Infovaticana portal reports on the initiative to restore Holy Week processions in San Sebastián, Spain, after a 60-year absence. The article highlights the role of the laity in this revival, the diverse participation including youth and families, and the organizational details of the new confraternity. While the return of public Catholic devotion is presented as a positive development, a deeper analysis reveals the profound theological and spiritual bankruptcy of the post-conciliar context in which this “resurrection” occurs, rendering it a mere shadow of true Catholic life.
The Illusion of Lay Initiative in a Vacuum of Faith
The article emphasizes that the initiative for the procession came from the laity, stating, “Son los fieles quienes han tomado en todo momento la iniciativa. La procesión no ha surgido de los sacerdotes ni de la parroquia —al menos no del párroco—, sino de unos laics…” While lay involvement is commendable in principle, this narrative conveniently omits the fundamental reason for such a vacuum: the systematic dismantling of Catholic faith and practice by the very “clergy” who should have been its guardians. The post-conciliar “Church,” under the direction of its usurping “popes” and complicit “bishops,” actively suppressed traditional devotions, emptied churches, and instilled a spirit of secularism and false ecumenism. The laity’s initiative, while seemingly spontaneous, is a desperate attempt to fill a void created by decades of modernist apostasy. As Pope Pius XI lamented in his encyclical Quas Primas, “this kind of outpouring of evil has afflicted the whole world because very many have removed Jesus Christ and His most holy law from their customs, from private, family, and public life.” The absence of processions for 60 years is not an accident but a direct consequence of the “profound change social, político y también eclesial” that the article vaguely acknowledges, referring to the very revolution that gutted the Church from within.
A “First Announcement” Devoid of Doctrinal Substance
The parish priest, Don Jon Molina Bengoa, describes the procession as “un importante punto de partida para muchos… un primer anuncio del Evangelio… Tal vez muy sencillo, más plástico que conceptual, pero a través de las imágenes, de la música, en definitiva, podemos comunicar a Dios y el mensaje del Evangelio.” This statement reveals a profound misunderstanding of evangelization. True evangelization is not merely “plastic” or aesthetic; it is the clear, unambiguous proclamation of the entire deposit of faith, including the necessity of the Catholic Church for salvation, the reality of sin, the need for repentance, and the call to conversion. The modernist approach, as condemned by St. Pius X in Pascendi Dominici Gregis, reduces religion to a “feeling” or an “experience,” stripping it of its intellectual and dogmatic content. The “new pastoral languages” mentioned in the article are precisely the tools of this modernist agenda, which seeks to accommodate the Gospel to the spirit of the world rather than transform the world according to the Gospel. The idea that a procession, devoid of explicit doctrinal preaching, can be a “first announcement” is a testament to the depth of ignorance and spiritual poverty engendered by the conciliar reforms.
The Secularist Spirit in “Pride of Being Christian”
The article quotes the priest’s desire to manifest “nuestro orgullo de ser cristianos y proponiendo el cristianismo como un modo de vida.” While pride in the faith can be understood in a righteous sense, the modernist context often distorts this into a secularized “identity” rather than a supernatural virtue. The true Christian’s “pride” is in the Cross of Christ, in the teachings of the Church, and in the lives of the saints, not in a vague “way of life” that can be easily assimilated into secular humanism. The article’s emphasis on “proposing Christianity as a way of life” without explicitly stating its exclusive truth claims and demands for conversion echoes the very errors condemned by Pope Pius IX in The Syllabus of Errors, particularly the notion that “Catholics may approve of the system of educating youth unconnected with Catholic faith and the power of the Church” (Error 48) or that “it is no longer expedient that the Catholic religion should be held as the only religion of the State” (Error 77). The modernist “Church” has consistently sought to present itself as just another option in the marketplace of ideas, rather than the one true Ark of Salvation.
