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Your host, John B. Manos, unpacks what he calls a “detente with the devil”—a stagnant truce with error driven by fear of schism, offending others, or driving people away. This fear, he argues, has allowed modernists to dominate, sidelining the faithful who dream of a Church that reveres Our Lord with clear catechesis, traditional practices like communion on the tongue, and orthodox hymns.
John explores several key questions:
- Who are the real “dreamers” in the Church?
- With whom should we be building bridges?
- Who is truly marginalized?
- Where are the faithful dreamers who long for reverence?
Through historical analogies (like the Soviet detente under Brezhnev), biblical examples (Judas, Peter, the Sanhedrin), and personal anecdotes, John critiques the Church’s obsession with “building bridges” to groups like homosexuals and immigrants while ignoring traditional Catholics. He highlights the failure of catechesis—70% of his Catholic school classmates left the faith due to “guitar masses, felt banners, crappy hymns, and error taught as catechism”—and notes a hopeful trend: young Catholics (Gen X and Gen Y) returning to the TLM to rediscover the faith’s beauty.
Originally aired in 2018 during Pope Francis’s papacy, this episode’s insights remain strikingly relevant in 2025 under Pope Leo XIV. John’s warning of a “detente with the devil” eerily foreshadows recent events, like the Diocese of Charlotte’s 2025 TLM ban, where the faithful are guilt-tripped into compliance rather than supported. Read more about that crisis here.
Key Moments in the Episode
- 0:00 – 2:00: Introduction and opening prayer (Hail Mary, invocations to Our Lady of Częstochowa and Fatima).
- 2:00 – 5:00: Why traditional Catholics feel marginalized: “Why aren’t these people building bridges with us?”
- 5:00 – 10:00: The “detente with the devil” metaphor: tolerating error out of fear of schism.
- 10:00 – 15:00: Fear in the Church: Father Rutler and Mother Teresa’s reluctance to speak out on communion in the hand.
- 15:00 – 20:00: Bishops’ failure to shepherd: squandering the “future of the church” by prioritizing immigrants over local Catholics.
- 20:00 – 25:00: The TLM’s revival among young Catholics: a hopeful sign amidst modernist stagnation.
- 25:00 – End: The sacredness of the Eucharist and the need for a worthy reception, with a call to speak the truth without fear.
Notable Quotes
- “Why is it that us traditional Catholics feel like we’re on the margins? Why aren’t these people building bridges with us? Why aren’t the bishops standing with us dreamers who dream for a day when our Lord is revered the way He ought to be, who dream of a day when just being taught clear catechism, easy things, like communion in the hand, a reverend Mass, hymns that aren’t gnostic or heretical?”
- “See, even if the devil’s sitting there at the table with them, nobody will say he’s wrong. That’s the detente within the church.”
Why This Episode Matters Now
John’s 2018 analysis predicted the alienation of traditional Catholics we’re seeing today. Just one for instance: The Diocese of Charlotte’s recent TLM ban, with its tone-deaf standby statements, proves the point: the Church continues to sideline its own dreamers for a mirage of unity, tolerating error while blaming the faithful. If you’re frustrated by the Church’s direction, particularly in America with regard to the traditional Latin Mass, this episode will resonate deeply.
This article, Detente with the Devil and Stagnation of the Church… How Bridges, Margins, Dreamers, and Fear of Schism Have Subverted Our Faith: BFP011 is a post from The Bellarmine Forum.
https://bellarmineforum.org/detente-with-the-devil-and-stagnation-of-the-church-how-bridges-margins-dreamers-and-fear-of-schism-have-subverted-our-faith-bfp011/
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