The Pope, the Council, and the Mass: Answers to Questions the Traditionalists Have Asked, Revised Edition

Being a Roman Catholic in the post-Vatican II era has been sometimes painfully challenging; it hurts when a well-meaning liberal tampers with the liturgy or teachings of the faith are incorrectly presented. Our Church is one of a very few(the others being the Eastern Catholic Churches) that along with Sacred Scripture also has Sacred Tradition, which comes to us from the Apostles and early Church fathers. Luther decided to follow sola scriptura and left the Catholic Church. Others in the wake of Vatican II have grown disillusioned with the liberal highjacking of the council's teachings and have rebelled by personally interpreting tradition instead of scripture. This sola traditio that some hurt and upset Catholics have adopted is more commonly known as traditionalism. Its earmark is disobedience to the current living authority of the Church in the name of "truth". The sad part is that this movement is claiming some truly devout people and coloring their view of the Church and the world with jaundiced hatred and cynicism. Someone near and dear to our family has wandered into the dark and cynical realm of Catholic traditionalism, and he presents us with constant criticisms and questions in an effort to "prove" to us that he's in the "real" Church and we are not. Efforts to discuss his concerns degenerate into pope-bashing and we feel helpless to address the myriad of fears and worries that he's feeling in the wake of Vatican II. We recently purchased this book on recommendation from a former member of SSPX, and though it's twenty-five years old, its contents are still as relevant today as back in 1981. This volume presents every important question usually raised by the traditionalists, and the authors address each one with charity and yet are uncompromising. What is startling in reading this treatise on the traditionalist position is how little the criticisms of the Magisterium has changed; go to a website and there are the same set of arguments, questions and "proofs" that the papacy has been corrupted by Modernism. Though written for traditionalists, The Pope, The Council And The Mass will be unlikely to sway someone hardened into that position, but it may reach a person who's confused and considering joining groups like SSPX. It is also an invaluable research tool for those who are attempting a dialogue with traditionalists. With the proliferation of such sites on the Internet, more "regular" Catholics need to know that they are in the same Roman Catholic Church that Jesus Christ established through the Apostles. This book can help; its style and content are accessible to the average person and it is well-footnoted. The most important aspect of Likoudis's and Whitehead's work is the prevailing charity they demonstrate. When trying to convert people from error, charity is usually the first casualty of the battle, and this book helps in the especially difficult apostolate of trying to reach people who are very devout yet misguided. We highly recommend that every so-called "Novus Ordo" Catholic read this book and prepare for the traditionalist attacks on our Church, which seem to be increasing. We hope and pray that it's reprinted as soon as possible, and will promote its sale to every Catholic we know. Pax Christi!

I really did want to like this book. As far as I can tell, the authors' stance is about the same as mine--Vatican II was a valid Council that said important things, the Mass of Paul VI is valid and holy, the implementation of Vatican II was (and still is) a chaotic mess in some places, and the traditionalists have reason to be upset, but not reason enough to go to the extremes that some did.All that said ... the book just isn't that good. Start with the fact that one of the arguments it presents concerns the abrogation of the old rite as a fact (response to Question 5); I got my copy just a matter of days before Benedict XVI said that it wasn't. The authors reached their conclusion by overreading the evidence. Moreover, the book throughout engages things at what I'm afraid is often a very superficial level. I guess there's a reason that some traditionalists call their opponents "positivists", because there's more than a trace of it here. Add in the facts that the writing is at best pedestrian and the arguments (when presented) wander all over the place. It's not a happy picture.There is good stuff here, and both authors have done better work elsewhere. It might be better if they had re-written from scratch rather than just tacking a few notes on to the old edition.Not a complete waste of time or money, but I would have been happier if I'd picked up a cheaper copy somewhere.

I've been reading everything I could get my hands on about the SSPX and Vatican II, and this was by far the most comprehensive and straightforward.

If I had had this book back in 1995 - on we probably would not have suffered through "traditional Catholicism" and then into sedevacantism for 20 long years!! Sadly, I only discovered the existence of this book after we returned to the Church. It contains ALL the answers to ALL of the objections that the most traditional of traditional Catholics hold against the "Vatican II Church". Thank you, Mr. Likoudis and Mr. Whitehead for writing it. It's an incredible amount of research and honest looking at all of the questions/issues.

this book primarily, among other things i've studied, kept me from remaining a sedevacantist as well as a schismatic sspx follower. need i say anything more?

いわゆる過激な伝統主義者のみならず、カトリック教会内の穏健な伝統主義者も抱くであろう25の疑問に対して、問答形式で応えた書。問題そのものの練られ方を見ても、伝統主義者の主張を時間をかけて吟味したであろうことがうかがわれる。その解答も微に入り細に入り、極めて学術的である。それゆえ、こうした伝統原理主義の問題に対して、単純な答えを求めている人にはまったく向かない。むしろ、自ら努力して問題に取り組む者への、心強い参考書になるだろう。