Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Postulant
Manual
• In the case of Philip IV th (the Fair), king of France (1285-1314 A.D.), he decided to completely
reject that doctrine of the Church, thereby opposing Pope Boniface VIIIth, who was dutifully
defending it. Philip then ordered the arrest of the Pope, following upon which Boniface soon died.
To make matters worse, only a few months later, partly due to the insecure situation in Rome and
partly due to the will of the French king, the new Pope, Clement Vth, moved to Avignon (France).
Successive popes remained in this exile from Rome, or captivity in the “golden cage” of Avignon,
from the 1305 election of the French Pope, Clement Vth, to 1377, when St. Catherine of Sienna
convinced Pope Gregory XIth to return to Rome. Subsequently, Anti-popes, supported by the
French kings, remained in Avignon until 1423. For a total of 118 years, the Papacy was more or
less at the mercy of the king of France.
3. What was the main reason for this change in the attitude of the princes?
The main reason for the change in attitude was a new doctrine, promoted by lawyers called
Jurists, experts in Law, who favoured the Pagan Roman Law over the Christian Customary Law, so
as to give more power to the prince they served. According to Pagan Roman Law, the Emperor was
seen as a god and his will became law! At the time of (Saint) Louis IXth of France and his first cousin,
(Saint) Ferdinand IIIrd, king of Castile and Leon, St. Thomas Aquinas explained, in a small book
entitled De Regno, or De Regimine Principum, various types of political regimes:
• A regime in which a prince is looking out for his own interests, rather than those of his people, is
a bad regime;
• A prince who does not abide by the fundamental laws of his kingdom, but rather seeks absolute
power, is a grave danger to the common good;
• Were the merchant class to gain too much power in the City, the chief motivation of people
would no longer be the practice of virtue, but the pursuit of money, which would lead to liberal
capitalism and a relaxation of morals.
Faithful to Catholic Doctrine, St. Thomas Aquinas was against absolutism. In one of his
libels, Philip the Fair explained that the Emperor did not have the right to intervene in French
political matters, nor did the king of France have the right to intervene in the Emperor’s political
affairs. He then went on to say that, in the same manner, he would not interfere in the spiritual
domain, if the Pope did not intervene in French politics, i.e., if the Pope would stop reminding kings
(especially the French monarch) of the Christian principles by which they should govern. Although it
would have been most improper for Philip to interfere in the Pope’s spiritual affairs, since he had no
authority in the spiritual domain, the Pope had the full right and duty to remind Philip of his Christian
obligations as a Catholic Monarch, especially where it concerned the good of souls.
telling his disciples that now was the time for the man who had no sword to buy one. The Apostles
said they had two, to which the Master answered that it was enough (Luke XXII, 35-38).
7. The Authority to doctrinally supervise the Civil Power is based upon what principle?
It is based upon the fact and principle that Holy Mother Church holds the Teaching Authority
and Power from Christ Himself, and that we are sinners, much inclined to error (in Latin, ratione
peccati). Every pope, be it Boniface VIIIth or Leo XIIIth, has based the Indirect Power on this
concept of the ratione peccati. Consequently, the mission of the Pope is not to appoint princes, but
to advise, punish, or even depose them, should this prove to be necessary for the good of souls.
8. How have individuals sometimes failed to accept the Doctrine of the Two Swords?
• Some individuals have failed to accept the Doctrine of the Two Swords, by refusing any form of
control from the Spiritual Power over the Temporal Power, a practice known as Secularism.
• Sometimes, individuals mistakenly believe that clerics should also rule directly in the Temporal
Domain, a practice called Theocracy, which is supported by Islam, but not by the Catholic
Church.
9. When can the failure to apply this doctrine be observed in the daily life of Catholics?
• It can be observed in the attitude of some Catholics, whereby the priest is only seen as a dispenser
of sacraments, without regard for his teaching authority and advice. In fact, this is Anti-
clericalism, and it leads to Secularism.
• On the other hand, it can also be observed when the priest is regarded as being more
knowledgeable in all fields than, or understanding everything better than, lay people, based on the
premise that he has the highest vocation. This attitude is known as Clericalism, and it leads to
Theocracy.
