TrapCast Express
TrapCast Express, it's Friday, October 27th, 2017.
Two days ago, Steve Skojec of 1Peter5 published a post entitled,
The Center Cannot Hold, which is a lengthy reflection on the mess the Vatican II sect is in.
And he concludes as follows, quote,
I have long posited that the only reason Christ promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church
is because he knew full well that they would appear to do precisely that.
He wanted us to remember those words at the very moment when it would seem all but certain that his promises were empty
and that all was truly lost.
We are arriving at that juncture, perhaps not for the first time in history and certainly not for the last.
The church may go into hibernation.
The church may seem for a time to disappear.
So we remember his promise and we hold fast whatever comes.
Unquote.
Amen.
The question is, why in the world is this man not a Sede Vacantist?
The only way the gates of hell have not prevailed is if Francis isn't a real pope.
And also not the five pre-ten popes before him, but that's not the issue now.
The issue for right now is Francis.
Remember.
That our Lord spoke about the gates of hell not prevailing right after he declared that Simon Peter was the rock
upon which his church was going to be built.
It is the teaching of the Catholic Church that it is the pope, not any particular one, but any true pope, the pope as such.
It is he, the pope, who guarantees that the church will not go astray and become a vehicle for damnation rather than salvation.
Here are some examples from the church's magisterium, and I've quoted this before, but it bears repeating.
Quote,
All who defend the faith should aim to implant deeply in your faithful people the virtues of piety, veneration, and respect for this supreme see of Peter.
Let the faithful recall the fact that Peter, prince of apostles, is alive here and rules in his successors, and that his office does not fail even in an unworthy heir.
Let them recall that Christ the Lord placed the impregnable foundation of his church on this see of Peter,
and gave to Peter himself the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
Christ then prayed that his faith would not fail and commanded Peter to strengthen his brothers in the faith.
Consequently, the successor of Peter, the Roman pontiff, holds a primacy over the whole world and is the true vicar of Christ,
head of the whole church, and father and teacher of all Christians.
Indeed, one simple way to keep men professing Catholic truth is to maintain their communion with and obedience to the Roman pontiff.
For it is impossible for a man ever to reject any portion of the Catholic faith without abandoning the authority of the Roman church.
In this authority, the unall-troubled teaching office of this faith lives on.
It was set up by the divine redeemer.
And consequently,
the tradition from the apostles has always been preserved.
So it has been a common characteristic, both of the ancient heretics and of the more recent Protestants,
whose disunity and all their other tenets is so great,
to attack the authority of the apostolic see,
but never at any time were they able, by any artifice or exertion,
to make this see tolerate even a single one of their errors.
Unquote.
That was Pope Pius IX, encyclical Gnostis et Nobiscum, paragraphs number 16 and 17.
Also, Pope Leo XIII, quote,
The Church has received from on high a promise which guarantees her against every human weakness.
What does it matter that the helm of the symbolic bark has been entrusted to feeble hands
when the divine pilot stands on the bridge where, though invisible,
he is watching?
Unquote.
And this is from an allocution to cardinals of March 20th, 1900.
Now, remember this next time Michael Matt of the Remnant tries to tell you that everything going wrong
in the noble sort of church is all, oh, well, the human element.
Well, Catholic teaching is that Christ promises guarantee that the human element cannot overcome the church,
cannot do what Francis is doing.
And finally, let's have a look at the teaching of Pope St. Pius,
the 10th, quote,
In fact, only a miracle of that divine power could preserve the church,
the mystical body of Christ, from blemish in the holiness of her doctrine,
law, and end in the midst of the flood of corruption and lapses of her members.
Her doctrine, law, and end have produced an abundant harvest.
The faith and holiness of her children have brought forth the most salutary fruits.
Here is another proof of her divinity.
In spite of a great number of pernicious opinions and great variety of errors,
as well as the vast army of rebels,
the church remains immutable and constant as the pillar and foundation of truth
in professing one identical doctrine in receiving the same sacraments
in her divine constitution, government, and morality.
Unquote.
And that's from the encyclical Edite Sepe, number 8.
Now, it is clear as day, and even the Semitrads readily admit,
that this church teaching that we've just heard is not verified in Francis.
But this proves that Francis cannot be a true pope.
That is simply the logically necessary conclusion to draw here,
and it does not require any authority to do so.
And what's the alternative, anyway?
The alternative is to have a pope without conscience,
consequences, to affirm of someone that he is pope,
but then not to affirm of him what the church affirms of the papacy.
And that is heresy, or cognitive dissonance at best.
And, come on, think about it.
The church is 2,000 years old.
If it were possible for a true pope to lead the church astray,
it would have happened a long time ago.
It wouldn't have taken 2,000 years to finally get someone like Francis.
That would have happened in, I don't know, the year 286.
So, you get my point.
To hold that Francis, despite everything, is still a true pope does not solve anything.
In fact, it destroys Catholic teaching on the papacy.
Now, before we go, real quick, our fundraiser for the year is almost over,
and this month of October 2017 is the last month that we're offering incentive gifts
for donations over a certain amount.
And to see what we have waiting for you, go to
and click on the link at the top for the incentive gifts.
And hurry, because the month is almost over.
In any case, a big thank you to all our supporters who keep things afloat here financially.
May God bless and reward you eternally.
Tradcast Express is a production of Novos Ordo Watch.
Check us out at tradcast.org.
And if you like what we're doing,
please consider making a tax-deductible contribution at novosordowatch.org.