Organized Freemasonry, emerging prominently in the early 18th century, dedicated itself to spreading the principles of the French Revolution: „liberty, equality, fraternity.‟ This seemingly benign slogan masked a radical agenda: to replace divine authority and Truth with human sovereignty, where „truth‟ and „morality‟ would be decided „from below.‟ This was a direct assault on the very foundations of Christendom.

Around 1829, documents from the Italian Masonic lodge „Alta Vendita‟ revealed a chilling blueprint for the infiltration of the Catholic Church. Their explicit goal was not to convert Popes, but to raise a new generation of clergy imbued with liberal principles, leading eventually to the election of „a Pope according to our wants‟:

We must find a Pope who convenes a council where our clergy makes the revolution in tiara and choir robe.

Alta Vendita, 1829

This prophetic statement precisely describes what would unfold over a century later. Popes Pius IX and Leo XIII valiantly exposed and condemned Freemasonry, issuing encyclicals like Pascendi that prophetically warned against the „synthesis of all heresies‟ – Modernism.

Pope St. Pius X, in his 1907 encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis, denounced Modernism with unparalleled clarity, but yet, he famously stated that he had merely „driven them underground, where they will continue their work.‟ This prophecy proved true, as the network of Modernists patiently awaited their moment.

• Religious Liberty: The declaration of a „right‟ to religious freedom, even for false religions, directly undermined the social kingship of Christ and the duty of states to recognize the True Faith. This effectively granted error equal rights with truth.
• Ecumenism: A false unity that promotes interfaith dialogue for its own sake, blurring doctrinal distinctions and implying that all religions contain elements of truth, thus trivializing the unique salvific role of the Catholic Church.
• Collegiality: The promotion of a democratic understanding of Church governance, diminishing the monarchical authority of the Pope and bishops.
• Man-centered Theology: Most fundamentally, the Council documents, notably Gaudium et Spes, shifted the focus from God as the ultimate end to man himself.

According to the almost unanimous opinion of believers and unbelievers alike, all things on earth should be related to man as their center and crown.

Gaudium et Spes 12

This unbelievable humanism, declaring „Christ… fully reveals man to man himself,‟ (Gaudium et Spes 22) is the antithesis of true Catholicism, which reveals God to man. It subordinates divine glory to human self-realization, making religion a tool for man’s comfort rather than his salvation. This is the poison that infects the entire conciliar system from Vatican II onwards.

The Novus Ordo Missae, „promulgated‟ in 1969, was the inevitable liturgical expression of this man-centered „faith.‟ Designed explicitly to be acceptable to Protestants, it deliberately stripped away elements that clearly articulated the sacrificial nature of the Mass and the role of the priesthood, replacing them with ambiguous language and gestures.

We adhere with all our heart, with all our soul to Catholic Rome, Guardian of the Catholic Faith and of the traditions necessary to preserve this faith, to Eternal Rome, Mistress of wisdom and truth.

We refuse, on the other hand, and have always refused to follow the Rome of neo-Modernist and neo-Protestant tendencies which were clearly evident in the Second Vatican Council and, after the Council, in all the reforms which issued from it.

He understood that these reforms, „issued from liberalism, from modernism, [are] entirely poisoned; it comes from heresy and leads to heresy.‟ His refusal to submit was not rebellion against true authority, but fidelity to the Faith itself, knowing that „obedience‟ to commands that destroy the Faith is a betrayal of God.

In 1970, Archbishop Lefebvre founded the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) to preserve the Catholic priesthood, the Traditional Latin Mass, and sound doctrine amidst the universal devastation. This was „Operation Survival‟ – a lifeboat for souls in the deluge of Modernism.

Despite repeated attempts to dialogue with Rome and obtain permission for the consecration of bishops to ensure the SSPX’s survival, Archbishop Lefebvre encountered constant demands to compromise on the Council. Faced with Rome’s unwavering commitment to Modernism and the imminent threat of his own death, he made the agonizing, but heroic, decision to consecrate four bishops on June 30, 1988, without papal mandate.

This was not schism, but an act of „Operation Survival‟ to prevent the extinction of the Catholic priesthood and episcopate, as he clarified:

This day is the operation „survival.‟ And if I had made this other operation with Rome, following the agreements we had signed and putting into practice afterwards these agreements, I would have made the operation „suicide.‟

This act, for which he and the consecrated bishops were „excommunicated‟ (an unjust and invalid decree in the eyes of Traditional Catholics), secured the continuation of the Traditional Mass and Sacraments. As Archbishop Lefebvre stated in February 1991, what separated the SSPX from Rome was Rome’s commitment to the new religion of Vatican II.

