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"SSPX has been treated unfairly, given the situation regarding ordinations in China"

Answer

The Vatican’s agreement with China is not ideal, however, it is a 16th-century solution. Leo X signed a concordat with France under which the King of France appoints bishops, whilst the Pope retains the right of veto. Leo X agreed to this in order to combat Gallicanism, which was supported by the King. The agreement with China is almost identical: the Party appoints the bishops, but the Vatican retains the right of veto. Might be a bad agreement, yet it is in line with pre-conciliar practice.

The Chinese state and the Communist Party of China regard religion as a matter strictly subordinate to political authority, rather than an autonomous spiritual entity. They do not accept any external allegiance that might undermine the Party’s absolute supremacy over society. This stems directly from their Marxist-Leninist philosophy, as modified by Mao, Deng Xiaoping and, in particular, Xi Jinping

Sinicisation of religion has been strongly promoted by Xi Jinping. It refers not only to Sinicisation in cultural terms (e.g. the removal of crosses and Arabic domes, and the adaptation of liturgies), but above all to political assimilation: religions must adapt their doctrine, morality and organisation to ‘indigenous Chinese values’, socialism, etc.

Politics pervades every aspect of their reality; it is a total vision, unlike in the Latin civilization, where there is a clear distinction between the sacred and the profane.

There is no genuine separation of church and state in the Western sense (where the state is neutral and the Church is autonomous in the spiritual sphere). Instead, the state exercises dominance over everything – a totalitarian Leninist logic. Any organisation with a transnational is seen as a potential threat to Chinese sovereignty and as foreign interference (Especially as the Vatican maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan).

As far as any presence of bishops in China is concerned, unfortunately the situation is such that it is either on their terms or not at all.

The Chinese Christianity as a religion associated with Western imperialism (19th-century missions, the Opium Wars, etc.). Allowing to freely appoint bishops would be seen as treason/ceding to foreign power. It is hard to imagine the Christianisation of society under such conditions, where there is so little freedom to seek objective truths.

Christian Worship - Part I: Latria

Definition of Worship

Worship is the recognition of some perfection and the showing of submission because of it. We see, therefore, that worship consists of two things: (1) recognition of perfection, which we call honor, and also (2) showing submission. Because of the second element, worship can be given only to someone superior, never to someone inferior or equal to oneself—unlike pure honor, which can be given to anyone.

The Role of Reason and Will in Worship

The act of worship on the part of man must always engage two faculties: reason and will. By reason, man perceives some perfection and the duty (or appropriateness) of recognizing it. By will, however, he decides to fulfill the known duty in a specific way.

Religious Worship

If the object of honor is a supernatural perfection known through religion, and the manner of giving it is determined by religious regulations, then we speak of religious worship.

Latria

The worship that refers to uncreated perfection is called the cult of latria. Because uncreated perfection is goodness in itself, which does not derive from any other good, it deserves the highest veneration (adoration) that particularly distinguishes it. Since uncreated perfection is only one—it is divinity (the divine nature)—the cult of latria is due exclusively to God Himself. Therefore, with latria (the highest veneration, special adoration) we must surround the entire Most Holy Trinity, the individual Divine Persons of the Trinity, and the whole Jesus Christ together with His human nature, and also the Most Holy Sacrament in which He is really and substantially present.

Acts of Latria Worship

The cult of latria can be expressed in various ways. Here we primarily distinguish the acts of the theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity, as well as mental and vocal prayer, singing, gestures, and bodily posture. Organized worship performed by the entire community is called public worship. The public worship of the Church is the liturgy.

The Necessity of a Special Way of Expressing Latria

Many acts that serve to give latria, e.g., prayers, singing, bodily posture, can also express worship of another kind. Because latria is a unique, special kind of worship due exclusively to God Himself and is meant to express the highest veneration, it is fitting that there should exist some special act that properly expresses this reality and will be reserved exclusively for the cult of latria, clearly emphasizing its uniqueness.

