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The Catechism of the Crisis in the Church
Is there a crisis in the Church today? One would have to close one’s eyes not to see that the Catholic Church is suffering a grave crisis. In the 1960’s, at the time of the Second Vatican Council, there were hopes for a new springtime in the Church; exactly the opposite has come to pass. Thousands of priests have abandoned their office, and thousands of monks and religious have returned to secular life. Many parishes lack priests, and religious congregations are obliged to abandon schools, hospitals, and homes for the aged.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 19, 2026
"The gates of Hell shall not prevail." (Mt 16:18) I've heard this time and time again from people who defend Rome's actions. Just like bad prelates who misuse God's word to tolerate sin, people are reading things under the wrong light. The gates of Hell shall not prevail. The word "prevail" is synonymous to "conquer". The word is used to describe the outcome of a battle. In a battle, there are losses. In this battle we are facing, evil CAN infiltrate the Church. But it can never win in the end.
This book perfectly explains the crisis in the Church. Not only are we facing a liturgical crisis, but a moral crisis.
One thing that this book was able to discuss was the change of prayers in exorcisms. This is rarely discussed in other books. Yes, Vatican II paved way to the remodification of exorcism prayers which were deemed to be less effective. One cannot help but think that evil used the council to make infiltration easier, not just in the Church , but in the whole world. If one watched an exorcism first hand, he will be convinced that evil is real, that Satan is real and is walking among the world. Satan uses people, priests are no exception.
With more and more reports of clergy being arrested, especially this 2026, Satan must be working double time to capture souls. Again, evil can infiltrate the Church, but it will never win.
The question is, how long must the Church suffer through this crisis in the hands of corrupt men?
The most that we could do is to hold steadfast in faith. The recent excommunication sanctioned by Leo XIV on the SSPX is unjust and unbecoming of a person claiming the name of Peter. Pray harder and let not evil consume us to eternal damnation. Life on earth is a very small fraction compared to eternal life and eternal damnation.
God bless the SSPX and the faithful holding on to the Truth.
This book perfectly explains the crisis in the Church. Not only are we facing a liturgical crisis, but a moral crisis.
One thing that this book was able to discuss was the change of prayers in exorcisms. This is rarely discussed in other books. Yes, Vatican II paved way to the remodification of exorcism prayers which were deemed to be less effective. One cannot help but think that evil used the council to make infiltration easier, not just in the Church , but in the whole world. If one watched an exorcism first hand, he will be convinced that evil is real, that Satan is real and is walking among the world. Satan uses people, priests are no exception.
With more and more reports of clergy being arrested, especially this 2026, Satan must be working double time to capture souls. Again, evil can infiltrate the Church, but it will never win.
The question is, how long must the Church suffer through this crisis in the hands of corrupt men?
The most that we could do is to hold steadfast in faith. The recent excommunication sanctioned by Leo XIV on the SSPX is unjust and unbecoming of a person claiming the name of Peter. Pray harder and let not evil consume us to eternal damnation. Life on earth is a very small fraction compared to eternal life and eternal damnation.
God bless the SSPX and the faithful holding on to the Truth.
November 10, 2021
Great book for someone wanting to learn about and understand the crisis in the Church. Highly recommend it.
November 26, 2021
Containing interesting facts, the book is occasionally informative. For example it notes that US annulments went from 338 in 1968 to 50,000 by 1998 (2%). But there is a strangely contorted thinking throughout, which undermines the book rationally.
The contorted thinking appears in elements of style. It repeats previous pope’s condemnations of ‘Historicism’ (74%) or ‘exagerated antiquarianism’ (50%) as the idea that we have to go back to ancient ways of talking and acting. But then it prefers antiquated phrases like ‘Holy Ghost’, rejecting modern translations of 'Holy Spirit (eg 3%).
In places it seems contradictory. For example we hear that everyone must be obedient to the pope in order to be saved (72%). But then the author writes at length to justify his group’s ‘apparent’ disobedience of ordaining bishops, as actually showing a superior form of obedience.