As Bishop Williamson stated, the FSSP acted as a „docile decoy‟ to draw souls away from the uncompromising stance of the SSPX, allowing Rome to continue dismantling the Church without robust internal resistance.

The subsequent „doctrinal discussions‟ (2009-2011) between SSPX and Roman theologians proved that Rome’s commitment to Vatican II remained unwavering. Yet, the SSPX leadership continued to pursue a „practical agreement.‟

The full extent of this shift was revealed when, on April 7, 2012, the other three SSPX bishops—Richard Williamson, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, and Alfonso de Galarreta — sent a collective letter to Bishop Fellay, warning him against signing a purely practical agreement without Rome’s conversion:

The doctrinal discussions have proved that it is impossible to reach an agreement with the current Rome… after the Second Vatican Council, the official authorities of the Church departed from Catholic truth and today they are determined as before to remain faithful to the Conciliar doctrine and practice.

Bishop Fellay’s response accused them of lacking „Romanitas‟ and being „too absolute‟ in their resistance, confirming his willingness to proceed with an agreement. This contradicted Archbishop Lefebvre’s firm stance in 1987: „Even if Rome gives us everything we want, We will not collaborate. Rome is trying to de-Christianize civilization‟.

The July 2012 SSPX General Chapter, despite internal resistance, effectively abandoned the principle of „no canonical agreement without doctrinal agreement.‟ It set vague conditions for a canonical regularization that no longer required Rome to abandon its Modernist errors. Bishop Williamson, a staunch opponent of this new direction, was illegitimately excluded from the Chapter and, shortly thereafter, expelled from the SSPX on October 4, 2012, specifically for speaking out against an agreement with Rome.

• Acceptance of papal jurisdiction for confessions (2015 Jubilee) and marriages (2017), presented as „pastoral solicitude‟ by Rome, but seen by the Resistance as further binding the SSPX to the Modernist hierarchy. This implicitly accepts that the SSPX previously lacked such jurisdiction, undermining the principle of supplied jurisdiction, which Archbishop Lefebvre relied upon.
• The continued rhetoric of accepting „95% of the Council,‟ which undermines the clear condemnations made by Archbishop Lefebvre.
• The pursuit of a „Prelature Personal‟ status from Rome, fulfilling the very „Operation Suicide‟ scenario the Archbishop warned against.
• A notable softening of criticism against Pope Francis and the Conciliar Church, aligning with the „controlled opposition‟ model.

The drift of the SSPX leadership has led to several critical doctrinal and practical deviations from the original mission established by Archbishop Lefebvre:

• Redefinition of Necessity: The new SSPX leadership accepts the „freeing‟ of the Latin Mass and the „lifting‟ of excommunications, implying that these were necessary actions by Rome rather than acknowledging the Mass was never abrogated and the excommunications were invalid. They also accept permission for confessions and marriages, which Archbishop Lefebvre’s SSPX already possessed through supplied jurisdiction. This effectively redefines the „state of necessity‟ that justified the 1988 consecrations, suggesting it no longer exists for future episcopal consecrations, thereby putting the Society’s long-term survival at risk without Roman approval.
• Acceptance of Conciliar Errors (Implicitly): Bishop Fellay has stated that „many people have an understanding of the [Vatican II] Council which is the wrong understanding,‟ and that „Religious Liberty coming from the Council is a very limited one.‟ This directly contradicts Archbishop Lefebvre’s assessment that the Council documents themselves contain errors, not just their „common understanding‟. The 2012 Doctrinal Declaration’s acceptance of Vatican II, the New Mass, and the 1983 Code of Canon Law demonstrates a willingness to compromise on fundamental doctrinal points.
• Shift in Purpose of the SSPX: The new SSPX has begun to articulate its purpose as primarily the „formation of priests‟ who persevere in „holiness,‟ rather than its original and specific mission of preserving the traditional Catholic Faith and combating the „new religion‟ of Vatican II. This subtly but profoundly changes the raison d’être of the Society.
• Erosion of Resistance to Rome: The new SSPX no longer consistently refers to Rome as the „Conciliar Church,‟ instead calling it the „Visible Church,‟ which obscures the doctrinal differences that led to the original SSPX’s foundation. Their pursuit of canonical recognition even without Rome’s conversion signifies a fundamental abandonment of Archbishop Lefebvre’s principle that „when Rome condemns Vatican II and returns to the traditional Catholic Faith, then we will consider a reconciliation‟.
• Suppression of Dissent: The expulsion of Bishop Williamson and numerous priests for publicly criticizing rapprochement with Rome signals an intolerance for internal resistance to the new direction, which is itself a deviation from the open critical discourse characteristic of the original SSPX’s fight against Modernism.

