New Rules for Praying with Baal and His Friends

by Thomas A. Droleskey

“‘Nevertheless send now, and gather unto me all Israel, unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, who eat at Jezebel’s table.’

“Achab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered together the prophets unto Mount Carmel.

“And Elias coming to all the people, said: ‘How long do you halt between two sides? If the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, follow him.’ And the people did not answer him a word.

“And Elias said again to the people: ‘I only remain a prophet of the Lord: but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men. Let two bullocks be given us, and let them choose one bullock and cut it in pieces and lay it upon wood, but put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under it. Call ye the names of your gods, and I will call on the name of my Lord; and the God that shall answer by fire, let him be God.’ And all of the people answering said: ‘A very good proposal.’

“Then Elias said to the prophets of Baal: ‘Choose you one bullock and dress it first, because you are many; and call on the names of your gods, but put no fire under.’

“And they took the bullock which he gave them, and dressed it; and they called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying: ‘O Baal, hear us.’ But there was no voice, nor any that answered: and they leaped over the altar that they had made.

“And when it was now noon, Elias jested at them, saying: ‘Cry with a louder voice: for he is a God, and perhaps he is talking, or he is in an inn, or on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep, and must be awaked.’

“So they cried with a loud voice, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till they were covered with blood. And after midday was past, and while they were prophesying, the time was come of offering sacrifice, and there was no voice heard, nor did any one answer, nor regard them as they prayed: Elias said to the people: ‘Come ye unto me.’ And the people coming near unto him, he repaired the altar of the Lord, that was broken down:

“And he took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying: ‘Israel shall be thy name.’ And he built with the stones an altar to the name of the Lord: and he made a trench for water, of the breadth of two furrows round about the altar. And he laid the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it upon the wood.

“And he said: “Fill four buckets with water, and pour it upon the burnt offering, and upon the wood.’ And again he said: ‘Do the same the second time.’ And when they had done it the second time, he said: ‘Do the same also the third time.’ And they did so the third time. And the water run about the altar, and the trench was filled with water.

“And when it was now time to offer the holocaust, Elias the prophet came near and said: ‘O Lord God of Abraham and Isaac, and Israel, show this day that thou art the God of Israel, and I thy servant, and that according to they commandment I have done all these things. Hear me, O Lord, hear me: that this people may learn, that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart again.’

“Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the holocaust, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw this, they fell on their faces, and they said: ‘The Lord he is God, the Lord he is God.’ And Elias said to them: ‘Take the prophets of Baal, and let not one of them escape.’ And when they had taken them, Elias brought them down to the torrent Cison, and killed them there” (3 Kings 18:19-40)

No, this is not a reprise of Making More Room for Baal and His Friends. This is a reiteration of Making More Room for Baal and His Friends that has become necessary in light of the following report carried on Zenit on Sunday, September 3, 2006:

VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 4, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI confirmed the importance of interreligious prayer meetings for peace and emphasized that, to be coherent, they must respect the various religious traditions while avoiding syncretism.

The Holy Father explained this in a lengthy message sent to Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi-Nocera, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Interreligious Prayer Meeting for Peace, which Pope John Paul II convoked in the city made famous by St. Francis.

To commemorate that event, the Rome-based Community of Sant'Egidio, in cooperation with the Diocese of Assisi, organized a two-day meeting of leaders of various religions, whose theme is "For a World of Peace -- Religions and Cultures in Dialogue." The meeting ends Tuesday.

In his message, Benedict XVI recalled that, with the Assisi meeting John Paul II "underlined the value of prayer in the building of peace."

Of importance to build peace, the papal message acknowledges, are "ways of a cultural, political and economic character. However, in the first place, peace must be built in hearts."

"Here is where the sentiments are developed that can encourage it or, on the contrary, threaten, weaken and suffocate it," Benedict XVI wrote. "Man's heart, in fact, is the place where God acts.

"Therefore, together with the 'horizontal' dimension of relationships with other men, of fundamental importance in this matter is the 'vertical' dimension of each one's relationship with God, in whom everything finds its foundation."

Pilgrimage

That is why, he recalled, John Paul II "appealed for an authentic prayer, which would involve the whole of existence. For this reason, he wanted it to be supported by fasting and expressed through pilgrimage, symbol of the journey to the encounter with God."

Such a prayer, "entails on our part conversion of heart," clarified Benedict XVI. "In this way, the worshippers of the different religions were able to show, with the language of testimony, that prayer does not divide but unites, and constitutes a determinant element for an effective pedagogy of peace, based on friendship, mutual acceptance [and] dialogue between men of different cultures and religions."

This lesson, Benedict XVI stated, is essential today, when "many young people, in areas of the world characterized by conflicts, are educated in sentiments of hatred and vengeance, in ideological contexts in which the seeds of old resentments are cultivated and spirits prepare for future violence."

However, so as not to betray the spirit of John Paul II's prayer convocation in Assisi for peace, it is necessary to recall the importance he gave to avoiding "syncretistic interpretations, founded on a relativist conception," contended Benedict XVI.

According to these conceptions, in which there is no absolute truth, all religions are valid, so that no essential differences exist among one another.

No concession

The Bishop of Rome clarified that interreligious prayer meetings do not seek "a religious consensus among ourselves or negotiation of our convictions of faith." Rather, they manifest that "religions can be reconciled at the level of a common commitment in an earthly project that exceeds them all."

Thus they are not "a concession to relativism in religious beliefs," contended Benedict XVI.

He noted that "it is a duty to avoid confusions. … When we are together to pray for peace, it is necessary that prayer be developed according to those different ways that are proper to the different religions.

"This was the choice made in 1986 and this choice cannot but continue to be valid also today. The convergence of diversity must not give the impression of being a concession to that relativism that denies the meaning itself of truth and the possibility to attain it."

There is one word to describe this: Absurdity. The ever-contradictory bent of Hegelianism, which Benedict XVI learned so well from the likes of Hans Urs von Balthasar and Henri de Lubac, leads men to contend that the clash of mutually contradictory statements can result in a new idea upon which further "progress" can be made in at least some areas of common agreement.

In this instance, you see, Benedict is contending that interreligious prayer meetings do not seek "a religious consensus among ourselves or negotiation of our convictions of faith," proceeding from there to contend that "religions can be reconciled at the level of a common commitment in an earthly project that exceeds them all." In other words, interreligious prayer is designed to respect the "traditions" of others without giving the appearance of syncretism or indifferentism while at the same time fostering a commitment to work together for the common good of society. This is just absolute absurdity.

