Traditional Catholicism

Traditional Catholics are preserving Catholic orthodoxy by not accepting some of the changes introduced since the Second Vatican Council, including changes that some of them have described as revolutionary, novel, and in contradiction to previous teaching. They claim that the positions now taken by mainstream Catholicseven conservative Catholicswould have been considered "modernist" or "liberal" before the Council, and that they themselves hold positions that were then considered "conservative" or "traditional". Many traditionalists further believe that errors have crept into the presentation and understanding of Catholic teachings since the time of the Council. They attribute the blame for this to liberal interpretations of the Conciliar documents, to harmful post-Conciliar pastoral decisions, to the text of the Conciliar documents themselves, or to some combination of these. Most traditionalists view the Council as a valid, but problematic, Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church. It is common for traditionalists in dispute with Rome to affirm that the Council was "pastoral", and hence that its decrees were not absolutely binding on Catholics in the same way as the dogmatic decrees of other Ecumenical Councils. Support for this view is sought in Pope John XXIII's Opening Address to the Council, Pope Paul VI's closing address, statements from Pope Benedict XVI, and the lack of formal dogmatic definitions in the Conciliar documents. The most common and visible argument by traditional Catholics is that the liturgical reform and the creation of the novusordo or new mass are harmful to the church and that the traditional Latin mass is more reverent and pleasing to God. Traditional Catholics acknowledge that the novusordo is valid, but deficient and harmful for various practical reasons. Several traditional Catholicism newspapers, magazines, and periodicals were created after or during the second Vatican council. The most prominent, objective, and respected traditional catholic newspaper is The Remnant which can be found at www.remnantnewspaper.com and publishes issues every two weeks. For more information about traditional Catholicism visit our website.