SSPX Spokesman Confirms: "No Date for Reconciliation"

(Paris) Father Alain Lorans, spokesman for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X. in France, according to AFP press agency, said: "Dialogue continues without timetable." There is no specific date.  The FSSPX spokesman thus confirms what Guido Pozzo, the secretary of the Pontifical Commission, Ecclesia Dei, and the Vatican representativr for talks with the Society, said yesterday in an interview with Rome Reports.

Both sides thus indirectly denied speculation that the erection of the Society as a personal prelature could be announced by Pope Francis tomorrow, May 13, the 100th anniversary of the first apparition of the Virgin Mary in Fatima.

Archbishop Pozzo said yesterday that Monsignor Fellay would first have to sign the doctrinal preamble before the canonical recognition could be passed as a personal prelature.

In the end, seven of the Society's French district and three heads of aligned religious communities had very clearly spoken out against an agreement with Rome at the present time. AFP therefore headlined yesterday: "The Lefebvrian integralists between the road to Rome and an internal crisis."

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: AFP (screenshot)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Bishop of Frejus-Toulon Opens Churches to SSPX

(Paris) The bishop of Frejus-Toulon, Mgsr. Dominique Rey, issued a decree on May 4, 2017, which allows priests of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X to hold funerals in all churches and chapels of the diocese.

The French bishop, who is known as a friend of the tradition, cited the letter of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei on the occasion for his decree. The Commission had announced last March 27 that Pope Francis officially acknowledged the blessings made by priests of the Society in addition to the Sacrament of Penance.

"Each priest who is a member of the FSSPX, has, from the date of the signing of this decree in the territory of our Diocese of Frejus-Toulon, the necessary authority to accept the marriage promise between the bride and groom who turn to a FSSPX priest for their marriage."

The canonical validity and recognition is valid when the marriage takes place in a church or chapel of the Society before a priest, and the episcopal office is informed in advance. A separate form for these notifications has been attached to the decree. The vows are recorded in the marriage register of the Society, the copy of which is sent annually to the diocese's office.

According to the decree, the funeral ceremony can be celebrated by a priest of the Society in every church or chapel of the diocese. The priest of the FSSPX has to arrange the day and time with the local pastor and inform the Chancellery. In this case, the marriage will be entered in the parish register of the parish in which it was witnessed.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Diocese of Frejus-Toulon (screenshot)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
AMDG

Why is this Pope Determined to Recognize the SSPX?

(Rome) Is Pope Francis soon  set to take an extraordinary step in favor of the SSPX? "It is a common opinion in the Vatican, and particularly among those who are close to the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, which is responsible for the Lefebvrian  dossier that the Pope will soon perform an arbitrary and spectacular gesture towards the Society of St. Pius X," as the Vatican expert Marco Tosatti writes in his blog. 

The long conversation between the Pope and the Superior General of the SSPX, Bishop Bernard Fellay, on April 1, was "certainly a sign in that direction."

This is the question hanging in the room, just  why a Pope who "certainly has no sympathy for the Conservatives, and permits that the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate are put through the meat grinder for years because of the mere suspicion of, 'Lefebvrian  tendencies',  seems ready again to fully recognize the former schismatics. There are two possible answers in this issue," says Tosatti.

The penchant for spectacular gestures

The first  reason is the predisposition of character of the Pope, which is his desire and  satisfaction of making some sensational gestures like the embrace with the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill I in Cuba. Gestures that neither John Paul II. nor Benedict XVI. were granted, his two direct predecessors whose pontificates he regards with some inner distance. In this case, both had endeavored with great dedication for it. Suitable areas for spectacular gestures include the SSPX. The approach under John Paul II. culminated with the declared excommunication by Rome in the exact opposite direction.  Benedict XVI. received Bishop Fellay soon after his election in audience, and thus laid the foundation for the talks not aborted since then. In 2009 he lifted  the Decree of Excommunication and in May 2012, canonical recognition seemed virtually certain. But things turned out differently, and with the choice of the Argentine Pope every prospect seemed further away than ever.

