The Pillar portal reports on a podcast episode (Ep. 264, June 8, 2026) featuring JD Flynn and Ed. Condon, which discusses the phenomenon of the “celebrity exorcist” and questions surrounding the validity of anticipated Masses. The conversation, framed within the context of the post-conciliar “Catholic” media landscape, reveals a profound theological confusion and a symptomatic detachment from the immutable principles of Catholic sacramental theology and ecclesiology. The very framing of the question “Does it count?” regarding the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and the trivialization of the sacred ministry of exorcism into a platform for celebrity, are not merely administrative or disciplinary concerns; they are the inevitable fruits of the Modernist revolution that has dismantled the Church’s understanding of the supernatural order.
The Ontological Crisis of the “Anticipated Mass”: “Does it Count?”
The podcast’s discussion regarding the validity and efficacy of anticipated Masses—specifically whether a Mass celebrated on the evening before the liturgical day “counts” for the obligation—exposes a catastrophic reduction of the Holy Sacrifice to a mere juridical transaction or a box-ticking exercise. The question itself is a symptom of the post-conciliar mentality that has lost the sense of the *mysterium fidei*.
In the integral Catholic faith, the Holy Mass is not a human work that “counts” or “doesn’t count” based on a calendar calculation; it is the unbloody renewal of the Sacrifice of Calvary, the infinite act of worship offered by Christ the High Priest through His ordained ministers. The Church’s discipline regarding the time of celebration (as codified in the 1917 Code of Canon Law, Canon 821, and the rubrics of the Roman Missal) exists to safeguard the unity of the Mystical Body and the proper ordering of the liturgical year, not to create a bureaucratic puzzle where the faithful are left wondering if their attendance has “counted.”
The fact that such a question is posed as a matter of casual conversation, rather than a grave theological inquiry into the nature of the Sacrifice, demonstrates the extent to which the conciliar sect has reduced the liturgy to a communal gathering. When the focus shifts from the propitiatory nature of the Mass to the logistical fulfillment of an obligation, the faithful are being trained to view the sacraments as mere external rites rather than the channels of sanctifying grace. This is the direct result of the liturgical revolution initiated by the Masonic “reforms” of the 1960s, which replaced the altar of sacrifice with a table of assembly and obscured the reality of the Real Presence.
The “Celebrity Exorcist”: Exorcism as Spectacle and the Profanation of Sacred Power
The discussion of the “rise of the celebrity exorcist” is perhaps the most damning indictment of the spiritual state of the post-conciliar structures. The ministry of exorcism is not a platform for personal fame, media attention, or the building of a personal brand; it is a terrifying and grave exercise of the Church’s authority over the devil, reserved for priests of exceptional piety, theological orthodoxy, and episcopal authorization.
The 1917 Code of Canon Law (Canon 1151) strictly regulates the exercise of exorcism, requiring that it be performed only by priests expressly authorized by the local Ordinary, and even then with great caution. The Rituale Romanum demands that the exorcist be a man of deep faith, prayer, and detachment from worldly glory. The very concept of a “celebrity” exorcist is an oxymoron that borders on blasphemy. It transforms a sacred ministry of spiritual warfare into a form of entertainment, a spectacle for the curious and the credulous.
This phenomenon is a direct consequence of the post-conciliar abandonment of the Church’s traditional teaching on the reality of the devil and the demonic. For decades, the conciliar sect downplayed the existence of Satan, treating him as a mere symbol of evil rather than a real, personal enemy of souls. Now, having created a vacuum of genuine spiritual authority, the structures occupying the Vatican have allowed—and even encouraged—a carnival-like atmosphere where exorcists become media personalities, appearing on podcasts and in documentaries, rather than praying in obscurity and fasting for the deliverance of the afflicted.
The “celebrity exorcist” is a symptom of the same disease that produced the “celebrity priest” and the “celebrity bishop”—the cult of personality that is the antithesis of the Catholic understanding of ministry. Our Lord Himself warned against seeking the praise of men: “How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and do not seek the glory that is from God alone?” (John 5:44). The exorcist who seeks celebrity has already compromised his mission, for he is no longer fighting for the glory of God but for his own reputation.
The Dallas Charter and the Institutionalization of Clerical Protection
The podcast’s mention of a “revised Dallas Charter” that “seems to fall short of expectations” refers to the ongoing crisis of clerical sexual abuse and the institutional structures that have failed to address it. However, the very framing of this issue within the context of “expectations” reveals the fundamental error of the post-conciliar approach: the treatment of a spiritual and moral catastrophe as a public relations problem.
