Mere Tradition with Kennedy Hall

https://kennedyhall.ca/contacthttps://meretradition.substack.com/p/john-salza-vs-the-sspx-part-1-thehttps://meretradition.substack.com/p/john-salza-vs-the-sspx-part-2-misusedhttps://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2026/08/spaghetti-and-windmills-reply-to.htmlhttps://meretradition.substack.com/p/the-formula-that-failed-why-tuchoshttps://meretradition.substack.com/p/tucho-has-leo-in-a-real-bind

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meretradition.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit meretradition.substack.com

With the recent SSPX consecrations, arguments both for and against the SSPX have been making the rounds. Invariably, arguments against the Society tend to focus on two principal ideas which those who hold them believe constitute “slam dunks” against the SSPX. The arguments focus on the concepts of Canonical Mission and Incardination.

Now, for the uninitiated, you may be wondering why those who have set themselves against the SSPX do not focus squarely on the concept of schism. In fact, it is through these concepts that it is argued that the SSPX is in schism.

In essence, the arguments are: “You can say the SSPX isn’t schismatic all you want, but, according to XYZ, those who operate without a Canonical Mission or who have not been incardinated are by definition schismatic, according to sources ABC.”

The principal source for this line of argumentation is none other than John Salza. Formerly a supporter of the SSPX, a few years ago he flipped and became one of the most vocal opponents around. John Salza is a lawyer, a tax lawyer, I believe, which means he is an expert at combing through extensive texts and finding quotations and documents to support his case. Furthermore, anyone familiar with Law as a profession will know that lawyers are expertly trained in producing massive documents. This is not an indictment of lawyers, but only an observation.

Salza’s body of work is consistent with his professional work as a lawyer, in that it is voluminous and contains extensive citations. The effect this has on the average reader is that Salza “knows what he is talking about.” Most people are not scholars, theologians, or legal professionals, so when they see a 10,000-word essay, they naturally assume that the author must really know his stuff. Furthermore, given how voluminous his work on this subject is, it is an arduous task to pore over everything he has written. In addition, Salza’s work can seem intimidating because it is riddled with scary-sounding theological and canonical terms, and citations from popes that sound very powerful in the context of his assertions. In this way, Salza truly does argue like a lawyer, in the sense that he presents his arguments as very persuasive, given their seemingly rhetorical power. His goal is to prove to the audience that his position is right, and it is daunting to try to disprove a position buttressed by innumerable quotes and thousands upon thousands of words.

Nevertheless, the Catholic Church is not a courtroom or a debate club, so beyond the rhetorical devices and methods employed by writers and scholars, we must get to the heart of the matter. We mustn’t be bamboozled by which argument “looks the strongest,” but rather be convinced by which argument is simply true. A man can cite a hundred popes and be wrong, and a man can cite no popes, or perhaps a handful, and be correct.

I can only speak anecdotally, but given my unique experience in the SSPX conversation, I can attest that Salza is seen as an authority by the anti-SSPX crowd, in general. Time after time, I have seen in my comment sections on either videos or articles comments like, “Yeah, well, the SSPX has no canonical mission!” followed by a link to something from Salza.

So, I have gone through his work on these subjects in great detail and have boiled down his basic arguments. Before we continue, it is important for the reader to keep in mind that much can be written in support of a given argument, but the argument is still the argument. What I mean is that we must prove that the bones of the thing are in the right place, and if they are not, then it does not matter how many citations are gathered in support.

For example, if I start an argument with, “Canada is not a real country, because it was started in an illegitimate way,” and then I find a zillion citations from politicians and historians saying it isn’t a real country, I still haven’t proven anything. To do that, I need to define what “real country” means, and then demonstrate what would make the founding of any country legitimate or illegitimate, and then I would need to prove that this could apply to Canada.

As we will see throughout, many of Salza’s assertions and citations do not support his claims about the SSPX, and in some cases, his citations are from contexts that have literally nothing to do with any topic approaching the SSPX question.

John Salza’s strongest and most voluminous case against the Society of Saint Pius X rests on two claims: that its clergy have no mission, and that its priests cannot be incardinated. Both claims fail on canon law, on the Church’s own acts, and on the sources Salza himself cites.

