Address of the Superior of the French District of the SSPX to the Faithful - important background

Address of the Superior of the French District of the SSPX to the Faithful

Dear Faithful,

On February 2, an announcement of major importance for the life of the Church was made by the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X, Father Davide Pagliarani: new bishops will be consecrated on July 1 in Ecône to ensure the continuity of the "survival operation" carried out in 1988 by our founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre.

While the reality of such a need has become increasingly apparent to all since the death of Bishop Tissier de Mallerais, this announcement remains exceptionally serious and demands to be fully understood in light of the extraordinary situation that has shaken the Holy Church for over 60 years.

As a preliminary matter, it is crucial to state that the Society does not intend to defy the Holy Father, despite appearances and whatever headlines some media outlets may have already published! On the contrary, following in the footsteps of our founder, the Society is driven by a profound desire to serve the Catholic Church “by dedicating all its energy to safeguarding Tradition and making its faithful true children of the Church,” as our Superior General wrote to the Pope.

We will analyze this decision to proceed with future consecrations from three perspectives:

The pastoral perspective: the primary mission of the Catholic Church is the salvation of souls, “the supreme law”;

The doctrinal perspective: the successive pontificates since 1965 have all followed the false principles formulated at the Second Vatican Council;

The prudential perspective: fidelity to the heritage of Tradition requires taking the necessary steps toward unparalleled freedom.

1) The Pastoral Aspect: The Primary Mission of the Catholic Church is the Salvation of Souls, “the Supreme Law”

To fully understand the decision made by our Superior General, it is essential to return to the primary and fundamental mission of the Catholic Church, its very reason for being, which is nothing other than the salvation of souls.

Yet we are compelled to acknowledge that in an ordinary parish, the faithful no longer receive the full preaching of Catholic truth and morality, which, along with the administration of the sacraments as the Church has always done, constitute the necessary and ordinary means to ensure their eternal salvation.

Faced with this spiritual distress of souls crying out for help, it is a duty of charity for every priest to respond to their needs. Indeed, if someone sees a person in danger in the street, they are obligated to help them to the best of their ability, even if they are neither a firefighter nor a police officer.

To ignore the needs of these orphaned souls and abandon them would be to betray them, and thereby betray the Church itself, for, once again, the Church exists for souls.

This charity is a duty that governs all others. And Church law itself enshrines it in the classic maxim, "suprema lex, salus animarum: the supreme law is the salvation of souls." The final canon of the 1983 Code of Canon Law explicitly cites it.

It is on this supreme principle that the entire legitimacy of our apostolate and our mission to the souls who turn to us ultimately depends. Now, the sacramental life that we provide them requires bishops to ordain priests and confirm the faithful.

2) The Doctrinal Aspect: Successive pontificates since 1965 have all followed the same path as the false principles formulated at the Second Vatican Council.

You have no doubt heard that following the announcement of upcoming episcopal consecrations, Cardinal Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote to the Superior General to propose a meeting in Rome, to be held on Thursday, February 12. Let us, of course, pray for this intention.

But for the time being, we are also forced to acknowledge that Rome's intention has always been to lead the Society of Saint Pius X and conservative Catholics to accept the Second Vatican Council and the resulting liturgical reform.

This is particularly evident today with regard to the Tridentine Mass, which is no longer permitted. Cardinal Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, wrote to the cardinals gathered by Pope Leo XIV in Consistory at the beginning of this calendar year:

“The use of the 1962 liturgical books was, from John Paul II to Francis, a concession that in no way envisioned its promotion”; and the liturgical books stemming from Paul VI and John Paul II constitute “the unique expression of the lex orandi of the Roman Rite.”

This is equally evident in Leo XIV's initiative, announced on January 7th, to dedicate his Wednesday catechesis to rereading the texts of the Second Vatican Council, which he defines as "the Magisterium that remains today the beacon guiding the Church's path." Yet it is this same Magisterium that justified the ecumenical and blasphemous meeting in Assisi in 1986 and the Abu Dhabi Declaration of 2019, according to which the plurality of religions is willed by Divine Wisdom.

It is thus clear that the fundamental reasons that had already justified the consecrations of 1988 still fully exist and, in many respects, appear even more acutely relevant.

3) The Prudential Aspect: Fidelity to the Heritage of Tradition Requires Taking the Means of Unparalleled Freedom

After the pastoral and doctrinal assessments, let us conclude by analyzing the alternative that all the conservative Institutes attached to the Tridentine liturgy represent for souls today. Might they not be an appropriate response to the crisis in the Church?

In truth, we are once again compelled to acknowledge the precariousness of their situation, which leads them sooner or later to practical compromises or unavoidable ambiguities with doctrinal and moral truth in order not to lose their privileges, which they know are revocable at the whim of local authorities or successive Motu Prorio. Such practical relativism weakens the Catholic faith and reduces their freedom to fully bear witness to Catholic truth.

Furthermore, the foundation of these Institutes demanded that they fully subscribe to the Apostolic Letter Ecclesia Dei adflicta, published by John Paul II in the aftermath of June 30, 1988, to condemn the consecrations conferred by Archbishop Lefebvre; yet the injunction therein is clear, and this is unfortunately a fact, to remain faithful to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.

Finally, it is by no means an exaggeration to affirm that these same Institutes de facto recognize the legitimacy of the new rite known as the "Rite of Paul VI," even if this is only "half-heartedly" or implicitly: for this is indeed the non-negotiable condition set by Rome for granting them—for a time—the use of the Tridentine liturgy.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the years go by, but the fundamental orientation of post-conciliar Rome has not changed.

As early as 1988, with two decades of hindsight, Archbishop Lefebvre denounced the deleterious consequences of the Second Vatican Council on the decline in vocations and the decrease in religious practice among the faithful. In 2026, sixty years after the end of the Council and thirty-eight years after the first consecrations at Écône, the assessment of this objective situation is far worse, confirming the decline of faith even at the highest levels of the Catholic hierarchy.

Thus, for Catholics who wish to preserve the Catholic faith and morals, it is an even more evident necessity that the survival of Tradition depends entirely on the existence of faithful bishops determined to “transmit, in all its doctrinal purity and in all its missionary charity, the Catholic priesthood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, as He transmitted it to His Apostles and as the Roman Catholic Church transmitted it until the middle of the 20th century” (Spiritual Journey, Archbishop Lefebvre).

Time has passed: while the youngest bishops consecrated in 1988 were only thirty years old at the time, they are now approaching seventy after a demanding life of mission. Following the passing of the two other bishops in recent months, our Superior General finds himself in a situation similar to that of our founder. The urgent need to transmit the deposit of faith fully justifies, even today, given the circumstances, the announcement of new episcopal consecrations within the Society of Saint Pius X.

We entrust this decision to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Guardian of the Faith, that she may protect us and keep us in the unity of charity.

Source

Father Gonzague Peignot

Superior of the District of France

Born on 11 September 1986, he was ordained a priest at the Saint Pius X Seminary (Ecône) on 29 June 2015. Appointed as an assistant at the Saint Michel Garicoïtz School, then director two years later, he took over as director of the Saint Joseph des Carmes School in 2018. He was appointed Superior of the District of France from 15 August 2024 by decision of Mr. ABBÉ DAVIDE PAGLIARANI, Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X.