The assessment that tradition is obsolete 

The second  reason is a strategic analysis of the Pope and thus the appearance, of how Pope Francis sees the traditionalists. Despite their considerable strength, ( "some say a million," said Tosatti) the  pope does not consider them numerically dangerous. According to the logic that Francis expressed concern in February 2014 to the Czech bishops, he sees the interest in the traditional form of the Roman Rite as "just a fad". In his opinion, the views and positions, also the theology,  of tradition is outdated. History will prove them wrong.  The Pope represents, according to this opinion, that self aware  overconfidence in the victory of progressive thinking that thinks it is rightis by definition. The Pope would be strengthened in this opinion  by his observation that the influence of the traditionalists in the Church and the mass media seems low. Their  recognition and regularizatiin  is therefore a cost-effective opportunity to prove his own generosity and fatherhood with a spectacular media-step. Closing a soon to be 30 year old wound would contribute to Francis' entry in church history, even if in his view, it would only be the size of a footnote.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Image: MiL

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Official SSPX Comment on Future Interactions with Rome

Avoiding a false spirit of resistance

April 02, 2014 

District of the USA

Certainly there is a crisis in the Church, but how should we go about resisting it? What is the Catholic spirit for such circumstances and how has this been consistently practiced by the SSPX in recent years?

In the image above, Archbishop Lefebvre ascends the steps into St. Peter's Basilica during the Credo Pilgrimage of 1975.

We are happy to feature another editorial of Fr. Michel Simoulin from the April issue of Le Seignadou (The Sign of God), newsletter of the SSPX's priory in Montreal de l'Aude, France. [see the last editorial: Why I love the SSPX]

Editorial

The great question that we, and above all our superiors, have to face is doubtless the following, as a friend so well put it:

Is there no danger for the Faith if we accept to place ourselves under an authority, be it a Pope or a bishop, that for the last 50 years has worked unfailingly for the destruction of this Faith, without first coming to terms on the doctrinal questions at stake?"

The first answer is obviously: of course, the danger is great and real, we are all aware of this, and we have always said so and even insisted upon it. It is easy to refer to all the studies we have done on the Council, the New Catechism,John XXIII and John Paul II, for example. It is very obvious that if no “agreement” has yet been concluded, as Bishop Fellay so clearly explained, it is precisely because we do not wish to submit unconditionally to an authority without being sure that it wishes our good and will allow us to continue serving the Tradition of the Church without forcing us to accept Vatican II unconditionally.

Pope Benedict and the SSPX: A Chronology

Edit: for the record from pius.de, Germany’s SSPX website.

Pope Benedict resigns. A sensational report from Rome, special programs, reports, recaps: The issue is all the rage. Never since Celestine V in 1294, a pope has resigned. [Gregory XII]

The pontificate was marked by Benedict's attempt to find a canonical solution for the SSPX. Already in 2009, the pontiff had withdrawn the unjust Excommunication against the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre.

Unjust because Archbishop Lefebvre did not wish to split with the consecration, but wanted to save the tradition.

pius.info has summarized all the stages of the talks between Pope Benedict and the SSPX, which began in 2005

(Photo: Pope Benedict and Father Franz Schmidberger at a general audience in Rome)

2005: Bishop Fellay welcomed the election of Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope as a "ray of hope". End of August, Bishop Fellay of Benedict XVI. received in audience. The conversation showed, according to the Vatican, the "desire to arrive at a perfect communion.”

July 2007: Benedict XVI. allowed in the letter " Summorum Pontificum "that Masses may be celebrated everywhere according to the rite of 1962. This is now called "extraordinary form of the Roman Rite.”

15th December 2008: In a letter to "Ecclesia Dei" Fellay asks for the remission of the excommunication on behalf of the four bishops. He assures the recognition of papal primacy and the acceptance of the Magisterium of the Pope.

21st January 2009: By decree the Congregation for Bishops lifts the excommunication of the four Bishops Bernard Fellay, Alfonso de Gallareta, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais and Richard Williamson.

