Today, 2 February 2021 at 4:00 pm Eastern Time in the U.S. “Taylor Marshall discusses having been an Anglican/Episcopalian “priest” and how on Feb 2 2006 (Feast of the Purification), during a Holy Mass offered by Pope Benedict XVI at St Peter’s in Rome, he experienced an illumination of conscience that he was both heretical and a schismatic, and in need of being in Communion with the one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.”

The hypocrisy of this video is stunning. Taylor Marshall is currently a heretic and schismatic. So while his conversion may have been a real response to the grace of God, not many years passed before he fell back into heresy and schism.

[Proverbs]
{26:11} Like a dog that returns to his vomit, so also is the imprudent who repeats his foolishness.

But Taylor Marshall did not merely repeat his foolishness. He fell into worse sins. For it is worse to fall into heresy and schism after having been a faithful Catholic. Those who are born and raised in Protestantism commit a lesser sin, or they might have a sincere but mistaken conscience, by declining to become Catholic. Of those to whom more is given, more will be expected.

In a previous video, Marshall says: “I recognize Pope Francis as the Pope. I resist him to his face.” That is formal schism.

It is not justified by comparison with the correction of Peter by Paul. Paul corrected Peter on one occasion for his personal behavior. Tertullian: “But if Peter was reproved because, after having lived with the Gentiles, he separated himself from their company out of respect for persons, surely this was a fault in his conversation, not in his preaching.” [Willis, The Teachings of the Church Fathers, n. 172.] The meaning of “conversation” in this quote is in the sense of interactions with others, not merely the type of interaction by speaking. Peter did not err in his teaching, for he was not teaching, merely choosing, imprudently, with whom he would take meals.

Paul did not resist Peter as Teacher, nor as Shepherd. Paul did not resist Peter in any particular teaching or decision of discipline, but only in Peter’s personal behavior. Paul did not accuse Peter of apostasy, or heresy, or idolatry.

Taylor Marshall wrote a book, Infiltration, which accuses Pope Francis of being “a Pope for Satan on the Roman Seat of Saint Peter”. Marshall also claims that “a slow, patient plan to establish a Satanic revolution with the pope as puppet” resulted in the election of Pope Francis.

What is schism? It is refusal to submit to the Roman Pontiff as Teacher and Shepherd. It is refusal to submit to the authority of the Pope over discipline and doctrine.

It is not enough to merely acknowledge that Francis is Pope. Even atheists do that much. To avoid the sin of schism, a Catholic Christian must accept the authority of the Roman Pontiff over teachings and disciplines. Catholics who refuse to believe anything the Pope teaches, unless that teaching agrees with their own understanding, are schismatics.

Dr. Taylor Marshall is a schismatic; his schism is public and formal. He has deliberately decided and publicly declared that decision, to resist the Roman Pontiff in his authority over doctrine and discipline. He opposes the Pope at every turn. Why? Surely, it is because Marshall believes Pope Francis is “a Pope for Satan” and the “puppet” resulting from “a Satanic revolution”. Taylor Marshall also claims that this plot which culminated in the election of Pope Francis was the result of a conspiracy of freemason, Communists, modernists, liberals, and, of course, the illuminati.

Taylor Marshall does not submit to the authority of the Roman Pontiff because he literally believes this conspiracy, ultimately of Satanic origin, of evil men plotting to destroy the Church from within. And how will they accomplish this destruction of the Church, after over 150 years of evil deeds and Satanic plotting, according to Marshall???!! by electing Pope Francis.

So the beliefs expressed by Dr. Marshall in the book “Infiltration: The Plot to Destroy the Church from Within” are ridiculous and borderline insane. But in any case, the fact is clear: Dr. Taylor Marshall has publicly proclaimed himself to be a schismatic, to be someone who resists the authority of the Roman Pontiff.

Heresy

Schismatics almost always turn into heretics. The heresies of Dr. Marshall first pertain to the authority of the Church. He rejects the indefectibility of the Church. Our Lord taught that the gates of Hell shall not prevail over the Church, because She is founded on Peter and his successors. Several Ecumenical Councils have confirmed the meaning of this passage. Dr. Marshall claims, to the contrary of our Lord’s teaching and promise, that the gates of Hell have prevailed over the Church, that a Satanic revolution succeeded in placing a pope who is a Satanic puppet, a Pope for Satan, on the Roman Seat of Saint Peter. So instead of an indefectible Church, Dr. Marshall proposes a Church infiltrated successfully at the highest levels by an evil plot, which corrupted the doctrine and discipline of the Church. Instead of each successor of Peter as a Rock, he proposes a Pope for Satan. And he claims that Pope Francis is the valid Pope. Taylor Marshall: “I recognize Pope Francis as the Pope.” That is both heresy and schism.

The First Vatican Council defined that every successor of Peter has the charism of truth and of never-failing faith. Taylor Marshall rejects this infallible teaching, instead proposing that a Pope can teach many grave errors and can utterly fail in faith by committing apostasy, heresy, and idolatry.

Dog Vomit

Taylor Marshall admits that he used to be a schismatic and heretic when he was an Anglican “priest”. In my view, the vast majority of Protestants probably have a sincere but mistaken conscience about Catholicism, and they don’t know that they ought to convert and become Catholics. So they can still go to Heaven. Thus, Marshall was not so bad off as an Anglican.

Then he converted to Catholicism. I believe his conversion was a true sincere one.

But as a Catholic, he fell into the error of Pharisaism. He became not only a traditionalist, which is an option for the faithful, but one of those traditionalists who think they know better than the Popes, Councils, and the body of Bishops, one of those traditionalists who worship traditionalism. That is not all traditionalists, but it is far too many of their leaders, at least.

And when Pope Francis was elected, Taylor Marshall rose up in pride against the Pope and rejected him as Teacher and Shepherd. He would not accept any decision of the Pope which is contrary to Marshall’s own understanding. Worse still, in his book “Infiltration”, Marshall goes through each alleged error of every Pope from Pius IX to Francis and the alleged errors of Vatican II.

The basic error here, as found also in most of those who oppose Pope Francis, is that of assuming that one’s own understanding of the Faith cannot err at all on discipline or doctrine. They loudly proclaim that Popes are only infallible under certain conditions. They forget that they themselves are never able to teach infallibly. They accuse many past Popes of heresy, rejecting the dogma of Vatican I that Popes cannot teach or commit heresy, and they forget how many Christians fell into schism or heresy by rejecting the teachings of the Roman Pontiffs.

Every little thing that any Pope says or does, from Pius IX forward, is represented by Taylor Marshall as if it were certainly a grievous error, merely because Marshall has a different understanding on that point.

So after many years as an Anglican, as one who rejects the Roman Pontiffs and the authority of the Ecumenical Councils, after a brief run as a faithful Catholic, Taylor Marshall returned to his vomit and committed heresy and schism again. He rejects the authority and teaching of the First Vatican Council, which teaches the charism of truth and of never-failing faith given to each Roman Pontiff. He rejects the authority and teaching of the Second Vatican Council.

I don’t care what Taylor Marshall chooses for his own life and his own soul. If he is hell-bent on rejecting the Popes and Councils, and accusing them of heresy, just as Protestants have long so accused, he is free to do as he wishes. But he is dragging many souls into Hell with himself. So I must speak out.

Taylor Marshall is not a faithful teacher of Roman Catholicism.

Ronald L. Conte Jr.