Was this what Saint Peter and the other Apostles did when they left the Upper Room in Jerusalem on Pentecost Sunday following the descent of the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Ghost, upon them and Our Lady in tongues of flame?

Was this what the martyrs of the Roman Coliseum did in the first centuries of the Church as they refused to even stand by as others worshiped false gods with their false prayers?

Was this what Saint Patrick did in Ireland when he challenged the Druid chieftains to convert to the true Faith?

Was this what Saint Boniface did in Germany when working to convert souls to the true Faith to the point of his martyrdom?

Was this what Saint Henry and Saint Stephen of Hungary did in seeking to spread the Faith through Central Europe?

Was this what Saint Hyacinth did when walking on foot from Rome to Prague to Krakow to Silesia to Kiev and scores of other places during his missionary work?

Was this what Saint Vincent Ferrer did during his preaching to the Jews and the Mohammedans in the Iberian Peninsula?

Was this was Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Peter Canisius did when seeking to win back Protestants to the true Church in their lifetimes?

Was this what Saint Josaphat did when seeking the return of the Orthodox to the true Church to the point of his martyrdom?

Was this what Saint Francis Xavier did when he went to the Island of Goa, India, to Catholicism?

Was this what the North American Martyrs did when they gave up their lives to try to convert the heathen in our own part of the world?

Was this what Father Pierre Jean De Smet did when he sought to evangelize the Indians of the West here in this country in the Nineteenth Century?

Was this what Our Lady wanted when she appeared to Juan Diego atop Tepeyac in 1531? Did she want "interreligious dialogue" with the remnants of the Aztec religion?

Was this what Our Lady wanted when she appeared to Jacinta and Francisco Marto and Lucia dos Santos in 1917?

There has never been a time in the history of the Catholic Church prior to conciliarism in which the ostensible holders of her supreme authority in the papacy have countenanced sins against the First Commandment while at the same time compounding these sins of blasphemy by refusing to seek the conversion of those steeped in false religions, acting as though the entire history of the Church prior to 1958 and the election of Angelo Roncalli to succeed Pope Pius XII ended "triumphalism" and ushered in the phase of "spiritual ecumenism." As I have stated several times recently and will state once again for the sake of reiteration: no Catholic, including those who are the ostensible holders of ecclesiastical office, who refuses to seek with urgency the conversion of souls is a friend of God. Indeed, such a person, whether or not he realizes it, is doing the work of the devil, who wants to convince men that they can live their entire lives outside of the Catholic Church and be assured of their salvation.

Pope Pius XI summed up the history of the Church in this matter quite succinctly in Mortalium Animos, January 6, 1928:

So, Venerable Brethren, it is clear why this Apostolic See has never allowed its subjects to take part in the assemblies of non-Catholics: for the union of Christians can only be promoted by promoting the return to the one true Church of Christ of those who are separated from it, for in the past they have unhappily left it. To the one true Church of Christ, we say, which is visible to all, and which is to remain, according to the will of its Author, exactly the same as He instituted it. During the lapse of centuries, the mystical Spouse of Christ has never been contaminated, nor can she ever in the future be contaminated, as Cyprian bears witness: "The Bride of Christ cannot be made false to her Spouse: she is incorrupt and modest. She knows but one dwelling, she guards the sanctity of the nuptial chamber chastely and modestly."The same holy Martyr with good reason marveled exceedingly that anyone could believe that "this unity in the Church which arises from a divine foundation, and which is knit together by heavenly sacraments, could be rent and torn asunder by the force of contrary wills." For since the mystical body of Christ, in the same manner as His physical body, is one, compacted and fitly joined together, it were foolish and out of place to say that the mystical body is made up of members which are disunited and scattered abroad: whosoever therefore is not united with the body is no member of it, neither is he in communion with Christ its head.

Benedict, as a progenitor and son of conciliarism, rejects this completely. In doing so, you see, he rejects Catholicism and proves himself to be a bitter, zealous enemy of the souls for whom Our Lord gave up His life on the wood of the Holy Cross.

God does indeed want all men and women on the face of this earth to be Catholic. He wants Catholics to make reparation for their own sins so that their prayers can have greater potency to help effect the conversion of all men and women to the true Church, outside of which there is no salvation, by giving of themselves as the consecrated slaves of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, to whom has been entrusted the cause of authentic world peace. The "peace" that Benedict XVI believes will be accomplished by means of "interreligious prayer meetings" can be accomplished quite simply: fidelity to Our Lady's Fatima Message, something that the former Joseph Ratzinger had quite a hand in deconstructing and misrepresenting precisely because his agenda is different than that of the Mother of God.

Conciliarism trusts in the ability of men of different beliefs to work together to resolve common problems, a belief that is of the essence of Judeo-Masonry. Alas, the problems that exist in the modern world at present are the specific and categorical result of the overthrow of the Social Reign of Christ the King wrought by the Protestant Revolt and further institutionalized by the rise of Judeo-Masonry and a whole host of other, inter-related revolutions and ideologies all founded in the belief that the Incarnation is a matter of utter indifference to social order and that men and their nations do not need to submit themselves in all things at all times without any exceptions to the Deposit of Faith that Our Lord has entrusted exclusively to the Catholic Church. The very problems that Benedict thinks can be resolved in these absurd prayer meetings have arisen because of the overthrow of Christendom and by the conciliar church's surrender to that overthrow at the Second Vatican Council and thereafter.

Indeed, the conciliar church has accepted the "separation of Church and State" as a "positive value" that respects the "religious liberty" of all men. However, men do not have a right to organize socially to promote false religions. This an affront to God. And the State has a positive duty to God and to its citizens to recognize the Catholic Church, the true Church, as its religion and to defer to her on matters pertaining to the good of souls.

The conciliar church's embrace of the "separation of Church and State" stands in stark contrast to numerous condemnations of  this Modernist concept. One such condemnation is most apt as it puts the matter in no uncertain terms.

