thesmellypocket

Pius of Sutica hears the news of disaster from Bishop Benedict, deciding to cease his writings. Now was the time to return to public life, for the faithful would need a Priest.

THE PATRIARCHATE OF CHICAGO

"WHAT WOVLDST THOV ASK, OR LEARN OF US? WE ARE READY TO DIE RATHER THAN TO TRANGRESS THE LAW OF GOD, RECEIVED FROM OUR FATHERS."-2 Maccabees 7:2. 

THE CHICAGO-ILLINOIS CHRONICLE IN THE TWO THOVSANDTH TWO HUNDREDTH AND SEVENTIE SIXTHE YEARE OF OUR BLESSED LORD'S INCARNACION. 

"GOING THEREFORE, TEACH YE ALL NATIONS; BAPTISING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY GHOST. AND BEHOLD I AM ALWAYS WITH YOU, EVEN TO THE CONSUMMATION OF THE WORLD."-St. Matthew 28:19-20.

GO THEREFORE BAPTISING

IN THIS YEARE HENCE, there rang on out cries as "Gaudete! Gaudete! Christus est natus, ex Maria Virgine! Gaudete!" That is "Rejoice, rejoice ye, Christ is born from Mary the Virgin! Rejoice!" We indeed had a more abundant Christmas than there ever was seen. Patriarchal Mass was celebrated in the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, the only part of the cathedral usable during the construcion. There was much rejoicing from all manner of men and women. The Patriarch Claudio, though a withdrawn man, preached a much needfulle sermon. He ended: "Prepare. Pray, pray, pray. Look after your families. Soon, Christ will give you an important worke. But if you pray, worry not, for God will outfit you with the arms necessary for the coming challenge. So for now, just enjoy your Christmas, of which I wish you all a very merry one, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Now them that hearde this were much confused in minde, and caste aboute in their heades what they were to make of such a thinge. But soone the wordes were forgotten once the good poore people enjoyed such abundance as never seen in the Wastaland, for the Patriarch supplied all that was needfulle to the people that they might feaste with their own families at Christmas-time. 

After the merriest Christmas and Christmastide since the Incarnacion, came Lent, and a great 40 days of penance and preperation just as the Patriarch had saide. All were not fixed on his wordes: "Prepare. Pray, pray, pray." He saide this again on the Firste Sunday of Lent, with an astonishingly short sermon in which he merelie saide: "Prepare." And so they did. All the families in the countrie were saying the holy Rosarie together, and the priests doubled their prayers before the Blessed Sacrament. The ongoing construcion of the cathedral had alreadie filled the common people, who are wontful of noveltie, with excitement.  We prayed as we had never once prayed at any time. We were preparing for something greate. A great commission as the Patriarch had warned us.

Then came the happie time of Easter. The rumour was spreade that this great taske of which the Patriarch had warned would be given at the Feast of Our Lord's Ascension. It all became cleare. "GO THEREFORE, TEACH YE ALL NATIONS IN MY NAME, BAPTISING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY GHOST." Was the Gospel reading. And upon reading it, there was a stirre among the people, for they knew this to be the great missione for which they had been preparing. The charismatic Father Gilbert was preaching. "Now is the time," Saide he "That we bringe the Name of Christ to this suffering citie. If this be a city of "mud", as insulting men are wantfulle to call it, let them knowe that it was Christ who deigned to be borne in the muddied wastaland of a poore cave, rejected by the innkeepers. God has broughte each one of us to this citie. It is our citie, our love, our pride. City of mud she may be, but our mud it is; I see only poor suffering souls chained cruelly in their sins and by those of others. And now we win her in the Name of Christ. Let us go forthe therefore, with one voice and minde, teaching all nacions in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and know that He is always with us, each to the consumacion of the worlde!" The "youthe", who are desirous of all manner of novelities and "memes" as I have hearde them so called, called this sermon "epic" and "based" although what manner of thinge it be based on is yet to be revealed by them. 

The Patriarch had planned this all. All this period, from the Exaltacione of Christmass to the penance and preparacion by which he helde the people in tencion, to the Great Commission of Ascension. The people with one minde felte they were ready and the clergy were fell of fervour. Their mission was to be the mission.

He therefore begins to sende the first missionaries into the worlde. On the feaste of Pentecost, new priests were ordained. On the feaste of Our Lady of Fatima, new Monician sisters were enrolled, took their vows or were donned full Sisters. Families and children crowned all the missionaries with flowers as they prepared for the way. May God help them all. (Details given in actions.)

UNDER THE MANTLE

"I AM THE MOTHER OF FAIR LOVE, AND OF KNOWLEDGE, AND OF HOLY HOPE."-Ecclesiasticus 24:24.

IN THIS YEARE HENCE, a number of pious women (X) approached Father Gilberte. They saide that, whilst the Monician vocation was noble, they wanted an Order that was purelie contemplative. The leader of these women, Edith Taylor (stranglie enough, a ghoule in the same manner as Mother Angelica), expressed her noble desire to have a convent of Carmelites in the Archdiocese. She was donned, clothed with the habit, and crown'd with the title of Mother Abbess, taking the religioux name "Fawstina of the Divine Mercie." Strengthened by the prayers of these women, the Church will surely be under Our Lady of Mount Carmel's Mantle.

THE SYNOD

"BEHOLD HOW GOODLY and PLEASANT, FOR BRETHREN TO DWELL IN VNITY!" (Psalm 133)

IN THIS YEARE HENCE, notified of the existence of non-humans possessed of wille and intellecte, a greate Sy-nod was gathered by the Patriarch in order to settle the questione. The proceedings were expected to be finished by nexte yeare. 

ACTIONS

-Three construction yards built in the other sector to help build the cathedral. (22,500 C.)

-The people are treated to a very merry and abundant Christmas. [3 S]

-A big period of penance and prayer in the Archdiocese and one of high religious fervour, there are many edifying sermons and families and religious pray the Rosary together.

-Missionary efforts: 11 Fathers of the Oratory are to have the honour of being the first missionaries of the Patriarchate. These are the boldest and most fearless men to be found in the Patriarchate, and they have the prayers of all the faithful behind them. They are very young and zealous. They spend around 5 months preparing, not only with prayer and penance, but also learning to move swiftly and unnoticed across the city. They take melee weapons with them in order to protect themselves against ghouls and wild beasts, but are not to use force against men unless strictly necessary to save another from distress (e.g. they see a man being tortured or what have you.) 11 Monician Sisters are sent also with them. These are given alms and medical supplies to help any they find in need. These all are sent into the world in all directions as each Father's iniatives strike him. They are told to be ready to suffer hardship, death or even slavery for Christ's sake. They help men and preach Christ to whomever they find without compromise, focusing on the Patron Saints of the Wasteland, Monica and Ehren. If they find friendly communities, they are to ask for hospitality and be helpful to them whilst showing them a Christian way of life by Faith, Hope and Charity: teaching by example first. Father Gilbert, burning with missionary zeal and frustration, must remain at home for now. [3 S for alms and medical supplies.]

-As part of the missionary efforts and with a treaty agreed at New Eden, a Benedictine Father and 6 Monician nuns are escorted from New Eden to NCR territory, blindfolded for the last part of the journey. 4 pallets of building material and 7500 caps are given to NCR to build a church there. The Father celebrates daily Mass with the nuns and anyone else willing to attend, whilst preaching the truth of the Faith and preaching supernatural hope in a realm of despair. The nuns say their office and help soldier and civilian in any way they can with their problems, particularly former slaves. The newly received Sister Marie Therese, naive but appearing to be from another world due to her brightness and altruism, leads the nuns. Another Priest is sent to be chaplain of the Republic of Douglas and does in like manner.

-Ten women enroll in the Carmelite Order, who establish themselves in the heart of the Archdiocese in a cloistered house.

-The clergy still-present gather together to deliberate on a theological issue.

-Construction of the cathedral is paused for the year.

-Research continues into small arms. [13/25.]

Stats.

Buildings: 1 Market (2000 C), 1 Scrap Yard (1 M, 500 upkeep), 2 Agri-Houses (4 S, 2000 upkeep), 1 Salvage Yard (750 Upkeep, 1 E), 2 Construction Yards (2 B, 1500 upkeep), 1 Fortification. In construction: 3 construction yards (The northward section).

10,950 Caps, 17 metal, 21 supplies , 4 building materials. 4 Energy. Population: 845.

SAPIENTIA IN CARNE

WISDOM INCARNATE OR; ON THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY.

TO OUR PRIESTS, MONKS AND ALL THE PEOPLES OF THIS CITY.

I.WISDOM INCARNATE, in today's Office, cannot help but provoke Our conscience to action, lest We receive those dreadful words from from His just sentence: "Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels." (St. Matthew 25:41) And what sentence is this? Suppose that We did great evil and iniquity? Suppose that we are constantly torturing and enslaving men and giving ourselves to lusts and fornications and rapine? Rather not, but Our Person should have received this sentence, not for action, but inaction. Not for bad speech, but for silence. In seeking to appease the world we failed to appease conscience, which Cardinal Newman calls "the primordial Vicar of Christ." 

II.For in this passage, Christ casts the cursed into the everlasting fire not for what they did alone, but for what they failed to do. "For I was hungry, and ye gave Me not to eat." (St. Matthew 25:42) And We shall reply: "Lord, when was it that we gave Thee not to it?" And He shall say: "Amen, Amen I say to thee, that what thou hast failed to do to the least of these My brothers, thou wilt have done unto Me." (St. Matthew 25:45) The Apostle was forced to realise that in persecuting the Church, His Body, He was persecuting the Head. For Our Lord said to him: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" (Acts 9:4) Be received ye therefore, all ye nations, into the Body of Christ through Holy Baptism, and hence be "given power to become sons of Gods" (St. John 1:12) and be part of that glorious Body. 

III.Therefore, Wisdom, in taking on flesh, becomes the poor and the oppressed. For He that took the "face of a leper" (Isaias 53:4), the troubles of "the man of sorrows" (53:3), and "the form of a slave" (Phillipians 2:7) for Our sake lives and suffers in the lepers and the slaves. For He says Himself: "I am a worm, and no man, the reproach of men, and the outcast of the people." (Psalm 21:7) We therefore, who speak with the voice of the Spouse of Christ, and guided by the Holy Ghost, must speak with the full force of Our Conscience, in saying that Christ in suffering here and now under the evils of chattel slavery, in which, as happened in previous times and was condemned by Our Venerable Predecessor, wicked men, "with fictitious reasoning and seizing and opportunity, have approached said islands by ship, and with armed forces taken captive and even carried off to lands overseas very many persons of both sexes, taking advantage of their simplicity." (Pope Eugene IV, Sicut Dudum, I.) 

IV.The men that do this will no doubt, if they continue unrepented of their actions, go to the outer darkness with their father the devil, where they will have weeping and gnashing of teeth for all eternity. The blathering and iniquitous men who perpetrate these acts will die in their sins. But We too must act against this terrible evil which afflicts so many in these lands. As it was Holy Church which restored law and courtesy and civilisation in the West after the fall of the Empire of the Romans, so after the fall of the American capitalist system, the Church speaks as a voice of prophecy and the Moral Law. We must not fear: As St. Philip says: "if God be with us, there is no one else left to fear." (Faber, Maxims.) We are in exile in this vale of tears. We are all exiled princes, "the light of the world" (St. Matthew 5:14) and "sons of the light" (1 Thessalonians 5:5) in this falling darkness. We must not therefore fail in Our duty; we must fear God alone, and do everything in view of winning our exiled Crown, which is to be found not in this world, but in the next. 

V.Princes of this world ought to know also that Wisdom also warns us "to him that is little mercy is shown: but the mighty shall be mightily tormented." (Wisdom 6:7) We therefore entreat all the nations who called this 'Mud City' their home to refrain from all tradings and relations to powers that continue to practise slavery. We ban all Christians, on pain of excommunication, from trading with such men as do these things also, by which We mean, slavery. You who are mighty must show mercy to those that are little, lest Him whose nature it is to show mercy but also uphold justice shows the same severity you showed to them who were little. The Church in America, our true and venerable Mother and endowed with all riches by Christ, "Whose heart trusteth in her" (Proverbs 31:11), therefore calls on all nations who prize benevolence, courtesy and justice as among their avowed principles to form a coalition against slavery, to promise freedom to the captives and embargo those wicked tribes who practise slavery. Nor will We, in whose Seat we speak launched the Holy Crusade against the monstrous Seljuks and their ravages against the Body of Christ in that country which is called Asia Minor, scruple to use the force of holy arms in alliance with the men, that, although they know not God by Holy Baptism, know Him remotely in some way, for as the Holy Apostle said to the Greeks: "This God of whom you know not, I preach to you." (Acts 20:25) The God we preach to you is the God who "hast led captivity captive." (Psalm 67:19) The God whom you know not, is the One who frees the captives, and it is Him We preach to you.