Salza argues that a cleric may minister lawfully only with an explicit Canonical Mission from the hierarchy or an extraordinary mission from God proven by miracles. Since the SSPX claims no miracles, he concludes its bishops and priests “have sent themselves” and that their acts are “criminal and sacrilegious.”¹

He also argues that SSPX priests could never be incardinated, because the Society was a mere pious union, was validly suppressed in 1975, and had no bishop with ordinary jurisdiction.²

We will consider the following from his main works on the subject:

* The choice between “canonical mission” and “miracles” is a false dichotomy. The Code of Canon Law, papal acts, and Church history all give us examples to consider.

* The miracle requirement applies to those who claim a direct commission from God against the Church. The SSPX makes no such claim, and Salza concedes it makes none.

* Several of Salza’s key quotations are misattributed, cut from their context, or turned against their authors’ meaning.

* His incardination argument depends on a suppression he does not defend, on facts he omits, and on a factual/canonical error about the very communities he holds up as the model the SSPX should follow.

References to the Code of Canon Law are to the 1983 Code unless marked “1917 Code.” Penal canons are cited by the numbering used in 1988 and in Salza’s articles; in the 2021 revision of Book VI, former canon 1382 (consecration without mandate) is now canon 1387.

Before we continue, let it be known that we are addressing Salza’s claims on their own terms, meaning we will strictly follow what has been written in documents or can be found in the Code of Canon Law. For example, when considering the faculties explicitly granted by Pope Francis, we will treat them at face value when they are considered. In other places, we will consider things like Common Error or Supplied Jurisdiction which can be understood in light of the State of Necessity. So, for the committed Traditionalist reading this, please understand that by dealing with certain arguments and facts on their own terms, in no way does this entail some sort of legalist view of the SSPX situation.

In any event, in this essay we will consider Salza’s main premise: lawful ministry requires either an explicit Canonical Mission (which he defines as incardination plus an office), or an extraordinary mission proven by miracles.³ His definition, explanation and application of the concept of Canonical Mission are incomplete, as will be shown. And, if any lawful ministry exists outside of his two narrowly defined categories, the premise is false, and his work fails. Such ministry exists, and it has been recognized by the Church. We will consider the facts that show how work can be done for the Church and explicitly on behalf of the Church below, but first, we will consider in some detail what a Canonical Mission is before we can see if it applies to the SSPX.

Mere Tradition with Kennedy Hall is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Canonical Mission Understood

Shamelessly, and with gratitude, we are going to summarize work already done by Father Romano Tommasi on the subject. His work goes into considerable detail and his method of inquiry places the SSPX between “control groups” who are rec…

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meretradition.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit meretradition.substack.com

https://kennedyhall.ca/books

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meretradition.substack.com/subscribe

https://kennedyhall.ca/books

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meretradition.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit meretradition.substack.com

https://kennedyhall.ca/books

https://kennedyhall.ca/books

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meretradition.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meretradition.substack.com/subscribe

Note for the reader: A year ago, our son, Gabriel Augustine, was born and died. On October 24, 2025, he was born and subsequently passed away within hours. We knew he had a genetic condition, Trisomy-13, that would not let him survive, so the fact that he passed away was not a surprise. Nevertheless, having him and losing him is the hardest thing my wife and I — not to mention our children — have ever experienced. I baptized him in the operating room, and Father was there to give him the Sacrament of Confirmation soon after. He spent his short earthly sojourn surrounded by his family, and we love him as much today as we did then. Catholics should understand that we believe that baptism saves, and because of this, he went straight to Heaven, having been cleansed of Original Sin, shortly before breathing his last. He is our family Saint, and we miss him. There are perhaps no words in the English language — or any language — that can provide the proper vocabulary for how much we miss him. I promised God and my son that I would tell his story, so on this, the anniversary of his birth into our realm and the Heavenly, I present to you here something I wrote to him.

“Before I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee, and made thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jer 1:5)

Dear Son,

That passage I just shared with you is from the Bible — which I am sure you well know — and it is etched into your tombstone. Now, I imagine you know everything I am going to write to you here, given that you are in the Beatific Vision; nevertheless, writing these words to you is something I have wanted to do for a long while. I have thought about what to write for months now, and it has been hard to formulate my thoughts because there are so many. Of course, I speak to you every day, and you have heard the aching of my heart and the longings of my soul to be with you, but writing those thoughts down has proven difficult.

When we first received your prognosis about three months before you were born, I initially thought I would keep a journal and write everything down. I was inspired by C.S. Lewis’ work, A Grief Observed, wherein he kept a journal, which became a book, about the loss of his wife and his journey of grief and acceptance. However, that didn’t come to pass, at least not yet.

