Catholic News Agency reports that 31 priests in the Diocese of Charlotte have submitted dubia to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Legislative Texts challenging “Bishop” Michael Martin’s December 2025 decree abolishing altar rails, kneelers, and prie-dieus. The decree mandates removal of all kneeling aids by January 16, 2026, despite widespread lay and clerical opposition. Martin claims standing remains the “normative posture” per USCCB guidelines, while conceding kneeling cannot be prohibited for individuals. The priests question whether diocesan bishops possess authority to prohibit erection of altar rails or impede communal kneeling practices. Sources reveal actual support for the dubia exceeds 50% of clergy, with many fearing retaliation. Martin’s earlier leaked May 2025 letter proposed banning Latin, ornate vestments, and traditional prayers as “not in accord” with Vatican II reforms.
Liturgical Vandalism Masquerading as Obedience
The conciliar sect’s war on Eucharistic reverence reaches new depths with Martin’s decree that “temporary or movable fixtures used for kneeling for the reception of Communion must be removed”. This directive constitutes sacrilege against lex orandi, lex credendi (the law of prayer is the law of belief), violating centuries of liturgical tradition codified in the 1917 Code of Canon Law (Canon 1262 §2): “The faithful should kneel at the consecration and at other times as prescribed by rubrics.” Pius XII’s Mediator Dei (1947) explicitly defended kneeling as expressing “adoration of the august Sacrament”, while Martin’s decree reduces Communion to a Protestant-style meal.
Theological Bankruptcy of Standing Communion
Martin’s appeal to USCCB guidelines exposes the conciliar sect’s doctrinal bankruptcy. The USCCB’s 1977 “Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion” – which invented standing as normative – contradicts Pius X’s Sacra Tridentina (1905) requiring “reverence and devotion” during reception. Worse, Martin’s claim that standing fosters “communal witness” inverts Catholic hierarchy by subordinating latria (worship due to God) to human community. As Pius XI declared in Quas Primas (1925): “The Empire of Christ the King over all nations rejects this modern error which would have citizens and governments deny the rule of our Savior.”
Altar Rails: Theological Necessity, Not Optional Decoration
The priests’ dubia correctly identify Martin’s historical illiteracy regarding altar rails. These architectural elements – mandated by the Council of Trent (Session XXII) – physically manifest the distinction between sacred and profane, echoing the Temple veil and heavenly throne (Rev 4:4). Martin’s assertion that “there is no mention in the conciliar documents… concerning altar rails” confirms the conciliar sect’s rupture with Tradition. As Cardinal Gasparri’s Catechism of the Council of Trent explains: “The sanctuary rail marks the boundary beyond which none may pass unless consecrated or purified.”
Conciliar Sect’s Coercive Modernism
The “atmosphere of fear, retaliation, and mistrust” among Charlotte clergy reveals the conciliar sect’s tyrannical nature. Martin’s intimidation tactics mirror Paul VI’s suppression of the Cœtus Internationalis Patrum during Vatican II. When priests must risk careers to defend basic reverence, it proves the conciliar hierarchy’s illegitimacy. As Pius X warned in Pascendi (1907): “Modernists substitute for the divine authority of the Church an arbitrary power of their own.” The dubia’s appeal to Bergoglian structures constitutes theological naïveté – the Vatican dicastery exists to enforce conciliar revolution, not defend Tradition.
Eucharistic Desecration as Systematic Apostasy
Martin’s promotion of Communion under both species completes this sacrilegious program. The 1917 Code (Canon 850) restricted the chalice to celebrating priests due to spillage risks, while Martin encourages it for “communal witness” – reducing the Precious Blood to a communal beverage. His prohibition against intinction (dipping the Host) contradicts the Council of Clermont (1095) which approved this reverential practice. This liturgical vandalism flows inevitably from Vatican II’s Sacrosanctum Concilium (Article 50), which initiated the destruction of Catholic worship through “adaptation to contemporary needs.”
True Catholics must recognize these attacks as Satan’s final assault on the Eucharist. As the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) decreed: “No one can be saved without the Eucharist.” When modernist usurpers forbid kneeling before the King of Kings, the faithful’s duty is clear: Flee these false shepherds (Jn 10:12) and seek true priests offering the Immemorial Mass. For as St. John Chrysostom declared: “When you see the Lord immolated and lying upon the altar, can you doubt any power of this world?”
Source:
Dozens of Charlotte priests query Vatican over bishop’s move to abolish altar rails, kneelers (catholicnewsagency.com)
Date: 13.01.2026