TrapCast Express
TrapCast Express, it's Tuesday, February 20th, 2024.
A few days ago, on February 12th to be exact, the Canadian writer and YouTuber Kennedy Hall published a video on his YouTube channel entitled
Divine Mercy and the Validity of Novels Ordo Priests, Q&A Session for Members.
Let's listen to a few excerpts from that video.
Good day to my faithful subscribers, both those on Substack and YouTube memberships, that is paid subscribers.
I'm going to start a Q&A question answer session here.
I've got a few questions that have come in.
There's a couple of them that I think will probably take away.
It's going to take a while for me to get through.
I'm going to kind of do these episodes in installments so that way you guys can have them.
Okay, so Kennedy Hall is starting a series of videos in which he answers questions he receives from people who are paid subscribers to his Substack and YouTube content, presumably questions about Catholic faith and practice.
And of course, he can do that.
There's nothing wrong with that.
But considering his position that Francis is a valid pope and the bishops.
In communion with him are the lawful and valid Roman Catholic hierarchy.
It's not quite clear why he would and why people would ask him about anything in the first place.
Now, I ask you to please bear with me here.
This is not a cheap polemic against Kennedy Hall.
What I'm bringing up here is a serious matter that goes to the core of the traditional Catholic understanding of church authority and shows the absurdity.
If people have questions about the so-called divine mercy devotion or the validity of the rite of ordination, according to the 1968 Novus Ordo rite of Paul VI, why don't they simply ask their local Novus Ordo priest or the diocesan bishop or submit their question to an approved diocesan publication?
Why instead do they ask a beard oil salesman from California?
Why instead do they ask a beard oil salesman from Canada who attends a mass that's not even approved by his own hierarchy?
There's nothing wrong with selling beard oil, by the way.
I'm just saying.
Hall is an apologist for the Lefebvrists, the Society of St. Pius X, or SSPX.
His blog on Substack is called Mere Tradition, and the subtitle is Catholic Tradition.
No more, no less.
Now, that's a pretty confident claim, similar to how Crisis magazine considers itself orthodox and faithful, and Catholic Family News claims to be 100% Catholic.
The problem, of course, is that these are just labels they have put on themselves.
They are not any kind of stamp of approval from the lawful church authority watching over Catholic media.
They're more like advertising slogans.
Now, you will surely say,
Well, you, Sedevacantus, don't have any official approval either.
And you would be correct.
The difference, however, lies in the fact that our position is that there is no known Catholic authority from which this approval could be received.
Whereas the Recognize and Resist position of Kennedy Hall insists that there is such an authority, but it must be opposed.
And if you think that's a distinction without a difference, think again.
There is a world of difference between a child who acts without parental oversight and a child who acts directly against the parent's clear instructions in their very presence.
In the case of the former, if the child ends up overstepping his bounds, one will take into consideration that the parents were not there to guide him,
or at least the child didn't know where the parents were.
And so had to fend for himself, so to speak.
In the case of the latter, though, there is no excuse for the child to be acting against the express will of the parents,
especially if at the same time God has promised that the parents in their official function will never lead the child astray.
So that was obviously just an analogy to show what a difference the theological position makes.
It is not.
It is not enough to simply say, oh, come on, we're all traditionalists and we're all trying to do the right thing here.
Well, that's fine as far as it goes.
But when it comes to contradictory positions, only one of them can be the right thing.
And though it's perfectly all right to say that we have to cut people some slack because we live in confusing times
and some people need more time than others to get to the right answer,
that still doesn't negate the fact that the child is not the right person to lead the child astray.
It doesn't negate the fact that there is a right answer to be found
and many wrong answers to be avoided or abandoned.
And we can argue about what the right answer is,
but let's not say that it's all the same simply because we're all struggling.
Since Kennedy Hall has released a public video that influences countless souls,
there is nothing wrong with giving a public response
and exposing the errors of his work.
There is nothing wrong with giving a public response
and exposing the errors of his work.
Let's get back to Hall's video now.
At the 52-second mark, he starts with the first question.
This question is, what are your thoughts on a Novus Ordo priest joining the SSPX?
Can you tell a difference between a Novus Ordo and an SSPX foreign priest?
And if they have not been conditionally ordained, would you go to confession with them?
Okay, very good.
So, at least the questioner asks what Hall's thoughts are on these issues,
Okay, very good. So, at least the questioner asks what Hall's thoughts are on these issues,
as opposed to asking objectively, what should a Catholic think about these things.
Obviously, people can ask others what they think about XYZ, perfectly fine.
The question I would have is,
the question I would have is,
why does it matter what Kennedy Hall's thoughts are on Novus Ordo priests, SSPX priests, their formation,
or whether he would go to confession to a priest ordained in the Paul VI Rite?
Francis is the Pope and the entity which he directs is the Catholic Church, then frankly,
it doesn't matter what Mr. Hall thinks about any of these things, nor would it matter what I think
about anything. Then you would be able to, and would have to, get all your assurances, all your
theology, all your doctrine, your saints, your disciplinary law, your liturgical rubrics, etc.
from Francis and his gang. In short, if Kennedy Hall is correct about Francis being the Pope,
then the first thing you'd want to do is tune out Kennedy Hall.
Anyway, so Kennedy then gives a somewhat lengthy response with his thoughts about how
Novus Ordo priests differ from SSPX priests and so on. Then he answers the question whether he
would go to confession with the Novus Ordo.
Novus Ordo priest who joins the SSPX without having received conditional reordination. Let's
listen. Now, if they cannot be conditionally ordained, would you go to confession with them?
I am going to give you an answer that's going to be controversial to traditionalists, and I'm going
to bring up something before I do that in order that the answer is adequate. So here is a video,
I'm not going to play this video, but I'm going to encourage you to go listen to this. It's like
two hours long, but it's okay. I'm not going to play this video, but I'm going to encourage you to
listen to this. It's awesome. Father Hess, if you don't know who Father Hess is, or was, God rest his
soul. I'm sure he's in heaven. He was a very good man. In any case, he died. Actually, you know,
it's funny. Father Hess almost moved not too far from me in Canada a while ago. He had friends from
the old country that were going to take him in. Anyway, small world. I never met him. He died
like 20 years ago or something. But in any event, he was very, very hard-lined and apodictic,
meaning he said his opinions,
if they were settled fact. Now, he would qualify that and say, this is my opinion. But when he
told you his opinion, he'd be like, and this is why you are a heretic. You know, like he didn't
pull any punches. He is a traditionalist godfather. Let's put it that way. And he was extremely
educated, massive amount of formation and certification in all areas of theology from
the big universities in Rome, blah, blah, blah. He was ordained in the New Mass and all that.
And then he went to tradition pretty quickly after. And he does this talk,
and I'll actually just move this thing off here for just a second so you can
actually see what the talk is called. I apologize for that.
The talk is called The Validity of Novus Ordo Sacraments. This is Father Hess. So look up
Father Hess, H-E-S-S-E, H-E-S-S-E, Validity of Novus Ordo Sacraments, and listen to it.
He comes to the conclusion that he says, and he can't stand the New Mass. He can't stand the
New Rite. Like, I mean, he is as, he is as hardcore. I mean, he's a,
he's a traditionalist priest who turns off a lot of traditional, not a lot, but some
traditionalists because people think, oh man, he kind of went too far there. But he was very
anti-state of a contest, and he was very, not anti the persons, but anti the ideology
or the philosophy. And he was adamant that the new sacraments were valid.
Ah, so Kennedy Hall points his viewers to a video by the Austrian Father Gregory Hesse,
who worked in the Vatican for a few years and died in 2006 at the age of,
52. Before we continue, let me just give a little background on this interesting individual,
most of which I'm taking from the biographical page on the official website dedicated to him.
Gregorius Hesse was ordained to the priesthood in the Novus Ordo Rite in 1981 by Archbishop
Aurelio Sabatani, who had himself been consecrated to the episcopacy in the traditional Catholic
Rite.
Back in 1965. So Hesse was ordained by a valid bishop, but in the Novus Ordo Rite of ordination,
which means it's possible that Hesse's priestly orders were valid, but then maybe not. The
essential form of the new rite is almost, but not quite, identical to that mandated by Pope
Pius XII, omitting only one word, which may or may not invalidate the sacrament. Long story
short.
In short, it is reasonable and safer to consider his orders doubtful.
From 1986 to 88, Hesse was the secretary of Cardinal Alphonse Stickler, who was the archivist
of the Vatican Secret Archive and librarian of the Vatican Library. From 1988 to 91, Hesse
continued to work in the Vatican Secret Archive. During that time, he also earned doctorate degrees
in theology.
He was a professor of theology and canon law, although both of them the Novus Ordo kind,
of course, at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas in Rome. His doctoral dissertation,
published in 1991, was on the theology of G.K. Chesterton. And it was then, in 1991,
that he pretty much separated himself from the conciliar church, as he himself called
it, and went back to his home in Vienna. From that time on, he was basically a vagrant,
who didn't have a fixed income, but made a living with translation work and traveling
around Europe and the United States, giving lectures and conferences. And indeed, that
is his claim to fame. Giving lectures, expounding and defending, recognize and resist traditionalism.
People would pass out audio tapes and video recordings of Hesse giving talks on theological
topics. And, of course, he was a quirky character.
Very opinionated, nothing wrong with that, rhetorically strong, and always drinking wine
during his lectures. You can see, actually, in his videos, there's always a bottle of
wine in plain sight right next to him.
Now, for all his education, and aside from his doctoral dissertations written under the
guidance of the Novus Ordo authorities, it doesn't look like Hesse ever engaged in any
written academic disputations.
With any of his peers or theological opponents, at least not to my knowledge.
And that's unfortunate, because it is one thing to advance a thesis, a position to an
audience of mostly laymen who have no formal theological training, and it's quite another
to have your position examined and critiqued by someone who is at least your equal, academically.
