Carcass of the Church in France

Kenjiro Shoda posted one of the 30 comments in The New Liturgical Movement that responded to possible liberalization of the traditional Latin Mass. His information is too important to remain hidden in the comments area, and comes from surfing the web of Catholic sites daily, and compiling stats from websites all over the world. He explains he is writing a book that will graphically show the collapse of the Catholic Church since Vatican II.

It is very true that of the 5% of French Catholics who actually attend Mass, most go to traditionalist groups such as the SSPX and participate in the Tridentine Latin Mass. Given that, the number that actually participate in the Novus Ordo Masses in France is probably about 3%. That makes 3% of French Catholics who actually attend Mass according to the standard Novus Ordo. The Pope had better allow the Tridentine Latin Mass back with full freedom universally soon...or there will be no more "Novus Ordo" Catholics left in France.

Of the less than 1,000 French seminarians left, a good percentage (30%) are seminarians in traditional monastic foundations, the SSPX, FSSP, of a handful of other new traditionalist or at least very orthodox Novus Ordo communities. There are 4 new traditionalist Benedictine foundations in France which have more vocations than they can handle, The Abbaye Ste. Marie Madeleine de Barroux, Fontgombault, Abbaye St. Joseph (Flavigny-sur-Ozerain), and Bellaigue(affiliated to the SSPX). There is a tiny monastery (less than 20 monks) affiliated to the SSPX which is a new Carthusian foundation which uses only the Tridentine Latin Mass. They already have more novices (6), than any other Carthusian house in France. The Institute of the Good Shepherd is only in existance for a month, and already has 1 major Church, 1 priory, and 1 seminary. From what I read, they are having problems dealing with the surge of vocations inquiries.

Most diosecean seminaries in France are dead, and have been for 30 years. Yet the FSSP which of course says only the Tridentine Latin Mass is flourishing. Religious Orders (except for traditionalist ones) are dead in France. The Blessed Sacrament Fathers, Picpus Fathers, Capuchins, Redemptorists and White Fathers ("Peres Blanc") are all at the point of extinction in France, and it is conceivable that the Jesuits at only 500, and the Dominicans at half of that could be extinct in France by 2020. When I read that before Vatican II there were nearly 3,000 Jesuits in France, and now only 500 with a median age of 76, I was really appalled at what the Church has become since Vatican II.

Among nuns, the situation is worse (if that could be possible). There are hundreds of Orders that all went secular like their American counterparts and are now facing extinction. Even some cloistered convents adopted the radical reforms. Layclothes and highly dissident and secular cloistered Benedictines, Poor Clares, and Discalced Carmelite nuns have helped their Order die out in much of France.

Seeing all this, the French Bishops are still against the Tridentine Latin Mass and Catholic traditions, the only thing that can save the Church.

That is truely sick.

Kenjiro Shoda | 10.27.06 |