EWTN News portal reports on a series of Catholic education news items, including a celebration at the American TFP’s St. Louis de Montfort Academy, where Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke praised the organization’s work. The article also covers a Nebraska bishop’s reaction to a “drag Mass,” a new program at Christendom College, and the closure of Anna Maria College. The participation of a prominent conciliar cardinal in an event run by an organization with deep ties to the post-conciliar structures, while praising activities that align with the conciar agenda, reveals the deep entanglement of the neo-church’s hierarchy with movements that, while using traditional language, often operate within the framework of the very system that has led to the current crisis.
The Illusion of “Tradition” Within the Conciliar Framework
The EWTN News article begins by describing the inauguration of an expansion at the St. Louis de Montfort Academy, run by the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property (TFP). The event was headlined by Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, a figure often presented by the conciliar media as a bastion of orthodoxy. However, his presence and praise for the TFP’s activities must be scrutinized in light of the unchanging Catholic doctrine on the nature of the Church and the current crisis.
Burke is quoted as saying: “Millions of Americans have seen, through the videos of TFP Student Action, how the young men formed here go onto university campuses to confront the prevailing ideology… They calmly dismantle anti-Christian fallacies.” While the confrontation of error is a duty, the article and Burke’s remarks lack any reference to the supernatural means of grace necessary for such a fight. There is no mention of the necessity of the true Mass, the sacraments as administered by true priests, or the absolute necessity of being in communion with the true Church, which is now hidden due to the occupation of the Vatican by modernists. The fight is presented as a purely ideological or cultural battle, a hallmark of the conciar approach that reduces the faith to a set of propositions to be defended in the public square, rather than a supernatural reality to be lived in union with Christ through His true Church.
The TFP: A Product of the Conciliar Revolution
The TFP itself is a product of the post-conciliar era. Founded in Brazil in the 1960s, it emerged during the very period when the modernist revolution was taking hold of the Church. While it employs traditional Catholic language and symbols, its operational framework is entirely within the conciar system. It recognizes the authority of the usurpers in the Vatican, from John XXIII to Leo XIV. Its “tradition” is a selective one, often focusing on social and cultural issues while remaining silent on the fundamental apostasy of the conciar “popes” and the invalidity of the new rites.
The article notes the presence of Prince Bertrand of Orleans-Braganza, who cut the ribbon with a ceremonial sword, stating: “At this academy, the notion of spiritual combat is at the forefront of daily life… The sacraments, the rosary, and religion classes are complemented by fencing, debate practices, and pro-life campaigns.” This statement, while using Catholic terminology, reveals a naturalistic and almost chivalric reduction of the spiritual life. The sacraments are listed alongside fencing and debate, as if they are merely one component of a well-rounded education, rather than the very source and summit of the Christian life. The true “spiritual combat” is the fight against sin and for the salvation of souls, which is impossible without the true sacraments, which are not available in the conciar structures.
The Silence on the Fundamental Crisis
The most glaring omission in the article and in the remarks of Cardinal Burke is the complete silence on the fundamental crisis facing the Catholic Church. There is no mention of the fact that the men occupying the Vatican are heretics and usurpers, that the new Mass is invalid and sacrilegious, and that the sacraments, as administered in the conciar structures, are devoid of grace. Burke, as a cardinal of the neo-church, is part of the very system that has caused the ruin of the faith. His participation in this event, while perhaps well-intentioned, lends credibility to an organization that, by its recognition of the conciar authorities, is complicit in the apostasy.
The article’s focus on the TFP’s pro-life and campus activism, while commendable in itself, is presented as the primary witness to the faith. However, without the foundation of true doctrine and true sacraments, such activism is built on sand. As Pope Pius XI taught in Quas Primas, peace is only possible in the kingdom of Christ, and this requires the recognition of His royal authority over all nations and individuals. The TFP’s activism, while opposing certain evils, does not challenge the root cause of the crisis: the modernist takeover of the Church.
The Nebraska “Drag Mass”: A Symptom of Conciliar Apostasy
The article also reports on Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, who expressed gratitude to the University of Nebraska for creating an ethics panel after a “drag Mass” was staged by a doctoral student. Bishop Conley is quoted as saying: “I appreciate the willingness of the university leaders to meet with us to discuss issues of concern to the Catholic community… I believe we can all agree there is more work that needs to be done, and my hope and prayer is that we all continue to strive to eliminate unjust discrimination of any kind on our campuses… and in our world.”
This statement is a textbook example of the conciar approach to evil: dialogue, committees, and a focus on “unjust discrimination” rather than on the objective evil of sacrilege and blasphemy. The “drag Mass” is a direct attack on the Most Holy Sacrifice, a sacrilege that deserves not an ethics panel but the full weight of canonical penalties, including excommunication. Bishop Conley’s response is weak, bureaucratic, and devoid of the zeal that characterized the true bishops of the Church. It reflects the conciar mentality that prioritizes “dialogue” and “respect” over the defense of God’s honor.
Christendom College: Formation Within the Conciliar System
The article mentions Christendom College’s new Center for Public Policy, started in partnership with the Heritage Foundation. The college president is quoted as saying: “By forming a new generation of leaders who understand classical Catholic social teaching and can apply it to the most pressing needs of today, Christendom College will lead in the restoration of the public square…”
While the intention to form leaders in Catholic social teaching is laudable, the article fails to mention that Christendom College, like the TFP, operates entirely within the conciar system. It recognizes the authority of the usurpers in the Vatican and uses the new rites. The “restoration of the public square” is impossible without the restoration of the true Church and the true Mass. The social teaching of the Church is inseparable from her dogmatic and sacramental teaching. A formation that does not address the fundamental crisis of the Church is incomplete and ultimately ineffective.
The Closure of Anna Maria College: A Consequence of Modernism
The article reports on the closure of Anna Maria College in Massachusetts after 80 years, citing “financial pressure.” While financial difficulties are a reality, the closure of so many Catholic institutions is a direct consequence of the modernist revolution. The Sisters of St. Anne, who founded the college, were likely influenced by the spirit of the Council, which led to a loss of vocations and a dilution of Catholic identity. The closure is a symptom of the broader crisis facing the Church, a crisis that the conciar structures have no intention of addressing.
Conclusion: The Need for True Catholic Action
The events described in the EWTN News article, while seemingly positive on the surface, are deeply problematic when viewed in light of the unchanging Catholic faith. The participation of Cardinal Burke in the TFP event, the weak response of Bishop Conley to sacrilege, and the formation programs at Christendom College all operate within the framework of the conciar system, which is fundamentally flawed and incapable of restoring the faith.
True Catholic action requires a complete break with the neo-church and a return to the true Church, which endures in the faithful who profess the integral Catholic faith and are led by bishops with valid sacraments and validly ordained priests. The fight for the faith cannot be waged with the tools of the enemy. It requires the supernatural means of grace: the true Mass, the true sacraments, and the true doctrine of the Church. Only then can the public square be restored, not through political activism, but through the reign of Christ the King, as taught by Pope Pius XI in Quas Primas.
Source:
American TFP’s boarding school celebrates growth (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 30.04.2026