Usquequodomine1958: Why Sedevacantists Are Returning to the Novus Ordo?

Thursday, 21 August 2025

Why Sedevacantists Are Returning to the Novus Ordo?

Recently, some individuals have abandoned the sedevacantist position and returned to the Novus Ordo Church. This article seeks to explain this phenomenon by examining the general causes of error and then applying these principles to understand why former sedevacantists have defected.

I. Truth and Error

Before addressing the causes of error, we must first have a clear understanding of truth and falsehood.

Truth is the conformity of the intellect to reality. For instance, when someone states that the sky is blue, this proposition is true because the intellect corresponds to the object.

Falsehood, on the other hand, is a false judgment of the intellect. If someone states that the sky is not blue or that it is red, the proposition is incorrect, for the intellect affirms or denies something contrary to objective reality.

II. The Causes of Error

Error has both logical and moral causes.

A. Logical Causes of Error

Logical errors originate from the natural weaknesses of our intellect, such as:

Hasty judgments: Forming conclusions without sufficient evidence or reflection.

Inattention: A lack of focus or concentration, preventing the intellect from apprehending reality.

Lack of memory: The inability to recall relevant facts or past experiences necessary for sound reasoning.

Ignorance: When the complexity of a concept, problem, or situation exceeds an individual’s cognitive capacity or knowledge.

The intellect is bound to assent only to what is evidently true, unless it is influenced by the will, which itself is moved by the passions. It follows, therefore, that in most cases error originates from moral causes.

B. Moral causes of Error

Moral errors, on the other hand, stem from the will, which desires the assent of the intellect on account of:

Pride: The unwillingness to admit error or accept truths that challenge their preconceived ideas and beliefs, and lead one to cling to false conclusions or reject evidence that contradicts their views.

Interest: The influence of personal gain, convenience, or ulterior motives leads individuals to rationalise falsehoods or avoid inconvenient realities.

Laziness: A lack of diligence or motivation to seek the truth.

III. The reasons for the defection of former sedevacantists.

In light of the principles outlined above, the defection of sedevacantists can generally be traced to the following intellectual or moral causes:

A. Rational or Logical Motives

Neo-novusordites often claim that their decision was made based on rational arguments, and not personal experiences. They argue that traditionalism would destroy the indefectibility, visibility, and apostolicity of the Catholic Church, so it cannot be true.

Thus, they are led to believe that the situation may not be so bad, and that we should accept the living magisterium of the Vatican II Church, seeking to understand heresy in the light of tradition and treating contradictions as a legitimate doctrinal development.

What are we to think of this approach?

These objections concerning indefectibility are valid. After all, we are bound to believe in a visible and hierarchical church, which cannot simply disappear from the face of the earth. There is only one institution claiming to be the True Church; therefore, it must be the Catholic Church, and the religion they preach is necessarily Catholicism, even if it may sound absurd, contradictory, and heretical, right?

This reasoning is flawed because it stems from:

Ignorance and Confirmation bias: Accepting evidence that appears to legitimise the Vatican II Church (e.g., claims of visibility or indefectibility) while disregarding contrary evidence demonstrating that it cannot be the true Catholic Church (such as heretical popes or evil disciplines).

Cognitive dissonance: Psychological discomfort arising from our inability to know certain facts (e.g., where the Hierarchy is), often leading to rationalisation.

Appeal to authority: Trusting Novus Ordo clergy as legitimate pastors despite evidence to the contrary.

B. Moral reasons

Sedevacantism has nothing to offer but the cross, and it often entails social and personal sacrifices:

Losing friends or family connections.
Facing ostracism or ridicule.
Limited access to the sacraments.
Difficulty finding a spouse or community support.

Returning to the Novus Ordo, by contrast, appears far more attractive, as it offers:

Easy access to sacraments.
Social acceptance and integration.
Even potential financial or professional advantages.

Humanly speaking, there is a lot to gain by becoming a novusordite. These incentives can influence the will to reject unpleasant truths and embrace convenient lies.

*****

As a consequence of original sin, our intellect and will remain vulnerable to error. For sedevacantists, the true danger lies not only in rational arguments but in the subtle seduction of comfort, fear, and pride. As Scripture warns: ‘Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour’ (1 Peter 5:8). Let us therefore remain vigilant and beseech God for the grace to resist every temptation to oppose the known true so that we may never be deceived by the seduction of a convenient but false path.

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