Rex Mottram theology: Andrew Likoudis, anti-intellectualism and Pope Susan
Andrew Likoudis, the grandson of James Likoudis, espouses a theology similar to that which Evelyn Waugh said '[wouldn't even] correspond to any degree of paganism known to the missionaries.'
Andrew Likoudis, the grandson of James Likoudis, espouses a theology similar to that which Evelyn Waugh said '[wouldn't even] correspond to any degree of paganism known to the missionaries.'
The Instruction of Rex Mottram
From Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited
“Rex,” she said. “I sometimes wonder if you realize how big a thing you are taking on in the Faith. It would be very wicked to take a step like this without believing sincerely.”
He was masterly in his treatment of her.
“I don’t pretend to be a very devout man,” he said, “nor much of a theologian, but I know it’s a bad plan to have two religions in one house. A man needs a religion. If your Church is good enough for Julia, it’s good enough for me.”
“Very well,” she said, “I will see about having you instructed.”
“Look, Lady Marchmain, I haven’t the time. Instruction will be wasted on me. Just you give me the form and I’ll sign on the dotted line.”
“It usually takes some months—often a lifetime.”
“Well, I’m a quick learner. Try me.”
So Rex was sent to Farm Street to Father Mowbray, a priest renowned for his triumphs with obdurate catechumens. After the third interview he came to tea with Lady Marchmain.
“Well, how do you find my future son-in-law?”
“He’s the most difficult convert I have ever met.”
“Oh dear, I thought he was going to make it so easy.”
“That’s exactly it. I can’t get anywhere near him. He doesn’t seem to have the least intellectual curiosity or natural piety.
“The first day I wanted to find out what sort of religious life he had had till now, so I asked him what he meant by prayer. He said: ‘I don’t mean anything. You tell me.’ I tried to, in a few words, and he said: ‘Right. So much for prayer. What’s the next thing?’ I gave him the catechism to take away. Yesterday I asked him whether Our Lord had more than one nature. He said: ‘Just as many as you say, Father.’
“Then again I asked him: ‘Supposing the Pope looked up and saw a cloud and said “It’s going to rain,” would that be bound to happen?’ ‘Oh, yes, Father.’ ‘But supposing it didn’t?’ He thought a moment and said, ‘I suppose it would be sort of raining spiritually, only we were too sinful to see it.’
“Lady Marchmain, he doesn’t correspond to any degree of paganism known to the missionaries.”
(See a clip of this scene here)
(WM+) – A veteran neo-Catholic’s grandson and literary executor has indicated that he would sooner believe that there were four persons in the Blessed Trinity than conclude that a putative Pope was a usurper.
Andrew Likoudis is the grandson of the late James Likoudis (1928-2024). James Likoudis converted from the Greek schism in 1952 – but unfortunately became an ardent defender of Vatican II’s religious revolution and putative popes.
He wrote voluminously, and is perhaps best known amongst Catholics for co-writing The Pope, The Council and the Mass – one of the foils to Christopher Ferrara and Thomas E. Woods’ well-known apologia for “traditionalism” The Great Facade. Ferrara and Woods described Likoudis’ book as “a lay treatise that has become the bible of neo-Catholicism.”
Likoudis’ grandson Andrew, who boasts of having “been involved in magisterial studies for ten years” and editing “ten books on the papacy,” is the president of the Likoudis Legacy Foundation in memory of his grandfather, which pursues the following three very trendy objectives:
Fostering Ecumenical Unity
Building bridges across diverse Christian traditions to achieve a more united Church and interreligious harmony.
Upholding Human Dignity and Peace
Promoting principles that foster understanding, respect, and global harmony. We also support humanitarian initiatives that witness to our faith in action.
Advancing Religious Liberty
Championing the rights of communities where the Christian faith is under threat.
In other words: liberty, equality and fraternity, the Luciferian “unholy trinity” of the Vatican II religion of Neo-Catholicism.
Andrew Likoudis is a dedicated defender of this new religion. He recently compared Fiducia Supplicans with the Holy Eucharist – presumably in terms of the scandal caused by the former, and taken in response to Christ’s teaching on the latter:
Since The Pope, the Council and the Mass, the world of neo-Catholicism has moved on – but, as we shall see, Andrew Likoudis continues to carry the torch for his grandfather, espousing ideas from which even some of the most ardent contemporary “popesplainers” would shrink.
Defence of Mike Lewis
To explain the issues here, we must regrettably report yet more nonsense from Twitter, drawn to our attention by
of Hierath in Exile.Mike Lewis recently stated that, in theory, a pope could permit female priests:
Lewis was widely ridiculed for this comment. However, Andrew Likoudis came to his defence, claiming that those who disagreed with Lewis lacked understanding of the basic ecclesiological matters.
His own explanation involved the creation of the following false dichotomy:
We will address what is correct in Likoudis’ statement shortly.
But first, we should note that his attempt to create a dichotomy in which one of the terms is the possibility of falsification of the Catholic religion, is highly reckless in our current situation. I appreciate – or at least, hope – that Likoudis is trying to deal in hypotheticals here, and does not really believe that a Pope could enjoin such nonsensical blasphemies, or that the Catholic religion could be falsified. I also acknowledge that there are instances in which such a dilemma may be justified – but this is not one of them, as we shall see in due course.
Next, let us note that it is understandable that Likoudis wants to reject the “recognise and resist” system, which is popular amongst many would-be “traditionalist” Catholics; at least, in its more theoretical and therefore crass forms (as opposed to the more moderate practical programme pursued at times by Archbishop Lefebvre and the Society of St Pius X).
Likoudis’ understanding of ecclesiology is indeed closer to the truth than the crasser R&R systems, but fails to draw absolutely essential distinctions, and is ultimately as crass as the systems which he rejects.
This is because his dichotomy depends on the false idea that the faith is nothing more or less than conformity to the will of the Roman Pontiff. In Likoudis’ system, the intellect does not assent to revealed truth; rather, the will assents to whatever one is told to assent. In effect, the faith becomes something which is only professed, rather than professed and believed. There is no place here for actual belief or intellectual assent – and the consequences of this become apparent in Likoudis’ work.
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In spite of our strong disagreement with James Likoudis’ theological approach following Vatican II, let us pause here and ask readers to pray for the repose of his soul. RIP.