General Chapter of SSPX in July will be decisive for Catholic traditionalists

Vers la fin des échanges sans fin entre Benoît XVI et les intégristes? | Digne de foi

Towards the end of endless exchanges between Benedict XVI and the traditionalists?

For the Vatican, at least, the phase of negotiations between Rome and those responsible for the Society of St. Pius X for the reintegration of traditionalists in the Catholic Church is completed. The Vatican spokesman confirmed onThursday, June 14,that the Lefebvrists had received on Wednesday, the Pope's response to recent comments made by the SSPX on the "doctrinal preamble", which sets the terms of such return after 24 years schism.

The details of this response, by which it will be possible to judge the magnitude of the concessions made​by both parties will not be known until the SSPX Superior General, Bishop Fellay in turn responds ... It should do so "within a reasonable time", said Thursday, the Vatican spokesman, for whom "he ball is in the camp" of the Lefebvrists.The answer might occur after the General Chapter of the Society, scheduled July 11 to 13.

“We hoped that through this additional moment of reflection, we can achieve full communion between the SSPX and the Apostolic See, "says unambiguously the Vatican statement.

But Lefebvrist side, the process does not seem to be at an end: "the desire for further clarification could lead to a new phase of discussions, " they say in a statement Thursday, asserting that "they wanted continue the dialogue that will lead to a solution for the good of the Church and souls".

The doctrinal preamble was submitted in September to the successor of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. Observations and new formulations have been made over the months to make the text acceptable to both parties, in conflict about their acceptance of Vatican II especially on matters relating to ecumenism and religious freedom.

"The Church, the only way of salvation"

Clearly, if they accept the Papal offer, traditionalists would continue to criticize those points, without drawing the ire of Rome and remember that "the Church is more than the Council and a different understanding of the Council is not decisive for the future of the Church", as was reaffirmed on June 8 by Msgr Fellay. The latter persists also is suggesting that "it is the attitude of the official Church has changed, it is not us ". "We are not non-Catholics just because we criticise the meetings [interfaith] of Assisi , " a traditionalist member of the faithful based in Paris, convinced that dialogue with other religions leads "to indifferentism, even though the Catholic Church is the only way to salvation."

The Vatican also confirmed June 14 that the Lefebvrists will obtain a personal prelature, based on the statutes governing Opus Dei, giving them broad autonomy from the bishopfor the management of their forces and their places of worship. They will need the agreement of the local bishop in cases where they want to open new locations, yet the coverage of the country, particularly in France where they are most present, is already largely assured.

A schism within the schism?

Pope Benedict XVI has made ​​the resolution of this conflict a priority of his pontificate, at the risk of upsetting the part of the Church, who are less inclined to accept the schismatics, and the despisers of the council and of the "heretics " who implemented it. Bishop Fellay, meanwhile showing himself more and more to be in favour of an agreement, caused dispute within the SSPX.  The three other bishops ordained by Archbishop Lefebvre continue to be reticent about this agreement. One of them, the French Bishop Tissier de Mallerais told the weekly Rivarol early June: " if we were reinstated, we would cease to be the thorn in the side of the conciliar Church ".

A schism within the schism is possible even if the future of the bishops and the faithful who rejectedthe agreement seems problematic."They would join the few troops of the sedevacantists that exist, but would lose the houses, chapels, schools that belong to the fraternity, "said one expert on the traditionalist world. Aware of the divisions within the SSPX, the Vatican has already said it would consider "individually "the situation and the fate of each of the bishops, including that of the Holocaust denier Bishop Richard Williamson.

Canon law on Personal Prelatures

Code of Canon Law - IntraText

Can. 294 After the conferences of bishops involved have been heard, the Apostolic See can erect personal prelatures, which consist of presbyters and deacons of the secular clergy, to promote a suitable distribution of presbyters or to accomplish particular pastoral or missionary works for various regions or for different social groups.

Can. 295 §1. The statutes established by the Apostolic See govern a personal prelature, and a prelate presides offer it as the proper ordinary; he has the right to erect a national or international seminary and even to incardinate students and promote them to orders under title of service to the prelature.

§2. The prelate must see to both the spiritual formation and decent support of those whom he has promoted under the above-mentioned title.

Can. 296 Lay persons can dedicate themselves to the apostolic works of a personal prelature by agreements entered into with the prelature. The statutes, however, are to determine suitably the manner of this organic cooperation and the principal duties and rights connected to it.

Can. 297 The statutes likewise are to define the relations of the personal prelature with the local ordinaries in whose particular churches the prelature itself exercises or desires to exercise its pastoral or missionary works, with the previous consent of the diocesan bishop.

Cathcon- it is this last canon that has raised the concern of Bishop Tissier de Mallerais- it potentially raise all sorts of difficulties in France where there is an SSPX presence in every diocese, if the Conference of Bishops wished to give battle in an organised manner. No wonder the Bishop thinks he is in perpetual war given his previous experience in France.  More than anything else French ecclesiastical politics were responsible for the breakdown on the 1988 deal.

Bishop Fellay summoned to the Vatican

Mgr Fellay pourrait être réintégré dans l'Eglise catholique - rts.ch - info - monde

Bishop Fellay could be reinstated in the Catholic Church

The superior of the ultra-conservative SSPX, Bishop Bernard Fellay, could be reinstated in the Catholic Church. Benedict XVI summoned him on Wednesday to the Vatican.

