“Traditional” Bishop Rifan of the Society of St. John Vianney shows his apostasy by taking part in the New Mass

Heresy of the Week, Week of 11/19/04
By Bro. Peter Dimond
For more see: Heresies of the Week Relating to “Traditional” Issues and Persons

"Traditional" Bishop Rifan Takes Part in the Abominable New Mass

1 Machabees 1:50-51- “And the king sent letters... that they… should… let their souls be defiled with all uncleanness, and abominations to the end that they should forget the law, and should change all the justifications of God.”

Comment: In Campos, Brazil there exists a prominent “traditional” group of priests that was started many years ago by the late Bishop Castro De Mayer.  The group goes by the name “The Society of St. John Vianney.”  Bishop Castro De Mayer, who started the group, had been a friend of Bishop Marcel Lefebvre, and was present when Bishop Lefebvre consecrated the four Bishops of the Society of St. Pius X in 1988.  The Campos group of priests held a position that is similar to the SSPX: it was independent of the Novus Ordo dioceses, even though it was definitely not Sedevacantist and always recognized Antipope John Paul II as the Pope. 

The Campos group remained independent of the Novus Ordo “Bishops,” even though it recognized them as the legitimate hierarchy, because it criticized as unacceptable many aspects of the New Mass and the Vatican II religion. In fact, years ago the Campos group published a pamphlet called “62 Reasons Why In Conscience, We Cannot Attend the New Mass.”  Having discouraged people from attending the New Mass, the Campos group’s position was not compatible with approval by the apostate Novus Ordo Bishops.  As long as they held to such a position, they would have to continue operating independently of John Paul II and the Novus Ordo Bishops.

But, in 2002, the Society of St. John Vianney (SSJV) changed its views.  Perhaps perceiving the fundamental contradiction, and the schismatic attitude, in its position – and in the position of the SSPX – namely, to operate completely independent of the hierarchy it recognizes as the true Catholic hierarchy (when, in truth, it shouldn’t recognize them as the true hierarchy at all), the SSJV came to apostate Rome and John Paul II to be “reconciled.”  Antipope John Paul II and his “Cardinals” agreed to give the SSJV an “Apostolic Administration” whereby they would be fully “reconciled” and “recognized” by John Paul II and the Novus Ordo sect, as long as the SSJV agreed to accept the validity of the New Mass and that Vatican II is a true Council – and, of course, that John Paul II is Pope.  The full “reconciliation” of this “traditionalist” group with the Novus Ordo sect was praised by many false traditionalists who believed that this group would get the “best of both worlds” (according to them) – i.e., it would maintain its “traditionalism” while also being recognized by Antipope John Paul II, their “Pope.”  The apostates Chris Ferrara and Thomas Woods expressed their approval of the development with the SSJV in their heretical book, The Great Façade.

Christopher Ferrara and Thomas Woods, The Great Façade, p. 403: “One encouraging development occurred early in 2002: the erection of an apostolic administration for the traditionalist Society of St. John Vianney (SSJV), an order of priests in Campos, Brazil.  The Pope granted to these priests the very canonical structure we here suggest, permitting them to work and to expand without (it would seem as of this writing) the consent of the local diocesan bishop… It is highly significant for our thesis that in order to be ‘reconciled’ with Rome and ‘end the schism,’ SSJV had merely to affirm what it never denied in the first place: that John Paul II is the Pope, that the Mass of Paul VI (when correctly celebrated according to the proper intention) is valid, that Vatican II is a Council of the Church, and that open questions are to be studied with humility and charity.…” (emphasis mine)

Please notice how inextricably bound up are 1) acceptance that John Paul II is the Pope and 2) the acceptance of Vatican II and the New Mass.  If you accept # 1, then you must accept # 2, as this instance proves again.  Vatican II is the official Council and teaching of the “Church” of John Paul II; and the New Mass is an official rite of the “Church” of John Paul II.  That is why John Paul II and his apostate “Bishops” will not recognize those persons who don’t accept the legitimacy and validity of these two things as “Catholics in full communion” with them. That is precisely why the SSJV had to accept these things to get full “approval” from the Vatican II sect.

So, in 2002, the SSJV completely sold its soul and gave in to apostate Rome.  While the SSJV did not yet celebrate the New Mass, some predicted that it would only be a short time before its priests did.  (But after already having recognized that the New Mass is a legitimate rite that may be attended, why would they be opposed to offering it themselves?)  The selling-of-their-souls out to the New Mass would not come in the future when they finally offered it; it already came when they accepted it as legitimate.

Thus, on September 8, 2004, the apostate Bishop Rifan of the SSJV carried his heretical position to its logical conclusion and he concelebrated an invalid New Mass, which adulterated the words of Christ (using “shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven” in the Consecration) – and contained numerous other abominations, including laywomen giving out the Novus Ordo cookie; a speech by a Marxist; and other pagan-like abominations so common at the Novus Ordo.

All of this is strikingly reminiscent of the story in the Machabees.  In the books of the Machabees, we are told the story of how the wicked King Antiochus took over the children of Israel, imposed upon them a new religion of idolatry, changed their traditions, and forced them to accept the new religion.  There are striking parallels to our own situation in this history, including in regard to compromising false traditionalists.