VI.Slaves are called to remember that venerable maxim of the Great Doctor, St. Augustine: "The just man, though a slave, is free, but the evil man, though he reigns, is a slave." The slaver is enslaved by the lusts and power of death, and is a son of satan. He who "loves his enemies" and "prays for those that persecute him" (St. Matthew 5:44), who shows that kind of disinterested Love (Caritas) which can only be found in God alone, for God is Love (Deus Caritas Est), is truly free, though he be in chains. He ought to know that the Son of God, rather than enjoying the infinite splendour and bosom of His Father, took the form of a slave in order to rescue him from the power of death. He who is Wisdom itself became a dumb Babe and at the Cross "as a dumb as a Lamb before His shearer" (Isaias 53:7), He who is innocence itself allowed Himself to be baptised; He who is Life itself was "obedient unto death, even unto the death of the Cross." (Phillipians 2:8) He did this out of an ineffable Love which We did not, in any sense, merit, but which was freely and liberally given unto us, who crucified Him by Our sins. Slaves are therefore entreated to show that same Love and mercy which Christ showed unto us to their slavers, taking Saint Monica for their example. 

VII.To Our Priests and Monicians, we send them on missions across the city, to preach the freedom of Christ to the captives that are in bonds, together with the slavers, and the civilised, fearing neither death, nor slavery, nor injury, knowing that they themselves have Life in Christ, Freedom in the Holy Ghost, and the healing of the Father. There, We will spread the Light of Christ: "for the light shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not." (St. John 1:5) Christ comes to conquer the wasteland, but the true wasteland is in our hearts. If there was a place there for divine love, Our city would not have become one of mud and death. O, senseless men of Chicago! Cease your pathetic stupor. Now it is Our Venerable wish that, in freeing the slaves of temporal Order, we be freed of slavery in the spiritual order, so that, by showing mercy in this life, we may be shown it in the next. 

VIII.A final entreaty to all the devout sons of the Catholic Church to pray the Most Holy Rosary without ceasing, to be constantly saluting the most Holy Mother of God with the splendid title "Hail, full of grace!" (St. Luke 1:28) For it is to be believed, as a matter of pious faith, that, when, on the first Sunday of October, 1571, the monstrous Mohemmadan army was intent on Jihad to conquer Christendom, it was the public processions of the Holy Rosary that secured the miraculous victory of the Crusader army. Fear not the snow, "for all her domestics are clothed with double garments" (Proverbs 31:21), and we, who are her domestics, fear nothing. So that as Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, was able to intercede for us and secure the victory from her Divine Son, she will so secure us victories in our own time. Only pray the Holy Rosary every day, in your families, in private and in public, and a wonderful moral order will shine forth from Our Patriacharate. Christ, as He was pleased to come through Our Lady and become Man, will in like manner overcome sin in your lives by that same most splendid means. And therefore say the Rosary every day so that we can merit the eternal prize of heaven. A blessing We wish you all in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and with which we give the Apostolic Benediction.

Issued in the name of the Holy See by Patriarch Claudio I, Papal Legate in America and Patriarch of Chicago. 

(See video for visual depiction.)

"Per omnia saecula saeculorum..." The former Archbishop, now Patriarch of America, bleated in half-sung Gregorian Chant.

"AMEN!" Came the thundering, deeply masculine reply from the choir.

"Oremus."

"Praeceptis salutataribus moniti, set Divina instutione formati, audemus dicere:

PATER NOSTER, QUI ES IN CAELIS,

SANCTICETUR NOMEN TUUM,

ADVENIAT REGNAM TUUM

FIAT VOLUNTAS TUA

SICUT IN CAELO ET IN TERRA

PANEM NOSTRUM 

QUOTIDIANUM 

DA NOBIS HODIE

ET DIMITTE NOBIS DEBITA NOSTRA

SICUT ET NOS DIMITTIMUS

DEBITORIBUS NOSTRIS

ET NE NOS INDUCAS IN TENTATIONEM...

...SED LIBERA NOS A MALO!"

Chicago had just had her first Patriarchal High Mass. For the first time, His Holiness Claudio, Patriarch of Chicago, sung the Lord's Prayer as Patriarch of America, endowed with the exercise of all Papal privileges in the United States. The Benedictines had found this privilege in an hardcoded archive of 2077, which was sent by Pope John Paul IV to mitigate the forthcoming nuclear disaster. The Archbishop of New York was to be granted, as a special Papal Legate, the de facto exercise of the Papal prerogatives in North America if regular contact with the Holy See should be impossible, under the title Patriarch of New York. If he was indisposed, then this privilege was to be granted to San Francisco. And then Washington. And then Dallas. 18th-down-the-line was the Mud City. But the only Archdiocese standing. A local Synod had ratified the decision.

The cry rang out after High Mass: HABEMUS LEGATUS! HABEMUS PATRIARCHA!

CHRISTUS VINCIT, CHRISTUS REGNANT, CHRISTUS IMPERAT!

WE HAVE A LEGATE! WE HAVE A PATRIARCH!

CHRIST CONQUERS, CHRIST REIGNS, CHRIST COMMANDS!

ALL HAIL HIS HOLINESS, PATRIARCH CLAUDIO YACOB.

THE CHICAGO-ILLINOIS CHRONICLE

THE TWO THOUSANDETH, TWO HUNDREDE AND SEVENTIE FIFTHE YEARE OF OUR BLESSED LORD'S INCARNATION.

BE STILL, AND SEE THAT I AM GOD...THE LORD OF HOSTS IS WITH US, THE GOD OF JACOB OUR PROTECTOR.  (Psalm 45)

THE SEAT OF A PATRIARCH

IN THIS YEARE HENCE, mindfulle of his new prestige, the Archbishop did not scruple any expense in ordering the construcion of a mightie basilica which would be dedicated to SS. Monica and Ehren. These wonder-full Saints are beacones of hope in the wastelande, that there be no power whatsoever, neither death, nor radiacion nor raiders that can overcome the mightie workings of Incarnate Love. For indeed, it will be well here to relate the storie of Saint Monica, as has been related to my satisfacion by the reliable witnesses at Rivet Citie. 

Monica was borne miraculously to Ghoul parents. She converted to Christianitie after finding Pope John Paul IV's 2074 appeal against the Greate Warre, and was received into Holie Church by our Archdio--asd Patriarchate. Now she had a son, who was much astray, for he had been taken by raiders. Now this son had become an evil man, and one of the enslaving workers of iniquity. After sixteene yeares of searching, Monica found her son, whose name was Ehren. Now she was taken as a slave by her own son. But she remained steadfaste in the faith, and even preached to the other slaves, converting some of them. Now a slaver was hatefull of this. For the women now he had forced himself on now resisted him and the slaves suffered merrily (which made him angrie full of envie.) For it is written in St. Augustine, that the just man, though a slave, is free, but the evil man, though he reigneth, is a slave. So that one slaver threatened: "Daughter of curres, thou art called by them Monica, but by me DOGGE, DEBASED, WITHCERIE, DUNG, RATTE, *****, SLUTTE, AND ALL MANNER OF BAD THINGES. Now since thou wilt continue to speake fables, I am a mind to padlocke thy mouthe!"

And Monica replied: "Sir, thou art truly a godsend. I praise the good God for strengthening me thus, for trulie, if thou didst do that, it woulde preache a sounder and truer message than any wordes of mine. Let my willingness to have this done be seen by all! FIAT MIHI!" (Quoting Our Ladie, St. Luke 1:38, and these wordes, through the which man's redemption was affected, have become the motto of the Monician Order.)" And he relented. 

Now after all manner of these thinges, mother and son were finallie mindfulle of one another, that is, the talke which Monica gathered aboute herself by her brave actione caused the realisacion that Ehren was her son. Now, on finding this, Ehren was much angered, blaming all the sufferings of past yeares on her. Now everie time, to a superhuman level, she would practise charitie. Namelie, even when she had been beaten to neare deathe, said she: "I forgive thee in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ." After several dayyes, Ehren broke down at these wordes. He felle at her feete and begged for forgiveness. Ehren helped many slaves escape, and went to Rivet Citie, where they founde a Prieste. Mother and son lived very holie lives and Ehren was ordained a Priest. He, in turne, ordained the parish priest of that citie, Father Clifforde, who told me this storie himself. 

Now Ehren used to preach at Mass to his small congregacione, to this effect (the which I have transcribed from Father Clifforde's notes: "The true miracle is love. Saint Chrysostom says: "When Christ said what was to be the sign that would mark out Christians, he passed over all the great miracles and so forth, and said rather this: this will be the sign, that you are my disciples, that you love one another. That my mother was born of ghoulish parents and yet incorrupt is not the miracle. The miracle, the truly supernatural thing, is that she said: I forgive you, in the Name of Christ Jesus. To love our friends, that belongs to the nature of men. But to love our enemies, that belongs to the nature of a God. And trust me, it is the only remedy to the problems of the Wasteland: But that many that did receive Him, He gave power to become the sons of God! (St. John 1:12) Therefore, friends, brethren, comrades, receive His love into your hearts, embrace His mercy, and sin, death and hatred will be crushed before you like the snake under the Lady's foot." (Referring to a statue of our Blessed Lady, the Second Eve, in which she crushes the snake.)

Now Father Gilbert Keith poured manie materials into this cathedral. And it was complained that these should go into weapons. But Gilbert said: "Fill this basilica with families praying the Rosary, and I will conquer the world." So building began. Some were oughtfulle to ask what caused the usually pragmatic Patriarch to take an actione of no natural advantage but rather of a spiritual qualitie, and many said he was graced by the Holy Ghost.

FIAT MIHI SECVNDVM VERBVM TVVM. (St. Luke, 1:38)

ACTIONS

-The Archbishop, finding an archive confirming his legitimacy, claims the title Patriarch of Chicago, essentially the Papal representative in America. 

-The newly conquered region is integrated into the Patriarchate. [5 B, 10,000 C.]

-Construction begins on a cathedral of SS. Monica and Ehren, to serve as a bastion of hope in the wasteland...The cathedral will be staffed by The Oratory and Diocesan Priests and the Monician nuns. It is built, as far as permitted by wasteland resources, in a weird mix of gothic and baroque - but no expense is spared.  [5 B, 5 M, 28,000 C.]

-In order to keep the frontier secure, Sir Charles leads an expedition northwards to take control of the northward region, with 150 men armed with T1 firearms and T2 melee. [To be shown.]

-Research continues into T2 small arms. [9/25]

STATS

Buildings: 1 Market, 1 Scrap Yard, 2 Agri-Houses, 1 Salvage Yard, 2 Construction Yards, 1 Fortification.

12,450 Caps, 14 metal, 24 supplies , 0 building materials. Population: 828.

"I should rather like the Empire to be filled with humility." Comments Fr. Pius.

“Keep our life all spotless,
make our way secure
till we find in Jesus,
joy for evermore.”

AVE MARIS STELLA, in F. B.V.M.

THE CHICAGO-ILLINOIS CHRONICLE

IN THE TWO THOVSANDETH, TWO HVNDREDE AND SEVENTIE-THIRDE YEARE OF OVR LORD’S INCARNACION.

