Tag: Traditional Catholicism

Unity as a Weapon: The Hollister Suppression

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By the Archbishop of Selsey

It is a bitter irony of our times that the word “unity” is now wielded as a club to drive Catholics from the very altar that formed the saints. Bishop Daniel Garcia, on the eve of leaving Monterey, has chosen to terminate the Traditional Latin Mass at Sacred Heart, Hollister. He invokes Traditionis Custodes and urges the faithful to “join in unity” at the postconciliar table, as though unity could be manufactured by coercion and conformity.¹

This is not unity. It is exclusion disguised as unity. It is the age-old trick of the bureaucrat: to make a slogan the justification for silencing conscience. The families who prayed at that altar were not rebels, but Catholics clinging to the faith of their fathers. Yet in the name of “communion,” they are cast aside, told that their devotion is now a liability.²

Pope St Pius V, in Quo Primum, bound his successors and declared the Roman Missal to be used in perpetuity.³ Pope Benedict XVI confirmed that the 1962 Missal was never abrogated.⁴ But now bishops, citing Traditionis Custodes, behave as though the Mass of Ages is poison, its adherents to be cleansed from the Church in the name of uniformity. What was sacred yesterday is forbidden today. What nourished saints for centuries is treated as a threat to the faithful.

The irony grows darker: Traditionis Custodes was sold as a means to “foster unity,” but in practice it has become the charter of division. Unity is not achieved by erasing memory, or by enforcing amnesia upon the flock. It is achieved by continuity—by recognising that the faith is one precisely because it transcends the novelties of an age. The Roman Rite in its ancient form is not an enemy of unity; it is its surest guarantee.⁵

The faithful in Hollister are not the ones breaking unity. It is the shepherd who drives them from the fold who rends the seamless garment of Christ. By suppressing their Mass, Bishop Garcia has betrayed the supreme law of the Church: the salvation of souls.⁶ Instead of feeding the sheep, he has scattered them. Instead of binding wounds, he has inflicted them.

The saints did not kneel at guitars and microphones. They were formed at the altar of sacrifice, where priest and people alike bowed before the mystery of Calvary made present. And now, in Monterey, that altar has been declared closed—because unity, we are told, requires exile.

But Christ does not change, and His sacrifice does not expire. The Mass of Ages remains holy. And no decree, however draped in slogans, can erase what God has hallowed.

The Old Roman Apostolate
This moment reveals why the Old Roman Apostolate endures in its mission and charism. Born of fidelity to apostolic tradition, we have sought to preserve the perennial magisterium and the ancient liturgy in the face of novelty and rupture. We do not claim an easy path, nor do we delight in division; rather, we recognise a state of necessity, compelled by conscience to uphold what the Church herself cannot abolish. Our vocation is to witness to continuity when others proclaim rupture, to safeguard the faith when others dilute it, and to hold fast to the Mass of Ages as the surest anchor of unity.

The ORA does not exist as a parallel Church but as a remnant, crying out with the saints that the liturgy which sanctified them is holy still. We stand ready for reconciliation, but never at the price of truth. For unity without truth is falsehood, and obedience without fidelity is betrayal.

For a more indepth presentation visit Nuntiatoria.org

¹ Bishop Daniel Garcia, Letter to the Faithful of Sacred Heart, Hollister, 14 September 2025, reported by Catholic News Agency.
² CIC 1983, can. 214: “The Christian faithful have the right to worship God according to the prescriptions of their own rite approved by the lawful pastors of the Church.”
³ Pius V, Quo Primum (1570).
⁴ Benedict XVI, Summorum Pontificum (2007), art. 1.
⁵ Benedict XVI, Letter to Bishops accompanying Summorum Pontificum (2007).
⁶ CIC 1983, can. 1752: Salus animarum suprema lex.

Be Not Deceived: The Church Does Not Change

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By the Archbishop of Selsey

The Perennial Mission
The faithful are told today to wait. To be patient. To sit down and talk. But talk is not the mission of the Church. The mission of the Church is to proclaim.

When St Peter stood before the crowds at Pentecost, he did not convene a dialogue circle. He proclaimed Christ crucified and risen, calling men to repent and be baptized.¹ When the martyrs were dragged before magistrates, they did not hedge their testimony with cautious qualifications. They confessed their Lord even unto death. Their words were clear, their witness uncompromised — and because it was clear, it was life.

The Temptation of Ambiguity
Yet now we are told something very different. We hear a voice suggesting that doctrine might change, if only attitudes first change.² This is not Catholic teaching. Truth does not follow fashion. Truth does not bow to the polls or wait upon consensus. Truth is Christ Himself — “the same yesterday, today, and forever.”³

Ambiguity may sound like compassion. It may win the world’s applause and soothe troubled ears. But ambiguity starves souls. The people of God cannot live on probabilities. They need certainties. They need the living bread of truth, not the stones of hesitation.

Unity Without Truth Is a Lie
Families who built their lives around the Mass of the saints now find the doors locked against them, told that “unity” demands their exile. Bishops invoke obedience while exiling the faithful from the very liturgy that nourished saints, martyrs, and missionaries. Unity at the expense of truth is not unity. It is choreography. It photographs well but it does not save.

The Church is not a debating society. It is the Ark of Salvation. The voice of Peter is not meant to echo the shifting winds of culture but to confirm the brethren in the faith. When Rome speaks in riddles, the sheep scatter. When pastors equivocate, wolves circle.

The Sacred Liturgy Is Not Negotiable
The liturgy is not a toy to be handed down by one generation and withdrawn by another. It is not an experiment in pastoral policy. It is the heartbeat of the Church. To suggest that its survival depends upon the decisions of committees and consultations is to treat the holy as negotiable.

