take part in these cultural five days are mainly Argentines. The year of humanities seems to be too much for them. The five days appear more accessible to them. I often ask the question: “Which conferences interested you? What attracted your attention?” And the answers are very varied. Sometimes it’s music, sometimes fine arts, sometimes history. But I think it could be said that every conference will touch at least someone. You offer these young people a cultural formation. Do they succeed in seeing how the spiritual can take root in it, how grace presupposes nature? Nature, well taught, is a great indicator which points to God. Well taught, that is to say, taught in its fullness. So we see sometimes half, sometimes a quarter of these young people present at the Mass. During these five days, daily Mass is celebrated early in the morning before breakfast. For some of them it’s too early. There is absolutely no obligation to be 31 present, but a certain number of them do assist. For five days, they are away from distractions, idiocies and emptiness, and surrounded by the atmosphere of the seminary, with some of the seminarians–not many, as it is during the vacation period–and some priests. For them, it is a completely different atmosphere. Of course, amongst themselves they make a lot of noise, they do sport, they play soccer. We see this in the works of Fr. Calmel, who passes with ease from profane authors to St. Thomas... Is there a classical author whom one could say speaks to them more than others? That is the most natural thing in the world. Luce Quenette also appreciated very much Racine, Corneille, and Molière. And how many vocations do we owe to the schools? Archbishop Lefebvre said of Mlle Quenette’s school: “Here is my little seminary.” If we remove the classics from the education of young people, where then will grace be able to take root? Fr. Calmel received a classical education, that is to say realist. At the Institute of St. Pius X (see pp.3-18), I used to sound out the students from time to time: “Who is your favorite author?” The responses were surprising. It was almost a different author for each student. In France there is no longer an author considered to be the master, as there has been for other generations. That is finished; today we are witnessing a dissipation. It is evident that for young people immersed in the virtual, the realism of the principle of finality means nothing. A farmer sees in a realistic way. Charlier said something along the lines of: “The difference between an intellectual and a farmer, is that a farmer makes a mistake only once, that is to say, he uses weed killer in place of fertilizer once, but he won’t do it a second time. Whereas an intellectual may teach and scatter weed killer into people’s intelligences throughout his entire career, without receiving any punishment, without being dismissed.” It is an interesting question. We haven’t yet tried Homer. I think perhaps Homer might. But no, once again I have to say, it varies. One author speaks to some, and another speaks to others. It is quite variable. But each author is appreciated. Dante for example: I have talked about Beatrice and Dante. They could relate to this. No, they are not stupid– these young Argentines are intelligent, but as you say, they are damaged, they are devastated. And there is no indication that society is retracing its steps. Argentina exchanged classical education for a modern-style education 15 years ago, and this classical education is disappearing. It is said that teachers today are mediocre, but there are certainly some teachers who have a great deal of culture and who are interested in your experiment. Traditionalist or not, are they aware of what you are doing, or is it not yet sufficiently known? To reply indirectly to your question, the young priests of the Society at Winona and La Reja understand very well the need that young people have of such an education. And they are all very interested in it, because they realize that grace presupposes nature, because they realize that nature is very deficient. Two years ago, within the scope of the humanities year, some of the professors were not convinced of the worth of the initiative, and many of the seminarians weren’t convinced either. But when they saw the reaction of the young men who had come forward and followed this course, then they all understood. And because these boys behaved so well, the seminarians and professors all gave them their full support. That is interestingly put. Sometimes I think that in a few years, the humanities year will no longer work, if I may say so. It is not the ultimate solution. The ultimate solution is Our Lord, and nothing or nobody else. But we should recall the example of Dante, as he presents himself in the second “Canto” of his “Inferno”: It required Virgil to “engage” Dante the pilgrim, who was too far away from the supernatural life. He had to start with Virgil. Dante had a veneration for Virgil, who had nothing explicitly supernatural, but had exceptional natural qualities. Dante finds himself, at the age of 30-35 years, lost in a forest, where he comes face to face with three dangerous animals. The Virgin Mary sends St. Lucy, who sends Beatrice, who sends Virgil to guide Dante. Virgil acts as his guide through Hell and Purgatory, but he cannot go with him any higher. So he hands Dante over to Beatrice, who is able to lead him to Heaven. It’s only a story, but it is certain that men can no longer be restored–when the classics no longer enlighten them–except by the Redeemer. All culture since Our Lord is the fruit of Christianity. Culture is a stairway which comes down from the Church, but a stairway can also be used to go up. We descend, but we can also climb back up. Fr. Lorans is the director of the Society’s news bureau, DICI. This interview appeared in the July-August 2007 issue of Christendom. Christendom is a publication of DICI, the press bureau of the Society of Saint Pius X (www. dici.org). Pictures used from photo archives of St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary, Winona, Minnesota, contributed by Bro. Marcel Poverello. www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 32 B i s h o p Your Excellency, though we are still expecting the Motu Proprio, which should give some liberty to the Tridentine Mass, in the light of the recent declarations of Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos to the Bishops of Latin America, do you think that this liberty will correspond to what you are expecting as a first precondition for your discussions with Rome? (The second precondition is, of course, the withdrawal of the decree of excommunication, which would then be followed by a doctrinal debate.) In a word, in your opinion, could this Motu Proprio be the beginning of the first stage? I would make a distinction. I think that on the part of Rome, without this being their only intention, there is a definite desire to answer our request. But Rome will never say so; indeed, they could not. On the other hand, we must acknowledge that the Pope himself loves the old Mass, and that he has been saying for a long time that he thought it was unjust to claim that it had been suppressed. We can affirm that since 1982 Cardinal Ratzinger has considered that there were no reasons–either canonical or theological–in favor of the abolition of the old Mass. His personal conviction is that the old Mass was never abrogated. Indeed, this is one of the things officially said by Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, in Rome’s name, to the bishops of Brazil and all of Latin America: “The Tridentine rite has never been abolished.” It is quite interesting to hear this about a rite which was declared to be forbidden and for whose sake priests and laity have been persecuted for 40 years. Now, all of a sudden, Rome tells us it has never been abolished. So we cannot present the Pope’s gesture as an act of spontaneous generosity. It would certainly be goodness on the part of the Pope to give the Mass back to the Church, but it is not only goodness; it is an act of justice. If the Mass has never been abolished, it is a mere act of justice to say so. Justice must be granted to the Mass. Now to answer your question: Does it correspond to our precondition? That will depend upon the restrictions which are established by the text. If they are such that we can speak of true liberty and of a real reintroduction of the Tridentine Mass in the Church, then perhaps this precondition will be met. But if the bishops are given the power to close the door just opened by Rome, then the