Catholic Candle note: The article below was written by a man who has always been Traditional Catholic and who has been continually fighting liberalism since before Vatican II.

For those who have acquaintances especially prone to compromises, consider copying and distributing this article to them.

A person’s faith is eroded and weakened by unnoticed or disregarded small changes. It’s called gradualism.  The dictionary defines gradualism as: the policy of approaching a desired end by gradual steps.

Most people agree there is a crisis in the Catholic Church. But few take the time to understand how it happened. Or if they understand, they are not interested in fighting against it and trying to reverse it. 

An everyday example of gradualism some have witnessed over the years, is alcoholism.  The child is not an alcoholic just because he empties the last bit of his dad’s beer bottle unnoticed.  Gradualism works over the extended length of time it takes for people to change their minds (concerning an article of faith) from “No, no, don’t change it”, to “the change is okay and probably better.”

Enemies of the Church depend on the technique of gradualism to accomplish their evil goal of eliminating Traditional Catholic influence in this pagan world. Christendom was not transformed into paganism overnight.  No, it was slow and gradual. Little changes developed into big changes over time, resulting in the current crisis in the Church.

After Vatican II, I estimate 99% of Catholics gradually abandoned the truths of the Catholic Faith and unreflectively joined the Conciliar church, which is Catholic in name only.  A primary reason for the defections and loss of faith was the (intended) destruction of the Catholic priesthood.  This happened gradually over the years by diminishing the need for priests in the new Conciliar church.

The following is a list of gradual steps taken that few have noticed, taken seriously, or fought against:

  1. “Everyone goes to heaven.”  Thus, do you really need a church or priest? e.g.: Masses for the Poor Souls are not needed anymore, and bereaved families no longer request Masses to be offered for their dearly departed.
  2. Lay people can do the readings from the pulpit.
  3. Lay people can distribute Communion.
  4. No more frequent confession is needed, just reconciliation once in a while; i.e., talk it out.
  5. People need not go to Mass on Sunday unless they really want to and it “really means something” to them.
  6. Weekly devotions are no longer needed because “everyone is so busy” and the “few priests we have are overworked.”
  7. Priests are too busy to run the parish.  That job should be done by a Parish Council.
  8. Priests are also too busy to be principals of the parish schools.  Let the sisters or lay people run them.
  9. All religious should be just like the average Joe or Jane in dress and lifestyle, in order to get close to the people.
  10. Seminaries are set up to fail.  The seminarians are encouraged to date. Seminaries happily accept unnatural men.

There are other gradual steps but the above shows the crisis in the Church.

Another coming effort for gradual change is the “need” for women priests. The modernists have been unsuccessfully pushing for that change for many years.  I believe the enemies of the Church realized they needed a more liberal pope, so they retired Benedict XVI, and the Masons insisted on Pope Francis.  He will gradually spell out the “need” for a Third Vatican Council.  Which he will (of course) control.  VC III will meet and advise Pope Francis of the urgent need for women priests because of the extreme shortage of male priests.  This planned shortage was the result of seminaries designed to fail, as noted above.

Another gradual change was the relaxation of spiritual discipline.  One of the ways this was accomplished was by eliminating almost all fasting and abstinence from the year (Lent, ember days, and Advent) and spreading the idea there is no obligation to abstain on the Fridays of the year.

The N-SSPX uses gradualism to convince its followers that it’s normal and necessary to associate with and accept the Conciliar church and the coming hybrid mass.  The N-SSPX now says it is good to use conciliar bishops’ jurisdiction over N-SSPX confessions and weddings. The N-SSPX now invites Conciliar “priests” to preside over N-SSPX weddings.  This type of gradualism liberalized six formerly Traditional communities into accepting Modernism and domination by Conciliar Rome.1

Gradualism also works when a pope (e.g., Paul VI, in Humanae Vitae) fails to quickly instruct the faithful, giving the impression that Catholic doctrine is flexible and might change. People make no effort to learn Catholic teaching because, in the Conciliar church, they are told that everyone goes to heaven anyway!

The truth, of course, is much different. The world changes. Society’s consensus changes. All false religions gradually change. But the true Catholic Faith is divinely established and always remains the same.


  1. Read about these six groups here: What happens to Traditional Catholic groups which make a deal with Modernist Rome?