So, I just want to point that out, for when people
bring up that Hesse was so educated and so smart, yes, no doubt he was, but then so are
a lot of other people who take very different theological positions compared to Hesse.
So, let's not use the mere educational credentials as evidence that he was right.
In fact, some of Hesse's claims were downright absurd.
Let me give you some concrete examples.
First, Hesse was the quintessential
recognize and resist thinker. He would say the most extreme things about the new mass,
for example, like saying it's a schismatic rite and probably invalid, but then insist that Paul
VI was a true pope. You know, as if the pope, the supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church,
could create a schismatic rite of mass. It's insane. I don't care how many degrees you have
from a Novus Ordo institution.
Another preposterous claim he made was that Vatican II was not, in fact, an ecumenical council
at all, even though he insisted that both John XXIII, who called the council, and Paul VI,
who solemnly promulgated its documents, had been true popes. I mean, this is just silly.
How does he think the Catholic Church works? If Paul VI was a true pope, then what he approved
as an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church was a true pope.
The Catholic Church was, in fact, an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. It simply doesn't
matter what some Austrian employee in the Vatican library thinks about it.
All right, now back to Kennedy Hall. So, when it comes to the issue of whether the
Novus Ordo sacraments are valid, specifically priestly ordination, Hall defers to Father Hess.
On the face of it, that is reasonable, right? Instead of presuming to settle the issue,
himself, Hall instead points people to a priest who has a doctorate in theology to get that
question answered. Sounds reasonable, right? Here's what Hall says in summary about Hess's position.
And he said, I just assess are the necessary things there for the rights to be valid? And he said,
without a doubt, they are valid.
Okay, fair enough at first sight. But now let's look at this issue a little more closely.
First of all,
Now, that doesn't mean, of course, that his argumentation is necessarily false or that he
couldn't possibly have been objective about the matter, but it does mean he had a conflict of
interest. So, wasn't there a more suitable scholar for Hall to appeal to?
And that brings us to our next question. Why choose Father Hess to begin with?
And, am I allowed to choose someone else instead? Someone I prefer? Or how does this work?
Does each traditionalist get to choose someone he wishes to outsource his theology to?
Apparently so, which is why some recognizing resistors believe Novels Order ordinations to be
invalid, or at least doubtful, and others don't.
But then, if that's the case, if I can just choose my own practical guide to what's true,
true and valid and orthodox, wouldn't then the easiest and safest way to outsource it all to the
very hierarchy that Kennedy Hall claims is the legitimate Roman Catholic hierarchy?
In other words, why not simply be Novels Ordo then? You know, attend the new mass, teach the
new catechism, accept the new canon law, and adhere to the Bergolian magisterium. I mean,
if I get to choose, then where's the problem?
Why is it that I'm allowed to choose Father Hesse as my guide, but not Father James Martin,
for example? Please pardon me for bringing him up. Why is it that I get to choose,
but only from a select few individuals whom some Canadian beard oil salesman
deems sufficiently Catholic, while I'm forbidden from choosing the people I'm supposed to recognize
as the true Catholic hierarchy with the mission of Christ?
Including the Pope. I mean, what is this if not a complete theological madhouse?
And please don't get me wrong, this is not meant to be some personal attack on Kennedy Hall. I'm
simply trying to show that the position being advanced by Mr. Hall leads to absurdity. It just
doesn't make sense. And that's important to understand. And so, lastly, notice what Kennedy
Hall did. He said, I'm going to choose the Pope. I'm going to choose the Pope. I'm going to choose the
Pope. I'm going to choose the Pope. I'm going to choose the Pope. I'm going to choose the Pope. I'm going to
not do to answer the question whether he believes Novus Ordo priests are valid.
If we're going to go by traditional Catholic principles, there is only one argument Hall
needed to use, and one he absolutely should have used. And yet he didn't. And that's very telling.
What argument is that? Very simple. He should have argued that the Novus Ordo right of priestly
ordination was promulgated by the supreme pontiff of the
Roman Catholic Church, Paul VI, in 1968, and that alone guarantees it to be valid.
Now, of course, Paul VI was not a valid pope, but Hall believes that he was. So,
why didn't he make that argument? That is how a real traditional Catholic would have answered
the question, because that settles it. Instead, what does Hall do? He tells the viewer to watch
a video of a lecture given by a former Vatican librarian assistant from Austria who separated
himself from the very authorities he claimed were the legitimate Catholic hierarchy and went off to
do his own thing. Does this make any sense? And thus far, our little analysis of some portions
of Kennedy Hall's February 12th video. To conclude, let me simply observe that again and again we see
that
those who scream the loudest about following tradition often show precious little regard
for actual traditional Catholic belief and practice. Beware, then, of the semi-traditionalist
recognize and resistors. Whether they mean to or not, they are doing the work of a false opposition.
Tradcast Express is a production of Novus Ordo Watch. Check us out at tradcast.com.
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