CMRI & Tridentine Latin Rite Church

What I want you to know

Child sexual abuse was covered up by Pope Pius XII, Archbishop Thuc, Denis Chicoine, Francis Schuckardt, Bishop Pivarunas, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Bishop Williamson, and Bishop Fellay.
Traditionalist Catholics have always harbored & continue to harbor priests & nuns who have sexually abused children. At least 12 CMRI associated priests, nuns, and followers have been reported for child sexual abuse or child rape. At least 33 SSPX associated members have been reported for sexual abuse or grooming.
The TLRC and CMRI have always groomed & targeted women, encouraging them to separate their children from their fathers in order to bring them to Coeur d'Alene.
Schuckardt was possibly sexually abused by priests at O'Dea high school in the early 1950s, at Seattle University in the late 1950s, and the OMI seminary in Carthage in 1960, leading to his life-long drug addiction, stress induced illnesses, sexual abuse of young men, and his conflicted sense of being a Catholic & gay man. Abusive priests operated out of O'Dea high school (1954), Seattle University (1955-1959), and the OMI Seminary (1960) during the years he attended.
Archbishop Thuc was a central figure of the repressive Ngo family regime of Vietnam. Archbishop Thuc was responsible for covering up sexual abuse of children while he was a bishop in Vietnam. In addition, Archbishop Thuc had a deep hatred for The Vatican and sought revenge for not supporting the Ngo Regime or independent Vietnamese Catholicism.
Bishop George Musey (b.1928—d.1992), leader of the CMRI from 1985—1986 (and who ordained the entirety of current CMRI leadership), was son of famous Galveston, Texas mob boss "one-armed George Musey" (b.1900—d.1935). George Musey Sr. was assassinated by Cosa Nostra (Maceo Syndicate) in 1935 while George Musey Jr. was 7 years old. This assassination of his father and resentment towards the Cosa Nostra may have led to his lifelong desire for power.
Sedevacantist priests sometimes operate independently or join with other bishops (e.g. going from CMRI to SGG), often as a pretense for power, money, or to molest children (e.g. Fr. Joseph Pineau, Fr. Mario Blanco, or Fr. Lawrence S. Brey).
Francis Schuckardt was made the scapegoat for all the negative issues of the group. Current CMRI clergy and leadership are equally responsible. Current members staged a coup in 1984 in order to take control of Schuckardt's wealth. The claims of abuse against Schuckardt were no more than a pretense to gain political control & to deal with the public relations crisis of the mid-1980s.
Traditionalist Catholicism can only be understood in context with anti-Communism of the 1940s and 1950s, the John Birch Society publications of the 1960s, propaganda of the cult of Fatima in the 1950s and 1960s, and French colonialism in Vietnam.
Some ex-members are equally responsible for sexual abuse cover-up & crimes.
The CMRI is built on a bad foundation and cannot be reformed.
Scholarship since the 1990s has undermined much of Christianity in general (e.g. forgeries, 4th century imperial connections, powers of the clergy, oppression of women/heretics/natives), and this has led me to questioning Christianity entirely. Leaving the CMRI to join another group is misguided.

How They Operate

The CMRI uses phrases such as "due to the situation in the church" or "perfection is impossible" or "the salvation of souls is the supreme law of the church" as catch-alls in order to avoid transparency, disclosure, change, or compromise. Without a pope (so they say), they are able to change norms and laws when CMRI leaders decide it's necessary. Their reasoning is an excuse to operate a church as they see fit.
They cherry pick papal teachings of the past and only present evidence that fits their conclusions. The church has changed core beliefs prior to Vatican II, for example: condemning lending money at interest (usury) as mortal sin, condemning heliocentrism as heresy in the 17th century, creating "seven sacraments no more no less" at the University of Paris in the 12th century, & removing the Epiclesis from the Latin Mass in earlier centuries. This has been covered by the concept of "development of doctrine" which is no more than an excuse to make changes at will.
Rather than being appointed or elected, sedevacantist bishops appoint themselves and hand pick their successors. There is no outside influence on their power.
The CMRI attracts converts by overwhelming them with external appearances and what seems to be well-trained priests. The costume, ceremonies, and books are a way to convince gullible & desperate people to join.

Overview

I've collected details about TLRC & CMRI history that aren’t found in one place anywhere else.
Traditionalist Catholicism is based on an intentionally selective reading of history in order to create a church that fits their political & religious preferences.

CMRI Today

The attitude of the CMRI regarding their past history of abuse is to say, “that was all from Schuckardt, and things have been much improved since he left.” Schuckardt was never the primary source of problems, but he was used as a convenient scapegoat in an attempt to put the negatives behind them.

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Documentaries

If you want a quick overview of the group, there are two documentaries, mostly reviewing the Schuckardt days.

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History

Francis Schuckardt and Denis Chicoine attracted their initial followers through international speaking tours as part of The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima. Schuckardt had widely toured the United States, Europe, Latin America, North Africa, Vietnam, and Scandinavia from 1963 to 1967, leading to considerable fame as International Secretary of The Blue Army, setting up a headquarters in Bellevue, Washington. On May 13, 1967, Schuckardt & Chicoine joined the crowd of two million pilgrims, including Pope Paul VI and Sister Lucia, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. In the following months, Schuckardt moved the Blue Army Center and the group was formed in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

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Abuse Claims

The TLRC and CMRI have been accused of numerous forms of abuse, including sexual abuse of children. Abuse claims given in the media & by ex-members need to be looked at critically, as the definition tends to be expanded by the "anti-cult" movement, and former members would often uncritically repeat many of the talking points that were used by "anti-cult experts" of the 1970s and 80s.

Numerous priests, nuns, and lay members have been accused of sexual abuse of children. Abusive priests have been part of the group since its founding up to the present day.

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Lawsuits

The TLRC began to be involved with lawsuits in the mid 1970s over claims that the group was splitting up families. Simliar to "abuse" claims, the court system is really the wrong outlet for dealing with the group, and the claims of "splitting up families" should be reviewed critically. Schuckardt had convinced women around the country to abandon their husbands, to send their children to his Coeur d'Alene boarding school, and to move to Idaho to join the TLRC.

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Scholarship

Scholars can give insight into practices of the group, terminology used by outsiders, and factors surrounding the group. The media & outsiders tend to give black and white views of the group. Outside scholars who've studied other groups can give a perspective that is unique from both group members and "anti-cult" writers or ex-members. Often "anti-cult" leaders harass scholars and researchers for being overly sympathetic to "abusive cults", but I think this only shows how vicious the anti-cult movement is.

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Ex-Members

Most people who joined the TLRC or CMRI have abandoned the group. Peak membership was estimated at 5000 in the early 1980s, dropping to 2000 by the end of the 80s.

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Bishop Francis Schuckardt

Francis Schuckardt derived his authority through a line of Old Catholic bishops, when he was consecrated by Daniel Q. Brown in 1971.

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Archbishop Thuc

After Bishop Schuckardt left the group in 1984, the remaining members began working with bishops in the lineage of Bishop Thuc.

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Priests

Many priests who've been part of the TLRC and CMRI have left.

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Miscellaneous

Read about other topics including Fatima, anti-communism, TLRC beliefs, and apostolic succession.

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Media

The TLRC and CMRI have been written about in books and newspaper articles. The Diocese of Spokane also published their detailed investigation on the group in 1980, with an update in 1986.

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