Sedes Vacans
Is the headquarters vacant?
Allow me to explain why we, Catholics of all times, in no way defend sedevacantism or any separatist movement within the Church, but conclude with profound sadness that the See of Peter has been vacant since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). According to tradition and the infallible Magisterium, we have a vacant See, without an infallible shepherd. We did not arrive at this conclusion lightly; after much analysis and study, it is the only logically consistent position for those who wish to maintain the integral Catholic Faith.
THE DOGMA OF PAPAL INFALLIBILITY
We need to understand correctly what the First Vatican Council (1870) infallibly defined in the dogmatic constitution Pastor Aeternus :
“When the Roman Pontiff speaks ex cathedra, that is, when, fulfilling his office as pastor and teacher of all Christians, he defines, by virtue of his supreme apostolic authority, that a certain doctrine concerning faith or morals must be upheld by the whole Church, he enjoys, through the divine assistance promised to him in the person of Blessed Peter, that infallibility which the divine Redeemer willed to be endowed to his Church when defining any doctrine concerning faith or morals; and, therefore, such declarations of the Roman Pontiff are in themselves, and not by the consent of the Church, irreformable.”
Key points:
The Pope is infallible when he teaches ex cathedra on faith and morals.
He possesses supreme authority over the entire Church.
He cannot err in matters of faith when he teaches universally and definitively.
He cannot enact laws that are harmful to souls or contrary to the Faith.
The Unsolvable Problem: A Pope Cannot Promulgate Heresy
Here is the fundamental syllogism of sedevacantism:
Major Premise: A true Pope, through the assistance of the Holy Spirit, cannot officially promulgate heresies or universal laws harmful to the Faith.
Minor Premise: The occupants of the Holy See since Vatican II (John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis) have officially promulgated heresies and laws harmful to the Faith.
Conclusion: Therefore, they are not true Popes. The See is vacant (sede-vacante).
We are not saying that the papacy is over – far from it! We are saying that the recent occupants are not legitimate Popes. The Chair of Peter exists, but it is temporarily empty, just as it has been empty between the death of one Pope and the election of the next throughout the history of the Church.
The Heresies of Vatican II and Post-Conciliar
Let me specifically document the heresies that forced us to this painful conclusion:
1. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ( Dignitatis Humanae )
What Vatican II taught: “This Vatican Council declares that the human person has a right to religious freedom. This freedom consists in the following: that all men should be free from coercion, whether from individuals or from social groups or from any human authority; and in such a way that, in religious matters, no one is obliged to act against his conscience, nor prevented from acting according to it, in private or in public, alone or in association with others, within due limits.” ( Dignitatis Humanae , §2)
What the Church has ALWAYS taught before:
Pope Gregory XVI, Mirari Vos (1832): “From this most corrupt source of [religious] indifference flows that absurd and erroneous sentence, or rather, delusion, that freedom of conscience should be admitted and guaranteed for all . The way is prepared for this most pestilent kind of error by that full and unlimited freedom of opinion which, to the ruin of the Church and the State, is spreading everywhere.”
Blessed Pius IX, Quanta Cura (1864): “Contrary to the doctrine of Sacred Scripture, the Church, and the Holy Fathers, [the modernists] do not hesitate to affirm: ‘ The best condition of society is that in which the public power is not recognized as having the duty to repress by means of legal penalties those who violate the Catholic religion, except when public tranquility requires it .’ With this absolutely false idea of social government, they do not fear to favor that erroneous opinion , most fatal to the Catholic Church and to the salvation of souls, called by Our Predecessor Gregory XVI, of blessed memory, a delirium , namely: ‘ freedom of conscience and of worship is a right proper to every man .’”
Leo XIII, Libertas Praestantissimum (1888): “Freedom of worship, admitted without distinction or choice in favor of all religions, is only one form of that practice of pure naturalism and rationalism which is freedom of conscience, as we have described it; but it must be said that this freedom is a path which leads directly, by the most rigorous logic, to the suppression of all positive religion.”
Look at the blatant contradiction! For 150 years, multiple Popes have repeatedly condemned religious freedom in the harshest terms as delusion, absurdity, error, a plague, a path to the suppression of religion . Now, Vatican II proclaims it a fundamental human right ?!
According to Catholic logic, there are only two possibilities:
Gregory XVI, Pius IX, and Leo XIII were wrong → impossible , because they taught unanimously, repeatedly, as the ordinary universal Magisterium, and some points Pius IX included in the Syllabus are practically infallible.
Dignitatis Humanae is wrong → therefore, it cannot be a document from a true Pope.
2. ECUMENISM ( Unitatis Redintegratio and post-conciliar practice)
What Vatican II and its successors did:
John Paul II participated in a voodoo ceremony in Togo (1985)
John Paul II allowed Buddhists to place a statue of Buddha on the tabernacle during a meeting in Assisi (1986).
John Paul II kissed the Quran (1999) – a book that denies the Holy Trinity and the divinity of Christ!
Francis said that God willed “the plurality and diversity of religions” in the Abu Dhabi Document (2019).
Francis participated in Amazonian pagan rituals with the worship of Pachamama in the Vatican (2019)
Pope Francis said there are “many ways to reach God” and that evangelization is “solemn nonsense.”
What the Church has ALWAYS taught:
Council of Florence (1438-1445), Cantate Domino – DOGMA: “The Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes, and preaches that none who are outside the Catholic Church , not only pagans, but also Jews or heretics and schismatics, can become partakers of eternal life , but that they will go to the eternal fire ‘which was prepared for the devil and his angels’ (Mt 25:41), unless before the end of their lives they have been gathered into it .”
Pope Leo XIII, Satis Cognitum (1896): “The Church of Christ is one and perpetual ; those who separate themselves from her depart from the will and precept of Jesus Christ our Lord, leave the path of salvation and head towards ruin.”
Pope Pius XI, Mortalium Animos (1928): “Ecumenists promote meetings, congresses, lectures, with great public participation, to which all are invited to discuss promiscuously, infidels of any kind, Christians, and even those who have unfortunately apostatized from Christ or with obstinate obstinacy deny the divinity of his Person or mission. Such attempts cannot, in any way, be approved by Catholics , for they are founded on the false opinion of those who judge that all religions are, with little difference, good and praiseworthy.”
Pope Pius XII, Humani Generis (1950): “Some do not consider themselves bound by the doctrine which we set forth in an encyclical a few years ago [Mystici Corporis], and which is based on the sources of Revelation, according to which the Mystical Body of Christ and the Roman Catholic Church are one and the same thing .”
How can a true Pope:
Kissing a book that blasphemes Christ?
Is it permissible to allow pagan idols above the tabernacle where the Blessed Sacrament resides?
To say that God intended multiple religions when Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)?
Impossible! A true Pope has the assistance of the Holy Spirit, which would prevent him from such public sacrileges. Therefore, these men are not Popes.
3. Collegiality and the Decline of the Papacy
What Vatican II taught: Lumen Gentium promoted “episcopal collegiality,” where bishops govern the Church together with the Pope, not under the Pope. This diluted the Petrine primacy.
What the Church has always taught:
Vatican Council I, Pastor Aeternus (1870) – DOGMA: “If anyone, therefore, says that the Roman Pontiff has only the office of inspection or direction, but not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the universal Church , not only in matters pertaining to faith and morals, but also in those pertaining to the discipline and government of the Church spread throughout the world; or that he has only the principal parts and not the fullness of this supreme power ; or that this power of his is not ordinary and immediate , whether over each and every Church, or over each and every pastor and faithful – let him be anathema.”
Collegiality directly contradicts the dogmatically defined papal monarchy.
4. NEW MASS (NOVUS ORDO MISSAE)
In 1969, Paul VI promulgated a new Mass that:
Serious theological problems:
Remove multiple references to the propitiatory sacrifice for sins.
Remove prayers that emphasize the unworthiness of the priest.
Remove exorcism with salt and holy water.
Allowing communion in the hand (sacrilege – unconsecrated fingers touch Christ!)
He turns to face the people (priest and people facing each other, not together facing God ad orientem).
Allows women in the sanctuary as “extraordinary ministers”
It uses ambiguous ecumenical language that Protestants may accept.