There are also double standards. For example, we hear that it is displeasing to God to celebrate mass in the Byzantine rite because it is 'in opposition to Rome' (52%). But then we hear that the current Roman rite is also displeasing to God. The author’s reason for this is that the new Roman rite departs from ancient norms. But isn’t that exactly the reasoning cited by the Byzantines for their disagreeements with Rome. How can that reason be right when the author cites it, but not right when the Byzantines cite it?
The double standards are particularly clear when the author condemns Protestants for ‘rejecting the church’s teaching authority… which alone can guarantee unity in the true faith…(so) the protestants very rapidly split into countless sects’ (29%). Yet this book is a protesting rejection of the current church’s teaching authority, written by someone who is in a group which has split from the Church (the society of St Pius X). How is it rational to say that rejecting Church authority is wrong for Protestants, but right when this group do it?
The author also advances dubious opinions as facts. For example he insists that there is a universal privilege dating from 1570 which allows priests to celebrate the Tridentine rite in perpetuity (46%). But this arguably conflicts with Vatican I’s declaration that the Pope has a universal supremacy of jurisdiction. Popes cannot bind each other (except in terms of dogma) so there cannot be perpetually valid privileges which bind successors. The author disagrees. So there is a disagreement about the interpretation of doctrine and truth. The author told us that Protestantism is wrong in rejecting the Church as the arbiter of truth when there are disagreements. Yet isn’t he doing exactly the same when he insists on his own interpretation on this issue?
In places the book seems to plead speciously. Something taught by all the bishops is infallibly taught, as part of the Ordinary Magisterium. Yet when all the Church’s bishops taught Religious Freedom at Vatican II, that doesn’t really count as infallibly taught (18%).
We hear that the Vernacular is not ‘apt for worshipping God’ (54%). If that is true then why did the Catholic church change its liturgical language from Greek to vernacular Latin in the third century? Moreover, why did no Catholics make an issue of it when Pius XII allowed mass to be translated into Chinese and Hindi at the end of the 1940s?
The book talks about justice and fairness in relation to bishop Lefebvre (who founded the author’s group). Yet it repeats character slurs against other people. For example, it accuses Annibale Bugnini of being a Freemason based on hearsay evidence (49%). It accuses of Walter Kasper of denying the Resurrection (12%), despite his denials of his denial.
It also repeats old fashioned anti-semitism and sexism. For example (good Friday) prayers that do not talk of the Jews as ‘blind’ and ‘perfidious’ (34%) are somehow deficient, as if God needs those adjectives in order for prayers to work.
We also hear that men are obviously ‘more active, enterprising and commanding’ than women, who are ‘passive and receptive,’ so women’s lot in life is to be directed by men (59%).
Ultimately the book seems to be advancing a conspiracy theory. Dark forces of Freemasons and/or Demons wrecked the Church at Vatican II, but the author’s group have the true knowledge of what is really going on (unlike the rest of the Catholic Church). As with other conspiracy theories, their ability to describe the true reality inevitably leads them to the contorted reasonings which we see in this book.
If we have learned nothing else from twentieth century conspiracy theories it must be the fact that people can convince themselves of the truth of anything, and rationalise to prove it so; if they are motivated to try hard enough. The interesting question raised by this book is why the author (and his group) feels so strongly motivated to argue this particular conspiracy theory.
The contorted thinking appears in elements of style. It repeats previous pope’s condemnations of ‘Historicism’ (74%) or ‘exagerated antiquarianism’ (50%) as the idea that we have to go back to ancient ways of talking and acting. But then it prefers antiquated phrases like ‘Holy Ghost’, rejecting modern translations of 'Holy Spirit (eg 3%).
In places it seems contradictory. For example we hear that everyone must be obedient to the pope in order to be saved (72%). But then the author writes at length to justify his group’s ‘apparent’ disobedience of ordaining bishops, as actually showing a superior form of obedience.
There are also double standards. For example, we hear that it is displeasing to God to celebrate mass in the Byzantine rite because it is 'in opposition to Rome' (52%). But then we hear that the current Roman rite is also displeasing to God. The author’s reason for this is that the new Roman rite departs from ancient norms. But isn’t that exactly the reasoning cited by the Byzantines for their disagreeements with Rome. How can that reason be right when the author cites it, but not right when the Byzantines cite it?
