Pax Orbis

by Joseph Bevan.

Under the pontificate of Pope Francis, traditional Catholics were all of one mind as they absorbed numerous videos on the internet or read page after page of criticisms and outrage by the commentators. The worse the news from Rome, the more united became the ‘traddies.’ It was impossible to believe that things could deteriorate further as the faithful were treated to the outpourings from the Vatican – Amoris Laetitia, Traditiones Custodes, and then Synodality, interspersed with alarming throwaway lines spoken down a microphone aboard an aircraft. 

The response to all these statements was shock, confusion and outrage. However, one took comfort from the fact that firstly, Pope Francis wouldn’t last forever, and secondly, that a new pope would put things right. After all, the next incumbent of the papal throne couldn’t possibly be worse than the current one – could he? Well, now we know! For anybody who has eyes to see, Pope Leo XIV is definitely ‘Francis Mark II’, and if there is any lingering doubt about this, leaving aside his use of Credo III and red socks, one can be certain that the assault on Catholic doctrine is in full swing. It is actually getting worse.

With Francis it was the attack on general Catholic principles, such as the assertion that God wills all religions, and that mortal sin must be seen in a subjective light, thus denying the objective evil of sin. Now, under Leo, we witness specific dogmas of the Catholic religion specifically denied, such as the Filioque in the Nicene creed, where he states in his apostolic letter Unitate Fidei that: We must therefore leave behind theological controversies that have lost their ’raison d’être’ in order to develop a common understanding and even more, a common prayer to the Holy Spirit, so that he may gather us all together in one faith and one love.

Yet in fact, far from representing a “theological controversy,” the Filioque states that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son which means that it operates within the Catholic Church, a notion which has always been hotly denied by the Eastern Orthodox.

It is more than likely that we will have to endure Pope Leo for at least another twenty years, a fact which puts the very status of the conservative Catholic commentators in jeopardy. The prospect of a long period of reading and watching dozens of webcasters displaying higher and higher levels of shock and horror, all with doubtful effect, is a very gloomy one.

There is only so much that followers of the bloggers can take and there is now a serious risk that they will abandon their favourite commentators in despair. The use of ‘rage-bait,’ a new word added to the Oxford English Dictionary, may also cause people to give up religion completely, and this is because the fundamental ingredient of Catholic life is an inner tranquillity, which sadly today is rarely found. 

The prospect of doctrinal demolition on a large scale may well lead to the repositioning of various groupings within the Catholic Church. Many of these, such as monasteries and convents, will be forced to break with Rome and go it alone. The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer, for example, have seen which way the wind is blowing and have called a halt to their courageous, yet ultimately futile, attempt to marry their adherence to Tradition with obedience to Rome.

We fully expect other religious orders to do the same, as they realise that they cannot survive the increasing attacks on them by their local bishops and Rome itself.

Turning to diocesan priests, there is no doubt that the authorities are turning up the heat by introducing further bans and restrictions on the Tridentine Mass. The new bishop of Clifton, UK, has just refused to reverse the ban on the old Mass which had been imposed by his immediate predecessor.

Not a week goes by without news of further prohibitions, leaving vibrant parishes all over the world with little or no access to the ancient liturgy. 

For the conservative Catholic webcasters, however, the situation is less clear cut. This is because the majority of them have prided themselves on their loyalty and fidelity to the Holy Father and going it alone, and cutting themselves off, may well be a shortcut to oblivion.

The last thing they want is to admit that they have been wrong all along! They will probably continue to complain, which will bore their viewers, or else shift to a sedevacantist position, which has already become noticeable amongst a few of them. More importantly, the conservative bloggers have started to bicker amongst themselves. This is quite natural, given that they are unable to agree on the causes and the extent of the crisis, and also what to do about it. 

The Society of St Pius X, to my knowledge, has no ‘ranting and raving’ forums, and it is easy to see why: promoting the simple life of grace and a quiet and uncomplaining striving for perfection does not have that immediate appeal to most people!

Here, at PAXORBIS, we will try to avoid polemics and political comment. There will be no anger, no sneering, no righteous indignation and, above all, no condemnations. The Catholic faithful need practical advice on how to survive the current maelstrom by adopting a life of prayer, sacrifice and almsgiving and fraternal charity. The attacks on the Church will, naturally, be addressed, but only by kind, sober and factual analysis. Our Catholic Faith is a pearl of great price, and it needs to be protected and cherished.

Glancing at the plethora of conservative websites available, it seems that PAXORBIS is taking the surest approach, and that is providing much needed comfort to its readers. 

And what of the future? We must find holy priests, properly formed, who believe, teach and practice the Catholic Faith. If we know of such clergy, we must stick to them like glue! With the rise in prohibitions, there may well be more good priests looking for a home. In our religion, our spiritual life is either getting worse or getting better. It never stays the same. A holy priest is worth huge sacrifices so as to sanctify ourselves and our families. Families often move house and leave their comforts and conveniences behind them in order to be near such a priest. If they do so, God will reward them as he is never outdone in generosity. 

Catholics have to be heroic. The age of ‘pay, pray and obey’ is now long past and all we have left now are the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost:  wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

 

Joseph Bevan. December 2025

Joseph Bevan has published: Two Families: A Memoir of English Life During and After the Council (Os Justi Press, 2024), and Traddy Daddy (Os Justi Press, 2025) available from the publisher or from Amazon.