5. CHANGE IN THE ORDINATION PROCEDURE
In 1968, Paul VI also changed the rite of priestly ordination:
Critical changes:
He removed the essential traditional formula : “He receives the power to offer sacrifice to God and to celebrate Masses, both for the living and for the dead, in the name of the Lord.”
It was replaced with an ambiguous formula that does not clearly mention sacrificial power.
Protestants may accept the new formula because for them a minister is merely a “president of the assembly,” not a sacrificing priest.
A very serious problem: If the form is invalid, the priests “ordained” with the new rite ARE NOT PRIESTS . They cannot consecrate. Their “masses” are invalid. The sacraments (except baptism) are invalid.
We sedevacantists conclude that priests ordained after 1968 with the new rite are dubious at best, invalid at worst . Therefore, we seek only priests ordained before 1968 or ordained by bishops from the traditional lines of succession (such as bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre or the bishops of Thục).
The Decisive Argument: We Cannot Acknowledge Fallible as Infallible
Here is the crucial point that even non-sedevacantist traditionalists (like the SSPX) cannot coherently answer:
The Dogma of Infallibility means:
The Pope cannot err when he teaches universally about faith/morals.
The Pope cannot enact universal laws that are harmful to the Faith.
The Pope cannot legislate liturgy that is harmful to souls.
What we witnessed after Vatican II:
Conciliar documents with doctrinal errors (religious freedom, ecumenism)
New Mass that obscures the sacrifice of the Mass.
New ordination rite questionable/invalid
New Code of Canon Law (1983) which contradicts the old one.
Public scandals (kissing the Quran, participating in pagan rituals, promoting Pachamama)
Protestant infiltration
The six Protestant theologians whom Paul VI invited to help create the new Mass (!) confirmed that it was intentionally designed to be acceptable to Protestants:
Max Thurian (a Protestant from the Taizé Community) said: “One must recognize not only the willingness of Catholic theology to approach Protestant theology and Protestant piety, but also an implicit recognition that Protestant theology and Protestant piety have a place in the Catholic Church .”
Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci, Brief Critical Examination of the Novus Ordo Missae (1969): “The Novus Ordo Missae… represents, both as a whole and in its details, a striking departure from the Catholic theology of the Holy Mass , as formulated in Session XXII of the Council of Trent.”
Saint Pius V, Quo Primum (1570): Promulgated the Tridentine Mass “IN PERPETUITY” and declared: “By Apostolic authority, we give them [priests] in PERPETUAL permission to celebrate Mass following this rite… This can NEVER be revoked or altered.”
How could Paul VI revoke something promulgated “in perpetuity” and “never revocable”? Either Saint Pius V lied (impossible for a true Pope with the assistance of the Holy Spirit), or Paul VI had no authority to revoke it because he was not a true Pope.
Inescapable dilemma
Option A – “Recognize and Resist” (SSPX position): They say: “They are true Popes, but we resist when they teach error.”
Sedevacantist response: This is absurd and contradictory . It’s saying: “I recognize that this man is an infallible Pope, but I resist what he teaches because it is wrong.” You are saying that the infallible can err! This negates the dogma of infallibility.
A true Pope has the assistance of the Holy Spirit. If he has the assistance of the Holy Spirit, he cannot promulgate evil universal laws. If he has promulgated them, then he is not a real Pope.
Leo XIII clearly stated: “Where Peter is, there is the Church… to follow Peter is to follow Jesus Christ.” But you say: “Peter is there, but we will not follow him because he is teaching error”?! A clear contradiction.
Option B – Sedevacantism: They say: “They are not true Popes. They are antipopes. The See is vacant. Therefore, we can and should reject their false teachings.”
This is the only logically coherent position! It simultaneously preserves:
The dogma of infallibility (True Popes do not err)
Our rejection of the conciliar errors (because they do not come from a true Pope)
Our adherence to the unchanging Tradition (which true Popes have always taught)
How Did We Lose the Papal Succession?
Someone asks: “But if there hasn’t been a Pope since 1958, how is that possible? Who will elect the next one?”
Historically, there have been long periods of interregnum before:
Between Saint Marcellinus and Marcellus I: 4 years (304-308) during the persecution of Diocletian.