Pope Saint Pius X condemned the "separation of Church and State" as absolutely false in Vehementer Nos, February 11, 1906:

That the State must be separated from the Church is a thesis absolutely false, a most pernicious error. Based, as it is, on the principle that the State must not recognize any religious cult, it is in the first place guilty of a great injustice to God; for the Creator of man is also the Founder of human societies, and preserves their existence as He preserves our own. We owe Him, therefore, not only a private cult, but a public and social worship to honor Him. Besides, this thesis is an obvious negation of the supernatural order. It limits the action of the State to the pursuit of public prosperity during this life only, which is but the proximate object of political societies; and it occupies itself in no fashion (on the plea that this is foreign to it) with their ultimate object which is man's eternal happiness after this short life shall have run its course. But as the present order of things is temporary and subordinated to the conquest of man's supreme and absolute welfare, it follows that the civil power must not only place no obstacle in the way of this conquest, but must aid us in effecting it. The same thesis also upsets the order providentially established by God in the world, which demands a harmonious agreement between the two societies. Both of them, the civil and the religious society, although each exercises in its own sphere its authority over them. It follows necessarily that there are many things belonging to them in common in which both societies must have relations with one another. Remove the agreement between Church and State, and the result will be that from these common matters will spring the seeds of disputes which will become acute on both sides; it will become more difficult to see where the truth lies, and great confusion is certain to arise. Finally, this thesis inflicts great injury on society itself, for it cannot either prosper or last long when due place is not left for religion, which is the supreme rule and the sovereign mistress in all questions touching the rights and the duties of men. Hence the Roman Pontiffs have never ceased, as circumstances required, to refute and condemn the doctrine of the separation of Church and State. Our illustrious predecessor, Leo XIII, especially, has frequently and magnificently expounded Catholic teaching on the relations which should subsist between the two societies. "Between them," he says, "there must necessarily be a suitable union, which may not improperly be compared with that existing between body and soul.-"Quaedam intercedat necesse est ordinata colligatio (inter illas) quae quidem conjunctioni non immerito comparatur, per quam anima et corpus in homine copulantur." He proceeds: "Human societies cannot, without becoming criminal, act as if God did not exist or refuse to concern themselves with religion, as though it were something foreign to them, or of no purpose to them.... As for the Church, which has God Himself for its author, to exclude her from the active life of the nation, from the laws, the education of the young, the family, is to commit a great and pernicious error. -- "Civitates non possunt, citra scellus, gerere se tamquam si Deus omnino non esset, aut curam religionis velut alienam nihilque profuturam abjicere.... Ecclesiam vero, quam Deus ipse constituit, ab actione vitae excludere, a legibus, ab institutione adolescentium, a societate domestica, magnus et perniciousus est error."

Yes, I wrote the passage below several days ago now. However, let me repeat it again as some readers are having difficulty grasping the fact that Benedict XVI rejects Saint Pius X's simple reiteration of the consistent, unbroken teaching of the Catholic Church on the matter of the necessity of the civil state recognizing the Catholic Church as its official religion:

Pope Saint Pius X condemned as "absolutely false" the thesis that the State must be separated from the Church. Absolutely false. Benedict XVI accepts as true and good that which a canonized pope, repeating the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church, which no one has any authority to contradict, condemned as absolutely false. Are you beginning to see, possibly, that there is a problem with the conciliarism in its entirety? Are you beginning to see, possibly, that there is no reconciling the unprecedented novelties of conciliarism and conciliarists, including one of the chief conciliarists, Joseph Ratzinger, with the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church?

No legitimate "development of doctrine" can contradict that which has gone before it. Conciliarism rejects the Catholic Church's consistent condemnation of the Modernist principle of the separation of Church and State, thus giving support to those who have been at war with the Church for the past half-millennium and multiplying social problems ad infinitum because the souls of the men for whom Our Lord shed every single drop of His Most Precious Blood are left to spend their entire lives without the surety provided by the Deposit of Faith and without the supernatural helps that are found only in the sacraments entrusted to the Catholic Church. This makes men easy prey for the craven designs of careerist politicians or crafty ideologues or the merchants of a popular culture that has at is aim to make war upon the Faith and to reduce the entirety of human existence merely to the level of naturalism.

Father Denis Fahey explain it as follows in The Kingship of Christ and the Conversion of the Jewish Nation:

Our Lord’s Mystical Body the Catholic Church, supernatural and supranational, which all states and nations are called upon to acknowledge, has been established by God as the one Way for the ordered return of human beings to Him. Into it all men of all nations are called to enter as His members. “Men living together in society are under the power of God no less than individuals are, and society, not less than individuals, owes gratitude to God, who gave it being and maintains it, and whose ever-bounteous goodness enriches it with countless blessings. Since, then, no one is allowed to be remiss in the service due to God . . . we are bound absolutely to worship God in that way which He has shown to be His will . . . It cannot be difficult to find out which is the true religion, if only it be sought with an earnest and unbiased mind; for proofs are abundant and striking . . . From all these [proofs] it is evident that the only true religion is the one established by Jesus Christ Himself, and which He committed to His Church to protect and propagate” (Leo XIII Encyclical Letter, Immortale Dei, On the Christian Constitution of States.).

“Justice therefore forbids, and reason itself forbids, the state to be godless; or to adopt a line of action which would end in godlessness - namely, to treat the various religions (as they call them) alike, and to bestow upon them promiscuously equal rights and privileges. Since, then, the profession of one religion is necessary in the state, that religion must be professed which alone is true, and which can be recognized without difficulty, especially in Catholic States, because the marks of truth are, as it were, engraven upon it” (Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, Libertas, On Human Liberty).

“By degrees the religion of Christ was put on the same level with false religions and placed ignominiously in the same category with them” (Pius XI, Encyclical Letter, Quas Primas, On the Kingship of Christ).

Pope Pius XI condemned separation of Church and state more than once. In the Encyclical On Christian Marriage, he praised the Italian Matrimonial Law and the solemn Convention entered into between the Holy See and the Kingdom of Italy and then added. “This might well be a striking example to all of how, even in this our own day (in which sad to say, the absolute separation of the civil power from the Church, and indeed from every religion, is so often taught), the one supreme authority can be united and associated with the other without detriment to the rights and supreme power of either, thus protecting Christian parents from pernicious evils and menacing ruin.”

