Cardinal  Felipe Arizmendi , Bishop Emeritus of San Cristóbal de Las Casas and responsible for the Doctrine of the Faith at the  Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM) , offers Exaudi readers his article.

FACTS

Indigenous Catholics from San Juan Chamula, near San Cristóbal de Las Casas, who considered themselves traditionalists, prevented my predecessor, Bishop Samuel Ruiz García, from entering the town and the parish church for 27 years due to doctrinal and pastoral misunderstandings with him. They also rejected all the priests of the diocese. However, since they felt it was essential to celebrate Masses on their patron saint’s feast days, all of which were Catholic, and to baptize their children, they requested that some traditionalists from Tuxtla Gutiérrez come to celebrate these feasts and perform their baptisms, which they did for several years. Eventually, a Catholic priest from Tuxtla Gutiérrez was able to provide these services. When I arrived, since they had no reservations about me, they invited me to celebrate their feast days, and little by little, the parish returned to normal, as it has to this day.

These traditionalist Orthodox Christians of Tuxtla Gutiérrez, who are certainly not Lefebvrists nor do they have the same level of influence, are known as Pascualitos because they venerate Saint Paschal and have a church near the cathedral. There is no evidence that their leaders are actual priests, much less bishops. It is said that the one who claims to be a bishop was a sacristan in a parish before the Council and repeats what he learned, all in the Latin of that era, though he understands nothing. Many people seek their services, either out of ignorance or for convenience, since they will do anything you want, without prior instruction, but of course, they charge hefty sums of money. They have nothing to do with the Lefebvrists in doctrinal matters, but some people seek them out and become confused.

In order to clarify and contradict some of the Lefebvrist claims made in their  Catholic Profession of Faith , I continue to share with you  in italics  what they maintain and in normal Word my personal commentary.

LIGHTNING

66. I reject inculturation understood as the undiscerning adoption of the religious, moral, or symbolic categories and practices of pagan cultures. The Gospel can embrace what is naturally good, true, and noble in peoples; but it can never consecrate idolatry, superstition, error, or customs contrary to natural law. The mission of the Church is not an indefinite dialogue, humanitarian cooperation, or mutual recognition of religious traditions: it is the mandate received from Christ to teach all nations, baptize them, and teach them to observe all that He has commanded.

They haven’t understood true inculturation. We don’t consider all religious expressions in the world to be the same. We don’t value, for example, the religions of indigenous peoples the same as the Gospel and the Magisterium of the Church. Our criterion for discernment is Jesus Christ, but there are “seeds of the Word” in many good things from other religious groups. We don’t diminish true evangelization.

69. The Holy Spirit is the one who assists the Church’s Magisterium, especially that of the Pope, so that it may preserve, declare, and explain without error the revealed deposit: not so that it may invent new doctrines…

They assume that the Popes have invented new doctrines, which is false. With the advancement of religious and secular sciences, the Council and the Popes have tried to help us understand that there can be no opposition between faith and true science. For example, Pope Leo XIV helped us discern the good and the risks of Artificial Intelligence. These are not new doctrines, but rather an application of the perennial Gospel to the new realities we are experiencing.

72. I condemn any attempt to invoke the Holy Spirit to justify doctrinal adaptations that break with Tradition, moral inversions, or synodal procedures…

They assume that there has been a break with true Tradition, which is false, and they have not understood synodality.

75. The faithful owe the Pope respect and filial obedience in all matters pertaining to the legitimate exercise of his mission.

To speak of legitimate exercise is correct, but they reject the papal Magisterium from Saint John XXIII and Saint Paul VI, to Leo XIV, as if these were not legitimate Popes.

79. I reject synodal conceptions that tend to transform the hierarchical Church into a consultative, parliamentary, or democratic structure, subject to the shifting opinions of the Christian people or to the pressures of the world. The collective conscience of the faithful, pastoral surveys, cultural sensitivities, and the expectations of the world are not sources of Revelation. Legitimate listening to souls can never become a continuous adaptation of the life of the Church, its doctrine, and its divine constitution to the spirit of the world.

They reject synodality because they don’t understand it. It’s not democratic. The faithful are consulted to help us discover what the Spirit is saying to the Churches. Synodality doesn’t diminish the authority of the Pope or the bishops.

ACTIONS

Let us not be misled by those who claim to be Catholic and celebrate Masses, almost always in Latin, but are not in communion with the Pope and our bishops. When you need a religious service, go to your parish. It is the safest way to avoid being deceived.