The double standards are particularly clear when the author condemns Protestants for ‘rejecting the church’s teaching authority… which alone can guarantee unity in the true faith…(so) the protestants very rapidly split into countless sects’ (29%). Yet this book is a protesting rejection of the current church’s teaching authority, written by someone who is in a group which has split from the Church (the society of St Pius X). How is it rational to say that rejecting Church authority is wrong for Protestants, but right when this group do it?
The author also advances dubious opinions as facts. For example he insists that there is a universal privilege dating from 1570 which allows priests to celebrate the Tridentine rite in perpetuity (46%). But this arguably conflicts with Vatican I’s declaration that the Pope has a universal supremacy of jurisdiction. Popes cannot bind each other (except in terms of dogma) so there cannot be perpetually valid privileges which bind successors. The author disagrees. So there is a disagreement about the interpretation of doctrine and truth. The author told us that Protestantism is wrong in rejecting the Church as the arbiter of truth when there are disagreements. Yet isn’t he doing exactly the same when he insists on his own interpretation on this issue?
In places the book seems to plead speciously. Something taught by all the bishops is infallibly taught, as part of the Ordinary Magisterium. Yet when all the Church’s bishops taught Religious Freedom at Vatican II, that doesn’t really count as infallibly taught (18%).
We hear that the Vernacular is not ‘apt for worshipping God’ (54%). If that is true then why did the Catholic church change its liturgical language from Greek to vernacular Latin in the third century? Moreover, why did no Catholics make an issue of it when Pius XII allowed mass to be translated into Chinese and Hindi at the end of the 1940s?
The book talks about justice and fairness in relation to bishop Lefebvre (who founded the author’s group). Yet it repeats character slurs against other people. For example, it accuses Annibale Bugnini of being a Freemason based on hearsay evidence (49%). It accuses of Walter Kasper of denying the Resurrection (12%), despite his denials of his denial.
It also repeats old fashioned anti-semitism and sexism. For example (good Friday) prayers that do not talk of the Jews as ‘blind’ and ‘perfidious’ (34%) are somehow deficient, as if God needs those adjectives in order for prayers to work.
We also hear that men are obviously ‘more active, enterprising and commanding’ than women, who are ‘passive and receptive,’ so women’s lot in life is to be directed by men (59%).
Ultimately the book seems to be advancing a conspiracy theory. Dark forces of Freemasons and/or Demons wrecked the Church at Vatican II, but the author’s group have the true knowledge of what is really going on (unlike the rest of the Catholic Church). As with other conspiracy theories, their ability to describe the true reality inevitably leads them to the contorted reasonings which we see in this book.
If we have learned nothing else from twentieth century conspiracy theories it must be the fact that people can convince themselves of the truth of anything, and rationalise to prove it so; if they are motivated to try hard enough. The interesting question raised by this book is why the author (and his group) feels so strongly motivated to argue this particular conspiracy theory.
May 29, 2026
A clear and heavily referenced resource about the necessity of the SSPX in today's world. The formatting is question and answer grouped under chapters for each topic. There is ample opportunity to stop and discuss each set of questions in a group setting or to read through as a single reader. This is a book that I'll likely return to in the future.
November 3, 2019
For anyone that found themself caught up in the mess of the church and unsure how we got here, this book will certainly help you. It explains the Post Vatican II errors. It explains the Traditional Latin Mass. I learned a great amount from this book.
February 16, 2022
Excellent explanation of what's been happening to the Catholic Church since Vatican II. For example, the chapter on the New Mass demonstrates that the changes made by Paul VI followed in the footsteps of Luther and the other Protestants rather than keeping with the perennial Catholic teaching about the Mass.
August 25, 2017
90/100 (= 5.3/6) ≈ 5 Stars
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Superb. The English or French versions are much improved (compared to the original German)! Sub-divided by the Dominicans. A wonderful place to start for an introduction to the crisis.
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Superb. The English or French versions are much improved (compared to the original German)! Sub-divided by the Dominicans. A wonderful place to start for an introduction to the crisis.
February 9, 2016
Very well laid out arguments of the Crisis within the Church....
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews