Going to start posting Mark Mallett's Now Word here. This is the latest: The Hope of Purgatory The Now Word
A Great Schism? Posted on July 3, 2026 by Mark On July 2, 2026, the Apostolic See issued ipso facto a latae sententiae excommunication of four priests “ordained” to the episcopate within and by the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), as well as the bishop who acted as co-consecator in the liturgical celebration.Zenit, July 2, 2026 This has caused new divisions, if not the birth of a new schism in the Church… A Brief History The SSPX was founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre with the intention of training young men to offer the Old MassCharitas (April 13, 1791), n. 10 Pius VI’s declaration was further affirmation of the Apostolic Constitution Super Solidate: He who would wish to take from the Roman Pontiff the sovereign authority which he has to make these assignments [of bishops] would find himself under the necessity of impugning the legitimacy of succession of the multitude of bishops who, all over the world, govern individual churches, and for the government of which these prelates have received their mission from the Sovereign Pontiff. Therefore, it is impossible, without causing very great disturbance in the Church, and without exposing episcopal authority itself to imminent danger, it is impossible to attack this great and marvelous assemblage of power which God has deigned to grant to the Chair of Peter; power in virtue of which, as St. Leo the Great says, “Peter personally governs all those whom Jesus Christ governs principally: in such wise that if Jesus Christ has willed that there should be something in common between Peter and the other Princes of the Church, it is only through (and by) Peter that He has given what He has not refused to the others” (Serm. IV, in anniv. suae assumpt.). —cf. English translation here Nor was Pius VI the only pope to address the authority of the Pontiff on the election of bishops: The writings of the ancients testify that the election of Patriarchs had never been considered definite and valid without the agreement and confirmation of the Roman Pontiff. … Everyone knows that the eternal and at times the temporal happiness of people depends on the proper election of bishops; the circumstances of time and place must be considered, referring all the authority for selecting the bishops to the Apostolic See… no man has the power to renounce a divine right [e.g. Marcel Lefebvre] which he might at some time be compelled to exercise by the will of God Himself. —PIUS IX, Quartus Supra (1873) His successor would add: From what We have said, it follows that no authority whatsoever, save that which is proper to the Supreme Pastor, can render void the canonical appointment granted to any bishop; that no person or group, whether of priests or of laymen, can claim the right of nominating bishops; that no one can lawfully confer episcopal consecration unless he has received the mandate of the Apostolic See. Consequently, if consecration of this kind is being done contrary to all right and law, and by this crime the unity of the Church is being seriously attacked, an excommunication reserved specialissimo modo to the Apostolic See has been established which is automatically incurred by the consecrator and by anyone who has received consecration irresponsibly conferred. —POPE PIUX XII, Ad Apostoloroum principis, n. 47-48 The Council of Trent was more blunt: …those who, of their own rashness, assume them to themselves [the ordination of bishops] are not ministers of the church, but are to be looked upon as thieves and robbers, who have not entered by the door —Session 23, Ch. 4 The Basis for Rebellion Not unlike Martin Luther, the SSPX believes itself to be the bastion of the Catholic faith, that they alone are the true Church. In the words of Abp. Lefebvre himself: It is not we who are in schism but the Conciliar Church… we are talking about a counterfeit version of the Church, and not the Catholic Church… It is no longer the Catholic Church. We are suspended a divinis by the conciliar church, of which we do not want to be a part. This conciliar church is schismatic, because it breaks with the Catholic Church of all time. It has its new dogmas, its new priesthood, its new institutions, its new liturgy, already condemned by the Church in many official and definitive documents… Rome has lost the Faith, my dear friends. Rome is in apostasy. These are not words in the air. It is the truth. Rome is in apostasy. They have left the Church. This is sure, sure, sure. It is a schismatic council. The Church, which affirms such errors, is both schismatic and heretical. This Conciliar Church is therefore not Catholic. To whatever extent the Pope, bishops, priests, or faithful adhere to this new Church, they separate themselves from the Catholic Church. The Novus Ordo Mass is a bastard rite. The Novus Ordo sacraments are bastard sacraments. The Novus Ordo priests emerging from the Novus Ordo seminaries are bastard priests. It is a Church that I do not recognize. I belong to the Catholic Church…It is, therefore, a strict duty for every priest wanting to remain Catholic to separate himself from this Conciliar Church for as