Enigmatic Ethicist

“The Catholics pick the very best chaplains - young, virile, active and patriotic. The troops look up to them. I’ve only met one or two Protestant chaplains worth their ration cards.” - USMC Lt. General Chesty Puller In the Pacific Theatre of WW2, a Protestant chaplain approached Col. Puller, complaining that many Marines were converting to Catholicism. Later, while the Marines were out on patrol, Puller found that same chaplain at the battalion HQ. He told him, “Your place was with the fighting men. You remember our little talk about Protestant boys joining the Catholics? They see those priests doing their duty and see you evading it. I can’t work up much sympathy for you.” There were so many converts that mothers in the US wrote letters to the front, concerned that their sons would join the Catholic Church. Puller wrote back that if the Protestant chaplains had the guts to go where the Catholic chaplains did, where the bullets were flying, maybe their sons wouldn’t be converting. Chesty Puller, a lifelong Episcopalian, had great respect for the Catholic chaplains of WW2 and even sent his own children to Catholic school after the war.

One of the first concrete diocesan responses in Europe to the fallout from the recent Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) excommunications has come from Norway. Bishop Fredrik Hansen of Oslo has moved to reassure Catholics attached to the Traditional Latin Mass while warning of the grave ecclesial consequences of the society’s latest schismatic act. In a letter issued after the illicit episcopal consecrations, Hansen said the four bishops along with their two consecrating bishops “removed themselves from ecclesial communion and from unity with the pope” by taking part in the consecrations without a papal mandate, thereby incurring “the most grave ecclesiastical penalty: ‘latae sententiae’ excommunication.” The Norwegian prelate then expressed willingness to expand access to the traditional liturgy within the Diocese of Oslo for Catholics who may now find themselves disoriented by the SSPX crisis. Hansen turned directly to Catholics in his diocese who have attended SSPX chapels because of their attachment to the preconciliar liturgy and spirituality. Acknowledging that “these are difficult and distressing days for you,” he urged them first of all to “hold fast to unity with our Holy Father, the bishop of Rome, and with me as bishop of Oslo.” Rather than simply warning the faithful away from the SSPX, Hansen paired his appeal with a concrete pastoral offer. He pointed out that Mass according to the 1962 Missal is already celebrated every Sunday at St. Joseph Church in Oslo and added that “if there is a need for it, and if it would be for the good of the Church and of souls, I will also expand this form of Mass celebration in our local Church.” This makes Norway one of the first places in Europe where a diocesan bishop has responded to the SSPX crisis not only by reaffirming Rome’s judgment but also by signaling greater provision for Catholics attached to the older liturgy within full communion with the Church. Hansen also urged Catholics to pray rosaries for Church unity while reminding the laity to “refrain from participating in Masses and other activities run by the Society of St. Pius X.” In neighboring Denmark, speaking to CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, Bishop Czesław Kozon of Copenhagen strongly condemned the SSPX consecrations, calling them “tragic and completely pointless.” “It also shows that this is about more than just the old Mass,” Kozon said. “People who previously praised the magisterium, emphasized obedience, and promoted the unity of the Church are suddenly doing something like this, which is a clear sign of disobedience and harms the unity of the Church.” At the same time, Kozon defended continued space for the traditional liturgy within the Church. Having recently celebrated a pontifical Mass in the traditional rite, he said the older form “should be preserved as long as there are believers who love it and feel connected to it.” Kozon also cautioned against framing the old and new rites as rivals. “There shouldn’t be any competition between the two forms of Mass,” he said, noting instead a pastoral approach that allows room for Catholics attached to the traditional liturgy while affirming the postconciliar liturgy as the Church’s ordinary form. ewtnnews.com/world/europe/a…

HUGE FIND! In the 880s, Pope Stephen V issued some instructions to a papal legation to the Slavs. In the same document, he anticipates the eastern objection to the Filioque regarding addition(s) to the creed. Take a look at the prepared response. "Likewise: The Holy Spirit is said to be from the Father and the Son, neither unbegotten, lest there be two Fathers, nor begotten, lest there be two Sons, but proceeding. If they say: “It was forbidden by the holy fathers to add anything to the Creed or to subtract anything from it,” say: “The holy Roman Church is the guardian and confirmer of holy dogmas, because in the Catholic faith, by the vicariate of the prince of the apostles, she wavers in nothing, as the Lord himself says: ‘Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he might sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’ This Church has led all erring churches to the faith and has strengthened those that were wavering, not by changing holy dogmas, but by explaining them to those who did not understand or who thought wrongly.” Keep in mind that this was written less than a decade after AD 879 Photian Synod. Source is Epistolae Karolini Aevi, Tom. V; pg. 353

@briuri993 @LepantoInst Well there’s no reason to expand it at the moment, I attend the TLM myself and we barely fill 25% of the pews on Sundays. If Bishop Fredrik Hansen sees a need for expansion I know that he will, he clearly cares a lot about the latin mass.