Between Benedict V and John XIII: 1 year (964-965)
After the death of Nicholas IV: almost 3 years (1292-1294) without a Pope because the cardinals could not agree.
Current situation: The College of Cardinals is entirely corrupted by modernists and heretics. They are all invalid because:
They were appointed by antipopes.
Or are they themselves notorious heretics?
Future solution: When God wills, He will provide.
A small remnant of true bishops (validly consecrated before 1968 or in traditional lines)
He will convene a restoration conclave.
He will elect a true, traditional Catholic Pope.
This Pope will condemn all the errors of Vatican II and the post-conciliar period.
Will restore the Tridentine Mass as the only Mass?
It will restore all the traditional sacraments.
Reconsa
truly Catholic bishops
The evangelization of the world will begin again.
Or perhaps Our Lady of Fatima will miraculously intervene when Russia is truly consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart (which has never been done properly).
We don’t know when , but we know it will happen because Christ promised: “The gates of hell will not prevail against the Church.” The Church cannot fail. The Papacy cannot fail. But individual men can fail to be true Popes – and that is what has happened.
Response to Common Objections
Objection 1: “You can’t judge the Pope!”
Answer: We are not judging a Pope – we are stating that someone who appears to be Pope is not Pope because he publicly teaches heresy. The Church has always taught that public heresy causes automatic loss of office .
Pope Paul IV, Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio (1559): “If it ever happens that… even a Roman Pontiff, before his promotion or assumption as Cardinal or Roman Pontiff, has deviated from the Catholic faith or fallen into heresy … his promotion or assumption, even if carried out with the unanimous agreement of all the Cardinals, will be null, invalid and without effect .”
Saint Robert Bellarmine, De Romano Pontifice (Doctor of the Church): “A Pope who is a manifest heretic automatically (per se) ceases to be Pope and head, just as he automatically ceases to be a Christian and a member of the Church. Therefore, he can be judged and punished by the Church.”
Saint Francis de Sales (Doctor of the Church): “Now, when the Pope is explicitly a heretic, he falls ipso facto from his dignity and out of the Church.”
We do not judge – we merely state the public fact of heresy, which causes automatic loss of office.
Objection 2: “Who are you to know better than cardinals and bishops?”
Answer: It’s not a question of us knowing better. It’s a question of comparing it to what the Church has always taught . Any literate Catholic can open Denzinger (the official compilation of magisterial documents) and see the glaring contradictions.
The Catholic Faith is not the property of cardinals – it is a public trust entrusted to the whole Church. St. Paul says: “ Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed! ” (Galatians 1:8)
If Saint Paul says to reject even an angel from heaven who teaches differently, how much more should we reject a false pope who teaches differently!
Objection 3: “The Church cannot err, therefore Vatican II cannot be wrong!”
Answer: Exactly our point! The indefectible Church cannot err. Since Vatican II clearly teaches errors (as proven above), Vatican II is not from the infallible Church . It was an assembly of heretics and modernists, not a true council.
There have been heretical “councils” before:
Synod of Pistoia (1786) – condemned by Pius VI
Council of Ephesus (449) – “Robbery at Ephesus”, repudiated by the Church
Pseudo-council of Hieria (754) – iconoclastic, later repudiated
Vatican II is a robbery of Rome – it will eventually be condemned by a truly restored Pope.
Objection 4: “But the SSPX celebrates the traditional Mass and maintains doctrine – why not be content with that?”
Answer: The SSPX is in an impossible and contradictory position .
They recognize Francis as Pope, but systematically disobey him.
They celebrate sacraments without jurisdiction (marriages, confessions) – valid but illicit if Francis were Pope.
They have resisted their “popes” for 50+ years – but the Church teaches that we owe obedience to the Pope!
They are in practical schism (separated from Rome) but not formal schism (they recognize Rome’s authority) – ecclesiological schizophrenia.
Pope Leo XIII, Satis Cognitum : “ Obedience is the inseparable companion of faith … To listen to the Church and obey her is the same as listening to and obeying Christ.”
If Francis is Pope, the SSPX has been in grave sin of disobedience for 50 years. If he is not Pope (our position), the SSPX is right to resist but wrong to recognize him .
We sedevacantists are the only consistent ones: we do not recognize authority, therefore we owe no obedience to these modernist antipopes.
