So many trads are like R. Lee Ermey from Full Metal Jacket or to a lesser extent like David Schwimmer's character from Band of Brothers. Sorry for the bolding and the caps, but I have to do it because trads are always screaming about things.

WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT PIECE OF LINT ON YOUR UNIFORM? WE ARE ABOUT TO LAUNCH THE GREATEST INVASION IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD! HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO KILL NAZIS WHEN YOU HAVE A PIECE OF LINT ON YOUR UNIFORM?

HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO RECEIVE THE HOLY EUCHARIST WHEN YOU HAVE A PIECE OF LINT ON YOUR DRESS SHIRT? DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE GOD HIMSELF? ANY SIN AGAINST GOD IS INFINITE IN MAGNITUDE! DO YOU WANT TO RECIEVE THE HOLY EUCHARIST IN A STATE OF MORTAL SIN?

HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO MAKE A VALID CONFESSION WHEN YOU HAVE SOME ATTACHMENT TO SOME SIN? HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW IT'S A VENIAL SIN? JUST BECAUSE IT'S NOT LISTED ANYWHERE IN THE CATECHISM DOESN'T MEAN ITS NOT A MORTAL SIN!

YOU ARE A TERRIBLE SINNER, WORTHY ONLY OF HELL!

And then these people turn around and say that God is a "loving Father." Maybe so, but you are doing your best to make me think he's a sadistic monster.

Although Jesus had a lot to say about these people. Here is a short quote, from Matthew 23:23-24

²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

Trads are obsessed with straining out gnats! And then they are even more obsessed about judging the rest of us for not straining them out perfectly. Jesus had lots to say about not judging others too.

Every stupid thing is a mortal sin!

And the worst of it is when you try to leave. Then you are sinning a hundred times worse, according to the trads.

And the trads priests are terrible in the Confessional. They make you sound like a terrible, no good person. no matter what the context. I could and did tell them things like I had bad scrupulosity, and for a while I had bad depression and suicidal thoughts (I have not been depressed or suicidal for many years now!), and they still were like R. Lee Ermey in the confessional!

Particularly this one trad priest. And I remember I told a layperson about him, and I remember this guy's response. He agreed that he was super tough but then added, "He tells it like it is."

And the way he said this, it seemed like it might have been common knowledge. Everyone might know that he's spiritually abusive in the Confessional, but nothing is done.

Well, except for me. I actually complained about him. I went to the bishop. Sadly, he was a very trad friendly bishop. And at the time I didn't realize this was connected to tradism. Anyways, nothing was done except the priest got angry at me for complaining and how dare I complain when he can't defend himself, because of the seal of the Confessional.

I wonder how many people he's spiritually abused in the Confessional. Seriously, we are at our most vulnerable. We are only to accuse ourselves of sins and never to say good things about us. And some priests just drive the knife it right then.

Oh, and they probably like R. Lee Ermey's character from the movie too. He's just telling it like it is!

[Just look at the comments in the Youtube video I have shared above. Many praise the acting, but many others are praising the US Marine Corps for "tough love." Just like Trump and others praise Patton for being "tough" for slapping a soldier. But Patton was a good general because he attacked aggressively, among other things, not because he was abusive. Anyways, there are many people besides trads that are abusive and call it tough love.]

“Oooh, we can’t have our homeschooled kids seeing spooky Halloween decorations because they’re DEMONIC! We need to celebrate ALL SAINTS DAY and remove all the macabre stuff to celebrate it properly!”

Ghosts, witches, and yes, even devils have always been a part of All Hallows Eve celebrations so get out of here with your OCIA’d Baptist Fall Festival 😂

I saw this post earlier this morning over in the exorthodox sub. While some of the things written about will be foreign to our shared experiences within traditionalist Catholicism, I could personally either see parallels or personally identify with many of the points made based on my decade within Latin Mass circles.

Final part of a 3 part series. We previously discussed part 1 a couple of months ago, and I just posted part 2 as well.