Again the same Pontiff writes as follows: “It is assuredly with no small grief We learn that the legislators have openly declared that the State has no religion, and that they have accordingly confirmed and ratified what the Constitution of the Spanish Government has already unjustly laid down, namely, the separation of Civil Society from the Church. To avoid dwelling too long on this matter, We do not wish to point out at too great length what a grievous error they commit who hold that such a separation is licit and worthy of approval, especially since it is a question of a nation almost all of whose citizens glory in the name of Catholic. Indeed, if the matter is examined closely, this iniquitous separation, as we have more than once indicated, is the necessary consequence of the theories of the Laicists” (Encyclical Letter, On the Persecution of the Church in Spain).

Pope Leo XIII stressed the same divine principle. “The main factor in bringing things to this happy state were the ordinances and decrees of your synods, especially of those which in more recent times were convened and confirmed by the authority of the Apostolic See. But, moreover (a fact which it gives pleasure to acknowledge), thanks are due to the equity of the laws which obtain in America and to the customs of your well ordered Republic. For the Church amongst you, unopposed by the Constitution and government of your nation, fettered by no hostile legislation, protected against violence by the common laws and the impartiality of the tribunals, is free to live and act without hindrance. Yet, though all this is true, it would be very erroneous to draw the conclusion that in America is to be sought the type of the most desirable status of the Church, or that it would be universally lawful or expedient for State and Church to be, as in America separated and divorced.” (Encyclical Letter, Longinque Oceani, On Catholicity in the United States).

Satan aims at preventing the acknowledgement by States and Nations of the Catholic Church as the One Way established by God for ordered return to Him. When this acknowledgement has been brought about in spite of his efforts and those of his satellites, he strives to get it undone and to induce the State to persecute the Catholic Church. The first step towards this is to get all religions, including the Jewish religion, put on the same level as the Catholic Church. The granting of full citizenship to the Jews, who as a nation are engaged in preparing for the Natural Messiah, tends in the same direction. This putting of all religious on the same level is usually called in the newspapers separation of Church and State. (Cf. Accounts of Revolutions from the French Revolution of 1789 to the Spanish Revolution of 1931).

Satan spreads perplexity and disorder in minds by confusing the false tolerance of Liberalism, by which equal rights are granted to truth and error, with the true tolerance of the Catholic Church. “As to tolerance,” writes Leo XIII (Encyclical Letter, Libertas, On Human Liberty), “it is surprising how far removed from the equity and prudence of the Church are those who profess what is called Liberalism. For, in allowing that boundless licence of which we have spoken, they exceed all limits and end at last by making no apparent distinction between truth and error, honesty and dishonesty . . . it is contrary to reason that error and truth should have equal rights . . . For right is a moral power which it is absurd to suppose that nature has accorded indifferently to truth and falsehood, justice and injustice.”

“The Church,” writes the same learned Pontiff (Encyclical Letter, Immortale Dei, On the Christian Constitution of States), “deems it unlawful to place the various forms of divine worship on the same footing as the true religion, but does not on that account, condemn those rulers who for the sake of securing some great good or of hindering some great evil, patiently allow custom or usage to be a kind of sanction for each kind of religion having its place in the State. And, in fact, the Church is wont to take earnest heed that no one shall be forced to embrace the Catholic Faith against his will.”

Satan also spreads perplexity and disorder in minds by introducing confusion between Anti-Semitism, which is the detestable hatred of the Jews as a race, and the duty incumbent upon Catholics of combating valiantly for the integral rights of Christ the King and opposing Jewish Naturalism. We see this clearly in the following quotation from the Jewish writer Bernard Lazare: “The Jew is the living testimony of the disappearance of the State based on theological principles, that state which the Anti-Semites hope to restore. From the day a Jew first occupied a public position, the Christian State was in danger. That is perfectly accurate and the Anti-Semites who say that the Jews have destroyed the correct idea of the State could more justly assert that the entrance of the Jews into Christian Society has symbolized the destruction of the State, I mean, of course, the Christian State” (L’Antisémitisme, p. 361).

 

Satan wants us to forget that there is one True Religion, the Supernatural Religion established by Our Lord Jesus Christ, True God and True Man. He wants us also to lose sight of the fact that there are organized forces working for the advent of the Natural Messias.

 

“By the fact that the indiscriminate freedom of all forms of worship is proclaimed, truth is confused with error, and the Holy and Immaculate Spouse of Christ is placed on the same level as heretical sects and even as Jewish perfidy” (Pius VII, Letter, Post tam diuturnas).

Satan has not left us in doubt about his enthusiasm for the Declaration of the “rights of man” and the principles of the French Revolution of 1789. “Long live Liberty, Equality, Fraternity! That is the favourable time for us” are amongst the expressions used by the possessed children of Illfurt, Alsace. (Cf. The Devil, his words and actions in the possessed children of Illfurt, from the official documents).

Father Fahey went on to explain the consequences of the separation of Church and State: the deification of the State and the acceptance of the Judeo-Masonic belief that the "best" we can hope for in a pluralistic world is some sort of "common ground" with others without raising the "divisive" issues associated with denominational religion:

As a consequence, states and nations are called upon to acknowledge the right of the Catholic Church by the voice of the Pope and bishops to decide what favours or hinders our most real life, namely, our life as members of Christ. This right of the Catholic Church is known as the Indirect Power. It belongs to the Catholic Church as the sole divinely-appointed Guardian of the whole Moral Law, natural and revealed.

“The Church of Christ is the true and sole teacher of virtue and guardian of morals” (Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, Immortale Dei, On the Christian Constitution of States).

“The Lord Jesus reigns in civil society . . . when the Church holds that position of dignity which was allotted to her by her Divine Author, that of a perfect society, mistress and guide of all other societies” (Pope Pius XI, Encyclical Letter, Ubi Arcano, On the Peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ).

“If the natural law enjoins upon us to love devotedly and to defend the country that gave us birth, and in which we were brought up, so that every good citizen hesitates not to face death for his native land, very much more is it the urgent duty of Christians to be ever animated by like sentiments towards the Church. For the Church is the Holy City of the Living God, born of God Himself, and by Him built up and established. Therefore we are bound to love dearly the country whence we have received the means of enjoyment this mortal life affords, but we have a much more urgent obligation to love, with ardent love, the Church to which we owe the life of the soul, a life that will endure forever” (Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, Sapientiæ Christianiæ, On the Chief Duties of Christians as Citizens). “Christ instituted in the Church a living, authoritative and permanent Teaching Authority, which He strengthened by His own power, taught by the Spirit of Truth, and confirmed by miracles. He willed and ordered, under the gravest penalties, that its teachings should be received as if they were His own.” (Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, Satis Cognitum, On the Unity of the Church.)