long as it does not rediscover the Tradition of the Church and of the Catholic Faith. —Spiritual Conference, given in Econe, 21 June 1978, published in Sel de Terre, #50, p. 244 His position is absolute: the Church post-Vatican II is no longer Catholic. With one swipe, he declares the entire Church in communion with the Pope — her eastern and western churches alike — to be apostates. The idea, however, that the Church at some point in the future would be preserved in her entirety by a single random bishop should strike even the casual observer as vain, let alone a contradiction of Matthew 16:18. For in one stroke, Lefebvre has cast aside the Church’s teaching on Her indefectibility and visibility, clearly taught prior to Vatican II: And, so that the Episcopate also might be one and undivided, and so that, by means of a closely united priesthood, the multitude of the faithful might be kept secure in the oneness of faith and communion, He set Blessed Peter over the rest of the Apostles. And He fixed in him the abiding principle of this two-fold unity with its visible foundation, by the strength of which the eternal Temple would be built up, and the Church, in the firmness of that faith, would rise up, bringing her sublimity to Heaven. —Pastor Aeternus, Dogmatic Constitution of Pius IX (1846-1878) Pope Leo XIII would also affirm these hallmarks of the Church, citing several Church Fathers: St. John Chrysostom concurs: “I say and protest (he writes) that it is as wrong to divide the Church as to fall into heresy” (Hom. xi., in Epist. ad Ephes., n. 5). Wherefore as no heresy can ever be justifiable, so in like manner there can be no justification for schism. “There is nothing more grievous than the sacrilege of schism….there can be no just necessity for destroying the unity of the Church” (S. Augustinus, Contra Epistolam Parmeniani, lib. ii., cap. ii., n. 25). Certainly Christ is a King for ever; and though invisible, He continues unto the end of time to govern and guard His church from Heaven. But since He willed that His kingdom should be visible… “For the same reason, therefore, because He was about to withdraw His visible presence from the Church, it was necessary that He should appoint someone in His place, to have the charge of the Universal Church. Hence before His Ascension He said to Peter: ‘Feed my sheep’.” (St. Thomas, Contra Gentiles, lib. iv., cap. 76). —Satis Cognitum, n. 10-11 The visibility of the Church is found, thus, not in the claimed orthodoxy of this or that group (the Donatists, Novations, Protestants, and Sedevacantists have all claimed to be the true Church), but particularly in the Vicar of Christ himself,[6] and those in communion with him. Jesus declared Peter to be the rock and foundation of the Church (Matt 16:18). “From this text,” says Leo XIII, “it is clear that by the will and command of God the Church rests upon St. Peter, just as a building rests on its foundation.”[7] ...
... But Lefebvre says the Church now rests on the SSPX. We [the SSPX] truly represent the Catholic Church as it was before, because we continue what it has always done. It is we who have the notes of the visible Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. That is what makes the visible Church. —La Visibilite de L’eglise, Marcel Lefebvre This statement is only formal evidence that Lefebvre had lost faith in Christ and His Church, built upon the rock of Peter. It must be the necessary condition of stability and strength. Remove it and the whole building falls… The words — and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it — proclaim and establish the authority of which we speak…. “What is the it?” (writes Origen)… [It’s] as if the rock and the Church were one and the same. I indeed think that this is so, and that neither against the rock upon which Christ builds His Church nor against the Church shall the gates of Hell prevail” (Origenes, Comment. in Matt., tom. xii., n. ii). The meaning of this divine utterance is, that, notwithstanding the wiles and intrigues which they bring to bear against the Church, it can never be that the Church committed to the care of Peter shall succumb or in any wise fail. —POPE LEO XIII, Satis Cognitum, n. 12 Prophetic Warnings A number of Catholic seers around the world have spoken of a coming schism and division in the Church. To the American seer, Jennifer, whose messages were given to Pope John Paul II and subsequently encouraged to be promoted, Our Lord gave this warning, with accompanying signs: You will suffer great financial difficulties. You will see division in My Church. You will see a great famine and storm after storm. —June 12, 2003; cf. wordsfromjesus.com You have begun to see the division in My Church for too many of My chosen sons have fallen to the ways of the world. For, as I have told you, priest will be against priest and nun against nun. —December 25, 2003 This echoes the warning given by Our Lady at Akita, Japan. The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. —to the late Sr. Agnes Sasagawa of Akita, Japan, October 13th, 1973 In northern Italy, Our Lady allegedly appeared to stigmatist Marco Ferrari with this message: My children, as I said in Fatima, there will be a great division and schism in