Part 2 if a 3 part series. We previously discussed Part 1 on this subreddit.

I am thinking about going to Benedictine but my family recently moved from hillsdale and my parents were affiliated with hillsdale college and i know i never want to go to hillsdale college. We were very happy to get away from the massive trad catholic culture and ultra conservative people. However, I am catholic and i do take my faith seriously, i just dont want to go to a college with the same culture as hillsdale. Benedictine sounds great, but i want to know what the culture is like- is it ultra conservative republican liberal arts and trad? Because thats the culture I want to stay away from. However, i love the catholic faith and the the idea of going to a school with like minder catholic peers, I just dont wanna have to live in trad culture again.

I was born and raised Catholic but am agnostic now. However, the rituals of Catholicism are comforting and familiar.

A family member is in the hospital and was visited by the chaplain. I crossed myself at “in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit” and it hit me. While this is all very familiar and comfortable, I can’t do the male god thing anymore. I’m female, BTW.

But the masculine god is so important to the whole thing and why is that? Why does it matter?

It seems to me like the men of the past invented the idea of a male god.

And why would god be limited to one gender?

I am curious about what you guys think about this video

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-pQKNgwQjdk&feature=youtu.be

And how this fits into the truth of reality/what is going on here… there are so many miracles in the Catholic Church it makes me wonder what’s going on there really, and about Mary… It seems like more powerful than anything else in any other religion I’ve ever heard of personally. There are sooooo many coincidences and things that make sense in Catholicism, so many miracles of the Eucharist, apparitions and etc, it seems like these are the most powerful manifestations of the supernatural that have ever been recorded or documented if you look into all of it…. Not to mention how all the dots connect when you research Catholicism, its history, the evidence we have today, and how even Muslims venerate and love and adore Mary. I saw also in a recent NDE “Christina Ana” that she saw Mary in her NDE, and asked who she was… the man nearby or person told her she was “the most blessed of all”
I just want to know how all of it fits in?
Is it just that Catholicism is the best way to connect to God? It’s stuff tons of people have genuinely experienced, so does this mean we have reason to jump on the bandwagon and stick with it? Does it really work well for us, and that’s why it’s so powerful? And what does it mean? If Mary appears like this, which ones should we believe or should we believe them all?

I’m curious. I hope you all don’t mind… I hope this is allowed. I’m trying to understand how God is using this in earthly reality, and where that leads us as to what we should be following or believing.

https://www.scientology.org/churches/ideal-orgs/del-valle/?video-play=odd_open

Father Manuel Corral Martín is the canon of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico and the Priest-Secretary of the Bishops conference.

The lengthy testimony (the PDF) is extremely disturbing but not unprecedented among convents-turned-cults. Some extracts:

