About

My name is Brother Matthew of Versoix, O.F.M.Cap. I am a Swiss traditional sedevacantist Friar Minor Capuchin currently living in France.

This website aims to promote useful information for our eternal salvation.

The French website contains information not published on the English website, and vice versa.

Most Holy Family Monastery is a Benedictine monastery that has received special graces to defend and spread the traditional Catholic faith, as taught and defined by the authoritative teachings of the popes throughout history. For this reason, I recommend their material, which is available in several languages through their various websites and YouTube channels. Please check their steps to convert and their guideline on where to receive the sacraments.

My Profession of Faith

Profession of Faith of the Council of Trent

I fully embrace and profess, without any reservation or compromission, the Profession of Faith of the Council of Trent.

No salvation outside the Catholic Church nor without the true Faith

I firmly hold that the Catholic Church is the one true Church instituted by Jesus Christ upon St. Peter, and that it is absolutely necessary for salvation to be a member of it. Therefore, I uphold the dogma Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus (Outside the Church there is no salvation) as proclamed by the Church, that is, without exception:

Pope Innocent III, Fourth Lateran Council, 1215: “One indeed is the universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved, in which the priest himself is the sacrifice…” ¹

The meaning to be given to dogmatic proclamations is that which the Church has assigned to them once and for all. It is not permitted to deviate from this meaning nor to add anything to it, particularly exceptions:

Pope Pius IX, Council Vatican I, 1870: “For, the doctrine of faith which God revealed has not been handed down as a philosophic invention to the human mind to be perfected, but has been entrusted as a divine deposit to the Spouse of Christ, to be faithfully guarded and infallibly interpreted. Hence, also, that understanding of its sacred dogmas must be perpetually retained, which Holy Mother Church has once declared; and there must never be recession from that meaning under the specious name of a deeper understanding.” ²

I also profess that it is absolutely necessary to embrace and profess the traditional doctrine of the Church in order to become Catholic and be saved:

Pope Eugene IV, Council of Florence, Sess. 8, Nov. 22, 1439: “Whoever wills to be saved, before all things it is necessary that he holds the catholic faith. Unless a person keeps this faith whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish eternally.” ³

Pope Leo XIII, Satis Cognitum, 1896: “The practice of the Church has always been the same, as is shown by the unanimous teaching of the Fathers, who were wont to hold as outside Catholic communion, and alien to the Church, whoever would recede in the least degree from any point of doctrine proposed by her authoritative Magisterium.” ⁴

Outside the Church no salvation proven by Scripture

I acknowledge that this teaching has its source in Holy Scripture.

Jesus Christ teaches that those who do not remain in Him, His Mystical Body, will not be saved:

John 15:6: “If anyone does not remain in Me, he will be thrown out like a branch and will dry up; he will be gathered, will be thrown into the fire, and will burn.”

His Mystical Body is the Church that He established upon Saint Peter:

Ephesians 1:22-23: “And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

The Church is characterized by four essential attributes: the unity of faith and governance, holiness, catholicity (or universality), and apostolicity. Only the Catholic Church possesses all these these qualities, making it the one true Church instituted by Jesus Christ, distinct from the countless sects that lack them.

There are many passages in the Bible showing that the faithful must profess and embrace the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Apostles. This submission to a single, unified teaching, whose origin goes back to Jesus Christ, constitutes the unity of faith in the Church:

Ephesians 4:4-6: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

I reject as non-Catholic anyone who does not profess the true Faith

Accordingly, I reject as non-Catholic and outside the Church any individual or group that does not profess the traditional Catholic Faith. This includes the Vatican II sect, the SSPX, the CMRI, and others. Some may present themselves as traditional Catholics, adopting certain externals, but because they have embraced heresy, they have exclude themselves from the membership of the Catholic Church.

I do no elevate fallible opinions to the level of dogma

I do not elevate any fallible opinion of men, including my own, to the level of dogma. I clearly distinguish between what a Catholic is obligated to believe and the fallible opinions of men, with which one may legitimately disagree, as long as the Catholic Faith is preserved.

F. Peter John Olivi was a famous French Friar Minor. He died in 1298. Some consider him to be the first to formulate the dogma of papal infallibility. His profession of faith remains highly relevant today.

F. Peter John Olivi, French Friar Minor (d. 1298): “I confess to God and declare in your presence, my Brothers, that I hold as an article of faith only what is contained in Scripture and what the Catholic and Roman Church, whose legitimate Pastor is Boniface VIII, teaches us. I have never followed the opinion of any Doctor as a point of faith, nor will I ever take it as such unless it is first shown to me clearly and solidly that it is part of the belief of the Roman Church. And I consider it a diabolical error to cling to the private opinion of a man with the firmness that is due only to an article of faith.

