Last week, in the beginning of our outline on the state of the Church, I listed things traditionalists get right. Today I’d like to cover the reverse of this, by outlining some things I think trads (in general) get wrong.
Now before I begin this, let’s get a few things out of the way. I already know there is one prominent traditionalist who, when he sees this, will grumble about how he’s been seeing this stuff for years, so trads can’t have “gotten it wrong” since he saw it! To which I will reply to this individual: good for you sparky. I will give you a treat later. In something as decentralized as traditionalism, you will always find someone, somewhere, who was ahead of the curve. Sometimes I’ve been ahead of the curve by years (imperial papacy being bad), other times I’ve been behind the curve. (Importance of the laity in traditionalism, bishops would most ignore Traditonis Custodes being two.) For this reason I’m going to try and avoid specific cases, and talk about tendencies of the movement as a whole.
The second caveat will be that this column, more than others, is the Kevin Tierney version of what’s going on in traditionalism. I try to reduce bias, but that’s impossible. I’m someone who was formed in a vibrant, mature and developed traditionalist scene. I’ve seen what works in ways that many have never had the opportunity to, and therefore some of my words will struggle to be aware of the struggles for sanity in newer communities that you just wouldn’t find in the existence of a community like the Archdiocese of Detroit/Lansing, which has had four decades of development. So I ask forgiveness in advance if my words betray this insularity.
Trusting the Conspiracy
In one sense, there is a conspiracy against the Church. Various individuals have and will plan in the future to undermine certain central aspects of her identity. Some will even be so bold as to plan to destroy her entirely. The revolution that occurred at the Second Vatican Council was pretty well planned, as was the attempt by John Paul II to end and solidify that revolution. There was an organized conspiracy to put Jorge Bergoglio on the papal throne, with the expectation he would accomplish certain ideological things. Not only was this a conspiracy, but it was also a pretty open one, where best-selling books have been written by the Pope’s biographer about it.
One problem traditionalists run into is that when they see a conspiracy, they assume that conspiracy is all encompassing, or all powerful. If they see an ideological conspiracy at the Second Vatican Council to advance a reformist agenda, they then overinterpret that reality to where everything that has happened since is all part of that conspiracy, or that it even was the point of that conspiracy. Or they see the actions of Pope Francis, clearly political in nature, and assume he’s a political mastermind playing four-dimensional chess.
There’s also another reality we should consider that sometimes people just aren’t very good at their job, but aren’t bad people. Many of those in the Nouvelle théologie (the clique of theologians whose ideas dominated the reforms of the Second Vatican Council) weren’t out to destroy the Church. They genuinely believed that their reforms would bring the Church’s intellectual tradition back to a more consistent patrimony, and in so doing, revitalize the Church. Many of these individuals, though well meaning, were spectacularly wrong. They ended up being so wrong they split over how they were wrong into two opposing camps, and surprise surprise, they ended up blaming each other for why the Conciliar Reform went off the rails.
Evil before Incompetent
Likewise, some trads ascribe a certain Machiavellian genius to Pope Francis and his various moves, solely for the purpose of pushing forth the grand conspiracy. Looking at things objectively, an observer would conclude that Pope Francis (especially after 2018) has lost control of the Church. He faces consistent attacks from both flanks, former allies have turned into critics, his voice has grown weaker, and scheming has only intensified since his health has failed. Is he a bad person whose entire goal was to weaken the Church? Maybe. Or he’s just not a very good Pope handling an impossible situation poorly. For all the talk of Machiavelli being a political genius, it is a good reminder that Machiavelli, once he achieved anything resembling power, was a complete and total disaster for both his city and the wider cause he represented. Far too often during human events good men without humility have enacted far more cruelty and damage upon the world than bad men without a conscience. Hubris can be an even deadlier sin than heterodoxy.
Welcoming Even the Charlatan
As I mentioned last week, contra the popular narrative, traditionalists are pretty welcoming of people with a wide diversity of views, so long as those views involve loving the Latin Mass and being at least moderately skeptical of decisions made over the last five decades from Rome. A problem with that inclusivity is we occasionally welcome the individuals who are bad news. Grifters find prime real estate in the traditionalist market. We have a:
History of Isolation
Small but coherent core
Fighting a battle with long odds
Movement full of young people
This gives us a chip on our shoulder that points us towards growth. Yet, improperly handled, it makes us more susceptible to the soothsayer who is willing to tell us what we want to hear to make a quick buck. That soothsayer will typically exploit the problems mentioned above, and will tell you how to fight them…. provided you donate to them or buy their books. I don’t think these people should be excluded. (Yes, all really are welcome!) Yet I do think it is incumbent upon both the laity and pastors alike to diagnose and target those sentiments the charlatans take advantage of. Like everyone, the grifter should come as they are, but not remain as they were.
Despite spending all this time warning about the things traditionalists get wrong, I’m still pretty optimistic. The decentralized nature of traditionalism always means that if this group isn’t doing it right, you have an opportunity to do it properly. Furthermore, as we continue to exist, we continue to develop. We drop what doesn’t work and adopt what does in our defense of tradition. The strong debates we have at the table still occur at the table. The prevalence of the grifter implies that there is a growing audience, as grifters normally don’t target those on the decline. Consider these observations friendly criticism as we plot a better understanding of the crisis in the Church today, and as fruitful grounds for renewal and restoration.
What I find in my traditional community is lots of young, devout, God-loving families and individuals.
What often is missing is older, more experienced "wisdom" people who can offer balance and help make more moderate some of the more "hyper enthusiastic" (as in R.A. Knox's book "Enthusiasm") younger members.
Zeal is good but must be moderated by charity, proportional behavior, words and not attributing evil when it is incompetence or simple stupidity that is operative.
Pretty solid analysis and somethings that I’ve been reflecting on myself. As a traditionalist (in that broad sense you defined) these are the pitfalls of the community that I’ve mostly seen online. My in-person experience is much better, but again, it’s different everywhere.