Buncrana parish priest Fr Francis Bradley says the SSPX Resistance sect is a “hate-filled group” that “is rotten to the core” - and he’s strongly urging the local faithful to steer well clear.
The SSPX Resistance is a splinter organisation which receives support from far-right elements, and its Holocaust-denier founder was twice excommunicated by the Vatican.
The group has begun operating in the Derry diocese, leading Bishop Dr Donal McKeown to issue a statement in which he has urged Catholics not to engage with their “illicit” Sacraments.
Bishop McKeown says there can be “no legitimate reason to seek out Mass or Sacraments from SSPX Resistance Ireland” - and his message is strongly echoed by Fr Bradley.
Fr Bradley says SSPX Resistance [Society of Saint Pius X] gives the veneer of true Catholicism, but “it is nothing of the sort.”
“They are a poison. They are dangerous. They masquerade as something they are not. They dress it up as something good for you but people should steer clear of what could become an onslaught on their souls.”
“It’s like with ash dieback. We recently felled ash trees out at Cockhill. The trees looked fine on the outside but on the inside they were actually rotten to the core - and this group is the same thing.
“This looks like some very old and devout Latin Mass [the Rite which kept our faith alive for centuries] but it’s nothing of the sort. When you strip it back, you see how it’s all sorts of poisonous agendas, all gathered into the one.”
Fr Bradley reveals how SSPX Resistance members deny the teachings of the Second Vatican Council; they deny the authority of the Pope and they deny large parts of the Magisterium [teaching authority] of the Church, including the Church’s doctrine on Christian unity.
“They can sell themselves off to people as being more Catholic than the Pope and that is how they would see themselves. But they would have serious, serious issues with Pope Francis,” he says.
“Some of their message is hate-filled and it’s based on an antiquated understanding of human history and a properly Catholic Christian anthropology.
“What they offer verges on the profane for it undermines the unity, which Christ himself called for amongst his flock.
“Jesus warned all of us to make sure that in our lives we do not fall into the trap of becoming wolves in sheep's clothing - and
Bishop McKeown, as chief shepherd of this portion of the Lord’s flock, which is the Diocese of Derry, must do all he can to promote and protect the gift of faith amongst his people.”
Fr Bradley is worried that some locals could inadvertently find themselves caught under the sinister spell of SSPX.
“They attract people who, perhaps out of misunderstanding or being misguided in some way, might find themselves attracted to that message.
“In this part of the world people are very devout and this group feels that in their devotion they could be easy pickings - and I find that offensive to people’s faith.
“I’d be worried that people could without thought drift into that. They might somehow find themselves at these sorts of gatherings. But they’re not a place any believer should find themselves, because their basis is division, not unity.
“They are not, in my prayerful opinion, a movement inspired by the Holy Spirit or according to the mind of God.”
The Buncrana PP concluded with a direct message for the SSPX splinter sect.
“They want everything in Latin but they don’t understand a word of it themselves. Here’s an ancient Church teaching: ‘Ubi Petrus Ibi Ecclesia’ - Where Peter Is, There is the Church. In other words: Where the Pope is, There is the Church.”