Father Martin Navarro... Fighting the Good Fight or Vagus Priest?

Where is the Apostolic Faith Today?

As many of you are aware, Brother Martin was ordained to the priesthood on First April 2023, by a Bishop Meikle, who is an "Old Catholic" bishop coming from the Apostolic line that broke with the Holy Seat primarily over the definition of papal infallibility by Vatican I in 1871.  I am edified that the now Fr Martin freely acknowledges his status, and does not try to muddle, distort, or misrepresent the facts.  Nevertheless, I am troubled by his decision, and I will lay out my arguments below.  So put on your tinfoil hats and thinking caps- this is going to be a real theological deep dive.
First off, many Traditional Catholics assume that the Old Catholics broke Peace and Communion with the Chair of Peter and became ossified, somewhat like the Eastern Orthodox.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The "Old Catholics" see themselves as a "Federation" of Bishops and have had meetings with the Orthodox and Anglicans dating back to at least the 1920's.  They have signed agreements and concordats along the lines of JP2's summits with the Lutherans.  (Some might recall how many of us were scandalized by the "accord" with the Lutherans in the late '90's- of course, Pope Frantic makes that look like the good ol' days... but I digress...)  Moreover, on their OWN WEBSITES, one can see, for example, pictures of a magnificent Traditional Altar while seated on the side sedalia in the sanctuary are two women.  That picture suffices for a thousand words.  On another website one sees the Bogus Ordo miserable table, with a "diving Jesus" in the background.  One of the lights of the Old Catholic Church,  Fr Ignaz von Döllinger, was more or less a modernist, consorting with none other than Fr Félicité Lamennais!  (If that name does not ring a bell, do some research.)  To say that the history and divisions of the Old Catholic churches are convoluted is putting it mildly.
For the sake of argument here, I will focus on Bishop Meikle in particular, and not the Old Catholic Church in general.  I will operate on the assumption that Bishop Meikle is validly consecrated in the fullness of Holy Orders, and can confer such.  (Issues concerning validity are outside the scope of this essay.)  Bishop Meikle has obviously, at least subjectively, repudiated many of the "doctrines" of his fellow Old Catholic bishops, and I assume is no longer in "communion" with them.
Ironically, his church is called "Immaculate Conception Church", where the adherents are not required to profess this doctrine of Our Lady.  Bishop Meikle also offers the "Traditional Mass" in the vernacular, contrary to the canons of the council of Trent.  
(As for the doctrine of Papal Infallibility, I am sure Bishop Meikle and I could have a very interesting conversation on this topic and be largely in perfect agreement.  Cardinal Pie of Poitiers was also very trepid of any such definition, as also the calling of Vatican I.  He felt that the era of the church councils ended with Trent and I heartily agree.  But the definition of papal infallibility, while very poorly stated and exposited afterward, was not in itself heretical or any cause to break peace and communion with the Chair of Peter.  The arguments against a distorted exposition of this doctrine could have continued in the context of submission to the Roman Pontiff as the successor of St Peter, having full and immediate jurisdiction over the entire Apostolic Church.)
Now, with all that exposition out of the way, let us explore why I am in profound disagreement with Brother Martin Navarro's actions.
As we know, Holy Mother Church has four marks: One, Holy, Universal (Catholic) and Apostolic.  The last mark is what is pertinent here.  Usually, when Traditional Catholics say the Church is Apostolic, they are referring to the fact that the liturgy comes from Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostles themselves, being immutable and subject to no alteration (even by a pope), and this is absolutely correct.   But the church is also apostolic in its jurisdiction.  Many are familiar with these verses of St Paul to the Romans in the context of arguments against "Baptism of Desire: "How then shall they call on him, in whom they have not believed? Or how shall they believe him, of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear, without a preacher?   And how shall they preach unless they be SENT."  
It is the very last word which is operative here, for here St Paul is referring to that element of Holy Mother Church which is usually referred to by the term "Apostolic Mandate".  In other words, every last cleric in Holy Mother Church, from a cardinal down to a sub-deacon, is operating within a framework wherein he has a superior to whom he must be obedient, and that superior has given him a certain jurisdiction, from the administration of a metropolitan seat right down to a commission to preach the gospel from a pulpit in the sanctuary.  (One of the most important objections to Archbishop Lefebvre consecrating his bishops in 1988 was that he could not give them an apostolic mandate.  They would have no jurisdiction nor territory.  While I believe that Archbishop Lefebvre was operating within the bounds of Holy Mother Church, his disobedience and defiance of canon law notwithstanding, this remains an important objection, and should give all affiliated with the SSPX pause.)
Running parallel to this is the whole idea of a religious vocation.  Vocation comes from the Latin "vocare" which means "to call".  In Catholic theology it is Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself who calls the young man to be "a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek''.  Ordinarily since the august Council of Trent, a vocation is verified by a period of discernment in a seminary under the direction of a bishop.  Extraordinarily, in these difficult times, a vocation might be discerned by a mere priest over a period of time in close communication with the candidate.  (And this certainly appears to be the case with Brother Martin.)  But NEVER is it permissible or appropriate for a candidate to assume he has a vocation- even if he has apparently supernatural manifestations- and of his own accord decide to become a priest.  We have the singular example of Core and his adherents in the Book of Numbers where God does not regard schism from the Divine Authority He has conferred upon His priests lightly, to say the very least.  
As an aside here, one of the problems with the "sedevacantists" is a similar objection, insofar as certain priests who broke with the SSPX- Fathers Kelly and company, the famous "Nine"- have taken it upon themselves to be consecrated bishops by prelates supposedly consecrated by Archbishop Pierre-Martin Ngo-Dinh-Thuc.  All the convoluted secrecy of these ceremonies and the dubiousness of validity of the Apostolic Succession aside, what is key here is no man takes upon himself the sacerdotal dignity.  It must be conferred.  Otherwise said man is irregular.  In the magnificent and storied history of Holy Mother Church, not one statement by pope, father, doctor, or mystic can be cited to justify a man taking upon himself an apostolic mission.