The Mass of Ages has never been abrogated.⁴ It cannot be abrogated. It was sanctified by the Council of Trent, handed down through the centuries, and confirmed by Benedict XVI: “It is permissible to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass following the typical edition of the Roman Missal promulgated by Blessed John XXIII in 1962 and never abrogated.”⁵

This Mass is not a preference. It is a patrimony. To place it on probation is to suggest that tradition itself is provisional. But what is immemorial cannot be annulled. What sanctified the saints cannot be forbidden.

The Peril of Probability
What has been said of marriage and sexuality? That change is “highly unlikely,” at least in the “near future.” But this is the language of politicians, not of shepherds. This is the vocabulary of probability, not of proclamation.

Dogma admits of no such uncertainty. Vatican I solemnly declared: “That meaning of the sacred dogmas is ever to be maintained which has once been declared by Holy Mother Church, and there must never be a recession from that meaning under the pretext or in the name of a deeper understanding.”⁶

St Vincent of Lérins gave the true measure: the faith develops as a body grows, “strengthened with years, expanded with time, elevated with age,” yet always remaining the same.⁷ A living organism matures; it does not mutate. Doctrine may deepen, but it does not reverse. To speak of doctrine as “unlikely” to change is already to deny its immutability.

The True Unity of the Church
Unity in the Church is not built on compromise. It is not held together by committees or processes. It is not preserved by avoiding offense. The unity of the Church is the unity of faith, of sacraments, and of governance under Peter. Unity without truth is a counterfeit.

The Apostles did not keep silence to maintain appearances. They spoke boldly. St Paul withstood Peter “to his face” when clarity demanded it.⁸ The Fathers thundered against heresy, even when emperors pressed for compromise. The martyrs shed their blood rather than leave the impression that truth was negotiable.

A Call to Clarity
My dear friends, beware the soft words that mask hard betrayals. Beware the “codes” that promise continuity but deliver confusion. The bar for Catholic orthodoxy is not “better than Francis.” The bar is Christ, who said, “Let your yes be yes, and your no be no.”⁹

We are called to clarity, not choreography. To confession, not conversation. To sacrifice, not slogans. The Church does not live by “highly unlikely.” The Church lives by “Amen.”

Pray for Holy Mother Church. Pray for those in authority, that they may speak as shepherds, not as politicians. And hold fast — hold fast to the faith once delivered to the saints, the faith that does not change, because it is the faith of Christ Himself.¹⁰

For a more indepth presentation visit Nuntiatoria.org

  1. Jude 1:3.
  2. Acts 2:14–36.
  3. Crux, interview with Pope Leo XIV, September 2025.
  4. Hebrews 13:8.
  5. Council of Trent, Session XXII, Canon 9.
  6. Benedict XVI, Summorum Pontificum (2007), Art. 1.
  7. Vatican I, Dei Filius (1870), ch. 4, §13.
  8. St Vincent of Lérins, Commonitorium, ch. 23.
  9. Galatians 2:11–14.
  10. Matthew 5:37.

The Footsteps of St. Wenceslaus — A Reflection in the Cold

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By the Archbishop of Selsey

We sing of him at Christmas: “Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen…” The carol offers a kindly image — a monarch braving snow to feed the poor. But the real Wenceslaus was more than a carol figure. He was a ruler, a reformer, and a martyr, slain at the threshold of the Mass. His life is not a seasonal tale but a burning witness to the truths our own age is desperate to forget.

Faith Before Throne
Born around 907, Wenceslaus was raised by his grandmother, St. Ludmila, who taught him Christian faith in a land still divided by paganism.¹ His mother, Drahomíra, resented this and arranged Ludmila’s murder — a family feud that was also a spiritual war.²

As duke, Wenceslaus built churches, fostered missionary work, and consecrated his people’s life to Christ.³ The rotunda he founded at Prague Castle in honor of St. Vitus became the heart of Bohemia’s Christian identity.⁴ Some traditions even record that he consecrated himself to virginity, seeking to reign with undivided heart.⁵

Politics and Betrayal
Surrounded by powerful enemies, he submitted tribute to King Henry I of Germany, a prudent act to spare his realm.⁶ Yet this earned him scorn from ambitious nobles and his own brother Boleslaus. On 28 September 929 (or 935), as Wenceslaus walked to Mass at Stará Boleslav, he was ambushed and slain at the church door.⁷

His people immediately honored him as a martyr. Miracles were reported at his tomb, and his relics became a focus of devotion.⁸ Though he was a duke in life, posterity hailed him as king — not by title, but by truth. He embodied the rex justus, the just ruler who governs by justice and holiness.⁹

The Carol and the Witness
Centuries later, John Mason Neale enshrined his memory in the carol “Good King Wenceslas”, setting the legend to the medieval melody Tempus adest floridum.¹⁰ Though the story is poetic invention, it reflects the enduring conviction: his authority was measured not by conquest but by charity.¹¹

Lessons for Our Time

  1. Christ the King above all kings. Pope Pius XI taught in Quas Primas (1925) that rulers must recognize Christ’s sovereignty, for “men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ.”¹² Wenceslaus lived this truth: he bowed before Christ even when it cost him power and life.
  2. Martyrdom is the summit of witness. The Second Vatican Council affirmed in Lumen Gentium that martyrdom “conforms the disciple to his Master by freely accepting death for the salvation of the world.”¹³ Wenceslaus was struck down not in battle but on the way to Mass, showing that fidelity to Christ and His sacrifice is worth dying for.
  3. The Eucharist is the heart of the Church. The Council of Trent declared that the Eucharist is “the source and summit of all worship and religion.”¹⁴ Wenceslaus’s murder at the church threshold is a stark reminder: to abandon the altar is to abandon everything. Today, when the sacred liturgy is restricted, trivialized, or attacked, his witness cries out to us to defend it with our lives.
  4. Authority without sacrifice is tyranny. Wenceslaus shows that leadership is measured not by domination but by service. In an age of careerist politicians and worldly bishops, his memory challenges us: true authority kneels before the altar and steps into the storm for the poor.
  5. Hope in the saints. Legends said he sleeps beneath a mountain, ready to rise in his people’s need. This myth speaks to the deeper truth of the communion of saints: those who died in Christ intercede still. When the Church trembles under betrayal, we are not abandoned.