Church Institutions
10. What did the Church do to save Her flock?
She founded a series of institutions that fostered the sanctification of souls, such as:
♦ Ecclesiastical institutions, for the sanctification of the clergy;
♦ Religious institutions, like the monastic orders;
♦ Lay institutions, like knighthood, workers’ guilds, Third Orders, for the sanctification of
society as a whole.
These Church institutions were based on the knowledge that one is more likely to save one’s
soul, when supported by a good environment, than when one has to heroically resist a bad
environment.
In some countries today, Conciliar Churchmen are telling us that they have fewer people
attending, but that it is the elite; they add that the others used to come for social reasons. Even if
some parishioners were coming for social reasons, these Churchmen do not understand that they
benefited greatly and were ready to call a priest in time of necessity. Holy Mother Church has never
been “elitist”, a “church” for heroes only. She wants as many as possible of Her sons and daughters
to be saved through the Cross of Her Divine Spouse.
Without these supportive institutions, the Church knows how much more difficult it would be
to save oneself. For this reason, the Church has established a good number of them.
CHURCH INSTITUTIONS
Christendom: Christian Monarchy, Christian Knighthood, the Crusades, and the Military
Orders. Most of these institutions lasted a long time, or are still in existence. The Crusades did
not stop with the loss of the Holy Land in 1291. They were called until the XVIIth century, such
as the Crusade to defend Vienna besieged by the Turks. The galleys of the Order Malta protected
Europe at the Battle of Lepanto, and until the end of the XVIIIth century. Pope Pius XIIth himself
said, in his 1956 Christmas message, that he had been thinking of calling for a Crusade, as
Hungary was being invaded by the Communist Russians.
13. Has the Church mentioned the perennial aspect of Her Institutions?
Yes, on many occasions. More particularly, Pope St. Pius X, in 1910, did so in a very
significant way when he had to condemn a French progressive Catholic organisation called “le
Sillon”, because it wanted to find new bases and principles for society, a “New Christendom”, as
Maritain later called it. They admitted that it would have to be a pluralist liberal democracy. That
document of St. Pius Xth is known as the Letter about le Sillon.
It reads thus: “This has to be emphasised in our time of social and intellectual anarchy, when everyone
establishes himself as doctor and legislator: one will not build the city otherwise than God has built it; one will not
build up society if the Church does not lay its foundations and lead its construction; no, civilisation does not have to
be discovered, nor the new city to be built in the clouds. It has been, and it is; this is Christian Civilisation, this is
the Catholic City. One only has to build it and restore it unceasingly, on its natural and divine bases, against the ever
reviving attacks of pernicious utopias, revolt and impiety: Omnia instaurare in Christo [restore all things in
Christ].”
In 1979, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre echoed that Pontifical admonition on the day of his
Priestly Jubilee, when he issued a call to the laity, and particularly to heads of families, using real “key
words”: “We have to launch a Crusade […] in order to restore Christendom, as the Church wants it […] with the
same principles.”
Again, in 1996, Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X, used the
same “key words”: “It is to a real Crusade for the defence of Christendom that we are calling you. Once again, it
is a matter of liberating the holy places: Christendom, society, the family, Christian schools…”
14. What are the main Institutions set up by the Church for the promotion of
Christendom?
They are Christian Monarchy and Knighthood, with their three levels of consecration, one
for Emperors, one for Kings, and one for Knights. Anointing or coronation was conferred upon an
Emperor or a King, while the rite of liturgical dubbing was conferred upon a Knight.
15. What are the main Institutions founded by the Church for the defence of Christendom
on all its fronts?
They are the Crusades, as a temporary movement, followed by the Military Orders, as the
permanent order and defence structure of Christendom.
Knighthood or Chivalry
22. After baptizing individuals, what institutions were founded by the Church in order to
“baptize” the political structures of society as well?
