Michael Matt’s Endorsement of ‘True or False Pope – Refuting Sedevacantism and other Modern Errors’

Michael Matt is the editor of the anti-sedevacantist newspaper The Remnant. Below is how his endorsement of Salza/Siscoe’s book reads. [1]

“For 50 years we at The Remnant have fought against the false conclusions of the Sedevacantist thesis. We have insisted that, despite the revolution, the Church is still ours–our castle, our home, our mother and we cannot abandon her. Taking their lead from St. Athanasius during the Arian crisis, John Salza and Robert Siscoe have elevated the discourse of this pivotal debate to an entirely new level that encourages Catholics to keep the old Faith and fight for our Church under siege. This book serves notice to the occupiers of the Catholic Church: Traditional Catholics are not going anywhere. We’ll stay and we’ll fight until all of “our buildings” are in the hands of Catholics once again.”

-MICHAEL MATT
Editor, The Remnant newspaper

Mr. Matt begins by saying the conclusion of sedevacantism is false and ends by endorsing the conclusion of sedevacantism.

The conclusion of the sedevacantist thesis is that Francis and his supporters have the Church under siege and have taken over “our buildings.”

Salza/Siscoe’s book is saying Francis I and his supporters are Catholic.

During the Arian heresy, the Arians were not members of the Catholic Church. It’s the sedevacantists that follow St. Athanasius’ lead, who taught to shun the Arians and to avoid those who worship with Arians even though they themselves hold to the true Faith. (Patrologia Graeca, Vol. 26, pp. 1185D-1188C) [2]

Michael Matt is one of those that worship with the new Arians today as he condemns the position of St. Athanasius that sedevacantists are following.

 

Footnotes:

[1]True or False Pope Refuting Sedevacantism and other Modern Errors
[2] Latitudinarian Maxims – The Divine Law on Catholic Communication in Religion with Non-Catholics, p. 49, Steven Speray, Confiteor.

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Why John Salza Gets It Wrong – Part 1

In a Sept. 2014 article, John Salza Responds to “Novus Ordo Watch” “The Chair is Empty? Says who?” Salza attempts to show a foundational error of sedevacantism. Below is the relevant paragraph found on p. 3 of his 34 page article [1].

When you boil this down, the real issue is that sedevacantists presume to know the limits of what God wills to permit. In their minds, God could never will to permit the crisis of Faith we are experiencing, especially when it is being principally caused by God’s Vicar on Earth. Says who? Didn’t God will to permit the defection of almost the entire Church during the Arian crisis? Didn’t Jesus reveal in advance His will to permit universal apostasy, where upon His return He will not “find faith on Earth?” Sedevacantists put an artificial limit on God’s permissive will, but certainly not on their own abilities to play God and depose a Pope under “Divine law.” This is because sedevacantism embodies the reflexive faith of Protestantism, where man and his judgments are the center of everything.

Says who? Our Lord Jesus, who established the papacy for the very purpose of guarding the Church. Peter doesn’t have Faith only during times when defining dogmas while lacking it the rest of the time. Perhaps, Salza should read more commentary on Matt. 16:18 before mocking Christ in public.

No, God didn’t permit the defection of almost the entire Church during the Arian crisis because of the pope. Arianism wasn’t created, promoted, or spread by a pope. And it wasn’t almost the entire Church that fell into the Arian heresy. It was primarily the bishops, not the laity.

No, Jesus didn’t reveal in advance His will to permit universal apostasy, where upon His return He will not “find faith on Earth?” because of the pope. And it wasn’t universal apostasy Christ was referring. Jesus didn’t say that He won’t find faith on earth, because we’re told that not all will be goats at His return.

No, sedevacantists don’t put a limit on God’s permissive will. God has told us what He will NOT permit. Salza tells us that popes are the gates of hell and that they are promoting the gates of hell with heresies. [2]

No, sedevacantism doesn’t embody the reflexive faith of Protestantism, where man and his judgments are the center of everything. However, Salza uses his private judgment to reject and/or question the laws, decrees, and even canonizations [3] of his own popes. It is Salza that embodies the reflexive faith of Protestantism.

When you boil this down, the real issue is that Salza presumes to know the limits of what God wills to permit. In his mind, God IS permitting the crisis of Faith being principally caused by God’s Vicar on Earth, despite the fact that Our Lord specifically said otherwise. In Salza’s mind, God IS permitting popes to cause universal apostasy by law and decree.

John Salza gets sedevacantism wrong because he gets Our Lord wrong.

Footnotes:

[1] John Salza Responds to the Sedevacantists at NovusOrdoWatch.com
[2] The Gates of Hell and the Gates of the Church
[3] Questioning the Canonizations of John XXIII and John Paul II

John Salza vs. Fr. Brian Harrison on the Canonizations of John XXIII and John Paul II

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The Gates of Hell and the Gates of the Church (The Best Defense for Sedevacantism)

“David and Goliath” by Gustave Doré (1832-83)

Click below to read the best defense for the position of sedevacantism

The Gates of Hell and the Gates of the Church

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