A Saint for the Church in Crisis
Our world grows cold with unbelief. The poor freeze in body and soul. Families fracture. Leaders falter. Bishops barter away doctrine for applause. Yet Wenceslaus speaks still. He tells rulers: serve with sacrifice. He tells shepherds: never betray the altar. He tells the faithful: Christ is King, and His Kingdom will not be shaken.

The carol may warm our homes at Christmastide. But the martyr warms the Church with his blood. His footprints in the snow still mark the way — the way of charity, the way of fidelity, the way of the Cross. If we follow them, they will lead us not to sentiment, but to sanctity; not to compromise, but to Christ the King.

For a more indepth presentation visit Nuntiatoria.org

  1. Council of Trent, Session XIII, Decree on the Eucharist, ch. 5.
  2. Wenceslas I, Prince of Bohemia – Britannica, accessed Sept. 2025.
  3. “Saint Wenceslaus” – Franciscan Media, accessed Sept. 2025.
  4. Britannica, Wenceslas I.
  5. Wikipedia, Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia.
  6. Czech Center Blog, “St. Wenceslas,” 2022.
  7. Britannica, Wenceslas I.
  8. Britannica and Wikipedia, Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia.
  9. Britannica, Wenceslas I.
  10. Hymnology Archive, Good King Wenceslas.
  11. Wikipedia, Good King Wenceslas.
  12. Scholastic, “Good King Wenceslas (Annotated Text).”
  13. Pius XI, Quas Primas (1925), §1, §19.
  14. Vatican II, Lumen Gentium (1964), §42.

A Defence of Truth, Liberty, and the Common Good: Oppose an official definition of Islamophobia

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By the Archbishop of Selsey

Britain stands at a crossroads. A government Working Group, chaired by the former Conservative MP Dominic Grieve, is presently preparing a definition of “Islamophobia.” This body was created by the government in February 2025 and given six months to produce its recommendations, without Parliament having a say in the matter. The public consultation has already closed, and if the Group adheres to its timetable, its recommendation—drafted in secret—will be delivered within weeks. The government intends then to roll out this definition across public bodies, urging them to embed it in speech codes, so that anyone who falls foul of the new standard can be punished¹.

The justification given for this extraordinary measure is that Britain has witnessed a rise in anti-Muslim hostility since the terrorist attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023². But this argument is deeply flawed. Our nation already possesses robust laws that protect people from religious hatred and discrimination. These laws apply equally to Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, and all faith communities³. The way to protect Muslims is to enforce those existing statutes, not to introduce what would amount to a Muslim blasphemy law by the back door.

As Christians, we affirm that all men and women are created in the image of God and deserve equal dignity and justice. To single out one community for special protections would be an affront to that principle. It would contradict the Scriptural command that believers should not “have respect of persons” (James 2:1). Such privileging of one faith over others risks exacerbating tensions rather than fostering harmony. Even Fiyaz Mughal, the Muslim founder of Tell MAMA, has warned that “any definition that marks out one community is going to cause major social divisions”⁴.

The dangers are not theoretical. An official definition of “Islamophobia” would have a chilling effect on free speech. Already, those who have raised legitimate concerns—for example, the disproportionate involvement of some Muslim men of Pakistani heritage in grooming gangs—have been accused of Islamophobia. Baroness Casey, in her official report, confirmed that one reason officials failed to act on the grooming scandals was fear of that very label⁵. Sarah Champion MP, one of the few politicians willing to speak honestly, was even shortlisted for “Islamophobe of the Year” by the Islamic Human Rights Commission⁶.

Britain has a storied tradition of religious tolerance. Surveys show that nine out of ten of our people are comfortable living alongside those of different religious beliefs—more than anywhere else in Europe⁷. This is a heritage of which we should be proud. To jeopardise it by elevating one faith to a privileged status would be to exchange harmony for resentment, and equality for division.

We must also remember that Britain deliberately abolished its blasphemy laws in 2008⁸. It was recognised then that in a plural society no religion should be shielded from criticism. To introduce an official definition of “Islamophobia” now would be to resurrect blasphemy law in another form, this time for the benefit of one faith alone. Such a step would undermine freedom of speech and conscience and betray the Christian heritage that shaped our liberties.

Beloved faithful, this is not a mere matter of policy but of principle. We are called to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). To be silenced by fear is to become complicit in falsehood. Caesar must never dictate which truths may be spoken.

Therefore, I urge you to act. Write to your Members of Parliament and to your councillors. Tell them plainly that you oppose the creation of a privileged status for Islam, that you stand for equal treatment under the law, and that you will not see Britain’s freedoms traded away. You may use the draft letter we have provided below, and you can obtain the contact details of your representatives quickly and simply via www.writetothem.com.

If we fail to speak now, we may soon find ourselves unable to speak at all. Let us not be that generation. Let us stand for truth, liberty, and the common good.

Draft_Letter_IslamophobiaDownload

Footnotes

  1. UK Government announcement, creation of the Working Group on anti-Muslim hatred, February 2025.
  2. Government rationale cited in media reports following the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
  3. Equality Act 2010, Part 2 (Protected Characteristics), including religion or belief.
  4. Fiyaz Mughal, quoted in public commentary on proposed definitions of Islamophobia.
  5. Louise Casey, Independent Review into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham (2015).
  6. Islamic Human Rights Commission, Islamophobia Awards 2017, shortlist included Sarah Champion MP.
  7. European Values Study, data on tolerance and acceptance of religious diversity (latest UK survey).
  8. The common law offences of blasphemy and blasphemous libel were abolished by section 79 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008.