”GOD SAID TO MOSES: I AM WHO AM. HE SAID: THVS SHALT THOV SAY TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL: HE WHO IS, HATH SENT ME TO YOV.” (Exodus 3:14)

THE EXPANCION

In this YEARE HENCE, the Archbishop was oughtful to avoid that which is written in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, namlie in the entrie for eleven-thirtie-seven: They were all forsworne, and forgetful, each one, of their trothe; for everie rich man builte his castles, which they helde againste him: and they filled the lande full of castles. They cruellie oppressed the wretched men of the land with castle-workes; and when the castles were made, they filled them with devils and evil men. Then tooke they those that they supposed to have any goodes, bothe by nighte and by daye, labouring men and women, and threw them into gaol for their golde and silver, and inflicted on them tortures unutterable; for never were any martyrs so tortured as they were. And seeing that the state of the lande was most pitiful, and like unto what we have just read, he was oughtful to expande the reign of Our Lord, Jesu Christe, into more partes of the countrie. He was of a very different minde to Father Gilbert Keith of the Congregacion of the Oratorie, who, caring not for politics temporal, at once wanted to dispatche all the priestes and missionarie nuns all about the countrie and the citie, and preach the Name of Christ to all the poore savages. But the Archbishop, being more watchful, and a “big-brained centurist” as I have somewhere hearde, was eager rather to expande our territorie, and to preach Christ to those within, and proclaim Him to them that are without. Now it is well known that Father Gilbert is a man without fear save that of God, and when this was putte to him, he replied, Quem Timebo? That is, as it is written in the Twentie-Sixth Psalm of David, The Lord is my Light and my Salvation, Whom shall I fear? And furthermore, said he, Panem nostram quotidianum da nobis hodie, namelie, give us this daye our daily bread, implying that as God has alreadie given His Church his Only-Begotten, the flower of the field, and the lily of the vallies, there is nothing more needful or precious than this which He will fail to supply, and hence we pray with trust those wordes. But, as a man of concorde, he urged them all to pray for the inspiration of the Holy Ghost in this matter. It was the day after the Sundaye of the Christmas Ocatve. Now the Archbishop was unmoved, and spoke against Gilbert harshlie, and then saide by way of remedie, Merry Christmas. And all rejoiced, but Gilbert, eager to crowne himself with the restful laurel of holie obedience, about whiche is given the maxim, namlie that a singel act of holie obedience is more meritorious than a thousand voluntarie mortificacions, agreed to the Archbishop’s plan, he having the seat of authoritie, whereunto our Lord said unto His Apostles: He who hears you, hears Me.

After this, von Manstein and Charles the Younge Knight, led a force to occupy that territorie most adjacent on our northe, and, being so moved, occupied the region with a force of 75 armed men. And following them, they went aboute, decreeing saftie and law for all men, and if any men were found in that region not aggressing against our hoste, there came our priests to preach to them, led by Father Gilbert, and Mother Angelica with some nuns to succour them with alms, for it is written in the Book of Proverbs, he that hateth the poore, despiseth his Maker.

And the Archbishop instructed our men to this effect, namelie that the whole countrie occupied should be inspected for radio equipment of any kinde. And there being a water-workes, anything that might be needful there.

“JESVS SAID TO THEM: BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS MADE, I AM. THEY THEREFORE TOOK UP STONES TO STONE HIM.” (St. John, 8:58)

“BLESSED BE THE LORD MY STRENGTH”

IN this YEARE HENCE, the labour of researching the manufacture of firearms was finished. And we were so needful of them, that even the monkes were called upon to help direct their manufacture. When they were made, the Archbishop did a mass blessing of all the rifles and pistols which had been made, which we call, lances and swords. And these are the words of the Archbishop, quoting the Psalmist, Blessed be the Lord my strength, who teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.

But we monkes, most eager to return to the study of the natural sciences, of philosophie, and historie, and oratorie, and all the other oughtful subjects profitable to the natural life of man, were compelled by obedience once more to looke into the weapons of war, and we tried to improve on them that were already made. 

Meanwhile after Lent and Passiontide, Manstein spends the yeare manfulie training our milicia.

”WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE TRVE, WHATSOEVER MODEST, WHATSOEVER JVST, WHATSOEVER HOLY, WHATSOEVER LOVELY, WHATSOEVER OF GOOD FAME, IF THERE BE ANY VIRTUE, IF ANY PRAISE OF DISCIPLINE, THINK ON THESE THINGS.” (Philippians 4:8)

ACTIONS

-75 men armed with T2 melee go into the neighbouring district, namely the waterworks, and occupy and subdue it. If there is any creature not immediately hostile, he is offered the Gospel, safety and bread. They are led by Marshal von Manstein and his lieutenant, the now-beloved Sir Charles. (Will be marked on discord.) [MOD]

-A search is made especially in that district for radio equipment. [MOD]

-T1 gunpowder firearms research complete. [10/10.] 100 are made. [4 M.]

-Leftover R put into T2 gunpowder firearms. [1/25]

-150 men are upgraded to trained. [15,000 C]

-1 S is spent on alms, if there be any poor in that district. [1 S]

STATS

STATS

Buildings: 1 Market, 1 Scrap Yard, 2 Agri-Houses, 1 Salvage Yard, 2 Construction Yards, 1 Fortification.

10,450 Caps, 11 metal, 18/9 supplies , 8 building materials. Population: 796.

Pius writes a note:

"Some men call our religion prohibitive because it prohibits seven things in the Virtue. But if there are seven things we cannot do, then there are an infinite number of things we can can do. Canonism therefore works on the basis that everything not prohibited is licensed. 

A man may still have freedom within this framework. Indeed, it is only when we follow the Virtue that we are truly free, because sin darkens the intellect and weakens the will. Therefore, a creature possessed by an inability to sin may still be said to possess free will, because he can choose inside of these boundaries. An Angel would therefore freely will to pay this or that adoration to God, or vouchsafe this or that blessing to mankind; if there be nothing contrary to morality in it, he still can be said to have acted freely. Does an inability to sin, therefore, necessarily and completely exclude free will? There is still an infinite number of things they can do, just within the very broad boundaries of not doing a few select and numbered things. 

An alternative solution may be that the Angels always will Good. Now since God is the Good as the Prophet Godfrey tells us, they freely will whatsoever God wills, by willing what is true, good and beautiful, just as the Saints do.

I do not propose to speak as an expert in this matter. These are only two potential solutions which you may wish to investigate which came to my mind immediately upon reading Your Excellencies' Epistles."

“IT IS CONSVMMATED.” (St. John 19:30.)

“ABROAD the regal banners fly,
now shines the Cross's mystery:
upon it Life did death endure,
and yet by death did life procure.”

VEXILLA REGIS PRODUENT, CHANT FOR HOLY CROSS.

THE CHICAGO-ILLINOIS CHRONICLE.

THE TWO THOVSANDETH, TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SECOND YEAR OF OUR LORD’S INCARNATION.

THE HAPPIE RETURNE. 

“BEHOLD THOV ART FAIR, O MY LOVE, BEHOLD THOV ART FAIR; THY EYES ARE AS THOSE OF DOVES.” (Canticles 1:14.)

In this yeare hence, the aforementioned symp-turned-knighte returned, but it was founde that the crope could not growe in the citie of Chicago, even in the greener parts, except in the agri-house, which defeates the pointe of the fruite in the firste place. Nowe I will relate the wonder-full tale of his returne and shew forth how it ledde to a new policie. 

This aforementioned young knighte, of the name Charles, was much be-sorrowed and full-distressed, thinking this disappointment woulde be the ende of him. Now the knighte resigned the matter to Our Lord, and begged Our Lady’s intercession, it being her monthe of May. Now as Our Lord Jesu Christe, being wonte to admonish the Church (A worde, “admonish”, which was well prov’d by the present author in a previous treatise, to be evenly derived from the Latin “admoneo, admonere”, and men are entreated to reade this if they wish to heare of the derivaction of this worde plainlie shewn) saide to this effecte, that a man who intends adulterie hath alreadie committed adulterie of the hearte. Wherefore, the intention is said to have primacie, in the eyes of God, who is outside of space and time, for He, who can do anything by mere Fiat, respecteth not the deedes of men, but the love of them, “not greate deeds, but greate love,” as St. Therese of the Infant Jesus said. So that a man who journies to the Holie Mass, but dies on the waye, receiveth the same graces, for having given the intention, even if he coulde affecteth not the action. And the Archbishop and all the plebes shewed a Christ-like attitude in this instance.

So, coming into our parte of the citie, he and his partie, he was expecting disgrace. But upon seeing his returne, the Archbishop was gladfulle to see them safe, and thanked God, and they said a Te Deum in thanks. And all the little children, who had been crowning the statue of Our Lady with whatever flowers they could muster from the darknesse of the Vastaland, threwe them about Sir Charles, and the seeds of the fruite were placed before Our Lady’s statue. And Sir Charles married this ladie Matilda, to whom he saide, “Behold thou art fair, thy eyes are doves’ eyes” (quoting the Holie Canticles) and they consecrated their marriage to Christ Jesu, and on whose Feaste of King-shippe they were joined in holie matrimonie. And Charles had made a pair of ringes, merelie from scrappe metall, but surelie appreciated, in which the wordes were inscribed: “Sum tuum praesedium confugimus, sancta Dei Genitrix.” Namelie, we fly to thy protection, O Holie Mother of God. And all the towne hailed him as a greate knighte; he was crowned with wreaths and entered in triumph, and Fr. Gilbert Keith of the Congregacion of the Oratorie gave him sacred relics, namelie parte of the habit of Saint Monica, our glorious patron, whiche was still stained with blood and mortified from all the whippings she suffered at the handes of her sonne, the other being a relic of this same sonne who was converted by her example, namelie his combat knife. And Charles tying the habit-piece to a standard, made it his banner.  And the Archbishop gave to von Manstein a large Crosse used at the miraculous Battel of Lepanto against the Turkes in the one-thousandth and seventie-firste yeare of Our Lord’s Incarnacione. and this he placed on a pole and these two became the banners of the armie. And before a battel, after Holie Mass, the soldiers are wonte to venerate these three relics to steadie their courage.

But I fearre that this storie diverts from the central purpose, only I thoughte it oughte to be mentioned for the benefit of future generations. Now after the news came that the fruite planne had failed, the Archbishop knew two thinges: namely we needed to built more agricultural houses, and also that we were need-full of territorial expancion, and that both the sustenance of the communitie, and the teaching of the nations in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost would be much-adifficultied by the lack of arable lande. So he gathered all the men of the Archdiocese together, and the Abbesse of the Nuns, this devout ghoule of whom we spoke, and saide to that effect. And all men were of one minde and agreed to these courses of action, namlie to builde what oughte to be built, and to expand into foreign territorie.  

THE EXPANCION.

“THOV ART PETER, AND VPON THIS ROCK I WILL BVILD MY CHVRCH, AND THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT. AND I WILL GIVE THEE THE KEYS TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, AND WHATSOEVER THOV SHALT BIND ON EARTH, SHALL BE BOVND ALSO IN HEAVEN.” (St. Matthew 16:18-19.)

Now in this yeare hence, things moved more quicklie than the Archbishop reckoned. It happeneth that as the Firste Sunday of May is a time of happie jubilacions for goode Christians who seeke to imitate the virtues of the Blessed Virgin, such as humilitie, chastitie, and charitie. Now as man hath occasion for silliness, naughtiness and haughtiness if jovialitie be misplaced, the former of that three possesseth younge girls with even greater lack of sense. Now a Novice of the Order of St. Monica, in her fourteenth yeare, who had lived with nuns her whole life and who knew little of the evils outside of her spiritual familie, wandered out of our territorie in saying the Rosarie, with little view of the danger. Now she sang the Regina Caeli with some splendidness, but some of our men hearde of it, and went with all speed in realising the danger, and before it coulde be saide, a good manie armed men were in the districte. Now the young Sister was founde, as it seems that Merciful Providence kept her safe, but now the Archbishop ordered the immediate manufacture of arms to prepare an expedition to take control for next year.

SERMON FOR OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, CHRIST THE KINGE.

“MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD. IF MY KINGDOM WERE OF THIS WORLD, MY SERVANTS SHOVLD CERTAINLY STRIVE THAT I BE NOT DELIVERED TO THE JEWS: BUT MY KINGDOM IS NOT FROM HENCE.” (St. John 18:36)

These wordes were said on the Sunday before the Feaste of all Saints, that being, by order of His Holiness Pius IX in 1925, the Feaste of our Lord Jesus Christ, Kinge of the Universe, by Fr. Gilbert Keith who preached at Vespers to the Benedictine Monks, called in vulgar tongue Evensong, the whiche I have recorded for the betterment of mankind. Because he is but an illiterate man and slave of the age, he wrote this sermon in “””modern English.”””

”Most new ideologies are old errors re-dressed. When Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925, all that was permanent and had stood forever seemed to be gone. The splendid throne of the Ottomans, the sprawling Empire of the Hapsburgs; the ancient autocracy of the Romanovs disappeared like dust in the wind. The totalitarian ideologies of Fascism and Communism were rising. Meanwhile, in the morally bankrupt Weimar Republic and the anti-clerical regime of Spain there were the stirrings of a second war even more destructive than the first. In this time of total war, was there any throne that would remain firm? Any hope that remained untrampled? Any King who remained unexiled? 