Sacrifice

Such a special act is sacrifice, which consists in the destruction of something that is man's property. By destroying his property, man symbolically expresses his total dependence on God and acknowledges His full dominion over him and over all his goods. Through sacrifice, man shows God obedience, recognizes Him as his supreme Lord, and thus gives Him the glory due to Him. For this reason, sacrifice can be offered only to God Himself, and offering it to anyone else would be idolatry.

The Sacrifice of the New Covenant

Man not only has the right to worship God, but it is his important duty, which arises not only from God's commandment but also from natural law. Hence people have always offered God numerous sacrifices. It should be remembered that in the New Covenant all previously lawful sacrifices were abolished and replaced by the perfect sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ on the Cross, which is made present during every Holy Mass. Therefore, it is precisely through the Mass that man can fulfill his duty of constant worship that he must necessarily give to God, his Creator and Lord.

Literature
M. Sieniatycki, Outline of Catholic Dogmatics
I. Solano SJ, J.A. de Aldama SJ, Sacrae Theologiae Summa
L. Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma

Pius IX already addressed R&R, state of necessity, disobedience against authority, invalid excommunications, which the SSPX hold as well.

"Were the ordinations [from SSPX] valid? I saw people saying they were valid, but illicit. I got confused."

Answer:

Validity and legality are different concepts indeed.

It's possible to be valid without being licit (for example, a Mass by an "Orthodox" priest).

It's valid because for the Eucharist, all that's needed is the power of Orders, and if it's received from a successor of the Apostles, aka a bishop, then it's done. The person is a priest forever. He will always have the power to say Mass.

But if he's laicized, from that point on he shouldn't do it anymore. But he can still do it.

When it's possible, there's validity. When it's not allowed, there's illegality.

This is the case with ordinations without papal mandate (and in this case not just without, but with the express desire NOT to do it). Any bishop can consecrate a priest as a bishop. But not every bishop should do it.

That's why the Orthodox have some valid sacraments. The same for the sedevacantists. If I'm not mistaken, the Vetus Ordo too.

Anglicans once had them, until they changed the form of the sacrament and after a long investigation ordered by Pope Leo XIII, it was concluded that they no longer had apostolic succession and valid sacraments.

Cathy Caridi [American canon lawyer] explains this in great detail with a Venn diagram.

Imagine two sets. One of sacramental acts, like Confirmation. The other of legal acts, like the creation of a parish.

There's an intersection there.
That is, there are acts that are sacraments and are legal acts.

For the sacraments, the priest is needed. For the legal act, someone "capable in law" is needed, someone with jurisdiction to do that.

Example: a bishop who wants to move a priest from one parish to another can't do it unless it's in his own diocese. He doesn't have jurisdiction to meddle in another bishop's diocese.

In the case of Confession and Marriage, besides being sacraments, they are legal acts. That is, they require jurisdiction to be valid.

A guy who wants to marry his own sister is not capable in law to do so.

A layman who comes up to a couple and says "you are now married" doesn't make the couple actually married; he doesn't have jurisdiction for that.

Even if it was a priest doing everything right, but in a diocese where he's not authorized to do so, that marriage would be invalid, and so on...

This even happens a lot in the civil sphere. Delegates, mayors, judges, governors, school principals... All have their respective jurisprudences.

Back to the case of marriage: the couple needs to exchange their free consent in the presence of a priest with jurisdiction. It's not enough to be a priest. He has to have jurisdiction, which in the case of the Fraternity, they don't have.The same goes for Confession.

That is, anyone who gets married in the SSPX, basically, isn't married. The same case with confession*
.
[*] The asterisk at the end is because there are situations of Ecclesia Supplet, but that would already lead to other long messages.

Modernism -  a summary

Modernism tries to reconcile present society with the Church in a way that is contrary to the truths of the Christian faith revealed by God. Modernists most often rely on emotional arguments, not on strict reasoning, which should be the foundation.