“In Omni Generatione”: on the prudent formation of young people in the present age

Published on by TheOldRoman1 Comment
Coat of arms of the Old Roman Apostolate, featuring a shield with a fleur-de-lis, stars, and a cross, accompanied by the inscription 'DEUS CARITAS EST'.

To the clergy, religious, and faithful of the Old Roman Apostolate, and to all those who seek to preserve the Catholic faith in its integrity and fullness:
grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Carissimi

In every generation, the Church must discern the times and guide the young in the way of truth and life. Today, the moral, cultural, and economic landscape in which our young people must navigate their calling is profoundly altered from that of our forebears. Institutions that once upheld the pursuit of wisdom now often undermine it; places that once nurtured virtue now promote vice; paths that promised stability now lead to uncertainty and debt.

It is within this reality that the Old Roman Apostolate must shepherd its youth. The counsel I offer here is not merely personal opinion, but a synthesis of practical wisdom, the perennial teaching of the Church, the lived experience of our clergy, and the empirical realities that shape life today.

The Crisis of Higher Education
Once regarded as a gateway to opportunity, the university degree has in many cases become an overpriced certificate of conformity to prevailing ideologies. In the United Kingdom, the average graduate now leaves university with over £45,000 of debt, and for some courses the figure exceeds £50,000¹³. Government data indicate that, under current repayment structures, many graduates will still be making payments well into their fifties¹⁴. At the same time, the economic return on such investment is declining: the Higher Education Statistics Agency reports that nearly one in three graduates is employed in a role that does not require a degree at all, and a significant proportion work in fields unrelated to their studies¹⁵.

This is not merely an economic issue but a question of stewardship. Our Lord teaches: “He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in that which is greater: and he that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust also in that which is greater” (Luke 16:10)¹. The Catechism teaches that prudence “disposes the practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance, and to choose the right means of achieving it”². To invest years of life and great sums of borrowed money in a qualification of uncertain value is to risk violating that virtue.

Nor is the problem limited to finances. The intellectual environment of many universities is no longer a marketplace of ideas but a factory of ideological formation. A 2024 Policy Exchange report found that nearly 80% of UK university staff in the social sciences identify with progressive political positions, and over 60% of students report feeling unable to express viewpoints contrary to prevailing orthodoxy without fear of social or academic penalty¹⁶. Critical Social Justice theory, gender ideology, and politicised history are woven into curricula, not as perspectives among others but as unquestionable truths.

Pope Pius XI warned in Divini Illius Magistri that “it is necessary to watch with the greatest care that the education of youth be not committed to false teachers who infect them with the poison of impiety”¹¹. His warning is more urgent now than in his own day.

The Moral Peril of Campus Culture
For many young Catholics, the transition to university is not merely an academic step but an immersion into an environment that is often hostile to faith and virtue. In the United Kingdom, weekly religious attendance among students drops to less than 10% during university years¹⁷. St. Paul’s warning remains true: “Evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Corinthians 15:33)³.

Campus life today normalises vice under the guise of “freedom” and “self-expression.” The National Union of Students reports that over 70% of students engage in heavy drinking at least once a month¹⁸. The Office for National Statistics records the highest rates of drug use among those aged 16–24¹⁹.

Moral dangers are compounded by sexual misconduct: one in ten female students reports sexual assault during university, with far more experiencing harassment²⁰. Such an atmosphere corrodes the virtue of chastity, essential to Christian dignity⁴.

Mental health is also in crisis: over half of students report anxiety or depression, with demand for counselling doubling in a decade²¹. This is unsurprising when the stability of family, parish, and faith community is replaced by an environment in which relativism reigns, sexual morality is mocked, and belief in objective truth is derided.

Religious freedom is under threat on campus. In recent years, Christian speakers have been disinvited or censored for upholding Catholic teaching²². Pope Benedict XVI cautioned in Caritas in Veritate that “when freedom to be religious is at risk, all freedoms are fragile”¹². St. John Chrysostom likened sending an unformed youth into such an environment to “casting a tender lamb into the midst of wolves”⁵.

A Practical Alternative: Work, Stability, and Discernment
In light of these realities, I counsel our young people: do not rush into higher education. Begin with work; gain practical experience; build financial stability. In the UK housing market, early employment combined with prudent saving can make the difference between securing a mortgage in one’s twenties and being locked out for decades²³.

Once stable, further qualifications may be pursued with purpose, avoiding both unnecessary debt and wasted years. Those who own property may let it to cover mortgage costs, creating credit history and long-term security. Such prudence benefits not only the individual but their family, freeing parents from the financial strain of prolonged dependency.

This counsel is not anti-intellectual. The Church esteems learning; but she also commands prudence, moderation, and stewardship. St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us that “right reason in things to be done is the essence of prudence”⁶.

The Old Roman Apostolate’s Formation Policy
This counsel extends to vocations. The ORA is cautious in admitting young men directly from universities to seminary. Too often we encounter candidates whose faith and morals have been compromised by the prevailing campus culture. For this reason, I have directed our episcopal administrators to favour Formation Houses — communities where candidates live, pray, and work together, supporting themselves through employment or vocational training.

This model prevents them from becoming a financial burden to the faithful, while giving them real-world experience that will later inform their pastoral care. A priest who has shared in the daily challenges of earning a living, paying bills, and navigating the economy will counsel his flock with a deeper empathy.

While a traditional residential seminary is an ideal, it is also costly and unsustainable for most of our missions, which cannot yet support full-time clergy. The Formation House model is thus both practical and apostolic — rooted in the Church’s missionary tradition, where priests were often trained in close contact with the communities they served.

