Fruits of Vatican II

Jesus told us that a tree is known by its fruits. Fifteen fruits of Vatican II exist in 30 page paper on the website VATICANIIDEBATE.COM.

     ***   FROM PAGES 21 TO 23 OF 30PAGEPAPER   ***   OCTOBER 2011

BY THEIR FRUITS

    Jesus tells us in scripture that the tree will be known as good or evil by its fruits. St. Thomas Aquinas says in philosophical language that we know the cause by the effects, applying this as a universal principle, stemming from common sense.
    Much has been written since Vatican II indicating the decay of the Church. Books such as James Hitchcock's "The Decline and Fall of Radical Catholicism", Dietrich von Hildebrand's "The Devastated Vineyard", Malachi Martin's writings with his description of the Church as in shambles.
    On the other hand vastly more has been written praising Vatican II and denying this decay. We have stated above that only true and solid or reliable measuring sticks have any business in these measurements. After all, to virtually all Protestants, Martin Luther is a hero. (their measure of Martin Luther is of course the greatly false Protestant accounts which they read and hear). Only the sure guide of the Holy Spirit can be a measure of whether this tree, namely Vatican II is good or evil. By those sure principles and teachings given by the Holy Spirit before Vatican II, we most certainly say this tree produced fruit bringing disorder and decay. Let us state a few of these fruits or effects:

1. One of the fruits of Vatican II is less obvious as to its existence, and much less obvious to its great negative effect. This fruit is the removal of the language used traditionally.
    a.) First of all the removal of Latin greatly hinders the unity of the Church as to its teachings and understanding of documents. Even if all within the Church were saints, the number of translations would force some errors and differences of translation. Since it is clear that the Church has not a few unscrupulous translations and enemies, visible and invisible, the vast number of translations significantly weaken the Church and its unity.
    b.) The language of the Church as to the words, and definitions of these words, has a long tradition. Consistency in use of words and definitions made reading of Catholic writings and books relatively easy, after one learned the words and definitions, and increased reading re-enforced and increased their understanding. It also deepened the faith of the reader and his or her trust in the Church. This language is no longer used. After Vatican II many libraries were cleared out of books of the solid traditional writings; lives of the Saints, spiritual works, and  books on theology. A great many were thrown into the trash and the new books with a new language filled the shelves of many a library.
      Back in about 1975, Br. Michael, my immediate superior, would travel to a local place where these excellent traditional books had been thrown out and were free for the taking,and so we had excellent books for our library. Later after I had departed this excellent religious community, I am ashamed to admit, but the struggle then was anguishing and needed a solution, I was given the Benziger edition (in full) of the Summa Theologica, almost brand-new, by  a man who hated to see excellent Catholic books trashed and so had a bunch of books in his truck. He also had excellent catholic books like THE COMPLETE WORKS OF ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS.

2. With Vatican II, not a few of the guards against evil were removed as the Legion of Decency, and taking the Oath Against Modernism.

3. Immediately after Vatican II, an estimated 10,000 religious returned to the world and schools long run by the good nuns were either closed or became much less solid in discipline, in Catholic teaching, and in ability to produce children with a firm Catholic training.

4. Many so-called Catholic colleges and universities now are questionably Catholic in many ways.

5. Breakdown of Discipline or Simply Failure to Apply It  :  Created in the image and likeness of God, man has two primary powers of the soul, intellect and will. The intellect needs truth,sound principles, etc. The development of good habits (virtues) especially at an early age, cannot be overstated as to the great value. The dedicated nuns and brothers of former times instilled these habits through firm discipline. But the wise man knows how great is the value once these habits are achieved.
    Today the Church and world fails terribly in both sound teaching and sound principles and in applying discipline. At the rate we are going America will soon fail to have room to jail all those who did not learn interior good habits when young. Discipline (punishment) applied to evil will always be necessary upon earth, but without early discipline of the young and enough people given to self-discipline, our nation and the world will soon be unable to police all the criminals and vandals. Vatican II has contributed greatly to all this.