24th January 2009: The Vatican shares the remission of the excommunication in a formal communication. Almost simultaneously, a Swedish TV interview is made known in which Williamson denied the existence of gas chambers. ( Opinion of the district )

10th March 2009: Benedict XVI. wrote to all the bishops of the universal Church. In it, he admits technical mistakes of the Curia in the Williamson affair, he also reiterated its intention to integrate the SSPX back into the Catholic Church.

8th July 2009: Benedict XVI. binds the Commission "Ecclesia Dei" closely to the CDF and he invites the SSPX  to regular discussions about doctrinal issues in Rome.  The decision on the results remain subject to the Pope.

26th October 2009: At the headquarters of the Congregation in Rome beginning theological discussions in a "cordial, respectful and constructive atmosphere". For the Holy See, representatives of the CDF and the Commission "Ecclesia Dei” take part, followed by ten more meetings. For an interview,  read the interview with Bishop Fellay

14th September 2011: The Vatican puts a “Doctrinal Statement” before the leadership of the SSPX on basic beliefs of the Catholic Church for signature. In case the Brotherhood agrees, discussions on legal and structural issues of integration could be included.  ( asked the Superior General in Rome )

7th October 2011: On the Feast of the Holy  Rosary the meeting of the Superiors of the Society of St. Pius X.  begins in Albano (Rome). The 30 priests discuss the "Doctrinal Statement” presented by Rome.

12th December 2011: Father Franz Schmidberger, presented on behalf of Bishop Fellay, the answer to the "Doctrinal Statement”.

Jan. 2012: Bishop Fellay of the CDF receives a further explanatory extension letter.

16th March 2012: The Superior General meets with the Prefect of the Congregation of the Faith, Cardinal William Levada. The offer extended to the Society  "is not enough to overcome the doctrinal problems," said the written reply of the Cardinal. Rome expected a renewed statement from the SSPX in a month. (For the Vatican press Communiquée )

15th April: Renewed response from Bishop Fellay. The Press Office of the Vatican confirmed receipt of the response as follows: "The text of the response of HE Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X, who was at the meeting of March 16, 2012 called for the Offices of the Congregation is arrived yesterday, April 17, 2012. This response is checked by the dicastery and is then submitted to the judgment of the Holy See." (Rome, 18.4. 2012)

13th June: The Superior General and his first assistant (Father Pfluger) come to Rome to accept the response of the CDF. There is a two-hour meeting with the Prefect of the Congregation, Cardinal Levada. Bishop Fellay explained again his answer as “Declaration doctrinale" [declaration of faith]. During the discussions, the deep gap in teaching (Arrangement of the New Mass, controversial points of Vatican II) was addressed again. A continuation of the theological conversations is formulated as a possibility. In addition, the Superior General is presented with a concept for the recognition of the Fraternity of St. Pius X as a "personal prelature."

26th June 2012: Pope Benedict appoints a new contact for the SSPX: The Italian-American Curial Archbishop, Joseph Augustine Di Noia, was appointed Vice President for the Vatican Commission "Ecclesia Dei", and will continue on behalf of the President of "Ecclesia Dei", the prefect of the Congregation , to coordinate unification efforts with the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X .

Second July 2012: Pope appoints Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller to the Roman Curia, and appoints him as the successor to William Joseph Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as well as President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, the Pontifical Biblical Commission and of the International Theological Commission. Thus Bishop Muller is the negotiator for talks with the SSPX.

9th - 14 July 2012: At the mother house of Ecône (Switzerland)the General Chapter of the Brotherhood is convened to the focus on the talks with Rome. The tenor is clear that the "Doctrinal Statement" can not be signed without further ado. The General Chapter shall adopt a "Declaration of Principles ".

19th July 2012: Rome recognized the receipt of the Declaration of Principles , It doesn’t see an acceptable response to the Doctrinal Clarification: "The Holy See has taken note of the Declaration, but remains in anticipation of the announced official release of the SSPX regarding the continuation of the dialogue between the Society and the Pontifical commission 'Ecclesia Dei'. " ( Opinion of the Vatican )

18th September: Father Schmidberger gives an interview for pius.info the current situation with Rome.

