Modernist theologian all in favour of diversity, inclusion and dialogue but not when it comes to traditionalists. Vatican II as the supreme authority which must be obeyed in all things.

Theologian Tück demands a clear stance against the Society of St. Pius X

"The Vatican must finally take a stand"

As long as the Society of St. Pius X does not clearly distance itself from anti-Judaism, there can be no reconciliation with the Catholic Church. The Vatican must finally take a clear stance on this, demands the dogmatic theologian Jan-Heiner Tück.

DOMRADIO.DE: It seems that the members of the Society of St. Pius X themselves are not in agreement regarding possible unity with the Vatican?

Prof. Dr. Jan-Heiner Tück (Professor of Dogmatics and the History of Dogma at the Faculty of Catholic Theology, University of Vienna): The debates or discussions have been ongoing for some time. The goal is to bring the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X back into full communion with the Catholic Church, thus averting a schism. So far, however, no real agreement has been reached because there have always been voices within the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X who have rejected and refused the Vatican's offers.

DOMRADIO.DE: On what grounds?

Tück: Formally, the last point that received significant public attention was that Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication of four traditionalist bishops after they had pledged obedience to the Holy Father. The problem at the time was that one of the four bishops was a persistent Holocaust denier, so it became a complete disaster.

There were also non-public discussions at the time, a preamble that was supposed to be recognized. The problem was to also demand that the Society of St. Pius X acknowledge key decisions of the Council, such as the recognition of religious freedom and freedom of conscience, and the ecumenical and interreligious openness, and not dismiss them as mere bargaining chips.

Prof. Jan-Heiner Tück

"The Vatican must make it clear to the Society of St. Pius X that the Second Vatican Council is not up for debate."

DOMRADIO.DE: The discussion surrounding the Second Vatican Council can now be roughly summarized into two positions. First, the position of the traditionalists, who view the Council's documents as a break with the Church's teaching tradition. And second, the position that sees the Council as the long-overdue adaptation of Church doctrine to the development of modern society. This is the Vatican's position.

Tück: The Vatican must make it clear to the Society of St. Pius X that the Second Vatican Council is not up for debate, that the aggiornamento is valid. (Editor's note: Aggiornamento stands for "updating" and "adapting" to modern developments.) This aggiornamento was carried out on several levels, has found the consensus of the world's episcopate, and was affirmed by the conciliar popes John XXIII and then Paul VI.

And if the Society of St. Pius X claims to be more papal than the post-conciliar popes, then they are committing a performative self-contradiction, but not those who defend the legacy of the Council.

DOMRADIO.DE: If one looks closely at the Second Vatican Council, wasn't it actually just a pastoral council that didn't create any dogmas, but only declarations and decrees?

Tück: That's a widespread, completely inappropriate view in certain circles. The Second Vatican Council didn't actually define any dogmas, nor did it take any disciplinary measures. It took up an impulse from John XXIII and re-examined the message of Christianity in light of modern transformation processes, addressing certain problematic areas.

That is to say, there are 16 documents, not all of equal weight. Four are constitutions, the rest are declarations and decrees. However, one mustn't now say, as Cardinal Brandmüller recently did, that the decrees and declarations are non-binding or even outdated.

Why mustn't one? Because all the Council's texts are interconnected, and what the decrees and declarations elaborate on is grounded in the dogmatic constitutions. The very word "dogmatic" indicates that these are documents of the highest binding force.

DOMRADIO.DE: What is the relationship between the Society of St. Pius X and the Church's anti-Judaism? Has the Society of St. Pius X clearly distanced itself from the Church's anti-Judaism?

Tück: Such examples make the conflict concrete. "Nostra aetate" is, after all, a declaration. (Editor's note: Nostra aetate is the declaration concerning the Church's attitude toward non-Christian religions.) The Society of St. Pius X says that this is non-binding.

This declaration redefines the Catholic Church's relationship with Judaism. It clearly rejects all forms of anti-Judaism and emphasizes the fundamental connection between Israel and the Church. This is a clear rejection, for example, of the claim that the Jews are deicides, that the Church is the new Israel, and that the Jews are, in effect, a historically obsolete entity.

In short: Anyone who questions "Nostra aetate" is, in a sense, also questioning the Church's renewed relationship with Judaism. The Church cannot accommodate the Society of St. Pius X on this point. The Society of St. Pius X must accept the Catholic Church's teaching position if they truly wish to return to unity.

DOMRADIO.DE: Are there any political connections between the Society of St. Pius X and far-right parties regarding their stance on Judaism?

Tück: Renowned sociologists of religion confirm that there is a certain osmotic permeability between very reactionary church positions and the political right. This can already be said of the genesis of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, tracing it back to its founder, Marcel Lefebvre.

DOMRADIO.DE: The Society of St. Pius X is not united within its own ranks. There are different actors and positions. What is the situation in the Vatican? Is everyone in agreement, or is there a movement that says we absolutely must push for unity now?

Tück: At least in the Vatican, there are more flexible actors and those who clearly defend the legacy of the Council. One could now exaggerate Cardinal Brandmüller's recent statement and turn it into a dispute among the cardinals, because it is clear that Cardinal Koch, Cardinal Kasper, and others are working on the basis of the Council.

This cannot be defamed as a neo-Protestantization of the Catholic Church, as some members of the Society of St. Pius X are doing. In this respect, it would now primarily be Pope Leo XIV's task to resolve the outstanding issues left by his predecessors.

Prof. Jan-Heiner Tück

"We cannot afford to have opposing, indeed even contradictory, positions under one roof."

Cathcon:   In the Professor's world, this is called diversity.   He clearly hates it in reality.

DOMRADIO.DE: So you are demanding that it is time to finally bring the Vatican's negotiations with the Society of St. Pius X to a conclusion and establish clarity. Why is this so important?

Tück: The Catholic Church is also judged by its ecumenical openness, its dialogue with Judaism, and its interreligious dialogue, and above all by the external recognition of religious freedom and freedom of conscience, that is, by society.

We cannot afford to have opposing, indeed even contradictory, positions under one roof. There can be no anti-Semites in the Catholic Church. That makes the Jewish-Christian dialogue unbelievable. It cannot be that some mourn the Catholic state, where the state is, in a sense, the extended arm of the Church, while others advocate for an orderly relationship with the democratic rule of law, and so on.

On these crucial issues, clarity must prevail, despite the plurality of interpretations that the Council, of course, also allows.

Source

The Professor calls his discipline Ecclesial Ecclesiology.  He reads the Council without reference to the teaching of Popes (other than John XXIII and Francis) and other Councils and the whole of Church history.  He also believes everyone should have their own catechism to suit their own beliefs.