Counsel to Parents and Guardians
Parents, the Church calls you the “first heralds of the Gospel” to your children⁷. This duty includes protecting them from environments that could undermine their faith before it is mature. The decision about university is not just academic; it is spiritual.

Encourage your sons and daughters to see life’s choices through the lens of vocation: what will best prepare them to serve God, their family, and their community? Sometimes this will mean delaying university; sometimes it will mean choosing a trade or apprenticeship; sometimes it will mean carefully selecting a faithful Catholic institution.

You have the right — and the duty — to direct your children’s formation. As Pope Leo XIII taught in Rerum Novarum, “The family … must necessarily have rights and duties which are prior to those of the community, and founded more immediately in nature”¹⁰.

Conclusion
My beloved children, the Church does not fear the world, for Christ has overcome it (John 16:33)⁸. But neither does she send her young unprepared into a spiritual battle. The prudent path — whether toward higher education, the workforce, or a vocation — is one that preserves faith, builds virtue, and secures the temporal stability needed for generous service to God.

Let us therefore walk “as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8)⁹, forming our youth not for the approval of the age but for the eternal glory of God.

I.X.

Signature of Jerome Seleisi, written in an elegant script.

Brichtelmestunensis
In Vigilia Assumptionis B.M.V. MMXXV A.D.

Oremus

Deus, qui iuvenes ad imaginem Filii tui formare voluisti, concede, quaesumus, ut, Spiritu Sancto illuminati et virtutibus roborati, in via veritatis et vitae constanter ambulent, et in periculis mundi fidem integram, spem firmam, caritatem perfectam servent. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

O God, who hast willed to form the young in the image of Thy Son, grant, we beseech Thee, that, enlightened by the Holy Ghost and strengthened in virtue, they may walk steadfastly in the way of truth and life, and amid the perils of the world preserve an unshaken faith, a firm hope, and a perfect charity. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ecclesial & Theological Sources
01. Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (2009), §29.
02. Luke 16:10, Douay-Rheims.
03. Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1806.
04. 1 Corinthians 15:33, Douay-Rheims.
05. Catechism of the Catholic Church, §2337–2359.
06. St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, Homily 7.
07. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, II–II, q.47, a.2.
08. Catechism of the Catholic Church, §2225.
09. John 16:33, Douay-Rheims.
10. Ephesians 5:8, Douay-Rheims.
11. Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum (1891), §12.
12. Pope Pius XI, Divini Illius Magistri (1929), §78.

Empirical & Factual Sources
13. UK Student Loans Company, Student Loan Statistics 2024, Table 1.
14. Institute for Fiscal Studies, Will most graduates pay off their student loans?, 2023.
15. Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023.
16. Policy Exchange, Academic Freedom in the UK, 2024.
17. Higher Education Policy Institute, Student Academic Experience Survey, 2023.
18. National Union of Students, Student Drinking Culture Report, 2022.
19. Office for National Statistics, Drug misuse in England and Wales: year ending June 2023.
20. Telegraph Investigation, “One in ten female students sexually assaulted,” 2022.
21. Universities UK, Stepchange: Mentally Healthy Universities, 2023 update.
22. Free Speech Union, Campus Censorship Report, 2024.
23. UK Finance, First-time Buyer Trends, Q4 2024.

Please note that all material on this website is the Intellectual Property (IP) of His Grace, the Titular Archbishop of Selsey and protected by Copyright and Intellectual Property laws of the United Kingdom, United States and International law. Reproduction and distribution without written authorisation of the owner is prohibited.

(©)The Titular Archbishop of Selsey 2012-2025. All Rights Reserved.

Statement: On the House of Commons Vote on the Assisted Dying Bill

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Coat of arms featuring a shield with a fleur-de-lis and elements of ecclesiastical symbolism, inscribed with 'DEUS CARITAS EST'.

With a heavy heart, I acknowledge the passage of the Assisted Dying Bill through Parliament. This moment marks a grave turning point for our nation’s understanding of life, dignity, and care.

Together with my deep disappointment at the vote earlier this week to decriminalise abortion, these decisions represent a profound failure to uphold the sanctity of human life at all stages. They reflect a troubling shift away from protecting the most vulnerable—unborn children, the terminally ill, the disabled, and the elderly—and toward a society that places subjective judgments of suffering above the intrinsic dignity of every human person.

It must be said plainly: without the right to life—the most basic, foundational human right—no other rights can stand. When society denies the right to life, it nullifies the very basis of justice and the entire framework of human rights protections. This is the true cost of these votes.

I stand in solidarity with the many medical professionals, disability advocates, faith leaders, and citizens who believed the bill was not fit for purpose, raising serious concerns about its safeguards, its ethical implications, and the risks it poses to vulnerable individuals.

While I hold deep compassion for those who suffer and face the profound challenges of terminal illness, I must reiterate that permitting the state’s involvement in ending life diminishes the inherent worth of each individual and risks pressuring the vulnerable to choose death over care.

True compassion calls us to accompany those who suffer, to provide better palliative care, and to uphold a culture of life.

In the days and years ahead, I pledge to continue advocating for those most at risk, to support families and carers, and to call our society back to a vision that cherishes every life as sacred and inviolable.

May God grant us wisdom and courage to walk together in charity and justice.

+In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Signature of Jerome Seleisi in elegant script.

Brichtelmestunensis
S. Silverii Papæ et Martyris MMXXV A.D.

LETTER TO SUSSEX MPS ON THE ASSISTED DYING BILL

PASTORAL EPISTLE ON DECRIMINALISATION OF ABORTION LAW IN BRITAIN

Oremus

Deus Miserator, Qui vitam humanam in tuae imaginis dignitate creasti, da nobis gratiam ut sanctitatem vitae semper tueamur. Fortitudinem tribue iis qui infirmantur et iis qui curant, ut in tribulatione non deficiant in spe, nec deficit caritas. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

Merciful God, Who created human life in the dignity of Your image, grant us the grace always to defend the sanctity of life. Give strength to the infirm and to their carers, that in suffering they may not fail in hope nor in love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please note that all material on this website is the Intellectual Property (IP) of His Grace, the Titular Archbishop of Selsey and protected by Copyright and Intellectual Property laws of the United Kingdom, United States and International law. Reproduction and distribution without written authorisation of the owner is prohibited.

