After a brief failed effort to turn OnePeterFive into a less negative Catholic publication, founder and editor in chief Steve Skojec went dark big time in this post: Amidst Conflicting Fatima “Secrets,” a Clear Message Shines. What? A clear messages shines? No. Skojec is using conflicting claims, rumors, and gossiping about the third part of the secret of Fatima to attack the Catholic Church. OnePeterFive is a dingy bailing water on rough seas, firing a water cannon, ineffectually, at the vast unsinkable Ark of Salvation that is the indefectible Church founded by the Son of God.

This time they are using not only a private revelation, but a rumor about a secret portion of that private revelation — one denied by the visionary herself. Sister Lucy and then-Cardinal Ratzinger, in the year 2000, released the third part of the secret of Fatima. They denied that the secret contains anything different or anything further. So the true secret is nothing like the heretical and blasphemous fake secrets discussed by OnePeterFive. Those who reject the Magisterium, grasp at straws seeking its replacement.

When I cite the visions to Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich or to Saint Bridget, I’m told that these are private revelations, which we don’t have to believe. And then personal attacks are made against at least Emmerich (and her secretary), to discredit her visions from God. But when a private revelations pleases them, the same persons will use it to attack the Church herself, as when the papal accusers point to the secrets of La Salette: “Rome will lose the faith” etc. See my prior posts for a discussion on that point. The use of the rumored third secret of Fatima to cause the faithful to think that the Church will fall into apostasy is heretical and scandalous.

Neither the Church, nor any valid Roman Pontiff, nor the body of Bishops can fall into heresy, apostasy, or idolatry, nor fail in faith in some other way, nor teach grave error on doctrine or discipline.

For the Church does not have two heads, the Pope and the Lord Jesus. Rather, the Vicar of Christ is one with the Lord Jesus, who acts through him. And this is dogma, as explained in my prior post.

Dogma: “Christ and His Vicar constitute one only Head”

What is happening in this latest attack on the Church by Mr. Skojec? “Whatever we may believe about apostasy in the Church that goes to the very top, you and I cannot change it.” The article uses various conflicted alleged versions of the third secret of Fatima to accuse the indefectible Church of defecting by apostasy “that goes to the very top”. This contradicts multiple teachings of the faith:

1. The indefectibility of the Church [Florence, Lyons II, Vatican I, Mt 16:18]
2. The charism of truth and of never failing faith of the Pope [Vatican I; Lk 22:32]
3. that the Apostolic See is unblemished by error [Vatican I]
4. Christ and His Vicar constitute one only Head [Unam Sanctam, Lateran V, and Pius XII]

Note that, since the Head of the Church is one, Christ and His Vicar together, you cannot accuse the Church of apostasy that goes all the way to the top, nor accuse any Pope of heresy or idolatry or other grave errors and failures of faith, without also falsely accusing Christ himself. The result is both heresy and blasphemy. Then the blasphemy is directly against Christ, as well as indirect blasphemy, against the Church founded by Christ.

5. the commission of Peter, “under whose protecting shield, this Apostolic Church of his has never turned away from the path of truth in any direction of error” [Letter of Pope Saint Agatho accepted by Sixth Council]
6. “The First See is judged by no one” [Pope Saint Nicholas; Pope Saint Leo IX; Canon 1404]
7. Fifth Lateran Council: “It arises from the necessity of salvation that all the faithful of Christ are to be subject to the Roman Pontiff.”
8. Pope Leo XIII, 1890: “And since all Christians must be closely united in the communion of one immutable faith, Christ the Lord, in virtue of His prayers, obtained for Peter that in the fulfilment of his office he should never fall away from the faith.
9. Condemned Error: “22. The obligation by which Catholic teachers and authors are strictly bound is confined to those things only which are proposed to universal belief as dogmas of faith by the infallible judgment of the Church.” [Pope Pius IX]
10. Pope Pius XII, 1943: “They, therefore, walk in the path of dangerous error who believe that they can accept Christ as the Head of the Church, while not adhering loyally to His Vicar on earth.”
11. Pope Pius XI, 1929: “Upon this Magisterium, Christ the Lord conferred immunity from error, together with the command to teach His doctrine to all….”
12. Cardinal Ratzinger, Donum Veritatis: “But it would be contrary to the truth, if, proceeding from some particular cases, one were to conclude that the Church’s Magisterium can be habitually mistaken in its prudential judgments, or that it does not enjoy divine assistance in the integral exercise of its mission.”

Those who battle against Pope Francis, against the Magisterium, against the Church Herself and Her Lord, should heed these words by Pope Piux XI in 1933: “We must have confidence in the indefectible assistance promised by God to His Church”.

Since this assistance is indefectible and continual, the Church and her Roman Pontiff cannot be guilty of teaching or committing heresy, nor of apostasy or idolatry. Such a claim is necessarily heretical as it implies the rejection of the dogmas discussed in this article.

Finally, speaking about those who reject Vatican I, though he could easily have been speaking about those today who reject Pope Francis and other Popes, Blessed Pope Pius IX says this:

“For these writings attack and pervert the true power of jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff and the bishops, who are the successors of blessed Peter and the apostles; they transfer it instead to the people, or, as they say, to the community. They obstinately reject and oppose the infallible magisterium both of the Roman Pontiff and of the whole Church in teaching matters. Incredibly, they boldly affirm that the Roman Pontiff and all the bishops, the priests and the people conjoined with him in the unity of faith and communion fell into heresy when they approved and professed the definitions of the Ecumenical Vatican Council. Therefore they deny also the indefectibility of the Church and blasphemously declare that it has perished throughout the world and that its visible Head and the bishops have erred.” [Etsi Multa 22.]

And, no, Steve, you cannot appeal to Bishops Vigano, Schneider and Burke to pretend that you and your fellow accusers are in communion with Rome.

“Bishops are deprived of the right and power of ruling, if they deliberately secede from Peter and his successors; because, by this secession, they are separated from the foundation on which the whole edifice must rest. They are therefore outside the edifice itself; and for this very reason they are separated from the fold, whose leader is the Chief Pastor; they are exiled from the Kingdom, the keys of which were given by Christ to Peter alone.” [Pope Leo XIII, Satis Cognitum 15.]

These words are just as true today of those who still deny the teachings of Vatican I by rejecting Pope Francis, his teachings, and the teachings of other recent Popes.

Ronald L Conte Jr