Francis Konrad Schuckardt (July 10, 1937 – November 5, 2006) was an American sedevacantist independent bishop.

Born in Seattle, Washington, Schuckardt is described by Michael W. Cuneo as "the rock-and-roll outlaw of Catholic traditionalism—the bad influence that people somehow can't bring themselves to stop talking about. During the late sixties and early seventies, Schuckardt almost single-handedly founded an influential community in the Pacific Northwest that was characterized by a peculiar blend of Catholic survivalism, paranoia, and lockstep dogmatism."

Schuckardt was noted in 1997 as being of "immense symbolic importance" to the Catholic far-right, despite the fact Schuckardt had "spent much of the past decade either on the run or in hiding". In the 1980s, he was accused of sexual and financial misconduct. He died on November 5, 2006.

Biography

Francis Konrad Schuckardt was born in Seattle, Washington on July 10, 1937 to Frank and Gertrude Schuckardt. He graduated from O'Dea High School in 1954 and from Seattle University in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in education and linguistics.

In 1958 Schuckardt joined the Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, and eventually became one of its highest administrators. In 1967, Schuckardt was dismissed from the organisation for publicly rejecting Vatican II.

In 1971, Schuckardt changed the name of his group to Tridentine Latin Rite Church. He insisted his Traditional Latin Rite Catholic Church group was not a "new church", but a continuation of the Catholic Church. His followers refer to the Catholic Church as the "Modern Catholic Church" or the "Post-Vatican Council II Church" or the "Church of the Beast". They labelled Pope Paul VI the "arch-heretic of Rome".

A Spokesman-Review article states that Schuckardt claimed to be the only true Catholic bishop. In that article, Schuckardt is quoted as saying: "Some of our teachers, studying the French revolution, saw the origins of the red, white, and blue, which was adopted then. The red represented the thousands of bishops and priests who were nailed to the church doors."

Regarding Chicoine's allegation of finding large amounts of cash and out-of-day checks, The Spokesman-Review quoted Bishop Schuckardt as saying "an assistant failed to properly handle the matter and that he was unaware of the problem."

After leaving Spokane, they moved around and finally settled in Greenville, California. “One of the main reasons we move is because of the harassment we’ve been getting from Chicoine” stated loyal Bishop Schuckardt follower, Brother Mary Fidelis, “They're trying to do anything they can to destroy us, literally. We fear harm, physical harm, coming to the Bishop. We wouldn't put anything past them.” On May 9, 1987 a Plumas County, California Sheriff's Department SWAT team, with support from the California Highway Patrol, conducted a raid on the TLRCC.

Other criticisms

Bishop Lawrence Welsh, Bishop of the Diocese of Spokane, wrote of Schuckardt in the Inland Register (a diocesan newspaper): "Bishop Schuckardt has received no mission from the church universal and does not accept the unity of the apostolic office. Yet these are some of the very elements which make the Church Roman Catholic." In another section Bishop Welsh adds: "[T]hey deny the teaching authority of the Second Vatican Council and the last four Popes. Implicitly Bishop Schuckardt has set himself up as the final and last arbiter of Catholic tradition."

Schuckhardt was also criticised for insisting upon a modest dress code for women. Women were required to have long dresses and counseled to keep their heads covered at all times.

Later life

For the remainder of his life Schuckardt lived in the Seattle area. As reported November 2005, the TLRCC had about 100 members in the area. The article states: "At the heart of the mysterious group lies its founder, Francis Konrad Schuckardt, a charismatic leader who considers himself to be the true Pope, according to members of the group." The church has no public address or telephone number.

In 2002 a reporter from The Seattle Times attempted to obtain an interview with Schuckardt for an article, but requests were denied because of health reasons, although the reporter was allowed to conduct an extensive interview with six Church members and given access to Church services.

References

  • Personal website