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Ecclesia Dei • NL

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  1. Open Letter and Appendix in pdf-format
  2. Link to the Appendix "the core problem".

    To all Cardinals,
    25 March 2020, Annunciation of the Lord

    This letter has been

      • Sent to all Cardinals in paper format or by e-mail as far as the addresses were available;
      • Sent as copy to the Holy Fathers Franciscus and Benedictus XVI in paper format;
      • Made available electronically to share with Bishops, priests and faithful

    Your Eminences,

    We wish to express our gratitude and very sincerely thank His Holiness Pope Francis for not confirming the false promptings of the "prophets of doom [1 & 2], but for listening to the advice of his predecessor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and His Eminence Cardinal Sarah. By neither abolishing compulsory priestly celibacy nor allowing the ordination of female deacons in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Querida Amazonia, Pope Francis has saved the Mystical Body of Christ from substantial changes that come forth from the liberal ideology inspired material continuity as supported by the "prophets of doom".

    We also express our deepest gratitude and very sincerely thank His Holiness Pope Emeritus Benedictus XVI and His Eminence Cardinal Sarah for writing and publishing their recent book "From the Depths of Our Hearts". In defending priestly celibacy within the Roman Catholic tradition, this book fully supports the true ontological continuity of the sacred Life of the Mystical Body of Christ as embodied in His Church. With this book these eminent and exemplary churchmen demonstrate beautifully the seriousness with which they take, and execute, their priestly, episcopal and pontifical duties.

    However unfortunately, Pope Francis neither speaks positively or negatively, nor (most significantly) makes a clear condemnation of the endeavour to get rid of compulsory priestly celibacy, as it was proposed in the Final Document of the Amazon Synod. This position may lead to ambiguous interpretations of the Exhortation. This is especially so, because in the third and fourth paragraphs of the Exhortation, the full Final Document of the Amazon Synod is officially presented, with everyone being encouraged to read it in full. Furthermore, it states that the entire Church would be enriched and challenged by the work of the Synod, and that one would be inspired by it and should strive to apply it.

    Herewith a dangerous bombshell has been dropped, of which indeed the first signs have been heard from some Cardinals even on the very first day after publication of the Exhortation. Surely due to this and other Doctrinal ambiguities in this Exhortation, new offensives from the 'prophets of doom' can be expected that reject the Tradition which has been built on conditions and practices which have developed (organically and ontologically) throughout history. They will continue to put the Holy Father under pressure by false promptings to abolish compulsory priestly celibacy, and even still yet again promoting the ordination of women. By misusing serious circumstances within the Church and the world, they continue to argue by means of doomsday scenarios. In this way the Mystical body of Christ (the Church) is being accused as the source of evil effects due to its (Traditional i.e. rigid) Doctrine, its Sacred Life, its Pastoral Care and structure, in the same manner as was done with respect to the Amazon region and as is being done again with the German Synodal Path (to a German National Church).

    Therefore, in solidarity with the extraordinary example given by Pope Emeritus Benedictus XVI and His Eminence Cardinal Sarah, we remind and call on you all, Cardinals, those in executive office as well as the emeriti, to exercise your ministerial duty. It is imperative in these challenging times that the eternal Depositum Fidei and our Holy Father are protected and strengthened against the wickedness and snares of the Devil as particularly manifest in Pope John XXIII's "prophets of doom" warning, and as further explained in the appendix of this letter: "The Core Problem"

    This duty of all Cardinals to defend and protect Divine Truth and the sacred Life of the Mystical Body of Christ i.e. the Church, also includes the obligation to defend and protect the Holy Father, even with one's own life. The principal threats of our time against our Holy Father are those of the devil who continuously tries, by false promptings, to substantially change the veracity of our Faith and the sacred Life of the Mystical Body of Christ.

    This important duty is independent of your age and status within the church. This means that, although the emeriti Cardinals among you are not allowed to criticize the executive management of their successors, you remain Cardinals until death, and therefore maintain the obligation to carry out this sacred duty, requested and unrequested.

    We, therefore, call on the Cardinals who act like the "prophets of doom" to please stop. Factually, you accuse Christ and the Holy Spirit of creating badly and poorly protecting the Mystical Body of Christ and you proudly strive to replace the Roman Catholic Church with a manmade human community after your own ideas. We humbly call on you to retreat from these intentions and actions, in God's name before it is too late.

    Your collegial fidelity and combined spiritual strength is necessary to enable the Holy Father, like St. Peter after his conversion, to confirm the whole Church in the One True Faith. The words of St. Vincent of Lérins act as a perfect example: "all which has been believed everywhere, always, by all" must be confirmed by the Pope as true and to be held as such by all members of the Church.

    With heartfelt gratitude for your kind and generous consideration, we humbly beg your sincere prayers for the Holy Father. We offer you the assurance of our filial support and prayers and we humbly ask for the grace of your blessing.


    Faithfully in Christo,


    Jack P. Oostveen (e-mail).

    Enclosed you will find the appendix "The core problem".

    See also

    Open Letter and Appendix in pdf-format

    notes:

      1. 'Opening address of the Second Vatican Council' (October 11th), Pope St. John XXIII (1962).
        The Vatican website does not provide an English translation of this Opening Address, the translation by http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/teach/v2open.htm has been used here];

      2. Pope John XXIII, in his Opening Address of the Second Vatican Council, stated about the "prophets of doom": "These people see only ruin and calamity in the present conditions of human society. They keep repeating that our times, if compared to past centuries, have been getting worse. And they act as if they have nothing to learn from history, which is the teacher of life".
        These "prophets of doom" can be considered more concretely today as "these people, who see only 'doom' in the present condition of the Church and the world. They keep repeating the suggestion that our time is getting worse due to an outdated Tradition of the Mystical Body of Christ, i.e. its Structure, Doctrine, Sacred Life and Pastoral Care. And, by rejecting Tradition i.e. one of the two sources of Revelation, they act as if they have nothing learned from its continuous and ontological development throughout history, which is the teacher of life"