4th October 2012: Bishop Williamson is expelled from the Society. The General House justified the step in an official statement : "HE Bishop Richard Williamson has removed himself for several years from the leadership and direction of the Society, and refused to offer the respect and obedience which he owes his lawful superiors."

4th February 2013: Archbishop Müller puts pressure on the SSPX. In an interview with Die [very anti-Catholic] Welt , he announces, "We will not wait forever,” 

Die Welt:. How will you continue the process of reconciliation with the estranged Pius brothers. 

Müller:.. "Easy and hard. The CDF has presented the Society with the Doctrinal Preamble which  includes nothing but the totality of the Catholic faith, where the Pope is legitimately entitled to the finally binding teaching authority.  It has been given no response so far.  We are waiting but not forever. “ [++Mueller has lied about representing the Pope’s will before.]

11th February 2013: Pope Benedict announces his resignation.

How will continue the negotiations? Will the new pontiff be open to the concerns of the Tradition?  Will he protect what Benedict has already accomplished?

The General House of the SSPX has issued a statement on the resignation of the Pope and thanks him for his courage and steadfastness. The Superior General, Bishop Fellay calls for prayer for a pope who renews all things in Christ.

Bishop Fellay Keeps Open the Doors of Reconciliation and Restoration

Edit: the following is the interview translated at the DICI site in English from the Nouvelles de France site.  Bishop Fellay makes some salient points about the struggle for tradition and opens the doors toward reconciliation and the continued restoration of all things unto Christ.  Of course, contrary to many parties both within the official Church, Her media, and those outside of Her embrace, this reconciliation is still very much alive and developing:

Your Excellency, would you appreciate it if the last major act of Benedict XVI’s pontificate could be the reintegration of the Society of St. Pius X?

For a moment I thought that, with his resignation, Benedict XVI would perhaps make a final gesture in our favor as Pope. That being said, I have a hard time seeing how he could do so. We will probably have to wait for the next Pope. I will even go so far as to say, at the risk of surprising you, that the Church has more important problems than the Society of St. Pius X, and in a way, it is by resolving these problems that the problem of the Society will be solved.

Some say that you wish Rome to recognize that the ordinary rite is illicit; can you tell us more on this point?

We know very well that it is very difficult to ask the authorities to condemn the new mass. In reality, if what needs to be corrected were corrected, it would already be a big step.

How?

It can be done by an instruction from the Congregation for the Divine Cult and the Discipline of the Sacraments. It’s not that complicated, really. I think that important changes need to be made because of the serious and dangerous deficiencies that make this rite condemnable. The Church could very well make these important corrections without losing face or undermining her authority. But at present, I am aware of the opposition from a number of bishops to the Pope’s legitimate request that the translation in the Canon of the Mass of “pro multis” by “for all” be corrected and replaced by “for many”, since the former translation which can be found in several languages is false.

Would you like to say anything about Vatican Council II?

As far as Vatican II is concerned, just like for the Mass, we believe that it is necessary to clarify and correct a certain number of points that are either erroneous or lead to error. That being said, we do not expect Rome to condemn Vatican II any time soon. She can recall the Truth and discretely correct the errors, while preserving her authority. Nonetheless, we think that the Society contributes to the Lord’s edifice by denouncing certain disputed points.

Concretely speaking, you know that your demands will not be answered overnight.

Absolutely, but little by little they eventually will be, I think. And the time will come when the situation will become acceptable and we will be able to agree, even if that does not seem to be the case today.

You met with Benedict XVI in the first months of his pontificate; can you tell us what your impression of him was at that time?

I can say that I met with a Pope who had a sincere desire to bring about the unity of the Church, even if we were not able to agree. But I assure you that I pray for him every day.

In your opinion, what was the most important act of his pontificate?

I think that the most important act was without any doubt the publication of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum which grants to priests everywhere in the world the freedom to celebrate the traditional Mass. Might I add that he acted with courage, for there was opposition. And I think that this act will bear very positive fruits in the long run.

