Dale Price won’t touch it.

Amy Welborn hosts debate on it.

Mark Shea…is Mark Shea.

Many of my fellow Evil Traditionalists have been destroying it.

What am I talking about? Why, the Harry Potter books, of course!

So now, the obvious question is, “Tommissar, no subject is truly settled until you speak on it. Please, give unto us thy wisdom. Why waiteth thou so long?”

Firstly, I had to let everyone else speak; you don’t start the fireworks with the grand finale, after all. It was only fitting that I let all the lesser lights have their say, before I settled the blogosphere’s mind on the issue.

Secondly, I wanted to actually read book six before saying anything.

Finally, I was sleepy the other day.

On one side, we have those who say Harry Potter is the most wonderful thing to happen since Pentecost. On the other, we have those who believe Satan will leap from the pages of the books, and drag the souls of children to hell.

Amongst Catholics, we tend to see a split here between “Conservatives” and Traditionalists”. I wish to heal this rift. As we all know, I’m just the guy to do it too.

Conservatives say Harry Potter is good literature, even if some impressive Church figures seem to speak against it. Traditionalists say it’s the Mary-Jane of the occult. Only I know the truth to the books, and it is a truth so special, it will unite these previously bitter enemies forever. The one idea Rowling is trying to advance in her books is this:

Attending an SSPX Chapel is OK.

For those who don’t know, Albus Dumbledore is a clever disguise for Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Like Dumbledore, he too ran a school. Let’s follow the plot of the books thus far, to highlight the themes contained. Please note: the book is not an allegory. As such, there will be lacking direct correspondences for every minor detail. That’s not how JK likes to get down.

There is a world within our “regular world”. It is a world barely recognizable by those who live outside it, who only rarely catch a glimpse of that happenings that occur within it. These occurences are strange and fantastic and affect the outside world in ways outsiders cannot readily comprehend. This is the world of wizards and witches in Harry Potter’s universe. More accurately, it could be called the Catholic Church.

In this world, a great evil stalked the wizarding community. If we assume a current chronology, this evil built itself up in the ’60s and ’70s , bringing destruction and confusion to the entire community.

In the books, he’s called Lord Voldemort. In the real world, we call this “The Spirit of Vatican II“.

After this evil appears to have been vanquished, society tries to go back to normal. The only people who know that trouble is bubbling right below the surface are those who attend the school. The head of the Wizarding Community, Paul VI Minister of Magic Fudge, is a man beset by doubt who tries to minimize any discontent or rumblings about the potential danger. In fact, he eventually places the school under intense “investigation” (in actuality he places a plant inside the school in an attempt to incite students or teachers to oppose the headmaster). At points, the school teeters on being closed, but is kept open only by the Headmaster’s Strength of will. A lesser wizard would have bowed to the pressures assaulting him.

Eventually, a new Minister of Magic is named, a man with great charisma who takes the threat posed by Lord Voldemort seriously. Unfortunately, while he can provide a ton of psychological support and appears to be trying to destroy the threat he’s not been able to fully destroy it. Also, John Paul II Minister Scrimgour has a stormy relationship with Dumbledore which prevents them from working together.

Finally, there’s even a ready to burst forth fifth column inside the school, known as Slytherin, or the Society of St. Pius V. So there you go, the Harry Potter series is really an apologia for the SSPX.

Happy Reading, my work here is done.