Fr.Wathen Radio Transcript 9/10/98

Fr. Wathen Radio transcript

This is Fr. Wathen. The title of this program is; "The Bishop Lazo Letter." Let us say a prayer. The following are three prayers from the traditional Latin Mass. They are said immediately after the consecration of the bread and wine. (Quotations.) Mindful, therefore, 0 Lord, not only of the blessed passion of the same Christ,Thy Son, our Lord, but also of His resurrection from the dead, and finally His glorious ascension into heaven, we Thy ministers, as also thy holy people, offer unto Thy supreme majesty, of Thy gifts bestowed upon us, the pure Victim, the holy Victim, the all-perfect victim: the holy Bread of life eternal and the Chalice of unending salvation. And this do Thou deign to regard with gracious and kindly attention and hold acceptable, as Thou didst deign to accept the offerings of Abel, thy just servant, and the sacrifice of Abraham our patriarch, and that which Thy chief priest Melchisedech, offered unto Thee, a holy sacrifice of thanks, and a spotless Victim. Most humbly we implore Thee, almighty God, bid these our mystic offerings to be brought by the hands of Thy holy Angel unto Thy altar above before the face of Thy divine majesty; that those of us who, by sharing in the Sacrifice of this altar, shall receive the most sacred Body and Blood of Thy Son, may be filled with every grace and heavenly blessing. Through the same Christ our Lord Amen. We consider the material of this program very important. Something which we have hoped and prayed for for over thirty years has finally happened: A bishop has broken rank. We present a reading of a letter written by His Excellency, Bishop Salvador L. Lazo, the retired Bishop of the Diocese of San Fernando, of La Union, in the Phillippines. It is dated May 21, Ascension Thursday, 1998. (Quotations.) MY DECLARATION OF FAITH To His Holiness Pope John Paul II Bishop of Rome and Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of Saint Peter, Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church Patriarch of the West, Primate of Italy, Archbishop ard Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of Vatican City Ascension Thursday [pg.1] May 21, 1998 Most Holy Father, On the tenth anniversary of the consecration of the four Catholic bishops by His Grace, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, for the survival of the Catholic Faith, by the grace of God, I declare that I am Roman Catholic. My religion was founded by Jesus Christ when He said to Peter: "Thou art Peter and upon this Rock, I Will buid my Church" (Mt. 16:18). Holy Father, my Credo is the Apostles' Creed. The deposit of Faith came from Jesus Christ and was complete at the death of the last Apostle. It was entrusted to the Roman Catholic Church to serve as a guide for the salvation of souls to the end of time. Saint Paul instructed Timothy: "O Timothy, keep the deposit ... the deposit that is entrusted to you, not discovered by you.You received: you did not draw it from your resources. It is not the fruit of any personal understanding but of teaching. It is not for personal use, but it belongs to public tradition. It does not come from you, but it has come to you. With respect to it, you cannot act as an author, but only as a simple keeper. You are not its initiator, but its disciple. It is not for you to direct it, but your duty to follow it" (St. Vincent Lerins, Commonitorium, No.21). The Holy Council of Vatican I teaches that "the doctrine of Faith that God has revealed was not proposed to the minds of men as a philosophical discovery to be perfected, but as the divine deposit, entrusted to the Spouse of Christ that she might faithtblly keep it and infallibly define it. Consequently, the meaning of the sacred dogmas which must always be preserved is that which our Holy Mother the Church has determined. Never is it permissible to depart from this in the name of a deeper understanding" (Dogmatic Constitution Dei Filius, Dz 1800). "The Holy Ghost was promised to the successor of Peter, not that he might make known new doctrine by His Revelation but rather that, with His assistance, he might religiously guard and faithfblly explain the Revelation or deposit of Faith that was handed down through the Apostles" (Vatican I, Dogmatic Constitution Pastor Aeternus, Dz. 1836). Moreover, "the power of the Pope is not unlimited: Not only can he not change anything which is of divine institution (to suppress episcopal jurisdiction, for instance), but he is to build and not to destroy [Cf II Cor. 10:8]. He is enjoined, through natural law, not to sow confusion in the flock of Christ" (Dict. de Theo. Cath. II, col. 2039-2040). Saint Paul too confirmed the Faith of his converts: "But though we or an angel from heaven preach a Gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema" (Gal. 1:8). As a Catholic Bishop, briefly, this is my stand on the Post Conciliar reforms of the Second Vatican Council. If the Conciliar reforms are according to the will of Jesus Christ, [pg.2] then, I will gladly cooperate in their implementation. But if the Conciliar reforms were planned for the destruction of the Catholic Religion founded by Jesus Christ, then, I refuse to give my cooperation. Holy Father, in 1969, a communication from Rome was received in San Fernando Diocese of La Union. It said the Tridentine Latin Mass was to be suppressed and the Novus Ordo Missae was to be implemented. There was no reason given. Since the order came from Rome it was obeyed without protest (Roma locuta est, causa finita est). ["Rome has spoken: the issue is closed."] I retired in 1993, twenty-three years after my episcopal consecration. Since my retirement, I discovered the real reason for the illegal suppression of the traditional Latin Mass. The ancient Mass was an obstacle to the introduction of Ecumenism. The Catholic Mass contained Catholic dogmas, which Protestants denied. To achieve unity with Protestant sects, the Tridentine Latin Mass had to be scrapped, being replaced by the Novus Ordo Missae. The Novus Ordo Missae was a concoction of Monsignor Annibale Bugnini, a Freemason. Six Protestant ministers helped Monsignor Bugnini in fabricating it. The innovators saw to it that no Cathoic dogmas offensive to Protestant ears were left in the prayers. They deleted all that expressed the Catholic dogmas fully and replaced them with very ambiguous, Protestantizing, and heretical things. They even changed the form of the consecration given by Jesus Christ. With these modifications, the new rite of the Mass became more Protestant than Catholic. The Protestants maintain that the Mass is a mere meal, a mere communion, a mere banquet, a memorial. The Council of Trent emphasized the reality of the sacrifice of the Mass, which is an unbloody renewal of the bloody sacrifice of Christ on Mount Calvary. "He therefore, our God and Lord, though He was about to offer Himself once to God the Father upon the altar of the Cross... offered to God the Father His own body and blood under the species of bread and wine... at the Last Supper on the night He was betrayed, so that He might leave to His beloved Spouse, the Church, a visible sacrifice (as the nature of man demands), whereby that bloody sacrifice once to be completed on the Cross might be re-presented . .." (Dz 938). The Mass is also a communion with and in the sacrifice previously celebrated, a banquet where one eats the immolated Victim of the sacrifice. But if there is no sacrifice, there is no communion with it. Mass is first and foremost a sacrifice, and secondly a communion or a meal. It is also noted that in the Novus Ordo Missae, the priest has been demoted from a priest who offers a sacrifice, to one who merely presides over the assembly. Now he is the president of the assembly. For this role he faces the people. In the Traditional Mass, the priest, on the contrary, faces the tabernacle and the altar where is Christ. After having recognized these mutations, I decided to stop saying the new rite of the Mass, which I was saying for more than twenty-seven years in obedience to ecclesiastical superiors. I returned to the Tridentine Latin Mass because it is the Mass instituted by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, which is the unbloody renewal of the bloody [pg.3] sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Mount Calvary. This Mass of all times has sanctified the lives of millions down the centuries. Holy Father, with all the respect I have for you and for the Holy See of Saint Peter, I cannot follow your own teaching of the "universal salvation. "It contradicts Sacred Scripture. Holy Father, are all men going to be saved? Jesus Christ wanted all men to be redeemed. In fact, He died for us all. Still, not all men are going to be saved because not all men fulfill all the necessary conditions in order to be numbered among the Elect of God in Heaven. Gospel to every creature. His instructions already indicated that all souls were not going to be saved. He said: "Go into the whole world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be condemned" (Mt. 16:15-16). Saint Paul supported this in his instruction to his converts: "Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the Kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor the adulterous, nor the effeminate, nor sodomites; nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners shall possess the Kingdom of God" (I Cor. 6:9, 10). Holy Father, should we respect false religions? Jesus Christ founded only one Church in which one can find eternal salvation. This is the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church. When He gave all the doctrines and all the truths needed for salvation, Christ did not say: "Respect all false religions." In fact, the Son of God was crucified on the cross because He did not compromise his teaching. In 1910, in his letter "Our Apostolic Mandate," Pope Saint Pius X warned that the interdenominational spirit is part of the great movement of apostasy being organized in every country for a One World Church. Pope Leo XIII warned that to "treat all religions alike is calculated to bring about the ruin of all forms of religion, and especially of the Catholic Religion, which, as it is the only one that is true, cannot, without great injustice, be regarded as merely equal to other religions"(Encyclical Humanum Genus). The process is this: FROM CATHOLICISM TO PROTESTANTISM; FROM PROTESTANTISM TO MODERNISM; FROM MODERNISM TO ATHEISM. Ecumenism, as practiced today, flies in the face of traditional Catholic doctrine and practices. It places the one, true Religion established by our Lord on the same base level with false, man-made religions -- something the Popes through the centures absolutely forbade Catholics to do: "It is clear that the Apostolic See can by no means take part in these [ecumenical) assemblies; nor is it in any way lawful for Catholics to give to such enterprises their encouragement or support" (Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos). I am for eternal Rome, the Rome of Saints Peter and Paul. I do not follow Masonic Rome. Pope Leo XIII condemned Freemasonry in his encyclical Humanum [pg.4] Gemis in 1884. Neither do I accept Modernist Rome. Pope Saint Pius X also condemned Modernism in his encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis, in 1907. I do not serve the Rome that is controlled by Freemasons who are the agents of Lucifer, the Prince of devils. But I support the Rome that leads the Catholic Church faithfully to do the will of Jesus Christ, the glorification of the most holy and Triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. I consider myself fortunate because, in this present crisis of the Catholic Church, I received the grace to return to the Church that adheres to Catholic Tradition. Thank God, I am again saying the Traditional Latin Mass -- the Mass instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper, the Mass of my ordination. May the Blessed Mother Mary, St. Joseph, Saint Anthony, my patron saint, Saint Michael, and my Guardian Angel assist me to remain faithful to the Catholic Church founded by Jesus Christ for the salvation of men. May I obtain the grace to remain and die in the bosom of the Holy Roman Catholic Apostolic Church that adheres to the ancient traditions, and be always a faithful priest and bishop of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Most respectfiilly, (signed) Bishop Salvador L. Lazo, DD Bishop Emerius San Fernando Diocese of La Union The Phillippines This letter should be given the widest publicity among Catholic people. Every sincere Catholic should take it to heart and set about doing what Bishop Lazo has done, namely, return to the traditional Catholic religion, if; that is, he places any value on his immortal soul. Furthermore, once having done this, Catholics singly and in groups should present this letter, respectfiilly but earnestly, to priests of their acquaintance, their pastors, and their bishops, and ask them to explain whether Bishop Lazo is right or wrong, both in his doctrinal contentions and in his course of action. (We caution you in advance that these men may likely try to put you off by questioning the authenticity of this letter and/or the existence of Bishop Lazo.) We wish to assist all those who are minded to follow this recommendation. They may obtain a transcript and/or an audio cassette of this program by calling the following [pg.5] number: 219-643-9296; or write: Mr. Gerald Bonnell, 9812 N. County Road 650 W, Royal Center, IN 46978.I repeat the phone number and address: 219-643-9296; or write: Mr. Gerald Bonnell, 9812 N. County Road 650 W, Royal Center, IN 46978. We ask you to send ten dollars ($10) to cover our costs. Feel free to make as many copies as you can use. Bishop Lazo contends that the ecumenical and modernist movements which received their great impetus from the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) are contrary to Catholic tradition, and have been explicitly and solemnly condemned by past popes, specifically Pope Leo XIII, Pope St. Pius X, and Pope Pius XI. When these condemnations were pronounced, very clear and cogent reasons were given, accompanied by warnings that the result of these heterodox courses of action would be disastrous for souls and for the Church. The disintegration and contraction of the Church that have followed the Council have been so severe that they are the subject of much comment from the media worldwide. The only people who express no astonishment, puzzlement, or concern are the bishops and priests who are adamantly carrying the movements forward without stint or reservation. Bishop Lazo says that, now that he has realized the evil of these currents within the Church, he has felt bound to reject and oppose them, and return to traditional Catholicism. For the sake of those of you whom we persuade to call on priests and bishops, we wish to enable you by suggesting a few questions which Bishop Lazo's letter gives rise to. These are only suggested questions; you may have many others of your own, 1. Is Bishop Lazo a true Catholic, or is he a bad or misguided one? 2. What is Fatherts or Bishop's comment on this letter in general? 