(Sources: Nouvelles de France – DICI#270, Feb. 15, 2013)

Bishop Fellay Addresses 2012

Edit: it is primarily the enemies of the Church, the Jews, the Masons the secularists who are opposed to the reconciliation with the SSPX as well as the most ardent advocates of Vatican II.

"The situation is not desperate, no, it's not the same as before. There is some hope." - Bishop Fellay

Zaitzkofen: SSPX Invited to Diocesan Priest Meeting to Discuss Vatican II

Edit: one more conceivable reason why Archbishop Müller, whose Diocese this was, was called to Rome to occupy what looks increasingly like a symbolic office. This would never have happened when he was the Ordinary here.

(Zaitzkofen) The seminary Herz-Jesu has invited the Society of St. Pius X to a Diocesan priests meeting.

Theme:  Second Vatican Council

Speaker:  Lecturers of the Seminary

Monday, the 26th of November 2012

It will begin at 10:30 and last till 4:30.  Respondy by 17 November 2012, in Zaitzkofen.  (Priestly Seminary Herz-Jesu, Zaitzkofen 15, 84069 Schierling; Tel. 09451/943 190).

The Pastors, chaplains and priests, who are active in pastoral care are invited.

The Society of St. Pius X has entertained contact with all priests in Germany, who are interested in Catholic tradition.  In 2011 17 pastors and chaplains participated in a lecture on the Latin Breviary in the Seminary of Herz Jesus.

Since March of this year the Society's Father Robert Schmitt was officially authorized to maintain contact with Diocesan priests.

The largest action of the Society was the sending of the DVD for learning the Catholic Sacrifice of the Mass.  In 2007 the Society personally wrote 17,000 priests in Germany in order to offer them this DVD.  There were 2,000 DVDs ordered.  The reason for the action was the Motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum of Benedict XVI, which had freed the traditional form of Mass again.

Text: PM/Linus Schnieder

Link to katholisches...

Is Bishop Williamson's Expulsion in Connection With the Gas Chamber Question?

The timid German speaker for the Society of St. Pius X has told the slanderous extortionate media what they want to hear.

(kreuz.net)  Bishop Richard Williamson has been being removed for years by the leadership of the Society of St. Pius X, and has refused to render obedience.

This is what Fr. Andreas Steiner, the speaker of the German District said on Wednesday in Stuttgart to the news agency 'dpa'.

Exclusion for the Vatican Reconciliation?

The article cited an indirect statement by Father Steiner:  "The decision is in connection with the interview for Swedish television by the Bishop, in which he [allegedly] denied the Holocaust."


The scandal sheet ‘Süddeutsche Zeitung’ mentioned another sentence from the interview.

Therefore, Father Steiner is as yet entertaining illusions about the Vatican negotiations: "The decision will certainly make the discussions with the Vatican easier."

Unfounded Misjudgment

The Catholic publicist Robert Ketelhohn rebutted both statements by Father Steiner in the forum 'kreuzgang.org' as "rotten cheese".

It is to act according to an unfounded misjudgment.

It is completely and utterly absurd canonically speaking to have made for an expulsion with the statements by Msgr. Williamson about the gas chambers in Auschwitz.

Then it would Bend the Law

Apart from that  "in this situation he bends the law as a serious offense to the superior."

Ketelhohn is astonished at this that Father Steiner bends the law to the superior without noticing it. [In German Law, Rechtsbeugung is a serious offense where a Judge proves to be partial either for or against a case.  It contains a sentence of five years.]

This is clearly meant, "to please the media".

And Yet Jewish Special Interest is Irreconcilable

Father Steiner's obvious illusions about understanding the world will not hold for long.

For the anti-Catholic "Jewish World Congress", the expulsion has come "too late".

The credibility of the Society of St. Pius X could "not" be reestablished -- was its familiar stitch.

Additionally, the usual Jewish campaigning organization 'Anti-Defamation League' defamed that the exclusion of Msgr. Richard Williamson has not paid for the guilt of his "detestable views".

Link to kreuz.net... 

