Open
Letters
NOTE:
The Open Letters published on this page represent a corporate opinion of the
board members of Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Mission. The letters submitted to our local bishop and
to Rome were reviewed before publication by at least two traditional Catholic
priests from a group of priests who support the work of the Mission. This group includes a former professor of Thomistic philosophy from a major Catholic university, a
canon lawyer, and a priest holding advanced degrees in engineering, philosophy
and business.
The Right of the Faithful to Appeal Directly
to the Judgment of the Pope
The holy Roman Church holds the highest and complete
primacy and spiritual power over the universal Catholic Church which she truly
and humbly recognizes herself to have received with fullness of power from the
Lord Himself in Blessed Peter, the chief or head of the Apostles whose
successor is the Roman Pontiff. And just as to defend the truth of Faith
she is held before all other things, so if any questions shall arise regarding
faith they ought to be defined by her judgment. And to her anyone
burdened with affairs pertaining to the ecclesiastical world can appeal; and in
all cases looking forward to an ecclesiastical examination, recourse can be had
to her judgment.
Second Council of Lyons, Denz. 466
And since the Roman Pontiff is at the head of
the universal Church by the divine right of apostolic primacy, We teach and
declare also that he is the supreme judge of the faithful, and that in
all cases pertaining to ecclesiastical examination recourse can be had to his
judgment.
First Vatican
Council, Denz. 1830
Can.
1417
§1. By reason
of the primacy of the Roman Pontiff, any member of the faithful is free to
bring or introduce his or her own contentious or penal case to the Holy See for
adjudication in any grade of a trial and at any stage of the litigation.
§2. Recourse
brought to the Apostolic See, however, does not suspend the exercise of
jurisdiction by a judge who has already begun to adjudicate a case
except in the case of an appeal. For this reason, the judge can prosecute a
trial even to the definitive sentence unless the Apostolic See has informed the
judge that it has called the case to itself.
It has been thirteen years since publishing
Why the SSPX Cannot Defend Catholic Tradition which highlighted
the SSPX's Neo-modernist doctrine problems. This Open Letter is again
addressing the same subject primarily from the perspective of liturgy and sacramental
theology. The Letter was motivated by the SSPX's ridiculous belief in and defense
of Bakery and Wine Cellar Consecrations.
Revisited: Why the SSPX Cannot Defend the Catholic Faith
or Tradition – July 22, 2023
Bishop Ronald Gainer, the former bishop of
Harrisburg, as a departing gesture directed the Novus Ordo
rite Churches to re-publish the diocesan canned smear warning members against
any communion with Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Mission. The most
serious smear is the allegation that the "received and approved"
immemorial Roman rite of Mass has only "elements of the Catholic
Mass." The purpose of this letter is to invite Rev. John Bateman to take
up our challenge and act as the champion for his own parishioners and the
diocese of Harrisburg by entering into a public exchange on the merits of the
doctrinal, liturgical, moral and canonical claims of Ss. Peter & Paul Roman
Catholic Mission for the purpose of bringing those in error back to truth. Are
we expecting a reply? Not really. The challenge has been ignored for nearly 25
years but we shall see if Bishop Timothy Senior has better sense of the
duties incumbent upon his office than
his previous four predecessors.
OnePeterFive has published a
series of articles defending Ultramontinism. The
chief article in this series is written by the Conservative Catholic historian,
Dr.
Roberto de Mattei, entitled "Ultramontanists:
Godfathers of the Trad Movement." Roberto de Mattei is not the first but the most influential
conservative Catholic who has recently tried to claim the mantle of traditional
Catholicism for themselves while characterizing those faithful traditional
Catholics who have over the last fifty years fought the good fight as being
"ultra" traditionalists beyond the pale of prudential opposition. Mattei's article is a defense of the grave modern error
that the pope is proximate rule of faith and stands above DOGMA, that is, he
stands above revealed Catholic TRUTH.
Ultimately the purpose of these articles published by OnePeterFive is to undermine Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò's influence among conservative Catholics. Archbishop
Viganò has recently declared that Vatican II and its
Novus Ordo worship must be utterly overturned.
