Likewise, all other things I accept and profess, which the Holy Roman Church accepts and professes, and I likewise condemn, reject, and anathematize, at the same time all contrary things, both schisms and heresies, which have been condemned by the same Church. P O Box 88
Greenbushes WA 6254
Australia
Tel/Fax +61 8 9764 3166 or 61 8976 44036
Email: st_gabri99@hotmail.com
25th November 2001
Dear Fathers & Brethren,
Q What are the four marks of the Catholic Church?
A. The four marks of the Catholic Church are that it is one, holy, catholic/universal and apostolic.
I am calling for all four of the Marks of the Church to be re-established.
I am writing this appeal to all of you (please note postscript). It would seem to me and to all of you that the false Vatican II has more cohesion and unity than does the Church that Christ founded 2,000 years ago.
WE will NEVER achieve Unity whilst everyone has a spark of the sin of Pride in his baggage. I must ask the simple question that you must answer to God, "Do you Love God and His Church more than anything else on earth"? I will leave your conscience to answer that.
Since the continuing growth of the Apostate Church in Rome, a vacuum has been created and many attempts have been made to elect or even to claim the papacy. When one reads of that time of shocking division in the latter days of the 14th century, we read that the division was mainly due to the many personal ambitions of the Cardinals. The many popes of Avignon and Rome left much to be desired and yet saints supported both claimants. This situation was finally solved by the Emperor Sigismund. He had the pope in Rome- Gregory XII - call a Council at Constance where ALL claimants were to submit themselves to electing once and for all, a Universal Pope who would then pronounce his decisions. Remember that 2/3rds of the electors were in 'schism' but they were accepted as equals until a Pope was elected - ALL were in the same situation. The very fact that there were saints on both sides, shows that there must have been genuine sincerity. They were united by fraternal charity and love of Holy Church. Are we to be found possessing less charity?
I call on the same procedure conducted as at Constance, to be adopted by all the current claimants and also by every sedevacantist priest in the Americas and in Europe. The only exclusion is for those who still claim JP II as their Pope and that Vatican II is a legitimate Council. There is the other qualification that one must be a member of the church. So those ordained in the Vat.II rite cannot participate, as well as any priests and bishops ordained and consecrated, particularly in Europe, who were Protestants and never converted to Catholicism, or were already excommunicated by the old Church. These men are not members. Otherwise all those ordained and consecrated either by Archbishop Lefebvre or by Bishop Thuc have to be considered as valid, provided they meet the criteria of being ordained in the old pre-Vatican II rite and consecrated likewise by bishops also validly consecrated. To decide any more than this would be divisive. It is not for any of us to decide in regards to this person or that person as to whether their ordination was valid and/or licit. That is for the future Pope to decide.
All of us must put aside our disagreements and accept that each other has done the best in the past for the good of the faith. Who are we to judge? All priests, bishops etc must be accepted by all as valid as per the above paragraph. None of us has the authority to declare otherwise and none of us accepts each other's opinions anyway. It will be for the Pope, when elected, to declare which of those are validly ordained and then ordain the others.
This is a very broad-based letter and it needs much refining and help from many sources. It can only go ahead if those priests today, currently operating alone or with colleagues, pause for a moment and pray to the Holy Ghost and see that they are the instruments of God. In the magnificent book by Fr. Hugo Doyle, called "Guidance in Spiritual Direction", much is made that God desires the direction of another, by man. St. John of the Cross says the same thing and Pope Leo XIII wrote; "God in His infinite providence has decreed that men for the most part should be saved by men; hence He has appointed that those who He calls to a loftier degree of holiness should be led thereto by men, in 'order that' as Chrysostom says, 'we should be taught by God through men'."
I believe the same applies to the coming Conclave and election of a Universal Pope accepted by all and then acclaimed by the rest of the world as time goes on. It also must move at a brisk pace and cannot be stalled as were past attempts. Time is of the essence we need to restore the Ark of salvation in the sight of the world. There is no discernible Ark out there for Catholics to see at present, only a plethora of different traditional groups.
The question may be asked of myself "Why do you ask for this now?" etc. I suppose you could say that my eyes have been opened and I will say to you that;-
1.Three years since the Fr. Pulvermacher election has passed and I have realised that the election process was flawed. This itself does not invalidate it as some past papal elections have been similarly conducted.
2. Since the election Fr. Pulvermacher has not behaved as would a true Pope or even as a Catholic priest.
He lacks at least two of the marks of the Church Holy and catholic/universal.
Further, my recent experiences with Fr Pulvermacher (Pius XIII) has alerted me to what has become a real problem and what we all must share responsibility for to solve. That is, in the world today there are thousands of people whose spiritual position ranges from
1. Those who merely think V2 no longer fulfils their needs without understanding it to be wrong; to
2. Those who are committed sedevacantists;
-and between those extremes fall all the different levels of spiritual awareness. It is by our continued fragmentation that these people have nothing definite to hold on to or to recognise as Catholic authority. In the past year I have become aware of sedevacantists who are beginning to lose their convictions due to the confusion among us. We are all Catholic but without any central organisation to keep us in line and so we are, many of us, prey to our own pride, to our own pet theories, and to our own personal autonomy.
Finally I plead to all those in good faith to come together, elect or select a committee to proceed full speed ahead for the day gets ever closer when there will be time no longer. The very intention of Catholic unity alone must surely be pleasing to God and so to Him will be the glory of our endeavours.
God bless you all,
Gordon Bateman
V/ That they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in Me and I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. (John xvii: 21.)
V. I say unto thee, that thou art Peter;
R. And upon this Rock I will build My Church.
V/ LORD Jesus Christ, Who saidst unto Thine apostles; Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you; regard not our sins, but the faith of Thy Church, and grant unto her that peace and unity which are agreeable to Thy will. Who livest and reignest God forever and ever. R/ Amen.
They shall not partake of holy things, until a high priest shall arise for evidence and truth. (Offertory for the Mass for the Election of a Pope)
