Where is your Bishop?

Q. Where is your Bishop? I have often heard that question asked both in and out of Catholic tradition. Where is a Catholic’s bishop today when relatively all the Catholic bishops are following the conciliar reform?

A. Yes, we are in a grave crisis presented more as confusing than one of sanctifying. “The smoke of satan has entered the Church.”, pope paul VI said in 1972 after Vatican II. But did the popes thereafter fix the problems or contribute to it by making a new liturgical mass, called the Novus Ordo Mass, and add to the abuses and errors within many of its documents instituting a "reform"?

Time is an indicator of sincerity.

Through we were not at the Vatican II Council to see its deluge, our Lord graced the fidelity of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre who was there to see and remain strong against the vile modernist errors taking force from blind leaders and revolutionaries.

Our Lord is the Head of HIS Church and does provide. His acts and graces of Redemption will not be thwarted by men or by devils. “But these things must come to pass.” said our Lord (Matthew 24), emphasizing “I will not leave you orphans” through your tribulations (John 14).

So to apply the underlining question in this crisis however, Where is your Bishop?, needs to be understood in Law, Validity, and Church teaches.

Law – Given directly by Christ and through His Church supplied in Canon Law explicitly states a Bishop once consecrated only has the power to confer Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction from the direct appointment of the Petrine Chair Christ made as the Visible Head of HIS Church.

“He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that despiseth you, despiseth me; and he that despiseth me, despiseth him that sent me.” (Luke 10)

These delegations (in this case jurisdiction within a diocese) many know as through Ordinary Jurisdiction. Bishops are given a threefold authority of the Church: the teaching authority (Teach), ministerial authority (Sanctify), and ruling authority (govern) and is the authority over the faithful administering Christ’s graces to those who ask for them.

Law is also understood by its impetus. St. Thomas Aquinas says a law is not a law at all if it is contrary to the law of God.

Here we need to understand the importance of this and what is God’s right who is the Supreme Authority and legislator over all life and creation. So often believed in this crisis is that “man” and his view is proposed first and God is second, This is what the modernist revolutionaries promote.

We are according to the environment we are raised.

So when asking Where is your bishop?, we need to ask it according to God’s right over us and not through the revolution’s ideology. What is of man is of dust; what is of God gives life.

(We will come back to this.)


Validity – Validity is the conferral of priestly orders to a candidate (in this case a bishop). A bishop has the fullness of the priesthood. The validity is made by the consecration of one bishop within the prescribed norms of the Church upon another bishop.

Once consecrated a bishop, you are always a bishop. A Catholic bishop whether retired, Auxiliary, abandoned by its people, or amiss in a degree of error, or even defected from the Church turning into an atheist or worshiping satan, is always valid by his consecration.

So validity is really of one by a mark on the soul consecrated to God. Thus the question – Where is your bishop? - becomes more of a legal one.


Church teaches – is where the Authority of Christ is the Supreme Rule and Law to provide for the salvation of souls transcending beyond the abuses of men and/or any blockage from the normal means through His administrators distributing His graces necessary for salvation.

Christ’s administrators (Apostles and priests) are the normal means Christ chose to give, as is the extraordinary means directly from the Church and from Christ, to effect His graces when they are blocked from normal channels. This is referred to as Supplied Jurisdiction providing for any bishop or priest to administer the sacraments when someone asked for them being impaired or impossible from the normal means.

The Church's Code of Canon Law contains 1,752 laws covering everything from the structural organization of the Church as to the faithful in the Church, the teaching of the Faith, the sacramental life of the Church, the administration of the material goods of the Church, and even penal and procedural law. But lest any of those prelates (especially canon lawyers) forget the purpose of all of this body of law, the very last law (or "canon 1752") states that the "salvation of souls", which must always be the supreme law of the Church, and is the primary mission of the Church, must be kept before our eyes.

Application.

This crisis in the Church is clearly one of abuses from men and from the Church’s valid and legal administrators blocking, even forbidding, the graces of Redemption to souls. This is not new in the Church, remembering, there are two Natures of the Catholic Church: one Divine and the other human. And the human part is sinners adjunct to their sins. Same too in time of the old there has always been abuses and error by men and prelates in the Old Testament, time of Christ, and will be to the end of time. Men are not angels. We need God’s mercy greater than our own admittance of contrition.

Simply, this could be understood by knowing what our obligations are through the promises of our Baptism giving us a “Rule of faith” (revelation) to believe in and what is happening presently in the Church by the revolutionaries trying to change that belief to a “Rule of Authority” (men’s interpretation). This error “rule of Authority” has been the forward mantra in Vatican II and beyond, now in tradition from some, deceiving souls and even the Church administrators themselves.

Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is an effect of original sin, left unattended, becomes an evil. It needs the Messiah to Teach, Govern, and Sanctify through His Church raising the darkness into the Light of Christ.

So to in this question of Where is your Bishop?

There is no doubt the valid and legal representatives of the Catholic Church are still in authority as in the time of Christ, abusive and combative against God, true, but still are in authority and are the normal means God used to distribute His graces through the His Temple.  Contrary from today's split into sedevacantism who hold an authority to themselves while emptying the authority of the Visible Church.

Not to blur the distinction between the Catholic Church and the Conciliar church, clearly there are two different religions being proffered by those representing Christ. Again, not new. This cast of pluralistic worshipers have always been a plague in the Church Christ continues to purify.

So while our legal bishops within our own local are abusive and obstructionists to God’s graces, that does not discount their presence nor their obligations over us; as our subjection under them.

So the answer to the question Where is your bishop? is understood and given by the valid and legal rights of the Church present in our Local bishop God sent to Teach, Govern, and Sanctify us. Notwithstanding their abuses, God so too provides to ALL generations, His graces through Supplied Jurisdiction when there is any blockage. Blockage does not nullify the Bishop’s responsibility nor of his commission over us, nor does it nullify our acknowledgement of him nor remove our obligation under him. Contrarily, our obligations to him are objective more than they are subjective. Moreover we are obligated in one of the Five precepts of the Church (duties of a Catholic) to pray for him and provide the spiritual (as material) needs to help his save his soul.

Another question could be asked, “Bishop, where is your faithful?” Where is the positive acknowledgment and prayers to help your local bishop?  Where are your letters and visits to admonish his betray against Christ and help him to the good of the Church?  Where is the picketing and any other charitable means to help him return to his obligation first to Christ and to you to confirm your faith?

Letting others or [supplied] priests do this for you is not a substitute. It is reminded in every [Supplied]Traditional mass, the name of the local bishop and pope is included in the canon of the mass. So the priest acting as a mediator to your sacrifice to God acknowledges the local bishop is the valid and legal representative of the Church. Do we too in the same mass; actually? If a “little” why not completely? Where is thy Faith in the Church and in Christ over us?

I can attest to the longevity of this crisis, uneducated and abused as it is, allows for gray and confusion when in fact there is none when you study the Faith. The confusion is on those who commit the sins against God.  True also for many years there has been a habit of personal interpretation portrayed by the revolutionary leaders giving you a choice which "god" to follow; if you want to. Even for some children born in this crisis, the physical absence of no bishop in order to protect yourselves from the abusive environment sinful Aaron had cast worshiping duel god’s, is a cause of concern and can turn into abuses themselves. However, St. Ignatius says when in trial, do not change! Balance; spiritual maturity and propriety is necessary to navigate. “Pray and watch” said our Lord. Not leave the side of our Lord nor go afar off with Peter in his sin following the god of self.

It was noted in the above question this is heard in Tradition as well - Where is your Bishop?

This is rather an oxymoron in the sense the Catholic Church is Tradition. They are both the same. So to ask Where is your Bishop? is the same answer. However, this needs to be delineated by the present crisis in the Church as it is implied in the question for those Catholics trying to use the right of “Supplied Jurisdiction” of the Church to be faithful to our Lord and His Church, and are by necessity, not functioning within the “permission” of the abusive local bishop. Still same answer.

It needs to be understood further, as Archbishop Lefebvre repeated so often, the legal representation is in Rome and within the local diocese. This is why he made a fleece before our Lord in 1970 to say he will work and found a priestly order (SSPX) only if a local bishop will accept them Canonically and Legitimately as a branch of the living Church. This was done on Nov. 1, 1970 through the legitimate 1917 of Code of Canon law and blessed by God Himself.

Continuing and fast forward to the time of 1988 consecration of the four bishops for the SSPX, the Archbishop made it adamantly clear the four bishops have no jurisdiction and are only in the service of the Church in the State of Necessity Supplied by the Church in time of crisis. Thus, the four bishops are only allowed for three distinct functions: to administer the sacrament of priesthood, confirmations, and make Holy oils. That is it – period!

Archbishop Lefebvre even went further saying to the four elect, under oath, they are not to deviate from this command and to remain united in the faith with one another preserving and protecting the faith until Rome comes back to its true tradition, thereby, to put their miters at the feet of the pope for his confirmation.