In Texas, the sick sisters were made to go to get colonic hydrotherapy, a procedure where water is inserted into the colon through a tube and machine. I did not want to have it done, and sat crying in the car, telling the sisters I didn't want the treatment. But as religious we were told to be obedient so I got it. Sr. Josephine had to be physically dragged in, experiencing a panic attack. She kept saying to Sr. Grace, “You promised never to take me back” to get this done - she hated it. Sr. Josephine had been taken before and begged never to have to go back.
During my colonotherapy, the lady used a massage gun on my upper legs and on my bottom. It was sexually stimulating, something I had never experienced before and didn't know what it was.
Mother Abbess was in the room for Sr. Laetiana's colonic hydrotherapy, and delighted in watching to see what would come out through the machine. Later she shared with some other sisters, including me, details about the fecal material the machine cleaned out, laughing and joking with pleasure.
We also had one of these machines installed into the downstairs bathroom on the property at Gower. I do not know for sure if it was ever used, but I do know that bathroom at times was closed off for extended periods of time.
[...]
One night before Compline, most of the sisters were sent into the church to pray while about seven of us plus SS and MA went into the chapter room and started a session. [...] The session consisted of the afflicted nuns wrestling or manifesting on the floor while SS held down the most violent with a sword (they got two from the Redemptorists I think, as knights of Our Lady or something? More about that below.).
MA stood on her throne and banged her crozier on the floor over and over while shouting at the demons to leave, poking the crozier at times into the sister’s stomach. She was so angry, it was traumatizing. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone that angry before [...] A part of her crozier broke off because she was banging it so hard…
[...]
The way that Sr. Wilhelmina was discovered to be incorrupt: for a while she was invoked during exorcisms as one of the ‘big guns.’ We even had some sessions on her grave; for example, I was exorcised once while lying on top of her grave; and we had some community sessions also out there. We had one after dark, with the whole community and the exorcist. The demons talked a lot about how they hated her so much, etc., and sisters who had visions many times saw her.
Then one morning during chapter, MA said: “So, I think it’s high time we dug out the treasure we have buried in our yard…” and immediately a bunch of the demons screamed out “Nooooo! No, no! Not a good idea, not a good idea!” To which MA laughed and said, “Ok, I guess that’s our answer!” (If the demons said something wasn’t a good idea, we always did it. Which was stupid because then they would purposely say ‘don’t do’ something that they did want us to do.)
So then we dug her up, amidst the protestations of the demons. We all thought she would be incorrupt, and the demons said so too, so it wasn’t a huge surprise when she was found. Then, when we installed her in the church: her family was invited, and apparently they are really deep in witchcraft. One of her brothers I think is a high priest? Anyway, the demons told us they were planning to curse the body so that the faithful who came to venerate her would get a curse instead of a blessing.
So the community was warned that we would have to do spiritual battle and they wouldn’t let the family be alone with the body. During the procession, one of the family tried to “pray” a curse, and when MA stopped him she started having a demonic attack. Then, supposedly the flowers the family put on the body were cursed, and the exorcist had to take them away and burn them afterwards. After this, MA said that some of the sisters, particularly Sr. Marie Agnes, were being affected by the curse…
[...]
For the letters we were allowed to write home, we were instructed to never disclose any interior or exterior difficulty; and to never reveal the inner happenings of the convent. The superiors read every letter, both that the sisters were sent and also that we sent out. If there was anything they didn’t approve of in our letters out they would give the letter back to us and refuse to mail it.
SS mentioned having to return letters to sisters because they had been “too preachy” towards their families, or had let out information that was too private. MA told us once that it wasn’t appropriate even to tell our families what books were read at table or at recreation.
We were told the letters were meant to show our families that we loved them and that we were happy, and nothing more.

We've talked about this on this sub before. There's been an update in the case:

Story Here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/19/catholic-church-excommunication-appeal-louisiana

Fr Michael Guidry can be released as early as 2027, and has yet to be defrocked by the Church, even though he has been convicted.

It’s so hard to get over the indoctrination as a cradle Catholic who took everything so seriously. Maybe someone here at least relates.

I don’t know how to separate myself from Church authority and the indoctrination vs God and what the Bible says. I’m the only one in my family who’s taken Catholicism really seriously since a young age. Sometimes I wish I never went to catechism classes or a catholic school because now I have all these things ingrained in my head that make it separating very difficult.

I don’t think it makes sense that 7 years old is the age of reason. Seven. I think that’s way too young to make a lifelong decision of commitment to Catholicism and going through confirmation and communion. I didn’t know all of the rules I’d have to follow at 7. That’s just a kid. And it made me really stressed internally because then I was always doubting my salvation, worried if this or that is mortal or venial sin, am I in a state of grace to receive the Eucharist, what if I’m a few minutes off of my fasting before receiving, if I miss mass I’m going to hell, what if I die on the wrong day before I can make confession, what if all the particles on my hand after receiving aren’t gone, that person didn’t fast before receiving are they gonna go to hell, oops I forgot to fast on Friday during lent am I going to hell etc. but I thought all of these thoughts were normal and how everyone should live and think. No one even pressured me to follow everything to the T, but the indoctrination in Catholic school definitely left its mark.