New CDF Positive About Reconciliation With SSPX

Edit:It should be pointed out that the press is really eager to torpedo this deal and that certain comments from Archbishop Mueller, with respect to the level of mental agreement the SSPX is meant to have of the Second Vatican Council, have been sorely misquoted, or at least toned down in later statements.

Rome remains eager to hear the SSPX's response.

When Archbishop Mueller says that the Vatican Council is non-negotiable, he's referring to those parts which reaffirm the previous Councils. Being fixated on alleged "ideological" differences, +Mueller concedes, echoing Pope Benedict and Msgr. Nicola Bux that not all of the documents of the Council are of the same weight, and that the Vatican Council is not a "super Dogma".

The following is an excerpt from Louie Verrecchio, writing for Renew America, a very balanced and fair analysis of the situation, particularly in the following.

"There was no need to call a council merely to hold discussions of that nature," he continued. "What is needed at the present time is a new enthusiasm, a new joy and serenity of mind in the unreserved acceptance by all of the entire Christian faith, without forfeiting that accuracy and precision in its presentation which characterized the proceedings of the Council of Trent and the First Vatican Council."

This being the case, if one adheres to "the entire Christian faith" as expressed in the doctrinal pronouncements that preceded the Council; then clearly one must be walking on solidly Catholic ground. This, according to my understanding, is precisely where the SSPX stakes its claim.

If this be true, then it's reasonable for us to wonder what the nature of the discord truly is.

Look, no one disputes the fact that confusion surrounds certain aspects of the conciliar text. As the communique from the Vatican Information Service (VIS) stated at the outset of the discussions "[the Holy See] leaves open to legitimate discussion the examination and theological explanation of individual expressions and formulations contained in the documents of Vatican Council II and later Magisterium."

Pentecost Chartres-Orleans -- +Fellay: Recognition by Rome? Trust in God's Foresight

Edit: Usually, there's not much to add to what Rorate has done.  This time we have some overlap.

(Orleans)  More than a thousand pilgrims covering the second leg of their yearly international pilgrimage of tradition on foot.  On the occasion of the 600th birthday of St. Joan of Arc, rather than travelling from Chartres to Paris, they went from Chartres to Orleans.

Msgr Bernard Fellay, the General Superior of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, celebrated a Pontifical High Mass for the Pilgrims at this feast beneath the open sky.  For the German speaking pilgrims he added personally a sermon in German to the content of the Mass.  In that, he drew a comparison between  the relationships which dominated the time of the Maid of Orleans and those of today.  Then as today "Chaos" dominated.

A young girl showed then what it meant to accept God's will and to do.  Also then to accept, when one might not understand in a human sense.  Humanly it is not apprensible, why God allowed that Joan was burned at the stake.  But God had even given up even His only Son for the salvation of man.  There had to be a savior of France, in order to mature the soul.  That's how it always is with the healing of the soul.  God accomplishes this for the salvation of souls.

For this reason, the faithful also now rely on divine providence and not according to human reckoning.  This also applies for the question of the recognition of the Society by the Holy See.  It means to throw yourself into trusting God's guidance and let go.  In this regard the Superior General re-emphasized, contrary to rumors,  that there is no document from Rome before him that must have a yes or a no.

On Pentecost Monday, the Pilgrims will end their last leg in Orleans, where the current international pilgrimage will conclude their 100 kilometer journey on foot with Holy Mass.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Bild: Saint Louis Boulogne
Translation: Tancred

Link to katholisches...

SSPX Unification Postponed

Edit: with figures like +Zollitsch, +Koch or +Schoenborn around, it's not surprising there's a postponement from the expected date of Pentecost. 

It just is what it is.

Mary Altar of the Society
Church of St. Joseph in
Memingen
© Wikipedia-Benützer ‘Bene16’,CC

(kreuz.net) Pope Benedict XVI. will only  take care of the dossier "Society of St. Pius" in summer vacation -- therefore after the High Feast of St. Peter and Paul.

This is what Europe's largest Catholic internet site 'kreuz.net' has learned from Vatican circles.