Objection 5: “You have no jurisdiction, your sacraments are invalid!”
Response:
Ordinations: Our bishops have been validly consecrated. Main points:
Archbishop Lefebvre’s approach: He consecrated bishops in 1988 using the traditional pre-1968 rite. This approach remains valid.
Line of Dom Ngô Đình Thục: A validly consecrated Vietnamese bishop, he consecrated traditionalist bishops in the 1980s.
Dom Carmona’s line: Mexican bishops who never accepted reforms.
These bishops ordain priests using the traditional rite – ordinations that are certainly valid .
Jurisdiction: In times of need, the Church provides jurisdiction. Canon 209 of the 1917 Code: “In common danger of death… any confessor can absolve from any censures and sins.”
We are in danger of universal spiritual death . The entire Church is in a state of need. Therefore, by epikeia (a benevolent interpretation of the law in extraordinary circumstances), our sacraments have superseded jurisdiction.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica III, q.64, a.9: “In case of necessity, one may be baptized by whomever he wishes… For a similar reason, in case of extreme necessity, one may confess to any priest, even if he has no jurisdiction.”
Objection 6: “You cause division and confusion!”
Answer: We didn’t cause the confusion – we observed and denounced the confusion caused by the modernists!
Before Vatican II: One Faith, one Mass, clear doctrine, clear morals. No confusion.
After Vatican II: Total chaos.
Priests and bishops publicly teaching heresies with impunity.
Liturgy has become a circus – “masses” with clowns, dancers, rock music.
Sexual morality: priests and bishops defend contraception, divorce, and even homosexuality.
Catechesis destroyed – entire generations without knowing basic catechism.
Vocations have collapsed – empty seminaries, closed convents.
Mass apostasy – Once Catholic Europe, now atheist.
Who caused this destruction? The post-conciliar modernists!
We sedevacantists are the only ones who maintain clarity: We reject all confusion, we uphold the Faith of all time, we celebrate the sacraments of all time, we teach the doctrine of all time.
Saint Vincent of Lérins (5th century): “In the Catholic Church, we must take the utmost care to maintain what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all . For this is truly and properly Catholic.”
That’s exactly what we do. Modernists constantly violate this principle.
Our Lady of La Salette and Fatima
The Marian apparitions predicted exactly this situation:
Our Lady of La Salette (1846) told Melanie: “ Rome will lose the faith and become the seat of the Antichrist… The Church will be eclipsed.”
“Rome will lose the faith” – exactly what happened! Vatican headquarters occupied by modernist antipopes.
“The Church will be eclipsed” – not destroyed, but obscured, hidden. We sedevacantists are that eclipsed Church, a small faithful remnant.
Our Lady of Fatima (1917): Requested the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart. This was never done properly.
Pius XII in 1942: consecrated the world, not specifically Russia.
John Paul II in 1984: consecrated the world, without mentioning Russia by name , and not in union with all the bishops.
Therefore: ” If my requests are not heeded, Russia will spread its errors throughout the world , promoting wars and persecutions against the Church.”
That’s exactly what happened! Communism (Russia’s mistake) spread globally. And what’s more: modernism infiltrated the Church itself, fulfilling prophecy.
Third Secret (partially revealed): It mentions a “bishop dressed in white” (appearing like a Pope) being killed. Many interpret this as: false popes from the end times.
Our Current Situation and Hope
We are living in the prophesied end times .
Paul, 2 Timothy 4:3-4: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine . Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth.”
Christ, Luke 18:8: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth ?”
This is not despair – it’s realism. Christ prophesied massive apostasy before His return.
Our mission:
To preserve the Faith intact in order to transmit it to future generations and to the restored Pope.
To celebrate the sacraments that are valid for the sanctification of souls.
Educating our children in the true Faith, not modernist beliefs.
Pray the Rosary daily for conversion and restoration.
To await with confidence the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Pope Saint Pius X, Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907): Condemned modernism as a ” synthesis of all heresies ” and warned that modernists would infiltrate the Church.
Prophecy fulfilled! Modernists seized power at Vatican II.
But he also said: “ When danger is imminent, we should prefer to expose ourselves to all evils rather than betray the truth , and we should not rely on any pretext whatsoever, for it can never be lawful to betray the truth in any way.”