Pope Pius XI gives us the answer: Jesus Christ is King. Where did the ideologies of Pius XI’s time lead to? What happened to the gleaming promise of a better future under democracy, a worker’s paradise under Communism, or the racial utopia of the Nazis? Look out the window, and you will see, sure enough, where man’s unaided efforts lead. Man’s own efforts at salvation have fettered themselves and failed, one-by-one. They consumed the world in atomic fire. And now? They will fail again, with the same result. Whether the laughable attempt to resurrect the barbarism of pagan Rome that will die with its dictator, the futile hope of New World democracy that will drown in the own weight of its unfettered greed just as the Old World democracy did, or the thought-deprived, chem-filled savagery of the various raider groups that ends in misery for the slave and the slaver alike, the world labels old errors by new names, and proclaims that these very ideologies that destroyed the world in the first place are the sole salvation of the world today.

The Foot of the Cross is the only place where sin and death make any sense. Christ proclaims Himself King, not in the Bosom of his Eternal Father, nor in the glory of His miracles, neither in the love of the crowds, which He avoids, but battered, bruised, bound in rope and chain, and before the man who is about to sentence Him to His death, while all the while the Jews cry out: “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” His Kingdom is everlasting: no scandal can shake it, no deprivation can move it; no atom bomb can extinguish it: because He is the King of hearts and souls. The Kingdom of God does not start with a governmental system, an economic policy or a novel technology. It starts in the heart. Let us therefore submit first to Jesus Christ, and beg His kingdom shew itself forth in our hearts through the mighty workings of the Holy Ghost, so that we may receive “power to become the Sons of God,” transformed into His likeness and image; beacons of hope and joy in a world fallen and tortured by sin and degeneracy. The old errors will die and fail as they always have. Christ alone is Saviour, and the gates of hell cannot prevail against the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Many men have proclaimed to be the death of the Church: where are they today? Be not afraid.”

ACTIONS.

“BLESSED BE THE LORD WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH, WHO HATH DIRECTED THEE TO THE CVTTING OFF THE HEAD OF THE PRINCE OF OVR ENEMIES.” (Judith 13:24)

-1 Agri-House Built (5000 C, 2 B.)

-2 Construction Yard Built (7,500 C.)

-1 Fortification Built. [500 C, 1 B.]

-4 Research placed into small arms. [7/10.]

-450 T2 melee weapons made. (3 M)

-Researched: Armour T2, Melee T2.

STATS

Buildings: 1 Market, 1 Scrap Yard, 1 Agri-House, 1 Salvage Yard.  In construction: 1 Agri, 2 Construction Yard, 1 fort. 

8,800 Caps, 12 metal, 14 supplies , 6 building materials. Population: 780.

“Excellent work,” says Father Pius.

“My Most Reverend Father Benedict,

Your recent letter was very enlightening, but this is only what I have always come to expect from a priestly soul so enlightened by divine grace. I would only add that I do not think there is anything contrary to faith and morals in obeying an Angel, insofar as it does not contradict obedience to God. For neither does the obedience of a subject to his lord contradict the obedience of a Canonist to his Lord, if there be nothing contrary to faith and morals. My rule, therefore, is that if an Angel should come down and warn against the errors of our day, and urge us to turn back to God, to give to the poor and live according to Virtue, to say specific vocal prayers or teach us to see an already established Dogma in a new light, then I can see nothing contrary to faith or morals in taking heed of it. But if they should say anything contrary to these things, we ought to utterly reject the apparition. Other important measures for the verity of an apparition include the state of mind of the recipient, and the authenticity of signs made to confirm the alleged apparition’s truth. In these matters intellect and reason must have primacy; they are not of the faith.

In any case if the Church should investigate and approve such a thing, it should never make belief in it binding, for the Revelation received in the Scrolls alone is needful for our salvation. Anything else which is alleged to be received is for the private benefit or devotion of Church members, and not for changing or challenging Dogma. As for example, the apparitions of St. Julia to St. Kristoff, and the apparition of St. Catherine to Ven. Humbert.

I remain your obedient son in deepest affection,

Fr. Pius, Priestly Fraternity of Saints Jude and Kristoff.”

THE CHICAGO-ILLINOIS CHRONICLE

”AND MARY SAID: MY SOVL DOTH MAGNIFY THE LORD, AND MY SPIRITH HATH REJOICED IN GOD, MY SAVIOVR. FOR HE HATH LOOKED KINDLY UPON THE NOTHINGNESS OF HIS HANDMAIDEN; BEHOLD, FROM HENCEFORTH, ALL GENERATIONS SHALL CALL ME BLESSED.”

(St. Luke, 1:46-47.)

THE TWO THOUSANDE TWO HUNDREDE AND SEVENTIE-FIRSTE YEARE OF OUR LORD’S INCARNACION. 

-

IN THIS YEARE HENCE, BY THE INEFFABLE MERCIE OF ALMIGHTIE GOD, AROVNDE THE FEASTE OF THE EPIPHANIE OF OUR LORDE, JESV CHRISTE, THERE BEGAN A MIGHTIE QVEST WORTHIE OF THE CHIVALRIC NAME. It was Seconde Vespers of that glorious feaste, and the glorious Magnificat of Our Blessed Lady was sung with mightie power by the Monkes and Nunnes, according to the composicion of that most excellente composer of Sacred Musique, who is called, in Italian tongue, Palestrina. Nowe this all came aboute due to a practice I have hearde in manie partes called “symping”, and it must be saide that we monkes find it most detestable on hearing of it; indeede if such a thinge existed in pre-scourging times, we ought to have beene bombed more, says I. But this talle may be proofe that God Almightie can bring goode even out of the greatest evil. For a soldier of valiant name, and the militarie commander von Manstein’s chief manne, is a man of Frankish stock called Charles de Mudiville, who, filled with romantic talles of chivalrie and knightlie courage, was wont to please a beautiful ladie called Matilda. 

After Seconde Vespers, called in the English tongue, Evensong, His Grace the Magnus Episcopus, or in the tongue of the Angles, the Archbishop Claudio of Chicago, gathered all the Priestes and the Abbesse of the Nunnes, Mother Angelica of the Immaculate Concepcion, an old ghoule of the greatest renone for wisdome, whereof she obtained by the pious and laudibil practice of saying the Holie Rosarie of our Blessed Ladie, which is called the Angelic Psalter of Marie. Nowe upon gathering together, the author of the presente volume was given leave to speake of a manuscripte founde in correspondance with Father Clifforde of Rivet Citie, wherein he found speaking of a strange fruite knowne to grow in the land called properly ‘Johnpaule the Secondsforde’, after the heroic Pontiffe of that name, but vulgarly called ‘Point Lookout.’ Now this countrie has in it a most excellente fruite rumoured to be able to grow in infertile and even irradiated places, and is saide to even have a minor healing effect on what is called “raddes,” or radiacion. Now we were needfulle of foode, and so after many manful objections from von Manstein (who saide he coulde find no justificacion for such an actione in Vegetius or Caesar, nor the First Booke of Maccabees, being obviouslie wronge, having no scholarlie know-ledge, but militarie alone), he agreed finallie with great tencion to allow men on an expedicion to that distante countrie, but onlie if a manne would volunteer to lead it.

Nowe it seemed as if all the men had growne effeminatte and unmanful, but this “symp” of which we spoke, agreede to volunteer, after Matilda required it of him, and the chivalric minde of that man, was therefore led from the depths of the black sin of “symphoode” into the mightie realme of chivalrie, and was given a mightie quest. And so, in this yeare hence, Charles was called by the Archbishop Sir Charles the Younge Knight, and ledde six armed men and one Monke to go on an adventure to that countrie to try and retrieve this same fruite, in hopes that seeds might be brought back, and, in being ported home, that we might see a revival in agriculture, as was seene in the time called the Mediaeval Time, after the falle of the Roman Empire to the Paganes had disrupted matters for manie centuries. [MOD: Sir Charles de Muddivile, a young and bold commander, with six men and a monk are sent on an expedition to “that distante countrie” to bring back this fruit, Punga Fruit.]

This is the transcripte of what this ladie, Matilda, said to the man: “Sir, if thou wouldst plead thy suit to me with empty wordes, I am found needfulle of the divine assistance of the Holy Ghoste, if I should divest myself of His borrowed glorie for the sake of such a manne. Now since thou art so convinced of thy greate manfullness, go mightilie on that queste set thee by His Grace, the Bishop, and, upon triumphante return, I shalle accepte thy wed, even at the coste of taking the name, Muddiville. And as the Psalmist hath said to thee: The Lorde ruleth me, I shall want for nothing. He maketh me downe to lie, in pastures greene. He leadeth me, the quiet waters by. For though I shoulde walk through the midst of the shadow of deathe I shall feare no evil, for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staffe, they have been a comforte to me. And St. Alphonsus intepreting, saith that the rod be the Rod of Jesse, namelie our Blessed Lady, as it is related in the Prophet Isaias, And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower show rise up out of his root, and the staffe, the Crosse, wherefore it is written by the Same Psalmist: the Lord hath reigned from the Wood. And armed with these thinges, feare not, sir, but let thy hearte take courage. And as the Arch-Angel Michael’s name speaks, Quis ut Deus? That is, Who is like unto God? And armed with that buckler, fear not a thing.” And so he wente on the adventure in a queste to win her hearte, and so went from “symp” to “man”, and to returne a knighte as true as St. George, God willing. Praise be to God, so Almightie and Merci-ful that He can make Saintes even of Sympes. To Him be glory and honour, forever and ever. Amen.

“EXPECT THE LORD, DO MANFVLLY, AND LET THY HEART TAKE COVRAGE, AND WAIT THOV FOR THE LORD.” 

(Psalm 26:14.)

-

IN THIS YEARE HENCE, several thinges transpired:

-IN THIS YEARE HENCE, ancious to secure what coulde be a new source of foode, the Archbishope sent a small bande with one of our monkes, an ordained man, with some picked men to study what was supposed to be a fruit most wonderfulle, capable of growing in places considered infertile or even irradiated. [Mod, 1 R Spent on this expedition and 7 MP.]

-In this yeare hence, a searche for radio equipmente is made in the Catholic-controlled territorie. [Mod]

-In this year hence, we discovered a pile of bookes on “ekonomics” and implemented the ideals contained therein, wherefore the Psalmist saith: ‘Glorie and wealthe shalle be in his house, and his justice remaineth for ever.’ [Development Point Invested in Streamlined Economy, 5% higher Cap Income]

-In this year hence, the monkes were compelled to cease their customarie studies of the humanities and take up researching smalle armes in conjuncion with the greate knighte, von Manstein. [3 R Invested ]

-In this yeare hence, covetous for the goodwille of us plebes, a market was builte by the Archbishop. (-1 B, -5000 C.)

“THOV ART BEAVTIFVL, O MY LOVE, SWEET AND COMELY AS JERUSALEM; TERRIBLE AS AN ARMY SET IN BATTLE ARRAY.”

(Canticle of Canticles, 6:63.)

STATS

10,000 Caps, 12 metal, 11 supplies, 0 research, 9 building materials. Population: 765.

Research: Armour T2, Melee T2.

Pius of Sutica writes a brief note:

“Your Holiness, Eminences, and Excellencies:

I am far from a specialist in this subject, and submit myself to your judgement in this matter, only, I hasten to add this point: namely that if we are forced to choose between a dogmatic document and a Catechism, it is meet that we go with the document that proclaims itself dogmatic. As the late Fr. Boniface (God rest his soul) was wont to point out, (before his eventual stray into heresy and schism) a Catechism is not an infallible document. It is merely a document for the benefit of the faithful for explaining and defending the Faith. Therefore, Catechisms should be read with the greatest respect and reverence, and we ought to embrace their teaching insofar as they do not contradict the Scrolls, or authoritative dogma, but insofar as they do, we must go with the dogma. I think I can best express it by saying that Catechisms are authoritative, but not dogmatic. I know nothing more, and have not the time to undertake a rigourous study of this. I leave it in Your Excellencies hands, and ultimately, God’s.

I remain your humble servant,

Fr. Pius, F.S.S.C.T.”

“There is a great fault in logic in the Open Letters. She says “It must be God’s will for me to consummate same sex relations, because I have prayed many years, and yet still lust after it.” By the same logic, it must be God’s will for a man to snap at his wife, to underpay his workers, and to fornicate because a man can pray on these things and yet still have the urge. This is what I said in response to the first Open Letter, namely that she fails to make a distinction between inclination and act. Just as a man who is inclined to gluttony does not commit the sin of gluttony unless he actually and deliberately sins against temperance,  so is a man, accepting what she says as true (namely, that these inclinations be immovable and unwanted) not condemned for having these affectations, only for acting on them.”

