Both God's love and God's wrath are ratcheted up in the move from the old covenant to the new, from the Old Testament to the New. These themes barrel along through redemptive history, unresolved, until they come to a resounding climax - in the cross.
D.A. Carson

Traditional Roman Catholics

Traditional Roman Catholics

TRADITIONAL ROMAN CATHOLICS

POST VATICAN II Roman Catholics who don’t agree with the innovations of Vatican II and generally disagree with ecumenism. They prefer the 16th century Tridentine Mass in Latin. One group even branded Paul VI as “anti-christ” because he had committed the “abomination of desolations” by allowing Mass in the common tongue (Church of St. Joseph, 7/30/72).

The leader of the most influential traditionalist group, the Society of Pius X, is Marcel Lefebvre, an Archbishop who has openly defied the Pope by conducting the Old Mass. The Pope suspended him, but he continued celebrating the Tridentine Mass to thousands and ordaining priests. In November, 1978, Pope John Paul II had a meeting with Lefebvre, but the outcome was not publicized.

On May 16, 1983, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre was quoted by THE CATHOLIC VOICE that he expected a Vatican decree that would come closer to accepting his position regarding the liturgy.

In July 1987, Lefebvre met with Cardinal Ratzinger, but the results were not publicized.

From VERBUM, (publication of Society of Pius X), Fall 1989 re new seminarians, “Giving Their All To Gain Heaven.”

From VERBUM, Winter 1989/90 re disobedience to the pope, “Look upon a picture of the crucifixion. If St. John, Our Blessed Mother, and the other holy women at the foot of the cross had followed the first Pope on that Good Friday, the only mortal in attendance would have been the soldier with the lance.”

SECULAR JOURNALS THE CHICAGO TIMES reported (10/15/84) that Pope John Paul II had decided to allow Roman Catholics to resume celebrating Mass using 16th century Latin liturgy, but only in a strictly controlled number of cases. CHRISTIAN COMMENT THE TRADITIONAL MOVEMENT AND ECUMENISM by Bill Jackson

Since the Traditionalist movement is very much against the ecumenical movement, and the ecumenical movement must end Satan’s super-Church which will use Romanism as its structure, how can the Traditionalists fit into any ecumenical scheme? At first glance, it seems that this movement must pale into insignificance and eventually evaporate if ecumenical plans are to be completed.

This, however, may not be the case. There is no doubt about it, the Traditionalists are the real Roman Catholics. How can the Roman Catholic structure become truly ecumenical if it is really Traditionmal Romanism that is true Romanism?

Archbishop Lefebvre has no intention of forming a group of maverick priests that will do sniper duty at the fringes of Romanism forever. The whole desire of the Traditionalist leaders is to keep intact a band of true Traditional Catholic priests who will be the core of the papacy that Traditionalists are looking for, a true Roman Catholic papacy with a strong Traditionalist pope. Prophetically, it is impossible to determine when this might happen. It may be that pope John Paul II, a relative conservative to his three previous counterparts but a liberal when compared with his successor, will wring all the juice out of the ecumenical movement and get as many groups to jump on the band wagon. He may die just before December 25, 2000, and the new pope will give the 2000th birthday present to Christ of much of the world.

This world will include many who came in under the ecumenism of John Paul II, most of whom will probably stay even after a true Roman pope appears on the scene. Global disaster, possibly caused as a result of the Rapture, may contribute to this. In any case, all the anathemas of Trent will be reinforced, and the Papacy will head a world crusade to complete the super-Church. This will be by force and with great persecution. The Inquisition will bring forth all weapons to make the world Catholic.

Satan will view this as a “millennium”, and plans to keep it going for 1000 years. If we are here, true Christians will know it as a time of unparalleled tribulation. Whether or not the true Church will be on earth at this time is up to God to figure out. It may be Satanic tribulation which is a harbinger of the Great Tribulation. But any thought along this line demands careful study of the Traditionalist movement, for even though they are out of the mainstream today, they will probably become the core of the Romanism that brings about the one world church.