That’s what we do. We prefer to be a small, faithful remnant, seemingly “without a Pope,” rather than recognize heretics as Popes and betray the Faith.
The Inexorable Logic of Sedevacantism
I’ll end with a simple syllogism that any honest person should admit:
A true Pope, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, cannot promulgate official heresies nor universal laws harmful to souls . (Dogma of Infallibility)
The occupants of the Holy See since Vatican II have promulgated official heresies (religious freedom, ecumenism) and laws harmful to souls (new Mass, new sacraments, new code).
Therefore, those who have occupied the See since Vatican II are not true Popes .
There is no logical escape. Either you deny premise 1 (and therefore deny the dogma of infallibility), or you deny premise 2 (and therefore deny the obvious empirical evidence), or you accept conclusion 3 (sedevacantism).
The “acknowledge and resist” position is logically untenable because it attempts to maintain premises 1 and 2 simultaneously while rejecting the necessary conclusion. It’s like saying, “Two plus two equals four, and two plus two equals five, but I refuse to accept that there is a contradiction.”
THE QUESTION OF THE CASSICIACUM THESIS
I should mention that there is debate among us sedevacantists regarding a technical issue:
Pure sedevacantism (our majority position):
John XXIII, Paul VI, etc. were never Popes.
They were heretics before or during the election.
The election was invalid from the start.
Headquarters is absolutely vacant
Cassiciacum’s thesis (Mons. Guérard des Lauriers):
They were “elected” but never received papal authority (materially but not formally).
They occupy a physical headquarters but not a formal one.
It would be possible to “recover” if they renounced their mistakes.
Analogy: someone elected president but who does not take office – is president-elect but not president in fact.
My personal position (pure sedevacantism): The Cassiciacum Thesis is unnecessarily complicated. If someone teaches heresy publicly before or during an election, the election is simply null and void . Pope Paul IV made this crystal clear in Cum Ex Apostolatus .
Public heresy = automatic loss of all ecclesiastical office. There is no middle ground between “having the position materially but not formally.” You either have it or you don’t.
But both positions agree on the essentials: we owe no obedience to these men, their heterodox teachings must be rejected, and we must keep the traditional Faith intact .
HOW DO WE ACTUALLY LIVE OUT THIS POSITION?
Some ask: “How does being a sedevacantist work in practice?”
We only attend Tridentine Masses celebrated by validly ordained priests.
Priests ordained before 1968 with traditional rite
Or priests ordained later by bishops in valid lines of succession.
We carefully verified the ordination lineage of each priest.
We only receive sacraments from traditional priests.
Confession, communion, marriage, extreme unction, confirmation
We prefer to perform baptisms with a priest, but in an emergency anyone can baptize with the correct form and materials.
We do not recognize the current jurisdiction of the Vatican.
We don’t ask for permission to get married, build churches, etc.
We operated as a Church in catacombs during Roman persecution.
We trust in jurisdiction as needed.
We raise our children in the traditional faith:
Catechism of Trent or St. Pius X
Never use post-conciliar catechisms, which are full of errors.
Homeschooling or sedevacantist schools when possible.
Complete protection from modernist influences.
We maintain an intense sacramental life:
Sunday Mass is mandatory (and daily when possible)
Frequent confession (at least monthly)
Communion in a state of grace
Daily rosary required for the whole family.
Fasting and abstinence on the Ember Days and Fridays
Strict observance of the entire traditional liturgy.
We practice separation from the world:
We don’t watch secular television.
Internet access is only for essential needs (work, communication) and religious research.
No more pointless social media.
Modest attire (women with veils at Mass, long skirts, never trousers)
No modern dating – courtship supervised by parents with clear marriage intentions.
We financially support traditional masses and priests:
Full tithe (10%) for sedevacantist chapels
Not a penny for “Novus Ordo” parishes that celebrate invalid Mass.
We evangelize whenever possible:
We explain our position to sincere Catholics who are confused.
We have shown contradictions between Vatican II and Tradition.
We distribute traditionalist literature.
We pray for the conversion of the modernists and for the restoration.
