Bishop Sanborn: Vatican 2 is not simply a heresy, but an apostasy from the Catholic Religion
Summary
Bishop Donald Sanborn begins a series of sermons analyzing Vatican II's changes in doctrine, worship, and discipline. He emphasizes that Vatican II did not introduce accidental changes (which could be tolerated) but rather substantial ones, altering the very essence of Catholicism.
He argues that:
Doctrinal Change – Vatican II denies the Catholic Church as the one true Church and teaches that non-Catholic religions are valid means of salvation.
Liturgical Change – The New Mass (Novus Ordo) is Protestantized, omitting core Catholic doctrines such as the Real Presence, the sacrificial nature of the Mass, and the priesthood’s unique role.
Disciplinary Change – Ecumenism, once condemned as a mortal sin, is now promoted, leading to participation in false worship.
Bishop Sanborn states that these reforms constitute apostasy, not just heresy, and must be resisted, avoided, and denounced. He warns that the Vatican II reforms were part of a long-term scheme, inspired by Freemasonic and modernist influences, to replace Catholicism with a dogma-less, humanitarian religion.
Key Quotes with Contextual Analysis
On Substantial vs. Accidental Changes
“If there is a substantial change in the religion, then it is our duty to resist it.”
Analysis: This underscores that traditionalist Catholics are not resisting Vatican II merely out of personal preference but because it represents an objective rupture from Catholicism. The sedevacantist position hinges on recognizing that this rupture renders the Vatican II hierarchy illegitimate.
“We could not object to purely accidental changes… but if the changes affect the very essence of the faith, they must be opposed.”
Analysis: The Church has always allowed minor liturgical and disciplinary adaptations, but what Vatican II did was replace Catholicism with a new belief system.
On Vatican II’s Doctrinal Change
“Whereas before Vatican II, the Catholic Church taught that it was the one true Church outside of which there is no salvation, the Vatican II religion teaches that the Catholic Church is not the one true Church of Christ but only a church in which the Church of Christ subsists.”
Analysis: This refers to Lumen Gentium 8, which introduced the ambiguous phrase that the Church of Christ "subsists in" the Catholic Church, rather than is the Catholic Church. This change contradicts past papal teachings, including Pope Pius XII’s Mystici Corporis Christi (1943), which reaffirmed that the Catholic Church is the only true Church.
“That is the central dogmatic and substantial change from which all other errors flow.”
Analysis: Vatican II’s core doctrinal shift on ecclesiology undermines the Church’s divine nature, leading to compromised theology on salvation, the priesthood, and the sacraments.
On the New Mass as a Protestant Worship Service
“The new Missal contains a heretical definition of the Mass, defining it to be essentially a Protestant communion service.”
Analysis: The Novus Ordo Missae, created under Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, was deliberately designed to appeal to Protestants by removing references to the sacrificial nature of the Mass. The removal of the Offertory Prayers and the redefinition of the Mass in Paul VI’s General Instruction of 1969 reflect this shift.
“What you instinctively find repulsive about the New Mass… is that it denies key Catholic teachings while incorporating Protestant errors.”
Analysis: Many traditional Catholics intuitively sense the lack of reverence in the New Mass, but Bishop Sanborn articulates the theological reasons why this happens: it was designed to align with Protestant theology, emphasizing community participation over the priest’s role as a mediator offering the Holy Sacrifice.
On the Apostasy of Vatican II
“Syncretism is more than a heresy; it is an apostasy, a complete abandonment of the Catholic religion.”
Analysis: Syncretism—the blending of all religions into one—is fundamentally anti-Catholic. True Catholicism recognizes that Christ alone is the way to salvation (John 14:6), and all false religions lead away from God.
“Pope Pius XI condemned this in Mortalium Animos (1928), stating that those who support ecumenical movements abandon the divinely revealed religion.”
Analysis: This is a direct contradiction of Vatican II’s Unitatis Redintegratio, which promotes ecumenism. The Catholic Church before Vatican II taught that seeking unity with non-Catholic religions required their conversion to Catholicism, not mutual compromise.
“Make no mistake, the new religion that is proposed to us by Vatican II is not merely a heresy... it is an apostasy.”
Analysis: Bishop Sanborn makes a critical distinction between heresy (which corrupts part of the faith) and apostasy (which abandons the faith altogether). Sedevacantists argue that Vatican II was not just a mistaken council but the formal establishment of a counterfeit church.
On the Duty to Resist Vatican II
“The duty of Roman Catholics, in the face of a substantial change in their religion, is to resist it, avoid it, and denounce it.”
Analysis: This aligns with Pope Paul IV’s Cum Ex Apostolatus Officio (1559), which teaches that a heretic cannot hold authority in the Church. If the post-Vatican II hierarchy teaches error, then it cannot be the legitimate Catholic hierarchy.
“This resistance constitutes the essence of the traditionalist Catholic movement.”
Analysis: Sedevacantists see themselves as the remnant preserving Catholicism, much like St. Athanasius resisted the Arian crisis.
Key Takeaways
Vatican II introduced a new, false religion.
It changed Catholic doctrine, liturgy, and discipline in ways that contradict prior Catholic teaching.
It denied extra ecclesiam nulla salus (no salvation outside the Church), replacing it with religious pluralism.
The New Mass is a Protestantized service.
It was designed to be less offensive to Protestants by omitting Catholic doctrines on the Mass as a sacrifice, transubstantiation, and the priesthood.
It promotes a horizontal, communal focus instead of vertical worship of God.
Ecumenism is condemned by pre-Vatican II popes.
Pius XI’s Mortalium Animos explicitly rejects religious pluralism.
Ecumenical participation, which was once considered mortal sin, is now promoted.
Vatican II’s changes were planned long before the Council.
Modernist, Freemasonic, and liberal influences had long sought to undermine the Church.
This aligns with sedevacantist claims that Vatican II was orchestrated by the Church’s enemies.
Catholics must resist Vatican II and its false hierarchy.
True Catholics must avoid the Novus Ordo Mass and the post-Vatican II hierarchy.
The sedevacantist position logically follows: if Vatican II created a new religion, then its leaders cannot be true popes.
Final Thoughts
Bishop Sanborn’s sermon is a clear, theologically rigorous critique of Vatican II from a sedevacantist perspective. By framing Vatican II as apostasy rather than mere heresy, he lays the foundation for rejecting the Vatican II hierarchy altogether. His arguments align with pre-Vatican II magisterial teachings, reinforcing the necessity of resisting, avoiding, and denouncing the new religion.
