THE NAME AND THE THING

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PAX

THE NAME AND THE THING

24 February 2024

Tradition, Fidelity, Resistance: three words, three things? No, just one. And that is to guard the deposit of the faith. That is the role of the bishops. Archbishop Lefebvre guarded and protected this deposit. We too, as best we can, want to guard it. That is Tradition.

The bishop's role is to guard the deposit of the faith in his soul and around him. Archbishop Lefebvre denied that he was the leader of the traditionalists. He denied having "followers". He was simply a bishop who resisted. He didn't want anything too human to get in the way of his witness and his fight. He did not want Tradition to be equated with a sect or a movement of any kind. Tradition is the Church.

The leader is Our Lord, and he is the one we follow. And if we follow Archbishop Lefebvre, it's because leaders, pontiffs and saints are made to be followed, because they follow Our Lord.

Archbishop Lefebvre refused to be called a leader, but the fact was that he was our shepherd. The sheep clearly understood that he was the one who was going to save them from shipwreck, that we had to follow him, not as "followers" but as Catholics, so as not to lose our soul.

As far as we are concerned, we say: we are of Tradition, we are of Archbishop Lefebvre, we are of Our Lord. We are not the whole of the Tradition, but we are, and we want to be, of the Tradition.

The other names express our determination not to lose the deposit of faith, our determination to fight for it, not with Bishop Fellay, but with Archbishop Lefebvre. He fought with strength and charity. That is Tradition. That is also our true name.

 + Thomas Aquinas O.S.B.

U.I.O.G.D.