The Definitive Criterion: Una Cum
A crucial marker that distinguishes pure sedevacantists from other traditionalists is the issue of “una cum” in the Mass.
In the traditional Roman Canon , the priest says: “ Te igitur… una cum famulus tuo Papa nostro N… ” (“To You, therefore… in union with our Pope N…”)
“Una cum” Masses: They mention the name of Francis (or of previous antipopes).
Sedevacantist Masses: They omit this line, or say ” sede apostolica vacante ” (since the Apostolic See is vacant).
Why is it crucial?
When a priest offers the Holy Sacrifice “una cum” to someone, he is recognizing that person as the legitimate Pope and offering the sacrifice in hierarchical union with him.
If we offer Mass “una cum” to a heretic , we are:
Implicitly recognizing a heretic as the true Pope (contradicts sedevacantism)
Offering sacrifice in union with someone outside the Church (impossible – there is no communion with heretics)
Potentially making the Mass sacrilegious (offering Holy Sacrifice in communion with a public heretic)
Saint Robert Bellarmine: “One cannot be in communion with someone in the divine without being in communion with them in the human… one cannot communicate with someone in the Sacraments without communicating with them in faith.”
Therefore: Masses “una cum” (one with) according to Francis should be absolutely avoided , even if they are perfectly celebrated Tridentine Masses. The form is valid, but the act of communion with a heretic is defiling.
The SSPX celebrates “una cum” – here’s another contradiction from them. They say Francis is wrong, but they celebrate in hierarchical union with him!
We sedevacantists are consistent: we do not mention names because we do not recognize authority.
Responding to the Objection: “The Church Would Never Be Without a Pope for That Long”
Historical response:
There have been long periods of interruption:
1268-1271: 3 years without a Pope (conflicts between cardinals)
1292-1294: 2 years and 3 months without Papa
1304-1305: 11 months (Benedict XI died, Clement V was only elected almost a year later)
There were periods with multiple suitors and confusion:
Great Western Schism (1378-1417): 39 years with 2-3 “popes” simultaneously (Rome, Avignon, Pisa). No one knew for sure who was legitimate. Sincere Catholics followed different pretenders. Only resolved at the Council of Constance.
During this period, entire generations lived and died without knowing for sure who the real Pope was .
The Church taught that it is possible:
Saint Alphonsus Liguori (Doctor of the Church): “The Church can exist without a visible Pope… If the Pope becomes a heretic, ipso facto he ceases to be Pope.”
Saint Francis de Sales: “The Church… could remain for some time without a visible head.”
Father Sylvester Berry, The Church of Christ (1927): “The Antichrist himself will occupy the papal throne… During this period, the Church will be reduced to those few faithful who refuse to submit to the Antichrist.”
Therefore, there is no theological problem with an interregnum of 60+ years. God allowed it because of our sins. It is a purification of the Church, separating the wheat from the chaff.
The Great Prophesied Apostasy
Paul, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4: “Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day [of Christ’s return] will not come unless the apostasy comes first , and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God , proclaiming himself to be God.”
“The apostasy” – a massive apostasy that precedes the end.
“To sit in the sanctuary of God” – many Fathers interpreted this as: a false pope sitting on the throne of Peter.
Revelation 13: The Beast that everyone worships – many commentators see it as a false pope of the end times who leads the whole world astray.
Saint Robert Bellarmine: “The Antichrist… will finally sit in the temple of God and proclaim himself God… many understand this to mean that he will sit in the Church of Rome, in the place of the true Pope.”
Pope St. Pius X, E Supremi (1903): “There is much reason to fear that we are approaching the times foretold by the Apostle when the ‘man of sin’ will come.”
That was in 1903! Imagine now, 120 years later, with all the apostasy we have witnessed.
Signs That We Are in the End Times
1. Massive apostasy:
Christian Europe, now atheist
Catholic Latin America now Pentecostal/agnostic
Even nations that were once fervently Catholic (Ireland, Poland, Portugal) have legalized abortion and gay “marriage.”
2. Subtle but effective stalking:
Not mass physical martyrs (yet), but economic and social martyrs.
Cancellation, job loss, ostracism for those who hold traditional Catholic views.