1 Machabees 1:41 ff. “Her sanctuary was desolate like a wilderness, her festival days were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into reproach, her honors were brought to nothing… And King Antiochus wrote to all his kingdom, that all the people should be one: and every one should leave his own law.  And all nations consented, according to the word of King Antiochus.  And many of Israel consented to his service [read: the New Mass], and they sacrificed to idols, and profaned the Sabbath.  And the king sent letters.. that they… should forbid holocausts and sacrifices [read:the Traditional Mass]… and let their souls be defiled with all uncleanness, and abominations to the end that they should forget the law, and should change all the justifications of God… Then many of the people were gathered to them that had forsaken the law of the Lord: and they committed evils in the land: And they drove away the people of Israel into lurking holes, and into the secret places of fugitives [read: independent of the dioceses].  On the fifteenth day of the month, Casleu, in the hundred and forty-fifth year, king Antiochus set up the abominable idol of desolation upon the altar of God [read: the New Mass], and they built altars throughout all the cities of Juda round about…”

Those who resisted the new religion were led by Judas Machabeus and his supporters; and they made no compromise with the wicked usurpers.  But some of the Machabees were led to their deaths by being deceived by the “peaceable” words spoken by the supporters of King Antiochus.  Please read the following and tell me if it is not a description of the SSJV and the SSPX and like-minded false traditionalists, who listen to the “peaceable words and deals” offered to them by the apostate “Bishops” in Rome, such as Ratzinger, Castrillon-Hoyos, etc. – and are led to their spiritual deaths as a result.   

1 Machabees 7:10-17 “And they arose, and came with a great army into the land of Juda: and they sent messengers, and spoke to Judas and his brethren with peaceable words, deceitfully.  But they [Judas and his brethren] gave no heed to their words: for they saw that they were come with a great army.  Then there assembled to Alcimus and Bacchides a company of the scribes, to require things that are just: And first the Assideans, that were among the children of Israel, and they sought peace of them.  For they said: One that is a priest of the seed of Aaron is come [read: a dignitary of the Vatican], he will not deceive us.  And he spoke to them peaceably: and he swore to them, saying: We will do you no harm, nor your friends [read: we will allow you to keep your traditional Mass, just accept us].  And they believed him.  And he took threescore of them, and slew them in one day…”

We see that Bishop Rifan of the SSJV is one such victim.  But here are the words of a recent interview of Bishop Fellay of the SSPX, regarding his continuing discussion with “reconciling” with Rome [read: King Antiochus].

The Angelus, August 2004, pp. 2-3: “Q. In this interview for Latin Mass Magazine, Cardinal Castrillon-Hoyos does more than just stretch out a hand to the faithful attached to Tradition, he affirms that the Holy Father holds his arms open.  Aren’t you touched by such a generous offer?  [Bishop Fellay’s Answer]: I am very much touched by this gesture and do not doubt the generosity behind it…”

Notice how similar Bishop Fellay’s attitude is to that of the compromising Machabees. Rome “does more than just stretch out a hand to the faithful attached to Tradition…  Aren’t you touched by such a generous offer?” “I am,” says Bishop Fellay.  (If Bishop Fellay were Catholic, he would denounce the Novus Ordo Bishops and John Paul II as apostate usurpers who possess no authority to offer anyone anything.)

We see that the people who wanted to compromise with the representatives of Antiochus – the people who listened to their “peaceable” words and believed them to be their friends – were slain, just like the false traditionalists of the SSJV, the SSPX, etc. are spiritually slain by obstinately recognizing as Catholics, rather than denouncing as apostate non-Catholics, John Paul II and his Novus Ordo Bishops.  [One also cannot ignore the absurdity of a group like the SSPX “making deals” with the hierarchy it recognizes as the “Catholic hierarchy.”  This shows again that the SSPX is clearly schismatic; they won’t submit to the hierarchy they think (wrongly) is the “Catholic hierarchy” until the “hierarchy of the Catholic Church” gives the SSPX what it wants!  Any sincere person who considers this carefully will see how absurd and schismatic it is.]

“No Jurisdiction” Heretics

Recently, many among the Sedevacantists (i.e., those who don’t accept John Paul II as the Pope) are being convinced by certain tracts that none of the traditional priests have jurisdiction to hear Confessions or faculties to say Mass.  This is a false claim, which is based on a failure of these authors to recognize the distinction between ecclesiastical laws and divine revelation, and how the former apply in a state of necessity.  This fatal error causes them to conclude falsely that no priest can lawfully say Mass; that no Bishop can lawfully Consecrate another Bishop, etc. in this situation.  It is not the purpose of this article to go into detail addressing this false claim, but merely to illustrate what I believe to be another clear parallel to the Machabees.  In the Machabees, the resisting Israelites were attacked on the Sabbath because the allies of evil King Antiochus didn’t believe that they would fight back on the Sabbath.  And, at first, the resisters did not fight back on the Sabbath because they believed it would be unlawful [read: they did not say Mass; they did not hear Confessions; they did not Consecrate Bishops, etc. because they believed it was unlawful], but after their people were all being slain, they changed their course and did fight back on the Sabbath. 

1 Machabees 2:32 ff. “And forthwith they [the allies of king Antiochus] went out towards them, and made war against them on the Sabbath day… But they [the resisting Israelites ] answered them not, neither did they cast a stone at them, nor stopped up the secret places [because it was the Sabbath], Saying: Let us all die in our innocency: and heaven and earth shall be witnesses for us, that you put us to death wrongfully.  So they [the allies of evil King Antiochus] gave them battle on the Sabbath: and they [the resisting Israelites] were slain, with their wives, and their children, and their cattle, to the number of a thousand persons.  And every man said to his neighbor: If we shall do as our brethren have done, and not fight against the heathens for our lives, and our justifications: they will now quickly root us out of the earth.  And they determined in that day, saying: Whosoever shall come up against us to fight on the Sabbath day, we will fight against him: and we will not all die, as our brethren that were slain in the secret places.”

For more see: Heresies of the Week Relating to “Traditional” Issues and Persons