In any event, since this is your birthday, and it is really a double birthday — both earthly and heavenly — I thought I would try to write something beautiful to you and share with you the wonderful things you have done for us. There is enough pain in this world, and Heaven knows — as do you — that your mother and I have carried enough pain in our hearts. So, since birthdays are meant to be joyous occasions, and despite the fact that I miss you more than I need air, let us do our best to focus on the wonderful, the glorious, and the mysterious.

Those three months waiting for you to arrive after the prognosis were, in a word, excruciating. Time has never moved so slowly. We weren’t sure if you were going to make it to birth, given your condition, but you did. Oh, my sweet boy, you were so strong, and you fought so hard. Your mother has given me eight children, you being the seventh, and you were more active than all of them in the womb. The doctors told us that we should be prepared that you may not make it to birth, and that you might not move all that much, but you did the complete opposite.

Mummy and I would joke that it was like you were having a dance party in there. As pregnant women do, she would rest a plate of food on her belly while enjoying a late-night snack in bed, and it was so funny to watch the plate bounce back and forth. We prayed so hard that you would make it to birth so we could meet you and baptize you, and your constant movement was a consolation amidst the uncertainty.

You were so adorable when you came out of the womb, and so full of life. I had never seen a baby with a cleft-lip in person, and it somehow made you even more precious. Being handed your sweet little self from the surgeon and passing you to your mother will forever be one of my greatest memories, and it is a moment that stands in time at the front of my thoughts daily. We wept tears mixed with sorrow and joy in those first moments, and you clung to your mother with all the strength in your tiny body.

We knew that time was precious, so within a few moments it was your time to be baptized. I must say, I have never been more nervous than I was in that moment. Sure, the formula for Baptism is so simple, but the occasion was the weightiest moment in my life. In a way, the nerves I felt were not dissimilar to what I felt the day that I married your mother. When you face a moment of such importance — a moment that will change your life forever — it is all you can do to keep your knees from buckling. I already loved you so much, like I already loved your mother before our wedding, but that moment meant that the love was, in some way, becoming more real. You lay there in the little bassinet the nurses had prepared for us to baptize you, and the sweet laver of salvation dripped across your forehead. I said to you, “Gabriel, I am your daddy, and I love you very much,” before I proceeded to give you the sacrament.

I don’t think I will ever do anything more important for any of my children for the rest of my life. I have you to thank for that honour.

While your mother was being stitched up, this being the seventh cesarean section she had gone through, you lay on her chest. Your heart started to slow down, and your colour started to change. The doctor listened to your chest and gave us a look that said, “He might not be with us much longer.” In theory, we knew that might happen, so we were prepared to accept your life being so short, but you kept fighting! Somehow — I think because of your mother’s love — you pinked back up, and your heart began to beat faster. We couldn’t believe it.

Your siblings and extended family were waiting for you, along with Father Stannus, in the recovery room, and we wanted as much as anything to bring you in alive. I thank God every day that we were able to do that. There is a photo of me carrying you into the recovery room to meet your loved ones, with Father by my side. That moment was like a representation of what it must be like to enter the Communion of Saints. The anticipation, the longing, the joy, the triumph, the relief. You entered that room with your pure and spotless soul, like a hero returning from battle. You had captured our hearts, and spending even just a little bit of time with you was the greatest gift.

Father Stannus gave you the Sacrament of Confirmation, which was another immeasurable gift. To think that our sweet little boy, with his ailing heart and short lifespan, would not only be baptized, but have the strength and glory of his soul increased as he prepared for Heaven.

My mother, your Nonna, procured a cupcake and a candle for you so we could sing you Happy Birthday, and it was the most perfect birthday imaginable. But, in a way, it was you who gave us the gift, even though it was your birthday. You gave us yourself. You gave us your courage and your fighting spirit. You allowed us to feel your sweet little breaths and to hear your precious little sounds. You allowed us to touch you, to hold you, and to feel your warmth. You were so good to us.

Of course, not long after everyone left, you breathed your last and fell into that deep sleep.

It was 3:15 when your soul left the Earth, which was so fitting.

“I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel” (Gen 3:15).

That prophecy from Genesis is, of course, about the role that Our Blessed Mother would have in the Salvation …

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meretradition.substack.com/subscribe