Archbishop Aguer: ‘Smoke of Satan’ has made the structures of the Church ‘unbreathable’

[Stone]

God bless this Archbishop who may perhaps be awakening to the utter destruction unleashed by Vatican II and it's codified Modernism. Let us pray and hope he makes a full return to Tradition! - The Catacombs

Archbishop Aguer: ‘Smoke of Satan’ has made the structures of the Church ‘unbreathable’
For more than 60 years, the Church in the West has been suffering a systematic fall in the number of priests, religious, seminarians, and even baptisms. Isn't it time to sincerely admit that the 'smoke of Satan' has made our structures unbreathable?



Archbishop Héctor Aguer
YouTube/Screenshot

May 8, 2024
(LifeSiteNews) — The progressive officialdom installed in Rome for slightly more than a decade continues its policy of “canceling” those who, with freedom of spirit, seek to serve Jesus Christ from orthodoxy and Tradition. What is meant by “canceling” is all forms of ignoring, conspiracy of silence, marginalization, prohibition to publish in the media and on social networks, and even the termination of the functions of those who do not “synodally” bow to Vatican ideologies and discretions.

Good bishops such as Daniel Fernández Torres of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, and Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, were canceled. Cardinal Gerhard Müller was not brought back for a new term in the Congregation (now Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith. And Cardinal Raymond Burke was even deprived of his salary and Roman flat. Others, such as Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon in France, had their powers limited by the appointment of new “coadjutors” who almost co-govern those dioceses in practice.

There are also numerous priests in different parts of the world who have been dismissed; they have even formed “associations” to help each other and provide the basic necessities for their sustenance. In some cases they have been left on the street and have had to find refuge in the homes of their elderly parents, siblings, or other relatives. I have already addressed them in other articles. I am constantly receiving mail, messages, and phone calls from faithful priests who do not fit into the official slogan of “everyone, everyone, everyone” and who therefore remain outside the “system.” The famous Peronist maxim has been imported into Rome: “For the friend, everything; for the enemy (supposed or imagined), no justice.” Even the Code of Canon Law seems to be dead and buried. Practically speaking, in the face of accusations of being “backwardists,” “worshipers of ashes,” “rigid,” and other similar labels, one can only wait for the guillotine without further ado.

The lay faithful suffer in alarm at so many arbitrary acts. They see how good priests are systematically forced to leave their parishes, or sent to destinations considered as “punishment.” The much-declared “peripheries” are the places chosen for this. They are literally left to their own devices. Alone, without a priestly community, without resources, and exposed to all kinds of dangers, not a few find illness and crisis there. Accusations of being “not very synodal” or of not being open to the “culture of encounter” lead to various forms of banishment.

Or is it the case that “encounter” is confused with “gathering”? Are not all believers – let alone priests – called to have a liberating and personal encounter with Christ, and to lead other brothers and sisters to him? Or is it that now the Lord must be replaced with “Mother Earth,” the globalist 2030 Agenda (considered by its mentors as the “Gospel of the 21st century”), or the globalist impositions and alleged “global governance” of the United Nations? Do those Pelagian types who pretend to “save the planet” seek the salvation of souls?

For more than 60 years, the Church in the West has been suffering a systematic fall in the number of priests, religious, seminarians, and even baptisms. The glacial period that followed Vatican II reflects a seemingly unchecked decadence. Hasn’t the time come to recognize that along this path only more calamities are to be expected? And even if it is a pity for today’s nonagenarian champions of the “spirit of the Council,” isn’t it time to sincerely admit that the “smoke of Satan” has made our structures unbreathable?

Certainly the Church cannot even be remotely compared to a multinational corporation. Keeping due proportions in mind, however, it is worth asking these questions: Are those people who founded several branches of a company being maintained and even rewarded with promotions? Can it be expected that those responsible for the failure will recover sales and save the institution from bankruptcy?

Today the Vatican’s progressive officialdom is showing its ferocity against the traditional liturgy. Hundreds of young people go there, while in the “attractive liturgies” the gaps are more and more notorious. Young married couples with many children are also looked down upon by Rome; they are part of the solution, not part of the problem. In fact, statistics show that a good proportion of priestly and religious vocations come from their midst. Young priests who, full of fervor and passion for Christ, truly seek to reach the “last ones” and convert them to the Lord, are labeled as closed-minded and concealers of various traumas. And so on and so forth. We could make an endless list of facts – all of them covered or justified by “synodality,” of course.

Do they not see in Rome that progressivism is in itself sterile? Do they see as a threat the children and young people who, despite the mockery of their own parish priests, spend hours and hours before the Blessed Sacrament? Do they not see as true “signs of the times” and as well-founded hope the Rosaries of men that are multiplying in different cities of the world? Do they not appreciate the fervor of so many young people who encounter or return to the Church after being disenchanted – precisely with “progressive” shenanigans? Does it fit with the Vatican’s dialogic flexibility that all those who are “different” are very welcome, except the “diverse” within the Church?

As I said in a previous article to “canceled priests” and now pass on to all those priests, religious, and laity who suffer from this condition:

Pray for one another; pray also for those who make you suffer. Do it before the Tabernacle, adoring the Lord who is present there. Entrust yourselves filially to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God made Man, Mother of the Church, Mother of each one of us.

As always you can count on my prayers, my affection, and my closeness. And although my octogenarian condition and physical limitations prevent me from moving, know that I am with you on the front lines of the apostolate. Let us fear nothing and no one. May the words of Jesus Christ always resound in our hearts: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20).

+ Héctor Aguer
Archbishop Emeritus of La Plata

Buenos Aires, Wednesday, May 8, 2024
Solemnity of Our Lady of Luján, Patroness of the Argentine Republic