Clerical Association of Saint Gregory the Great -- New Community of Tradition: Society of Good Shepherd Splintering

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(Rome) within the traditional Institut du Bon Pasteur (Institute of the Good Shepherd), there have been times of disquiet. The calm was restored by Rome's intervention in the sense at the price that some priests and seminarians of the Institute have now established with the Clerical Association of Saint Gregory the Great, a new community. A canonical recognition is not yet available.

The Institute was canonically erected by the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei in 2006. The founder and Superior General, Philippe Laguérie and the first members of the young Institute came from the Society of St. Pius X. A Visitation of the Institute in the spring of 2012 by the then and now renewed Secretary of the Commission Ecclesia Dei, today's Curial Archbishop Mario Pozzo, led to internal conflict in the institute. Among other things,  Rome had called for a more positive view in the formation of priests  with respect to  the Second Vatican Council  in the setting of Disputationes Theologicae and a change in the statutes in which the designation of the traditional Rite as "exclusive Rite" of the Institute, "the Institute's own rite" should be changed (see separate report Institut du Bon Pasteur has new Superior General - If it Comes to the Dividing of the Institute? ). 

Conflict was Sparked by the Interference of Rome

An internal conflict flared up about the identity of the institution. A majority of younger members of the institute struggled at the general chapter  in that year against Roman interference and selected on 5 July a new General Council headed by Abbé Roch Perrel. The deselected founder and former Superior General Laguérie fought with the support of Rome in the election. He warned against internal   battles and a rebellion against Rome. The election was declared invalid and Laguérie was reinstated as Superior General. Under the supervision of Ecclesia Dei  a new General Chapter took place on 12 September 2013 which held that again the Superior General  Abbé Laguérie was elected for a six year period. (see separate report Father Philippe Laguerie Again Superior General of the Institut du Bon Pasteur ).

But what has happened since with the group of priests and seminarians who made 2012 resistance? The majority acquiesced to the decisions of Rome.

Four appeals to Rome - two "answers"

However, four priests of the Institute went to the Apostolic Signatura in Rome with four requests  on various issues. Meanwhile, there are answers to two appeals before.

The first appeal concerned the right to inspect certain documents to the common questions.  The decision of the Church court was negative (Protocol No. 48339/13 CA Pictavien, electionis, Rev.dus St. Carusi - Pontificia Commissio Ecclesia Dei, 17 September 2013). The second appeal was directed against the repeat of the election of the General Council and the interventions to make in the electoral body, "that would have led to a contradiction even in Burkina Faso," as the Clerical Association of Saint Gregory the Great, noted in a written statement. It was initially partially approved. 

Appeals Archived Because of "Lack of Money" and "Time Limit Exceeded"

On 11 December, 2013 however,  the  appellants were informed in a letter dated 30 November that the appeal had been archived.  By reason of  exceeding the deadline and financial aspects. The applicant had lack of income, because for months he no longer  received grants from his Institute, then he requested the allocation of a public defender, which was refused. The rejection was not transmitted until 30 days after the deadline and at the same time succinctly explains that it had been archived due to exceeding the deadline of appeals. The procedure is reminiscent of an elegant little tricking. That it was moored to a question of money,  makes recent acclamations of  the recently emphasized "Church of the poor" more bitter than funny.

Other signals are interpreted by the priests and seminarians that resisted the intervention of Rome not very positively. By circular dated 11 November 2013 it was communicated to the priests of the Institute, that Jean-Pierre Cardinal Ricard, archbishop of Bordeaux  would be the canonical reference point for the Institute. In the Diocese there is the general headquarters and other facilities of the Institute. From the circular it is not entirely clear whether Cardinal Ricard is in a sense a kind of "permanent Visitor" or "Commissar" of the Institute. The Masonic magazine Franc-Maçonnerie magazines from the September October 2013 reported that the cardinal urged priests of his archdiocese   to continue to go to the lodge meetings, because in allusion to Pope Francis, the Freemasonry was in the "existential periphery". [Bishop Pontier member of Grand Orient.]

Clerical Association of Saint Gregory the Great - Five  Priorities

The appellants  wanted to exhaust all ways, and also by the answers as they write, to be able to recognize a "Wink of Providence." "After everyone has checked to see, we came to the conclusion that it was time to leave." The group decided to stay together and to form their own community in order to preserve the identity of the Institut de Bon Pasteur in another form.

They founded the Clerical Association of Saint Gregory the Great, in order to make their "contribution to the Catholic tradition." The new altrituelle Community lists five priorities of their work:

1) The formation of seminarians in fidelity to the Church's tradition.

2) The website Disputationes Theologicae, which is published in French and Italian, as an organ of a "constructive criticism". [Guess what's going up on the blogroll?]

3) Communal prayer life, "especially for the triumph of faith for the Church and for souls, who are exposed to great trial and particularly the persistent need of prayer."

4) The maintenance of the traditional Mass "on a large reliance on the fruits of the Holy Victim of the Altar."

5) The use of the confessional, a service that  the priests of the Clerics Association of Saint Gregory the Great offer to dioceses.

Those who signed the explanation were  two priests Abbé Louis-Numa Julien (France) and Don Stefano Carusi (Italy) and the Polish seminarians Łukasz Zaruski and Bartholomew K. Krzych.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Picture: Messa in Latino

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMGD