(LifeSiteNews) — Joining me on this episode of The John Henry Westen Show is Father Michael Mary Sim, the founder and superior of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer (Transalpine Redemptorists) religious congregation. We discussed the community’s recent letter denouncing the “Synodal Church,” their bishop’s attempt to expel them, and more.

First we briefly discussed the history of the Transalpine Redemptorists, who were founded under the auspices of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), as well as their 2024 expulsion from their diocese in New Zealand.

Then I asked Fr. Michael Mary about the congregation’s October open letter repudiating the “Synodal Church” and why they decided to write it now after suffering through the Francis pontificate without making similar statements.

The priest emphasized that what really led to that letter was Pope Francis’ stunning remarks last year that “every religion is a way to arrive at God,” delivered to an ecumenical group of young people in Singapore. After that, the Redemptorists could no longer remain silent.

READ: Traditonalist Redemptorists issue open letter to ‘repudiate the Synodal Church’

“(Pope Francis) telling those children, ‘Is my God bigger than your God? All religions are just like languages.’ I must admit, for me … it really angered me,” he recalled.  “I was in Rome at the time, and I thought, ‘What the heck is going on? How can you sit there and tell people this?'”

“There was a shot to the side (during Francis’ remarks), there was … a whole lot of seats there, with religious dignitaries all sitting there listening,” he added. “What are they doing listening? Why did nobody even speak up then?”

Fr. Michael Mary noted that Pope Leo XIV made similar remarks during an interreligious meeting in October to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the promulgation of Nostra Aetate with Muslim, Hindu, and other representatives of false religions.

“Dialogue is not about compromise. You’re supposed to be strong in your religion,” the priest said.

I jumped in to ask if he or the community were afraid of being punished for writing that letter.

“Honestly, no one wants to be ostracized, so-called ‘punished.’ We’re in a position where we own what we’ve, we own what we own. So, they can’t throw us onto the street exactly,” he said. “But … people who want to punish us, they could do all kinds of things to us: (We) could be laicized, excommunicated, suspended, suppressed, all these things.”

READ: Transalpine Redemptorists issue new statement as case heads to Vatican

“Look, in the end, what are we here for? What’s the good of being a Catholic, what’s the good of being a religious if you can’t stand up for what you know is the truth?” he added. “We have the red vestments of the martyrs, and we love the martyrs. (But) we’re afraid of being thrown on the street, we’re afraid of being ostracized, we’re afraid of being punished. For what? The apostles were happy to be scourged for the love of Jesus.”

To hear much more from Fr. Michael Mary, watch my full interview above or by clicking here.

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