Understanding Bloggers, Card. Roche edition.

Cardinal Roche has a problem with those Catholic bloggers who keep defending the Traditional Latin Mass. He admits, however, that our work is effective and influences Seminarians.

I think a couple of reflections are in order.

Thank you, Cardinal Roche, for your involuntary compliment. At times, I receive comments containing nothing but insults. Being told that I, in my little effort and together with many others, am effective and influence seminarians truly made by day. If I die today, I hope those at the Pearly Gates have the link.

But let us reflect a bit more. Traditionalists blog are, mostly, one-man-bands written by pensioners, housewives, or accountants at the Fish Administration. None of them (apart from Gracida) is a bishop. Plus, their audience tends to be very conservative, that is: exactly the kind of people who do not listen to everybody who wakes up one morning and decides to have his own doctrine explained to the people. Therefore, the Cardinal should start to wonder: 1. Why these blogs are so numerous and 2. Why conservative people would believe what they write.

The answers are very simple. The blogs are so numerous, and have so many followers, exactly because the problem of the New Mass is easily recognised in light of Catholic liturgy and theology.

Were this not the case, there would never be a numerous cohort of bloggers about this issue, nor a robust readership for their effort. As it is, both are in rude health.

The issue is, therefore, exactly the contrary of what the Cardinal states, to wit: a small bunch of insignificant Bishops and Cardinals dare to go against what an immense army of predecessors of theirs have defended, and demand that Catholics believe not in 2000 years of Catholic teaching (and hierarchy) but in what this soon forgotten Roche Guy tells them to believe.

It does not work. Of course it can never work. The sheep in the pew will always be easily duped by the priest talking about “joy” and “peace” and other easy slogans, but those who care (including serious seminarians) will always be a much tougher nut to crack.

Therefore, the Cardinal can be assured of our continued effort and influence of Seminarians; particularly if he has sone evil move in his sleeves, which is now being heavily rumoured.

This is the Church, not a sect. It does not change if its leader changes, it does not care for “the spirit of the time”, it does not pledge unalloyed allegiance to any human.

We have a sure way to understand what is going wrong, and that is Catholic doctrine, not the rants of a number of angry bloggers.