The article from EWTN News reports that Father José Dolores Aguayo González, a Mexican priest, wrote letters to a U.S. judge on behalf of two convicted drug traffickers, Jessica Johanna and Rubén Oseguera, children of the late cartel leader “El Mencho.” The priest defended his actions as part of the Church’s mission of reconciliation, while Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega of Guadalajara criticized the priest’s lack of prudence but affirmed the Church’s duty to minister to criminals. This incident reveals the profound theological and spiritual bankruptcy of the post-conciliar hierarchy, which has replaced the immutable doctrines of Christ the King with a naturalistic, human-centered “mercy” that scandalously trivializes mortal sin, undermines divine justice, and mocks the social reign of Our Lord.
The Scandal of “Accompaniment” Without Conversion
Father Aguayo’s letters describe Jessica Oseguera as “a very kind person, an excellent mother, a very philanthropic woman” and Rubén Oseguera as “a man who has been touched by God’s mercy,” despite their guilty pleas to drug trafficking charges. The priest claims his role was to provide spiritual direction through correspondence, discussing “Biblical themes, faith, personal growth, change.” This narrative is a textbook example of the Modernist “hermeneutics of continuity” in action: the reduction of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and spiritual direction to a therapeutic, non-judgmental “accompaniment” that omits the essential components of contrition, confession, satisfaction, and firm purpose of amendment—all required for valid absolution. The priest never mentions whether these individuals expressed true sorrow for their crimes, made restitution, or renounced their cartel ties. Instead, he focuses on their personal qualities and potential for “remaking” themselves, echoing the evolutionist language of Modernism condemned by St. Pius X.
Silence on the Gravity of Sin and Social Harm
The article is deafeningly silent on the nature of the crimes involved. Drug trafficking is not a mere “mistake”; it is a mortal sin that directly violates the Fifth Commandment (by fostering violence and addiction), the Seventh (by destroying families and communities), and the Eighth (by corrupting public officials and institutions). It is also a crime against the common good, which Pius XI in Quas Primas explicitly ties to the reign of Christ: “When God and Jesus Christ… were removed from laws and states… the foundations of that authority were destroyed.” The cartel’s activities—murder, extortion, and the destruction of Mexican society—are the precise “seeds of discord” and “unbridled desires” Pius XI laments as fruits of rejecting Christ’s kingship. By omitting any reference to this objective evil, the priest and the reporting portal adopt the Modernist premise that sin is merely a social construct or psychological issue, not an objective offense against God’s law.
The Archbishop’s Bureaucratic Response: No Doctrine, Only “Prudence”
Cardinal Robles Ortega’s response is equally revealing. He calls the priest’s actions a lack of “prudence and good judgment” and says the priest “messed up.” This is a purely disciplinary, bureaucratic critique that fails to articulate any doctrinal principle. There is no mention of:
- The priest’s duty to warn these individuals of the eternal consequences of unrepented mortal sin (cf. Lamentabili sane exitu, n. 25: “Faith… is ultimately based on a sum of probabilities” is condemned; true faith affirms the certainty of hell).
- The scandal caused by a priest publicly vouching for notorious criminals, which the 1917 Code of Canon Law (Can. 2339) punished with excommunication for “publicly giving scandal.”
- The obligation of the Church to teach that civil authorities must punish the guilty to maintain order (Pius XI, Quas Primas: “the state is happy not by one means, and man by another; for the state is nothing else than a harmonious association of men” – order requires justice).
- The Syllabus of Errors’ condemnation of the idea that “the civil authority may interfere in matters relating to religion, morality and spiritual government” (Error 44) – but here, the spiritual authority (the priest) is improperly interfering in the civil judgment process by offering character references, thereby politicizing the sacraments.
The cardinal’s statement that the Church must minister to “families of those… cut down [by law enforcement]” is a relativistic equivalence: it places the families of criminals on the same level as victims, ignoring the Church’s duty to defend the innocent and uphold justice as a cardinal virtue. This is the “democratization of the Church” in practice—all souls are equal, but not all actions are equally pleasing to God.
The Theological Bankruptcy of “Mercy” Without Justice
Father Aguayo’s mantra—“the Church cannot turn its back on those who seek reconciliation with God”—is a half-truth weaponized to destroy Catholic moral theology. True Catholic mercy, as defined by St. Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologiae, II-II, Q. 30, A. 4), is “the sorrow for the evil of another, as if it were one’s own, together with the desire to remove that evil.” It is not mere affirmation. The priest shows no desire to remove the evil of drug trafficking; he merely affirms the individuals’ humanity. This is the “mercy” of Modernism, condemned by Pius IX in the Syllabus (Error 16: “Man may, in the observance of any religion whatever, find the way of eternal salvation”) and by St. Pius X in Lamentabili (n. 26: “Faith… is ultimately based on a sum of probabilities”). It reduces faith to personal feeling and divine law to optional advice.
The priest’s claim that “human beings make mistakes, they can change” is a trivialization of mortal sin. In Catholic theology, mortal sin is a deliberate turning away from God that destroys charity and merits eternal death (cf. 1 John 5:16-17). Drug trafficking, as an ongoing criminal enterprise, is not a “mistake” but a habit of sin that requires not just “change” but satisfaction (Canon 2314 of the 1917 Code: “All the faithful are bound to do penance for their sins”). The priest’s silence on the necessity of restitution—a key part of penance—is telling. According to the Council of Trent (Session XIV, Chap. 8), absolution requires “the intention of making satisfaction.” Without restitution to victims (which is impossible for cartel leaders without dismantling their organizations), there can be no valid absolution. The priest’s letters, therefore, may have been written to men who were not in a state of grace, making his “spiritual direction” a dangerous illusion.
