The Downfall Of Christendom

Part 3: To Deceive Even The Elect

One question that is always asked, especially deep in the Monasteries, is: "Given the sweeping corruption of the clergy in our times, why do not the popes enact radical reforms?"  We now know the answer to that question.  But yet the Popes HAD to keep up appearances.  And so, despite their vile private lives and the obvious corruption- Castrato, anyone?- in high circles, the Church Hierarchy and Councils continued to utter wondrously theological texts and canons, thanks in no small part to saints slaving away at the Monasteries.  Those pesky Monasteries were a double edged sword, however.  Those same Monks who kept the Vatican supplied with holy advisors would also trumpet the first whiffs of chicanery from the housetops.  The question was how to corrupt the masses while preserving appearances.
The Answer was a stroke of diabolical genius.  They would themselves be their own worst enemy, creating a counter church that would extol every vice under the sun, while at the same time using the papacy to galvanize the opposition, convincing it that the Satanic Pederasts were fighting the spiritual warfare with pen and anathema. And at the same time, they could place the rank file faithful at the service of a papacy that would march them through the Streets of Sodom with nary an outcry.
But this "Revolution of Tiara and Cope" would be an even more delicate process than the continued corruption of the Monarchies of Europe.  Corrupting a king was easy, as all the vices could be safely hidden behind castle walls while appearances could be kept up in public.  Yes, there was an occasional loose cannon, such as Countess Elizabeth Bathory, but for the most part nobles and hierarchy whose sins were as scarlet could yet be made to look snow white.  But the gradual abolition of the commandments in penal codes was another matter altogether.  The approach adopted was the "two steps forward, one step back" approach.  Once honed to perfection, it would work every time.
Such a delicate process, of course, would need a "beta test".  And the effects of the Great Western Schism in Merry Olde England provided the perfect backdrop.  Enter John Wycliffe, a "reformer" who would be the unintentional founder of the Lollards of the British Isles- although the movement would spread afield.  The Lollards were basically "Back to the Bible" reformers.  And as they could see no precedent in the Holy Gospels for Popes, Cardinals, conclaves, priests, indulgences, and Transubstantiation, they decided the whole lot must be a crock, and protested in a manner similar to St Francis.  Unlike St Francis, however, theirs was not an authentic, unaffected spirituality, but rather built solely upon reaction to the status quo. Nonetheless, their ideas found their way into certain circles, and would percolate for about a century and a half under a succession of Good King Henrys.

Meanwhile, on the Continent, a somewhat more radical "reformer" arrived on the scene.  He was Jan Hus, native to Bohemia, and he began to preach against the very real abuses of the clergy in Prague, such as Simony and the Selling of Indulgences. Like Wycliffe, he postulated that unworthy priests could not validly administer the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion, even though popes and councils had settled those disputes centuries ago.  But unlike Wycliffe, he was not content to limit his reforms to soapbox sermons and catering to crowds.  Leaving Prague with his disciples, he established a commune in the hills that soon earned a reputation for riotous living.  To make a long story short, the authorities moved to act, but Hus proved ingenious at military tactics and his communes were only put down after much bloodshed and expense.  He ended being burned at the stake, while his leading disciples were beheaded and their bodies hung from high places in Prague as an example to the rest of the populace. However, as in England, his ideas did not die, but would rather survive amid a semi-autonomous church in the vanguards of northeastern Germany to reappear with a vengeance about a century later.

The Satanic Pederasts had learned in their experiment with Jan Hus that when human passions were unleashed the resultant turmoil took on a life of its own and was difficult to control, sort of like lighting a bonfire on a dry, windy day.  They would have to be much more careful for the main event, and they bided their time and took copious notes for an extended period.  Finally, the solution they hit upon was to pit one "reformer" against another.  An added feature was massive confusion.  With the clash of multiple factions the machinations of the conspiracy would be easy to hide.
And so, in short order, "reformers" started to pop up across the fruited plain like mushrooms on an Arkansas Chicken Farm after a thunderstorm.  Martin Luther, in 1517, would lead the pack.  Huldrych Zwingli emerged in 1522.  John Calvin in 1530. Burgomaster Besancon Hugues, in 1531, although from Geneva, would have more influence in France.  In Italy, the disciples of  Peter Waldo, who had been quietly living in the background since the 12th century, now exploded across the northern part of the Peninsula.  And everywhere ambitious sovereigns gave political recognition to the "reform".  This would especially be the case in England, where the Archbishop of Canterbury and King Henry the Eighth would collude to give Christendom "Cranmer's Godly Order".
But no matter the location or origin or the "reform", the Standard Operational Procedure was always the same.  The Monasteries and Convents were sacked and looted.  The Rituals and Prayers of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass were rendered invalid.  The notion of an ordained priesthood was scoffed.  Christian gatherings turned from solemn occasions of Altar and Throne to occasions of fellowship and merriment by the people.  The congregation, not doctrine, was now what was most important.  Everywhere, the famous "Five Solos" of Luther- Sola scriptura, Sola fide, Sola gratia, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo gloria became the order of the day.

