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The Smoke of Satan: Conservative and Traditionalist Dissent in Contemporary American Catholicism
At the site of the Vatican Pavilion at the old World's Fair grounds in Queens, New York, where the late Veronica Lueken for years came to receive messages from the Blessed Virgin Mary, her followers still gather with apocalyptic expectancy before a portable statue of the Virgin. They are
convinced that virtually the entire world, including the great majority of Catholics, will soon perish in a horrible chastisement, and that they alone will be saved. In the theological underground of American Catholicism, mostly hidden from public view, the followers of Veronica are just a few
among the many who regard both the broader society and the broader church as irredeemably corrupt. Now, Michael Cuneo's The Smoke of Satan brings these groups vividly to life, shedding valuable light on the current state of Catholicism in North America--and, more generally, on religion in our
society.
Images on television and in the popular media have made the Christian right a household concept--but what that usually means is the Protestant Christian right. Cuneo's insightful, provocative study highlights the equally vigorous though less well-known Catholic counterpart. Ranging from the
Marianists, such as the followers of "Blessed Veronica" of Bayside, to picketers at abortion clinics across the United States and Canada (militant lay Catholics who believe that "public witness" is a vocational enterprise of the highest order, one which the vast majority of bishops, priests, and
nuns are too lacking in faith and nerve to perform themselves); from separatists who believe that even Rome itself has fallen and that true Catholics should withdraw and form alternate communities, to Latin Mass advocates who believe the reforms of Vatican II are the work of Satan himself; these
American Catholics are united by a common in the space of just three decades, the mainstream Catholic church in the United States and elsewhere has fallen into alarming decline, and the task of preserving authentic Catholicism (and thus Christianity itself) from outright extinction has
fallen to small bands of the truly faithful. As Cuneo draws striking portraits of these faithful few, he also provides some fascinating asides on contemporary issues, including an innovative analysis of the ideological relationship of right-wing Catholic groups with the militia movement and a
provocative assessment of militant Catholic pro-life activism.
In 1972, speaking in the aftermath of Vatican II, Pope Paul VI said "the smoke of Satan has entered by some crack into the temple of God." In this first full-scale account of Roman Catholic fundamentalism, Cuneo details what these dissenters believe the "smoke of Satan" to be, and what they plan
to do to halt its spread. Cuneo's profiles of these right-wing groups and the various strategies they have adopted in attempting to carry out this task makes for one of the most fascinating stories in contemporary American religion.
convinced that virtually the entire world, including the great majority of Catholics, will soon perish in a horrible chastisement, and that they alone will be saved. In the theological underground of American Catholicism, mostly hidden from public view, the followers of Veronica are just a few
among the many who regard both the broader society and the broader church as irredeemably corrupt. Now, Michael Cuneo's The Smoke of Satan brings these groups vividly to life, shedding valuable light on the current state of Catholicism in North America--and, more generally, on religion in our
society.
Images on television and in the popular media have made the Christian right a household concept--but what that usually means is the Protestant Christian right. Cuneo's insightful, provocative study highlights the equally vigorous though less well-known Catholic counterpart. Ranging from the
Marianists, such as the followers of "Blessed Veronica" of Bayside, to picketers at abortion clinics across the United States and Canada (militant lay Catholics who believe that "public witness" is a vocational enterprise of the highest order, one which the vast majority of bishops, priests, and
nuns are too lacking in faith and nerve to perform themselves); from separatists who believe that even Rome itself has fallen and that true Catholics should withdraw and form alternate communities, to Latin Mass advocates who believe the reforms of Vatican II are the work of Satan himself; these
American Catholics are united by a common in the space of just three decades, the mainstream Catholic church in the United States and elsewhere has fallen into alarming decline, and the task of preserving authentic Catholicism (and thus Christianity itself) from outright extinction has
fallen to small bands of the truly faithful. As Cuneo draws striking portraits of these faithful few, he also provides some fascinating asides on contemporary issues, including an innovative analysis of the ideological relationship of right-wing Catholic groups with the militia movement and a
provocative assessment of militant Catholic pro-life activism.
In 1972, speaking in the aftermath of Vatican II, Pope Paul VI said "the smoke of Satan has entered by some crack into the temple of God." In this first full-scale account of Roman Catholic fundamentalism, Cuneo details what these dissenters believe the "smoke of Satan" to be, and what they plan
to do to halt its spread. Cuneo's profiles of these right-wing groups and the various strategies they have adopted in attempting to carry out this task makes for one of the most fascinating stories in contemporary American religion.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 14, 2018
The Roman Catholic Church is a pretty big tent, but there are constituencies on the left and the right that challenge the mainstream institution. This work is about three elements on the right that are dissatisfied with the current teaching or praxis of the mainstream church.