Open Reply to Roberto de Mattei
- September 18, 2022
IMPORTANT
Msgr. Daniel J. Sullivan, Vicar for
Clergy for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, in the service of the functionaries
for the Diocese of Harrisburg, exchanged a series of letters with Rev. Samuel
M. Waters, the pastor of Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Mission. The result of this exchange was a
"decree" of Archbishop Charles J. Chaput
declaring that in his canonical opinion a penalty, latae sententiae, of excommunication has been
incurred.
The exchange continues with letters
between Fr. Waters and Archbishop Chaput with Fr.
Waters' detailed explanation of the inherent deficiencies of Archbishop Chaput's "investigation" and subsequent
"decree." The exchange
continues with the formal appeal to the Holy Father through Archbishop Muller,
head of the CDF, that is copied to Archbishop Chaput
as the reply to his last letter sent by Msgr. Sullivan. Also posted are the two letters exchanged
between Archbishop J. Augustine Di Noia for the CDF
and Fr. Waters and a letter to Cardinal Beniamino
Stella, Prefect for the Clergy.
These letters are worth the time to
read with care for they demonstrate the deficiencies of the modernist American
clergy in questions of simple justice, their disregard for truth, their
contempt for canonical and moral norms of the Catholic Church, and their total
indifference to matters of doctrine and liturgy which form essential attributes
of our Catholic faith.
from December 13, 2012 to May 30, 2019
The York Daily Record published an
unsolicited article on our Mission after viewing the Palm Sunday liturgy. Bishop Ronald W. Gainer, the puppeteer,
directed a diocesan dummy to publish a disclaimer that the Mission members
"do not have communion with the Catholic Church" and they operate
"in complete independence of.... the universal (sic) Catholic Church." This letter ignores the first dummy while
searching for signs of intelligence and moral rectitude within the diocese of
Harrisburg.
Bishop Ronald W. Gainer, the current
ordinary of Lexington, KY, has been appointed by Pope Francis as the new
ordinary of the diocese of Harrisburg, effective March 19, 2014. The letter is a simple greeting to Bishop
Gainer, recognizing him as our lawful ordinary, similar to the previous letters
sent to the last three bishops of this diocese.
The only difference is that we ask nothing of Bishop Gainer declaring to
him that the doctrinal, liturgical and moral questions that we have placed
before our previous bishops, who did nothing, now have been united with the
canonical case of our pastor, Fr. Samuel Waters, and placed, through the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, before the Holy Father, demanding
from him, which is the right of every Catholic, an authoritative and infallible
judgment from the Chair of Peter on matters that pertain directly to the
deposit of Faith. Neither have we
sent Bishop Gainer the Kenneth C. Jones' book, Index of Leading Catholic Indicators, which was sent to the last
three bishops of Harrisburg and Msgr. Daniel Sullivan (and Archbishop Charles Chaput) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Why?
It is no longer necessary. Pope
Francis has conducted his own recent world-wide poll of bishops in preparation
for his Synod on the Family next fall.
The preliminary results more than sufficiently document that there
exists in the Catholic Church a state of general and widespread apostasy from
the Faith in matters of doctrine, morals and Catholic worship.
Mr. Brian McCall, a lawyer, has written an article
published in the Remnant, a bi-weekly
conservative Catholic newspaper, criticizing Bishop Richard Williamson's
comments on the Six Conditions submitted by Bishop Bernard Fellay
and the General Chapter of the SSPX to Rome for their being
"reintegrated" into the Church.
Three of the conditions are considered sine qua non and three are submitted as wishes or desires. Bishop Williamson has rightly called these
Six Propositions a betrayal of Archbishop Lefebvre, the SSPX and all
traditional Catholics. The purpose of
this reply is to demonstrate the flaws in Mr. McCall's arguments and expose the
Conservative Catholic presuppositions on which they are structured.
Open Letter Reply to Mr. Brian McCall's article, Justice
Comments – October 13, 2012
This letter to Rev. Robert M. Gillelan,
the Vicar General for the Diocese of Harrisburg, is written in response to a
letter he wrote to Mr. David C. Smith, the legal counsel for the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, in which he makes the charge that Ss. Peter and Paul Roman
Catholic Mission is a "schismatic church." Once again this calumny
has been made by a diocesan functionary while refusing a canonical hearing on this
criminal accusation, and once again, in accord with our canonical obligations,
we publish our public denial.