The superior of the ultra-conservative SSPX, Bishop Bernard Fellay, was summoned to the Vatican on Wednesday and will receive an answer from Benedict XVI on his reinstatement in the Church, the news agency, Vatican I. media has learned.

The Pope's decision, whether positive or negative, is not likely to be communicated before Bishop Fellay has had a chance to study it and give his response. This may cause a delay before the decision of Benedict XVI is actually known.

Founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (d. 1991) and separated from Rome since 1988, the SSPX, who objected strenuously to the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), has many priests (about 500), hundreds of seminarians, nuns and tens of thousands of faithful.

Benedict XVI's gesture
The pope had made a first move towards granting liberty for the Lefebvrists (Cathcon not a term I would use) in 2007 to use of liturgical books in Latin before the Council. Then he lifted the excommunication of four bishops of the Society, including that of British revisionist bishop Richard Williamson. Finally, he accepted the opening of doctrinal discussions.

Mid-May, the Vatican has stressed that the positions of three other bishops fundamentalists, Mgrs of Alfonso Galarreta, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais and Richard Williamson, more "ultra" that Bishop Fellay would be "treated as separate and unique".

SSPX bishops against deal with Rome

Lefebvrians: The internal battle - Vatican Insider:

Following the exchange of letters addressed to the leaders of the Society of St. Pius X in recent weeks, three bishops have expressed their opposition to the agreement

A website has reported on the letters exchanged a month ago between bishops Tissier de Mallerays, Alfonso de Gallareta, Richard Williamson and the leader of the Society of St. Pius X, Bernard Fellay. The letter which the three bishops sent Fellay on 7 April contains a final appeal asking the superior not to sign the doctrinal preamble or accept the agreement proposed by the Holy See. As readers will recall, the agreement aims to assign the Lefebvrians a personal prelature.

The three bishops wrote against Fellay: “Doctrinal discussions have proven that it is impossible for an agreement to be reached with Rome at the moment” because “after the Second Vatican Council the Church’s official authorities separated themselves from the Catholic truth and now they seem determined, as before, to remain faithful to conciliar doctrine and practice.” Tissier, de Gallareta and Williamson recall that during a conference a few months before dying, Mgr. Lefebvre said the problem is not with single errors on individual conciliar documents, but the complete perversion of the spirit, of an entirely new philosophy based on subjectivism.”

SSPX Bishops' Letter to Pope

: : : DICI : : : - one would wish that such filial devotion could be found in other parts of the Catholic Church.

Most Holy Father,

In sentiments of thanksgiving we wish to express our deep gratitude for Your act of paternal kindness and for the apostolic courage by which You rendered ineffective the measure which imposed upon us twenty years ago as a consequence of our episcopal consecrations. Your decree dated January 21, 2009 restores in some way the reputation of the venerated founder of our priestly Society, His Grace Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. It also procures a great good to the Church, so it seems to us, by doing justice to the priests and faithful worldwide who, attached to the Tradition of the Church, will no longer be unjustly stigmatized for having kept the Faith of their fathers.

Because of this combat for the Faith, we assure Your Holiness, according to the wish You expressed, that we “will spare no effort in exploring as yet unresolved questions through requisite discussions with the authorities of the Holy See.” Indeed we desire to begin, as soon as possible, exchanges with representatives of Your Holiness concerning doctrines opposed to the Magisterium of all time.

By following this path still necessary, mentioned by Your Holiness, we hope to help the Holy See to bring the appropriate remedy to the loss of the Faith inside the Church.

The Immaculate Virgin Mary has clearly guided the steps of Your Holiness toward us, She will continue Her gracious intercession in His favor. With this assurance, we filially ask the Universal Pastor to bless four of His sons most attached to the Successor of Peter and to His charge of feeding the lambs and the sheep of the Lord.

Menzingen, January 29, 2009
on the feast of Saint Francis de Sales

+Bernard Fellay

+Richard Williamson

+Bernard Tissier de Mallerais

+Alfonso de Galarreta

Pope has revoked the excommunications of the SSPX bishops

Report from the official Italian news agency here.

A very swift translation

Pope Benedict XVI, as announced by the press in recent days, has lifted the excommunication' latae sententiae ' of the four schismatic bishops ordained in 1988 by Msgr. Lefebvre.

According to the revocation of the excommunication, which was signed by the Prefect of the Congregation of Bishops on January 21, the Pontiff being ''paternally sensible to the spiritual discomfort expressed by those involved in the sanction of excommunication from the commitment and confident in what they expressed in the aforementioned letter to spare no effort to investigate the necessary discussions with the authorities' of the Holy See of the outstanding questions, so 'that we can soon reach a full and satisfactory solution to the problem at its source, has decided to reconsider the canonical situation of Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson and Alfonso de Galarreta''.

''With this act – according to the decree – he wishes to consolidate the relations of mutual trust and to intensify and give stability to the relationship of the Society of St. Pius X with the Apostolic See. This gift of peace, after the Christmas celebrations, will also be a sign of promoting the unity 'in love' of the universal Church and of removing the scandal of division''