Is there a problem of anti-Semitism within Traditional Catholicism?

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I have taken part in a number of online discussions with other Catholics, and found a fair number of self-identified traditionalists who seem to raise anti-Semitic points somewhat constantly. While modern Jews have been willing to address some of the anti-Christian invective in the Talmud, these Catholics point to the Talmud as a satanic document. They tend to abstract the “synagogue of Satan” language from Revelation and condemnation of Jews as “sons of the Devil” in John 8 and take it out of context of the split between Christian and non-Christian Jews at the time those works were written. Lastly, I’ve seen them seize on any information about genetic studies that suggest that modern Jews aren’t descended from ancient Israelites (for example, a paper putting forward the hypothesis that a lot of modern Ashkenazi Jews converted from Turkish populations during the Khazar Khanate, even though the paper has not been able to be replicated by researchers other than the authors).

I’m asking, not accusing, if there is a problem within Catholic traditionalism that insists on portraying modern Jews negatively. If there is a problem, how big is the problem (e.g., what percentage of traditionalists hold these views?). What about Nostra Aetate and the modern magisterial teachings about the Jewish people is so anathema to these traditionalists? I certainly don’t want to paint all traditionalists, such as the FSSP or Institute of the Christ the King Sovereign, in this manner. I’m just trying to see if my own anecdotal experience is representative.
 
From my observation, it seems that the more “rad Trad” one is the more he will tend to have a negative opinion of Jewish people. But, as you pointed out, I have never encountered this behavior among any of the the FSSP and Institute priests or faithful I have interacted with. My honest opinion is that anti-semitism unfortunately seems to be a prerequisite for some of the sede and extreme rad-trad groups out there, but I can only know this from reading what they post on forums or blogs.
 
Please tell us, with supporting evidence, how many Traditionalists there are. Then, with supporting evidence, what portion of this alleged group has any anti-Semitic views. And then, how many “rad Trads” there are.

Ed
 
I thought I was clear that I was presenting only an opinion based on personal observations and experiences. I apologize if this isn’t so.
 
According to Wikipedia (Traditionalist Catholicism - Wikipedia), there were about 1.1 million traditionalist Catholics in 2005 – that was prior to the motu proprio “Summorum Pontificum”. What percent of those are “Rad Trads” vs. faithful ones, I can’t say. I hope someone else has those estimates.

That’s a relatively small fraction of overall traditionalists.

I will say that I know a few self-described “faithful” Catholics who are part of groups that include SSPX and sedes. That said, that’s a handful of people compared to the relatively large number of traditionalists I know.
 
I apologize as well. It’s just that sometimes on the internet, opinions and a small reference sample can sometimes morph into facts.

Best,
Ed
 
I think in these cases a good document to study would be Mit Brennender Sorge by Pope Pius XI. It is as true today as it was when he srote it in 1937.
 
Yes, there is a problem. Somehow I was signed up for a newsletter of a very traditionalist Catholic priest. One day they published really bad antisemitic stuff so I wrote them a letter. They assumed I was Jewish from my last name, wrote an other newsletter about Jewish people playing the victim and after that I was blocked from receiving their emails. I was very surprised but luckily this is a very small minority of Catholics.
 
wikipedia is only as good as its sources, and one needs to be more than just diligent when looking for information that may not be otherwise available.

I have some doubts as to the statement that there are @ 1 million traditionalists, if for no other reason than that there is no real way of qualifying what “traditionalist” means. for example, would those who subscribe to the beliefs of Pius V group be traditionalists? I might be more inclined to call them wackos - members of the Flat Earth Society who stepped one step beyond the edge of that earth and are now in free fall.

And going to another end of the spectrum, would someone who regularly attends the OF, but occasionally attends an EF be a traditionalist? Or are they just an aficionado of, say, choirs which sing Palestrina or Gregorian Chant? If asked, they might self identify as traditionalists, but really only attend the EF because of the music.

do we have people who are anti Semites? Yeah, we hve them, and they are certainly not exclusive to those who identify as Catholics. Prejudices run deep, and critical thinking is in short supply. How many anti Semites are there who are “traditionalists”? No one can realistically guess with any sense of accuracy.
 
Short answer: yes. Can we consider it to be a type of atheism? Bishop Sheen said it best. "There are only two types of atheism: that of the right, which loves God and ignores neighbor and that of the left, which loves neighbor and ignores God.
 
For some perspective, keep in mind that according to some people today, Saint Leo, Saint Gregory, Saint Ambrose, and Saint Augustine would all be considered “anti-Semites.”
 
I have personally ran into one priest who gave an insuation that you are speaking of, of modern Jews not really having any rightful claim to Israel , I haven’t ran into such a priest since nor have before him.
Is that kind of view point really anti semitism though.

Trying to twine anti-semitism into any verison of Catholicism isn’t going to work very well, you have to consider first that Jesus was a practicing Jew and so where His disciples. Then you might have arguements about well what about World War II and why didn’t the Church do enough during that time frame, which has some validity as a question but still, is not some kind of ah ha gotcha see there is this rampant anti-semitism that persits.

In the end, Anti-semitism is just an excuse to blame ones personal problems on others, it is always easier to play the victim and blame one race for the problems of another or for ones personal problems, than it is to just stand on your own two feet and figure out how to live a better life.
 
I’ve occasionally heard this in the Evangelicals too. Just this past monday on one of the local ‘christian’ channels. They weren’t saying "Jews run everything’ thank goodness, but he inferred that Jews today lost out on the covenant that the church today is God’s ‘chosen people’.

I have heard this in Traditional Catholic circles online, at times and never in every Traditionalist circle I’ve encountered and never in real life. Unfortunately Anti-Semitism seems to be a sign of the fallen nature of our culture.

My daughter come home from junior high at a secular school recounting anti-semitic crud from other students. She was verbally attacked a couple of times with being “Jewish”. They weren’t too clever about it either. Some girl told her “Anne Frank Go Home!!!” more than once. (I told her it’s a compliment to be compared to Anne Frank.) It turns out that that child attended a ‘Rock band non-denominational feel good church’ that meets in the school’s gym on Sunday. So the seemingly opposite of Trad Catholicism. We didn’t complain, but dd made a whole bunch of friends who are Jewish and ate at their lunch table for two years. Our family has Jewish ancestry, although we are very much ‘Christians’. Roman Catholic to be exact. My kids are proud of their heritage, all of it including the WASP side.
 
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Catholicism is traditionally “anti-Semitic” by today’s standards.
 
I don’t understand your statement. Would you please clarify? Do you mean that today’s Catholicism is considered anti-Semitic? Or that traditional Catholicism is considered anti-Semitic my today’s standards?
 
Vadne said:
For some perspective, keep in mind that according to some people today, Saint Leo, Saint Gregory, Saint Ambrose, and Saint Augustine would all be considered “anti-Semites.”
Click to expand...
I can’t speak for Saints Leo, Gregory, and Ambrose, because I haven’t read their writings yet. However, I have just finished eight volumes of St. Augustin’s writings. Yes, he excoriated the Jews, but he also excoriated the pagans and the heretics. One might say that he was an equal opportunity excoriator. However, I can’t remember anything negative that he wrote about Jews and pagans who had been converted, baptized, and were subsequently active members of the Catholic Church, or about heretics who had returned to the fold.

D
 
OK, I want to be clear. I’m not saying that the problem is in pre-conciliar (e.g., 1962 and prior) Catholicism per se, but with contemporary traditionalist groups that are still around today.
 
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