Progressive criminalization of Catholic teachings (“hate speech”)
3. Unimaginable sacrileges:
Consecrated hosts sold online by Satanists
Public “black masses” held in American cities
Church desecrations, statues of Christ and Mary destroyed throughout the West.
And worse: official desecrations by “Catholics” – communion in the hand causing loss and desecration of fragments, communion for divorced and remarried people, communion for pro-abortion politicians.
4. Celestial signs:
Eclipses, enhanced solar phenomena
“Signs in the sun, moon and stars” (Luke 21:25)
5. Wars and rumors of wars:
Two world wars in the 20th century
Constant nuclear threat
Endless conflicts in the Middle East
Preparing for World War III?
6. Earthquakes, plagues:
COVID-19 as a plague that paralyzed the entire world.
Earthquakes increasing in frequency and intensity.
Apocalyptic natural disasters
7. The Mark of the Beast is being prepared:
Digital vaccination passports
Unified digital IDs
Central bank digital currencies that will allow full control over buying and selling.
Implantable chip technology already exists.
“No one will be able to buy or sell unless they have the mark” (Revelation 13:17)
Our Hope: The Triumph of Mary
Despite the darkness, we do not despair because Our Lady promised in Fatima:
“In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, which will be converted, and a time of peace will be granted to the world.”
This hasn’t happened yet . When it does happen:
- A true Pope (not a modernist antipope) will be elected or restored.
Russia will be specifically consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Russia will convert – not to the modernist Novus Ordo Catholicism, but to true traditional Catholicism.
A period of peace will be granted.
Restoration of Christendom, at least temporarily, before the final end.
Until then, our mission:
“Pray, pray much, and make sacrifices for sinners, for many souls go to hell because there is no one to sacrifice and pray for them.” – Our Lady of Fatima
Final Appeal to Sincere Catholics
If you are a Catholic who follows the Novus Ordo movement, or a “traditional” Catholic who recognizes Francis while resisting him, seriously consider our position :
Honest question: Do you really believe that:
Would Christ allow His Vicar to kiss the Quran that denies His divinity?
Would the Holy Spirit allow a true Pope to promote pagan idols in the Vatican?
Can the infallible Church contradict 1900 years of unanimous teaching?
Can the liturgy of “perpetuality” be revoked?
Can an ordination rite that omits the sacrificial power of the priesthood be valid?
If your honest answer is “no” to any of these , you’re already a sedevacantist at heart – you just haven’t admitted it intellectually yet.
Fear holds us back:
Fear of being alone (but Christ said, “Do not be afraid, little flock” – Luke 12:32)
Fear of being wrong (but truth doesn’t depend on numbers – Noah was right and the whole world was wrong)
Fear of a lack of sacraments (but we have valid sacraments with traditional priests)
Fear of what family members will say (but Christ said, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” – Matthew 10:37)
Courage required:
Saint Athanasius (4th century) was declared a heretic by a majority of bishops during the Arian crisis. The whole world had become Arian (heresy denying the full divinity of Christ). Athanasius stood firm alone. They said: “Athanasius against the world!” He replied: “The world against Athanasius!”
Eventually he was vindicated . The heresy was condemned, and Athanasius was canonized as a Saint and Doctor of the Church.
We are the Athanasius of today . A small remnant maintaining the Faith intact while the whole world – including Rome – apostatized.
But we will be vindicated when the true Pope is restored, Vatican II is condemned, and all will see that we have upheld the true Faith.
FINAL PRAYER
Let us conclude with a prayer for persecuted Catholics throughout the ages:
“O God, come to my aid. Lord, hasten to help me. Let those who seek my life be put to shame and disgraced. Let those who wish me harm turn back and be covered with ignominy.” (Psalm 69)
“I believe in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church” —and because I believe this, I reject the modernist sect that usurped Rome and falsely presents itself as that Church.
The true Church continues – small, persecuted, eclipsed – but it continues . In sedevacantist chapels, in the homes of traditional families, in the hearts of the faithful who have not bowed the knee to Baal.
“Portae inferi non praevalebunt adversus eam” – The gates of hell will not prevail against her.
Nor will they prevail. We await with confidence the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Restoration of all things in Christ.
Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat! (Christ wins, Christ reigns, Christ rules!)