I also confess that I do not believe myself obliged to accept as a point of faith anything other than what has been determined as such, either by the Pope or by a general Council, unless reason, the authority of Scripture, or that of the Catholic faith itself compels me to believe it. However, I do not intend to deny that the opinions of Doctors deserve great respect, provided they contain nothing that is evidently contrary to the faith. It is even useful for there to be differing opinions, as long as they are not upheld with obstinacy; for in this way, the truth is better examined, minds are sharpened through debate, and one arrives more securely at the clarification of the mysteries of faith.

But I refer only to those opinions that are below the level of faith, which can serve to defend it and to make it more easily understood.”

Key Doctrinal Positions

Below are some of my positions:

• Vatican II is a false council that represents a break from true Catholic doctrine and, therefore, does not represent the Catholic Church.
• The Apostolic See of St. Peter is currently vacant, and all claimants to the papacy beginning with John XXIII are heretical antipopes outside the Church.
• Outside the true Catholic Church, there is absolutely no salvation, with no exceptions.
• The concepts of “baptism of desire” and “baptism of blood” are not consistent with Catholic dogmatic teaching. The Church has defined as dogma that water baptism is necessary for salvation. If exceptions existed, the Church would have included them in the dogmatic decree, or allowance would have been made for them through precise wording in the definition. This did not occur.
• “Natural family planning” is a sinful practice and a form of birth control because it deliberately attempts to avoid life, thereby frustrating the primary purpose of marriage and the conjugal act.
• There are two dogmatic definitions declaring that Christ alone is our Redeemer, and these explicitly exclude anyone else. Therefore, it is heretical to assert that Our Lady is Co-Redemptrix.
• Marriages between people of different countries or races are not problematic, provided that the faith is preserved.

About me

I was born Jonathan Peter McNally Newton in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1985. After graduating from the University of Applied Science in Geneva and from the Swiss Institute of Technology in Lausanne, I decided to dedicate my life to Jesus Christ in 2013. Shortly after, I came accross Most Holy Family Monastery’s material, especially the dogma Outside the Church no salvation, which I never heard before and which led me to become Catholic.

The next year, I received Baptism, and that same year, God called me to religious life. Following this call, I spent the next seven years assisting Most Holy Family Monastery in their apostolate before being called by God to enter a religious order.

Drawn to the Order of the Capuchins by the example of Saint Peter of Alcantara and his profound love for holy poverty, God called me to take the Capuchin habit on August 2, the day the Capuchin reform began (according to Francis of Cartocete) and traditionally the most significant day of the Franciscan Order, since it marks the granting of the Portiuncula indulgence by Pope Honorius III at the request of Saint Francis.

The Capuchin Order

The Capuchin Order is an autonomous reformed branch of the Order of Saint Francis, with its autonomy granted by Pope Paul V in 1619.

As stated in Chapter 1 of Saint Francis’ Rule, “the Rule and life of the Friars Minor consist in observing the holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, living in obedience, without property, and in chastity.” The life of the Friar Minor is particularly founded upon the following verses:

Matthew 19:21: “Jesus said to him: If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you own and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven; then come and follow Me.”

Luke 9:3: “And He said to them: Carry nothing for the journey, no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, and do not take two tunics.”

Luke 9:23: “He also said to all: If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

As commanded by Saint Francis’ Rule and in accordance with the Evangelical Counsel of poverty, Capuchins do not possess anything, either individually or collectively:

Pope Nicholas III, Exiit qui seminat, 1279: “We declare that renouncing all forms of property, both individually and collectively, for the love of God, is meritorious and holy, that Jesus Christ taught it through His words and confirmed it by His example, when He showed the way of perfection…”

Rule of Saint Francis, Chap. 6: “Let the Brothers own nothing, neither house, nor place, nor anything else; but let them consider themselves as travelers and strangers in this world; let them serve the Lord in poverty and humility; and let them go with confidence to ask for alms. They should not be ashamed to do so, since Our Lord became poor in this world for our sake. This is the excellence of this sublime poverty, my very dear Brothers, which has made you heirs and kings of the Kingdom of Heaven; which has stripped you of the goods of the earth, but has made you great in virtues. Let this be your inheritance; it is what leads to the land of the living: cling to it entirely, my very dear Brothers; and for the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, never desire to possess anything else under heaven.”

The revelations of Jesus Christ to the 16th-century Capuchin named John of Medina offer profound insights into the true nature of the Capuchin vocation:

Revelations to John of Medina: “Let those who serve me in this Rule understand that I have stripped them of all possessions and called them to extreme poverty in all things, so that I might show in them the riches of my generosity and my Providence, and make them more dependent on my infinite goodness. Let them, then, strive only to be faithful observers of their Rule, and never doubt my Providence. For I, who feed the birds of the sky and clothe the lilies of the fields, how could I abandon my children who have entrusted to me all the care of their lives?…

… the Brothers of this Congregation must depend entirely on my will, and in all their affairs look only to the guidance of my Spirit, so that, being free from everything that ought to be reserved for my choice, they submit all their cares and desires to the rule of my divine will.

