Catholics need to “Get on Trend” — Part II
The Modernist Crisis: Pascendi Dominici Gregis, Vatican II, and the Fight for Catholic Tradition
Prologue: A Battle for the Soul of the Church
The year was 1907. A tempest brewed within the walls of Christ’s Church, an insidious movement lurking in seminaries, universities, and even the clergy. This movement, shrouded in intellectual sophistication yet deadly to faith, was Modernism. Pope St. Pius X, discerning its threat, issued his magisterial encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis (On the Doctrines of the Modernists), an anathema against the synthesis of all heresies.
Yet, despite the saintly pope’s prophetic warnings and decisive action, Modernism found new avenues for its advance, culminating in the ambiguities of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). While the Council’s documents did not explicitly promote Modernism, their vague language, novel theological tendencies, and post-conciliar reforms created openings through which Modernist ideas crept into the Church.
How did this happen? What did Vatican II fail to address? How should Catholics navigate these tumultuous waters? And can Vatican II be lived out faithfully without succumbing to the errors of Modernism? To answer these questions, we must first examine Pascendi Dominici Gregis, Vatican II’s role in the crisis, and the liturgical reforms that led to doctrinal confusion. In later articles, we’ll examine how liturgical abuses are injuring the faith itself.
I. The Modernist Threat as Defined by Pascendi Dominici Gregis
1. The Definition of Modernism: The "Synthesis of All Heresies"
Pope Pius X, with pastoral clarity, begins his encyclical by lamenting the spread of Modernist errors:
“It is one of the cleverest devices of the Modernists to present their doctrines without order and systematic arrangement, in a scattered and disjointed manner so that they may seem to be in doubt and uncertainty, whereas in reality they are firm and steadfast.” (Pascendi, §4)
At its core, Modernism is the rejection of objective, immutable truth in favor of subjective, evolving interpretations of faith. It is a revolution against the very foundations of Catholic doctrine, faith, and worship.
Pius X identifies three main elements of Modernism:
Agnosticism – The denial that God can be known through reason. This contradicts Dei Filius of the First Vatican Council, which proclaims:
“If anyone shall say that the one, true God, our Creator and Lord, cannot be known with certainty by the natural light of human reason... let him be anathema.” (Dei Filius, Ch. 2, Canon 1)
Immanentism – The claim that religion originates from human psychological experience rather than divine revelation. This error is refuted by St. Thomas Aquinas, who states:
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Summa Theologica, II-II, Q.2, A.2).
Evolution of Dogma – The belief that doctrine must change according to historical and cultural circumstances. It his here that the greatest danger of all enters. Pope Pius X counters:
“For the Modernists... dogma is not only able, but ought to evolve and to be changed. This is nothing less than the perversion of dogma.” (Pascendi, §13)
2. Modernism’s Assault on Church Authority
Modernists do not merely question doctrine; they undermine the very authority of the Church. They seek to democratize it, making it a human institution subject to change, rather than the divinely established Mystical Body of Christ. Pius X warns:
“The Modernists, having thus reached their conclusions, go further and affirm that the laws, rites, and doctrines of the Church should evolve as times and circumstances demand.” (Pascendi, §38)
This attack on authority is particularly dangerous because it infiltrates the seminaries, theological faculties, and clergy, creating a new generation of priests who view doctrine as malleable.
3. The Antidote: Thomistic Philosophy and the Oath Against Modernism
Recognizing the need for a countermeasure, Pope Pius X mandates:
A return to St. Thomas Aquinas as the bedrock of Catholic philosophy.
The Oath Against Modernism (1910), requiring clergy to reject Modernist principles. See Here
For decades, this Oath served as a bulwark against Modernist infiltration—until it was quietly abolished in 1967.
II. How Vatican II Opened the Door to Modernism
1. The Council’s Ambiguities
The Second Vatican Council, unlike previous councils, did not issue anathemas or define dogma. Instead, it focused on pastoral concerns, using language that was sometimes ambiguous or novel. These ambiguities became a loophole for Modernist exploitation.
Consider the document Gaudium et Spes, which speaks of human dignity:
“The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God.” (Gaudium et Spes, §19)
While this is true, it is often misinterpreted to downplay the effects of original sin and the necessity of divine grace (Catechism, §1996).
Similarly, Dignitatis Humanae states:
“The human person has a right to religious freedom.” (Dignitatis Humanae, §2)
But this passage is frequently distorted to promote indifferentism, ignoring the teaching of Pius IX in Quanta Cura:
“The Catholic Church is the one true religion, outside of which there is no salvation.” (Quanta Cura, §3)
2. Liturgical Reforms and the Novus Ordo
The most visible change that Catholics can recognize after Vatican II was the reform of the Mass. While Sacrosanctum Concilium allowed for modest adjustments, radical reformers exploited it. Cardinal Ottaviani, head of the Holy Office, warned in his Intervention:
“The Novus Ordo represents a striking departure from Catholic theology of the Mass as formulated at the Council of Trent.” (Ottaviani Intervention, 1969)
Modernism remains the great crisis of our time, a poison infecting the Church from within. Yet, armed with Pascendi, the teachings of St. Thomas, and the immutable doctrines of Holy Mother Church, Catholics can resist. The path forward is not rupture but restoration—living Vatican II in continuity with Tradition.
Let us heed the words of Pius X:
“We must restore all things in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:10)
For in Tradition, we find the fullness of truth. And in truth, we find salvation.
In the next article in this series, we will evaluate Vatican II reforms as well as the Novus Ordo—its beauty and its potential as well as its dangers of potential abuse.