Included is the mandate of the Archbishop, he told them NOT at any time to be a Superior General of the SSPX. He forbade them so not to give any representation to the world the four bishops function anything more than the three distinct functions out of necessity; and NOT for them to assume a rule of authority blurring that distinction. However, in 1994, three years after the death of the Archbishop, one of the four bishops, Bishop Fellay, betrayed his promises and became the Superior General of the SSPX…who continues still to this day.

Predicted, we see the very abuses the Archbishop warned about. Bishop Fellay rules with a tyrannical authority now leading the entire SSPX into Vatican II, what the three other bishops said in 2012, “a destroying influence and profound division of no return”.

So hereto are clear and present abuses once again from church leaders, this time, from those leaders (new-sspx, FSSP, Campos, etc…) in Tradition purposely blurring what the role of authority means - to an extreme - promoting their own perverse agenda leading with the revolution’s narration to replace the Catholic belief on “Rule of faith” (Revelation) to one of the “Rule of Authority” (men’s interpretation).

Been there done that! Not going down that treacherous road again.

What needs to be noted within the agenda of the new-sspx, is they are more refined in their presentation and promote a commercialized neo-tradition. Though they state rightly the question Where is your bishop?, saying we need to recognize the present authorities, but instead of maintaining what Archbishop Lefebvre taught and warned, the new-sspx now adapt their raison d'être in an extreme like those in the novus ordo going back into the occasions of sin and its sinful environment solely based on authority, not on the “rule of faith”, with a presumption they are “protected” by God and will “convert” those from within. How vain! How do you know of the grace within you asked God to Job? (Job 38)

Presumption is one of the sins against the Holy Ghost.

To emphasis. The four bishops of the SSPX have NOT, are NOT, and CANNOT be anyone’s bishop with legal representation of Ordinary Jurisdiction. They are ONLY “auxiliary” bishops made within the Supplied Jurisdiction of the Church to administer sacraments for those who ask of them. They state this many times and call upon their own local bishops their legitimate representors of the Church (abused as it is) and pray for them respectively in each and every mass within the local they are in.

Reminding the faithful, these bishops and ALL catholic priests faithful to the Church and “rule of Faith” supplied in the state of necessity do have the functioning authority in the acts of their priesthood commissioned in their ordination to go out Teach and Baptize all nations in and out of season:

“And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And seeing him they adored: but some doubted. And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” (Matthew 28)

Present in that command is the Life of Christ and the representation of His authority to protect and preserve the faith. This includes protecting the sheep and the sacraments given to them and the protection of the reception of them. Thus no catholic nor secular king can diminish nor remove the power of Christ’s delegation to the priests given to the Church: to Teach, Govern, and Sanctify.

Underlining this point being under the Supplied Jurisdiction of the Church, the administration of the Church’s structure, sacramental and disciplinary laws are fully comprised and commissioned in the ordination of the bishops and priests responsible over the Sheep who come to them. The Church is not theirs to alter; nor is it the Sheep’s to alter. The distinction in this crisis regarding who has legitimate authority is only a matter of ecclesiastical law and appointment (abused as it is today), not one of protecting and preserving the faith.

As Fr. Hewko points out, the faith is not in crisis. The faith is unchangeable, objective and resolute. The crisis is in the sinful men of the Church betraying Christ as did the earlier Apostles causing confusion playing with idols and unknown gods through Aaron’s sin of ecumenism.

So with the new-sspx going defunct promoting the revolution, what of the other three bishops of the SSPX. Where are they?

We have noted that question here 2018 Archive: The four SSPX Bishops post Arch. Lefebvre?

Suffice and needs mentioning here, is the infidelity and abuse of power from one of the other four bishops, Bishop Williamson, whereto he broke his promise to the Archbishop and leads with the same subjective belief as Bishop Fellay – one based on the “Rule of authority” than the obligation of the “rule of Faith” through baptism.

This is expressed by Bishop Williamson through his many Eleison Comments and conferences exhibited here thecatacombs.org/thread/719/false-resistance-topic

What are we Catholics to do? St. Ignatius says do nothing than what you are already doing as Catholics commanded by Christ - sanctify yourself!  Do not Change! Keep the promises of your Baptism. Our Rule of Faith is based on God not on authority. This is what Christ taught again and again when confronted by the leading Pharisees of his time. His many parables as the Messiah ALWAYS referred to his Father as the Supreme rule and legislator over-ruling men’s abusive power.

Man's sin is nothing new under the sun.

So yes, we do have a bishop. He is our local bishop and needs our prayers to convert from Aaron’s sin of ecumenism to one of Catholic Martyrdom serving the one Living God alone.

Until then, we continue in the promises of Christ.