The Joy of Schism

Throughout Church history, Christians have frequently been happy to expel each other from the Church. That is no less true today, but what is the proper attitude of the Christian when it comes to schism?

With the excommunication of Archbishop Viganò, the rumors of further crackdowns against the Traditional Mass, the renewed accusations against Traditionalists of being “schismatically-minded,” and, further afield, the rift between Constantinople and Moscow, the word “schism” seems to be extremely popular today. Folk who have no authority to do so happily excommunicate each other—and some take delight in such treatment, as a sort of badge of honor (depending upon who has supposedly expelled them from the Church). There is—and we shall see, has always been—a certain sick joy on either side of schism.

One of the first grounds for schism can be seen as early as A.D. 200, when the antipope Novatian intruded himself into the Roman See because the immediate successor of Pope Fabian, Cornelius I, allowed the lapsi—those who had succumbed to pagan blandishments—to return to the Communion of the Church with minimal penances. The first antipope, Novatian did raise some really important questions; and, for a time, no less than St. Cyprian of Carthage took a similar view. From that day to this, one cause of schism has been a perception that the Church hierarchy—including the pope—are simply not strict enough with regard to erring Catholics; and history would repeat itself with the Donatists and the Luciferians.

This tendency generally arises after a period of persecution of the Church. When things settle down a bit, some of those who have suffered the most for the Church deeply resent those who did not, or even temporarily left. There is a huge temptation to think about one’s own sacrifices in difficult times and become resentful that some should “skate.” It is, in a sense, a bit like the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.

Continued below.