Fr. Joaquín Sáenz y Arriaga
Fr. Joaquín Sáenz y Arriaga in Mexico City, March 1966
Father Joaquín Sáenz y Arriaga (October 12, 1899 – April 28, 1976) was a Mexican theologian, who held doctorates in Sacred Theology, Philosophy, and Canon law.
He was one of the first Catholics to declare the Chair of Peter vacant. He led the fight against the anti-catholic reforms of the Second Vatican Council. In 1971, he published, “The New Montinian Church” which documents the modernist anti-Catholic teachings and practices of John XXIII and Paul VI.
Fr. Sáenz y Arriaga gathered other Mexican priests such as Frs. Moisés Carmona and Adolfo Zamora to join in the fight against the modernism of the Vatican 2 movement. Later, the two priests were consecrated bishops from Vietnamese Bishop Thuc.
Bishop Adolfo Zamora, Bishop Pierre Martin Ngô-dinh-Thuc, Bishop Moisés Carmona
In 1972, Mexican Cardinal Miranda declared Fr. Sáenz y Arriaga excommunicated. Fr. Moisés Carmona wrote, “They excommunicated you for your fidelity to Christ, His teachings and His Church. Blessed excommunication! As long as it is for this reason, may all (such) excommunications come upon me!”
Today, many Mexicans and Americans have faithfully remained loyal to the historic Catholic religion due largely to Fr. Sáenz y Arriaga. He was a courageous priest! He stood against the world as a humble faithful Catholic. Had there been a dozen more like him in the ranks of bishops, we may not be in the mess we’re in today.
I thank Almighty God for giving us this great champion of the Catholic faith!
He discussed organizing the cardinals for a papal election outside of the conciliar lineage according to “pope” Michael; from the Conclavism entry on Wiki: “In the mid-1970s, the sedevacantist pioneer Father Joaquín Sáenz y Arriaga of Mexico advocated holding a papal election, and some other traditionalist Catholics discussed the idea in the following years.[1] However, conclavism became an actual movement only in the 1990s. ” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conclavism