Question 294 – Do I have to accept the Second Vatican Council and the new mass to become Catholic?

Transcript:

To be a Catholic, you must profess the Catholic faith and accept its dogmas. Even before the council, the Church required a profession of faith, a long list specifically to accept the dogmas that were infallibly taught. The Second Vatican Council did not propose any dogmas or definitive teachings; it only presented pastoral teachings. As Catholics, we are not strictly obliged to accept specific pastoral teachings. We are required to accept the Magisterium as a whole, the reigning Pope, his office, and the papacy, but not necessarily every specific teaching that does not have the guarantee of being infallible or definitive.

For example, we are not obliged to accept teachings that contain ambiguities, as the Church cannot compel us to accept such uncertainties. I repeat, we must accept the authority of the popes, who are still valid popes, even if some of their teachings may have errors. However, it is important to note that the New Mass is not heretical; it contains some ambiguities, but it is still valid. As Catholics, we must acknowledge the validity of the New Mass. Even Archbishop Lefebvre accepted the validity of the New Mass when it was celebrated according to the approved books.

Regarding Orthodoxy, it is not a solution, as the Eastern Orthodox Church is schismatic, rejecting the papacy and, in some ways, rejecting divinely revealed truth. You cannot join a community that is not fully in the truth and is schismatic. You can, however, attend Mass in the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), which is not schismatic. They accept the Pope, pray for him, and have received faculties from the Pope for confessions and, in part, for marriages. Although they are not fully regularized, they are not schismatic. If there are no other options available, attending their Mass is permissible. But attending an Eastern Orthodox service would be incorrect, as it would lead you down the wrong path toward error.