precondition will not be satisfied. There must be true, genuine liberty. Since this liberty is acknowledged by right, we must see that they do not in fact go against the law. THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org b e r n Freedom Mass an Situation Church Christendom NEWS Angelus Press Edition On the occasion of a conference organized in Paris by the magazine Nouvelles de Chrétienté, the French counterpart of Christendom, on June 6, 2007, Bishop Fellay answered several questions on the liberalization of the Mass in the context of the present crisis of the Church. Keep in mind that this presentation was given a full month before the Motu Proprio, Summorum Pontificum, was released. r n a r d 33 F e l l a y m for the and the on of the h Today e , p e . h . Do you think the bishops will be able to neutralize the Motu Proprio? They will be able to twist the meaning of a text. In the post-synodal Exhortation on the Eucharist, No. 39 affirms that the bishop is the guardian of the liturgy in his diocese. It is absolutely normal and obvious to state that the bishop has authority to maintain an orderly celebration of the liturgy in his diocese. But if this is used in order to assert that the guardian of liturgical unity can consider the old Mass a danger for the liturgical unity of the diocese, then it will not work. I think that somewhere in the Motu Proprio this power of the bishops will be stated. We will have to see how it is applied. I was given to understand that in order to prevent this, the Motu Proprio will include the possibility of recourse to the Pope, but I do not know how this will be phrased. One thing will change: up to now the Mass was forbidden and the bishop could allow it; with the Motu Proprio the Mass is allowed and the bishop can forbid it. But it may be added that if a bishop wanted to forbid it, recourse could be had to Rome. In any case, what should be strongly affirmed is the Pope’s desire to open the door to the traditional Mass. Several times, here at St. Nicholas’s in Paris and in your latest “Letter to Friends and Benefactors,” [reprinted in the May 2007 issue of The Angelus–Ed.] you have said that there could be some pressure from the faithful and priests of the rank and file on the occasion of the Motu Proprio. What do you mean by this? On the one hand, I can see that there is expectation in the Church as well as discontent with the new liturgy. Of course, those in authority say that all is well, but you have only to look at the empty churches. They are empty because Christian people no longer go to churches where they are not being nourished and where they have been scandalized. Today, souls grow up in religious indifference, but there are still those who are not happy with this situation and expect to see something more beautiful in the Church. Surveys show that some 70% are favorable to the old Mass. Almost everywhere, the average Christian has no objection to the old Mass. Obviously there is not great enthusiasm, but there is expectation. On the other hand, there are those movements, those abbeys–not only those among us—who have been waiting, and who, if they have in their hands an official text enabling them to have the old Mass, will undoubtedly make use of it. Then there will be the danger of a confrontation between the bishops and Rome. What will this confrontation be like? I think www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 34 that the post-Motu Proprio period will be much more interesting than the pre-Motu Proprio era. It is quite clear that there is enormous opposition, and I think this accounts for the delay of the permission to celebrate the old Mass. I believe that the Pope is afraid. Some years ago–it was still under the pontificate of John Paul II–Cardinal Castrillon told me: “We cannot grant the liberty of the Mass, because we would lose control.” And he also said: “We cannot grant the liberty of the Mass because the Pope is afraid of breaking up the Church, of splitting it in two.” This clearly shows that what is at stake is most important. And we cannot imagine that those who up to now thought they were victorious will so easily let go, and give up the fight. We can expect a fight to affirm the rights of what is to be given. Once again, I do not know what will be granted, nor its limits, but one thing is certain: it is not the end of the fight. We cannot hope for a peaceful return of the old Mass. The bishops may not display their opposition a great deal. I do not know up to what point they will dare to appear disobedient, because it does not look good to be disobedient. But we can expect passive opposition, on the sly. We might even see entire Bishops’ Conferences reject the Motu Proprio. But even given such a shocking reaction, we can expect the faithful to find the reintroduction of the old Mass quite normal, even if they have never had any close contact with it. They might even ask for what their bishops could still claim to be forbidden. But I do not think there will be any tidal wave; it will be long and patient work. However, if equal chances are given to both rites, it will be sufficient for one of them to win, and it is not difficult to guess which one… The Church authorities know this very well, hence their opposition even to a simple opening-up. In Rome, some of them said to us: “A generation from now, the New Mass will be done with.” Personally, I would say two generations from now, but you can see that there are optimistic people even in Rome. We cannot ask you who told you that in Rome? No. You said that the bishops might be opposed, the faithful might be favorable–at least a small portion of them–to this reintroduction of the old Mass. What about the priests? Do you think priests are interested? There is an interest, and even a fairly great interest, on the part of the younger generation. But often with them the problem is that there is no problem. They do not know the old Mass. And how could they desire something they do not know? They know only the New Mass; but I do not think most of them feel really enthusiastic about the New Mass, because it is empty and flat. If we can manage to make them discover the old Mass, that would already be a great step forward. Obviously this does not mean that all of them will agree immediately. The opening THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org toward the old Mass will have to be supported by those in authority. It is not enough to say: you may say the old Mass; more is needed. They must be told: “You must.” Already some years ago, around 1986, at the time of the famous commission established by John Paul II to find out whether or not the old Mass had been abolished, the idea was in the air that the celebration of the Tridentine Mass might be imposed in the parishes once a month. But everything depends upon the Pope’s conviction, his courage in this desire for a return of the old Mass. In my opinion, however, because of the present opposition, it is more prudent to begin with a simple opening; later on we can gradually strengthen what has been acquired. If you read the text by Cardinal Castrillon, it merely states–but this is already quite something—the equality of the rites. One is extraordinary, and the other, the New Mass, is considered as the ordinary mode. In this distinction, the extraordinary mode is somewhat lessened, as if set aside; you take it out of the closet on some occasions. They keep repeating: “It is not at all a turning back, it does not put the liturgical reform in question.” All precautions are taken to make void the argument which would claim that the present Pope is setting the New Mass aside. Does he really want to do this? I do not know. I can see he has a will to come back to the old Mass. I have a feeling that there is more than that, but will he ever dare to say it? I do not know. Concerning the priests and their interest in the traditional Mass, in France the SSPX made a film which teaches how to celebrate the old Mass, and proposed it to priests. Seven hundred of them asked for the film. In Germany we have not yet reached all the priests, and we have received 1600 requests for the film, in a country where the bishops insist vehemently that no one is interested in the old Mass. In the US also, we have had over a thousand requests. There is interest among a number of priests, but because of pressure from the bishops, the administrations, the older priests, etc., many do not dare to manifest themselves. A regime of terror is still enforced in the seminaries. Woe to the seminarians who show any traditional tendency! In some seminaries, even