the Church: pray children, pray! Satan is unchained and is tormenting the whole world. —January 1, 2016 Also in Italy, Our Lady of Zaro allegedly said to Angela on March 26, 2020 (the day after Countdown to the Kingdom was launched): Pray that the authentic Magisterium of the Church would not be lost. My beloved Church will go through the great tribulation and the great purification; there will be a schism within Her. —cf. countdowntothekingdom.com Pray for the Holy Father: pray, children. The Church will have to face bad times — there will be a great schism. —June 8, 2022 The arguments against the post-Vatican II Church, elucidated by Abp. Lefebvre, are the same ones promoted today by self-described “traditionalist” podcasters and media outlets, with equal disillusionment with recent popes. Their arguments are essentially along the lines: Since Vatican II, modernism has swept through vast portions of the Church Vatican II documents contain error The liturgical reforms have ruined the Mass, and we must return to the Old Rite The Pope is following a globalist agenda The Pope is causing scandal by ill appointments and confusing documents and statements Ecumenism is preparing for a false religion, etc. To be certain, the points they make contain some merit; their grievances are often valid; their frustration understandable. I, too, am saddened by the present state of our Church and what seems to be a double standard: faithful or “conservative” Catholics are often censured while heterodox or “liberal” Catholics are rarely chastised. At the same time, many of these voices go too far. They often disregard magisterial teaching in favor of their own reasoning; they dangerously flirt with schism, fomenting division by hyperanalyzing every single flaw and foible of the hierarchy; and they seem to have an allergy to nuance, preferring everything in black and white. But even some of Jesus’ sayings were not crystal clear. While I will tackle some of these issues such as Vatican II and the liturgy in future writings, it is enough to say as a sort of preamble: Ambiguity is not heresy; deficiencies in the new liturgy do not invalidate it; papal flaws and pastoral blunders do not annul legitimate authority; lazy or inept clergy do not disqualify them; and Vatican II, a legitimate ecumenical council by every canonical standard, was led by the Holy Spirit like every other council in the Church’s 2000-year history, even if its application thereafter was seized upon by revolutionaries and heretics. When in doubt, every magisterial teaching must be interpreted through a hermeneutic of continuity with the past, not a hermeneutic of suspicion and malevolence. Otherwise, we risk becoming the very instruments of division we seek to avoid. In repeated admonitions from Our Lady to Brazilian seer, Pedro Regis, she has said: Accept the teachings of the true Magisterium of the Church of My Jesus. You are heading for a future of great confusion and division. Those who do not remain faithful to the Church of My Jesus will be dragged into the abyss of false doctrines. Be attentive in order not to be deceived. —January 5, 2021 It’s easy to see how SSPX members, for instance, could say that they are doing that very thing, and that by remaining in the “conciliar church”, one will be “dragged into the abyss of false doctrines.” But as we’ve seen above, the “true Magesterium of the Church” has spoken clearly on what is, and where the Catholic Church resides — there, with Peter. Where Peter is, there is the Church! —St. Ambrose of Milan Simple case in point: for all of Pope Francis’ sometimes shocking statements and appointments, Sacred Tradition remains fully intact, even if it has been bruised, misconstrued, or misrepresented,The Papacy is Not One Pope. The Emerging Schism So now, we see emerging a threefold division in the Church: 1) the SSPX “traditionalist” sect, who claims to be the “true Church”; 2) Catholics fully faithful to Catholic Tradition, but who remain in communion with Peter’s successor; 3) those Catholics who, seizing the ambiguity of some post-conciliar concepts and Francis’s pontificate, are creating a false church that departs from Tradition.The Catholic Thing, October 8, 2019 If ever there was a moment to break from the Church, it was when Peter denied Christ, Judas betrayed Him, and the other apostles scattered into hiding. But the nascent Church ultimately didn’t abandon the bleeding Body of Christ (figuratively and literally). Rather, they corrected and exhorted each other to faithfulness, including the first pope,[10] as they strove to be “of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing.” [11] Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church — not that it would be free from weak men, mistakes, and cowardice, from unwise pastoral directives, laziness, or ineptitude. Still, Jesus established an order, a hierarchy,[12] that He expected to be obeyed, despite these frailities among both the shepherds and laity. Without this obedience in a spirit of humility and charity, the gates of hell will, in fact, do significant damage, as much as modernity and heresy have already done. As I’ve said in the past, the only sound you’ll hear if you abandon the Barque of Peter is “splash!”