Those who live in such a way that they entrust to my orders their persons and all their interests, and who wait for my guidance in whatever I please to grant, whether honors or insults, sorrows or joys, I embrace them as my dearest friends. I take particular care of them, I accomplish my will in them, and I am glorified in them. They are the ones who sleep in my bosom and rest in me in great peace…

Therefore, the Brothers who wish to serve me and obey me more perfectly must especially take care to have a soul free from all desire for things, and, except for the virtues of the soul and the heavenly help that leads them toward those virtues, let them ask nothing of me, neither human nor temporal goods, however good and honorable they may seem, nor preaching assignments, nor even the goods of eternity. Let them leave all to my will, and have a spirit so detached from all worldly desires that they allow me to dispose of all things according to the laws of my wisdom and my will. Let them receive everything from me without anxiety, since this Order, which is in the most perfect state, must be free from those things that weaken perfect hope and true charity, whose nature and strength lie in this: that apart from the pursuit of divine glory, they despise all else as being too full of imperfections and shortcomings.” ⁵

Pope Gregory IX reported that Saint Francis told him during his lifetime that he had obtained three privileges from Our Lord ⁶:

1. The greater the number of Brothers, the more abundant the provisions would become.
2. No Brother clothed in the holy habit would come to a bad end (obviously, this applies only to those who strive to live in accordance with it and it does not apply to heretics outside the Church).
3. Whoever persecuted the Order would be severely punished by the Lord, his days would be shortened, and his end would be disastrous.

Saint Francis further adds that, on the occasion of receiving his Sacred Stigmata on Mount Alverna, he was granted three additional privileges:

1. The profession of his Brothers, or his Order, would last until the end of the world.
2. Whoever lived wickedly within his Order would not be able to persevere in it for long.
3. Whoever sincerely loved his Order would, through repentance, obtain the Lord’s mercy, no matter how great a sinner he had been.

Some report that Saint Francis said to Brother Leo, his companion and confessor, that Jesus Christ promised him that the three Orders he founded, the Friars Minor, the Poor Clares, and the Third Order, will last until the end of the world. Here is what Jesus Christ is said to have told Saint Francis:

“Francis, these three gold coins that you have given me are the three religious families that you have instituted for the honor of my name. In return, I, your Creator and your Redeemer, promise you here three things: first, that the three Orders you have founded will endure until the end of the world; second, that I will bless and love all those who love them; third, that I will assist, with a very special providence at the moment of their death, all those who belong to them.” ⁷

Bernardino of Colpetrazzo was a Capuchin who died in 1594. In his Chronicles he reports that Jesus Christ appeared to St. Francis in the form of the Crucified and told him that the apostolic life would be preserved in his Order until the Day of Judgment:

Our Lord to St. Francis of Assisi: “… I want the life I and my Apostles led preserved in your Order until the day of Judgement. Then anyone who wants to know what my life was will know it in your Friars who will observe the Rule that I will give you.”

He also reports a prophecy which states that at the end of times, the Friars Minor will be “without guides and teachers”:

Bernardino of Colpetrazzo, Capuchin (d. 1594): “That prophecy is verified which says: In the last days a Reform will be done in the spirit of the Founder. The Holy Spirit will call the novices who come in that day. They will be without guides and teachers.”

Obviously, those heretical “Friars Minor” of the Vatican II sect or from other groups such as the SSPX are outside the Church and are not true religious.

Contrary to a myth spread by heretics, Saint Francis of Assisi was not the precursor of Vatican II’s interreligious dialogues, quite the opposite. As his life and writings clearly demonstrate to anyone of good will, he was a devout and uncompromising Catholic who firmly held that the Catholic Faith is absolutely necessary for salvation.

In particular, heretics cite his meeting with the Sultan of Egypt to support their claims. What they do not know, or deliberately conceal, is that Saint Francis actually went there to convert him, and, according to some reports, the Sultan did convert later on.

Saint Bonaventure, Legends of Saint Francis: “Finally, after mistreating and afflicting them in every possible way, by a disposition of divine Providence they brought them before the Sultan, according to the saint’s desire. When the Sultan asked who had sent them and what was the purpose of their journey, Francis answered without fear: ‘I have not come on behalf of any man, but on behalf of the Most High God, to show you and your people the way of salvation, and to proclaim to you the Gospel of truth.’” ⁸

Saint Francis predicted that an antipope would emerge and lead many into heresy:

“At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death.” ⁹

In his Rule, he also makes clear that Friars Minor promise obedience to legitimate Popes, not Antipopes:

Rule of Saint Francis, Chap. 1: “Brother Francis promises obedience and reverence to Lord Pope Honorius and his canonically elected successors, and to the Roman Church.”

Here are the words that Saint Francis often said to his Brothers to encourage them to strictly observe the Rule:

“We have promised great things, greater ones have been promised to us. Let us hold on to the former and long for the latter. Pleasure is short, suffering is eternal. Suffering is light, glory is infinite. Many are called, few are chosen, and all will receive what they have deserved.”