the recitation of the rosary is looked upon with suspicion. I was personally told by seminarians that they could not pray the rosary publicly, they had to say it very discreetly–otherwise they would be sent away. This happened in Europe, but the same type of thing happens outside Europe also. For most of the priests who had to give up the old Mass, it was such a costly step that they no longer have the strength to go back. Some priests have found a sort of liberation in the New Mass; I say nothing about them. But with the younger priests, there has been no relation to the Tridentine Mass, and they are much more open. If we take the liberty of making some remarks about Vatican II, it is much harder with 35 priests who lived through the time of the Council than with younger priests who have no such attachment and are more open to discussion. There is hope, and I am convinced that if something is really done for the old Mass, it has a chance to gain the victory. But we must be patient and not imagine it will happen overnight. It is a step in the right direction. you think that, while granting the Mass, the Pope could also go wrong on important doctrinal issues? As a matter of fact, I think we can say both: it is both a cause and an effect. In a proximate way, the Mass was the instrument used to implement the reform of the Catholic spirit and of Catholic life; the transmission of the new spirit was accomplished through the Mass. In this sense, we can and we must say that the Mass is a cause, and one of the major causes, of the present state of the Church. But on the other hand, it is rather an effect than a cause, inasmuch as it is the instrument for the implementation of principles. Now the danger lies with the principles, and they must be our targets. If we let the principles continue to act, sooner or later the effects of these principles will unavoidably reoccur. Suppose you have a wild tree; you cut one or the other of its branches because they do not seem to bear good fruit, but you do not make any new graft, you merely cut the branches. The new branches will bear the same bitter fruit, because the sap is still the same. If we apply this to the new Mass and say: “Let us cut off the New Mass because it is a bitter fruit, but we will leave the principles established by the Council free to continue acting”–then we will keep harvesting the same bitter fruits. We must do something about the Mass because it was the motor for the new spirit in the Church. We must go back to a motor which truly transmits the Catholic spirit, and the old Mass has this power of grace and faith. Yet it is only one element in the whole. We must also lay the axe to the tree, to the principles. Now heretofore in our dealings with Rome the Church authorities had been doing nothing but avoiding the real problems and telling us: “Let us sign an agreement, a practical agreement which is not concerned with the doctrinal aspect.” To do so would be tantamount to setting sail in a boat riddled with holes. We would sink–and we want to keep afloat! Yes, certainly. There is in Pope Benedict XVI a strange mixture. He entertains some affection for what is traditional, but at the same time–and even more on the intellectual level–he has a vision of things which is downright modern. And yet he would not, for all that, want to break with the past. We could say that Pope Benedict XVI will never be an extremist, he will never go to any extreme. Yet it seems to me that he would like to unite opposite extremes. He himself does achieve this somewhat in his life and his personality which are, as it were, a conciliation of opposite extremes. I think he feels drawn to both sides. Which one of these conflicting affections will win the day? I do not really know. They vary according to the moment. For instance, concerning the issue of limbo, the newspapers wrote: “Pope Suppresses Limbo”; this is false, yet it is what he said when he was a cardinal. It is false to affirm that the Pope made a decree suppressing limbo. There is no decree, only a text from the International Theological Commission under the responsibility of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. But this Commission has no magisterial authority; hence it is not a teaching of the Church. It is an opinion; it may even be advice or an invitation, or as the theologians put it: “an aspiration of the People of God today.” This text on limbo seems to me very instructive insofar as it clearly shows a modernist procedure. In the document you will find no statement contrary to Catholic doctrine, no heresy, but you will find quoted all the definitions of the Church on the questions and they are even said to be dogmas of the Catholic faith. The whole document is, however, an attempt to find a little door, a little crevice through which it can escape from these definitions of the Church and reach a new thesis according to which infants who die without baptism enjoy the beatific vision, even though the Church has always supported the contrary opinion. These theologians tell us that the thesis of limbo remains a theological opinion, they do not deny this– on the contrary, they affirm it–but they diminish the scope of the thesis. It is true that limbo is not a dogma; there is no Church definition concerning limbo. But the thesis of limbo is very close to dogma, since it is a conclusion drawn from dogmas such as the necessity of baptism to go to heaven. In the document, the theologians set out to try and find a new way. Hence this sentence: In your sermon in Villepreux [outside Paris, France– Ed.], in October last year, you said that in Rome the same hand that could grant freedom to the Mass could deny the social kingship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Do They acknowledge that the necessity of baptism for salvation is a dogma of faith. But they add: In your recent declarations, you said that the Mass is only an effect but not the cause of the crisis which is shaking the Church today. Could you expand on this statement? The Christian faith’s affirmation of the necessity of sacramental baptism for salvation cannot be depleted of its existential significance by being reduced to a merely theoretical affirmation. On the other hand, God’s freedom over the saving means given by Him must be equally respected. Consequently, one must avoid any attempt to oppose sacramental baptism, www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 36 the baptism of desire and baptism of blood as antithetical. They are but expressions of the creative polarities within the realization of God’s universal salvific will on behalf of humanity. This is true, but they will go still further, and suddenly come up with something which would look like baptism of desire but is not baptism of desire. The most astonishing remains the following: It must be clearly acknowledged that the Church does not have sure knowledge about the salvation of unbaptized infants who die. They acknowledge their complete lack of certitude about what they present as a new means of salvation far better than anything taught by the Church in the past 21 centuries. And a little further on, we read: Our conclusion is that the many factors that we have considered above give serious theological and liturgical grounds for hope that unbaptized infants who die will be saved and enjoy the beatific vision. We emphasize that these are reasons for prayerful hope, rather than grounds for sure knowledge. Such is their conclusion! This is a document which will have consequences in the practice of the Church and encourage the practical suppression of limbo. This text, which, theologically speaking, does not go very far, marvelously fulfills its purpose, which is to undermine the previous thesis by proposing an opening onto something which has never been taught by the Church, but which is presented as the common opinion, if not as a certitude–we dare not say a dogma! It is as vicious as can be. This is how they inoculate into the Church so many errors with consummate skill and cunning. How can you correct such people? It would require considerable reasoning to prove that they have a hidden or open intention to put the Church on the wrong track. And yet the document was blessed by the Pope, since he approved its publication. This does not necessarily mean that he approves the content, but he approved the publication. In this affair we clearly see how modernists, minds twisted by modern theology, proceed. We could already find this at the Council, but maybe here it is still more skillfully done than at the time of the Council. We oppose the Council because it