The first attribute of a Christian is the ability to reason. If one can’t reason it is because he lacks true charity due to pride or some other vice.

Unfortunately I find myself having to repeat over and over for the last 25 years the same points.  The main problems of the Catholic Church today are the errors of Vatican II and the making of private revelations part of the deposit of faith.  The first is easy to identify for traditional Catholics have hopefully completely rejected Vatican II and the Novus Ordo; the second is more difficult because many who call themselves traditional Catholics insert their own private beliefs as part of the deposit of faith unknown to their listeners and getting others addicted to dependence on apparitions as the source of faith.

Paul VI, not the Catholic Church, removed the obligation to submit revelations to the hierarchy before their promulgation. This opened a floodgate of visions and apparitions throughout the world, from Garabandal and Medjugorje, to Peter the Roman and Ann, a “seer” who is Mary’s Secretary and gives the news of the day. Even though one may say these are obviously not acceptable, there are followers who would give their lives defending such non-sense and who defy church authority—yes, the Vatican II Church—in continuing the propagation of detrimental opinions, still, if one is propagating “approved” visions as having greater authority and weight than faith and morals then one is also opposing the Church who teaches that private revelation is never required to be believed and has no place beyond private devotion. Injuriously these apparitions are promoted to give a false sense of hope and the answer to today’s universal apostasy in the sense that everything will be resolved if Catholics would just join the devotees of these apparitions because apparently Mary can do a better job than her Divine Son and the Church.

In regards to Timothy Duff, I already addressed his exaltation of the Mystical City of God by Mary of Agreda, giving a woman a higher status than the Fathers and Doctors of the Church (unless he agrees with the Vatican II Church in making women doctors of the Church – which led to altar girls, women lectors and eucharistic ministers – contrary to Scripture). Dealing with his lecture on Our Lady of the Pillar, one finds the same exaltation that explains everything not based on Church teaching, but by either promoting or not promoting private revelation, e.g., John XXIII lost papal authority (fake apostle) because he did not reveal the Fatima Secret. He adopts the Vatican II Church’s appellation of Mary as “Mother of the Church”, a title introduced by Hans Ur von Balthasar, re-iterated by John XXIII and proclaimed by Paul VI, a title rejected by Pope Pius X because it puts Mary above and outside the Church – which is why I must oppose those who engage in a false devotion to Mary. Again, Timothy Duff also asserts, as was said above, that the Church will be resurrected through Mary – and this by someone who jumps from one traditional church to another as recently witnessed by his leaving Bishop Dolan and going with Fr. Ramolla, just as many other traditional Catholics who are trying to find a paradise on earth but don’t want to live in reality that they live in a sinful world. How can one promote a restoration of the Church when one cannot even get the bishops to cooperate with one another?

All traditional Catholics would love to see the Vatican II Church be reversed and a true pope be on the chair of Peter, but we are in the great apostasy and Our Lord specifically stated “unless those days were shortened, even the elect would not be saved.” The elect are the remnant faithful who are struggling to live and spread the one true faith, not “visions” and “messages”.

Grace be with you through Mary our hope

In Christ,

Joseph B.D. Saraceno