Because of the current difficult inner-Church situation that is involved with the reconciliation with the SSPX must be immediately managed before there can be a unification. 

Till now observers originally thought that the Vatican would have made known the reconciliation between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X on Pentecost

Link...

Unprecedented: SSPX Questions Vatican II on USCCB News Source

Edit: Members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pope Pius X are seen here expressing the same notions and concerns once expressed by Archbishop Lefebvre in a high quality presentation.  You won't see any fire breathing madmen in cassocks here.   Sincere and ardent young men are shown expressing their love for the Church and concern for doctrinal purity, as much as their spiritual father did, but this time they are doing it on the official USCCB Catholic News Service.

In the past, Catholic priests have challenged non-negotiable Catholic teachings [women's ordination, sexual purity, the authority of the Church] through various news media.  The same priests and laity, ironically, have been the ones to challenge and attack those who question the correctness religious liberty or the New Mass.

Increasingly, it seems to us, the voices of dissent are being heard less and less, while those who revere the doctrinal thesaurus of the Church are more frequently being heard.

What's clear is that the Church's communications media, which hasn't always been the best, let's face it, is trying to sell the reconciliation to the Catholic world at large.

 

Last Minute Sabotage Attempts --- A Few Days Before Benedict's Decision

(Vatican/Menzigen)  The scenario is known.  There have been attempts of sabotage in the last months as the Society of St. Pius X and the Holy See reconcile.  Attempts which have shown themselves to come from both sides.  One yesterday from the Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung belonged to a public statement by Cardinal Kasper just as much as the deliberate publication of some internal correspondence between the General Superior of the Society, Msgr Fellay, and the other three Bishops of the Society.

The statements of the Curial Cardinal Kasper seem more of a rear-guard action, which coming to the resigned understanding of what can no longer be prevented, but at least to make some signals to the other side of the Church, which is skeptically disinclined to  a reconciliation which at least he and probably also other high princes of the Church are of the same opinion.

The indiscretions from the series of letters had brought to understanding that there are some intriguing elements at work, which want as much to damage the Society as they do the Catholic Church.  It may be the case that these intentional violations of confidence may be led back to the group which was already criticizing Msgr. Fellay sharply in Autumn of 2011 as he asked Msgr Richard Williamson to cease from abusing him.

The mandate and responsibility for the reconciliation talks with Rome in the Society are the General Superior and his two assistants.  They have accorded a decision and in any case immediately sent Msgr Fellay's answer to Pope Benedict XVI on April 17th.

In the mean time there are only a few days till the Congregation for Doctrine and the Faith will deliberate on the most recent modified "Doctrinal Preamble" proposed  by  Msgr Fellay on May 17th .  Then Pope Benedict XVI as generally expected will make known his decision within the course of the month.

Then it will be shown who in the Society will turn from the path of schism to reconciliation with Peter, while for the greater majority of the Society the "bigger task and challenge" will then begin, as Msgr Fellay described it.  That not a few high members of the Church would not be unhappy, if Msgr Richard Williamson remained "outside", is generally known.  It is also known that Pope Benedict XVI, however, doesn't think in political categories.

Link to original katholisches...

"There Are No Doctrinal Obstacles to Reconciliiation" -- Opus Dei Bishop

Msgr Ignacio Arrieta, the Secretary of the Papal Council for Legal Texts, has stated that there are no doctrinal obstacles for the reconciliation of the Society of St. Pius X. “I think that we have clarified the doctrinal problems, bringing them in writing to paper, even when they are not simple. The real problem as it seems to me is that the division, the human distance, it goes back to the year of 1988.”

Msgr Arrieta, a Spanish Curial Bishop belongs to Opus Dei, and spoke last Monday on the 7th of May in Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium, according to the Belgian newspaper La Libre Belgique. Among other themes which Msgr Arrieta were the canon law questions related to the reception of Anglicans into the Catholic Church, who were seeking full union with Rome and the case of the former scandal Bishop Vangluwe of Bruges.