is full of these “subtleties,” ambiguous statements which could be understood in a Catholic sense, if they were explained in a Catholic spirit, but which could just as well mean quite the contrary. They are open doors. In his address to the Curia in December 2005, the Pope condemned this manner of acting which consists of taking advantage of ambiguities to draw nonCatholic conclusions. He reaffirmed that the Council must be connected to the Church’s past, and that it must be read in the light of tradition. The problem is that he then spoke of a living tradition. What is a living tradition? Our definition of Tradition looks at the content of what is transmitted, according to St. Paul’s words: “I passed on what I THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org received.” When we say that we have the faith of the Apostles, we consider that the Apostles passed on what Our Lord taught them, and all that He taught them. This object or content, transmitted from generation to generation, we call Tradition. It includes not only the Faith, but practices, a discipline and a spirit which we call the Catholic spirit. Living tradition, on the contrary, looks at the person who transmits and at the act of transmission. It is true that tradition may mean both: what is transmitted–this is the traditional definition–but also he who transmits, who makes an act of tradition. But when we speak of him who transmits, we mean the magisterium; hence, according to Benedict XVI, the living magisterium is the Pope himself who draws from the past of the Church and transmits from it what he deems suitable for today. If there is perfect correspondence between objective tradition and the personal act of transmission of the Pope, all is well. But otherwise, it raises very serious difficulties. When, after condemning ultraprogressivism, the Pope explained what this living tradition is, the Council read in the light of the living tradition, we find in his discourse all that we opposed, all that Archbishop Lefebvre opposed: religious liberty, ecumenism, etc. All this new relation of the Church to the world is presented by Pope Benedict XVI as something good and necessary. It makes us wonder to see on the one hand an attachment to Tradition and on the other hand the desire to be modern. In the 19th century, proposition 80 of the Syllabus condemned this statement: The Roman Pontiff can, and ought to, reconcile himself, and come to terms with progress, liberalism, and modern civilization. Yet Benedict XVI stated that the Pope must come to terms. He nonetheless made distinctions, acknowledging that the modern world also has its bad and unacceptable sides, and that qualifications ought to be given. How far will he go with qualifications of qualifications? Why doesn’t he simply say, “The world hates you, and if the world hates you,” said Our Lord to the Apostles, “it is because it first hated me.” This will remain true until the end of the world. The spirit of the world leads to hell, the principles of the world are contrary to Christ’s. Throughout the centuries, when we saw the world congratulate the Church, we feared, because we knew that there was something which did not agree with this statement of Our Lord. On the other hand, when we see the world persecute the Church, we say: “That is how it is supposed to be. Jesus Christ told us it would be so.” This enmity declared by God between the Blessed Virgin and her offspring–the Church–on the one hand, and Satan and his children on the other, will last until the end of time. It is vain to think that one day we will manage to be at peace with the world. A Christian who lives as such will per force have to suffer. 37 St. Paul tells us that whoever wants to live piously in Our Lord will undergo persecution. There are different kinds of persecution, but we will have to suffer. It is an illusion to imagine a situation of harmony with the world. We may reach a certain peace with the State, or even better have a Catholic State; this is obviously good. But the principles of the world will always remain opposed to Our Lord, and the Church will always have to fight. You said that the text on limbo broke with the tradition of the Church, and that it had no magisterial value. Another document addressed some months ago to the bishops of the whole world had an official character, since it was a letter of Cardinal Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, in which he reminded the bishops that in the Canon of the Mass for the consecration of the Precious Blood, the expression “for all” must not be used, but instead “for many,” as in the traditional Latin text, “pro multis.” Don’t you get the impression that there is, after all, a return to Tradition on the doctrinal level? This event is interesting. First, there was a letter dated November 17, 2006, from Cardinal Arinze and the Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship to all the presidents of Bishops’ Conferences, pointing out that the translation “for all” in the consecration was erroneous and that they had to go back to a translation faithful to the Latin text, which reads “pro multis–for many.” Salvation for all is in obvious contradiction with the Latin text. The bishops were given a year and a half or two years to prepare the faithful for this change. Imagine! If two years are needed to change the pro multis, how many years will be needed for the Mass? This delay was given in keeping with the upcoming new edition of the Pope Paul VI missal. As far as we know, this correction was imposed by the Pope against almost everybody. The Bishops’ Conferences in the proportion of nine out of ten wanted to keep the “for all.” I say “wanted”; maybe it should be said that after the letter they still want to keep the “for all.” It will be interesting to observe the outcome of the confrontation. But we must say that a courageous act of the Pope was at the origin of the letter of Cardinal Arinze. The Pope made a decision against the Bishops’ Conferences and the great majority of the Roman Curia. So there is hope! Will he manage to impose the Catholic translation “for many”? It seems to me that the postMotu Proprio period will be very important because it will reveal the thoughts of many hearts. There may be more to hope for from this text than meets the eye. The Church is supernatural and the human aspect of the combats fought within it are but the tip of the iceberg. The real combat is always between God and the devil, and it is a matter of saving souls. With the “for many” and the reintroduction of the traditional Mass, what is truly at stake is the salvation of souls. We may realize the true dimension of the combat better according to the bishops’ reactions. But without doubt, if the Pope makes a courageous act, it will provoke a downpour of grace upon the Church. You lay much emphasis on the doctrinal aspect. You say that if there is a liberalization of the Mass, and it remains to be seen to what extent freedom will be granted, this will be only one stage. Don’t you fear that your insistence upon doctrinal issues may discourage more than one among the priests and the faithful who sometimes wonder if all this is not mere dilatory maneuvering or even an unrealistic pretense to convert Rome? I feel like answering: this is the only way possible! Other ways may be considered and tried, but we have the impression that they are dead ends; even if they go in the right direction, they do not reach the goal to set the Church back “on the tracks,” if I may use the expression. The Church is always one, holy, Catholic and apostolic, and in this sense, it is always “on the tracks.” But churchmen have clearly gone off the tracks and caused a partial destruction of the Church together with the loss of souls. We may try to say that all is well because the Mass is granted and they let us live in our little corner with what we are attached to, as if we were in a microcosm. But we can clearly see that pressure from the outside becomes such that we reach a point when it is unlivable. Or we may try to slalom among the obstacles placed in the way by the bishops, as the Society of St. Peter is doing. But this does not lead very far, and each time they have some result, they are in danger of losing it. See what happened in Lyons, see the threats in Versailles. It is clear that as long as the Church is ruled by the new principle, to sign a practical agreement would mean to submit to these new principles; even if we say that we do not accept them, they will rule the practical agreement. We saw an example of this with the Society of St. Peter when in 1989 some