A Few More Reflections On The Meeks Interview

I'm still pondering the point that, as far as I can tell, Fr Ed Meeks made throughout his EWTN interview that I linked yesterday. At about 10:00, he stresses that he and his wife kept trying to stay in the Church in the 1970s (although he had already left the seminary for unspecified reasons), but they "despaired" of finding a "refuge" from the "aberrations" and "heterodoxy" common during that time.

(I would submit the example of Bl Stanley Rother, ordained in 1963, a priest throughout the 1970s, martyred in 1981. Apparently he wasn't driven out of the Church like Fr Meeks; I have no idea why he stayed in the face of all the liturgical innovation and aberration and chaos and stuff.)

Actually, I'd be interested if anyone can parse out for me the differences in theological position between that for which Fr Treco was removed from his post and that which Fr Meeks espoused in his EWTN interview -- he seems to be saying in so many words that the Church had wandered from the Truth throughout the 1960s and 70s, and only with Anglicanorum coetibus did it again become worthy of him. I'm sure Fr Meeks won't clarify his position to me, but maybe Bp Lopes might want to pursue this with Fr Meeks himself.

In fact, my regular correspondent sees a similar connection:

I think you are on to something in suggesting that this might be a gesture of assistance to Fr Meeks' former CEC colleague, Fr Treco. "Vatican II took my Church away from me; I didn't leave the Church." Of course serious traditionalists would not find CK an attractive parish, as it celebrates the OF versus populum, and has lengthy sermons. You posted a picture, on October 2, 2017, of the (unvested) choir singing around a piano.

The photo at left suggests an evangelical venue that's had the guitars and drums temporarily removed from the dais, replaced by some ad hoc Catholic furniture that could easily be put into storage, and a provisional communion rail, also reconfigurable as needed.

I kinda wonder, in fact, if Bp Lopes figured the catedraticum and donation to the bishop's appeal from St Bede's wouldn't be missed, should the cult of personality surrounding Fr Treco result in defections, while the cult surrounding Fr Meeks could cause more serious damage from a larger parish should Meeks be removed. But someone can maybe educate me about the difference.

What I do see from an uninformed layman's eye, though, is a similarity that runs through Frs Treco, Phillips, and Meeks: the Church has had to struggle to meet their high standards, although none seems quite able to walk their own talk. Treco was an utterly marginal figure. Phillips was at best squishy on the question of the deacon and the altar boys. Meeks hates liturgical innovation, except when he celebrates OF versus populum. But the communion rail makes it all OK.

Why do I get the feeling that a diocesan OF parish half a mile away is more honest?

There are other prominent OCSP priests who play the same game. I guess I need to add their parishes to my prayers.