Mark's speaks of a 3-fold division in the Church which I agree with. 1) the SSPX “traditionalist” sect, who claims to be the “true Church” 2) Catholics fully faithful to Catholic Tradition, but who remain in communion with Peter’s successor 3) those Catholics who, seizing the ambiguity of some post-conciliar concepts and Francis’s pontificate, are creating a false church that departs from Tradition. Those in 2 are increasingly a minority & will be persecuted by those in 3. But where does synodality fit in? I would love Mark's insight into that.
I have asked him to reply to that question and I'll post it here if he does, but it may take time if he's receiving many emails.
"A few people have asked this question, so here's my answer. A "synodal church" is not de facto a false church. The early Church was a synodal Church. Read the Acts of the Apostles or Galatians, and the number of times that the apostles gathered to listen to one another, settle questions, to seek right direction, etc. So, synodality fits in 2) Catholics fully faithful to Catholic Tradition, but who remain in communion with Peter’s successor. I could have written that with the added phrase: "....in communion with Peter's successor, despite the flaws of the man himself or the hierarchy." So, as I said in my article, Christ's promise of divine protection against the Church was not a promise against weakness, mistakes, errors etc. amongst its members. The Arian crisis is one example; the pachamama scandal another. But we are called, still, to maintain unity within the Church while exhorting and fraternally correcting these things. I hope that helps! " Mark Mallett
A Black Pope? Posted on July 8, 2026 by Mark Were I the devil, at this moment in the Church and the world, I would do my best to discredit the priesthood, undermine the Holy Father’s authority, sow doubt in the Magisterium, and attempt to convince the faithful that they can only rely now upon their own inner instincts and private revelation. That, simply, is a recipe for deception. First published October 6th, 2008… There is a matter which I believe is unsettling many souls. I pray, with Christ’s help, that you will find not only peace, but a renewed confidence through this meditation. A BLACK POPE There is talk, not only in evangelical circles, but also among some Catholics that there may appear a “black pope” here. WHAT DID JESUS SAY? There are words spoken to Simon Peter that have not been uttered to any other human being on earth: I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matt 16:18-19) Examine these words carefully. Jesus gave Simon the name “Peter” which means “rock.” In His teaching, Jesus said, Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. (Matt 7:24-25) Who could be wiser than Christ? Has He built His house—His Church—upon sand or upon rock? If you say “sand”, then you have made Christ a liar. If you say rock, then you must also say “Peter,” for that is who the rock is. I follow no leader but Christ and join in communion with none but your blessedness [Pope Damasus I], that is, with the chair of Peter. I know that this is the rock on which the Church has been built. —St. Jerome, A.D. 396 , Letters 15:2 The New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old. Jesus gave His authority—the keys of the kingdom—to Peter, just as King David gave his authority, his key, to the high steward of his royal court, Eliakim: [2] I will place the key of the House of David on his shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open. (Is 22:22) Just as Jesus is the everlasting fulfillment of David’s kingdom, so too, Peter takes the role of Eliakim as the overseer of the “royal court.” For the Apostles have been appointed judges by the Lord: Amen, I say to you, that you who have followed me, in the new age when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Matt 19:28) Add to this authority the immutable promise Jesus made to the Apostles: When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. (John 16:13) Here is the point: the gates of hell will not prevail over the truth which has been safeguarded through the Apostle’s Christ-given authority. But what about Peter personally? Can the gates of hell prevail over him? ...