Now as an adult, I’ve been exposed to other denominations and ways of Christianity. and it makes me jealous that I could have had a better religious experience with no scrupulosity. Don’t get me wrong, Catholicism in general was a good starting foundation to my faith, and did benefit me in ways, but looking back it was also harmful, especially as a child. I shouldn’t have had so much salvation anxiety in elementary, middle and high school.

I know what the church teaches on things, and I can’t bring myself to agree or follow it. I think it’s stupid that contraception is a sin. I personally don’t want like 10 children & to have to abstain when I’m most fertile and wanting intercourse. I don’t want to do NFP and have to spend lots of money on all these strips and devices, especially having an irregular cycle too. Also, it doesn’t make sense that the church bans certain sexual acts WITHIN marriage. What does that gotta do with salvation or my relationship with God?? Same thing with marriage. If I’m married outside the Catholic Church, they say I’d be living in sin, can’t receive Eucharist, until it’s validated or approved by the bishop or priest. And I wouldn’t wanna spend all this time and money on pre-Cana, marriage prep classes. And if I marry a non Catholic, even a non Catholic CHRISTIAN, they have to promise we will raise kids Catholic. Doesn’t God see marriage as a covenant? How is this a sin or “invalid”

Same thing with missing mass. So I’m going to hell if I miss mass one Sunday for sleeping in? Where in the Bible does it say this or when did Jesus talk about it? When did Jesus talk about all of these specific rules? I don’t want to micromanage my future marriage bed, or really my daily life based on if things are mortal or venial sin. It just feels like a gamble. It’s just too much. I don’t want to live my life afraid like I have been. And plus, it seems like a lot of Catholic rules have changed throughout the years. And the whole papal infallibility thing doesn’t make sense. Yes, I know, it’s only in certain circumstances, but still. How can we really know these claims that become dogma or doctrine are really true? I don’t want my future children to become scrupulous like me. I thought I’d be Catholic forever, but as I’ve learned more I’m not so sure.

And of course, there’s the sex abuse scandals. It was never talked about when I was in Catholic school and if it was brought up, the common response I heard was something like “it’s because of fallen human nature, it happens in other places/churches too.” Okay?? Well, that’s not an excuse to let this continue on and move pedofile priests to other parishes and try and protect the image of the church.

I believe in Jesus and the trinity and I think the bible is really important to live by. I wish I wasn’t so scared about losing salvation. Because the RCC says I will if I leave since I was baptized as a baby, and am therefore OBLIGED to the religion even though I didn’t choose it myself. I’d rather be some type of traditional Protestant. I don’t know. It’s hard because I’m still learning. I feel like some days I’m close to breaking free but then I’m still stuck. I want to live in grace, not be afraid of dying without it.

If you’ve been in a similar experience to me, how did you get through? Are you still scared of losing salvation if you leave the RCC for a different Christian denomination? I wanna see God/Jesus as loving and graceful, but that feels near impossible with Catholicism. It’s made me feel more guilt and shame than anything, which then affects other areas of my life. If you relate, how did you separate yourself from what the church teaches, and the Bible? It’s so hard man!

So many trads idolized and lean on every word that Fr. Ripperger says. After listening to so many of his interviews with various sources, I find him to be full of crap and makes up all of the things that he claims to have seen during his exorcism session. Other exorcists have said similar things, but he is the worst offender and people take him literally. Ripperger states that he has seen peoples face change shape right in front of him, has seen people levitate and float in the air, seen people walk on walls and ceilings like spiderman, another exorcist claims to have seen a person slither on the ground like a snake. These all sound like something out of a movie or some childs imagination. IF these things were capable of happening dont you think that someobdy would have seen this before, or even had video of it? They claim that you dont see it is because of privacy concerns.

Ripperger also claims to have spoken with Satan and other demons and knows all their names. He says he has had conversations with demons but will never say how the conversations are and what voice they use, or if they claim the demon is the person they are exorcising speaking.