3. Would he be kind enough to point Out its errors? 4. Bishop Lazo says that Ecumenism and Modernism, which are undeniably rampant in the Church, were explicitly condemned by previous popes. With all due respect, why has Father or Bishop participated in movements which have been condemned by previous popes? 5. In returning to the traditional Latin Mass, has the Bishop committed a sin, or has he not? 6. if he has not, may we assume that all other priests who either have never said or who have returned to the traditional Mass have not sinned either? 7. It is to be observed that Bishop Lazo considers it his moral duty as a Catholic priest and bishop to return to the traditional Mass. It is also noteworthy that he does not ask the Holy Father's permission to resume the ancient liturgy; he informs His Holiness of his decision. In doing so, the Bishop indicates, does he not, that whatever commands or laws which have emanated from the Holy See in favor of the New Mass have no binding force? [pg.6] 8. In his letter, Bishop Lazo says that the the Novus Ordo Missae, the New Mass, is a "concoction" -- that is his word, a "concoction" -- of a certain Monsignor Annibale Bugnini (now deceased), who was a Freemason. The Bishop states this as a certain fact. You should ask the priest or bishop whom you are consulting whether he has ever heard this fact. If he says yes, you should ask him whether he also is a Freemason, that he would be undisturbed by such a shocking revelation. If the Reverend Father or His Excellency, the Bishop, answers that no, he was not aware that Monsignor Bugnini was a Freemason, you should ask him, now that he is informed of the fact, whether it will influence him in any way. 9. The same kinds of questions should be asked priests and bishops regarding the disclosure of Bishop Lazo that Monsignor Bugnini chose to assist him in the fabrication of the Novus Ordo Missae six Protestant theologians. Has Father or Bishop been aware of this fact all these years, namely, that the New Mass was authored by men whose theology explicitly and strongly denies both the need and the possibility of a Sacrifice of Expiation in the New Testament? If he has been aware, then he should be questioned as to whether he believes the doctrine of the Expiatory Sacrifice. If he has not been aware, then he should be asked whether, now that he is informed, he will feel any obligation to reassess his acceptance of the new liturgy? He should be asked whether this essential doctrinal consideration makes any difference to him, 10. Has Father or Bishop ever compared the prayers of the new liturgy with those of the traditional Mass in order to ascertain why the new is an improvement on the old? 11. Now that Father or Bishop has been apprised of this information, would he be so kind as to make such a comparison and demonstrate, for your assurance, how, in the new liturgy, the essential doctrines of the Eucharistic Sacrifice have been preserved? 12. Bishop Lazo makes the following astonishing statement: "It is also noted that in the Novus Ordo Missae, Christ's Real Eucharistic Presence is implicitly denied." Again, the Bishop does not speculate or raise a question concerning this matter, but affirms it as a fact. What is Father's or Bishop's comment on this statement? 13. How is it that Bishop Lazo is so greatly concerned with this issue, and Father or Bishop seems never to have considered it? 14. Bishop Lazo says also: "The same observation is also true concerning the Church's doctrine of Transubstantion." This doctrine is the teaching that in the Blessed Eucharist, Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God, is truly present, "body and blood, soul and divinity." Ask Father or Bishop why the form of the Consecration of the sacrificial elements of bread and wine was changed? Do not ask Father or Bishop to assure you that the change of the words signifies nothing; ask him why the words were changed. What was the need for a change in the words of Consecration? 15. If there was no need for the change, why was the change made? Was it made simply because the aforementioned Protestant theologians favored it? [pg.7] 16. Ask Father or Bishop whether, in exchange for adopting a new form of the Mass, the Catholic Church received any concessions from Protestants, as for an example, the admission that, from the earliest days of Christianity, the faittiflil believed in the Mass as the unbloody renewal of the self-immolation of our Lord on the cross? Bishop Lazo's letter is dated May 21, 1998, now over three months ago. It will certainly be asked whether he has received any reply from the Holy See. Enough time has elapsed that we may draw a conclusion: The good bishop will receive no acknowledgement of his letter at all. In Louisville, the transcript and audio cassette of this program may be obtained from: St. John's Bookstore, 2030 S. Third Street, Louisville, 40208. The phone number is: 502-637-3839. If no one answers, don't give up; try again. 9/10/98 [pg.8]