... THE FOUNDATION Jesus said to Peter: I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers. (Luke 22:32) This is a powerful statement. For it says at once that Peter will not be immune to sin, and yet the Lord has prayed that his faith may not fail. In this way, he may “strengthen your brothers.” Later, Jesus asks Peter alone to “feed my sheep.” Taking all these Gospel passages together, the Church has understood that the rock of Peter is under Christ’s special protection: The words — and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it — proclaim and establish the authority of which we speak…. “What is the it?” (writes Origen)… [It’s] as if the rock and the Church were one and the same. I indeed think that this is so, and that neither against the rock upon which Christ builds His Church nor against the Church shall the gates of Hell prevail” (Origenes, Comment. in Matt., tom. xii., n. ii). The meaning of this divine utterance is, that, notwithstanding the wiles and intrigues which they bring to bear against the Church, it can never be that the Church committed to the care of Peter shall succumb or in any wise fail. —POPE LEO XIII, Satis Cognitum, n. 12 Therefore, any private revelation that undermines this fundamental doctrine of the Church can be readily discarded. Christian faith cannot accept “revelations” that claim to surpass or correct the Revelation of which Christ is the fulfillment, as is the case in certain non-Christian religions and also in certain recent sects which base themselves on such “revelations”. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 67 Nonetheless, the Church has had some very sinful popes in the past. Yet, not one of them in the past two millennia has ever definitively taught a dogma contrary to the doctrine of the Faith handed down from the Apostles throughout the centuries. This in itself is a miracle and a testament to the truth in Christ’s words. That does not mean, however, that they have not made mistakes. Peter himself was chastised by Paul for not being “in line with the truth of the gospel” [3] by acting hypocritically toward the Gentiles. Other popes have abused political or Church power in the mishandling of indulgences, temporal power, matters of science, the Crusades, etc. But here we are not speaking of a break in the deposit of faith, but errors in personal or internal judgment regarding Church discipline or temporal matters. I recall reading shortly after John Paul II’s death how he had regretted not being more firm with dissidents. Pope Benedict XVI’s pontificate has also suffered blows because of several public relations miscues not entirely his fault, if at all. The popes, simply put, are not personally infallible. The Pontiff is only human and needs the Savior like everyone else. He may cower. He may even fall into personal sin, and in his weakness shy away from his great responsibilities, remain silent when he should speak, or neglect certain crises while focusing too much on others. But on matters of faith and morals, he is guided by the Holy Spirit whenever he definitively pronounces dogma.[4] For with the same realism with which we declare today the sins of the popes and their disproportion to the magnitude of their commission, we must also acknowledge that Peter has repeatedly stood as the rock against ideologies, against the dissolution of the word into the plausibilities of a given time, against subjection to the powers of this world. When we see this in the facts of history, we are not celebrating men but praising the Lord, who does not abandon the Church and who desired to manifest that he is the rock through Peter, the little stumbling stone: “flesh and blood” do not save, but the Lord saves through those who are flesh and blood. To deny this truth is not a plus of faith, not a plus of humility, but is to shrink from the humility that recognizes God as he is. Therefore the Petrine promise and its historical embodiment in Rome remain at the deepest level an ever-renewed motive for joy; the powers of hell will not prevail against it… —Cardinal Ratzinger (POPE BENEDICT XVI), Called to Communion, Understanding the Church Today, Ignatius Press, p. 73-74 Yes, the joy of knowing that Christ will not abandon us, even in the darkest hours of the Church. Indeed, no pope has failed to carry the true faith forward,[5] despite himself, precisely because he is guided by Christ, by His promises, by His Holy Spirit, and by the charism of infallibility. [6] Jesus was infallible in His teaching, which we call “divine Revelation,” and imparts this infallibility to the Apostles. Whoever listens to you listens to me. (Luke 10:16) Without this charism, how could the faith possibly be imparted accurately to future generations through the hands of weak men? This infallibility extends as far as does the deposit of divine Revelation; it also extends to all those elements of doctrine, including morals, without which the saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, explained, or observed. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2035 And of course, these saving truths are passed on through the Apostle’s successors in communion with the Pope. [7] “In order that the full and living Gospel might always be preserved in the Church, the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them their own position of teaching authority.” Indeed, “the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time.” —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 77 (italics mine) That is to say that, along with Mary, the Church is the ark in this present and coming Storm (see The Great Ark): [The Church] is that bark which “in the full sail of the Lord’s cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world.” According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah’s ark, which alone saves from the flood. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 845 It is the Holy Father who, guided by Jesus who appointed him, pilots this Ark…
