TIA,

In the writing on your site, there is ample criticism of Paul VI. If he is one of the architects of the broken post-conciliar Church and corrupt, then how does one explain the soundness of Humanae vitae?

G.R.



TIA responds:

G.R.,

It seems that you would have the same sort of problem regarding Judas Iscariot. How could such a traitor do something good? However, he did - he worked miracles and expelled devils along with the other Apostles (Luke 9:6; Mark 9:27, John 10:17).

What characterizes a bad man is not that he is completely bad, but that he is bad in one point. The same applies to a heresy - it is the negation of the Catholic Faith in one single point. If one point in a man's belief is heretical, the man is judged a heretic.

Thus, in principle, Paul VI could well have been bad in one single point and for this deserve a severe criticism. However, the situation was much worse than that: he took bad positions in almost everything and defended one single good point in Humanae vitae, when he defended marriage and combated birth control. Even in this point, there are nuances to be considered.

Here is how the authors of We Resist You to the Face - a statement we endorse fully - analyzed the fruits of condemnations similar to those made by Paul VI in Humanae vitae:

"Certain artificial birth control methods, homosexuality, pre-marital relations, and other sins against chastity are condemned in theory, but one sees that in practice, such as in confessional advice and spiritual orientation, these sins are being regarded with such great complaisance that this attitude is not far from a practical admission of the sins.

"There is a doctrinal condemnation, but then what happens is a 'pastoral' acceptance. It seems that 'situation ethics,' condemned by Pius XII, is being applied. If this is true, your [JPII's] moral teaching would be conservative in doctrine and progressivist in practice." (p. 38)

We hope this clarifies your doubt.

     Cordially,

     TIA correspondence desk

Dear TIA,

Having attended the Tridentine Mass for 15 years, I have returned to the New Mass because:

a. The Old Mass allows child altar servers to say responses but not adult members of the congregation with PhDs!
b. The Latin is mumbled.
c. No microphone is used on the altar itself.
d. The priest receives Holy Communion standing up rather than kneeling as he should - he should kneel before he administers it to himself.

The New Mass is more interactive. I hope the Sign of Peace will be moved to just after the Confiteor - but I love the Sign of Peace and the 'call and response' nature of the New Mass.

     Pax et Amor

     A.W.

Hi,

I am wondering if there is any news about Father Meramo's Traditional High Mass in Paris on the 13th September in resistance to Bishop Fellay's sell-out of the SSPX in order to be recieved into the new order.

Also will Father Meramo's sermon at this Mass become available on Tradition in Action?

     Kind regards.

     S.S.



TIA responds:

Mrs. S.S.,

We believe TIA accomplished its duty to inform our readers about the dissidence inside the SSPX with regard to Bishop Fellay's approach to the Vatican. We translated and posted several pieces of Fr. Meramo (here, here, and here) as well as provided information about other priests (here and here) that followed a similar line of resistance.

We thought it was our obligation to offer a hand to priests who were being unjustly persecuted. Toward this end, we spent a good amount of time and effort translating, summarizing and editing their documents.

However, we received neither a word of gratitude nor a simple acknowledgement from Fr. Meramo or any of the priests of SSPX whom we publicly supported. Perhaps they were not pleased with our effort. To avoid causing them any further dissatisfaction, we are stepping out of the picture for now.

If you have any questions, you may go to Fr. Meramo's website and present them directly to him.

     Cordially,

     TIA correspondence desk

Dear TIA,

With great pleasure, I continually read articles in Tradition in Action. They influence my way of thinking and my behavior. The first article that drew my attention was that of language being the dress of thought, which I printed and retained for future reference.

I live in Australia, a nation which prides itself on being egalitarian and irreverent. You can imagine therefore how afflicted my spirit is with this present culture. I yearn for the Reign of Mary, and for a spiritual renewal based on the principles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

     Cordially, in Jesus' name

     E.J.

Good morning TIA,

I want to say thank you for the recent prayer cards you sent me and apologize for the delay in replying.

Por Dios, por Patria, por Libertad,

C.J.F.



TIA responds:

Dear C.L.F,

Thank you for your e-mail. Posting it presents a good opportunity to notify our readers that the Child Jesus of Pichincha prayer card is now available in Spanish. Click here for details.

     Cordially,

     TIA correspondence desk

Hello,

I was looking at the images on Google this evening and noticed that you have Mother Teresa, In Communion, photo on your site. We're a bit confused? If one uses something from another, wouldn't it be courteous to place where it came from? It's just not an Internet photo, is it?

Kind regards,

C.M.L.



TIA responds:

Hello C.M.L.,

As far as we can see, when someone posts a photo on the Internet and claims a copyright over it, he must follow one of the two procedures: either put the photo under electronic protection so that it cannot be copied in a usable resolution, or offer the copyright number issued by the Library of Congress.

We believe that only photos registered with the Library of Congress have legal grounds for a copyright dispute. To do this, you must prove that you are the photographer of that photo or its legal owner, submit the photo to the LC, pay the fee (around $30.00 for each photo), and wait for a procedure that takes about 30-60 days. LC will issue a number for your photo, so that you are legally and commercially protected against anyone who may copy your photo without your permission for commercial purposes.

If you do not take one of these precautions, your photo falls into the public domain, even if you claim ownership in a caption line.

Even when legal precautions are taken, the laws are very loose when a photo is used for non-profit purposes - as is the case with TIA.

Regarding that particular photo you mentioned, we do not remember if we copied the photo from your website or another site. Actually, that same photo can be found on many other sites as you can check, for example, here and here.

Therefore, if you have legal rights to that photo (LC number), please let us know. Then we will be more than pleased to ask your permission to post it and place a reference to your site under it, following the rules of Catholic courtesy. If you do not, then we hope you can understand that in this public jungle which is called the Internet, each one can take from the trees the leaves he needs for his non-profit apostolate.

     Cordially,

     TIA correspondence desk

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