Thanks to former FBI agent Kyle Seraphin who broke the story, and the many leaders who have stood firm in defense of truth, the FBI has retracted its memorandum targeting Traditional Catholics. While we can applaud this victory for common sense and Catholicism, there is also an important lesson that we, and perhaps even the FBI, can learn from the memo: it subtly reveals the staggering crimes being committed against the Catholic Church and the Traditional Catholics who belong to it.

As most rational and informed Catholics have observed, Francis is not Catholic in his words or deeds. Why, then, would he purport to be a Catholic, let alone govern the Church as its ostensible pope? One does not need to be a conspiracy theorist to reasonably conclude that he does so as an infiltrator who seeks to use Catholics to serve an unholy globalist agenda. So, although the Catholic Church is indefectible, Francis infects Catholics with his faux-Catholicism, making it look like the Catholic Church is doing things that the Church can never in fact do.

As Michael Matt discussed in his recent Remnant Underground, the growing globalist tyranny has convinced countless people that we are in the midst of a decisive spiritual battle and must turn to God. Tragically, most of these souls may never find the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, to which we all must belong, precisely because the tyrannical enemies of God had to undermine the Church to carry out their globalist designs. The small remnant of Catholics who still have the Faith must therefore strive to be the light of the world that attracts those of good will.

In his recent article in America — “Cardinal McElroy on ‘radical inclusion’ for L.G.B.T. people, women and others in the Catholic Church” — Cardinal Robert McElroy framed the challenges facing the Church today in terms of getting “the people of God” to take new paths in the coming decades:

“What paths is the church being called to take in the coming decades? While the synodal process already underway has just begun to reveal some of these paths, the dialogues that have taken place identify a series of challenges that the people of God must face if we are to reflect the identity of a church that is rooted in the call of Christ, the apostolic tradition and the Second Vatican Council. Many of these challenges arise from the reality that a church that is calling all women and men to find a home in the Catholic community contains structures and cultures of exclusion that alienate all too many from the church or make their journey in the Catholic faith tremendously burdensome.”

“A certain number of important theological questions about which no agreement could be reached were left open by choosing formulations that could be interpreted differently by particular groups and theological tendencies at the Council.” (Karl Rahner and Herbert Vorgrimler, as quoted in Fr. Matthias Gaudron’s The Catechism of the Crisis in the Church)

In his message to end 2022, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò invoked the image of God as a loving Father:

“The Lord is our Father, and as Father He punishes us so that we understand our faults, repent of them, and change our lives. Deus, qui culpa offenderis, pœnitentia placaris, says a prayer of Lent: O God, who is offended by guilt and appeased by penance. Wherever there is guilt, wherever the Majesty of God is infinitely offended, there is the need of a punishment. Flagella tuæ iracundiæ, quæ pro peccatis nostri meremur: the scourges of Your indignation, which we merit because of our sins – just as so often happened to the people of Israel.”

The First Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Pastor Aeternus, succinctly described the role of the Holy Ghost in safeguarding truth in the Church:

“For the Holy Spirit was promised to the successors of Peter not so that they might, by His revelation, make known some new doctrine, but that, by His assistance, they might religiously guard and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith transmitted by the apostles.” (Vatican I, Pastor Aeturnus)

“Then why should men on earth be so sad,
Since our Redeemer made us glad,
When from our sin He set us free,
All for to gain our liberty?”
— Sussex Carol

"We are in greater danger than all others, because we are beset by the 'elegant demon,' who does not make a loud entrance, but comes with flowers in his hand." — Francis, 2022 Christmas Greetings to the Roman Curia

Francis’s 2022 Christmas Greetings to the Roman Curia included several elements that are genuinely Catholic, and even edifying, when read out of context. One of the dominant themes, for example, is the need for conversion:

“Conversion is a never-ending story. The worst thing that could happen to us is to think that we are no longer in need of conversion, either as individuals or as a community. To be converted is to learn ever anew how to take the Gospel message seriously and to put it into practice in our lives. It is not simply about avoiding evil but doing all the good that we can. That is what it means to be converted.”

“And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people. For this day is born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.” (Luke 2: 10-11)

The angel announced “good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people,” and yet the angels ended their heavenly message with reference to a narrower subset of people to whom the blessings of peace would apply:

“Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.” (Luke 2:14)