(©)The Titular Archbishop of Selsey 2012-2025. All Rights Reserved.

Statement: On the House of Commons Vote to Decriminalise Abortion to Birth

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Coat of arms featuring a shield with a fleur-de-lis and elements of ecclesiastical symbolism, inscribed with 'DEUS CARITAS EST'.

It is with profound grief and moral clarity that I respond to yesterday’s vote in the House of Commons approving Amendments NC1 and NC20 to the Criminal Justice Bill—amendments that effectively strip away all remaining protections for unborn children in the United Kingdom.

This is a watershed moment. Parliament has now declared, by law, that human life possesses no inherent dignity, no objective worth—only value when it is subjectively desired. A child in the womb may now be legally killed up to the very moment of birth. This is not progress. It is not compassion. It is the codification of cruelty.

By reducing life to a commodity, this legislation severs the foundation of all human rights. For if there is no right to life, then no other right—of speech, of conscience, of personhood—can stand. This is not a private moral issue. It is a public act of injustice. It is a declaration by the State that innocent human life is disposable.

In the name of women’s rights, Parliament has in fact turned back the clock on women’s safety. By removing legal safeguards and entrenching the unsupervised use of abortion pills at home, it has enabled a return to unsafe, unregulated, and often coercive abortions—in private settings, with no medical oversight, and no protection from pressure, abuse, or isolation. Women are left alone to suffer, sometimes haemorrhaging, sometimes traumatised, and sometimes misled about what these pills will do. This is not empowerment. It is abandonment. It is policy that protects institutions, not persons—and it fails women precisely when they are most in need of care and truth.

Far from defending womanhood, this law strips women of their own dignity—not by affirming their capacity to give life, but by reducing that capacity to a private license to destroy it. The feminine genius is not honoured, but hollowed out.

The Apathy of Apostasy

It must also be said, and said plainly: the vast majority of those who claim the name of Christ today—across denominations—are Christians in name only. Nominal. Superficial. Formed more by sentiment than by doctrine, shaped more by the culture than by the Cross. Their religion is subjective, their morality relativistic, their public witness nearly silent.

And the hierarchies?
Too often, little better. Bureaucratic. Cautious. Politically attuned. Paralysed by the fear of controversy.

We are told abortion is “sensitive,” “divisive,” “too hot to handle.” But what are we speaking of, if not the deliberate killing of persons made in the image and likeness of God?

Every unborn child is willed into being by the Creator, imbued with eternal purpose, and destined for a life that could bring immeasurable good to others. To describe this reality as “complex,” while retreating from moral clarity, is not pastoral prudence—it is moral failure.

This is not a matter of ecclesial strategy. It is a matter of truth.
And to tolerate the shedding of innocent blood in silence is not charity—it is apostasy by omission.

Let this statement serve not only as a condemnation of an evil act enshrined in law, but as a call to repentance for the silence that enabled it—and as a rallying cry for the faithful to reawaken, to speak boldly, and to defend life without compromise.

+In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Signature of Jerome Seleisi in elegant script.

Brichtelmestunensis
SS. Marci et Marcelliani Martyrum MMXXV A.D.

PASTORAL EPISTLE ON DECRIMINALISATION OF ABORTION LAW IN BRITAIN

Oremus

Deus, vitae auctor et custos animarum, qui omnes homines ad imaginem tuam creasti, et in utero matris eos sanctificare dignatus es, intuere propitius ad parvulos nondum natos, quos leges humanae ab omni tutela solvere conantur. Infunde timorem tuum in corda legislatorum, ut legem tuam super omnem consilium humanum agnoscant, et innocentes a morte tueantur. Beatae Mariae Virgini, Matri Vitae, nos committimus, ut per eius intercessionem natio nostra a caecitate cordis liberetur, et iterum legem vitae eligat. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

O God, Author of life and Guardian of souls, who created all people in Thine image and didst sanctify them in their mother’s womb, look with mercy upon the unborn children whom human laws now seek to cast off from all protection. Pour Thy holy fear into the hearts of lawmakers, that they may recognize Thy law above all human counsel, and defend the innocent from death. To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Life, we commend ourselves, that through her intercession our nation may be delivered from the blindness of heart, and choose again the law of life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please note that all material on this website is the Intellectual Property (IP) of His Grace, the Titular Archbishop of Selsey and protected by Copyright and Intellectual Property laws of the United Kingdom, United States and International law. Reproduction and distribution without written authorisation of the owner is prohibited.

(©)The Titular Archbishop of Selsey 2012-2025. All Rights Reserved.

Woe to Those Who Call Evil Good: A Pastoral Letter on the Decriminalisation of Abortion Law in Britain

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Coat of arms featuring a shield with a fleur-de-lis and elements of ecclesiastical symbolism, inscribed with 'DEUS CARITAS EST'.

To the beloved faithful of Great Britain

Carissimi

On 17 June 2025, the British Parliament will vote on amendments that, if passed, would constitute the most radical expansion of abortion access in the nation’s history—legalising abortion up to birth for any reason, including the use of unsupervised abortion pills at home without medical oversight.

The principal amendment, tabled by Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, seeks to remove all criminal penalties for women who procure abortions at any stage of pregnancy. Though marketed under the guise of “protecting women,” this measure would obliterate existing legal safeguards, including those which protect viable unborn children, deter sex-selective abortion, and prevent coerced terminations.