priests of that Society were punished by their Superior General because they had concelebrated with the local bishop. The bishop protested, and Rome decided that the Superiors of the Ecclesia Dei Societies could not forbid their members to celebrate the New Mass. The principle used to settle this internal crisis was the general law in the Church, namely the ordinary mode of celebration is the Novus Ordo. A divisive principle was thus introduced within the Society of St. Peter, which never recovered from it. This is the reason why we tell Rome that we want a doctrinal discussion on those very principles. As long as we are not clear on these fundamental points, we cannot sign an agreement. We may reach some temporary modus vivendi. This is what I proposed to them when I asked that they withdraw the decree www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 38 of excommunication and give the Mass back to everybody. That would change the situation. It would not mean that Rome recognizes us, but merely that they give us elbow room. They do not commit themselves in any way, and we can work much more effectively for souls. After some time, we could reevaluate the situation, and of course, we hope thus to bring Tradition back into the Church. But this can certainly not be done by accepting modern principles. So far Rome has not considered this solution; they want a canonical agreement first. But I think that the Pope, who is more of a theologian, might be open to such an idea. The whole question is to know how Tradition, which is now ostracized, can one day be considered as the good of the Church. We are convinced that the Church will come out of the present crisis, but how? Some imagine that it will happen overnight as if by magic. There will be a special intervention from God and everybody will convert overnight. According to His absolute power, God can do it. He told the winds to be calm and the storm stopped. Likewise, God could change men’s hearts all at once. But the history of the Church shows that He usually does not act thus, rather He works slowly though some persons who live their Catholic lives in an extraordinary manner, called holiness, and thus renew the Church. The saints go through all sorts of suffering, and usually this is how crises are resolved. God can always do things in an extraordinary manner, but it is reasonable and supernaturally prudent to think that we will have to win over souls gradually and bring them back to the Faith of all time, showing them that the progressivist theses lead nowhere, that they are illusions which do not save souls. In this respect, your testimony is invaluable, because facts speak louder than words. You are proof that it is possible to live according to the Gospel and the traditional doctrine of the Church. Obviously this means sacrifices, but it is possible, and even attracts today’s youth. The Council tried to please the world, and instead of drawing the world upwards, it stooped down to it. Your daily Catholic lives show that what the Church always did and taught is bearing fruit. This is a most powerful argument, which forces churchmen to reflect. I heard that some years ago, Cardinal Ratzinger scolded Fr. Bisig because he was not doing enough: “Look at the SSPX,” the Cardinal said, “they have schools…” Probably the Society of St. Peter did not have many at the time. Recently, a bishop in Southern France said he wanted a Catholic school: “It is possible, the SSPX has schools.” This is what makes them think. Vocations do so also. If you have a diocese with no vocations and you see young communities receiving a continual flow of vocations, it makes you think. I consider that we must simply carry on until the Roman authorities think seriously about it, and not just say that the THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org Council cannot be discussed and that the New Mass is infallible, as Cardinal Castrillon once said in a public conference. In my opinion, to sign an agreement is to miss the point and hide the real problem. Rome would like a practical agreement as an easy way out, which does not oblige them to reflect upon the Council and the great theological problems it raises. They cannot simply say that the Council is good and can only be good, and claim that its disastrous results are due only to the fact that the Council has not been applied! After 40 years of Conciliar reforms? This is not serious! It is true that we criticize, we attack, and this is no pleasant task. Here is a comparison. We are like a thermometer which shows that there is a fever. But we have the impression that Rome’s only response is to break the thermometer. That is no cure! You must attack the disease, not the thermometer! I told Cardinal Castrillon: “Just forget us, forget that the SSPX even exists. Solve the problems in the Church and then you will see that the SSPX is no longer a problem.” We would like to see them deal with the real problems. So far, we have not reached the essence of the problem. So we keep insisting, not for our own sake but for the sake of the Church. We know that the Church is holy and indefectible, but her history is made by men. We have a role to play in the achievement of the indefectibility of the Church. Before God we must be able to answer honestly: “I did all I could for the good of the Church, for my soul first, but also for the good of the Church in the position which was mine.” At present, given the way Rome is acting, a practical agreement would be suicidal. If the authority at the Vatican were fully aware of the necessity of a return to Tradition, then we could seriously think about a practical agreement, even if there were still great disorder in the Church. As long as at the top they are not convinced of this necessity, and will not give us their support in the battle against the modernists, we cannot think of signing an agreement. A bishop made the following reproach to Fr. Schmidberger: “Yes, you will come back when all is spic and span in the Church.” Fr. Schmidberger, my predecessor at the head of the SSPX, answered: “We are ready to clean up the toilets, but give us the means to do so.” We can still say the same today. If we had the means–that is, the assurance that at the top level they bless and favor Tradition and genuinely want its return for the good of the Church–then things would be different. But there must be true will, and what we can see today causes us to say that the time has not yet come. We must be patient. Reprinted from the July-August 2007 issue of Christendom. Christendom is a publication of DICI, the press bureau of the Society of Saint Pius X (www. dici.org). 39 F r . C h r i s t i a n Christendom NEWS B o u c h a c o u r t Angelus Press Edition The Traditional Mass Requires Traditional Doctrine Fr. Christian Bouchacourt, District Superior of South America, is interviewed by Iesus Christus, the magazine of the South American District of the SSPX. On July 7, the Motu Proprio announced so long ago was finally released, granting the liberty to celebrate the traditional Mass to all priests. How do you feel about the publication of this document? We can but rejoice to see that the Tridentine Mass has at last regained its rights in today’s Church. However, in itself, the document was not necessary. As the Motu Proprio clearly says: “this liturgy was never abrogated” (Art. 1). Thus the SSPX was right to continue, though all hell was let loose, to celebrate this rite, using the 1962 Missal. But as, in fact, from 1969 until today, Church authorities acted as if the rite of the traditional Mass had been abrogated and very often censured the priests who wanted to celebrate it, it is a very good thing that this liberty be officially recognized. I would like to stress that this progress is a posthumous victory of Archbishop Lefebvre and Bishop de Castro Mayer, who were banished from the Church on account of their fidelity to this centuries-old rite. Without these two bishops, the Mass of St. Pius V would have disappeared from the face of the earth. We must, however, regret the restriction which authorizes the celebration of only one Tridentine Mass per parish on Sundays and holy days (Art. 5, §2). Is there not another restriction imposed for the celebration of Mass during the last three days of Holy Week in Article 2? No, in the traditional rite, on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, no priest can www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 40 celebrate Mass in private. The priests who attend the chanted offices receive communion from the celebrant. In this, the Motu Proprio is in the line of the liturgical Tradition. The document does not forbid the use the 1962 Missal for the public celebrations of these three days of Holy Week. Over these past months, have priests in your district approached the SSPX in order to learn how to say the traditional Mass? Yes, almost everywhere in South America priests are asking us to help them learn how to say the Mass. It must be noted that all these priests do so secretly out of fear of their bishop. I hope that thanks to the Motu Proprio they will be able to celebrate without fear and in all freedom, as the document prescribes. Then it will be a great grace for them and for the Church. Are the priests obliged to come to your priories to learn how to celebrate the Mass of Saint Pius V, or do you have other kinds of help to offer? It is obvious that direct contact with the priests would be the easiest way to help them learn how to celebrate the Mass of St. Pius V. But it is also quite obvious that this is impossible for many of them because of distance and the demands of their apostolate. That is why the French District of the SSPX had the excellent idea of producing a DVD to help those priests [as was being done in the US District–Ed.]