The Vacancy: The Catholic Church since Vatican II - Mr. Richard Jamison 01-15-97

SummaryMr. Richard Jamison provides a comprehensive critique of the changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) and its impact on the Catholic Church. He argues that the Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ and preserved through apostolic succession, especially via the papacy of St. Peter and his successors, has been fundamentally altered and corrupted since the 1960s. Mr. Richard Jamieson, a lifelong Roman Catholic layman, contends that Vatican II introduced a new, man-made church through deliberate reforms that destroyed the traditional Catholic liturgy, sacraments, and doctrines, especially focusing on the reformation of the Mass. He asserts that the Novus Ordo Mass, promulgated by Pope Paul VI, is a Protestantized, invalid substitute for the Tridentine Mass, effectively creating a non-Catholic religious entity.Jamieson highlights serious doctrinal deviations, such as the removal of the concept of sacrifice from the Mass, changes in the Eucharistic prayers that undermine transubstantiation, and the redefinition of sacraments such as baptism, penance, confirmation, marriage, holy orders, and extreme unction. He further explains that Vatican II’s emphasis on community over the individual soul represents a collectivist and totalitarian shift that contradicts Jesus Christ’s teachings, which emphasize personal salvation and sacrifice.Mr. Jamison discusses the political manipulation at Vatican II, where a prepared modernist minority imposed changes on an unprepared majority of bishops, many of whom had lost their faith in the traditional Church. He accuses the popes from John XXIII through John Paul II of heresy and apostasy for their roles in promoting or failing to reverse these changes, suggesting that these pontiffs abandoned the true Church and thus left the papal office effectively vacant.Jamieson offers statistics on the decline of priestly vocations, religious life, and Catholic conversions, linking this collapse to Vatican II reforms. He encourages Catholics who are troubled by the post-conciliar Church to seek out the traditional Latin Mass and reject the Novus Ordo Mass as invalid. Finally, he calls for individual Catholics to prioritize salvation of their souls over obedience to a heretical institution, reminding listeners of the promise that the gates of hell will never prevail against the true Church.HighlightsThe Catholic Church is described as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, founded directly by Jesus Christ and preserved through apostolic succession.Vatican II is portrayed as a deliberate attack on the Church’s doctrine and liturgy, resulting in the creation of a new, non-Catholic church.The Novus Ordo Mass is criticized as a Protestantized, invalid replacement of the traditional Latin Mass, destroying the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist.Sacraments such as baptism, penance, confirmation, marriage, holy orders, and extreme unction have been fundamentally altered or devalued.Vatican II’s emphasis on community over individual salvation reflects a collectivist ideology that facilitates control and totalitarianism.The popes of Vatican II and subsequent decades are accused of heresy and abandoning the true Church, effectively leaving the papal office vacant.Statistical and anecdotal evidence is presented to show the decline of religious vocations, conversions, and faithfulness since Vatican II.Key InsightsThe Centrality of the Mass and Its Transformation: The Mass is the keystone of Catholic worship and doctrine, embodying the sacrifice of Christ. The author emphasizes that the traditional Latin Mass (Tridentine Mass) was divinely instituted and that its alteration constitutes not just a liturgical change but a doctrinal rupture. The Novus Ordo Mass’s removal of the sacrificial element and key Eucharistic phrases undermines the doctrine of transubstantiation, effectively invalidating the sacrament and transforming the Church’s core worship. This insight reveals how liturgical form and theological content are inseparable in Catholicism.Doctrinal Integrity vs. Modernization: Vatican II’s purported goal to “open the windows” of the Church and modernize it is critically examined as a facade for theological erosion. The text argues that true Catholic doctrine cannot be modernized without distortion, as doctrine is timeless and divinely revealed. This tension between tradition and reform underlines the author’s view that Vatican II’s changes were not benign updates but a betrayal of faith.Sacramental Devaluation: The redefinition of sacraments, especially penance (reconciliation), baptism, confirmation, and extreme unction, shifts their theological focus from individual salvation and grace to community and social belonging. This sacramental devaluation reflects a broader theological shift away from individual responsibility toward a collectivist ethos, which the author sees as incompatible with Catholic teaching and detrimental to souls.Collectivism vs. Individual Salvation: The author identifies the Vatican II emphasis on community and ecumenism as a collectivist ideology that subverts the primacy of the individual soul’s relationship with God. He highlights that Jesus’ message is personal and individual, not communal or social in the modern political sense. The collectivist approach is analyzed as a mechanism for control that ultimately leads to totalitarianism and cult-like behavior, thereby endangering genuine faith and freedom.Papal Authority and the Vacancy of the Papacy: A critical insight is the argument that the popes who presided over Vatican II and the post-conciliar era committed heresy and thereby effectively abandoned their office. The distinction between the man Peter (who can err) and the office of the papacy (infallible within Church and faith) is used to argue that if a pope becomes a heretic, he ceases to be pope. This presents a radical challenge to traditional Catholic understanding of papal authority and infallibility.The Political Nature of Vatican II: The council is portrayed as a political maneuver where a well-prepared modernist minority manipulated an unprepared majority to initiate sweeping reforms. The use of political tactics within an ecclesiastical context underscores the author’s claim that Vatican II’s outcomes were engineered rather than spiritually discerned, resulting in confusion, doctrinal ambiguity, and loss of unity.The Fruits of Vatican II: The decline in vocations, conversions, and religious observance is presented as empirical evidence of the failure and spiritual harm caused by Vatican II. This “by their fruits you shall know them” argument reinforces the author’s position that the council’s reforms have led to a crisis in the Church and society, linking ecclesiastical changes to wider moral and cultural decay.ConclusionThis presentation is a polemical and detailed denunciation of Vatican II and its aftermath, arguing that the Catholic Church as originally instituted by Christ continues only through adherence to the traditional Latin Mass and pre-conciliar doctrine. The Vatican II Church is described as a counterfeit, Protestantized entity that has abandoned true Catholicism through liturgical, doctrinal, and sacramental reforms. The author urges Catholics to reject the Vatican II Church and seek out the authentic Church through the traditional Mass and teachings, warning that failure to do so endangers the salvation of their souls.TrueCatholicFaith.com...