Youth and Families: A Misleading Indicator of Spiritual Health
The participation of “muchísimos jóvenes” and “familias enteras” is presented as a sign of hope. However, this enthusiasm, while understandable, does not automatically equate to a return to integral Catholic faith. The post-conciliar “Church” has successfully created a generation that is often emotionally attached to external forms (like processions) while remaining largely ignorant of, or even hostile to, the rigorous doctrines and moral teachings of pre-conciliar Catholicism. As St. Pius X warned in Lamentabili Sane Exitu, “the pursuit of novelty in the investigation of the foundations of things leads in our times to deplorable consequences, abandoning all restraint… and often leads to the most grievous errors” (Proposition 1). The “new generations” are products of a system that has systematically undermined true Catholic education. Their interest in a procession, while a positive step, must be viewed with caution, as it can easily be co-opted by the modernist agenda of “dialogue” and “tolerance” rather than a genuine embrace of the fullness of Catholic truth. The anecdote of someone seeking baptism to join the confraternity, while touching, also highlights the profound lack of basic sacramental life and catechesis that has characterized the post-conciliar era.
The “Mixed” Confraternity: A Symptom of Democratization
The article notes that the new confraternity is “mixed,” with “women and men” equally included. While this might seem progressive, it reflects the post-conciliar obsession with “equality” and “democratization” within the Church, often at the expense of traditional roles and structures. The true Church, while affirming the equal dignity of all souls before God, also recognizes distinct roles and vocations. The modernist push for “mixed” organizations often blurs these distinctions and can lead to a secularization of religious life. This is part of the broader “democratization of the Church” that the conciliar revolution has promoted, moving away from the hierarchical structure divinely instituted by Christ.
Material Restoration vs. Spiritual Desolation
The article details the “precarious” state of the images and the need for “muchísimos más cuidados y restauraciones.” This material poverty mirrors the spiritual desolation of the post-conciliar “Church.” While the restoration of physical artifacts is commendable, it is a superficial fix for a much deeper problem. The true “patrimonio devocional” of the Church is not merely its art and architecture, but its immutable doctrine, its sacred liturgy, and its moral teaching. The conciliar “Church” has systematically dismantled these, replacing them with a “new advent” that is, in essence, a different religion. The focus on restoring images, while neglecting the restoration of true doctrine and liturgy, is akin to decorating a tomb.
The Absence of True Authority and Doctrine
The entire article, while celebrating the return of processions, fails to mention the fundamental issue: the legitimacy of the “clergy” and the “Church” structure under which this revival is taking place. The “bishops” and “priests” who oversee these initiatives are, in the eyes of true Catholics, part of a usurping hierarchy that has embraced modernism and abandoned the faith of centuries. Their “support” for such initiatives is often a calculated move to maintain control and prevent a genuine return to pre-conciliar orthodoxy. The article’s silence on the doctrinal errors of Vatican II, the new “mass,” and the new “sacraments” is deafening. It presents a revival within a system that is itself the cause of the problem, offering a superficial remedy for a terminal illness.
Conclusion: A Fleeting Shadow in a Spiritual Wasteland
The return of Holy Week processions in San Sebastián, while a welcome external manifestation of faith, is ultimately a fleeting shadow in a spiritual wasteland. It occurs within the structures of a “Church” that has systematically betrayed its divine mission, replacing the supernatural with the natural, doctrine with sentiment, and the Kingship of Christ with the reign of man. True Catholic revival cannot occur within the confines of the conciliar sect, which, as the Defense of Sedevacantism argues, has been infiltrated by manifest heretics who have lost their authority. Until there is a genuine return to the integral Catholic faith, the immutable teachings of the pre-conciliar Magisterium, and the true Mass, such initiatives will remain superficial gestures, incapable of bringing about the true conversion of souls and the restoration of Christ’s Kingdom. As Pope Pius XI declared, “the hope of lasting peace will not yet shine upon nations as long as individuals and states renounce and do not wish to recognize the reign of our Savior.” The “resurrection” in San Sebastián is but a symptom of a world desperately seeking God, yet tragically misled by those who should be His faithful shepherds.
Source:
Semana Santa en San Sebastián: el resurgir de una tradición popular 60 años después (infovaticana.com)
Date: 26.03.2026