How can I help my husband see that Vatican II was not a false council?

[jplee6]

My dear husband of 20 + years has been caught – hook, line and SINKER by these jokers on the Internet, who believe that JP II is the anti-pope. He believes all the trash that they present as truth. He believes that JP II is involved with tearing down the Catholic Church.

I try to show him the errors in his thinking but with no success. Recently he asked me to research (trying to change my opinion) what happened when the pope met in Assisi, I believe with other religious leaders.

Other items of controversy are that there are pictures on the World Wide Web that shows JP II kissing the Koran and also one about him allowing a Buddhist idol to be place on the Tabernacle during some type of worship service.

One of the main areas where problems arise is that he believes that Vatican II was a false council and that anything after that in null and void. He believes that Council of Trent set in motion for all times the Latin Mass and that Vat II COULD NOT change the Mass.

Another area of concern is that he firmly believes that unless you are in the Catholic Church you have no chance of going to Heaven. I tell him this is putting limitations on God, Who is All-powerful and All-merciful.

I would really appreciate any help to help my DH to see his errors and that these “friends” of his are really his enemies.

God Bless

 

[Peggy_Frye]

I’m sorry to hear about your husband’s attraction to the arguments that Vatican II was not a valid Council. But, these arguments, no matter how superficially consoling, are just plain wrong. These “conspiracy theories” that claim that Pope John Paul II is not the legitimate pope are also absurd, yet many people still find them attractive.

Throughout history there were movements claiming to be more orthodox than the Church. Each schism and heresy begins with a distrust of the magisterium, as if the Holy Spirit ceased guiding the Church into all truth. If the Novus Ordo and the “Vatican II rites” were invalid, but the Pope and all the bishops thought it was not, then the Church’s infallibility has failed and the gates of hell have prevailed against the Church. But that is impossible! Thus, the New Mass and the Vatican II rites are valid. Of course any particular celebration of the Novus Ordo (or the Tridentine Mass, for that matter) may be invalid, based on either departures from the rubrics or the intent of the priest. On the bare question of validity, the matter is settled.

Encourage your husband to set his objections aside and look at infallibility and what that implies. This is a very important issue. Any effort to distance himself from the Church will be abandoning the Church itself. Remind him that where Peter is, there is the Church.

I highly recommend James Likoudis’s excellent book, The Pope, The Council, and the Mass. It addresses the traditionalist arguments against the New Mass. You can order a copy through Mr. Likoudis’s website here.. Concerning how to respond to the other issues (Assisi, no salvation outside the Church, the “Buddha” idol), I recommend Dave Armstrong’s Traditionalist & Schismatic Catholic Website.

Keep praying for your husband. Your love for him and all your prayers will bear much fruit. God bless you.