The Last Will and Spiritual Testament of Louis XVI, King of France

"I finish by declaring before God and ready to appear before Him, that I do not reproach myself for any of the crimes which are brought against me." Image: Funerary monument of Louis XVI & Marie-Antoinette. Wiki Commons As many know, January 21st marks the anniversary of France’s regicide. King Louis XVI of France was …

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Are we obliged to believe every person who calls himself a Catholic?

"A visible unity in 'claims to be Catholic' is no more remarkable than a unity of 'claims to be Anglican.'" Photo by Sander Sammy on Unsplash Objection: "As long as someone claims to be a Catholic and professes submission to the Church’s magisterium, he cannot be considered to be more than an occult heretic – …

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How should we behave towards those whom we think are in error? Fr A. Vermeersch, 1913

"Do not seek the malicious satisfaction of having discovered an additional enemy to the Church." Editors' Notes In his Apology, the early Christian writer Tertullian imagined pagans looking at Christians and marvelling at our mutual love: "'See,' they say, 'how they love one another' – for the pagans themselves are animated by mutual hatred. 'See …

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What is the difference between an excommunicate and an open heretic?

"Such legalistic and positivist ideas are an implicit denial of the visible unity of the Church." Image: Excommunication of Robert the Pious, Wiki Commons CC In previous parts, building on my review of the Tradivox Catechism series, we saw the following points across three theses: The nature and centrality of the Church’s visible unity of …

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Short essay: Is there a schism between traditionalists?

Schism! Dissent! Donatism! Image: St Augustine in his study. Wiki Commons CC A priest suggested to us that we break our extended essays into shorter, more manageable pieces. We are quite committed to long-form essays, but are willing to try this – with a few extra points added or developed to make it worthwhile! This …

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How to explain the Immaculate Conception to non-Catholics – Cardinal Newman

"There was war between the woman and the Serpent. This is most emphatically fulfilled if she had nothing to do with sin" In honour of Our Lady on the great Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we present the "Memorandum on the Immaculate Conception" written by Cardinal Newman for his friend Robert Wilberforce, who was looking for something to help him deal with objections made against the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception by some Protestant friends.

Questions about Pope Honorius – a reply to Prof. Edward Feser, Part II of II

"The custom of the Church stands for these things: and the Church cannot err." Image: Pope St Leo II, Wiki Commons CC Don't worry! This article appears twice as long on a browser than it actually is, due to the footnotes. This is the concluding part of my reply to Professor Edward Feser, who recently …

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Questions about Pope Honorius – a reply to Prof. Edward Feser, Part I of II

"An error which is not resisted is approved; a truth which is not defended is suppressed." Image: The Sixth Ecumenical Council, Wiki Commons CC Professor Edward Feser recently responded to my article Pope Honorius and Roberto de Mattei – Part I: The History. To begin, I must recall that my essay was a critique of …

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Should converts set themselves up as teachers? Newman’s answer

"A convert comes to learn" The supernatural origin of the Catholic religion is proved by miracles. And one of the great miracles that testifies to the truth of our faith is the rapid establishment of the Church in far-flung parts of the world, within a short time after its establishment on the day of Pentecost. This is known as a “moral miracle.”

Worth a gamble? A reply to Kennedy Hall’s “Sedevacantist Wager”

"We would contend that Mr Hall is submissive to Francis in precisely the same way that we are." Image: Wiki Commons CC In a recent Crisis Magazine article, Mr Kennedy Hall has submitted a respectful “sedevacantist wager,” as an explanation as to why he thinks that it is more “fitting” to live and act as …

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