Pope May Offer the Society a Personal Ordinariate

Msgr Galarreta leads Rome Talks for SSPX

Editor: More speculation arising, surrounding Bishop Williamson's statement last year about the possibility of a Motu Propio.


The Holy see is ascertaining the possibility of the unifying of the Society of St. Pius X by erecting a Personal Ordinariat.

As far as concerns the question of a form in church law for the Society founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre,  the Vatican appears to be considering the erection of a Personal Ordinariat.  since Autumn 2010 Canon lawyers have been studying this idea.  One such canonical solution for the Society put in a quasischismatic situation by the 1988 Episcopal consecrations will be proposed by the summer.  This was reported on the French site Summorum Pontificum observatus.

In the French rea of Catholic traditionalism it is presently an exchange of blows taking place.  The page Disputationes Theologicae, which is made up of members affiliated with  the Institute of the Good Shepherd is driven to view the talks between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X as "abortive".  Similarly, American Vaticanist John Allen understands from explanations from Abbé de Caquera and Bishop Williamson, one of the four Bishops of the Society.


Summorum Pontificum observatus sees behind the voices, which have attempted to put the discussions in a negative light, "an active minority of French priests of the Pius Society" at work, "who dismiss canonical reognition".  These critics are internal to the society to which belong the French District Superior, Bishops Tissier de Mallerais as well, who have described Pope Benedict XVI earlier this year as "supermodernistic", according to Messsa in latino.

Summorum Pontificum observatus reports also the voices which speak of a failure of the talks between Rome and the Society being "unfounded".   The emerging  offer of the Holy See, to erect for the Society a Personal Ordinaria as a canonical structure within the Church, is a "treat opportunity".  They would secure the independence of the Society from the Diocesan Bishops.  It is a particular concern of the Pope to offer the Society a solution which is canonically reliable.

Translated from katholisches.net...