. It is available in several languages, including Spanish and Portuguese. We offer it to priests and seminarians in South America for a very low price. We added to it a second CD with photos and a commentary about every gesture the priest must perform to celebrate correctly. I think it will prove a very useful tool for all our fellow priests who are interested in the traditional Mass. In his letter to the priests and faithful, Bishop Fellay expressed the satisfaction of the SSPX to see the rights of the Mass of St. Pius V recognized. Can we, for all that, say that the crisis which has been shaking the Church for decades is being resolved? As I said, this decision is a very positive step forward. We are happy to note that not only is the traditional Missal allowed but also the Breviary and the Ritual for the Sacraments according to the 1962 edition. This will procure enormous good to souls. Yet there is still a long way to go before we reach the end of this crisis, which has wrought so much havoc in the Church for 50 years. Indeed, as the Pope emphasized in his letter to the bishops, our combat is rooted much more deeply than in the mere restoration of the Mass of St. Pius V. It has doctrinal roots. If the Mass has regained its rights THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org of citizenship in the Church, integral Tradition must also regain the same rights. Doctrine nourishes and supports prayer and the liturgy. In 1969, the Tridentine Mass was changed because it was considered incompatible with the new conciliar theology. The gap, which has increased with the years, still remains after the restoration of the Mass. Together with the rehabilitation of the Tridentine rite, there must also be a return to doctrine in conformity with this rite. Lex orandi, lex credendi. Could you expand on this thought? Yes; we must bear in mind that at the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), all the bishops of the Latin Rite were still celebrating the Mass which we call “of St. Pius V.” The reform, as we know, occurred in November, 1969. Yet, in great majority, these same bishops voted the texts which have been poisoning the Church from within: the texts on religious liberty, collegiality, ecumenism. In the near future, these texts will have to be studied in the light of the centuries-old teaching of the Church. It must, indeed, be acknowledged that these texts and the reforms accompanying them caused a real rupture with what the Church had been teaching for almost 2,000 years. We often read in the media that the SSPX wants the restoration of the Latin Mass. With the Motu Proprio its wish is fulfilled! Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, last May, on the occasion of the meeting of the CELAM [Latin American Episcopal Conference], said before all the bishops of Latin America that the use of the 1962 Missal was a “wealth linked to the no less precious one of the current Liturgy of the Church.” He would like this Motu Proprio to be the occasion of conciliating the conciliar Church with Tradition. According to him, the times we are now living would be but a continuity of the living Tradition. This is wrong! For 50 years the Church has been seeking to be reconciled with the spirit of the world. This is “an adulterous union” which produced bastard offspring. Archbishop Lefebvre already denounced this at the time. The Church is not of the world. Christ said this to His apostles just before His Agony in the Garden of Olives. Throughout history, the world has never ceased to fight against Christ and His Church. It is not only an illusion but an error to want to reconcile them. The world must convert to Christ, and not the Church to the world. With the new Mass, the new sacraments, the new catechism, the new Code of Canon Law, we have seen the churches and the seminaries emptying, and sects proliferate. In Latin America, every day 6,000 to 8,000 Catholics leave the Church. It is dramatic. Such are the 41 bitter fruits brought about by the Council and its false principles, its revolutionary doctrine, and its reforms. The true renewal of the Church will come not only through liturgical restoration but also through rehabilitation of traditional doctrine in the Church. While keeping its own place, the SSPX is ready to offer her help in such a restoration. Our attachment to the traditional Mass is not a matter of sentiment but of doctrine. It is based on the teaching of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, of the Popes and of the Saints. The Church did not begin some 50 years ago with the Second Vatican Council. She has 2,000 years of Tradition behind her. Her roots plunge deep, and we cannot ignore them. Is it not somewhat of a utopia to desire all this? The world is always in a hurry and wants immediate results. God has all eternity before Him. He took thousands of years to prepare the chosen people to welcome the Incarnate Word. Likewise, after leaving Egypt, the Jewish people wandered for 40 years in the desert before reaching the Promised Land. Only the sons of those who had fled from Pharaoh entered it. All the others died, Moses included! God may have the same plan to put an end to this crisis, which seems to drag on forever. Maybe He wants all those who took part in the last Council and its reforms to depart from this world first. Then the passions can calm down and the necessary reflection can take place. We must pray and do penance to hasten these days of renewal. So we must be patient. Do you hope for the withdrawal of the excommunications which affect the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre and Bishop de Castro Mayer in the near future? We have never recognized the validity of these “excommunications.” When consecrating bishops in 1988, Archbishop Lefebvre did not want to set up a parallel Church as, for instance, the bishops of the Patriotic Church of China did in 1949. Our founder waited until he was 83 to perform this act, because he could not find any bishop to ordain his seminarians, give the sacraments and teach the perennial doctrine of the Church. As he said himself, it was meant for “the survival of Tradition.” History proved he was right. So requesting the withdrawal of the decree of excommunication is a matter of filial honor. We want our founder and the four bishops he consecrated in order to safeguard the Catholic priesthood, the Mass, and Tradition, to be cleared from this infamous condemnation–which, though it is null and void, is used by many bishops as a scarecrow to persuade the faithful not to frequent our chapels and priories. Without such a gesture, it will be hard for us to trust the good intentions of Rome towards us. Let us hope this gesture will follow the present Motu Proprio. Next, as our Superior General has said, we could begin “theological discussions.” So you entertain the hope that, one day, the situation will go back to normal between the SSPX and Rome? Catholic hope, which is based on God and His help, is what remains in the soul of the baptized when there is no more room for human hope. We must be inspired with a very great hope, because the Catholic Church is divine in her origin and in the assistance that Christ, her founder, promised her until the end of time. This return to a normal situation will take time, maybe a very long time. It does not matter. The SSPX does not labor for her own sake, but for the sake of the