For Thirty Long Years, Popes and Bishops issued anathemas to practically no effect, while meanwhile no crusades were called against the heretical sovereigns, nor were any real attempts made to depose them.  Although the vast majority of the rank and file, especially in England, wanted to retain their venerable traditions, they were mercilessly beaten down by soldiery firmly under the control of the Satanic Pederasts wherever they threatened physical resistance.  Fines were imposed to whittle away the wealth of the resistance and finance the oppressors.  What would prove to be a very successful mode of operation over the coming centuries was introduced at this time, where the local courts would benefit by fines levied against recalcitrants, making them ripe for judges and attorneys who were fortune hunters with no care for morals.

Finally, the Council of Trent was convoked in 1545.  And for over ten long years, the Satanic Pederasts feasted and argued while Europe burned to the ground- sometimes quite literally.  Finally, in 1563, the Magnificent decrees and anathemas of the Council of Trent were published, and the Satanic Pederasts could hide behind this bulwark of Orthodoxy and Sound Catholic Doctrine.  (Of course, they had no intention of actually IMPLEMENTING those decrees.  Church corruption, save for very superficial reforms, would continue, but that is for the next chapter.)  it would take another seven long years, until, under Pius V, the decrees were actually implemented.

Pius V, the prefigurement of the Great Reformers of the Counter-Reformation, is worthy of some mention.  The man had a lot on his proverbial plate- the restoration of Liturgical Practice from the malaise of the "Reformers", the Muslim threat from the East, the English threat from the North, the Wars of Succession, banishing the Jews from Rome, and suppression of widespread clerical corruption were only a few of the issues he was contending with.  Traditional Catholics most know- and thank- him for the Bull Quo Primum, which canonized the Rite of Mass and centralized all Liturgical Practice under the Papacy by promulgating the Roman Missal.  This shot was heard around the world and would echo across all centuries to follow.  But Pope Pius V remains an enigma.  He follows some of the worst popes ever fielded by the Holy and Apostolic Church, yet none of the Cardinals were deposed during his pontificate- although a few notable primates were.  As to his prophecy concerning the Battle of Lepanto... more on that in a moment.
Meanwhile, even as the Jews were tearing down the Catholic Faith across Europe via the "Reformers", they were quickly turning Spain into a mighty empire.  The unbridled looting of the Aztec and Mayan Empires continued apace.  (It was as though an army equipped with cannons and long guns had come upon the decorated minions of Sennecharib, and routed them in battle after half an hour.)  Of course, Our Lady of Guadalupe would appear to Juan Diego in 1531, and begin to claim Mexico for her cause, but meanwhile the Spanish Main continued to fill the coffers of Spain with more treasure than Han Solo could imagine.  That same Spanish Main, in concert with Portugal, would also extend across the Pacific.  While Franciscan Missionaries accompanied them, their efforts were often thwarted by the savagery of the Spanish "Conquistadors", who did not hesitate to make slaves among local populations, loot an plunder wantonly, and otherwise provoke mayhem.  Sanctifying Grace must be given the ultimate credit for gaining converts to Our Lord Jesus Christ in the face of this horrific behavior by the Representatives of Christendom.

The Zenith of this enterprise would be the Iberian Union under Philip II, Philip III, and Philip IV, which united Spain, Portugal, parts of Italy, and the colonies of Africa, India, North and South America, and the Pacific Rim in the vastest empire the world had ever seen. But it also featured unparalleled corruption, and the Satanic Pederasts were going to abandon it and move to two new centers of operation- Amsterdam and London.  Meanwhile, in preparation for the geopolitical shift, they began to magnify England.  The turning point would be the epic- and obviously orchestrated- defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.  British and, to a certain extent, French, naval supremacy would fill the void, and these two powers would begin to wrest from the bloated and incapacitated Spanish Main their oversees forts, cities, and missions.  But that will be the subject of the next chapter.

Meanwhile, the Jews were bent on punishing the upstart Ottomans, especially after the fall of Nicosia and Cyprus, for their confiscation of initiatives in Asia and the Far East, and the end result of this would be the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.  Now, of course, this Wolf is familiar with Our Lady of Victory, and the part the recitation of the Most Holy Rosary played in the utter defeat of the Muslim armada with practically no cost to Don Juan of Austria and his Coalition Fleet.  Nevertheless, the crushing blow to the Ottomans greatly helped the efforts to colonize the Far East, and accelerated the decline of Christendom in the long run.  Was the Ottoman fleet set up for defeat by the Jews, and was Pius V privy to this?  

Those are questions that will only be answered come Judgment Day.