The Joy of Schism

With the excommunication of Archbishop Viganò, the rumors of further crackdowns against the Traditional Mass, the renewed accusations against Traditionalists of being “schismatically-minded,” and, further afield, the rift between Constantinople and Moscow, the word “schism” seems to be extremely popular today. Folk who have no authority to do so happily excommunicate each other—and some take delight in such treatment, as a sort of badge of honor (depending upon who has supposedly expelled them from the Church). There is—and we shall see, has always been—a certain sick joy on either side of schism.