“In defining the limits of the obedience owed to the pastors of souls,” writes Pope Leo XIII, “but most of all to the authority of the Roman Pontiff, it must not be supposed that it is only to be yielded in relation to dogmas of which the obstinate denial cannot be disjoined from the crime of heresy. Nay further, it is not enough sincerely and firmly to assent to doctrines which, though not defined by any solemn pronouncement of the Church, are by her proposed to belief, as divinely revealed in her common and universal teaching and which the Vatican Council declared are to be believed with Catholic and divine faith.

“But this likewise must be reckoned amongst the duties of Christians, that they allow themselves to be ruled and directed by the authority and leadership of bishops, and above all of the Apostolic See . . . Wherefore it belongs to the Pope to judge authoritatively what things the sacred oracles contain, as well as what doctrines are in harmony, and what in disagreement, with them; and also for the same reason to show forth what things are to be accepted as right, and what to be rejected as worthless; what it is necessary to do and what to avoid doing, in order to attain eternal salvation. For otherwise, there would be no sure interpreter of the commands of God, nor would there be any safe guide showing man the way he should live . . . From God has the duty been assigned to the Church not only to interpose resistance, if at times the State rule should run counter to religion, but, further, to make a strong endeavour that the power of the Gospel may pervade the law and institutions of the nations. And inasmuch as the destiny of the State depends mainly on the disposition of those who are at the head of affairs, it follows that the Church cannot give countenance or favour to those whom she knows to be imbued with a spirit of hostility to her, who refuse openly to respect her rights; who make it their aim and purpose to tear asunder the alliance that should, by the very nature of things, connect the interests of religion with those of the State. On the contrary, she is (as she is bound to be) the upholder of those who are themselves imbued with the right way of thinking as to the relations between Church and State, and who strive to make them work in perfect accord for the common good. These precepts contain the abiding principle by which every Catholic should shape his conduct in regard to public life” (Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, Sapientiæ Christianiæ, On the Chief Duties of Christians as Citizens).

Satan aims at getting states and nations to treat with contempt the indirect power of the Catholic Church and at setting up the state or the race as the authority to decide all moral questions. He knows that this means the abrogation of the moral law and that it leads to chaos.

 

“To create this atmosphere of lasting peace, neither peace treaties nor the most solemn pacts, nor international meetings or conferences, nor even the noblest and most disinterested efforts of any statesman will be enough, unless in the first place are recognised the sacred rights of natural and divine law. No leader in public economy, no power of organisation will ever be able to bring social conditions to a peaceful solution, unless the moral law based on God and conscience first triumphs in the field of economics itself. This is the underlying value of every value in the political life as well as in the economic life of nations” (Pius XI, Encyclical Letter, Caritate Christi Compulsi, On the Troubles of Our Times).

 

“He who takes the race, or the people, or the state, or the form of government, the bearers of the power of the state or other fundamental elements of human society—which in the temporal order of things have an essential and honourable place—out of the system of their earthly valuation and makes them the ultimate norm of all, even of religious values, and deifies them with an idolatrous worship, perverts and falsifies the order of things created and commanded by God” (Pius XI, The Persecution of the Church in Germany).

 

Lured on by Satan, men talk of restoring order in the world in defiance of or without the help of Christ and His Church. This will only lead to greater chaos: “No human institution exists which can impose upon the nations an international code, adapted to the present time, similar to the one which in the Middle Ages, ruled that society of nations which was known as Christendom . . . But there is a divine institution, which can guarantee the sanctity of the law of nations, an institution which embracing all nations and transcending them, is endowed with supreme authority and evokes veneration through its plenary powers of rule-the Church of Christ” (Plus XI, Encyclical Letter, Ubi Arcano, On the Peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ).

 

Satan tries to persuade young people that the Church is opposed to the form of civil government they prefer. This is not true. “Of the various governments, the Church does not reject any that are fitted to procure the welfare of the subject; she wishes only-and this nature itself requires-that they should be constituted without involving wrong to anyone and especially without violating the rights of the Church” (Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, Libertas, On Human Liberty).

 

He tries to persuade them also that the Catholic Church is opposed to all efforts for a country’s independence. This also is false. “Neither does the Church condemn those who, if it can be done without violation of justice, wish to make their country independent of any foreign or despotic power. Nor does she blame those who wish to secure to the State the power of self-government, and to its citizens the greatest possible measure of prosperity” (Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, Libertas, On Human Liberty).

 

The Church of course, condemns all secret societies which are Satan’s happy hunting grounds. “As Our Predecessors have many times repeated, let no man think that he may for any reason whatsoever join the Masonic sect, if he values his Catholic name and his eternal salvation as he ought to value them. Let no one be deceived by a pretence of honesty. It may seem to some that Freemasons demand nothing that is openly contrary to religion and morality; but, as the whole principle and object of the sect lies in what is vicious and criminal, to join with these men or in any way to help them cannot be lawful” (Leo XIII, Encyclical Letter, Humanum Genus, On Freemasonry).

Father Fahey spent his life attempting to present the consistent teaching of the Church, summarized so well by the popes of the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries, reminding his readers that there is no path to personal peace or to peace among men within or among nations than the path that runs through the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the Social Kingship of Jesus Christ. Catholicism and Catholicism alone is the only path to the peace that is produced in the souls of men by their persevering in states of Sanctifying Grace until the point of their dying breaths.

Pope Pius XI explained all of this so clearly in his first encyclical letter, Ubi Arcano Dei Consilio, December 23, 1922, which has been oft-quoted on this site:

This peace of Christ, however, surpasses all human understanding -- "the peace of God which surpasseth all understanding" (Philippians iv, 7), and for this very reason dominates our sinful passions and renders such evils as division, strife, and discord, which result solely from the unrestrained desire for earthly possessions, impossible. If the desire for worldly possessions were kept within bounds and the place of honor in our affections given to the things of the spirit, which place undoubtedly they deserve, the peace of Christ would follow immediately, to which would be joined in a natural and happy union, as it were, a higher regard for the value and dignity of human life. Human personality, too, would be raised to a higher level, for man has been ennobled by the Blood of Christ and made kin to God Himself by means of holiness and the bond of brotherly love which unites us closely with Christ, by prayer and by the reception of the Sacraments, means infallibly certain to produce this elevation to and participation in the life of God, by the desire to attain everlasting possession of the glory and happiness of heaven which is held out to all by God as our goal and final reward.

