Society of St. Pius X SSPX, Society, Pius X, Lefebrevrists Beware of the Society of St. Pius X and its Minions Platte City Missouri

Mr. Viola,

By now, after nearly ten years of being associated with the SSPX, you should know, if through osmosis if nothing else, that the correct term for followers of Marcel Lefebvre is "Lefebvrists," not "Lefebrevrists" as you claim. 

We all understand that English as a first language is difficult enough for you, and that making a noun from a French surname (FYI, surname means last name, like the one you've disgraced) is like asking you to show your CPA license (in other words, impossible).

But can't you consult a dictionary or ask someone more intelligent than you to help? All you have to do is look around to find that person. Feel free to contact the office secretary, who is most helpful.

As always, the minions are here to help. You're welcome, Wally-boy.

Let’s break down this absurd “report” with my comments in red font.

Beware of the religious order called the Society of St. Pius X.  They are a radical fringe group that has been claiming to be part of the Catholic Church for decades. Even Pope Francis has said they are essentially part of the Church. They do not have every “i” dotted and “t” crossed at the moment, but the pope says that the SSPX’s confessions and marriages are valid, and there never has been a question regarding the validity of the Masses.

They attract people that are from the fringes of society and generally those who need a job, hand out, have mental issues, bad marriages or who need to have someone tell them how to think or act [Jim Jones type faithful]. Wait, wait, wait! This is true. Yes, let’s see. Ah! Sounds like Walter J. Viola: Needed a job, hand out, displays behaviors associated with psychopathy, has a bad marriage, and has a child-like need to be told how great he is. It’s funny how accusations are, many times, really confessions. They prey on the weak of mind and only hire those into their organization who swear allegiance to them and not the real Catholic Church. Who is attracted to the SSPX is hardly the fault of the priests. In fact, however, you’re more likely to meet a strange person at the drug store than you are at a chapel run by the SSPX.

They actually tell their followers they are the only real Catholic Church and their Bishop [Fellay] acts as if he is the real Pope.  This is simply not true, and there are decades of books, pamphlets, magazine articles, and web pieces that demonstrate the fidelity of the SSPX to the Church and the pope.

If anyone approaches you from this organization, either priest or laity run away screaming. Sometimes they hide their AKA name and go by their real name the Society of Jesus and Mary.

Keep your wives and children far away from this religious order until you have performed a proper background check on the specific priest or brother. Certain perverted religious from this order or their faithful are known to lure woman and children [both boys and girls] under the guise of spiritual direction only to sexually or mentally abuse them. OK, now the writer has crossed the line. One may differ with a particular group, but committing wholesale calumny against people is simply wrong. These are serious allegations. Presumably the author has called the police. If not, why not? Because the allegations are lies?

If anyone tries to expose them or their tactics, they will send out their minions to destroy their name through the internet and send threatening letters to their houses. Really? Do tell! They use Scientologist type tactics and hire highly questionable lawyers like Danial (It’s Daniel.) Lane of Independence, MO to do their dirty work. Their leadership both in Switzerland and the United States when confronted directly are real cowards.  Broad accusations with no specifics is not helpful and normal people will see right through this nonsense.

They have attacked previous financial and operational officers or professional consultants like Walter Viola who had tried to report matters to their board of directors.  In the case of Walter Viola, their board in Switzerland refused to investigate the matters reported but actually assisted the US District Superior [Fr. Wegner] in covering up all the facts in order to avoid prosecution. If Walter Viola reported “matters” to the board, then Viola should disclose what those matters are. Twiddling thumbs, waiting…

They will destroy whistleblowers. They have also attacked many very good priests within their order as well when they tried to expose their superior’s actions. They transfer priests charged with sexual misconduct around the world or into their seminaries in order to avoid prosecution or hide their actions. Wow, charged with sexual misconduct? How about a link to a court document or even a news story?

 They hide their real intentions behind a collar and a smile. They misuse benefactor and faithful donations in such a gross (Do you know what this word means?) manner that if they were investigated by either the IRS or Attorney Generals (General’s) Office,  they would surely lose their 501c3 status and many would receive criminal convictions. Again, the writer seems confident, so how about some specifics?

 They hired a washed out seminarian with no real life experience or skills to run their major publishing organization “Angelus Press” and a phony ex-fundraising professional from a defunct religious order [the Legionaries of Christ] who actually took more than he brought into the organization. Typical. Go for the ad hominem attack when you have nothing else. To compare Viola to these two individuals is like comparing someone who lies about his work history, claims college degrees he doesn’t have, and pretends to be a CPA when he’s not to professionals who do their jobs very well and are good men to boot.   

