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Can the Pope teach ex cathedra in a letter to a single bishop? Fr Palmieri explains
The answer is YES – if it is clear that he is exercising his authority as the Supreme Pastor, and defining a doctrine to be held by all.
Why being God’s ‘slaves’ entitles us to all we need – Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
The Sermon on the Mount teaches about a beautiful reliance on Providence – but what is the basis of this reliance?
Published on Father Coleridge Reader • 
Savonarola vs. Alexander VI: An historical precedent (John Lane)
What actually happened in the famous case of Fra Girolamo Savonarola – and what do the theological principles in play tell us about our own day?
 • John Lane
What Fr Palmieri ACTUALLY says about resisting the Pope
Having seen a wide range of other texts from Fr Domenico Palmieri SJ, can he credibly be cited as an authority for the ‘recognise and resist’ movement?
‘The Elephant in the Room’: The Indefectibility of the Apostolic See
Indefectibility has become a popular topic – and it’s more important than ever to understand the doctrine correctly.
 • Peregrinus
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Don't miss out!
Eastern Orthodoxy? St Gregory the Great and the 'Universal Bishop' title (Brownson)
In the early Church, the title 'Universal Bishop' was rejected. What does this mean for the Papal claims?
'Ephpheta: Be opened' – Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
A crucial event in the life of every Christian baptised in the traditional rite – the 'Ephpheta' – and when Our Lord first set these words.
Published on Father Coleridge Reader • 
'Stripped of jurisdiction by God' – Fr Palmieri SJ on the Pope Question
If Fr Domenico Palmieri SJ is an authority for 'recognise and resist' theology, then why does he hold that a heretical Pope loses office automatically?
Eastern Orthodoxy? 'Orthodox proofs' from Chalcedon undermine their own case (Brownson)
What kind of mind appeals to Pope St Leo the Great and the Council of Chalcedon against the papacy?
Eastern Orthodoxy? No, Pope Leo the Great is not a witness against papal primacy (Orestes Brownson)
The 'Orthodox' priest whose work Orestes Brownson is critiquing next tries to claim that Pope St Leo the Great rejected papal primacy. Unsurprisingly…
'Not as the rest of men' – Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
The Parable of the Publican and the Pharisee is of perennial importance for all Catholics.
Published on Father Coleridge Reader • 
The WM Review
The WM Review
Essays on the Catholic Church, theology, history and more. Without the right questions, we won't make sense of the right answers.
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Sacraments

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Have the Avrillé Dominicans move beyond their new rite of episcopal consecration study?
Although Fr Pierre-Marie Kergorlay's study of the new rite of episcopal consecration remains foundational for many, his own community appears to have…
 • S.D. Wright
BREAKING: SSPX episcopal consecrations announced
The SSPX has announced that they will be consecrating bishops 1 July 2026, apparently without pontifical mandate, following Archbishop Lefebvre’s…
 • S.D. Wright
Classic study radically overstates Lefebvre's position on holy orders
It’s been claimed that Lefebvre 'never called in question the validity of the new rite of episcopal ordinations.' This is an untenable claim, even if…
 • S.D. Wright
'I do not hesitate to administer conditional confirmation when asked'—Archbishop Lefebvre
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre wrote to Abbé François Pivert in 1988, explaining his rationale and willingness to confirm conditional confirmation freely…
'Painful uncertainty'—new rite of holy orders critiqued in 1978 by Athanasius Kröger OSB
This Una Voce group was publishing some very daring material in the early days.
Can liturgical changes affect validity? Cardinal Vaughan says yes
Cardinal Vaughan stated that systematic liturgical changes demonstrate the intentions of those responsible for them, and can render the rite of doubtful…
Fr Zuhlsdorf, Michael Davies, and doubtful sacraments
'Father Z', aka Fr John Zuhlsdorf, responded to our article on whether the new rites of holy orders are valid. Here's our reply.
 • S.D. Wright
Classic study calls conditional ordination a 'measure of prudence'
In his defence of the new rites of episcopal consecration, Fr Pierre-Marie OP nonetheless refers to conditional ordination as 'the usage that seems to…
 • S.D. Wright

Classic Texts

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Can the Pope teach ex cathedra in a letter to a single bishop? Fr Palmieri explains
The answer is YES – if it is clear that he is exercising his authority as the Supreme Pastor, and defining a doctrine to be held by all.
What Fr Palmieri ACTUALLY says about resisting the Pope
Having seen a wide range of other texts from Fr Domenico Palmieri SJ, can he credibly be cited as an authority for the ‘recognise and resist’ movement?
Eastern Orthodoxy? The problem was always Constantinople, not the Papacy (Orestes Brownson)
Completely contrary to the 'Orthodox' narrative, the problems lie in Constantinopolitan ambitions and pretensions, not the Papacy.
Suárez’s ‘resistance quotes’ don’t help the ‘recognise and resist movement’ either
Continuing our deep-dive into the sources of the ‘recognise and resist theology’, we've followed Fr Palmieri’s reference to Suárez, and found that his…
Eastern Orthodoxy? Scraping the barrel with irrelevant authorities (Orestes Brownson)
Having dispatched several of his key arguments, Orestes Brownson shows that 'Orthodox' apologist Abbé Guettée cannot string a coherent argument…
The Pope is 'not to be publicly contradicted' – Fr Palmieri on the non-infallible magisterium
Fr Domenico Palmieri SJ explains that while the 'merely authentic' magisterium may theoretically teach error, its exercise was not to be publicly…
Eastern Orthodoxy? St Gregory the Great and the 'Universal Bishop' title (Brownson)
In the early Church, the title 'Universal Bishop' was rejected. What does this mean for the Papal claims?
'Stripped of jurisdiction by God' – Fr Palmieri SJ on the Pope Question
If Fr Domenico Palmieri SJ is an authority for 'recognise and resist' theology, then why does he hold that a heretical Pope loses office automatically?
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