Those three groups are the 'Conservatives', the 'Traditionalists' and the 'Marian Apocalyptics'. The author examines in fascinating detail all three (at least up to the publication date of this book--1997). They are significantly different and you may have not have encountered all three.
Think 'anti-abortion' and social issues when you considering the 'Conservatives'; think Archbishop LeFebvre and the Latin Mass when you think 'Traditionalist"; and think prophecy of the end times when you think of the 'Marianists'.
If you want to distinguish the Bayside Prophetess from the Society of St Pius X, from the Catholics United for the Faith; this is the in-depth primer you want to acquire.
Those three groups are the 'Conservatives', the 'Traditionalists' and the 'Marian Apocalyptics'. The author examines in fascinating detail all three (at least up to the publication date of this book--1997). They are significantly different and you may have not have encountered all three.
Think 'anti-abortion' and social issues when you considering the 'Conservatives'; think Archbishop LeFebvre and the Latin Mass when you think 'Traditionalist"; and think prophecy of the end times when you think of the 'Marianists'.
If you want to distinguish the Bayside Prophetess from the Society of St Pius X, from the Catholics United for the Faith; this is the in-depth primer you want to acquire.
August 17, 2022
Reading this in 2022, it's too out-of-date. The whole documentary side of things is dull to me. I'm personally interested in the Schuckardt story leading up to the consecrations in the early 1990s, but I also want to hear more of the arguments back and forth and why their way of life is the correct one for them, and how they counter new evidence and arguments.
You're better off using the internet to find info now, since you'll get a lot of updates. There's very little in the Mt. St. Michael section (p. 102) I didn't already know. Since this book came out, the whole abuse crisis has happened, everyone has a cell phone, and many of the old timers are dead.
I think the biggest issue is how much the movement has changed in the past 20 years. The hardliner stuff seems to be mostly gone, and people are ok with all the "worldly" things the group condemned 25 years ago. This caused a major rift in SSPX in 2012, creating "The Resistance" which is a big movement now.
Also there's been a ton of scholarship since 1990 that has exposed a lot more in church history. Doubling down on the same arguments and papers from Fr. Cekada just isn't working anymore. Schuckardt, Cekada, and Dolan are now all dead, along with a huge bulk of the people who were part of the movement in the 70s and 80s. It's a whole different generation now. I think the whole Tridentine mindset has been called into question by scholarship, so just doubling down on Pius X's encyclicals just isn't working anymore.
The whole phenomenon of Youtube, Twitter, bloggers, message boards and general misinformation has now come to dominate the movement. Message boards (e.g. CathInfo) are now a central focus for much of the movement. Loads of Trads have gone down the pro-Trump and pro-military thing, which is the opposite of what the movement was about in the 70s.
You're better off using the internet to find info now, since you'll get a lot of updates. There's very little in the Mt. St. Michael section (p. 102) I didn't already know. Since this book came out, the whole abuse crisis has happened, everyone has a cell phone, and many of the old timers are dead.
I think the biggest issue is how much the movement has changed in the past 20 years. The hardliner stuff seems to be mostly gone, and people are ok with all the "worldly" things the group condemned 25 years ago. This caused a major rift in SSPX in 2012, creating "The Resistance" which is a big movement now.
Also there's been a ton of scholarship since 1990 that has exposed a lot more in church history. Doubling down on the same arguments and papers from Fr. Cekada just isn't working anymore. Schuckardt, Cekada, and Dolan are now all dead, along with a huge bulk of the people who were part of the movement in the 70s and 80s. It's a whole different generation now. I think the whole Tridentine mindset has been called into question by scholarship, so just doubling down on Pius X's encyclicals just isn't working anymore.
The whole phenomenon of Youtube, Twitter, bloggers, message boards and general misinformation has now come to dominate the movement. Message boards (e.g. CathInfo) are now a central focus for much of the movement. Loads of Trads have gone down the pro-Trump and pro-military thing, which is the opposite of what the movement was about in the 70s.
January 6, 2022
A very good book for anyone interested in the subject. The author did a lot of research and has a great writing style. I really enjoyed reading it. I must say, the so-called "conspiracy theorists" he interviewed over 20 years ago while researching this book seem now (in 2022) to have been right!
February 14, 2012
Provides a deeply engrossing and well researched look into the world of Catholic ultra-traditionalism. Cuneo wasn't afraid of pounding the pavement to get information: better yet, some of the real live people he talked to actually said interesting things.I point this out merely because so many writers are wont to put down every interview they've had almost verbatim, whether it's relevant or not, just to prove they did the research.
Only four stars, however, because the book could really use an index.
Only four stars, however, because the book could really use an index.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews