So the faith was planted: So it must be restored.

A STATEMENT OF
PRINCIPLES IN A TIME OF CRISIS

Priests of the Society of St. Pius V



THE CHURCH

1. The changes following the Second Vatican Council have proven so damaging to the Roman Catholic Religion and so
detrimental to the sanctification of souls that one can easily discern that “an enemy has done this.” This Council
marked the culmination of the first phase of a liberal and modernist intrusion into the Roman Catholic Church, which
intrusion had already begun in the nineteenth century and to which St. Pius X alerted the Church in 1907. In his
Encyclical “Pascendi” he states: “The partisans of error are to be sought not only among the Church’s open enemies;
but, what is to be most dreaded and deplored, in her very bosom, and are…thoroughly imbued with the poisonous
doctrines taught by the enemies of the Church, and lost to all sense of modesty, put themselves forward as reformers
of the Church.” This intrusion was made possible because men influenced by modernist ideas gained positions of
authority, thereby permitting confirmed heretics and enemies of the Church to overtake our Catholic institutions.

2. The aforesaid intruders have embraced and promoted the modernist and liberal program of the reform of the Church,
condemned by the Roman Pontiffs, particularly by Pius VI, Gregory XVI, Pius IX, Leo XIII, St. Pius X, Pius XI and
Pius XII.

3. These intruders have attempted to promulgate, in the name of the Roman Catholic Church, abominable novelties in
every aspect of her life, i.e., in the areas of doctrine, morals, liturgy, canon law, pastoral practices, seminary
education and religious life.

4. The intrusion of the liberals and modernists into positions of control has caused the wide-spread destruction
of Catholic Faith, morals and worship and the creation of a new religion - the so-called conciliar religion which is not
the Catholic Religion. It should be apparent to all that this new religion is not the Catholic Religion because since
its introduction into our Catholic institutions, these institutions no longer manifest the four marks of the true
Church, the marks of unity, holiness, catholicity, apostolicity. Thus, those who promote the doctrines and
reforms of the conciliar religion do not represent the Roman Catholic Church, which is absolutely and exclusively
identified with the Mystical Body of Christ and which is known by its four marks.

5. The Catholic Church was established by Our Lord Jesus Christ for the purpose of teaching, ruling and sanctifying
the faithful in His name. The members of its hierarchy are true successors of the Apostles, and the Pope, who as the
head of the Catholic hierarchy, is the successor of Saint Peter and the Vicar of Christ on earth. A Roman Pontiff
consequently has universal and immediate jurisdiction over all the faithful.

6. To this Catholic hierarchy throughout the ages have been addressed the words of Christ to the Apostles: “As the
Father hath sent me, I also send you.” (John 20:21). By virtue of its divine institution, therefore, the
hierarchy, by its very nature, exercises an authority over the faithful which is the very authority of Christ.

7. To exercise authority over the Church one must externally be a member of the Church. To be a member of the
Church one must profess the Catholic Faith. Public abandonment of the Faith severs one from the Church and
causes one to lose any position of authority one may have had. For this reason, theologians of all time have held
and taught, and Canon Law confirms in Canon 1325, no. 2, that anyone who publicly and notoriously defects from the
Faith by obstinately denying or doubting any article of Divine and Catholic Faith is a heretic. It is evident that
such a person could not possibly rule the faithful, for by analogy to a physical body, it would be impossible to be
the head of a body of which one is not even a member.

8. Thus Canon Law equally provides for the tacit resignation from positions of authority of those who defect
publicly from the Catholic Faith (Canon 188, no. 4).

9. But those who presently are thought to be occupying hierarchical positions in the Catholic Church are acting,
for the most part, as though they do not have the Faith, according to all human means of judging.

10. Among Catholics who are presently adhering to tradition, bishops, priests, and laity alike, we observe
a marked difference of opinion concerning the legitimacy of the present hierarchy. We hold that there is certain and
sufficient evidence to assert, as a legitimate theological opinion, that anyone who publicly professes the conciliar
religion does not legitimately hold any position of authority in the Catholic Church for the reasons stated in
paragraph seven. While we do not claim the authority to settle this question definitively, we believe that the
legitimacy of this theological opinion is dictated by logic and a correct application of Catholic theological
principles. We recognize that the definitive and authoritative resolution to such theological questions rests
ultimately with the magisterium of the Church. We thus deplore the attempt of some to settle this question by
acting as though they had the authority to bind the consciences of the faithful in matters which have not been
definitively settled by the Church.

11. The secondary object of the infallibility of the Church is her rites and disciplines. Because of this secondary
infallibility, it is impossible for her to prescribe for the Universal Church a law which is harmful or evil. But
the modernists have promulgated, purportedly in the name of the Church, rites and disciplines which are poisonous,
evil, and harmful to souls. It is, therefore, certain that these rites and disciplines do not come from the Roman
Catholic Church.

THE SACRAMENTS

12. Since the Second Vatican Council, the sacraments of the Catholic Church have been radically altered by the
modernists. These alterations contain substantial changes with regard to the ceremonies of the sacraments. In
addition, they have effected changes in the very matter and form of the sacraments, thus rendering some of them
doubtful and invalid.