Catholic Church. On the day when Tradition is restored in all its rights, the problem of the SSPX will no longer exist. That time will come; it is certain. But God alone knows when it will be. And by way of conclusion? I invite all those who will read these lines to take advantage of the ray of hope brought by the Motu Proprio, to read the encyclicals of the popes who lived before the Second Vatican Council, such as, for instance, the Encyclical Pascendi Domini Gregis written by Pope St. Pius X exactly 100 years ago. In this document, as in the others, you will find the answers to all the errors which fill the Church, and the reasons for the return to Tradition which the SSPX has been requesting for more than 35 years. May Our Lady of Fatima, of whose apparitions we are celebrating the 90th anniversary, sustain the efforts of the Holy Father, and help him to make the decisions necessary to hasten the triumph of her Immaculate Heart. As Bishop Fellay wrote in his letter to the faithful and priests, the Rosary Crusade launched after the General Chapter by the SSPX for the liberalization of the traditional Mass obviously moved the Heart of the Blessed Virgin to grant us the Motu Proprio. May this strengthen our zeal to pray our daily rosary in order to obtain now the complete restoration of Tradition in the Church. The request of the Blessed Virgin Mary during her apparition in Pontmain, France, in 1870 comes to my mind: “Only pray, my children, in a short time my Son allows Himself to be moved.” Fr. Bouchacourt was ordained for the Society at Ecône in 1986. After several assignments in France, including a long tour at St. Nicholas du Chardonnet in Paris, he was appointed District Superior of South American in 2003. Reprinted from Christendom, No.12, July-August 2007. Christendom is a publication of DICI, the press bureau of the Society of Saint Pius X (www.dici.org). www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 42 F R . p e t e r Can the Council of Laodicea be alleged to prove that the deuterocanonical books are not inspired? The term “deuterocanonical” was invented as late as 1566 (by Sixtus of Siena) to describe those books of the Bible whose canonical inspiration was denied at one time in the fourth century, but which later became universally accepted as canonically inspired, with the same authority as the protocanonical books. These deuterocanonical books are called “apocrypha” by the Protestants, who do not accept them as divinely inspired. There are seven such books (out of 27) in the New Testament, and seven (out of 46) in the Old Testament, as well as several other shorter fragments. This hesitation concerning the canonical inspiration of these deuterocanonical books did not exist in the first three centuries of the Church. All books are quoted indiscriminately by the authors of the New Testament, as well as by the Fathers of the first three centuries, who are unanimous in their acceptation of all these books as divinely inspired. As examples, St. Clement of Rome (96) quotes Judith, Wisdom, and Ecclesiasticus, and the Pastor Hermas (middle of second century) quotes Ecclesiasticus and the second book of Machabees. Origen, at the end of the second century, defends the canonical inspiration of Tobias, and the deuterocanonical parts of Daniel and Esther, and in fact lists as Sacred Scripture every single one of the deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament. It was only from the fourth century on that isolated Fathers of the Church expressed their hesitation about the canonical inspiration of the seven deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament. These Fathers lived principally in the area of Palestine and were greatly influenced by the Jews. After the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70, the spiritual leadership of Judaism had been taken over by the Pharisees at the Synod of Jamniam (A.D. 90). By applying much more narrow-minded criteria than the Jews of the time of Our Lord, and in fact of the second century before Christ, they eliminated these seven books from their canon, either because they were written in Greek, or because they were relatively late in composition, or because of their prejudice towards a pharasaical, excessively materialistic interpretation of the law. Thus they rejected the version of the Septuagint, which had been the official version of the Old Testament in Greek, both in the Diaspora and in Jerusalem, containing as it did all the deuterocanonical books. This is but a consequence of the loss of grace that followed on the rejection of Christ. However, their insistence did cause some isolated Fathers to doubt the canonical inspiration of R . s c o t t these deuterocanonical books, in particular that great lover of Hebrew, St. Jerome. It is alleged that the 60th canon of the Council of Laodicea, in the year 360, gives a list of the books of the Old Testament without the deuterocanonical books. This could be explained by the above mentioned influence. However, most reputable authors dispute with good reason the authenticity of this canon. It consequently cannot be taken into consideration. Furthermore, even if it were authentic, it was only an isolated council, without any authority. As against this isolated testimony is the constant and universal Tradition throughout Christendom, namely that the deuterocanonical books were truly inspired by God and a part of Sacred Scripture. This was defined by several Councils of Carthage (382, 397, 419), by the Council of Hippo (393), and by Pope Innocent I in 405, and was taught by the quasiuniversality of the Fathers thereafter. This Tradition of the Church, reflecting its indefectibility in teaching the Faith, was so constant that it was not questioned again for nearly 1,000 years, despite the rise of the false apocryphal writings of the fifth century. In 1441 the Council of Florence defined this Tradition, namely that all the books of the Bible were inspired by God and that no distinction could be made between them. This definition was repeated by the Council of Trent. Q Is it accurate to say that Our Lord was a Jew? There are two meanings of the term “Jew.” The first meaning indicates that people and nation “chosen by God to maintain acceptable worship of the One True God, in preparation for the coming of Him who was to re-establish order in the world by the restoration of supernatural life” (Fr. Denis Fahey, The Mystical Body of Christ, p.150). In this sense “Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham” (Mt. 1:1) was most certainly a Jew. Pontius Pilate declares this: “Am I a Jew? Thy own people and the chief priests have delivered thee to me” ( Jn. 18:35), as does Our Divine Savior himself: “for salvation is from the Jews” ( Jn. 4:22). As Fr. Fahey puts it: “Our Lord Jesus Christ, the supernatural Messias, True God and True Man, is at one and the same time the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity and a Jew of the house of David” (ibid.). In this sense the Catholic Church succeeded to the Synagogue of Israel, applying to all who believe in the Messias the supernatural life of grace, for “there is neither Jew nor Greek…and if you are Christ’s, then you are the offspring of Abraham” (Gal. 3:28, 29). However, there is another sense in which we speak of the Jews, both as a religion and as a people. In the same way as the Pharisees of Our A THE ANGELUS • October 2007 www.angeluspress.org Lord’s time refused to recognize their Messias and believe in Him due to their proud, hypocritical “zeal” for arbitrary interpretations and hairsplitting decisions concerning the law, so also the Jews from their time until now who have refused to convert to the Catholic Church. writing Contest winner 43 Meredith Lehmann Troutville, Virginia The Jews refused, firstly, to accept that the supernatural life of His Messianic Kingdom was higher than the national life and, secondly, they utterly rejected the idea of the Gentile nations being admitted to enter into the messianic kingdom on the same level as themselves…. Having put their race and nation in the place of God, having in fact deified them, they rejected t h e s u p e r n a t u r a l Me s s i a s and elaborated a program of preparation for the natural Messias to come. (Fahey, The Mystical Body of Christ, p.151) This is what we call Zionism. In this sense Our Divine Savior was most certainly not a Jew. Consequently, it is not at all insulting to call Christ a Jew in the first sense, but rather an aspect of His divine mission. His baptism did nothing to change this origin according to the flesh, but was simply the