@EnigmaticEthics @LepantoInst And?

How bishops around the world should respond to the crisis.

@daRosaJo @RorateCaeli @benedict_kiely Not sure where you get this idea that people are not allowed to convert from Lutheranism. We had 29 adult converts that the bishop himself confirmed in April, the majority of which were former Lutherans (I was one of them).

@EnigmaticEthics @RorateCaeli @benedict_kiely Indeed. Quite ironic. "I can convert but not you!"

Bishop of Oslo on SSPX Consecrations: I understand you the faithful want the Latin Mass, I will expand its availability rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2026/07/bishop…

@briuri993 @LepantoInst There’s TLM every Sunday in the diocese.

@LepantoInst Ehh, he said if there’s a need he’ll expand. Not I will immediately increase the number of TLM

@GreatLakesJay @CatholicArena @RorateCaeli sspx.org/en/validity-ne…

@CatholicArena @RorateCaeli Was he "ordained" by the N.O, minions in the Vatican? If so he is incapable of validly holding mass at all.

NORWAY 🇳🇴 The Bishop of Oslo has promised Latin Mass goers that he will 'expand this type of Mass celebration in our local church' if there is a 'need for it' in a letter about the SSPX consecrations @RorateCaeli

@cath_menarion So far. OCIA classes are increasing in size every single year.

(but people aren't ready for how the Norwegian church is majority immigrant)

I think if you had asked someone 50 years ago where the renewal of Catholic faith and practice in Europe would begin Norway wouldn't have been on most people's radar. Just goes to show God can do as He pleases

@BCMershon @RorateCaeli It happened before, we have had TLM since March.

@RorateCaeli Great and wonderful! But again, why does this happen ONLY after the SSPX consecrated bishops? Why? The ultimate plan of TC is still to bring the flock completely into the NO, right?

@daRosaJo @RorateCaeli @benedict_kiely He is actually himself a convert from Lutheranism.

@EnigmaticEthics @RorateCaeli @benedict_kiely I hope he's not at all like his neighbor to the east who forbids Lutherans from converting to Catholicism in the name of ecumenism.

@JohnTraddington @RorateCaeli The TLM was already available in our diocese prior to this announcement.

@RorateCaeli More good fruits from a "schismatic" act, Deo gratias.

@normalukrainian @Tempund

@EnigmaticEthics @Tempund

@normalukrainian @Tempund You have no idea what you are talking about.

@EnigmaticEthics @Tempund that’s just false (Norway controls more land now than it ever did in history)

@normalukrainian @Tempund The Kingdom of Norway was the largest polity by area in Europe in the 13th century.

@Tempund my brother in Ludendorff what the fuck is Norway doing there 🥀

@dumjen @robbertleusink @ParadyG @GroovySciFi You shouldn’t encourage people to leave the Church.

@robbertleusink @ParadyG @GroovySciFi You're free to become a protestant anytime

In China we either let them consecrate their own bishops or leave 10 million Chinese Catholics without sacraments. There is no SSPX-controlled country: their parishioners can easily go to a regular mass to receive the sacraments.

🚨 SCANDALOUS: Afonso Gonçalves was AGGRESSIVELY DETAINED by the Portuguese police (PSP) for singing the national anthem in front of a demonstration of Islamist extremists. 🇵🇹 Portugal is an occupied country, where the Portuguese people are being held hostage by a mass immigration crisis that imposes its customs through the power of the state.

3 blacks attack a drunk white kid in Birmingham, the female police officer comes in to protect the violent blacks and arrest the white kid Absolutely disgusting the way white people are treated in England (@KnockoutAudit)

@orion8137244788 @countmaculad You do not have perfect contrition unless you intend to go to confession as soon as possible.

@countmaculad If one commits a mortal sin, repents (has perfect contrition), but never goes to sacramental confession afterwards, what then?

A Catholic believes one mortal sin is enough to send him to hell forever, and unless he confesses it to a priest with true contrition and a firm resolution to never do it again then ordinarily he’s done for. Virtually all Protestants believe they’re good to go unless they apostatize. Do you think the average Prot is worrying about hellfire while he struggles with a porn addiction? Doubt it!

🚨 Pope Leo XIV has delivered a hard hitting speech to EU leaders, calling out the 'rejection of the Christian inspiration of the founding fathers of the EU' He also said that Europe is facing 'DRASTIC STERILITY' because 'too many have been deprived of the right to be born' and 'because there has been a failure to pass on the material and cultural tools that young people need to face the future'