The small chapel of the Three Aves was very silent on this October evening of 2058. Father Merriweather had wanted to come and spend some time praying in silence in the cold darkness of the holy place, in front of the tabernacle which was lit from time to time with a reddish glow by the dancing flame of the solitary lamp. Outside, the rain lashed against the small stained-glass windows he had purchased at great expense. The wind whistled fiercely that evening. The swaying branches of the tall trees were casting eerie shadows in the semi-darkness of the Chapel of the Three Aves. But Father Merriweather could not miss this encounter with the Master: for tomorrow he would celebrate his 30th anniversary of priesthood. Thirty years of hard work, without a doubt, but thirty years that had gone by so quickly! He would have gladly stayed in the warmth of his rectory. October had not been kind that year. But he had to come.

How could anyone forget that day in October of 2028? Ah, how much Father Merriweather had changed since that day when he ascended for the first time the steps of the altar in that very same little church! Bishop Stallworth had adopted a solemn and grave tone. How could he have done otherwise? The joy of that ordination day was indeed tinged with a certain sadness. For 70 years on that day, the Church had been without a Sovereign Pontiff. Seventy years ago, the Holy Father had passed away. The Church was in mourning. And yet, already at the Vatican, preparations were underway. The Pontiff had to be given a funeral worthy of a Church before which the elderly rose and the young remained silent (Job 29:8). But nothing had happened as expected. It had been decided that an aggiornamento was necessary… The new Church had entered the scene. The Catholics had remained almost entirely impassive. The hurricane that was striking the Chapel of the Three Aves reminded the aging priest of those long years of turmoil. Ah, no doubt, the young priest was more naive than the mature man who, with his face in his hands, almost seemed to be part of the furniture in the small church… Seventy years without a true Pope was no small feat, but how could one dampen the enthusiasm of a young priest? Without a doubt, joy had been present. The priest had celebrated his first Mass. He had insisted: this first Mass, he would say it Pro eligendo Summo Pontifice, for the election of the Supreme Pontiff. 70 years without a Pope… Prayers were needed!

But that October evening in 2058, Father Merriweather was not in a celebratory mood. Tomorrow, he would have to say it... He simply couldn't let such an event go unmentioned. He tried to consider how to announce it, but no formula seemed appropriate. Should he adopt a solemn tone? "Today, my dear Brethren, marks one hundred years since Our Mother the Holy Church was deprived of a visible head!" No, it wasn't right. Perhaps he should express it with more sorrow? "We are in mourning today, my beloved brothers! We commemorate with great sorrow the one hundredth anniversary of the vacancy of the Holy See." No, that wasn't right either… "Holy Mary, how can I find the words?"

But how had things come to this point? That morning, a few priest friends had visited him. Father Rosewood had spoken of the approaching divine intervention. They couldn't remain in this situation indefinitely. One hundred years, it couldn't last much longer… Father Whitfield was less affected… The thesis still held true, he said. Moreover, certain contentious points had recently been clarified, and truly, nothing could shake his convictions. It was true that the recent appointment of a Protestant pastor to the position of cardinal had somewhat surprised him. But we had to be patient. Cardinal Shao offered genuine hope, and we could already rejoice at the thought of the impact his conversion would have.

Could this be what awaits the young Levites who will ascend the altar in 2028, beloved Brothers? We are approaching 70 years of the vacancy of the See… This simple fact is enough to leave us speechless. Isn't this proof that we are in the wrong, our adversaries will tell us? And yet, it must be acknowledged, nothing is right in the Vatican. Naturalism, indifferentism, false ecumenism—all of this is before our eyes daily. Those who have a pope might be tempted, upon reading this story, to chuckle at the thought that we will one day, and this day is fast approaching, announce the first centenary of the vacancy of the Apostolic See. It is true that they have a pope whom they obey in no way, a figure who now represents nothing more than a faded symbol, a figure upon whom one must absolutely not base one's faith if one wishes to remain on the right path. And yet, it is difficult not to understand their sarcasm.

But a question confronts us. A taboo question, it is true. A forbidden question. A question that accuses the one who asks it: what if God expected something of us? Did He not found His Church as a perfect society, possessing all the means to pursue His saving mission on earth? Will we, impassively, reach this fateful date of the hundred-year vacancy of the See of the Church? How will our word remain credible as time passes? Are we not the Church of Christ, firmly established on the rock? How long will we have to endure the yoke of imposters? How long will we wait for the conversion of God's enemies? Isn't it time for the unwavering Church of Christ to unite in order to remedy this disastrous situation? Would not God who, according to some, is supplying jurisdiction to the modernists so that they can at least perpetuate the vacancy of the See of the Church, not have at least the same gifts for the clergy who have remained faithful to the Faith? «Thou art always with me, and all I have is thine.» (Luke 15, 31) If the situation continues, will we not run the risk of establishing as many autocephalous Churches as there are clergy under the sun? Forgive me for asking these questions that have remained unanswered for too long…

The young priests who will be ordained in the coming years will witness the hundred years of the vacancy, if nothing happens. We are waiting... What are we waiting for, in fact? Some await divine intervention. What if divine intervention was waiting for the efforts of men? Others await the conversion of the modernists. But have heretics ever remedied the ills of the Church? Long years pass. Divisions multiply with each passing year. Where is the unity of the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ? Did not Christ establish His Church as the holy city upon the mountain of this world? Did He not institute a unity that is to shine forth throughout the world, founded upon the Chair of Peter? We are told: nothing can be done. We must wait… Undoubtedly, attempts at resolution have been made here and there in the past, attempts which, it seems to us, have not taken into account the universality of the Church. Does this mean that we must all remain passive and helplessly witness the scattering of the last members of Christ’s flock by the devouring wolves? Does this mean that we will be exempt from all guilt when we appear before the judgment seat of Christ? “Lord, I know that thou art a hard man; thou reapest where thou didst not sow, and gatherest where thou strawed not: and being afraid I went, and hid thy talent in the earth: behold here thou hast that which thine is.” (Matthew 25:24-25)

Father Merriweather walked down the silent aisle. His footsteps echoed on the flagstones. The fateful day had passed. He had explained to the silent congregation that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church. And yet, his soul found no rest. The proposed solutions had left the See of the Church vacant for a hundred years… Outside, the storm continued to rage. Father Merriweather walked along the stone walls of the Church of the Three Aves. One would have to wait…

With these unusual words, I nevertheless wish you a Holy and Merry Christmas! Can nothing truly be done? This is the question before us, and it is the question I ask in all simplicity. If the Lord was born as the God-Man, should He not have given His Church, which journeys on earth, solutions that are both divine and human?

Bishop Pierre Roy