1 hour ago, Boniface said:

"Damage control st its finest, the fact that James is too lazy and unable to respond and has others do it for him tells it all, nevertheless I shall pen a response." Said Boniface.

""Damage control?" You still don't believe me, do you? I did not write this for the Pontiffs sake, but for yours. Remember that as Ven. Humbert said, the road to the Void is paved with the skulls of Priests. I write this to save you from error and sin - that is it! But of course, you must imagine me as some kind of polemicist writing under the Pontiffs yoke. Let it here be professed ex animo, and with a total internal and external assent and consent, that I love you, and wrote this Apology for your good, and out of loving free will. These polemical matters are too high above me. I am a doctor of the soul. You've become so skewed by wont of reform that you've forgotten the good of the immortal soul," replies Pius.

THE FIRST APOLOGY: AGAINST THE SCHISM OF BONIFACE

THE PURPOSE OF THIS VOLUME.

His Holiness, James II, High Pontiff of the Canonist Church; True and Legitimate Successor of the High Priesthood.

Friends.

It would be superfluous, in a volume such as this, to reckon up and  respond to each and every accusation made by Boniface in this Forty-One Theses. Many of them concern Church politics. I am a simple Priest, and even of that I am unworthy, and so I have made a point never to seek rank or advancement, nor involve myself in secular or ecclesial politics. I am a steward of souls, not a counter of coins. It is Boniface’s soul, and those he is leading into Schism, that concerns me - those I would save, and all else is irrelevant to me. Even if I had an interest in that manner of happening, I have no knowledge: and I will speak on the things vouchsafed unto me by God, rather than flapping my tongue on matters I know nothing about. Therefore, for the sake of argument, I grant each and every one of the non-doctrinal allegations made by Boniface in this Apology, simply because I am entirely ignorant, and even if they are true, even if things were worse, they would not begin to justify the course of action he has taken, nor the false doctrine he preaches. 

I am aware that Boniface does not agree with my manner of conduct, and he accused me of harshness when I wrote a letter on the Sacred Priesthood, which anathematised false doctrines. But the Church is intolerant in principle because she believes; she is tolerant in practice, because she loves; her enemies are tolerant in principle because they do not believe, and often-times are intolerant in practice, because they do not love. I am a Canonist and a Priest of the Church. As a Canonist, I love, and therefore tolerate. As a Priest, I teach, and therefore do not tolerate. This is a fact that Boniface has forgotten; that is where he and the Pontiff differ. I am willing to forgive malpractice because I, too, am a sinner, but I will not tolerate false doctrines. When the Church rightly condemns false doctrines as her Prophetic duty, as I proved in my Tract on the Sword of Owyn, he complains of tyranny, but when the Church tolerates certain instances of sin, he complains of laxity. He has it the wrong way around. It is in sin that we ought to be tolerant, for we, too, are sinners. But in error, the Church ought to admonish and anathema, for she has no false doctrine, but is the sole dispenser, intepreter and receiver of that Revelation vouchsafed unto her by Almighty God. For that same Owyn that fell into grave sin wrote “There cannot be laxity in faith for any reason.” (Spirit 2:13) The Church can sometimes tolerate sinful men for she wants to save their lives and forgive them, but she can never tolerate erroneous doctrines precisely because she wants to save their lives. If a man were to steal a mina from me, I shall forgive him, for God is Love. (Proverbs 5:1)  If a man were to preach a false doctrine to me, I shall rebuke him, for God is Truth. (Proverbs 1:2) And this is exactly the task which is before me now. I remain in that task, as ever, your humble servant,

Fr. Pius, Priestly Fraternity of Saint Kristoff and Jude. 

Note: Since I began writing this volume, Boniface wrote his proposals for reform. I confess that there are many excellent reforms, which any man concerned with justice and truth ought to consider. However, even the most admirable and excellent reforms of all time would not justify a single, tiny sin. His ends may be good, but the means are not justified thereby; the means of Schism and irreverence are not the means by which true reform is achieved. Only inside the Church, can these things be done. 

Point I.To Reject the ‘Virosi Church’ and Yet Claim to be a Member of the Church, is Nonsensical; Irreverence Against the Pontifical Office is a Sin.

Boniface claims he is a member of the Church, but then rejects the “Virosi Church”, irreverently referring to the High Pontiff by his birth name, Godric Virosi. (See Section XXXII.) Boniface has repeatedly done this in public, in order to justify his schism. Boniface rejects the Pontiff’s authority to rebuke him, as he is convinced that he is in the right. Boniface remains convinced that he is in the Church despite rejecting the current High Pontiff (de facto: by basically ignoring his decrees and considering his excommunication invalid whilst irreverncing his office), whose Sacred Office he disdains, and against whom he is guilty of a gross and sinful irreverence. As I have often explained to him, personal failings on the part of James II are irrelevant. When we call him James II, Holy Father, or His Holiness, it is not Virosi the man we reverence, but rather James the Pontiff.

I)first, the sin of irreverence. The Seat of the High Pontiff is an holy seat, holier than all of the Bishops put together. The High Priesthood was established by God’s command, through the Prophet Owyn. (Gospel 5:3) The High Priest, therefore, is specially entrusted as an inheritor of the Prophetic Office. This office is to be reverenced and respected at all times under pain of sin. For did not Owyn commit the gravest of sins, and yet God said unto him: “but you remain My Prophet?” (Gospel 4:56.) As I wrote before to the same Boniface: “the man Owyn failed; the Prophet Owyn triumphed.” No man would have been justified in rejecting the authority of Owyn, even in his state of grave sin, nor would any man have not been sinning if he absurdly and deliberately avoided reverencing the High Priests Everistus and Clement, on the basis that they were appointed by a kinslayer. For Owyn was appointed by God, and the High Priests by God, through Owyn. Now since something is called “holy” in proportion to its relation to that “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Saint Kristoff), so the Office of the High Pontiff, since it is the successor of this High Priesthood (As can be read in any Bull, including by Pope Saints Daniel I and Everard IV), is the most holy seat on earth. So that if any man disrespects this seat and sows schism against it, he contravenes the commandment: “You shall not blaspheme My word, nor anything that is holy.” (Virtue 1:8) Hence to deliberately undermine and irreverence the office of the High Pontiff, James II, while he is yet in that office, is to sin against faith. I shall put this in unavoidable syllogism. 1.The current High Pontiff is James II. 2.The High Pontiff is the Successor of the High Priesthood. 3.The High Priesthood is Instituted by God. 4.Therefore, the High Priesthood is holy. 5.Therefore, the seat of the Pontiff is holy. 5.Therefore, to be irreverent toward the office of the Pontiff and refer to him in such base terms, is a sin against faith. What James II may or may not have done is irrelevant. He is the legitimately elected Pontiff of the Canonist Church. Such blatant and prideful behaviour is clearly sinful.

II)Secondly, the claim to reject the “Virosi Church” is a schismatic act, and an absurd case of having one’s cake and eating it too. Do you think that the hierarchy of the Church is like a leg or an arm, something that can be hacked off and that she would still remain what she is? No! The hierarchy is an intrinsic property of the Church, like the soul, for I should like you to demonstrate the existence of the Church before, or apart from, the hierarchy, for it was by and through the High Priesthood that the vouchsafed Revelation was kept faithfully. (Gospel 5:3) If the Church ceases to have an active Magisterial authority, therefore, she ceases to truly exist. You claim you accept the authority of the Church, but you reject the current authority, by ignoring its real jurisdiction. But the current time is the only time in which we live, and therefore to reject the current authority, is to reject the authority as it truly exists, as opposed to some ideal of a perfect hierarchy that exists in our minds and in the Skies only, and not in this vale of tears. To suggest that there is a “Virosi church” and then the Church as separate from that hierarchy, is like saying if a man were to lose his rational mind, he would be the same person. But listen instead to the admonishment of the Prophet: “Therefore make no schism among you: but acknowledge one Pontiff, one Baptism; one Marriage, for where there is the Bishop, there is the Church.” (Proverbs 5:2) This does not mean you have to like the hierarchy. In fact, if they are guilty of the things which you allege, then you ought to hate them. But it does mean that regardless of that, they have an office which is due respect and reverence regardless of the men who wield it. And it does mean that you should remain obedient to their legitimate jurisdiction insofar as they do not tell you to embrace a heresy, or commit a sin.

Indeed, obedience would not be a test or a mortification, or a virtue at all, if your superiors were self-evidently kind and perfect all the time. Obeying a theoretical, incorruptible hierarchy that exists in your mind is easy enough, but obeying the reality as it is, often men weaker and more sinful than yourself (Virtue 6:7, confirms this to be God’s will, that often the lesser men have greater rank) as God has seen fit to give you and has Himself ordered for your good (Virtue 6:6, et cet.) is the work of which God truly demands of us. Just like it is easy to practise the Virtue of Charity towards someone who always gives you whatever you desire, so it is easy to reverence an hierarchy that always preaches the exact message in the exact way you want, and never sins. But it is not the easiness that the Virtue is truly born and shown, but in the difficulty: just as a man who acts kindly only to those whom he likes is guilty of sinning against Charity, so the man who refuses to respect the office of the Pontiff who is evil, is guilty of sinning against Faith. Remember this: God has ordered all the estates of the world, every single event of history, out of love for you! “But our Lord is in heaven: He hath done all things, whatsoever He willed.” (Ven. Humbert) Trust in God, for it is His work to defend the Church, not your own. We are merely the donkeys that bring our Master into the public square, and even then we sin and are wont to go astray! Do good, sin not, and wait thou for the Lord. As a final note, our exile is brief in this vale of tears. You humans shall soon ascend to the Skies on high. As for us, God will renew the earth for us. Our passing life is so much straw that withers away when compared to eternity. Therefore, do not vest your hopes in finding any Sovereign Goodness in this life, in making a "better world" or even a "better Church", for our parts in this great Play are miniscule, and in a short time you will meet the true Protagonist;  but rather do manfully, seeking first the kingdom of God and the eternal reward: whilst all earthly things needful to our salvation, He will give unto us, "For I am your Father, and the Father of all things." (Virtue 1:6) Charity means loving our enemies, or else it ceases to be charitable; patience means enduring real hardship, or else it ceases to be patient; faith means respecting the holy office of sinners, or else it ceases to be faith.

Point II.The Absurd Bonifacist View of Church Authority Makes her Non-existent.

Boniface is right to say that obedience to God is higher than obedience to religious authority, but is so vague in his application of this principle so as to make religious authority virtually non-existent. In the Apologia Pro Epistula Sua, I challenged Boniface’s vague “Thesis on Obedience” which may be considered his attempt to justify his wrong actions. Whilst I did write that letter on a false premise, for which Boniface and I are already reconciled, he does not appear to have at all answered my challenge. He argues that obedience to God supersedes obedience to religious authority: this is true. This the Church has always herself acknowledged, as one can read in the Open Letter to Confused Canonists. However, when asked to demonstrate precisely how the things demanded of Boniface violate this higher obedience, he has failed, in precise terms, to enumerate them. If, for example, the Pontiff were to tell you to steal, or fornicate, or what have you, the last thing you should do is obey him. But in those matters where he does have jurisdiction, he and the Bishops under him must be obeyed at all times insofar as these prerogatives do not contradict that obedience to God alone. 

Boniface’s principle for establishing this is entirely vague, without precedent in Scripture or in tradition, and utterly subjective. “We gain guidance from the Scrolls and they are interpreted by the reader.” (Thesis on Obedience.) This means that each man is entitled to his own interpretation, even if it be erroneous, and furthermore sets up the private individual as the sole judge in religious matters. No man, is then truly bound by obedience, because he can simply subjectively see “this disagrees with my interpretation,” and then simply ignore what the Church commands. The question becomes, then, why have a Church? All binding religious authority is vested in the private individual’s reading of Scripture, and he can simply ignore religious authority when it contradicts his interpretation.

But this view itself is not merely illogical, but unscriptural, or even anti-scriptural. It is rather in and through the High Priesthood that the word is faithfully kept, as is clear in Gospel 4:56-62 and 5:3-5, in which the Holy Priesthood is clearly invested with the authority to keep the word and teach.  Hence Church authority is actually the chief instrument in the interpretation of the Scrolls, not the private individual.