This letter to Bishop Joseph P. McFadden is
in reply to his letter of August 31, 2001.
Once again the petitions of Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Mission
and our appeal to the formal judgment of Pope Benedict XVI regarding our
doctrinal, liturgical, and moral positions are placed before him as a solemn
obligation of his office. He is reminded
again that the accusation of “schism” in the face of the denial of a canonical
process is nothing more than the sin of calumny.
Letter to Bishop Joseph P. McFadden – September 3, 2011
This letter from Bishop Joseph P. McFadden
is a defense of his unnamed “diocesan officials” who in a published York Daily
Record article on July 29, 2011 described Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic
Mission as “schismatic.” Bishop McFadden
again begs the questions placed before him as our bishop, which he as a matter
of duty must address, and appeals once again to the only argument used by
Church functionaries against traditional Catholics over the last forty years,
that is, the argument of authority and the necessity of the absolute,
unqualified and unquestioned obedience that is due to him.
Letter from Bishop Joseph P. McFadden – August 31, 2011
This letter to Bishop McFadden addresses
comments made by “diocesan officials” published in the York Daily Record on
July 29, 2011 describing Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Mission as
“schismatic.” The calumny is denied and
Bishop McFadden is asked to produce evidence for the claim in a formal
canonical inquiry or, lacking that, offer a public apology.
Letter to Bishop Joseph P. McFadden – August 17, 2011
Our Letter sent to Bishop Joseph Patrick
McFadden, Bishop of Harrisburg, on August 18, 2010, received no reply. This letter addresses Ss. Peter & Paul’s
response to the publication by the PECD of Universae Ecclesiae, the instruction for Pope Benedict’s Motu
Proprio, Summoum Pontificum which was published July 7, 2007. Once again a direct appeal is made through
our local ordinary, as a matter of grave obligation of duty, to obtain for us
an authoritative judgment from the Chair of St. Peter on the liturgical,
doctrinal, moral and canonical claims of our Mission.
Letter to Bishop Joseph P. McFadden – July 29, 2011
Letter to E. Michael Jones, editor of Culture War Magazine, in reply to his
September 2010 feature article, Traditionalism at the End of its Tether,
in which he erroneously equates traditional Catholicism with the doctrinal and
liturgical positions of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX). An edited version of this Open Letter was
published in the November 2010 edition of Culture
Wars Magazine. This unedited version
is offered to further clarify the position of Ss. Peter & Paul Roman
Catholic Mission.
Letter to E. Michael Jones, Ph.D., editor of Culture Wars
Magazine – September 15, 2010
Letter to Bishop Joseph Patrick McFadden,
the new bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg, making known to him our matters of
conscience in regard to questions of Catholic doctrine and liturgical practice,
asking for his help in obtaining a formal judgment from the Church on these
matters.
Letter to Bishop Joseph P. McFadden – August 18, 2010
Letter to Mr. Michael Matt, editor of The Remnant, in defense of Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Mission against remarks made by Mr. Matt published in The Remnant. The letter provides to Mr. Matt an essential definition of just what a Traditional Catholic is and addresses The Remnant’s editorial policy regarding the “reform of the reform” and the traditional Roman rite.
Letter to Mr. Michael Matt, editor of The Remnant
– October 2, 2008
Letter to Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, in reply
to his letter of December 15, 2007, once again requesting from him that he
fulfill the obligations of his office as our local ordinary and render a formal
judgment regarding the claims of Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Mission -
that we possess, by virtue of our baptism as Catholics, the inviolable right to
the ecclesiastical traditions of the Roman Rite, particularly the right to the
“received and approved” traditional Roman Rite of the Mass.
Letter to Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades – January 2, 2008
Letter from Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades in
response to seeing a copy of the letter sent to Mr. Robert Charlton
Letter from Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades – December 15, 2007
Letter sent to Mr. Robert Charlton, the coordinator
for the indult community in Harrisburg, PA, in reply to his letter informing
the members of Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Mission of Bishop Rhoades’
establishing the Mater Dei Community, a parish for indult Catholics in the
Diocese of Harrisburg.