 They hire accountants and lawyers who have no real world experience to manage matters far above their abilities so they can control the outcomes and thus cheat all the associated parishes around the United States.  Actually, Walter Viola hired each and every accountant, had the attorney with over 20 years with the SSPX fired, and then hired a new attorney and turned on her when she wouldn’t rubber-stamp his ideas. The mistake of the SSPX was in trusting Viola.

Their schools are not operated by qualified teachers, but mothers that can’t afford to pay tuition or priests that  have no educational background or training (What else is new in Catholic education? This is not unique to the SSPX and, while no school is perfect, they do the best they can. Thousands of parents seem to hold a different opinion than Viola does.) but rather bored with their vocation (There is no way he can infer this ridiculous accusation).

They refuse to provide accurate financial reporting to their faithful out of fear it may raise too many questions.  Do not donate a penny to this religious organization and surely do not entrust your soul or the souls of your friends and family to them.  Write and ask them to provide a full accounting of how money was spent on the building of the seminary in Virginia [St. Thomas Aquinas] and what due diligence they have performed before moving forward and spending millions on the retirement project in Veneta, Oregon [Sarto Retirement Village].  OK, Viola, this is your department. I mean, it was your department for six years until you were fired (again). Tell us what’s going on.

Write Rome and insist that before they allow the Society of St. Pius X into the real Catholic Church, they must investigate this organization or else they will be guilty of gross negligence and once again inflicting pain onto the faithful by thier (someone really needs to explain to Viola what that red squiggly line means in Word) denial.  

If this organization has nothing to hide,  it will open all its accounting books and records for the past 6 years and provide full disclosure of all sexual abuse matters in the United States district since 2009. Yes! Great idea! Let’s see what went on all those years Viola was there.

Mr. Viola, (er, "Joe" from Platte City) you have come up with an excellent idea. 

Yes, let's throw open the books. Let's review all the accounting from the time you were, ahem, a "professional consultant" for the SSPX. 

Let's review every document you signed off on during this time. Let's hear from you why you never raised a whimper about any impropriety during the seven years you oversaw the accounting department.

Let's examine every foul-mouthed email rant from you to employees and management and third-parties over those years.

Let's have a look at all the emails that have your signature as a CPA or MBA or whatever else you pretended to be as you duped and defrauded faithful Catholics of their generous gifts.

Let's hear about all these accountants and attorneys who you claim were incompetent. Why? Because you hired them, not the SSPX. Why did you hire them? Let's hear why you ran off people only to hire others to replace them who, you claim, were incompetent and just pawns of SSPX management. You hired them, so you have the answers.

Whatever problems there are or were at the district office are the direct result of your involvement.

And let's hear why you remained at the SSPX all these years, taking its money and helping it buy churches--you know, the organization you now claim is phony. When did the SSPX suddenly become a "radical fringe group"? Maybe around the time they dumped you, perhaps? You didn't even bring up these silly accusations in your silly complaint against the SSPX. Why now?

Oh, and while the books are open, let's hire a forensic accountant, a real accountant with a real CPA, and have him review every single transaction you were involved with. How about that?

Finally, your claims of sexual abuse are disturbing. Your report will be sent to the Platte County Sheriff's office which will, it is hoped, interview you when you are in town for your court case against the SSPX. This is serious stuff that you allege.

Certainly chief among their concerns will be why, if you knew such criminal activities were occurring, you did nothing in seven years to bring this to the attention of the authorities.  

Poor ol' Walter. Who did you get to write this for you? Your only mistakes were misspelling Daniel and their and not making General possessive. 

But there is an all-too-familiar pattern here that stinks of Viola. His use of "due diligence" (a favorite term of his), making the focus about him and his bogus crusade as a whistle-blower, challenging only the last six years of accounting, whining about the things he always whined about like Sarto Village and the seminary (which sent him packing), the free-flow writing of a third-grader, the sweeping indictments with no supporting evidence, the recycled insults, and the generally bad and unprofessional style of writing all point to Viola. (Note to Viola: in fourth grade, we begin using paragraphs.) 

Viola's rant is simply a more unhinged restatement of his bogus lawsuit against the SSPX.

When he refers to himself as a "professional consultant" it provides comic relief. 

Viola's targets prior to being fired were an editor and director of fundraising, both of whom are competent, decent, Catholic men who play by the rules. They just did not play by Viola's rules.

Viola's "report" reads like one of those Know-Nothing novels from the 19th century that accused the Church of every imagined crime. 

By the way, Viola, the SSPX is truly part of the Church, as recent comments from senior prelates (that means a Church official like a cardinal or bishop, Viola) attest.

Anyway, normal people can tell that this report from Viola is junk.