The Omission of Christ the King’s Social Reign
The article’s most damning omission is any reference to the social kingship of Christ. Pius XI’s encyclical Quas Primas, promulgated on the feast of Christ the King, is explicit: “The kingdom of our Redeemer encompasses all men… He is the source of salvation for individuals and for the whole.” The state’s duty is to “publicly honor Christ and obey Him,” because “all power in heaven and on earth is given to Christ the Lord.” Drug trafficking is a direct rebellion against this reign. It operates outside Christ’s law, replaces His justice with violence, and enslaves populations. A priest who writes letters of support for such criminals, without demanding their public renunciation of crime and restitution, is abetting a system that crucifies Christ afresh in the poor. Pius XI warns: “When God and Jesus Christ… were removed from laws and states… the entire human society had to be shaken.” The cartels are a satanic parody of a state—they impose their own “law” of violence and greed. By ministering to their leaders without calling them to account, the priest becomes a chaplain to the kingdom of Satan, not the Kingdom of Christ.
The Apostasy of the Conciliar “Church”
The response of the Archdiocese of Guadalajara—issuing a statement about “prudence” but taking no canonical action—exposes the paralysis of the post-conciliar sect. Where is the excommunication for public scandal? Where is the demand for public penance? Where is the teaching that civil authorities must be obeyed (Romans 13:1-7) and that criminals must submit to just punishment? The conciliar church, since Vatican II, has embraced the errors condemned by Pius IX in the Syllabus:
- Error 55: “The Church ought to be separated from the State, and the State from the Church.” This is precisely what the priest did: he intervened in a civil case as a “spiritual” actor, but without proclaiming Christ’s law that crime must be punished.
- Error 56: “Moral laws do not stand in need of the divine sanction.” The priest’s letters imply that moral law is optional; what matters is “personal growth” and “change.”
- Error 63: “It is lawful to refuse obedience to legitimate princes, and even to rebel against them.” The cartels are in open rebellion against the Mexican state and the law of Christ. The priest’s silence is complicity.
The archbishop’s claim that the Church must minister to “everyone” is a distortion of Catholic doctrine. The Church’s mission is to save souls by leading them to repentance and communion with God. It is not a social service agency that validates criminals. As St. Pius X taught in Lamentabili (n. 64): “The Church is incapable of effectively defending evangelical ethics, because it steadfastly adheres to its views, which cannot be reconciled with modern progress.” The “modern progress” here is the secular, therapeutic view of man that rejects sin, judgment, and hell.
The Sedevacantist Perspective: A Hierarchy in Apostasy
From the perspective of integral Catholic faith (which holds that the see of Peter is vacant due to the apostasy of the post-1958 hierarchy), both Father Aguayo and Cardinal Robles Ortega are members of the conciliar sect, not the Catholic Church. Their actions are the logical fruit of a hierarchy that has embraced Modernism. The Defense of Sedevacantism file demonstrates that a manifest heretic loses office ipso facto (St. Robert Bellarmine, De Romano Pontifice). The current occupant of the Vatican, “Pope” Leo XIV, and his cardinals, by promoting the “mercy” without justice, the “dialogue” without conversion, and the “ecumenism” that equates all religions, have manifestly embraced the errors condemned by Pius IX and Pius X. Therefore, they have no authority to teach, sanctify, or govern. Father Aguayo’s actions, while scandalous, are consistent with the “theology” of a sect that has replaced the Unbloody Sacrifice of Calvary with a “celebration of community,” and the Sacrament of Penance with “spiritual accompaniment.”
Conclusion: A Call to Reparation and Resistance
This incident is not an anomaly but a symptom. The conciliar church has become a paramasonic structure that uses Catholic language to promote a naturalistic, humanist religion. The priest’s letters are devoid of the supernatural: no mention of the Real Presence, no invocation of the Precious Blood, no warning of divine judgment. They are pure anthropology. As Pius XI warned in Quas Primas, the “secularism of our times” has “denied Christ the Lord’s reign over all nations.” The cartels are a satanic manifestation of that secularism. For a priest to offer them “mercy” without demanding conversion is to deny the Kingship of Christ in the social order.
True Catholic action would require:
- The priest to demand public renunciation of crime, restitution to victims, and firm purpose of amendment before any spiritual direction.
- The archbishop to suspend the priest a divinis for scandal and to publicly teach that drug trafficking is a mortal sin that cries to heaven for vengeance.
- The faithful to recognize that the current hierarchy, by its consistent promotion of such errors, has forfeited its office and that the only solution is a return to the immutable Tradition of the pre-1958 Church, which teaches that Christ must reign in minds, wills, hearts, and societies.
Until then, the “Church” of the New Advent will continue to produce priests who are chaplains to the powers of darkness, while the true Catholic remnant must pray and work for the restoration of the Social Reign of Christ the King—a reign that demands justice, punishes the guilty, and protects the innocent.
Source:
Priest scrutinized for letters written on behalf of 2 notorious Mexican drug traffickers (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 03.03.2026