Thank you, Holy Father, thank you

"Thank you, Holy Father, thank you"

Feast of Ste Agnes, aD MMXX (kreutz.net)

The German District Superior of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X sent the Pope a video message to commemorate the anniversary of the withdrawal of the excommunication decree against the four bishops.

"Thank you, Holy Father, thank you," said the German District Superior of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X in a video speech today on the anniversary of the withdrawal of the excommunication decree against the four SSPX bishops.

The move showed the Pope's "great apostolic spirit" and also his "pastoralship".

Through the "unfortunate media spectacle" of a statement by one of the four bishops, the theological, ecclesiological and pastoral concerns of the Pope were not properly acknowledged, and even have been eclipsed, and "[w]e deeply regret this," said Father Schmidberger.

Father Schmidberger then cited two passages from the letter from the Pope to the bishops around the world from March 2009.

From this we can see more clearly the motivation of Benedict XVI:

"In our time, in which the Faith is threatened to be extinguished in many parts of the world like a flame, starved of fuel, the very first priority is to make God present in this world and show people's access to God. Not to just any god but the God who has spoken at Sinai, the God whose face we see in love until the end - in the Crucified and Risen Jesus Christ.

"Can we be a community no matter what, in which there are 491 priests, 215 seminarians, 6 Seminars, 88 schools, 2 university institutes, 117 brothers and 164 sisters?"

"I think, for example, of the 491 priests. The basis of their motivations, we can not know.

But I think that they would not have opted for the priesthood, if they did not want to minister to the multitudes of the destitute and sick, with the Love of Christ, proclaiming in Him and with Him, the living God."

The Fraternity must first make their Objections

The District Superior mentions the theological discussions between the representatives of the Holy See and the SSPX.

The dialogue has taken a "very good turn in the beginning to clear the inconsistancies of the discussion."

For the first time the Brotherhood had the opportunity to present their concerns about certain statements of the Second Vatican Council and the post-conciliar developments "at peace and in discussion," to the appropriate authorities.

Only in this way could the talks lead to success.

The aim was to the recovery of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Holy Church, "which today is bleeding from a thousand wounds," for the eternal salvation of countless people and the glory of the Triune God.

"The church must again speak with one voice as the living witness to the one true Triune God, for our Lord Jesus Christ as the only Savior of mankind and for his Church, founded by him as the only institution of Salvation."

"We want the dictatorship of relativism and the de-Christianization of society to stop."

An instrument of evangelization

Father Schmidberger repeated the call by Pope John Paul II for a new evangelization of the world.

The SSPX has created over the past forty years in more than sixty countries around the world - "despite unspeakable opposition on the part of the destructive forces within the Church and society" - an infrastructure that could make an "important contribution to such an undertaking", "And is with us despite all the existing faults, weaknesses and shortcomings."

In addition, Father Schmidberger said that about thrity religious communities stand by the side of the SSPX.

The conclusion of the District Superior's address: "If any part of the bishops support our work, and assist in increasing and strengthening the faithful, the Church's head and arms may be restored, and then Christians will be formed as the Church has always desired."

Christendom must be restored: "May Germany be returned under the Reign of Christ the King and His spotless Bride, the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church."