I like Anthony and I think it's generally best not to get concerned or shocked when he's posting like this late at night.

However, a brief response to one comment from the quoted tweet below:

"I’ve never heard a Sede tell me how coming to that position has helped their spiritual life. I’ve never heard a Sede conversion story that led to someone finding peace in their soul."

Well, I've been making this point for years. I've attached some screengrabs from a 2022 article (the "pill" comment being a reference to Eric Sammons’ recurring misrepresentation and attribution of despair to us), and from a tweet just last night.

Some further points.

I reached the conclusion as a married father in a pretty normal state of life. I was not in a state of anxiety or disturbance when I was reading both sides. My return to the issue after years of having considered it impossible to solve was prompted by realising I had got some points wrong in that conclusion, rather than any kind of emotional distress. I reached the conclusion through study, thought, reason, and prayer.

As such, I was not expecting any kind of peace or joy as a result of this conclusion, and they did not come as a result of confusion or distress being lifted.

The peace and joy were, as I said, a result of realising that the Church really is as she is described by the saints and Holy writers of the Church. Yes, she is obscured at present. But she is as beautiful as she ever was, as loving as she ever was, and as safe a guide as she ever was. She is precisely as Our Lord Jesus Christ intended her. We must work for her honour and vindication, but not her reform, or a return to the truth – as if she needs any such help from us to have the truth.

As St Paul said:

"Christ also loved the church and delivered himself up for it: That he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life:

"That he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

That's what the Church is. That's what Catholics are members of. That's why the conclusion of sede vacante – the only one which can make sense of the data of both facts and doctrine – gives so much peace and joy.

I do not consider sedeplenists to be non-Catholics by the fact of their mistake about the situation alone (though some will be non-Catholics for other reasons, if they are heretics etc).

But what I wish for them is the same peace and joy and safety that I have just described, which I believe they cannot have without the truth about our current situation.

And as Fr Kearney said:

"The Life of the Mystic Body is also a life of calm confidence, of peace, of security, like the risen life of Jerusalem and Galilee. The Church has always the sense of security and contentment; holy joy radiates from the life of the Mystic Body all over the world.

"The members of the Mystic Body, especially those who are living a full spiritual life, know from their own experience the reality of the peace and tranquillity of soul that comes from the mere fact that they are members of the Mystic Body; and they become more conscious of this life of peace and serenity of soul according as they become more perfect in their imitation of Christ in his life of patient bearing of pain, because his heavenly Father so willed it.

"The Life of the Mystic Body in this world unites together and renews both the suffering and the risen life of Jesus."

This is the peace, joy and help to the spiritual life I have received since concluding sede vacante years ago. It hasn't run out yet. It is clearly supernatural. It is not why I hold that the See is vacant, but I thank God and his holy Mother for this grace. I wish it for all my fellow Catholics and for all men.

Christ is indeed King!

[S.D. Wright]

P.S.: As for some of the other points raised by Anthony – such as the false idea that the sede vacante conclusion entails on "sedes" being Catholic, their sacraments being the only sacraments, and so on, see here:

substack.com/@sdwright/…

P.P.S.: Finally, I think a few points Anthony attributes to sedes in general were already addressed in this piece, written specially for him.

While Anthony is funny, and his points shouldn't be taken too seriously, we do need to state that even humour needs to respect the requirements of justice and the eighth commandment.