The first main feature of modernism is agnosticism, i.e. the claim that the existence of God cannot be known with certainty, but that it is only a matter of faith. This is a heresy contrary to the Catholic definition of faith.

The second feature of modernism is the reliance on religious feeling as the only source of faith. Modernists claim that the innate need to experience something supernatural and the feeling that arises in the human heart upon contact with religion is a personal revelation of God.

In this way, they deny public external Revelation and consider the individual feeling that a person experiences as the highest norm of faith, higher than the teaching of the Church and church regulations. They believe that this personal, subjective experience of faith is the most important.

This approach also results in another principle of the modernists, which is that they derive the certainty of God's existence from the direct personal experience of every person. Hence the strong emphasis on personal testimonies that outweigh rational arguments.

Another characteristic feature of modernists is treating all religions equally, which results from the previous principles: agnosticism, religious emotionality and personal experience. They claim that the source of all religions is the same religious feeling.

Modernists also make serious mistakes in theology. They believe that as people and their feelings change over time (evolutionism), the symbols of these feelings must change: dogmas, sacraments, liturgy, etc.

They believe that dogmas are only an expression of the religious feelings of believers of a given time, and not truths revealed by God. They treat sacraments and liturgy as symbols that are intended to influence the senses, thereby evoking religious feelings.

Modernists therefore demand constant reforms and there is no element in religion that they would not like to change and adapt to modern times. They attack Tradition, treating it as a blockade against the continuous development of religion, which would prove its vitality.

Referring to a living faith that is supposed to be constantly changing is another hallmark of modernists.

Another characteristic symptom of modernism is contempt for scholasticism as a whole.

A modernist will even be able to praise in some way the achievements of Saint Thomas in theology, but he will soon have to emphasize its insufficiency and, at least to a small extent, undermine its universal authority in the Church.

Modernist understanding of faith leads to living by the personal inspirations of the Holy Spirit and the testimonies and teachings of "saints", and not the Magisterium of the Church established by Christ.

However, all this is contrary to Christian Revelation and the faith. The Holy Spirit has never given any assurance that, bypassing the church authorities and contrary to the dogmas of faith, he will personally lead people in faith through inner feelings and beliefs.

Literature:

Literature: 1. Saint Pius X, Pascendi Dominici gregis 2. Cardinal L. Billot, Tradition versus Modernism 3. Bishop W. Krynicki, Principles of Modernism

#modernism #faith

Thomistic Common Sense - The Philosophy of Being and the Development of Doctrine (2021)
Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange

Adoration of the Eucharist
Council of Trent

Christ present in the Most Blessed Sacrament must necessarily be worshiped with the cult of latria, that is, adoration, and not only internally but also with external signs.

This is a dogma of the Catholic faith defined at the Council of Trent. Christ is also present in the particles separated from the consecrated host (visible fragments), which the Council of Trent also dogmatically confirms, and therefore these particles too must be surrounded with the highest reverence.

Whoever rejects these truths of faith and sins mortally by voluntarily and consciously becoming indifferent toward the obligation to worship the Most Blessed Sacrament is excluded from the Church and separated from the faith of Christ. Most devastating of all is that it is no longer only lay Catholics who disregard Christ present in the Eucharist, but even the clergy, who in particular should take care to show due reverence to our Savior.

Elementary care for due reverence toward the Most Blessed Sacrament is no obsession or disorder, but an expression of true and consistent Catholic faith.

Dogmas of the Council of Trent: “Canon 3. If anyone denies that in the venerable Sacrament of the Eucharist the whole Christ is contained under each form and in every separated part—let him be anathema.” “Canon 6. If anyone says that in the Sacrament of the Eucharist the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ together with his soul and divinity are not to be adored, with the worship of latria, even externally...—let him be anathema.”

#eucharist