A Guest Post From Jack Seney

Jack has some thoughts on the fate of the Novus Ordo and the Prelates who oppose the TLM.

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Pope Francis continues to appoint bizarre characters as leading cardinals and by all appearances to try to "liberalize" and "modernize" the Church. Periodically I see the need to put such things in perspective.

The Achilles heel of Francischurch is that, in general, no one in the countries with resources to share is going to Mass, and that Catholics are falling away from the liberal Church in record numbers. All the guitar Masses you can shake a stick at will still make little difference if essentially no one is going to them.

Francischurch has only itself to blame for this, as it has given everyone the impression that Mass attendance is optional and only necessary when one "feels like it," which by itself is enough to sound the death knell for the liberal Church movement.

Church liberals do not realize this or have realized it too late. They sit around waiting in vain for liberally "freed" people to willingly come back to Mass of their own accord. But not enough do and Novus Ordo churches continue to close in the West.

Meanwhile, the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) segment of the Church continues to thrive. So does pretty much any Catholic church that moves more toward tradition and less toward guitar Masses.

The TLM segment of the Church also continues to do charity as it has from the time of the Resurrection. For some reason, many Novus Ordoites have thought that the Church had to be "renewed" in her support of the poor and others. No such renewal was ever necessary as the Catholic Church was THE worldwide source for charity during pre-Vatican II times. If anything, she has fallen further down the list on this during Novus Ordo times, because a Church lacking her usual funds in Western countries due to poor Mass attendance is going to have less to help the poor with.

Meanwhile in poor "Third World" countries where the Church has good attendance numbers, both priests and laypeople alike lean conservative and are open to the TLM once they learn of it. The very people most in need of aid may themselves continuously embrace the TLM in large numbers.

All this means that no matter what sorts of liberals are prominent at the Vatican and throughout Church leadership, they are likely going to have to accept and allow the growth of Catholic conservatism and traditionalism, which would be part and parcel of a real Church renewal that will not happen without them.

The Roman Catholic Church has been written off repeatedly throughout history, only to come back strong and influential again. At the time of Saint Athanasius the Church was greatly controlled by heretics, so much so that Athanasius had to go into hiding. Yet his core Catholic beliefs prevailed against all odds.

God is eternal and holds the only real power that exists. He will see to it that His Church lives unto Armageddon and beyond.