The Catholic Medical Association and hundreds of healthcare professionals have already warned Parliament that such changes would expose women to serious risks. Complication rates for late-term medical abortions are known to be over 160 times higher than those before 10 weeks’ gestation. Decriminalising abortion to birth opens the door to these dangerous procedures being conducted without medical supervision—and with no legal recourse for abuse, trafficking, or coercion¹.

Moreover, this amendment undermines the foundational principle of English law: that the unborn child possesses a modicum of legal recognition and protection. To remove all criminal sanction is to erase even this minimal acknowledgment of the unborn as a member of the human family.

Public Opinion Is Not With Them

Contrary to the claims of abortion lobbyists, polling conducted on behalf of SPUC in May 2025 indicates that:

  • Only 5% of Britons support legal abortion up to birth
  • 46% favour reducing the current 24-week limit
  • 62% support maintaining criminal law to protect the unborn
  • 53% oppose abortion when the child is capable of surviving outside the womb
  • 60% reject the idea of abortion on demand for any reason²

This is not a fringe view. It is a mainstream moral instinct—a desire to protect life and uphold medical responsibility, especially in the face of a culture that increasingly treats pregnancy as a liability and life as disposable.

A Call to Action

This is a defining moment for pro-life witness in the UK. I urge all Catholics and people of goodwill to do the following:

  1. Sign the petition hosted by SPUC and CitizenGO
  2. Contact your MP and express your opposition to the decriminalisation amendment
  3. Attend the demonstration in Westminster on Tuesday, 17 June, if at all possible
  4. Pray and offer penance for the conversion of our nation and its lawmakers

This is not merely a legal battle—it is a spiritual one. St. John Paul II reminded us that “a nation that kills its own children has no future.” Let us not remain silent as Parliament considers removing the final protections from the smallest and most vulnerable among us.

Let your voice be heard. Let your witness be seen. Let your prayers be offered. For if we do not defend life now, we shall answer for our silence before God.

I.X.

Signature of Jerome Seleisi in elegant script.

Brichtelmestunensis
Feria Sexta Quattuor Temporum Pentecostes MMXXV A.D.

¹ Open Letter from UK Healthcare Professionals to MPs opposing abortion decriminalisation, 2024.
² Polling conducted by Whitestone Insight on behalf of SPUC, May 2025.

Oremus

Deus, vitae auctor et custos animarum, qui omnes homines ad imaginem tuam creasti, et in utero matris eos sanctificare dignatus es, intuere propitius ad parvulos nondum natos, quos leges humanae ab omni tutela solvere conantur. Infunde timorem tuum in corda legislatorum, ut legem tuam super omnem consilium humanum agnoscant, et innocentes a morte tueantur. Beatae Mariae Virgini, Matri Vitae, nos committimus, ut per eius intercessionem natio nostra a caecitate cordis liberetur, et iterum legem vitae eligat. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

O God, Author of life and Guardian of souls, who created all people in Thine image and didst sanctify them in their mother’s womb, look with mercy upon the unborn children whom human laws now seek to cast off from all protection. Pour Thy holy fear into the hearts of lawmakers, that they may recognize Thy law above all human counsel, and defend the innocent from death. To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Life, we commend ourselves, that through her intercession our nation may be delivered from the blindness of heart, and choose again the law of life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Please note that all material on this website is the Intellectual Property (IP) of His Grace, the Titular Archbishop of Selsey and protected by Copyright and Intellectual Property laws of the United Kingdom, United States and International law. Reproduction and distribution without written authorisation of the owner is prohibited.

(©)The Titular Archbishop of Selsey 2012-2025. All Rights Reserved.

Habemus Papam! Leo XIV

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Coat of arms featuring a shield with a fleur-de-lis and elements of ecclesiastical symbolism, inscribed with 'DEUS CARITAS EST'.

To the beloved faithful of the Old Roman Apostolate

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

Statement of the Primus of the Old Roman Apostolate on the Election of Pope Leo XIV

“Habemus Papam!”—These ancient and joyful words, once more resounding from the heart of Christendom, proclaim to the world the election of a new Bishop of Rome, the servant of the servants of God.

The Old Roman Apostolate extends its respectful greetings and fervent prayers to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A., upon his elevation to the Chair of Saint Peter. In this hour of grave responsibility and sacred trust, we pray that the Holy Father may be richly endowed with wisdom, courage, and apostolic zeal.

It is our sincere hope that the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV may be marked by a true restoration of Catholic unity through fidelity to the deposit of faith, the perennial magisterium, and the unbroken liturgical and moral tradition handed down from the Apostles. In a time of moral confusion and doctrinal eclipse, the world and the Church cry out for clarity, sanctity, and fatherhood.

Though the Old Roman Apostolate remains apart in discipline and governance due to the exigencies of the current ecclesial crisis, we do not cease to pray for reconciliation in truth, and for a Roman Pontiff who will confirm his brethren in the faith, as Christ commanded.

May Our Blessed Lady, Queen of the Apostles, protect and guide the new Pope. May Saint Peter intercede for his successor, that he may govern the Church with a heart conformed to the Heart of Christ, the Good Shepherd.

Ad multos annos, Sancte Pater Leo!

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.

I.X.

Signature of Jerome Seleisi in elegant script.

Brichtelmestunensis
In Apparitione S. Michaëlis Archangeli MMXXV A.D.

Deus, omnium fidelium Pastor et Rector, famulum tuum Leonem, quem pastorem Ecclesiae tuae praeesse voluisti, propitius respice: da ei, quaesumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus praeest, proficere; ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito, perveniat sempiternam. Per Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

O God, the Shepherd and Ruler of all Thy faithful people, mercifully look upon Thy servant Leo, whom Thou hast been pleased to set as pastor over Thy Church: grant him, we beseech Thee, to profit both by word and example those over whom he is set, so that together with the flock committed to his care, he may attain unto life everlasting. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.

