I’m not sure how one might describe the decision of Archbishop Valery Vianneau, spiritual head of the diocese of Moncton in New Brunswick, to restrict entrance to any parishes and all diocesan property to the ‘double vaccinated’, including Baptism, Mass to catechesis. Douglas Farrow does not hold back in his criticism of this decision, to come into effect tomorrow, the same day as the ‘vaxx-pass’ here in Ontario. Whatever words one might use, and one is at a loss for them, we are certainly in uncharted waters here. As Dr. Farrow points out, Covid has taken 0.006% of the population to eternity. Yes, it is a grave danger to a small minority, but is this grounds for denying the very life of the Church to those who exercise their natural and God-given right to choose not to be vaccinated, or even those who have natural immunity? (With mounting evidence that this is more effective than the controversial and still experimental vaccine). Even in the midst of the Black Death, which took 50% of the population of many villages, most within a day of infection, victims were still given the sacraments, which is why so many sacrificial priests themselves died from the plague. And such practice continued in the various other pestilences and pandemics right up to, well, the era of covid.

This is the end point of the new Erastianism, a submission of the Church to the diktats of the State. Dioceses and parishes on the east coast has been moribund for some time now, selling off property to stay afloat, mired in liberalism, modernism, and various other scandals and aberrancies, which is why the bishop’s decision may well be an unwitting divine quasi-interdict from God Himself. Perhaps we need to send missionary priests into the diocese, and to any others that follow suit, to offer the sacraments underground, so to speak, as in Elizabethan England, circa, say, 1570 to 1680. Ite missa est!

We will have more to say on the Pope and these vaccine mandates and restrictions, already creeping into the Vatican. Unvaxxed pilgrims are still permitted to attend the sacraments, but no loitering and lingering for the novi leprosi!

Meanwhile, the Holy Father seems to be getting more sensitive. In a meeting with Slovak Jesuits on September 12th – the Holy Name of Mary – he lashed out at an unnamed ‘large Catholic news channel’ – clearly EWTN – that criticizes some of his decisions and policies, especially concerning the Latin Mass, claiming they are doing the ‘work of the devil’ (!). So much for ‘accompaniment’ and that ‘no one be condemned’. What must Mother Angelica be thinking? And all of her Poor Clare Sisters praying away not far from that television station in Alabama? The Pope also included the usual suspects in his diatribe – the rigid, priests who want to say the Latin Mass, all those who want to ‘go backward’, any who might pause at his ambiguous exhortation to ‘accompany’ those with deviant sexual desires, and, we may add, live them out. Pope Francis, sad to say, claims that some wish him dead, which may well be true, but not the most charitable of thoughts. I personally pray that he be given what time is within God’s holy will, not a moment more nor less, the same thing I pray for myself.

I wonder, might this be the Holy Father’s own conscience getting to him? That his Traditionis Custodes is having the opposite effect of increasing interest and devotion to the traditional Mass? Might this be an opportunity for Francis to ponder and reflect on some of those ‘policies and decisions’ with which some of us demur? On this feast of Saint Matthew, we should pray for that ongoing metanoia, conversion of mind and heart, for him and for all of us, on our pilgrimage to the fullness of truth, here, and into eternity.

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