“And upon this rock I shall build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” – Matthew 16:18
My Dear Brothers and sisters, the Clergy of the Holy Order:
I come before you today as your spiritual Father, a man dedicated to God in all his actions and a Servant of Dav as you all are. Over the last few days, I have been setting myself to prayer on disturbing trends which I have been observing with increasing outrage as well as with guilt in recognizing, humbly, my own faults in these things. I take to the pen here today resolved on change. Change for the Order, change for the Church, change for Lithmore.
The very problem that disturbs me so greatly is the conflict with that ancient enemy of ours, the smoke of the Abyss, heresy. Like a great cloud, it wafts over us, obscures the clear vision of the Faithful and blots out the light of Truth. Indeed, it creeps over us, breaking its way in every weakness of our defense. Any crack in the walls which we erect about our Church shall constitute a weakness, a means by which evil might come to manipulate and control us.
The mood among the laity, I grieve to say, is not one which befits the Church in the least. Irreverence grows, clergy are questioned in their wisdom, the Faith is being taken into the hands of those not ordained to bear it. While the Faithful indeed have the right and the duty of discerning their Faith through prayer, we must remember that Truth has been given to this Church to be safeguarded and by the graces of God, we are protected in our custodial ministry, watching over the Sacred Traditions which has been passed down to us from the earliest of all days.
Thus, I charge each one of you, we must take a stand. Though keeping in mind charity, compassion, and mercy, the virtues which must always guide us, we must also take up the sword of Truth and the shield of strong Faith. Our Hope must be in Heaven and our Consolation in the Chalice. It is time to blot out heresy, take arms, my brethtren, in Faith. For it is time for the good fight to be fought. The very soul of Lithmore lies in the balance.. To the Church we must return her holy patrimony. To the Church we must confirm and invest the authority to safeguard and care for all souls as the -final- authority on Faith, not open to the questioning and attacks of others. For when we expose ourselves to such things, when we abandon the Church to lukewarm resolve and compromise, we shall fail.
To this cause and to all your good endeavors, I glaldy and proudly impart my blessing. I assure you of my prayers and ask for yours as we take up this call.
In Faith, Before the Lord of the Springs and Dav,
Benedictus Piuso
Cardinal of Lithmore
This letter is sealed with a depiction of Saint Celeste and Saint Aelwyn bowing, on opposing sides, of the chalice.