6. Our seminaries likewise have suffered greatly from Vatican II. The Church when showing vigor and order, manly virtues, with the militant spirit needed for self-discipline, prayer, and seeking higher perfection, naturally draws more vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Statistics show that traditional communities and traditional priestly orders draw plenty of vocations.
    Though priestly scandals seem to have considerably lessened, it seems clear that the vast majority of our seminaries remain greatly in need of a return to traditional discipline, and in formation of priests regarding the course of studies.

7. Looking back, we find that Pope Paul VI was grieved and distressed enough over the difficulties after the Council to have stated : "The smoke of Satan has entered the Church".

8. Many times the phrase CRISIS OF FAITH has been used to describe the state of the Church after Vatican II.

9. The Latin Mass Magazine, Chronicle of a Catholic Reform. in 1995 featured an effect of the updating of the Church after Vatican II with the article "Repentant psychologist : How I wrecked the I.H.M. nuns".
    In this interview with Dr. William Marra, Dr. William Coulson relates working with American psychologist Carl Rogers and relates the devastating effects of their humanistic psychology (to some degree this has entered almost every corner of the Church and especially  many U.S. seminaries) upon their order of nuns in California, the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In 1966 and 1967 the order invited them in with their psychological program TFN, Therapy for Normals. And Dr. Coulson regrets to say : "The IHMs had 60 schools when we started, at the end they had one. There were 560 nuns when we began. Within a year after our interventions, 300 were petitioning Rome to get out of their vows". And he relates that of the 560 nuns, at the end or now, there are about two dozen.
    This was permitted by the Spirit of Vatican II and done or permitted in the name of updating of religious communities directed by Vatican II.
    Dr. Coulson says they performed their Humanistic Psychology program upon two dozen other orders also, including the Jesuits (of which we heard much about in the years after the Council, and now we know part or much of the reason why). COMMENT   Perhaps this Humanistic Psychology has had significant effect upon so many nuns not wearing their habits after Vatican II.

10. The Oct. 15, 1995 Remnant has a column : From the Diary of Father X, "true stories, written by a Catholic priest, in good standing, in a certain American diocese". Father X wrote in a column about the situation in Rome after Vatican II and refers to Father Pietro the pastor of San Giuseppe Parish: "Every weekend I helped him with Masses and confessions. A saintly man, he loved the priesthood and the Church. We had many conversations about the dreadful deterioration that has occurred since the Second Vatican Council."

11. The Latin Mass Magazine in its 1995 promotional edition, refers to the book THE DEVASTATED VINEYARD, written by  deceased author Dietrich von Hildebrand: "A friend of Pope Pius XII, recipient of an award from Pope Paul VI, this eminent author grew alarmed soon after the Second Vatican Council. The 'renewal' he saw, was largely bogus. A few years later he wrote this devastating critique and explanation why."

12. Since Vatican II, the Catholic Church has abandoned the practice, which was begun at the very beginning of the Church, of abstinence from meat on Fridays, out of reverence for Jesus, crucified on Friday.

13. Fasting has greatly lessened or virtually disappeared we might say. The value of fasting as means of penance, of self-discipline, and spiritual growth has been all but removed from the thinking of the Church.

14. The present defects and problems of irreverence, immodest and improper dress and failure to apply St. Paul's teaching on women and girls at public worship, we have indicated elsewhere (pages 8-10 of 30pagepaper).

15. Music now has many defects, stemming mainly from its usual goal of giving consolation and appealing to the emotions. Good Catholic music needs first of all sound theology and spirituality to put proper and true thoughts into the mind, it needs proper spirit to stir the will to devotion, worship, and proper Catholic action, etc. The Church has spoken on this (as on everything else) before Vatican II including at least one encyclical  that I am aware of. The organ produces sounds solemn enough to foster devotion, yet is appealing to the spirit on the natural level.

OTHER FRUITS

    To my mind the two most visible negative fruits of Vatican II, everywhere now seen are a) altar girls and women about the altar for readings and at Holy Communion, and b) all the abuses and irreverence and sacrileges connected and occurring with the practice of Communion in the Hand. (pages 8-10 of 30pagepaper goes into some detail on these evil fruits).

ONE FINAL FRUIT

   The title by itself tells all, but see, if not already done so : How Vatican II Destroyed the Jesuits - a Remnant article.