by Sean Johnson
Price: $25.00
https://www.chantcd.com/index.php/As-We-Are-101-Compromises-Changes-Contradictions-of-an-SSPX
The official explanation of recent developments between Rome and the Society of St. Pius X (which has brought the SSPX for all intents and purposes to a practical recognition by the Vatican in every way except on paper), is that the ultra-liberal Pope Francis — precisely because he is so liberal, rather than being anti-traditional, so the story goes — has, of his great munificence and concern for those “on the periphery” of the Church, extended multiple concessions, rights, privileges, and jurisdiction to the SSPX unilaterally and without any demands for reciprocity or compromise on the part of the Society. For its part, the SSPX has sold that narrative to its own clergy and faithful, and argued that it has not deviated from the positions of Archbishop Lefebvre, or made one single compromise in pursuit of a canonical recognition from Rome.
This book by Sean Johnson, however, tells quite a different story: Relying primarily upon approved and extensively documented SSPX sources, the author makes a convincing argument for a unified, drastic and comprehensive change in SSPX policies and principles, which have won these concessions from Rome precisely because it has departed from the positions of Archbishop Lefebvre; that it is no longer a matter of (as Bishop Fellay once said) Rome accepting us “as we are,” but rather, “as the SSPX has become.” 398 pages. Paperback.
Many Catholic authors have pointed out that the myriad of changes in the Novus Ordo Missae have a cohesion which all tends in the same direction (being more acceptable to the modern world in general and Protestants in particular, downplaying the sacrificial nature of the Mass, centering the Mass on man rather than God, etc.) Likewise, these recent changes in the SSPX under Bishop Fellay (and his successor) all tend in the same direction: an acceptance of Vatican II and the Conciliar Church which embodies the ideals, errors, and the de facto new religion started by the infamous Council.
Change is a fact of life in this world, in which time flows without ceasing and leaves nothing untouched. However, the changes catalogued in this book are not benign, minor, or random. There is a consistent and distinct pattern to the changes, which the wise can draw out and form a clear “big picture” of what is going on.
With many truths in this world, the best one can hope for is to gather many clues (even hundreds or thousands of data points) and discover that they tell a clear story when taken together. Not everything is video taped, and men working together in secret for various ends can be very careful and clever in how they cover their tracks. Those who work evil tend to prefer darkness, not the light of day — much less the harsh glare of a video camera’s lighting as it records and documents their evil deeds. The SSPX Superior Generals (Bishop Fellay and Fr. Davide Pagliarani) and other SSPX leaders are shrewd politicians.
We must not be naive, waiting for video evidence of the SSPX Superior General with his hand in the cookie jar. Though the deed was done and the SSPX is guilty, nevertheless a concise, 1-minute soundbite-friendly proof (such as video evidence) probably doesn't exist. That doesn't mean we can’t arrive at the truth; it just means we're going to have to do some research and put together many pieces of evidence for ourselves. A multitude of known, proven facts — the contents of this book — tied together by reason, logic, and common sense, is just as good and extremely powerful.
Neither can we wait until a formal deal is signed. The SSPX and Rome may never intend to publicly sign any piece of parchment amid much fanfare and media frenzy. Instead, they seem to have adopted an incremental approach, with Rome approving pieces of the SSPX apostolate one at a time: confessions, marriages, Masses, etc., while the SSPX lays down its arms in a similar fashion. It’s a classic case of death by a thousand cuts as well as frog boiling.
Sean Johnson has done the hard work to gather and present all the changes in the SSPX. An impartial reader will discern the clear pattern, and reach the inevitable conclusion that the SSPX leadership (at least) intends to completely surrender to the Conciliar Church in exchange for official Roman recognition.
Approbations:
“The book which you have in your hands is a useful collection of documents and quotes to prove how the Society of St. Pius X has changed from what it once was under Archbishop Lefebvre to what it has become under the Archbishop's successors at the head of the Society.” - Bishop Richard Williamson
‘The parallels between Vatican II and the recent happenings within the Society of St Pius X are so striking that these happenings could be called Vatican IIB.” - Bishop Richard Williamson
“Mr. Johnson's book will help Catholics understand how Archbishop Lefebvre’s positions have been corrupted by his successors: ‘because they receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Therefore, God shall send them the operation of error, to believe lying.’” - Bishop Gerardo Zendejas
“Sean Johnson's catalog puts the lie to those who say nothing is happening. The sell-out is documented here for all who want to know. All priests in the SSPX and all of the faithful assisting at Mass in SSPX chapels and all the religious affiliated with the SSPX should read this catalog.” - Fr. Edward MacDonald
“I urge anyone still attending the SSPX to take an afternoon to slowly make it through the book . Some posts are more important than others and some may be argued. However, when taken as a whole, any honest thinking person who has attended the SSPX for more than ten years will have to admit that there has been a drastic change in policy.” - Traditional Catholic Musings