13. In any case, therefore, in which the form or matter of the sacraments has been altered, we hold them thereby to
be invalid if the change is substantial, or doubtfully valid where the matter or form is not certain, depending on
the nature of the alteration effected. A clear example of such an alteration is the approval of grape juice as the
matter for the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist by the modernists operating in the Congregation for Divine Worship.

14. Sacraments in the new religion are further rendered doubtful or invalid (1) by a defect of intention on the part
of the minister in certain cases and (2) by the deviations, undertaken by the ministers, in individual cases which
corrupt form and/or matter.

15. In the practical order, in the course of our pastoral activity, the Church obliges us to require the reiteration
according to the traditional rites, either conditionally or absolutely, as the case may be, of any sacrament conferred
in a doubtful or invalid manner. We refer the final determination of the validity or invalidity of the doubtful
sacraments to the judgment of the Church when a normal state of affairs shall be restored.

THE SACRED LITURGY

16. The modernists have destroyed the sacred liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church in nearly all of her holy places. The
process which brought about this destruction was begun well before the Second Vatican Council and achieved its ultimate
expression in the impious New Order of the Mass promulgated by Paul VI in 1969. This destruction was effected by
applying to the liturgy the principle of conforming the Church to the modern world. The end result was the New Mass
and the many liturgical aberrations produced by it, thereby changing the liturgy from a treasury of Catholic doctrine
and piety into a cesspool of Protestantism, modernism, ecumenism, pantheism, and virtually every error condemned
by the Roman Catholic Church.

17. We consequently reject this New Mass as an evil ceremony, since it is a purveyor of sacrilege, error, and
heresy rather than the beacon of Catholic light and truth. We equally reject all the sacramental rites and ceremonies
reformed in accordance with the modernist principles. In the light of the foregoing, we must conclude that it is
objectively a mortal sin to take active part in the New Mass.

18. Since the very authors of the New Mass admit themselves that their destructive activity began before the Second
Vatican Council, we logically reject the first steps before the Council which led to the general reform of Vatican II,
particularly those produced by Annibale Bugnini in his work as Secretary of the Commission for Liturgical Reform. We do
not presume to bind others to this rejection of all the pre-conciliar reforms, but we believe it is both right and
expedient for the good of the Church to adhere to the Missal of Saint Pius V, reformed by Clement VIII, Urban VIII, and
Saint Pius X. While it is possible that there could be differences of opinion concerning the acceptability of the
pre-Conciliar reforms, the principle remains the same: that we should follow a determined set of rules used by the
Church at some time before the Council.

THE NEW CODE OF CANON LAW

19. We utterly reject and condemn the New Code of Canon Law for the sole reason that it is a legal expression of the
modernist distortion of the Roman Catholic Church. Its non-Catholic nature is recognizable by the blasphemous,
sacrilegious, and impious practices which it condones and mandates concerning the Holy Eucharist, whereby it sanction
the giving of the Body and Blood of Christ to heretics and schismatics, and the receiving of Communion from heretical
and schismatic sects.

20. Since the Second Vatican Council, the modernists have been granting, purportedly in the name of the Church,
annulments to married couples for reasons which have no foundation either in the traditional Canon Law of the
Church or in the Roman Catholic doctrine concerning matrimony.

21. We consequently deplore this contempt for the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony commonly found among the modernists
operating the diocesan marriage tribunals and the Rota itself. In the practical order, therefore, we refuse to
recognize any annulments coming forth from the aforesaid courts unless it can be demonstrated beyond any reasonable
doubt that the marriage did not exist in the first place.
For, according to Canon 1014 of the Code of Canon Law: “Marriage enjoys the favor of the law, consequently, in
doubt, the validity of the marriage must be maintained until the contrary is proved.”

CONCLUSION

22. In the light of the foregoing, we see no other practical course to follow than (1) to adhere with the
certitude of the Faith to all of the doctrine and moral teaching of the Roman Catholic Church; (2) to continue the
work of the Church for the salvation of souls, and fulfill our duties as priests by providing the Catholic faithful
with integral Catholic doctrine and unquestionably valid sacraments, using the faculties which the Church provides
for such critical situations, for “jurisdiction is not granted a man for his own benefit, but for the good of the
people and for the glory of God.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Supplement, Q.8, A.5) Therefore,
“since necessity knows no law, in cases of necessity the ordinance of the Church does not hinder.” (ibid Q.8, A.6);
(3) to reject the destructive modernist alteration of the Catholic liturgy and discipline; (4) to condemn, reprove
and reject the poisonous errors of the modernists, refusing the Catholic name to their tenets, worship, and discipline
and thereby rejecting ecclesial communion with them. Mindful of the words of Saint Ephraem, Doctor of the Church,
bidding us “not to sit with heretics nor associate with apostates,” and that “it would be better to teach demons
than to try to convince heretics,” we deplore every initiative that would seek to make compatible, in one
Church, Roman Catholicism and modernism.

23. These things we declare, mindful of St. Paul’s injunction to the Ephesians to “have not fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness” and in fulfillment of his command to “reprove them.” (5:11) These things we do
in the firm certitude of adhering to the indestructible and supernatural unity of the Roman Catholic Church, which
extends, unaltered and pure, from her foundation by Our Lord Jesus Christ to His Second Coming, from one end of
the earth to the other, from the Church Triumphant in heaven, to the Church Militant on earth, to the Church
Suffering in Purgatory, as one unadulterated Church and Faith.
 

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