Saturday, January 13, 2024

Rebutting Michael Lofton on Bishop Strickland

1. Strickland continues to have authority, to preach and teach publicly as a bishop, even without a diocese.

2. He was forthright about being forced to resign.  He said he didn’t know the official reason for the decision, but did say he was told the problems the Vatican had with him.  That is not the same thing as telling him the official reasons for the ultimate decision. 

3. A bishop not implementing Traditio Custodes isn’t an act of disobedience to the pope because according to the pope himself, through canon law, a bishop can dispense with liturgical Vatican decrees for a pastoral reason, which many bishops did using the due rights given to them by the pope himself.

4.  When Strickland said TC was trying to “kill the Latin Mass,” even though the Ecclesia dei groups are still allowed it, it was because the document called for no more Latin Masses in diocesan parishes, and stated the ultimate goal was for Latin Mass Catholics to go instead to the Novus Ordo.

5. Strickland did not denigrate the Novus Ordo liturgy by saying it lacked a supernatural character.  He said it as a liturgy conveyed the supernatural less effectively than the traditional Mass.  Saying one is superior to the other does not equate with saying one is sacred and the other is not.