Please note that all material on this website is the Intellectual Property (IP) of His Grace, the Titular Archbishop of Selsey and protected by Copyright and Intellectual Property laws of the United Kingdom, United States and International law. Reproduction and distribution without written authorisation of the owner is prohibited.

(©)The Titular Archbishop of Selsey 2012-2025. All Rights Reserved.

How a Pope Is Elected: Inside the Papal Conclave

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For those unfamiliar with the inner workings of a Papal Conclave, it is important to understand that it is not a forum for open debate or deliberation. The period for discussion and discernment—known as the General Congregations—takes place before the Conclave begins. Once the Conclave is formally opened, the cardinal-electors are there to vote, not to confer¹.

The Conclave begins with the celebration of the Missa pro Eligendo Pontifice, the Mass for the Election of the Roman Pontiff². Following this, the cardinal-electors process from the Pauline Chapel through the Sala Regia into the Sistine Chapel, the site of the election itself³.

Once inside, and after the prescribed oaths are taken, the Master of Pontifical Ceremonies proclaims Extra Omnes!—“Everyone out!”—expelling all non-electors⁴. Only the voting cardinals remain, along with the papal preacher (currently Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap.), who offers a spiritual reflection. He and the Master of Ceremonies then depart, leaving the electors in solemn seclusion⁵.

On the first day, a single vote (scrutiny) is held. On subsequent days, two scrutinies take place each morning and afternoon⁶. Each scrutiny begins with the drawing of lots to select nine cardinals: three scrutineers (to count the votes), three infirmarii (to collect votes from any elector unable to be physically present), and three revisers (to verify the process)⁷.

An informational graphic outlining the schedule for watching the white smoke during a Papal Conclave on May 7, 2025, including specific times for Rome, New York, and Manila.

Each elector receives a ballot inscribed with the Latin phrase Eligo in Summum Pontificem—“I elect as Supreme Pontiff”—above a space to write the chosen name. The ballots are folded lengthwise and, in order of precedence, the cardinals approach the altar individually, holding their ballots aloft⁸.

At the altar, each elector takes a solemn oath:

Testor Christum Dominum, qui me iudicaturus est, me eum eligere, quem secundum Deum iudico eligi debere.
I call as my witness Christ the Lord, who will be my judge, that I am voting for the one whom before God I believe should be elected.

He then places the ballot on a plate, tipping it into a chalice-like receptacle⁹.

If votes have been collected from infirm electors, these are also added. The scrutineers, revisers, and infirmarii then cast their own votes¹⁰.

Once all ballots are cast, they are mixed, counted, and read aloud in sequence. If the number of ballots does not match the number of electors, the vote is declared invalid and immediately repeated¹¹. If the count is correct, the scrutineers begin tallying: the first opens and records each ballot, the second confirms, and the third records and announces the name aloud¹².

If a ballot contains two names and they are identical, it is counted once. If the names differ, the ballot is discarded. In either case, the vote itself continues¹³.

As the final votes are read, the ballots are pierced through the word eligo, threaded together, and placed aside. The results are tallied and verified by the revisers. If no candidate has reached the required two-thirds majority, the next scrutiny begins¹⁴.

After each round of voting, all ballots and notes are burned. To signal the outcome to the world, chemicals are added to the stove to produce either black smoke (no election) or white smoke (successful election)¹⁵. The white smoke is accompanied by the pealing of the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica¹⁶.

Should a pope be elected, the senior Cardinal-Bishop addresses the chosen cardinal:

Acceptasne electionem de te canonice factam in Summum Pontificem?
Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?

Upon his assent (Accepto), he is asked:

Quo nomine vis vocari?
By what name do you wish to be called?

The newly elected pope then retires to the Room of Tears to don the papal garments. The Master of Ceremonies draws up an official record of the election¹⁷. A quaint custom—last observed in 2013—allows the new pope to gift his red zucchetto to the Secretary of the Conclave, symbolising a future elevation to the cardinalate¹⁸.

After receiving the homage of the cardinals, the senior Cardinal-Deacon announces the joyous news to the world from the balcony of St. Peter’s:

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam!
I announce to you a great joy: We have a Pope!

He then declares the new pontiff’s name and chosen title. The Holy Father appears to impart his first Urbi et Orbi blessing¹⁹.

Thus, the election of a pope, though brief in its outward form, is governed by centuries of tradition, ritual, and precision—designed to ensure both solemnity and secrecy. It is easy to see why even a single scrutiny, involving 133 electors, can occupy an entire half-day²⁰.

Footnotes

¹ Universi Dominici Gregis (UDG), §52–56.
² Ibid., §11.
³ Ibid., §48.
⁴ Ibid., §51.
⁵ Ibid., §52–53.
⁶ Ibid., §64.
⁷ Ibid., §65.
⁸ Ibid., §66.
⁹ Ibid., §67.
¹⁰ Ibid., §68.
¹¹ Ibid., §69.
¹² Ibid., §70.
¹³ Ibid., §71.
¹⁴ Ibid., §72.
¹⁵ Ibid., §68 and Appendix for Chemical Procedures (as clarified by Vatican sources).
¹⁶ Vatican Press Office, Protocol for Signalling Election Outcome, 2013.
¹⁷ UDG, §75.
¹⁸ Observed in the election of Pope Francis, 2013; see L’Osservatore Romano, March 2013.
¹⁹ UDG, §89.
²⁰ UDG, §64–72.

Please note that all material on this website is the Intellectual Property (IP) of His Grace, the Titular Archbishop of Selsey and protected by Copyright and Intellectual Property laws of the United Kingdom, United States and International law. Reproduction and distribution without written authorisation of the owner is prohibited.

(©)The Titular Archbishop of Selsey 2012-2025. All Rights Reserved.