Letter to Mr. Robert Charlton – November 25, 2007
Letter to Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, July 31,
2007, in response both to the publication of the news article, Bishop
hopes decree heals rift, in the York Daily
Record July 26, 2007, in which the members of Ss. Peter & Paul Roman
Catholic Mission are referred to as being “schismatic,” and to the publication
of the Motu Proprio of Pope
Benedict XVI, Summorum Pontificum,
which confirmed the correctness of our claim in everyone of the open letters
that the traditional rite of the Mass is not illegal.
Letter to Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades – July 31, 2007
Reply from Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades to the letter dated December 20, 2006
Reply from Bishop Rhoades - December 27, 2006
Letter to Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades on
December 20, 2006 requesting the sacrament of Confirmation in the traditional
Roman Rite for the children of Ss. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission.
Letter to Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades – December 20, 2006
Letter to Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades in response to his November 18th letter.
Reply
to Bishop Rhoades - December 19, 2005
Reply from Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades to the letter dated October 31, 2005
Reply
from Bishop Rhoades - November 18, 2005
Letter to Bishop Kevin Rhoades clarifying our position and concerns of conscience.
Letter to Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades - October 31, 2005
Letter to Bishop-elect Kevin C Rhoades dated October 17, 2004, informing him of Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission and its purpose.
Letter
to Bishop-elect Kevin C. Rhoades - October 17, 2004
Letter written to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in response to the March 12, 2004 letter from Msgr. Perl, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission of Ecclesia Dei, as a second appeal for a formal opinion regarding the charge of doctrinal errors by the members of SS. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission.
Second Letter to Cardinal Ratzinger
- March 24, 2004
Letter from Rev. Msgr. Camille Perl, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission of Ecclesia Dei, to D. M. Drew and Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission in response to the February 7, 2004 letter to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
Msgr. Perl Letter - March 12, 2004
Letter to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, regarding the charges of heresy and schism made by Fr. William J. King and Bishop Dattilo.
Letter
to Cardinal Ratzinger - February 7, 2004
Comments on the Court Pharisee, a response to the February 3, 2004 letter of Rev. William King.
Comments on the Court Pharisee - February 3, 2004
Personal Letter of Fr. William J. King to D. M. Drew February 3, 2004
Letter
to D. M. Drew - February 3, 2004
Comments on a Canon Liar, a response to the publication of Rev. King.
Comments
on a Canon Liar - January 2004
Letter to Bishop Dattilo, 1-12-04, offering him the opportunity to consecrate Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Chapel. Since Bishop Dattilo refused this invitation, the Chapel was exorcised, blessed and dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the Ecclesiastical Traditions of the Roman Rite by a Catholic priest.
Letter
to Bishop Dattilo - January 12, 2004
Publication of Rev. William King in the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Witness, and re-printed in many parish bulletins, charging Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission members as being heretics and schismatics, and claiming that the traditional Roman Rite, to be “legitimate or truly Catholic” must have “the required permission of the diocesan bishop.” January 9, 2004
Publication
of Reverend King - January 9, 2004
Letter to Tracey Trott to answer the claims made by Rev. King's warning to her that the members of Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission were in schism and that attendance at the Masses did not fulfill the Sunday obligation. Our letter to Tracey Trott was to correct the statements made by Fr. William King.
Letter
to Tracey Trott - July 10, 2003
Letter from Rev. William J. King, JCD, the judicial vicar for the Diocese of Harrisburg, was faxed to Tracey Trott in response to her inquiry regarding her son attending Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission.
Reverend
William J. King Letter - June 16, 2003
Reply to a Conservative Canon Lawyer, A Defense of a Catholic’s Right to the Ecclesiastical Traditions of the Roman Rite. This is a reply to the arguments of Rev. John Huels, OSM, JCD that the traditional Roman Rite was illegal. This paper was written in November 2001. The arguments in this paper were submitted to Bishop Dattilo by Msgr. Mercurio Fregapane who requested a formal opinion of the Bishop regarding the doctrinal correctness of the paper. For this, Msgr. Fregapane was summarily retired. No response was ever made by Bishop Dattilo. Fr. John Huels was subsequently exposed as a homosexual predator and left the priesthood and his teaching position as assistant dean for canon law at St. Paul University in Ottawa.
Reply to a Conservative Canon Lawyer - 2001
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