
FROM “Upon This Rock” (12/01/1977) by W.F. Strojie:
I have said that the fact of abuses is not such an absolute thing; but lack of legitimate authority is, and I thereby come to the main Traditionalist temptation, which is not only schism, but heresy, the belief that Mass and Sacraments can be had lawfully and priests be lawfully ordained outside the juridical order of the Papacy. As I wrote in another paper, this is the heresy of Simon Magus. It is not a sufficient answer to say that Paul 6 does not seem to be a true pope. True pope or false, vacant Chair or not, the authority remains lacking for these attempts to set up substitute parishes, chapels, and seminaries. The fact of a destroyer on the Papal Chair, and apparently apostate Bishops in seemingly all dioceses, does not give anyone the right to disregard the Church’s laws or bend them to his own purpose. This free interpretation of the Law, the putting of it aside as not now applicable, can serve to make any man — Bishop, priest or layman — a law to himself, and it opens a door for deliberate confusers and subversives. I know that a few papers of mine contain sentences that might be taken as encouraging this kind of disregard of the Law. I readily admit to some loose expressions and occasional unwise overemphasis in one way or another, and this disturbs me. But if my papers are examined as a whole, and distinctions are noted with regard to the particular applications as I made them, I think unbiased readers will concede that I have not encouraged any freewheeling disregard of the Law on the presumption that a false pope and apostate Bishops can justify this. (more…)