Bishop Fellay of SSPX Has Mixed Reactions about Clarification: Sees no Reconcilation Short Term

Editor: The future's uncertain and the end is always near.

Clarity is not the Charism of the Conciliar Church

The General Superior of the Society of Pius X has made it clear that a reconciliation with the Vatican is not foreseeable "in the short term".

(kreuz.net, Stuttgart)  The instruction 'Universae Ecclesiae' has affirmed the importance of the Old Mass for the whole Church.

Bishop Bernard Fellay -- the General Superior of the Society of St. Pius X -- said this in a German video interview with the website 'pius.info'.

This occured on Tuesday at during a visit by Msgr Fellay in Stuttgart.

The Bishop was leased that Bishops and Priests will be permited to offer the Old Rite.

At the same time Msgr Fellay sees shadows in the Instruction.

Legitimacy of the New Mass

The Bishop especially criticized number 19 of the Instruction.

It reads: "The faithful who ask for the celebration of the forma extraordinaria must not in any way support or belong to groups which show themselves to be against the validity or legitimacy of the Holy Mass or the Sacraments celebrated in the forma ordinaria or against the Roman Pontiff as Supreme Pastor of the Universal Church."

The General Superior took the entire paragraph to mean that the legitimacy of the New Mass may not be doubted.

Actually, it's a fact "that probably ninety percent of those, who are attending the Old Mass see."

Because: Why should one attend the Old Mass if one is happy with the New -- asked the Prelate.

With this point, the Society is "surely not pleased".

Careful Criticisms

Additionally, Msgr Fellay criticized number 31 of the Instruction. There, the Diocesan Bishops are strenuously forbidden to offer Priestly ordinations in the Old Rite.

The section from 31 reads: 31. "Only in Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life which are under the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, and in those which use the liturgical books of the forma extraordinaria, is the use of the Pontificale Romanum of 1962 for the conferral of minor and major orders permitted."

Bishop Fellay had hoped for the same openness to ordination as with the Mass.

As a whole he greets the new Instruction "with mixed feelings".

As far as that goes, he hopes that the good will grow and that the Old Mass will be more and more celebrated.

No Reconciliation in the Short Term

Of the Conferences with the Vatican, Msgr Fellay said that he remains committed to them.

If it will produce a common clarification or not, only the future can tell.

The Bishop isn't expecting too much.

In the short term he does not see a reconciliation. The Society should not expect that Rome will suddenly say: "I was wrong".

Long term Msgr Fellay hopes for certain emendations -- especially of the Pastoral Council:

"It is very, very difficult, to say anything clear about the results of the Discussions."

Link to original...here.