We have already seen and come to the conclusion that the principal cause of the confusion, restlessness, and dangers which are so prominent a characteristic of false peace is the weakening of the binding force of law and lack of respect for authority, effects which logically follow upon denial of the truth that authority comes from God, the Creator and Universal Law-giver.

. The only remedy for such state of affairs is the peace of Christ since the peace of Christ is the peace of God, which could not exist if it did not enjoin respect for law, order, and the rights of authority. In the Holy Scriptures We read: "My children, keep discipline in peace." (Ecclesiasticus xli, 17) "Much peace have they that love the law, O Lord." (Psalms cxviii, 165) "He that feareth the commandment, shall dwell in peace." (Proverbs xiii, 13) Jesus Christ very expressly states: "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's." (Matt. xxii, 21) He even recognized that Pilate possessed authority from on High (John xiv, 11) as he acknowledged that the scribes and Pharisees who though unworthy sat in the chair of Moses (Matt. xxiii, 2) were not without a like authority. In Joseph and Mary, Jesus respected the natural authority of parents and was subject to them for the greater part of His life. (Luke ii, 51) He also taught, by the voice of His Apostle, the same important doctrine: "Let every soul be subject to higher powers: for there is no power but from God." (Romans xiii, 1; cf. also 1 Peter ii, 13, 18)

. If we stop to reflect for a moment that these ideals and doctrines of Jesus Christ, for example, his teachings on the necessity and value of the spiritual life, on the dignity and sanctity of human life, on the duty of obedience, on the divine basis of human government, on the sacramental character of matrimony and by consequence the sanctity of family life -- if we stop to reflect, let Us repeat, that these ideals and doctrines of Christ (which are in fact but a portion of the treasury of truth which He left to mankind) were confided by Him to His Church and to her alone for safekeeping, and that He has promised that His aid will never fail her at any time for she is the infallible teacher of His doctrines in every century and before all nations, there is no one who cannot clearly see what a singularly important role the Catholic Church is able to play, and is even called upon to assume, in providing a remedy for the ills which afflict the world today and in leading mankind toward a universal peace.

Because the Church is by divine institution the sole depository and interpreter of the ideals and teachings of Christ, she alone possesses in any complete and true sense the power effectively to combat that materialistic philosophy which has already done and, still threatens, such tremendous harm to the home and to the state. The Church alone can introduce into society and maintain therein the prestige of a true, sound spiritualism, the spiritualism of Christianity which both from the point of view of truth and of its practical value is quite superior to any exclusively philosophical theory. The Church is the teacher and an example of world good-will, for she is able to inculcate and develop in mankind the "true spirit of brotherly love" (St. Augustine, De Moribus Ecclesiae Catholicae, i, 30) and by raising the public estimation of the value and dignity of the individual's soul help thereby to lift us even unto God.

Finally, the Church is able to set both public and private life on the road to righteousness by demanding that everything and all men become obedient to God "Who beholdeth the heart," to His commands, to His laws, to His sanctions. If the teachings of the Church could only penetrate in some such manner as We have described the inner recesses of the consciences of mankind, be they rulers or be they subjects, all eventually would be so apprised of their personal and civic duties and their mutual responsibilities that in a short time "Christ would be all, and in all." (Colossians iii, 11)

44. Since the Church is the safe and sure guide to conscience, for to her safe-keeping alone there has been confided the doctrines and the promise of the assistance of Christ, she is able not only to bring about at the present hour a peace that is truly the peace of Christ, but can, better than any other agency which We know of, contribute greatly to the securing of the same peace for the future, to the making impossible of war in the future. For the Church teaches (she alone has been given by God the mandate and the right to teach with authority) that not only our acts as individuals but also as groups and as nations must conform to the eternal law of God. In fact, it is much more important that the acts of a nation follow God's law, since on the nation rests a much greater responsibility for the consequences of its acts than on the individual.

When, therefore, governments and nations follow in all their activities, whether they be national or international, the dictates of conscience grounded in the teachings, precepts, and example of Jesus Christ, and which are binding on each and every individual, then only can we have faith in one another's word and trust in the peaceful solution of the difficulties and controversies which may grow out of differences in point of view or from clash of interests. An attempt in this direction has already and is now being made; its results, however, are almost negligible and, especially so, as far as they can be said to affect those major questions which divide seriously and serve to arouse nations one against the other. No merely human institution of today can be as successful in devising a set of international laws which will be in harmony with world conditions as the Middle Ages were in the possession of that true League of Nations, Christianity. It cannot be denied that in the Middle Ages this law was often violated; still it always existed as an ideal, according to which one might judge the acts of nations, and a beacon light calling those who had lost their way back to the safe road.

There exists an institution able to safeguard the sanctity of the law of nations. This institution is a part of every nation; at the same time it is above all nations. She enjoys, too, the highest authority, the fullness of the teaching power of the Apostles. Such an institution is the Church of Christ. She alone is adapted to do this great work, for she is not only divinely commissioned to lead mankind, but moreover, because of her very make-up and the constitution which she possesses, by reason of her age-old traditions and her great prestige, which has not been lessened but has been greatly increased since the close of the War, cannot but succeed in such a venture where others assuredly will fail.

It is apparent from these considerations that true peace, the peace of Christ, is impossible unless we are willing and ready to accept the fundamental principles of Christianity, unless we are willing to observe the teachings and obey the law of Christ, both in public and private life. If this were done, then society being placed at last on a sound foundation, the Church would be able, in the exercise of its divinely given ministry and by means of the teaching authority which results therefrom, to protect all the rights of God over men and nations.