opportune moment to manifest His divine filiation and nature: “This is my well beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:17). Nevertheless, it would be a complete denial of the mystery of the Redemption to call Christ a Jew in the second sense, or to pretend that we have any faith in common with such modernday Jews, or that they are in truth sons of Abraham. Fr. Peter Scott was ordained by Archbishop Lefebvre in 1988. After assignments as seminary professor and the US District Superior, he is currently the rector of Holy Cross Seminary in Goulburn, Australia. Those wishing answers may please send their questions to Q & A, in care of Angelus Press, 2915 Forest Ave., Kansas City, MO 64109. july 2007 Motor Proprio Three Catholic men approached a field, Where they saw rusting away Next to a fence, under a tree, An abandoned Chevrolet. The third man to perceive the car Observed its state with hope. He knew the Church could be repaired By a strong and holy pope. The men who stood there each saw meaning In this dismal sight. All three men held different views, And each knew that his was right. “This car is like Tradition,” he said, “Left in a field to rot By the Second Vatican Council And the confusion that it wrought.” The first man to observe the car Was repulsed by the dust and grime. He thought everything old was useless– He loved the New Springtime. “The car resembles the Old Mass,” He said with frank disgust, “Smeared with traditional corrosion And liturgical rust.” The second man who took in the scene Viewed it in despair, For though his tradition was intact, He maintained a Vacant Chair. “This car is like the Church,” he said, “Abandoned by its Guide. And, like the Barque of Peter, No driver is inside.” All three men, then, quietly left With a hint of snobbery. About the car, just like the Church, They were unable to agree. But the car had another meaning Which lay beyond their sight. They differed in their views so much They failed to unite. The car is the Mystical Body, Whose members are far apart. They are, like the works, not functional. The car, thus, cannot start. www.angeluspress.org THE ANGELUS • October 2007 The Angelus monthly photo writing contest Any member of a household aged 10-18 whose family address has a current subscription to The Angelus (either in print or online) is eligible. There may be more than one entry per address if more than one child is eligible. (Please include your family’s address and phone number, especially if you are a contestant writing from a boarding school.) Pricing for The Angelus is found at the bottom of the “Table of Contents” page. The Angelus is offering $150 for a 250-word creative writing composition on the above picture. (This may include, but is not limited to, any poem, dialogue, short story, song lyrics, script, explanation, etc.) If none is deserving of the prize, none will be awarded. The winning essay may be published if there is a winner. An extra $50 is available if one is a member of the SSPX Eucharistic Crusade (verified by your chaplain with your entry). Entrants must submit a creative-writing composition in their own words about the featured monthly picture. Submissions must be handwritten and will be judged on content, legibility, and creativity. The essays will be judged by parties outside of Angelus Press. Essays must be postmarked or faxed by october 31 and be addressed to: Attention: The Angelus Monthly Photo Writing Contest 2915 Forest Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64109 FAX: 816-753-3557 (24-hour dedicated line) The Life of Gabrielle Lefebvre Mothers of Priests Fr. Robert Quardt, S.C.J. This book praises mothers responsible for their sons’ Told by the spiritual director priestly vocation: the mothof the mother of Archbishop ers of St. Bernard and St. Lefebvre, mother of eight children, five of whom entered John Bosco; Alice Rolls, religion. After the baptism of mother of ten religious; the mother of Pope St. Pius the future archbishop, she X; the mothers of Lu, that said, “He will have a great role to play in holy Church, at town of 4,000, who gave Rome, near the Holy Father.” 500 sons to the priesthood Describes her commitment to in 50 years. What are the the ordinary way of salvation dispositions which characand some of what is known of terize mothers of priests? Includes indulgenced her mysticism. prayers for vocations. 35pp, softcover, Rev. Fr. Le Crom STK# 6583✱ $5.00 57pp, softcover, STK# 6595✱ $6.00 Letters to a Mother on Faith Fr. Emmanuel Marie André A pastor of 53 years tells mothers how to get their children to heaven. His letters are short, but not sweet. Straight talk on the nature of faith, how it comes, its increase and loss, its distinction from “religious feeling,” how it increases reason. Explains faith without works. Instructive and edifying. Besides the help they give, they’re also food for a mother’s meditations. The Rural Solution Catholic essays on going back to the land: “Ruralism vs. Urbanism” (Bp. Richard Williamson), “Distributism: Economics as if People Mattered” & “The Why and How of a Parallel Economy” (Dr. Peter Chojnowski), “Two Pigs and a Cow,” “The Economics of the Catholic Family” (Dr. Walter John Marx) and “The Better Life” (Willis D. Nutting). 102pp, softcover, STK# 7094✱ $9.95 Duties of the Catholic State in Regard to Religion Alfredo Cardinal Ottaviani Cardinal Ottaviani, in a 1953 lecture, explains why the Church teaches that the State has the duty of professing the Catholic religion and that rulers are to insure that the moral principles of the True Religion inspire the social activity and the laws of the State. 26pp, softcover, STK# 1029✱ $5.00 48pp, softcover, STK# 6594✱ $5.00 The R idgefield Letters from “The Nine” to the Episcopal Consecrations of 1988 Bishop Richard Williamson 302pp, softcover, STK# 8222. $24.99 Sixty-two letters of then Fr. Richard Williamson from his appointment as Rector of St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in early 1983 to June 1, 1988–just preceding the episcopal consecrations. Utterly fascinating, the letters break down into three main categories dealing with: Sedevacantism (the split of “the Nine”), relations and contacts between Rome and Archbishop Lefebvre, and the disastrous ecumenical meeting at Assisi and the “build-up” to the 1988 episcopal consecrations. Of course, not all the letters deal with these three topics, but these three topics run as a theme through these ALWAYS entertaining and edifying letters. For example, one letter is on the death of Fr. Williamson’s father; another gem is his first impression of the seminary property in Winona. There are many more like it. Yes, this IS one of those books that you can’t put down. www.angeluspress.org l 1-8 00-9 6 6-73 37 Please visit our website to see our entire selection of books and music. more Sofanctuaries Sacrifice International Altars and Churches of Catholic Tradition 10¾" x 10¾" Full color throughout, STK# CAL2008 $12.00 The 2008 Liturgical Calendar features 12 INTERNATIONAL Traditional Sanctuaries OF THE sspx with their histories and explanations. Why an altar calendar again? Because the Catholic Church considers the altar as the whole reason for the existence of the building in which it stands. Not only does she look upon it as the sacrificial stone, upon which Christ, our Priest and Victim, offers Himself daily in His Eucharistic Sacrifice, which is the central act of her liturgy; but she has proclaimed that the altar represents the Lord Himself. He is Altar, Victim, and Priest; and the reverence for the altar symbolizes the reverence due to Christ Himself. Room for your notes and appointment reminders. All the feast days of the year according to the 1962 Roman Missal are listed with class and liturgical color marked along with reminders of days of fast and abstinence. It also includes the latest directory of Latin Mass locations and traditional Catholic schools in the US and Canada. #1014 2008 E-mail Updates from Angelus Press! If you would like to receive our bi-weekly e-mail, ­updating you on new titles, sales and special offers (most available only online), simply send your e-mail address to: listmaster@angeluspress.org. You can change your e-mail reception preferences or unsubscribe at any time. Shipping & Handling USA $.01 to $25.00 $7.50 $25.01 to $50.00 $10.00 $50.01 to $100.00 $15.00 Over $100.00 15% of order Foreign 50% of order subtotal angelus Press 2915 Forest Avenue Kansas City, Missouri 64109 1-800-96ORDER 1-800-966-7337 www.angeluspress.org l 1-8 00-9 6 6-73 37 Please visit our website to see our entire selection of books and music.