July 2006 Print

Fr. Christian Bouchacourt, formerly the pastor of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet in Paris and now the District Superior of South America, was interviewed by Fr. Alain Lorans, director of the official press bureau of the Society of Saint Pius X, DICI.

Fr. Lorans: Father, you went straight from St. Nicolas du Chardonnet, in Paris, to Argentina. How long ago was it?

Fr. Bouchacourt: It will be three years this coming August. Yes, three years in the Southern Hemisphere. So today you are by the fire and we are basking in the sun.

Fr. Lorans: What is the current temperature?

Fr. Bouchacourt: Oh, it's terribly hot. It is summer time!

Fr. L.: I know you're in Paris at present, but you have been all over France. Argentina is a poor country, and you need to solicit the help of the faithful in France. Each Sunday, you visit a different priory?

Fr. B.: That's correct! I have been in France for a little over three weeks and I have already visited Nantes, Bordeaux, and Brest. St. Germaine's Chapel in Paris was first, of course; we must give honor where honor is due! Next Sunday I will be in Lyons, and in ten days I will end with a visit to the chapel in Versailles. In all, I will have visited six priories.

 

Frs. Martinez, Blanco, and Huber in Santo Domingo..

Fr. L.: What kind of welcome do you receive from the faithful? What support do they give...you can be frank!

Fr. B.: I always take my slides in order to introduce the District of South America, and I am surprised at how much this interests the faithful, who want to know how our congregation is missionary–if ever there was any doubt. Many people come, and I think they leave quite enthused to see our fellow priests over there commit themselves so generously to this marvelous apostolate, which is not always easy. Archbishop Lefebvre used to say that in the missions you need twice the effort for half the result. He wasn't wrong. In France, you fish with a net, over there, you use a fishing rod. But, my goodness, it is a very beautiful and exciting apostolate.

Fr. L.: Are you discouraged at times?

Fr. B.: No, absolutely not. Especially since the people over there are very receptive to the Catholic faith, because they have remained very Catholic, even if they have been touched by the crisis like everyone else in the world. I am moved and very grateful to see the interest French people show in our missions. Of course, they are not the only ones who help....

Fr. L.: There has been a serious economic crisis in Argentina. Did the country pull through?

Fr. B.: That was in 2001, and the country did pull through. But this crisis has really decimated the middle classes. The very rich survived, the very poor are still just as poor, but the middle class is impoverished. Our faithful come from the middle class and from the poor. Very often they have large families and do all they can to help us. But they are able to do very little, and are scarcely able, if at all, to pay school fees.

Fr. L.: As you know, every year in France there is a pilgrimage to Montmartre which draws crowds of traditionalist faithful from all over Europe, and indeed, the world. This year's pilgrimage is especially devoted to the missions. There are those who talk about the missions and those who work in the missions. Could you tell us exactly what life is like in the mission? You recalled that the Society is a missionary congregation, indeed was founded by a missionary, a Holy Ghost Father, Archbishop Lefebvre. As you are walking in his footsteps, can you tell us what is the missionary spirit?

Priests of the District of South America during their annual priests' retreat. (Below) The same priests relax with a meal at retreat's end.

Fr. B.: First of all, it's necessary to define broadly the mission in South America. South America is considered by many to have remained very Catholic. This is true, but it is on the verge of becoming completely false, since this sub-continent has now been taken over by sects, in Brazil especially, but in other countries, too. And it is awful because they attract very large numbers of people. It is alarming: let me give you an example. In Rio de Janeiro there is a huge (Protestant) church, large enough to accommodate ten cathedrals the size of Notre Dame de Paris, and it seats thousands of people. On Sundays, for the morning service, it is full. But who goes to these services? Catholics. What is even more astounding is that afterwards, when they leave this church, they go and touch the statue of Our Lady that stands in the street.

These are Catholics who have been completely confused by the conciliar reforms. The clergy took away their simple devotions, which were genuine. Yes, their faith is simple, but it must not be despised on that count, because it is profound. These practices were taken away from them. In return, they were given an absolutely empty liturgy, with sometimes even pagan practices introduced into it, which the faithful did not want. So what happens? Well, they leave the Catholic Church to join these sects which offer them the old devotions, which of course have been corrupted, but the faithful feel they've found them again. The Mormons have cleverly used the familiar tunes of Marian hymns, but with unbelievable texts. And everyone sings them at the top of their voices without realizing that they're losing the Faith. Statistics published this year reveal that in 1920 there were five million non-Catholics in the entire South American sub-continent; today there are 60 million.

Now, to answer your question. What is the role of the SSPX? It is precisely to fill the void, because the conciliar Church did leave a void. And nature cannot tolerate a void. Thus when the Church retreats, the sects advance. The last time I went to a restaurant–yes, it does happen–the owner came to me and said: "Padre, would you bless my restaurant when you have finished your meal?" She showed me a doll full of pins someone had left there.

Fr. L.: A voodoo doll? You mean they put a spell on her?

