The washing of the feet of the Apostles by Our Lord just before the First Mass signified their preparation for their first Holy Communion and their Ordination to the Episcopate.  They needed that preparation as we see from the dispute between Our Lord and Peter.  He felt that he should not get the forgiveness of his sins by Our Lord through such a method.  Our Lord made it clear that unless Peter subjected himself to that rite he would have no part with Christ in His kingdom.  That firm insistence of Christ put the fear of the Lord into the heart of Peter, and he asked that he be washed from head to foot. 

Today we have a similar situation before us.  The Vicar of Christ kneels before the priests and bishops of the world who have fouled up their lives by irregular ordinations [be they valid, doubtful and even invalid]. Furthermore they have compounded that evil by setting up juridical sects over which they rule as acephalous units of a false Christianity.  He offers to wash their souls of their sins and put them to work in the Catholic Church according to their qualifications in learning and moral rectitude. 

It seems that there are a good number of priests out there who are watching to see what the new Pope will do without the Episcopal powers himself.   They may even think that he is helpless without their giving him the power of orders, and thus he is held in their bondage.  That is not the case.  God keeps His servants on top of every work that He assigns to them. 

From here on We are going into what is likely a little known fact.  We use as our source a very dependable author, Dr. Ludwig Ott.  His book is FUNDAMENTALS of Catholic Dogma.  The imprimatur is dated 7 October 1954.  It can be purchased from TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 424, Rockford, IL 61105, USA, (800) 437-5876. The price is US$21.00 + p/h US$4.00. 

We will not use time on what all of you know.  The ordinary minister of Holy Orders is the Bishop.  We want you to know that there is also an extraordinary minister of Holy Orders.  This matter is treated in FUNDAMENTALS of Catholic Dogma on pages 458 and 459. 

We quote: “The extraordinary dispenser of the four Minor Orders and of the Order of Subdiaconate is the presbyter.” (Sent. certa.) We skip a) and go directly to b). 

“In regard to the sacramental Order grades of diaconate and presbyterate, most theologians, with St. Thomas, hold the opinion that a simple priest cannot validly administer these, even with plenary power from the Pope. 

“But there are grave historical difficulties with regard to this opinion: Pope Boniface IX, in agreement with the teaching of numerous medieval canonists (for example, Huguccio † 1210), by the Bull “Sacrae religionis” of the 1st February, 1400, conferred on the Abbot of the Augustine Monastery of St. Osytha at Essex (Diocese of London) and his successors, the privilege of administering to those subject to them both the Minor Orders and those of the subdiaconate, diaconate, and priesthood.  The privilege was withdrawn on 6th February, 1403, on the instance of the Bishop of London.  But the Orders conferred on the ground of the privilege were not declared  invalid.   Pope Martin V, by the Bull “Gerentes ad vos” of 16th November, 1427, conferred the privilege on the Abbott of the Cistercian Monastery of Altzelle (Diocese of Meissen) of promoting all his monks and others subject to him for the term of five years, to the higher Orders also (Sub-diaconate, Diaconate, and Presbyterate).  Pope Innocent VIII, by the Bull “Exposcit tuae devotionis” of 9th April, 1489, conferred on the four Proto-Abbots of the Cistercian Order and their successors the privilege of ordaining their subordinates to the Sub-diaconate and Diaconate.  The Cistercian Abbots were still using this privilege in the 17th century without hindrance. 

“Unless one wishes to assume that the Popes in question were victims of the erroneous theological opinions of their times (this does not touch the Papal infallibility, because an ex cathedra decision was not given), one must take it that a simple priest is an extraordinary dispenser of the Orders of Diaconate and Presbyterate just as he is as an extraordinary dispenser of Confirmation.  In this latter view, the requisite power of consecration is contained in the priestly power of consecration as “potestas ligata.”  For the valid exercise of it a special exercise of papal power is, by Divine or Church ordinance, necessary," That ends the treatment of that topic in FUNDAMENTALS of Catholic Dogma by Dr. Ludwig Ott. 

From here on we shall build on the actions noted above of Our predecessors in the Chair of Peter.  Let us imagine the most terrible scenario.  Pope Pius XIII finds himself cornered by Satan and all the validly consecrated bishops in the world.  We have you eating out of our hands!  We dictate the terms of your reign!  No way!  What We can give, it goes without saying, We have of ourselves.  We can as Pope add to Our powers of priesthood the power to raise a layman to the priesthood.  It has been done in the past when bishops were present and willing to confer those Orders. 

The raising of layman to the priesthood is a work of a bishop.  Did anyone ever hear of a consecration given to a man making him above the powers of ordaining priest the added power to consecrate a bishop?  That is all one power in the bishop, namely, to ordain priests and consecrate bishops.  It is unfortunate (if We may state it that way) that Our hind-sight is without specifics on what was talked about in clerical circles during the rule of Pope Pius XII. 

This is clear in my memory.   Pope Pius XII wanted to raise a priest in a Communist country to a bishop.  He was unable to send a bishop into the Communist country for the consecration, and he was unable to bring the priest out of the Communist country for consecration in the free world.  What did he do?  With his plenitude of Papal power he gave to a priest in the Communist country the added power to consecrate the designated priest into a bishop. 

We put two and two together.  We can ordain a layman to the priesthood, and We can have him consecrate Ourselves into a bishop.  If all the validly ordained bishops in the world determine to just sit back and smile at Ourselves for being without the order of Episcopate we face them squarely in their not knowing this part of the story.  Where there is good will, all the confusion in the world can be put behind us. 

Remember, when Peter opposed Our Lord at the time when He told the Apostles that He would die a shameful death Christ rebuked Peter very severely: finally saying, get behind Me Satan.  It meant, I am the shepherd, and you are My sheep. Follow My lead (or else). 

When those who were ordained priests and consecrated bishops since the death of Pope Pius XII come to Us, it is Our solemn duty before God and man to check out their orders - whether they are valid, doubtfully valid or just invalid.  All of you do that with every convert in regard their baptism.  Can We do less in regard to all the sacraments? 

It seems to Us that it will not be long before the whole world will be under martial law.  All of you must know that the soldiers of the world are being taken from their home lands and placed in foreign lands.  That is done in order to control the people who naturally will oppose martial law.  Right now the Russians are preparing for an offensive war with a first strike which will be most advantageous to them. 

We give you several texts from the Apocalypse. (Apoc. 13, 7) “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.  And power was given him over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.”  We urge you who read this to take (Apoc. 13, 9) seriously. “If any man have an ear, let him hear.”  Do not let dragon who is Satan overcome you. 

Finally, we give you a chance to hope for God’s special care from Apoc. 12, 6:  “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that there they should feed her, a thousand two hundred and sixty days.”  In the foot note it says that the “woman” is the Church.  Let Us ask you an honest question.  Can anyone of you feel like a Catholic as long as you are in an acephalous (headless) group of people calling themselves Catholics - just like the Russian and Greek Orthodox? 

All men are called to be subject to Christ by being subject to His Vicar.  Our predecessor, in the person of Pope Boniface VIII (Denz. 469), had this to say; “Furthermore, we declare, say, define, and proclaim to every human creature that they by necessity for salvation are entirely subject to the Roman Pontiff.”  Truth never grows old, and neither do we in the service of the Lord. We are reminded of this in the prayers at the foot of the altar: “Ad Deum qui laetificat  juventutem  meam.” 

   Given January 8, 1999 
 
    Pius, pp. XIII 
 

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