is Honour, Pete Vere, JCL, presiding…
Judging from the reaction to a recent piece Shawn
McElhinney and I coauthored for The Wanderer, a few people
have difficulty understanding that the Church has suspended Fr.
Gruner from exercising his priestly faculties. As Catholic
traditionalists, we are bound to submit to this judgment. Roma
locuta est, causa finita est.
Yet in every age one finds those who dissent from the
Church's judgment. Thus those who stand by the Church's
position will find themselves under personal attack. I
suppose, therefore, I should not be surprised when, like Sr.
Lucy of Fatima, I too find myself under fire for standing by
the Church. As one of Fr. Gruner's more vocal defenders
recently wrote,
The Wanderer presents Vere as 'a practicing canonist'
with no mention of his own biography, which reveals that he was
a former Catholic, a former occultist and socialist, a former
Protestant Pentecostal, and a former Catholic traditionalist
(affiliated with the Society of St. Pius X).
Granted, I enjoyed this little synopsis of my
conversion story. For those who prefer to read the
full account, however, I invite you to read Patrick
Madrid's Surprised by Truth 3: 10 More Converts
Explain the Biblical and Historical Reasons for Becoming
Catholic. This book is available from Sophia
Institute Press for a modest price, or one may call
Surprised by Truth ministries at 800-55-ENVOY. If you
prefer audiocassettes, Pat and I have also recorded a
discussion of my journey from schismatic traditionalism
back to authentic Catholic traditionalism.
Thus my conversion story is no big secret; The
Wanderer's readership can easily access it. Nevertheless,
as enjoyable a read as friends and critics alike seem to find it,
my conversion story has little to do with my professional
qualifications as a canonist.
Now returning to the main topic, not a few of Fr.
Gruner's defenders accuse McElhinney and myself of
neo-Catholicism. This is despite the fact McElhinney
and I are former adherents to the SSPX schism who now strongly
support the Ecclesia Dei indult. Thus we are both well
acquainted with Catholic traditionalism. Yet our critics
charge us with neo-Catholicism because we submit to the Holy
See's decision concerning Fr. Gruner. Certain lidless-eyes
among our accusers obviously find obedience to the Church's
legitimate hierarchical authority upsetting, but it is by
no means novel.
Nor is our position unique to that held by orthodox
and traditional Catholics during the past 30 years. In
fact, I am reminded of an article that appeared in the
January 19, 1967, issue of The Wanderer. This
piece concerned the case of Fr. Gommar De Pauw, who had founded
the American Catholic Traditionalist Movement back in the
mid-1960s. Fr. De Pauw's situation at the time bore
many parallels to Fr. Gruner's current situation. Both
situations concern a priest with traditional leanings who
attempts to incardinate in a foreign diocese reportedly in
order to continue his private apostolate. In neither
case was the attempt sustained under canon law as decided upon
by the competent Roman dicastery.
In addressing this situation concerning Fr. De Pauw,
in the above-cited issue of The Wanderer, Walter Matt,
considered by many to be one of the founding fathers of the
traditionalist movement, writes:
We strongly suggest, therefore, that those of us
who choose to call themselves conservative, orthodox, or
traditionalist Catholics, should be the very last ones indeed
ever to defy the rightful moral authority and juridical
institutions of the teaching Magisterium of Holy Mother
Church. Our responsibility, particularly in the storm-tossed,
revolution-swept world of today, is infinitely greater than
that. Loyalty to Christ and to His Vicar here on earth
demands something more of us than grudging lip service. It
demands of us, as it did of Him, perfect obedience, humility,
and loyalty — and, of course, the atoning spirit of forgiveness
and sacrifice for the sins of men, even for those who again
today would stoop to betray Him and send Him to the cross.
Although penned by Walter Matt in The Wanderer
over 35 years ago, these words apply equally today to how
conservative, orthodox, and traditionalist Catholics ought to
approach Fr. Gruner's suspension. Christ has instituted
His Church as a hierarchy. When all appeals are turned
down, the decisions of our lawful ecclesiastical superiors
are those to which we must submit. And in spite of the
fact our position now finds itself denounced by some as
neo-Catholic, our position is no different than that
beautifully summarized by Walter Matt in the
aforementioned Wanderer editorial as "conservative,
orthodox, and traditionalist."
Pete Vere, JCL
August 7, 2003