Fr. B.: Yes, exactly. Of course, the role of the SSPX and of Tradition is to continue what the missionaries had been doing before: to preach the Gospel, to baptize, to care for and sanctify souls. And I can assure you, this is thrilling. On the occasion of his priestly jubilee in Paris, Archbishop Lefebvre spoke to us about the palpable transformations which would take place everywhere where the Catholic Mass was celebrated. For us, SSPX priests, we have not only our founder but also the present Superior General who give us this missionary sense. I feel that the Mother House is helping us in a truly wonderful way. It can't do more because of the lack of priests and so on. But thanks to its support we manage to open new chapels and to organize communities.

It is long and laborious, but we are gradually seeing things move. Let me give you an example. We went to visit a community of Guarani Indians on the border between Paraguay and Brazil, where no priest had been for 80 years. Just six months before us a priest went there, but the community sent him away because he was in lay clothes: "We don't want you, we want the men in black," they told him. We were the men in black with our cassocks. It was so moving to arrive in a place where there had been no priest for years. In the cacique's (village chief) hut, there was a little statue of our Blessed Lady (with no feet or nose), which they venerated. In the cemetery, there was a Jesuit cross, which looks something like the Lorraine cross. Where did they get that cross? From the Jesuits who went there hundreds of years ago. When they saw us coming, they opened their doors to us, saying, "This is what our forefathers did." And I can assure you it was overwhelming.

Fr. L.: And the Jesuits, they're no longer around?

Fr. B.: No, and it is unfortunate, as they were the cavalry of the Church. They did a tremendous amount of good; now they've completely lost it.

Fr. L.: You spoke about the disasters of modern liturgy. But has liberation theology also played its part in this catastrophe?

Fr. B.: Of course. It has caused resentment among the people: envy. The poor became jealous of the rich, and the rich who had deserted the Church forgot what their duty was. As Archbishop Lefebvre very rightly wrote in one of his letters, in the past, the poor man did not feel jealous of the rich man. He had his little plot of land, he could live. Now liberation theology has infected the class war with dialectics. It's Marxism. To be sure, the influence of liberation theology is waning, but its effects remain. Who has the upper hand these days? The cult of race: American-Indianity. With some heads of state, like Hugo Chavez [the current President of Venezuela], all pagan practices take pride of place. After his election, the president of the Republic of Peru stood on a pyramid wearing a feather headdress and asked the sun's blessing on his mandate; and the recently elected president of Bolivia, a torch in his hand, went to implore the help of the god of the Incas–and all this in countries which are 90% Catholic!

Fr. Christian Bouchacourt, formerly the pastor of St. Nicholas du Chardonnet in Paris and now the District Superior of South America, was interviewed by Fr. Alain Lorans, director of the official press bureau of the Society of Saint Pius X, DICI.

Unfortunately, in the name of religious liberty, the bishops never open their mouths. Since Vatican II, and at the request of Paul VI, the heads of Catholic States have had to write out of their constitution the Catholic religion as the State religion. And thus we saw a president of a Republic announce reluctantly the abdication of the Catholic Church in the presence of the nuncio who had requested it on behalf of the Holy See. This renunciation of the authority of the Catholic truth opened the door to sects and paganism.

However, the bishops seem to regain some of their vigor when it comes to condemning us. Let me give you an enlightening example: we serve a tiny chapel with 25 faithful in Corrientes in the northeast of Argentina. The faithful, very happy, had an announcement put in the local paper for Midnight Mass at Christmas. The bishop read it, and the following day published a half-page article in the paper condemning us and the 25 faithful. And this while there are many sects in his diocese about which he never says a word! People are complaining, they come and tell us, "Padre...," but they are afraid of the bishops, because the bishop still has some influence over there.

Fr. L.: You say Padre, so Spanish has become your second language. Are you good enough at it to dream in Spanish?!

Fr. B.: No! I'm praying for a little personal Pentecost! I have a hard time learning it and I have a terrible accent, but I have fellow priests and the faithful especially who are very indulgent.

Fr. L.: You have an immense district. How many countries do you serve?

Fr. B.: First, let me tell you its size. It is 6,800 miles north to south and 4,000 miles east to west. We are a group of 33 priests, 38 if we include the priests at the seminary, for this area. We go mainly to Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia. Of course, we do not have enough priests and some chapels are served only once every three months, others once a month, and the people keep their faith heroically with no resident priest.

So, if some young men would like to help us the way young men used to go to the colonies in the old days, if they'd like to spend six months in the missions with us, they can send me an e-mail (fsspx.sudamerica@fibertel.com.ar). Be aware that things are a little bit different here. The school year begins in March and ends in December. All men of good will are very welcome!

Translated by DICI from the March-April issue of Nouvelles de Chrétienté, the Society's informative bi-monthly news magazine.

Donations can be sent to the US District Office, Regina Caeli House, 2918 Tracy Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64109-1529 USA. The checks should be made payable to the Society of St. Pius X, but, please, do not forget to specify "for the South American Missions." Also, donations can be sent to the Society of Saint Pius X's international headquarters: Haus Mariae Verkundigung, Schwandegg, CH-6313 Menzingen, Switzerland. Again, specify that the donation is intended for the missions in South America.