And Boniface has nowhere demonstrated how any of the acts of disobedience or schism that he has done are in any way licensed or commanded in the Scrolls. In fact, none of the theses he wrote concern any of the commands contained in Scripture, I mean, direct commands. For example, Boniface has repeatedly disobeyed Pontifical orders that he cease writing polemically against the Church, but there is clearly no warrant for this in Scripture. Where is the commandment that this be done? Boniface rightly says that obedience to God is higher, but then reduces this obedience to a vague principle of personal interpretation whilst failing to demonstrate precisely how the things required of him contravene God’s commands. For Boniface, God’s will happens to be the contrary of any command he personally doesn’t like, which basically means he never has to obey or reverence the men God has set over him. That this be absurd in itself, is self-evident.

Point III.Boniface Chooses Not to Understand Pontifical Infallibility, Despite Being Corrected. He Schisms From the Church for the Sake of a Doctrine that Doesn’t Exist!

Boniface cites Pontifical Infallibility as a reason to justify his Schism. “No mortal man is ever infallible, only GOD and the scrolls are infallible as men are prone to corruption and distortion. If a Pontiff were to spread misinformation or a misrepresentation of the scrolls, is he correct or are the scrolls? All men are capable of sins and making mistakes, it is delusional to claim otherwise.” (Section XVII) I should not have to write anything more - this is self-evidently nonsense! No man has ever claimed that Pontifical Infallibility means that the Pontiff is incapable of sin or of making mistakes. Such a doctrine would be self-evidently erroneous, even maleficent. If this fake doctrine which no man actually believes is the reason Boniface is committing the grave sins of Schism and disobedience, then I really must correct him. The only man under a delusion is Boniface, because he is chasing after the wind; refuting a non-existent doctrine.

Any man who wants to understand this true doctrine as it actually exists is encouraged to read the actual writings of those who advocate it, and not this strawman which Boniface has erected. The gentle reader is entreated to read the author’s Tract entitled “The Church is the Sword of Owyn.” (Boniface says that the Holy Pontiff never acknowledged his thesis, but Father Seraphim and I did, with the Pontiff’s approval, and we responded to it in this Tract. It is attached below.)

Point IV.Disobedience and Schism are Grave Sins.

Disobedience and Schism are grave sins. Not only against Faith as has already been demonstrated, but also against Fidelity. More on this topic can be read in the Open Letter to Confused Canonists and Second Epistle.  I, in this first Open Epistle, predicted that there would be Schism, and that the Church and Boniface ought to pray together, have charity and reconcile. This was waved away and not taken seriously. Now it has come true. I do not say this to appear wise, only to show that everything written in that Epistle is entirely true. 

The gentle reader ought to know that in matters where the Pontiff has jurisdiction, to disobey the Pontiff is to disobey God, for it was God that ordered that he be your superior (Virtue 6:6, etc.) and the High Pontiff is clearly the successor, insofar as he is a teacher of faith and morals, to the Prophets. (Fundamentum Ecclesiae, V.) Hence to disobey James II in matters where he has the right to demand obedience, is to disobey Owyn, and to disobey Owyn, is to disobey God. 

Point V.Abuses of Power do not Justify Disobedience and Schism.

Sons of mankind. Remember your ancestors. Remember your posterity. Who ever heard of what Boniface speaks? I do not respond to the accusations of corruption, etc. and readily grant them, because regardless of whether they are true, they do not justify his course of action. The Prophets themselves were fallible men who sometimes fell into evil ways; I do not need to quote Scripture, I already have proven that. Did those that were under that authority Schism? Even the Harrenites did not fall to that manner of wickedness! Of course, if evil kin-slaying be not enough to justify Schism, I fail to see any course of action that could possibly justify Schism. Moreover, it is a Schism against the Prophetic authority. For the authority of the Church and the authority of the Prophets are one: not in the sense that the Church can weave a new Revelation, for this is vouchsafed unto us only by God, and this was complete with Sigismund. But in the binding and teaching of that authority, they are one. For their laurel are one, their Priesthood is of the same institution, and this has always, as can be seen from Fundamentum Ecclesiae, this is a founding principle of the Church, that as she has the Prophets for her foundation, she is the authoritative interpreter of their Revelation. Hence if any man saith that he loveth God but despiseth the seat of the Pontiff and the Bishops, that man is at least very much mistaken, and at worst, that man is a liar. 

Boniface must needs repent of this before it is too late, and rescue himself from eternal death. If a man smelt like dung, he would rather have another be honest and tell him, rather than have everyone too cowardly to tell him the truth, and then go unknowingly smelling like dung. I know that I am a sinner; but I strive not to be so, and I repent of my sin. If I fell into some sin and refused to repent of it, the first thing I should like Boniface to do, is write me or speak to me, and tell me to repent. Boniface ought to know that sin is the way of death. Whilst Boniface Schisms further and further away, he increasingly has the smell of eternal death about him, from the which peril I would warn him.

 Point VI.Boniface Accuses the Church of Being Liberal and Secular. This is False, and Better Applies to Himself.

To accuse the Church of secularism is somewhat foolish. The Pontiff himself recently published a very strongly-worded polemic against the mood of today, entitled The Age of Reason. This is the opposite of secularism. Boniface has always recommended the separation of the clerical life from politics. As has been demonstrated, this is totally at odds with the teaching of Holy Church and the Holy Doctors. And indeed, encourages the separation of Church and state, a central precept of secularism.

Boniface is the one who complains of “censorship”, as if Schism and error ought to be given an equal platform to truth! It seems to me he would be far more welcome in a so-called “free-thinkers” society than would the present Pontiff. Moreover, he considers that when the Church anathematises wrong opinion, that she is somehow overstepping her power and prerogative. He thinks that when the Church admonishes error she is tyrannical, but when she does not always admonish sin, she is weak. But as I said, this is the wrong way around. It would be a dereliction of duty for Holy Church not to censure the works of Schism and heresy, but often (Not always), it is the appropriate course of action to be tolerant and merciful against sin.

Point VII.Boniface does not Understand the Difference Between Doctrine and Discipline.

Boniface cites the relaxation of clerical celibacy and poverty as reasons for Schism. This is absurd. The Church has the authority to change these things as she pleases. Of course, those who already have Vows ought to respect the Vows which they have made. But it has never been a Doctrine of the Church that Priests ought to be celibate, only a discipline. If James II were teaching a false doctrine, this would indeed be worth writing, but since he is merely changing an adjustable discipline, he is free to change it with no input from the laity. A doctrine is a dogma which is true forever (Bl. Daniel VI, Pontifical Decree of 1720), whereas a discipline is a law that is done for administrative or some other reason which may change according to circumstance. The way to change a disciplinary law like this is to reason, to propagate the contrary view, and of course, to celebrate, live and promote a celibate life yourself. Schisming from the Church by removing yourself from her legitimate jurisdiction and demanding she yield to your demand for celibacy is a sinful and completely unsupported action with no justification or moral grounds whatsoever.

Point VIII.Clerical Celibacy has Never Been a Doctrine of the Church, but a Discipline for Practical Reasons. (But Clerical Marriage, Actually is a Doctrine.)

That Celibacy has always been considered a discipline, is easily proven by recourse to historical Church documents. Firstly, the Scrolls make no mention of celibacy, nor do we have any documentation of it for a long time. But these three quotations should settle matters: 

“Priests may marry, but can never ascend to the office of Bishop or High Pontiff, lest the positions become hereditary and given to unworthy men.” (Thomas I, GOLDEN BULL OF AANENBURG, I.)

“xiv. The Church reaffirms the Imperial doctrine of clerical marriage, hereby endorsing clerical nuptials as the will of God.” (Radomir I, Golden Bull of Cavan, I.)

“ Priests are celibate; they cannot marry or engage in sexual activity. This is an administrative law, rather than one deriving from the Holy Scrolls. It is intended to prevent the establishment of family dynasties within the church, or the inheritance of church property by sons of priests, as has been attempted in the past.” (Ven. Fabian (Imprimatur, Saint Sixtus IV and Blessed Daniel VI), Catechism of the Canonist Church.) 

Notice how clerical marriage is something that has been practised for centuries. Notice also, how it is called a “doctrine.” To say that Priests should not marry to prevent hereditary aristocracies forming in the Church, is a correct statement and one clearly supported her. To say that clerical marriage is any kind of justification for Schism is a false doctrine, for that it is morally permissible for Priests to marry, is an eternal doctrine of the Church. Hence no man has the right to incur Schism over such a matter, for it is entirely the Pontiff’s right to adjust this discipline as he requires. For to say clerics ought not marry is a malleable discipline; to say they cannot morally marry, is a doctrine. The Church clearly has endorsed variously, celibacy and marriage for pragmatic and not for doctrinal reasons. Therefore, it in no way undermines the legitimate authority of the Pontiff or justifies disobedience that he changes something which he has both the right and duty to change according to circumstance.

What an absolute nonsensical statement he puts at the end of this passage. “If monks and nuns have more piety than the greedy squabbling and pervasive cardinals, then why are these faithful people not replacing them?” (Section XIII) He thinks the Church is a meritocracy, now? For one, the idea that women should hold such positions is an absurdity, when they cannot even be ordained. Secondly, Owyn gravely sinned, and God would have given the Prophetic Office to Harren, had he not refused. They had authority regardless of whether men considered them pious. If you believe you are ordained or have spiritual authority because you were more “pious” than anyone else, you undoubtedly were not pious! The truth is that God calls us to different things, for we have different gifts. I have no doubt that the greater part of the layman of the Schism War era were holier than I am. But would they make for suitable Priests? That is another matter. We are all called to different things. It is not what we do that makes us pious as much as the piety with which we do them. The pious housewife who works the loom with piety is of greater virtue, and will have a greater glory in the Skies, than the Pontiff who does great things out of a sense of achievement. For, as Saint Jude said “One act of love surpasseth a thousand outward acts of charity.” (On Charity.) The Monastic is not called to run the Church, he is called to do the things which a monk does. That he does it with piety will afford him a greater reward in heaven, for the just “shall be rewarded according to their Virtue, and not to their station.” (Virtue 6:7)

“Since the beginning of our church all clergymen have been required to take a vow of celibacy as part of their oath of ordination, the reason for this is quite clear.” (Section XXXVIII) This has also been demonstrated to be false by the above Point.

Point IX.To Equate Not Imposing a Vow of Poverty with Greed and Pride on the Pontiff’s Part, is itself Absurd and Prideful.

Boniface accuses His Holiness of pride and greed over the lack of Vows of Poverty for diocesan clergy. (Section XXXIX) Again, the above section applies. This is a disciplinary and not a doctrinal matter, and is not a justification for Schism. However, this is refuted by recourse to none other than the founder of Canonist Monasticism, St. Jude, the Angelic Doctor and co-Patron of my Order. 

In his Thesis on The Monastic Life, the Vow of Poverty is clearly referred to as a thing specific to the Monastic Life, and not expected of Priests outside of a monastic order. Hence, Jude acts in exact accord with the High Pontiff in acknowledging that the Vow of Poverty ought not be applied to the whole clergy. Furthermore, Daniel the Reader was reigning High Pontiff at that time, that Saintly Pontiff. So unless Boniface wants to accuse two Saints and Holy Doctors of sin or error in this matter and Schism also from them, he ought to withdraw this argument.

Point X.Faith Doesn’t Care About Your Feelings. The Church is not a Democracy.

The Church is not a democracy. This is self-evident. Writing polemical letters to the general public in an effort to stir up public sentiment is nothing. What matters is that the Pontiff is the authoritative teacher of the Canon and you ought to obey him. Nor ought we to give any credance to feelings, for these mislead us. Tears do not speak of holiness. Rather, a clean conscience and a faith in God and Holy Church are sufficient, to steer clear of sin and to do good.

Point XI.Boniface Thinks that the Way to Reform the Church is From the Outside, Which Means he is a Moral Consequentalist and a Public, Unrepentant Sinner. We Can Never Sin, Even if it Would Bring with it Good Consequences, for God Knows Best.

Boniface thinks that he is still in the fold of Holy Mother Church, and proclaims to love her. He does not advocate for the end of the Church as an institution (41 Theses, Conclusion.) ,but rather seeks to reform her, by tactics of impious irreverence toward holy things, ignoring Church authority, and declaring excommunications invalid with no grounds, whilst relying on a vague and self-justifying principle of authority which bears no relation to reality.

This is a consequentialist philosophy. We can never sin. It is better to die than to sin! No intrinsic wrong can be justified by the good consequences it would bring. The ends never justify the means. This is clearly borne out in the Scroll of Virtue, when some actions and behaviours are prohibited by the inherent wrong of the act. Hence some actions are inherently wrong, and we call these sins. And sin can never be done, even if we think good consequences may come as a result. To think this way, is actually to tempt and blaspheme God, for it suggests that He, in His infinite mercy and power, cannot bring about these things by His own will, but needs us to sin to bring them about. But God has already dashed aside sin. 

That disobedience and irreverence are sins is already demonstrated. If Boniface thinks these can be justified in any way by his admirable reforms, he is guilty of a grievous blasphemy, for as Fr. Seraphim (God rest his soul) wrote, to justify sin is the worst blasphemy. (The Lukewarm Man, II.) 

Point XII.Boniface’s Rejection of Gentile Priests, is Illogical and Squarely Contradicted by Church Doctrine. 

Boniface has already been refuted by the Prelate of the Priesthood in his belief that non-humans cannot ascend to the Seven Skies. Boniface said that those not of mankind cannot become Priests because they cannot ascend to the Seven Skies. I replied: "Even assuming what you have said is true, how is access to the Skies when we die a condition of membership of the Priesthood? Blessed Daniel VI and Venerable Fabian were clear: any adult male descendant who is baptised can be validly ordained. Holy Church has spoken and there is nothing contrary to Faith and Morals in it."

Of course, he has still failed to demonstrate the logical connection between not being Priests and not ascending to the Skies. Indeed, historically, there have been non-human High Priests and Pontiffs. Bernard I, the twelfth High Priest of the Faith, was an Halfling. He was the predecessor of St. Everard I, who apparently considered his election perfectly normal. Pius I was an High Elf. Again, his election was considered perfectly valid, and although he was a troublesome Pontiff, his successor Blessed Adeodatus, a very holy man, had no trouble accepting his legitimacy, and St. Lucien after him. So, although rare, it is clearly not opposed to Church teaching in any way for a non-human even to ascend to the seat of a Bishop. James II merely accepted the judgement of St. Everard, Blessed Adeodatus and St. Lucien. If accepting the teachings of the Saints is a valid reason to schism and show gross irreverence, then I should suppose whether the Church only exists in our minds, and has no real binding authority. All this information can be found in the Book of the Pontificate. 

APPENDIX: Course of Action, Prayer for Unity; Deus Caritas Est.

Friends, Deus Caritas Est. (Proverbs 5:1) That is, God is love. If we wish to be like God, we ought to love as God loves us. This means loving our neighbour, that is, those who God places within our care. Loving our neighbour means admonishing him when he goes on the wrong path, for if we desire his good and not merely to be popular, we will seek the good of his immortal soul. I hope you will appreciate that this is my sincere goal in all of this. 

Please pray. Pray for me, a sinner. Pray also for reconciliation between the Church and Boniface. Please pray Boniface repents of his irreverence and ceases his schismatic acts. Pray for the Pontiff and the Bishops, that they be able to govern more justly. Pray for the conversion of sinners, and for the liberty and exultation of our holy Mother, the Church. That is my proposal to you. For just as bad company corrupts a man to become bad, so does good company enlighten a man to do good. Therefore, spend ye time with God, abiding in Love, and in communion with the angels and Saints, and you will become a beacon of love and truth and goodness in the world. And if every man was so, there would be no need for an Apologia. 

As for Boniface, my proposal to him is that he return to the fold of Holy Mother Church, and then try to implement these reforms. To do otherwise is to sin, and to sin for that it might bring good, is a prideful blasphemy. There is only one way out, then, and this is what I have proposed. I do not write with a light pen. It was one of Boniface’s Epistles that led me on the path to becoming a Canonist. I am not an emotional man, but I do not enjoy at all engaging with Boniface, for I perceive that no man falls for so long unless he be raised first to a great height. It reminds me that I myself am so frail and must needs rely on God with all my strength. When I see criminals going to the scaffold, I say “There but for the grace of God goes Pius.” O my God, how I have needed Thy strength to write this Apology! Please give me the grace to persevere! How long will I live in this exile? I long for the eternal, I love for Thee alone, O my Supreme Good, O my Absolute Truth, O my Unutterable Beauty. O Love, do Thou reign in our hearts!

I may not enjoy rebuking Boniface, a man I admire. But we are not here to enjoy. We are here for Love. If I have any love for Boniface, I must desire his good; therefore I must publish this. Please, Boniface, return home. Do not endanger your soul by sinful schism. I am tired of all this political posturing. This is not about posturing. Posturing won’t save your soul, but do manfully, and sin not, and love, and you will have eternal life. And I will write not a word more on this matter than this, unless holy obedience prompt me to do so. Now I can focus on writing about prayer and the Scrolls as I have always desired. I consecrate our affair to God. It is in His hands, this weary and unprofitable, but necessary work, and now I return to my true purpose, the life of prayer.  I am thankful and gladful for it. God, I surrender myself to Thee, take care of everything! This is the truest and most meritorious prayer. Laudate Dominum! 

On 10/12/2020 at 11:17 PM, Boniface said:

“Perhaps when you have written your essay filled of nonsensical ramblings and complex words a majority of the population do not understand, you can for once pay a visit to the canonist realm and preach, hold mass, hold ceremonies for Lord knows you have not stepped foot in it in over forty years.” said Boniface.

“Ah yes, of course, the truth of a doctrine is based on your ability to comprehend it now? I readily admit you have always been a better Priest than I have, but on this matter, you are wrong, and the fact that I am not as good as you does not alter it in the slightest. It is the message I write that matters; ignore the messenger if you would, I have never given any pretence to be worthy of the office that is given me, of which no man can ever be worthy,” replies Pius.

FACTION NAME: The Archdiocese of Chicago

Civilisation Type: Civilised.

Starting Points: 1 Population (5), 2 Basic Resources, 2 Tiers of Research, 1 Development Point. 

Faction Backstory:

In 2070, Pope John Paul IV’s warnings of an upcoming nuclear war and urgent call for nuclear disarmament, in his encyclical PACEM IN TERRA were ignored. In 2077 the bombs fell, and most assume the Church finally disappeared. But perhaps the most survivable institution in all of history, did not die.

Pre-War Illinois was one of the greatest bastions of North American Catholicism, and Post-War Illinois, along with a presence in the Capital Wasteland, is now her last ember. For years, that ember sat dormant. The Archbishop of Chicago was able to survive the Great War through recourse to one of the great Underground Vaults, and since the war, the Church has survived as an underground society, having an undeniable Apostolic succession. 

In the 2100’s there came an heroine that re-ignited the fervour of the people. A girl called Monica in the Capital Wasteland was miraculously born of Ghoul parents, and yet showed few evident impurities of radiation. She was a pious Catholic girl, who prayed her Rosary every day. She had a husband, and a son. Slavers came. The Slavers killed the husband, for he was armed. They took Monica; they left the son, Ehran, for dead. 

Monica for years suffered grievously, rape, torture and forced labour under the Slavers, but kept the faith and through her example, was able to convert one of them. She escaped. After four years of searching, she found her son, only to find he himself had become a slaver. Ehran blamed Monica for all the years of hurt. Ehran himself made her his slave, but upon his beatings and hateful words, Monica only smiled and said “As the Lord is a living God, I forgive thee.” These words caused Ehran to break down, converting him to the faith. He went to and was ordained by the Bishop, going and preaching to slaves and slavers, the latter beheading him in 2182. Monica died in 2180. Having lost contact with Rome, the Archbishop authorised her veneration as Saint Monica in 2222. Saint Monica’s Catholic Church in Rivet City was consecrated in her honour in 2223, and she is declared the Patron Saint of the Wasteland, of Rivet City, and of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Saint Ehran was “canonised” in 2253. They have a joint feast day on the 12^th of October.

Meanwhile the Archdiocese during that time consisted of a single Bishop, four Priests and a small congregation. They lived a monastic life in the deep underground, closely guarding the secret of their location and, like their forebears in the Dark Ages, preserving the light of knowledge by copying books and information. Unlike the Brotherhood, they are not so interested in modern technology as the great books of Western Civilisation, humanities, art and literature, as well as medical and agricultural knowledge. 

However, as the cult of Saint Monica spread, the Church has experienced a revival, still existing as an underground but growing society in the city. There are now three religious orders: the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, which serves the pastoral needs of the faithful and is a house of about a dozen priests and novices and is the arm of the Archdiocese that goes to the surface, the Monician Sisters of Our Lady of Ransom, who provide refuge to Ghouls and ex-slaves and who help make medical equipment, of whom there are 33, and the Benedictine Monks, who spend their time in manual labour, prayer and intellectual work, of whom there are 20. The laity consist mostly of ghouls, ex-slaves, and even raiders seeking to amend their lives. The first post-apocalypse Archbishop recognised the impossibility of surviving in the city, so they are somewhere in the surrounding countryside or suburbs, in some kind of underground shelter, although some speculate that it is the “Tinley Park” underground train station in the suburbs, or any of the other Suburb stations. The Monks every day blast out the sound of feral ghouls from two loud-speakers, which deters unwelcome visitors. Undeterred by the cautious Archbishop, the Priests and Sisters now want to expand operations into the city proper. The first Archbishop, who, like one Edward Sallow found “a lot of good information in old books”, studied how the early Church survived the Roman persecutions, and then later the fall of the Roman Empire, preserving and then restoring the civilisation that would be called Christendom. 

This stained-glass image of SS. Monica and Augustine is used for SS. Monica and Ehran.

CHARACTERS:

Archbishop Claudio Yacob: A pragmatic and political man, prone to long silences and in-action, but decisive once the course is set. He was elected Archbishop by the Oratory and Benedictine Friars. He does not always see eye-to-eye with the much less pragmatic Father G.K. Saunders and Mother Angelica, who accept ex-raiders and slavers with the fullness of their hearts, also accepting back ex-apostate Christians with little-to-no penance, and whom he considers naïve: likely to expose their presence to hostile forces, and destroy it. He rules at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Fatima, which is the home of all the Religious Orders.

Father G.K. Saunders, Cong. Orat.: Provost of the Oratorians and a fearless young preacher, benevolent and gentle, and 99.9% likely to be canonised as it stands, and probably to be martyred too, given his fierce denouncements of sin and error. Named after English writer Gilbert Keith Chesterton. As far as is known, he is the last worldwide expert in liturgical music, preserving all the Gregorian Chant and Polyphonic Sacred Music he can find! Unfortunately, he is not endowed with what you may call an angelic singing voice...

Mother Angelica: A very old Ghoul, Abbess of the Monician Sisters of Our Lady of Ransom. That she has survived so long in a merciless wasteland with such a merciful heart, is considered a miracle. She was personally converted by Saint Monica, on whose intercession she relies for unfailing help. Her daughters also help make vestments, chalices and the like for the celebration of High Mass. 

Father Benedict, O.B.: Abbott of the Benedictines. A nerd and a rambling intellectual. Obsessed with historical facts and formal logic, he and the monks also write an annual Chronicle called “The Chicago-Illinois Chronicle” based off of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. He owns a massive Douay-Rheims/Latin Vulgate Bible full of St. Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea. 

Dietrich von Manstein: Actually, a descendant of the German general. In 2053, one of the von Mansteins converted to Catholicism and moved to the USA. Von Manstein is aware of his Prussian martial ancestry and after Father Benedict read Urban II’s speech from Fulcher of Chatres, von Manstein felt the need to start a militia to defend the Christian people. There were always armed members of the laity. But now he is beginning to band them together in a militia that trains together every Saturday, of which every adult male Catholic is expected to at least train in. This militia is called the Fyrd, named after the English levy which was called at the Battle of Edington in 878 for the defence of England from the Viking leader, Guthrum by Saint Alfred the Great. Von Manstein can be seen as aruthless leader, willing to put his men at the greatest risk for the protection of the Church, and he drills men hard. He has no official rank; his resources are quite meagre and varied.

12 minutes ago, Boniface said:

“I invite you, as Godric Virosi failed, to cite one thing that constitutes heresy that was written in the 41 theses.” replied Boniface.

“You will see more than one.” Warns Pius.

“Boniface: Accuses men of sin whilst literally, publicly and unrepentantly sinning in the selfsame letter.” Writes Pius.

Father Pius writes: “This schismatic and heretic complains of secularism, and yet thinks the Church should not be involved in politics. Isn’t that what we call “secularism?””

“This schismatic and heretic still hasn’t actually addressed Papal Infallibility, he has errected a strawman and still hasn’t responded to my refutation of his thesis, which is just his personal opinion and has no backing whatsoever. (Whereas I was quoting Church documents, Saints and the Scrolls.) Papal Infallibility does not mean that the Pontiff is not a sinful and fallible man like the rest of us. If you believe that is what Papal Infallibility is, then yes, it is a heretical view to set the Pontiff up as some sort of God. But that is not what we mean. I regret that I will have to pause a very important work on prayer to once more address Boniface. I will not bother refuting the ones about assassinations and the like. I have no interest in politics. I will refute him for his false theological opinions, his dreadful schism which will led him straight to hell if I don’t correct him. If we have compassion for him, we will come down with the full force of the truth.”

“There is no ‘Virosi’ Church. There is only the Canonist Church. If you are not under the jurisdiction of the High Pontiff, you are outside of the Canonist Church. Because the Church is a hierarchical organisation, not a liberal democracy. You cannot pick and choose. It is God who appoints the hierarchy (through the action of men) and the Pontiff shares the spiritual authority of the Prophets. You would have deserted Owyn when he fell into grave sin. The man Owyn failed, the Prophet Owyn triumphed. “I will not follow Owyn – I am not a kinslayer – but I am still a faithful Creatorist” is an argument that wouldn’t have made sense then, nor does it now. It is GOD who rules and protects the Church, not men. Furthermore, referring to the Pontiff by his birth name and not by his regnal name is a gross irreverence toward the successor of the High Priesthood. Even if the Pontiff is the worst man in all of history, we do not respect or salute the man, we respect and salute the rank. You can despise the man Virosi and be a Canonist – you cannot despise the jurisdiction of James II and be a Canonist. Boniface accuses the Church of secularism and yet is the chief liberal voice in the Church, the voice of secularism, the voice of egalitarianism and so-called free-thinking and not hierarchy and authority. Well, you can go that way if you must, but you ought to know right where it leads: Hades, as all sin does.

But you will hear more of this. I will refute your belief system, part-by-part. And know that if you continue to sin against the Virtue of Fidelity, you will not have ignorance for an excuse, if God give the grace to His unworthy servant to express His doctrines faithfully.”

Pius of Sutica writes hastily: “When has the Church ever claimed to be a building? The Church is an institution, as can be plainly read, established by God through the Prophet Owyn, and preserved by the handing down of the Sacred Priesthood. Her purpose is not to be incorrupt, as she has never claimed to be without sin. The Church does not exist because her children are sinless, but because they are sinful. The Church does not exist because her children do not sin, but because they do. This is because her purpose is to give the remedies to sin: the Holy Scrolls, and the Sacraments. And these things, she will do until the end of time.

Furthermore thou claimest that God established the Church and then repented of us because we fell into corruption. First of all, I should like theeto show to me any time in our history when there has not been corruption. Owyn himself was a kinslayer, and yet God said: “But thou remainest My Prophet!” (As can been be plainly read in the Scriptures.) Were we any less corrupt, then? Perhaps we were, as this peverse generation shows, and yet we know that even Horen and Owyn fell short and sinned. Therefore, to be corrupt is simply human nature. If God despised the Church because she had human agents with human failings, viz. “corruption”, He would have long ago repented of her, I mean in the first instant when He made her, for this kind of corruption is inherent to the descendants. Therefore to say that God repents of the Church because she is become corrupt is inherently false. Furthermore, the Scrolls which the Church has received (and only the Church has the authority to intepret them) themselves testify to only four Prophets. Wouldst thou render God a liar by proclaiming to be a fifth? No. The age of the Prophets, the age of Revelation, is over. Now we live in the age of the Church, and soon enough it will be the end.

That the word is faithfully preserved by the succession of the High Priests is plain in Scripture. And the successor of the High Priesthood, the Pontiff, preaches nothing like what the heretics rave about. Since it would be superfluous in a volume such as this, to reckon up the succession of all the Bishops, I will plainly demonstrate the succession from Everistus and Clement, and any man can investigate these facts for himself. 

In the first place, Owyn appointed Everistus and Clement. And they appointed Sixtus. And in the fourth place, Alexander. And fifth, Pontian. and sixth, Stephen. And seventh, Paul. And eighth, another Paul. And ninth, another Sixtus. And tenth, Liberius. And then Marcus. Then Bernard, the Halfling. And then Saint Everard. And then there was an interregnum, yet the Priesthood was faithfully preserved in the Synod, which appointed James. And he was followed by Pius. Adeodatus of blessed memory came after. And then St. Lucien the Good. Owyn I. And then the secular power forced another brief interregnum, which the clergy bravely resisted, and they elected Radomir. And then Lucien, called Unraed, that is, will-advised. And then Regulus. And then Pius of blessed memory. And then Paul the Wicked. (Did the Church end here?) And then the secular power vainly attempted a third time to destroy Holy Church, but again the Priesthood survived, appointing Saint Daniel the Reader, the great translator of the Scrolls. And then Sixtus of blessed memory. And then Daniel of blessed memory. And then Everard of blessed memory. And then Lucien, also of blessed memory. And then Tobias, the first of that name. And then Daniel, who was mad and maleficent. (Did the Church cease to be authoritative?) And then Theodosius. And then Saint Sixtus, Doctor of Holy Church. And then Lucien. Next followed Everard, then the second Theodosius, a wicked man. (Did the Sacraments cease in their sublime efficacy?) And then Adrian. And then Daniel, of blessed memory. And then Owyn, of blessed memory. And then Lucien. And then Clement, of blessed memory. And then Everard, of blessed memory. And then Clement. And then Blessed Jude, called the Hammer. And then Siegmund of blessed memory. And then Daniel of blessed memory. And then Pontian of blessed memory. And then Everard, who was embroiled in the late war. And then Daniel of blessed memory, called, the holy. And then John, who was martyred. And then Pontian. And in the fifty-first place, there reigns James II, our beloved father. And it is necessary for all those who accepted the Revelation of God to agree with this seat, for it is established by God, and, due to its origin, is given a principle authority. Canst thou point out to me at which specific point the Church ceased to be authoritative in expounding the revelation vouchsafed to her by God?

Notice how mere human efforts to dismantle the Church have so often failed, despite the evil of the Pontiff and his clergy? Does it not bring greater glory to God to be able to achieve His ends with such corruptible men as us? Indeed, if God objects to using corrupt men to achieve an incorrupt end, why did He appoint Owyn a Prophet in the first place? Dost thou suppose that God changes in His course of action and His manner of doing? 

I do hope that thou cease from this evil and erroneous course upon which thou hast embarked. I remain thy humble servant,

Father Pius, Priestly Fraternity of Saints Kristoff and Jude.”

APPENDIX: “Furthermore, thou claimest that vocal prayers are somehow anathema. And yet, the Scroll of Virtue itself is thus composed. For the repetitious grammar and manner of meditation make it, of necessity, repetitive. Hence on no account can long or learned prayers be condemned. Of course, if these be said without the right intent, or if a man be entirely devoid of mental prayer, he is certainly astray, but how dost thou know this to be the case? When thou seest people at mass, how canst thou tell they put no stock in the words? Why, because they show little emotion? Not every man is an emotional one, and many that are, rarely display it. Love is in the will, not in the emotions, and so when we fight distractions and spiritual dryness, on the contrary, it is actually more meritorious than a man who says these prayers with tears, if they be said with merely an humble heart, a clean conscience and a firm resolution, for to Almighty God, these things alone suffice to make prayer meritorious. How canst thou know that they never turn over these prayers in their own minds? Nor canst thou know if them that thou condemnest do not spend their time in silent prayer in their own houses. Thou hast not only appointed thyself prophet, but mind-reader too! Better that thou readest the injunction of God: “Judge not your virtue, be it great or small.” Viz., compare not thyself to others, for to judge their prayers and petitions, if they be not contrary to faith and morals, is God’s business, not thine. Therefore, be thou at ease with it, not giving way to wrath, nor envy, nor hatred, nor base and mean things, but turning about in thy mind whatsoever is noble, whatsoever true, whatsoever beautiful, whatsoever is good. For all these things subsist in the True, Beautiful and Good One from Whom they are a mere diffusion.” 

APPENDIX: A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR.

’In terms of the dating of Olivier’s birth, it appears I may have been hasty. I relied on the Lawyer Manstein’s claim of Olivier’s physical vigour, which I claimed must have been written in 1502, on the basis that the Chronicle ends abruptly in that year. But, having giving the matter thought, and, applying the yardstick of common sense (so often lacking in those of us who undertake such academic studies) I see that there is no logical connection of these two truths. There is no reason why Manstein could not have simply not found the time to write of events after that year, even though he was writing later. However, there IS a clue to the dating that truly does logically follow. Adolf von Manstein refers to himself, in the present tense, as being “a scholar in the court of Petrus.” (Con., XIX.) Now since Petrus was abandoned in 1513. It must have been written in 1512, then, at the latest, otherwise he would have written “of Felsen.” Hence we can see his chronicle must have been written between the years 1502-1512. I would lean toward the lower estimate, simply because if he was referring to Olivier in such terms in 1512, that would make him very young – he would not have been young enough to have already established a reputation as a wise ruler by the time of the Schism War. Hence there is a possibility that Olivier may have been even younger than my lower estimate for his age.

Your humble servant,

Father Pius, FSSCT.”

"Excellent work." Comments Father Pius, FSSCT.

"Clerical celibacy is a disciplinary and not a doctrinal rule, and hence the Pontiff has the authority to change it. This is acknowledged by Blessed Daniel VI. Why can't you understand this?"

"Furthermore you were silent about my Priesthood for many years. You thought I had an invalid priesthood because I am an Elf. You thought people were being deceived with invalid Sacraments and unlawful preaching. What did you say about it, privately or publicly? NOTHING! You even praised my homilies. The moment you came out as against non humans holding the Priesthood (despite the fact one of the first High Priests was an Halfling) was the moment you lost my respect, for you accuse the Curia of silence when you were committing a yet more greviously silence against me." Pius of Sutica writes."

"You have chosen the path of disobedience and schism. You have chosen the sin of pride which I warned you against in the most tender terms in my very first Epistle and in my Apologia response to your thesis. This is the last thing a Canonist should do, however corrupt the Church may be, she is still our Mother. No man abandons his mother because she is an alcoholic, yet you have separated yourself from the Church. God is in control! He literally permits every single event that happens and knows their outcomes. Believe you this? If you did, you would not sin against Fidelity and Humility, because you would be confident God could bring good out of this without the evil of disobedience. No man with true supernatural faith in God and Holy Church would take the course of action you have taken."

"It has been most pitiful to see, for once I was among your admirers. It was one of your Epistles that set me on the path to becoming Canonist."

"And now you cite Pontiffs. Well, you have already dismissed the Catechism and Saints and Blesseds with impunity on the grounds that they are not fallible. Now I reserve the right to do the same for your argument."

"I fought corruption in a better way. Angry Epistles will avail us nothing. The Curia is corrupt because the society that borne them is. Only by society turning back to God, can it be saved. Now I tried to affect this inward conversion by starting the Fraternity, by promoting the study of the Scrolls and using the Sacraments God gave us. None of us coveted rank; none of us attacked our Bishop, rather we tried to give an example of Priesthood to the people. Reform would come from the bottom up starting with the humble parish priest. We were trying to reform the Priesthood by practising an holy Priesthood. You could have followed our example, you could have taken the path of righteousness in this matter, and you still can...This is the true path of holiness, the true way of out of this rathole of corruption, and I extend it to you with open arms and  tearful heart. 

Father Pius of Sutica, FSSCT."

"I begin to lose patience. He never adresses actual criticisms of his erroneous theology. We are greeted with a brick wall of silence. When I had a disagreement with the Pontiff, he wrote a detailed response, clarified his position and even added my criticism to his original thesis. Father Boniface has been repeatedly disproven many times and yet continues to chug along as if nothing happened. All this stems from the fact that he rejects Church authority and basically sets himself up as the judge in religious matters, which, of course, he isn't. His whole error comes from this liberal position, that the Church has no binding teaching authority and only the Scrolls do. In that case, why does the Church even EXIST? Why have authority and hierarchy? Why have a succession from Clement and Everistus? Its all incoherent. I pray for Boniface,  I really do. Now he has chosen the sin of pride; there but for the grace of God goes Pius of Sutica. He is obstinante; the Church must scold him as any good Mother does in the hope pf bringing him back." Father Pius, FSSCT, confides privately to a friend.