For further information, see Paul Mann’s DRBO.org article.

The SSPX Resistance exists because the SSPX leadership, by seeking practical agreements with an unconverted Rome, has risked becoming part of the very problem it was founded to fight. The core principle of the Resistance is unwavering: First doctrine, then canonical recognition. There can be no true reconciliation with error: even if the pope would grant the SSPX some bishops, it would not fix the core, doctrinal flaw, the „Spirit of Vatican II‟ permeating the entire „Catholic‟ Church nowadays. Therefore, any such agreement, just for the vain hope of being „recognized‟ by an apostate pope would be suicide for Lefebvres mission.

The decay of modern society, rooted in the rejection of objective Truth and the enthronement of man, is a direct consequence of the very errors promoted by Vatican II. When „all religions are true‟ or „man is his own center,‟ all moral standards collapse, leading to profound spiritual and social chaos. The Resistance holds that to fight this decay effectively, one cannot compromise with its spiritual source within the Church.

• Bishop Richard Williamson (1940 – 2025): After his expulsion, he became the leading voice and episcopal support for the Resistance, traveling worldwide to administer confirmations and ordain priests in fidelity to Archbishop Lefebvre’s legacy. Bishop Williamson himself died in January 2025 in Broadstairs, UK.
• Bishop Jean-Michel Faure (France): Consecrated by Bishop Williamson on March 19, 2015. A long-time priest of the SSPX, he founded the Society of the Apostles of Jesus and Mary (SAJM) in August 2016.
• Bishop Tomás de Aquino OSB (Brazil): Consecrated by Bishop Williamson, assisted by Bishop Faure, on March 19, 2016. He leads the Benedictine Monastery of the Holy Cross in Brazil.
• Bishop Gerardo Zendejas SAJM: Consecrated by Bishop Williamson, assisted by Bishops Faure and Aquino, on May 11, 2017. He works to provide true Catholic sacraments and doctrine in North America and beyond, as a member of the SAJM.
• Bishop Michał Stobnicki: Consecrated by Bishop Williamson in 2022, administers Mass and confirmations in Poland
• Bishop Paul Morgan: Former SSPX head of the UK district, consecrated by Bishop Williamson, ministers in the UK and Ireland
• Bishop Giacomo Ballini: Consecrated by Bishop Williamson, ministers in Ireland.

If Williamson hadn’t consecrated any bishops (the new SSPX condemned him for this in 2015), the only ones left actually fighting for tradition would either be sedevacantist bishops, Bishop Fellay and Bishop de Gallereta (who openly accept deviations to Lefebvres mission) or Novus Ordo „bishops‟ (whose ordinations are highly doubtful). The bishops of the neo-SSPX (Fellay / de Galarreta) seemingly have no interest in consecrating new bishops, as another „excommunication‟ would drive away their newfound „faithful‟ (coming from the Novus Ordo with all of their errors) and ruin their elaborate scheme to get closer to modernist Rome.

Whatever the new SSPX hopes to gain from this beyond a vain „recognition‟ of being „Catholic‟ (attested to by people who deny the basics of the Catholic Faith) – we will never know.

This involves:

• Fidelity to all traditional Catholic doctrine, morality, and liturgy
• Complete rejection of Vatican II’s errors and the Novus Ordo Mass
• Refusal of any „practical agreement‟ with Modernist Rome until Rome converts and condemns its errors
• True Catholic sacraments and spiritual guidance to the faithful
• An uncompromised path to salvation

In a world and a Church increasingly ravaged by Modernism, relativism, and moral decay, the Resistance stands as a beacon of uncompromising Catholicism. It is a call to all faithful to understand the depth of the current crisis and to choose fidelity to Christ and His unchangeable Truth above all else. For those who seek the perennial springs of Catholic Faith, the SSPX Resistance offers a clear path, maintaining the flame of Tradition lit by Archbishop Lefebvre, waiting for the day when the True Light of Tradition will repel the darkness from eternal Rome.