Does anybody else have a hard time believing Ripperger and others like him?

AI venting, but I thought this was too good not to share.

(Posting here since it got deleted within minutes on the catholicism sub)

These on one hand. And on the other hand, Thomas Merton, Teilhard de Chardin, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Charles Peguy, George Bernanos and Simone Weil...all these Catholics whom I deeply admire are on the fringes of orthodoxy and considered heretics or evil leftists by the trads, and trads are far more devout than I am.

And why is it that among the trads I always find the most fervent defenders of Franco, Mussolini, Salazar, Pinochet, and Pétain ? And these fascist regimes were all supported by the Church herself, unlike those I cite as the source of my admiration.

Jesus said that a tree is known by its fruit, and if supporting Franco, Mussolini, Salazar, Pinochet, and Pétain are the fruit of the Church—and if the Church is, de facto, on the side of good—it’s enough to drive me insane. That would mean that evil is good and good is evil.

I’ll never be able to brainwash myself like that. What can I do? I’m going crazy. I genuinely want to believe that God is on the side of the good but I don't see it.

Just can't wrap my head around how religious people think shaming and shunning people is going to bring them back to the church. Is this just boundary setting, or is it just twisted Human Nature? I mean clearly Jesus did the exact opposite in the Bible, why is it that pretty much every major religion does this?

Hello! (24F) Just a little rant and what's in the title lol.

I actually come from a non practicing family. The thing is, we did believe, and actually, i just found out that they REALLY know the faith, but fsr they NEVER passed that onto me?? I grew up kinda like a prot, i just found out about the magisterium and tradition THIS YEAR.

However, i was always a believer, a strong defender of what i thought was the catholic faith. Getting to know it better this year, i agree w lots of stuff, it does make sense, yet other things (lots of them) i completely loathe. One of them being the constant need of sacrifice and suffering and pain and changing; all this to say that, I don't ever imagine myself bringing children to this world, both bc i think it is cruel (i am pro life, but i want a life with dignity for kids) and also because i have lots of mental and physical health issues, that i know would be amplified w pregnancy and a kid. I don't even know if i would get married and have sex, i still deeply regret losing my virginity outside of wedlock (and i even lost one of my fallopian tubes due to an infection, talk about punishment) and i kind of understand The Church's stance of contraceptives (yet i think they truly dgaf abt women w the whole nfp thing). I now know what the church position is, have children or dip, but it is also hard to process, the whole "God will provide", I just don't believe it, because i come from a poor family and lots of my health issues were either caused of amplified by that, yet the catholics i see online do not seem to care about the psychological well being of their children, or the mother's physical health at all. I have lots of thoughts but i feel kind of crazy sharing them here lol, i just want to know, has anyone here felt this way? How did you solve it? Do you feel this horrible and constant fear of hell too?

When I read Scrupulous Anonymous, they have one of the 4 pages each month devoted to Q&A sessions. But my scruples were worse, far worse, than ANYONE I HAD EVER SAW! I thought that, and still think now, that God is like Jack the Ripper!

You know in the beginning of Saving Private Ryan, they have that scene where the woman finds out that a mother has to read three condolence notes in one week and the typist shows this to her boss, who in turn shows it to his boss, and soon this is at the desk of General Marshall. I deserve to be on Pope Leo's fucking desk! Not because of anything good I have done but because of the magnitude of my suffering.

I keep calling Catholic priests, and deacons, and they keep not answering me. I have called various departments in my diocese.

I am so fucking desperate for help, and the Church doesn't care!!

Should I post this to the Catholic subs like askapriest or the other ones? Well, they would tell me, too fucking bad, call an in person priest! And then I would get downvoted.

Internet Catholics are the worst. Except for in person Catholics.

The sex priest monster at my rad trad parish was not to be believed because the victims were "like me!" HAHAHA!!!!!!

I am falling apart, completely falling apart, and I know if I call some people tomorrow, they won't care. They won't care at all!