Interview Kath.net: SSPX German Superior Says Hermeneutic Must Go Farther [Part I]

Edit: This is truly one of the most respectful interviews we've ever seen. Doctor Schibach is almost sympathetic to Father Schmidberger, who gets to state his position and gets a good hearing. The interesting thing is Doctor Schwibach's mention of the unifying quality of the truth, and Father Schmidberger's citation of the measure of the truths of the Faith, "everywhere, always and by everyone". N.B. kath.net customarily drops the title of Father after the first mention.

Kath.net -- exclusive interview with the German District Superior of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X.  Father Franz Schmidberger FSSPX:  The previous teaching office must be the criterium for the expressions of Vatican II.  by Armin Schiwbach

Rome (kath.net/as) In a thorough interview the District Superior of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X. explains the essential points and contents of the efforts to reach full unity with the Holy See.
 
kath.net: With the arrival of a "Doctrinal Preamble" on the 14th of September 2011, the over one year long doctrinal discussion between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X (FSSPX) reached its formal conclusion. As the Secretary of the Papal Commission "Ecclesia Dei', Prelate Guido Pozzo, had established a point in time, the text of fthe Preamble had been considered, that the Superior of the FSSPX after an in depth analysis could come to aa principally positive and agreeable answer. There is the possibility of seeking further precision and clarity and integrating the text. It is however conclusive that the substance of the Preamble will undergo changes.

In his Sermon on the 2nd of February 2012 at "St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary" in Winona (Minnesota USA) Bishop Bernard Fellay explained, he had been somewhat constrained, to say no to the Preamble: "We will not sing it. We quite agree with the principles, but we also find that the conclusion is the opposite."

How can there be a principle agreement to contradictory conclusions and what are these?


Schmidberger: This occurs when everything in the world, with desire instead of understanding, that one sees that Vatican II is in full harmony with the previous teaching office. And for that one has found a magical expression: "Hermeneutic of Continuity". I will give and example of this:

In "Lumen Gentium" it says in § 1, that the Church is a Sacrament of the unity of mankind. But where in Holy Scripture, by which Church Father, in which Papal utterance and in which Council has there anything like this to be read? The Church is therefore disposed to build the mystical Body of Christ and to grant to souls the supernatural Faith and life of Grace, but not also to an inner-worldly human brotherhood.

Or you might take "Lumen Gentium" Nr. 16: Since when do we pray with Muslims to the one true God? These honor Allah, we, the All Holy Trinity -- that is not the same!

In Nr 8. of the same document it says, the Church of Christ subsistere -- is realized, is embodied in the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII taught expressly in full communion with the teaching office until Vatican II: The Church of Christ is the Catholic Church.

In "GAudium et Spes", the famous Pastoral Constitution, it says in Nr 12, that the goal and the focus of all things on earth is man. In my old Catechism, I read, that the goal and focus of all things on earth is God. Even this is not the same.

In the Decree on Ecumenism it says in § 3, that the Holy Ghost esteems other creeds, as instruments of sanctification. If that's right, then Protestants don't need to convert and no Orthodox need accept Papal Primacy.

In the explanation of Religious Freedom it says in § 2 that man is supposed to have such a right, which is rooted in his worth, therefore also represented in the natural law. This conception is expressly rejected going back to Pope Pius XII. You only need to look at "Quanta Cura" of December *, 1864, where Pius IX castigates such views.

The hermeneutic has to propagate continuity far better, in order to see things brought to their proper light.

kath.net: Catchword: Tradition -- Teaching Office. Pope Benedict XVI identified the living tradition together with the Holy Scriptures as the "highest guide to Faith" 9see. Post Synodal Apostolic Writing "Verbum Domini", 18, see. Dogmatic Constitution "Dei Verbum", 21)

How do we define the relationship between Tradition, the extraordinary Teaching Offfice and the ordinary Teacching Office with respect to the reality of the Second Vatican Council? What and how is "the Tradition" for you?


Schmidberger: The extraordinary Teaching Office is the solemn declaration of an article of Faith, it is through the Pope alone, it is through a General Council under the direction of the Pope.

The ordinary Teaching Office [Magisterium] is the daily prouncement of the faith which is dispersed [verstreuen: implication that there aren't many Bishops out there in union with Rome...] Bishops in unity with the Pope. The Second Vaticum falls in its entirety neither in the former, nor in the latter category, because it did not want to state doctrinal positions, nor to condemn errors; it attempted to bring the past deposit of Faith to modern people and to speak to the modern world in ordinary language. Thus, is every part of infallibility covered, which will be resumed in the infallible declarations, but not innovations at all, as they have been previously shown to be.

Still a word must be said about "living Magisterium": Surely the bearer is living, but public revelation is closed with the death of the last Apostle. Fundamental novelties may not come to pass; there is only a homogeneous development.

kath.net: In a discussion with kath.net the Italian historian and author, Roberto de Mattei explained the book, "The Second Vatican Council. A Story Untold Till Now". (Verlag Kirchliche Umschau 2011):

"The Tradition, which is the "living Magisterium" considered in its Universality and continuity, is itself infallible, while the so-called 'living' Magisterium -- understood as the actual promulgation of the Church's hierarchy -- this is only so under certain qualifications. The Tradition is placed, to wit always, under the divine assistance; for the Magisterium only employs this when it expresses itself extraordinarily or when it teaches in an ordinary form, the doctrinal continuity in a particular time -- or moral reality."

Is it possible for you, in the foundation of these present upheavals to take up a productive "struggle" for a new affirmation of the truth?



Schmidberger: This would in fact seem to be exactly the way in which one can become united; we have proposed nothing else as a foundation for the doctrinal discussions with the Holy see: The past teaching office must be the criterium for the concepts of Vatican II. The reversed approach, that would make Vatican II a criterium for earlier declarations, is putting the horse before the cart and leads to contradiction and confusion.

Perhaps one should go at this point to St. Vinent of Lerins with his "Commonitorium".   What he says is this: "What will a Catholic Christian do, (...) if some new contagion didn't just affect a small part, rather that it looked to infect at the same time the entire Church? Then  he would take care even so on this, to hold fast to the ancient Faith, which may never be misled by deceptive novelty." Thus he realizes his Catholic Faith, "quod ubique, quod semper, quod ab omnibus, creditum est". -- what was everywhere, what was always, what was believed by everyone.

To be Continued...kath.net...