It is possible to sum up all We have said in one word, "the Kingdom of Christ." For Jesus Christ reigns over the minds of individuals by His teachings, in their hearts by His love, in each one's life by the living according to His law and the imitating of His example. Jesus reigns over the family when it, modeled after the holy ideals of the sacrament of matrimony instituted by Christ, maintains unspotted its true character of sanctuary. In such a sanctuary of love, parental authority is fashioned after the authority of God, the Father, from Whom, as a matter of fact, it originates and after which even it is named. (Ephesians iii, 15) The obedience of the children imitates that of the Divine Child of Nazareth, and the whole family life is inspired by the sacred ideals of the Holy Family. Finally, Jesus Christ reigns over society when men recognize and reverence the sovereignty of Christ, when they accept the divine origin and control over all social forces, a recognition which is the basis of the right to command for those in authority and of the duty to obey for those who are subjects, a duty which cannot but ennoble all who live up to its demands. Christ reigns where the position in society which He Himself has assigned to His Church is recognized, for He bestowed on the Church the status and the constitution of a society which, by reason of the perfect ends which it is called upon to attain, must be held to be supreme in its own sphere; He also made her the depository and interpreter of His divine teachings, and, by consequence, the teacher and guide of every other society whatsoever, not of course in the sense that she should abstract in the least from their authority, each in its own sphere supreme, but that she should really perfect their authority, just as divine grace perfects human nature, and should give to them the assistance necessary for men to attain their true final end, eternal happiness, and by that very fact make them the more deserving and certain promoters of their happiness here below.

Your sensus Catholicus should lead you to see the clear, authentic Catholicity of Pope Pius XI's understanding that everything in our lives, both personally and nationally, must be subordinated to the Catholic Faith. There is a definite contrast between Pope Pius XI's fidelity to the work begun by the Apostles and the conciliar popes' insistence that they are free to ignore the Church's consistent teaching and to act in novel ways that have proved themselves to be detrimental to the good of souls and thus to the world itself. Benedict and his fellow conciliarists are Modernists who stand condemned by the words of popes and the dogmatic councils of the Catholic Church over history.

Indeed, Pope Pius XI, knowing that the Judeo-Masonic influence was strong in the Church in his day, threw down the gauntlet near the end of Ubi Arcano Dei Consilio:

Many believe in or claim that they believe in and hold fast to Catholic doctrine on such questions as social authority, the right of owning private property, on the relations between capital and labor, on the rights of the laboring man, on the relations between Church and State, religion and country, on the relations between the different social classes, on international relations, on the rights of the Holy See and the prerogatives of the Roman Pontiff and the Episcopate, on the social rights of Jesus Christ, Who is the Creator, Redeemer, and Lord not only of individuals but of nations. In spite of these protestations, they speak, write, and, what is more, act as if it were not necessary any longer to follow, or that they did not remain still in full force, the teachings and solemn pronouncements which may be found in so many documents of the Holy See, and particularly in those written by Leo XIII, Pius X, and Benedict XV.

There is a species of moral, legal, and social modernism which We condemn, no less decidedly than We condemn theological modernism.

It is necessary ever to keep in mind these teachings and pronouncements which We have made; it is no less necessary to reawaken that spirit of faith, of supernatural love, and of Christian discipline which alone can bring to these principles correct understanding, and can lead to their observance. This is particularly important in the case of youth, and especially those who aspire to the priesthood, so that in the almost universal confusion in which we live they at least, as the Apostle writes, will not be "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive." (Ephesians iv, 14)

Once again, good readers, I call your attention to the incompatibility between Pope Pius XI's condemnation of the Modernist precepts and Benedict's (and conciliarism's) embrace of them. What matters here, ladies and gentlemen is not my belief that that some pope in the future will indeed have to rule negatively on the legitimacy of the conciliar popes and their reign of spiritual terror against the authentic patrimony of the Catholic Church. No, what matters here is the conflict between what was taught consistently until 1958 and what has been taught thereafter in a number of areas. The Holy Ghost is immutable. He cannot contradict Himself. He does not "evolve." The only kind of "spirits" that lead people to believe otherwise fell with Lucifer in the battle with Saint Michael the Archangel. It is that simple.

It might be useful to point out once again that even the conciliarists recognize that heresy does disqualify one from the holding of ecclesiastical office. None other than Mario Francesco Cardinal Pompedda, who is no friend of Tradition, was quoted in a Zenit report of February 8, 2005, as admitting this very point. I reproduce the entire text of the report, published at the time it was clear John Paul II was dying from the effects of Stage 3 Parkinson's Disease, so as to put the key sentence in its proper context. Nothing has been added or deleted from the report, which can be viewed at: Zenit News Agency - The World Seen From Rome:

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 8, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Even if the Pope were unable to speak, he could continue to guide the Catholic Church, says the retired prefect of the Apostolic Signature, the Church's supreme court.

In regard to "the exercise of power, of the ministry, which is an exercise of jurisdiction, … it is not necessary to be able to speak," Cardinal Mario Francesco Pompedda said in statements published today in the Turin newspaper La Stampa.

"It is sufficient that [the Pope] expresses his will and that he does so in a clear manner. He can express his will perfectly in writing, or he can also express it in obvious and significant gestures," added the cardinal.

"The power of government is based on an act of will; there is no formula that must be pronounced in the exercise of jurisdiction, as occurs in the sacraments," he noted.

"No one would ever be able to cast doubt on a decision of the Pope which, even if it is not manifested with speech, is expressed in writing, or with gestures, with expressions that express clearly his will," Cardinal Pompedda, 75, continued.

The cardinal outlined how a pope might proffer his resignation. He said such a declaration "must be public" and added: "He could do so before two witnesses, before the College of Cardinals, before a synod, or by appearing at the window of his apartment, saying publicly, 'I resign.' There are no codified formulas."

The Code of Canon Law does not include dispositions in case of a pope's "incapacity due to illness," the cardinal noted.

Cardinal Pompedda reminded his listeners that the apostolic constitution "Universi Dominici Gregis," which regulates matters concerning a pope's eventual death, includes the expression "the Roman See, when for any reason it becomes vacant."

"By analogy, one could apply to a pope the norms that the Code provides for a vacant episcopal see," said the cardinal. "Also foreseen is the case of impediment. That is, when the bishop is no longer able to communicate with his own community, because of exile [or] prison.

"It is true that the canonical doctrine states that the see would be vacant in the case of heresy. ... But in regard to all else, I think what is applicable is what judgment regulates human acts. And the act of will, namely a resignation or capacity to govern or not govern, is a human act."