The Church had been working with previously existing institutions, such as the monarchy,
the military, and the administrative organisation of society, but decided to “baptize” them by
consecrating the men in charge through a sacramental. The coronation, or the anointing, of the
king was performed as early as the VIIth century, while that of the Emperor was performed on
Christmas Day, in the year 800 A.D. At the very beginning of the IXth century, the rite of liturgical
dubbing, or benediction of the new knight, was conferred by a Bishop, using the Benedictio Novi
Militis, found in the Roman Pontifical. In the latter case, the Church christianized a German tribal
rite, a tradition kept by the Franks and the Lombards, in which arms were solemnly bestowed upon a
boy who was quickly becoming a man and a warrior. Over the centuries, with the help of the Church,
it had gradually changed from a purely human rite to one having a more profound, Christian
significance.
Orders of Knighthood
27. What is an Order of Knighthood?
An Order of Knighthood can also be called an Order of Chivalry or a Military Order, since the
Latin word miles means knight, and the Latin word militia means Knighthood or Order of
Knighthood. Consequently, an Order of Knighthood is a group of knights following the same Rule
and the same Master, or Grand Master, which in Latin is Magister Militiae.
29. Were other Military Orders founded in regions other than the Holy Land?
Yes. Some knightly confraternities had started as groups of lay knights in Spain (Belchite,
Montreal) and in Portugal (Avis). They disappeared, merged with, or became Religious Military
Orders (Calatrava, Santiago, Alcantara, Alfama, Montesa, Avis, and the Portuguese Order of Christ).
All these Orders were inspired by the Cistercian monks, and/or copied the Order of the Temple, with
the exception of the Order of Santiago, which had three classes of members: canons, religious knights
and married knights.
On the Eastern European front, as a bulwark against local pagan tribes, or even the Mongols,
the Teutonic Order (Order of St. Mary of the Germans) developed in Prussia, while the Order of the
Sword-Bearers emerged from the Baltic region. On another front, in Lombardy, St. Dominic founded
the Militia Christi, i.e., the Order of the Knights of Christ, in order to protect the churches,
monasteries, and Christian people from the Manichees. The knights were laymen, and their spouses
were accepted as sisters of the Order. The Militia Christi gave birth to the Dominican Third Order.
31. What are the main Institutions founded by the Church for the promotion and the
defence of Christendom?
From the beginning of the IXth century, Christian Monarchy and Knighthood started the process of
building up Christendom. From the XIIth to the XVIIIth century, temporary Crusades and permanent
Military Orders actually protected its borders and coasts.
• The canonical approbation given in the diocese of Chartres (France) in 1964, followed by the
canonical approbation given in the diocese of Regensburg (Germany) in 1968, then in Sion
(Switzerland) in 1969, in Braga (Portugal) in 1975, and in Santander (Spain) in 1983.
42. What is the general aim of Knighthood and of the Order of Our Lady?
• The general aim of Knighthood is: “To expand here on earth the boundaries of the kingdom of God”
(Léon Gautier), that is to say, by restoring and extending a Christian Social and Political Order; in
short, by restoring Christian Civilisation and extending the frontiers of Christendom;
• Consequently, “The Order of Our Lady consequently works for the coming of the Social Reign of Our Lord
Jesus Christ” (Rule, I, 4).
43. What are the three particular ends of the Order of Our Lady?
The three particular ends of the Order are:
• To “serve the Faith” (Rule, I, 4 & XX, 1);
• To “defend” “the Church” (Rule, I, 4);
• To restore and extend “Christendom” and “the Peace of Christ” (Rule, I, 5-6).
44. What are the three vows taken by a Knight of Our Lady?
The three private vows are:
• “Conversion of life, a commitment to live henceforth according to the laws of Chivalry and the Rule of the
Order”;
• “Fidelity to the Order, i.e., obedience to the leaders of the Order, within the limits of the Rule, and the duty of
fraternal aid toward all members”;
• “Defence of the Church, a special commitment, similar to the vow of Crusade, to defend the Church” unto
blood. (Rule II, 6).
45. What are the two basic principles of the knight’s action?
The two basic principles are:
• “One is a Knight of Our Lady before all, in all, always and everywhere”;
• “It is first within the Order that one is a knight” (Rule, XX, 1).
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The following answers to the Postulant Manual questions should be known by heart:
- 6–9
- 10 paragraph 1
- 11
- 14 – 15
- 23 to 26
- 34 to 37
- 42 to 47.