The Ugly Traditionalist Revisited:

"You are either with me or against me!"

By Father Celatus

The Gospel of Saint Matthew records this ominous warning spoken by our Lord: "He that is not with me, is against me: and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth." The context is important to appreciate fully the strength of this statement.

The enemies of Christ had just accused Jesus of healing a blind and dumb demoniac by the power of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Jesus responded by demonstrating just how illogical their reasoning was, namely, that Satan would drive out fellow demons, thereby dividing his own kingdom. Jesus then warned his enemies about the unpardonable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

Since the time of Christ there have been many who have borrowed upon this evangelical warning, to include some rather unsavory anti-Christian political figures. For example, the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini threatened Italians, "O con noi o contro di noi" (you are either with us or against us) and the democrat Hilary Clinton warned in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack, "Every nation has to either be with us or against us…" There are many others who at least implicitly employ this rigid dichotomy, to include those who identify themselves under the title of traditional Catholic.

Here are some examples.

My first personal experience of a traditional Catholic who drew a "with me or against me" line in the sand was about two decades ago, back in the Indult days. The line was drawn by a man who had converted to Catholicism from Protestantism and then had a subsequent conversion from Novus Ordo Catholicism to traditional Catholicism. He and I had a wonderful rapport and I even accommodated his request to be baptized conditionally in the traditional form of the sacrament, in case his Protestant baptism had been invalid. But at some point he became dissatisfied with the limits of the Indult and he ventured into the world of sedevacantism. Soon his gratitude toward me turned to contempt and he cut me off.

Following this sad experience I became more aware of an animosity on the part of many— not all— Sedevacantists toward traditional Catholics who do not share their view on the validity of the papacy the past sixty years. Some sedevacantist websites and bloggers go out of their way to be hypercritical of efforts of fellow traditional Catholics to combat the outrages of the past sixty years, despite the fact that we share many common concerns regarding Vatican Council II and its aftermath.

The contempt they have for us is not unlike that of the ancient Jews toward Samaritans. Truly, the more time that passes, the more hardcore Sedevacantists may find themselves similar to Orthodox Jews wailing at the ancient temple wall, awaiting the coming of their messiah; except Sedevacantists await their pope, from where, who knows?

Sadly, the hard line "with me or against me" stance has been manifesting itself increasingly among some traditional Catholics during the horrific reign of Francis of Rome. I intentionally avoid use of the word "pontificate" when referring to Francis because that is precisely the issue in question, namely, whether or not Jorge Bergoglio is a valid pope. There are those who insist, as though it were a dogmatic truth, that Francis is a valid pope and anyone who questions this assertion is insane or unfaithful: "with me or against me" On the opposite side are those who are utterly convinced, with the conviction of inerrancy, that Jorge Bergoglio is an

invalidly elected anti-pope and if you do not agree with this position you are effeminate or ignorant: "with me or against me." For both of these extremes there is no middle ground, to include those who think it probable but not certain that Bergoglio is one or the other, as to validity.

There are at least two other prominent public figures over whom there has arisen the "with me or against me" mantra among some traditional Catholics. The first is Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the former secretary-general of the governorate of the Vatican City State and apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Archbishop Vigano had already shown himself to be a reformer of corruption within the Vatican ranks while serving in Rome, for which he was exiled from the Vatican; more recently he has come forth as a reformer of the Church universal, for which he is now exiled and in hiding, literally in danger of death.

Without doubt most traditional Catholics are truly grateful to Archbishop Vigano, who has forfeited an otherwise comfortable retirement in order to expose the deep moral corruption of homosexual networks and prelates who protect and promote predators within the Church, to include Jorge Bergoglio and some prominent Cardinals.

This is a laudable act of fortitude in these unprecedented times, and his actions should be applauded and supported by all traditional Catholics. Yet there are some within the traditional ranks who provide fodder for the enemies of the Archbishop and the truth that he has exposed by publicly calling into question his motives.

Again, there is no middle ground, "you are with me or against me." In their minds, if the Archbishop has mixed motives then he is undeserving of our support and his duplicity should be exposed and his supporters shamed.

What we say here at The Remnant is " V is for Vigano!" A final example of the "you are with me or against me" misguided approach by some traditionalists is with regard to President Donald Trump.

Many traditional Catholics supported and voted for Mr. Trump in the past presidential election for two good reasons: the alternative electable candidate ran on a platform and past political practice that was nothing short of demonic; and Donald Trump promised to take strong steps to restore the Nation to a condition more compatible with basic Christian values. But because he is not Catholic and because he does not have a platform to "Make America Catholic Again," there are rigid traditional Catholics who criticize traditionalists for supporting President Trump, even in limited ways.

Newsflash, fellow Trads: We are not canonizing the President, but we are grateful for the good he is doing.

Enough of the "you are either with me or against me" approach to the current crisis in the Church among traditional Catholics! This attitude can arise out of pride and lead to a cult mentality. Let’s unite our efforts in what we agree upon and allow divine providence to work out what is not within our control. Our Lord warned that a house divided cannot stand. Consider how much stronger and more effective the resistance to Modernism would be if we simply set aside differences and work together for a restoration of tradition. ■

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Newsflash fellow Trads: We are not canonizing the

President, but we are grateful for the good he is doing.

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