He added: "There is no human act when on the part of the intellect there is a lack of awareness or knowledge of what one is doing, or when on the part of the will there is no freedom." Code: ZE05020804

Yes, I do wonder what was cut out in the sentence I italicized for the sake of emphasis. The words of Cardinal Pompedda above speak for themselves. Again, he is no friend of Tradition. Not at all. He was, however, simply stating a canonical fact.

Indeed, the very reason that I began to raise questions about this matter six months ago was because of the fact that the rejection of the defined teaching of the Church in the areas of the confessionally Catholic State and religious liberty and ecumenism cannot be reconciled at all with conciliarism. Sedevacantists are not the problem facing the Catholic Church today. The betrayal of the Faith emanating from Rome is the problem facing us today. We must not, as I see it, keep shooting at each other at a time when our focus must be on pointing out the incompatibility between Catholicism and the novelties of conciliarism.

Souls are at stake, ladies and gentlemen. Souls. Men cannot redeem themselves. Men cannot produce social order by themselves. Men cannot produce peace among nations by themselves. Men need the doctrine and the supernatural helps provided only by the Catholic Church to save their souls and thus to try, despite their own sins and failings, to establish and maintain a Catholic social order at home and a Catholic understand of peace in the world.

We have not been left orphans in this time of betrayal and apostasy. Oh, no. Our Lady stands with us today as we bear the crosses of our own times. She beseeches us to do penance for our sins, to live penitentially, to spend time with her in front of her Divine Son's Real Presence in the contemporary catacombs, and to seek the conversion of others to the true Faith as best we can by passing out Miraculous Medals and Green Scapulars to those God places in our paths each day.

We can be the beneficiaries of Our Lady's Fatima Message in our own lives if we consecrate ourselves totally to her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart and fulfill the Five First Saturdays over and over and over again, surrendering unto her as her slaves whatever merit we earn by so doing. We can help plant a few seeds by the graces won for us by her Divine Son on Calvary and that flow through her own loving, motherly hands for a day when the Triumph of her Immaculate Heart will be made manifest, a day when ostensible Catholics will not be offering prayers to Baal and his friends, a day when all men and all women will exclaim with joy:

Vivat Christus Rex!

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Gabriel the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Stephen of Hungary, pray for us.

Saint Henry, pray for us.

Saint John Mary Vianney, pray for us.

Saint Vincent de Paul, pray for us.

Saint Therese Lisieux, pray for us.

Saint Martin of Tours, pray for us.

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, pray for us.

Saint Isaac Jogues, pray for us.

Saint Rene Goupil, pray for us.

Saint John Lalonde, pray for us.

Saint Gregory Lalamont, pray for us.

Saint Noel Chabanel, pray for us.

Saint Charles Garnier, pray for us.

Saint Anthony Daniel, pray for us.

Saint John DeBrebeuf, pray for us.

Saint Athanasius, pray for us.

Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, pray for us.

Saint Dominic, pray for us.

Saint Basil, pray for us.

Saint Augustine, pray for us.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.

Saint Vincent Ferrer, pray for us.

Saint Sebastian, pray for us.

Saint Tarcisius, pray for us.

Saint Lucy, pray for us.

Saint Agnes, pray for us.

Saint Agatha, pray for us.

Saint Bridget of Sweden, pray for us.

Saint Catherine of Sweden, pray for us.

Saint Philomena, pray for us.

Saint John of the Cross, pray for us.

Saint John Bosco, pray for us.

Saint Teresa of Avila, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette Soubirous, pray for us.

Pope Saint Pius X, pray for us

Pope Saint Pius V, pray for us.

Saint Lawrence Justinian, pray for us.

Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, pray for us.

Blessed Pauline Jaricot, pray for us.

Blessed Miguel Augustin Pro, pray for us.

Blessed Francisco, pray for us.

Blessed Jacinta, pray for us.

Sister Lucia, pray for us.

 

The Longer Version of the Saint Michael the Archangel Prayer, composed by Pope Leo XIII, 1888

O glorious Archangel Saint Michael, Prince of the heavenly host, be our defense in the terrible warfare which we carry on against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, spirits of evil.  Come to the aid of man, whom God created immortal, made in His own image and likeness, and redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil.  Fight this day the battle of our Lord, together with  the holy angels, as already thou hast fought the leader of the proud angels, Lucifer, and his apostate host, who were powerless to resist thee, nor was there place for them any longer in heaven.  That cruel, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil or Satan who seduces the whole world, was cast into the abyss with his angels.  Behold this primeval enemy and slayer of men has taken courage.  Transformed into an angel of light, he wanders about with all the multitude of wicked spirits, invading the earth in order to blot out the Name of God and of His Christ, to seize upon, slay, and cast into eternal perdition, souls destined for the crown of eternal glory.  That wicked dragon pours out. as a most impure flood, the venom of his malice on men of depraved mind and corrupt heart, the spirit of lying, of impiety, of blasphemy, and the pestilent breath of impurity, and of every vice and iniquity.  These most crafty enemies have filled and inebriated with gall and bitterness the Church, the spouse of the Immaculate Lamb, and have laid impious hands on Her most sacred possessions. In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of the most holy Peter and the Chair of Truth for the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck the sheep may be scattered.  Arise then, O invincible Prince, bring help against the attacks of the lost spirits to the people of God, and give them the victory.  They venerate thee as their protector and patron; in thee holy Church glories as her defense against the malicious powers of hell; to thee has God entrusted the souls of men to be established in heavenly beatitude.  Oh, pray to the God of peace that He may put Satan under our feet, so far conquered that he may no longer be able to hold men in captivity and harm the Church.  Offer our prayers in the sight of the Most High, so that they may quickly conciliate the mercies of the Lord; and beating down the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, do thou again make him captive in the abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations.  Amen.

Verse: Behold the Cross of the Lord; be scattered ye hostile powers.

Response: The Lion of the Tribe of Juda has conquered the root of David.

Verse: Let Thy mercies be upon us, O Lord.

Response: As we have hoped in Thee.

Verse: O Lord hear my prayer.

Response: And let my cry come unto Thee.

Verse: Let us pray.  O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we call upon Thy holy Name, and as suppliants, we implore Thy clemency, that by the intercession of Mary, ever Virgin, immaculate and our Mother, and of the glorious Archangel Saint Michael, Thou wouldst deign to help us against Satan and all other unclean spirits, who wander about the world for the injury of the human race and the ruin of our souls. 

Response:  Amen.