The Dallas Charter, adopted in 2002 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (a body recognized by the conciliar sect), was a disciplinary response to the abuse crisis. However, it was not a spiritual response. It did not address the root causes of the crisis: the abandonment of orthodox seminary formation, the infiltration of Modernism into the clergy, the loss of the sense of sin, and the homosexual subculture that flourished in the wake of the conciliar “reforms.”
The “revised” charter, whatever its provisions, will inevitably fall short because it operates within the framework of the conciliar sect, which lacks the authority and the grace to effect true reform. The Church’s true response to the abuse crisis would be a return to the rigorous discipline of the pre-conciliar era: the immediate removal of all clergy suspected of abuse, the reinstatement of the canonical penalties for sodomy and heresy, and a renewed emphasis on the formation of priests in the spirit of the Council of Trent. Instead, the conciar structures continue to prioritize the protection of the institution over the protection of souls, a policy that is the direct opposite of the Church’s divine mandate.
The Benedict XVI Institute and the Illusion of Reform
The podcast is sponsored by the “Benedict XVI Institute’s Reverent Liturgy Project,” which claims to offer “practical wisdom” to priests who wish to adopt “classically Catholic worship practices.” This is a classic example of the post-conciliar strategy of creating parallel structures that simulate the appearance of orthodoxy while remaining firmly within the framework of the conciliar sect.
The “Benedict XVI Institute” operates with the approval of the conciar authorities and promotes a “reverent” liturgy that is still fundamentally the Novus Ordo Missae—the rite of Paul VI that was designed to minimize the Catholic understanding of the propitiatory sacrifice and to emphasize the communal meal. No amount of “reverence” can correct the theological deficiencies of a rite that was crafted by a commission that included Protestant observers and was intended to be acceptable to non-Catholics.
The true “reverent liturgy” is the Traditional Latin Mass, the Usus Antiquior, which has been celebrated continuously since the time of the Apostles and was codified by St. Pius V in the Quo Primum tempore (1570). The attempt to create a “classically Catholic” version of the Novus Ordo is a futile exercise in aesthetics that ignores the theological substance of the liturgy. It is the equivalent of applying a fresh coat of paint to a building whose foundations have been destroyed.
The Symptomatic Level: The Post-Conciliar Church as a Naturalistic Humanist Organization
The entire podcast episode, taken as a whole, is a microcosm of the post-conciliar Church’s spiritual bankruptcy. The questions it raises—whether a Mass “counts,” whether an exorcist is a “celebrity,” whether a charter “meets expectations”—are all framed in the language of naturalistic humanism, not supernatural theology. There is no mention of the state of grace, the reality of sin, the necessity of confession, the propitiatory nature of the Mass, or the eternal consequences of sacrilege.
The conciar sect has become a naturalistic humanist organization that uses the vocabulary of Catholicism but operates according to the principles of secular management. Its “bishops” are administrators, its “priests” are facilitators of community gatherings, and its “sacraments” are rituals that “count” or “don’t count” depending on the circumstances. The faithful are treated as consumers whose “expectations” must be met, rather than as souls for whom Christ died and who are called to holiness.
This is the inevitable result of the Modernist revolution that was condemned by St. Pius X in the encyclical Pascendi Dominici gregis (1907) and the decree Lamentabili sane exitu. The Modernists sought to reconcile Catholicism with the spirit of the age, to democratize the Church, and to reduce the supernatural to the natural. The conciar sect is the fulfillment of their program, and the “celebrity exorcist” is one of its most grotesque manifestations.
Conclusion: The Necessity of Returning to Immutable Tradition
The questions raised by The Pillar podcast are not merely academic or disciplinary; they are symptoms of a Church that has lost its way. The only remedy is a return to the immutable Tradition of the Catholic faith: the Traditional Latin Mass, the rigorous discipline of the pre-conciliar canon law, the orthodox teaching on the sacraments and the supernatural order, and the uncompromising rejection of Modernism in all its forms.
The faithful must not be deceived by the simulations of orthodoxy offered by the conciar structures. The “reverent liturgy” of the Benedict XVI Institute, the “revised” Dallas Charter, and the “celebrity exorcist” are all products of a system that is fundamentally opposed to the Catholic faith. The true Church endures in the faithful who profess the integral Catholic faith, who attend the Traditional Latin Mass, and who reject the conciliar revolution in its entirety.
As Pope Pius XI taught in the encyclical Quas primas (1925), peace is only possible in the kingdom of Christ, and the reign of Christ must be recognized in both private and public life. The conciar sect, with its naturalistic humanism and its cult of personality, has rejected the kingship of Christ and has established a kingdom of man. The faithful must resist this apostasy and remain faithful to the true Church, which is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15).
Source:
Ep. 264: 'Does it count?' and the rise of the celebrity exorcist (pillarcatholic.com)
Date: 08.06.2026