Now, trust me, I fully agree that Pope Frantic and his collection of BirdBrain Pederasts have transformed the Vatican into the Seat of the Antichrist, and the Seven Devils expelled from Mary Magdalene have gather seven more evil than themselves and come to repose around the Holy Seat, and that this "crisis" is by several orders of magnitude more frightful than anything we have seen in the whole history of Holy Mother Church.  If the Abomination of Desolation is not in the Holy Place, then I do not know what in Hell is.  Personally, I believe what we are living through was what was foreseen by the Prophet Daniel, recapitulated by Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospels, and is probably the topic of the "3rd Secret of Fatima". 

Moreover, I do not agree with the SSPX or FSSP that we minimize the present apostasy or jump through hoops trying to explain how somehow the Novus Ordo and Vatican II are "Catholic though problematical" and ignore all the proverbial six hundred pound gorillas in the room along with the white elephants.  Very real problems with the licitness and validity of all the Conciliar "sacraments" and the "New Mass" exist, and Catholics ignore these to their eternal peril.  Whether one "recognizes and resists" or thinks that Francis is an antipope is immaterial.  As St Thomas Aquinas would say one cannot argue with facts, nor with Apostolic Tradition, nor with the canons of the Council of Trent.  And I do agree that the salvation and sanctification of souls is the highest priority of Holy Mother Church.

But all of that being said, it can never justify a man seeking ordination outside of the magisterium, or of a man deciding he can become a bishop.  We are undergoing a chastisement of the supernatural order and this cannot be solved by natural means.  No man and no bishop is going to solve the problems of the present day. (And, if the history of the SSPX and the “sedevacantist sects” is any indication, men will not even be able to provide a secure refuge from the storm.) A good start to solving the problems of the present day  would be for the bishops to perform the collegial consecration of Russia in communion with the Holy Father.  But of course, one needs a Pope to do that and currently even whether we have a pope is problematic.  (As Louie Verrechio would say, never think the "crisis" has bottomed out.  It just keeps getting worse.)

Meanwhile, I would urge every bishop, priest, and Catholic to be entirely devoted to Our Lady of Fatima and the Immaculate Heart, and pray the rosary at least daily, if not constantly.  That is the supernatural solution for the present crisis.  St Sr Lucia told Father Fuentes that God has given such efficacy to the prayers of the Most Holy Rosary that there is NO PROBLEM that cannot be overcome by its recitation.

Meanwhile, I do wish Father Martin all success.  If he can proceed in his ministry with a clean conscience, and a pure heart, then more power to him.  I hope he becomes a fervent apostle of the Immaculate Heart, because that is sorely needed today.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.  You are our only hope!!!