DANGEROUS DECEPTION So the idea of a “black pope”—at least one legitimately elected—is a dangerous notion that could undermine believer’s trust in the chief shepherd appointed by Christ, particularly in these dark times where false prophets are increasing exponentially. It has no biblical foundation and contradicts Church Tradition. But what is possible? Once again, the La Salette seer allegedly said in a controversial longer version of the original message: Rome will lose the faith and become the seat of the Antichrist. What exactly does this mean? Because of the utmost gravity of this prophecy we must take care not to jump to wild conclusions. With prophetic messages, there is always needed a prudent dimension of interpretation. Does “Rome will lose the faith” mean that the Catholic Church will lose the faith? Jesus tells us that this will not happen, that the gates of hell will not prevail against her. Could it mean, rather, that in times to come the city of Rome will have become so absolutely pagan in belief and practice that it becomes the seat of Antichrist? Again, very possible, particularly if the Holy Father is forced to flee the Vatican. Another interpretation suggests that internal apostasy among clerics and laity could so weaken the exercise of the Petrine charism such that even many Catholics will become vulnerable to the deceiving power of the Antichrist. In fact, shortly before His election to the chair of Peter, Pope Benedict seemed to describe the modern Church in such a state. He depicted it as… …a boat about to sink, a boat taking in water on every side. —Cardinal Ratzinger, March 24, 2005, Good Friday meditation on the Third Fall of Christ But this vulnerable and weakened state does not mean that the Holy Father will lose the Catholic faith and begin to promulgate another. Where Peter is, there the Church is. —Ambrose of Milan, A.D. 389 ...
In a prophetic dream of St. John Bosco, LifeSiteNews, May 12th, 2010 The powers and principalities that serve the devil would very much like mankind to think that an anti-pope is the true Pope and that an anti-pope’s error-filled teachings are the true Catholic teachings. Moreover, the enemy would very much like for people to no longer hear, read, and follow the voice of Peter because of doubt, fear, or skepticism. This is why again and again, brothers and sisters, I repeat that you must be filling your lamp Zenit.org THE POPE AND THE APOSTASY St. Paul warns that there will be a great rebellion or apostasy before the appearance of… …the man of lawlessness… the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thess 2:3-4) Blessed Anne Catherine seemed to have a vision of such a time: I saw enlightened Protestants, plans formed for the blending of religious creeds, the suppression of papal authority… I saw no Pope, but a bishop prostrate before the High Altar. In this vision I saw the church bombarded by other vessels… It was threatened on all sides… They built a large, extravagant church which was to embrace all creeds with equal rights… but in place of an altar were only abomination and desolation. Such was the new church to be… —Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824 A.D.), The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich, April 12th, 1820 The possibility of there being an apostasy of many clergy in Rome, of the Holy Father being driven from the Vatican, and of an antichrist figure assuming his place and banishing the “perpetual sacrifice” of the Mass [14] are all within the realm of Scripture. But the Holy Father will remain a “rock” in terms of his service to that immutable truth that “sets us free.” It is Christ’s word. Trust the Pope’s teaching,[15] not for who he is, but for Who appointed him: Jesus, who gave him His own authority to bind and loose, to judge and forgive, to feed and strengthen, and guide into truth His little flock… Jesus, who called him “Peter, the rock.” It is He who founded His Church and built it on rock, on the faith of the Apostle Peter. In the words of St. Augustine, “It is Jesus Christ our Lord who himself builds His temple. Many indeed labour to build, yet unless the Lord intervenes to build, in vain do the builders labour.” —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Vespers Homily, September 12th, 2008, Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Paris, France Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Inaugural Homily, April 24, 2005, St. Peter’s Square