Msgr Arrieta is directly connected to with the reconciliation discussion of the Holy See with the Society. He is personally involved with the canonical regulation and with that the future canonical status of the Society.

The Spanish Bishop has been Secretary of the Papal Council for Legal Texsts since 2008. In February of 2012 he administered the lower orders and that of subdeacon to the Society of St. Peter in Wigratzbad.

Link to katholisches…

SSPX Storms Trier: Reconciliation Imminent

No Room in the Cathedral

Yesterday the Holy Robe experienced being stormed by the largest group of pilgrims.  The summit:  they were there as pilgrims and not as tourists.

(kreuz.net)  On Sunday 2,500 Traditionalists pilgrimaged to the Holy Robe of Trier.

The Old Liberal Diocese refused them Holy Mass in Trier Basilica or in another house of worship.

For that reason the storm of pilgrims had to withdraw to the secularized St. Maximin Abbey church. [Another victim of New Springtime]

The Levites of the SSPX

In any event, the press speaker of the Diocese of Trier explained after the fact on the Diocesan website:

There "was a welcome to the pilgrims and pilgrimesses of this group."

Spouses of the Lord

Unity Doesn't mean Accommodation

The Abbey church was was completely full from the entrance doors to the transepts for the solemn levitical Liturgy.

Father Stefan Frey --- the Rector of the Society Seminary of Zaitzkofen near Regensburg -- preached for the feast.

It just so happened that he spoke about the negotiation of the Society with Rome.

It was there he assured the faithful that it did not mean that unification with the Vatican means that the battle for the Catholic Faith would be given up.

Another Drawer in the Conciliar Dresser

The piety of the faithful present was impressive.

In the sight of the struggle of the Old Liberal hardliners against the Faith, the pilgrims came to doubt in  the course of reconciliation with Rome on the pilgrimage.

Many fear that after the Society will be slowed down by an agreement with the Novus Ordo Conciliar Church and the German church-tax apparatus.

By contrast, Father Marc Gensbittel -- the Prior of Saarbrucken -- explained in a  lecture on Sunday morning that the Society will have a "reconciliation" with the Vatican, where they will have their own niche and have "freedom of opinion" in the Conciliar Church.

The Fears Remain

On the pilgrimage even academic Catholics showed themselves critical against the reconciliation.

The fear was aired that it could be accompanied with a betrayal of the faith and on the unbroken dogmatic tradition of the Church.

Too Few Places to Eat

The onslaught of the faithful was impressive -- although many Southern Germans and Bavarians were on other May Pilgrimages.

After Holy Mass there were even too few places to eat for the pilgrims in front of the Abbey church.

During lunch they were thanked privately by many of the older missionaries and priests,  who were drawn back to the time of their own priestly consecrations or encouraged again to remain true to them.




Linnk to kreuz.net original...

Also, from Cathcon, Liberal paper complains about SSPX taking over Trier.  Clearly, all were not welcome:

The arch-conservative SSPX makes a pilgrimage to Trier with about 2,000 followers. For critics, this does not fit the idea of ​an ecumenical pilgrimage - the SSPX among other things believe that all other religions are simply "wrong."

Cardinal Burke Urges Catholics to Pray for the Reconciliation of the SSPX

Germany. [Kreuz]  Last Tuesday the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, Cardinal Raymond Burke, celebrated a Traditional High Mass in the town of Santa Maria di Leuca -- in the south Italian Province of Lecce.  This was reported by the French website, 'Forum Catholique'.  The Cardinal called upon Catholics to pray for the reconciliation with the Society of Saint Pius X.  Cardinal Burke sees the current renewal of the Liturgy not till the beginning of development.

Traditional Priest in Union With Rome Skeptical About Bux Letter

Old Mass by the SSPX
© Pius.info

In the decadent Conciliar realm a Catholic priest doesn't expect paradise, but contempt,  odium and indifference.

(kreuz.net, Santiago)  It is the right time to reconcile with the Vatican.

This  is what  Italian Liturgist, Prelate Nicola Bux,  wrote in an open letter to the Society of St. Pius X.

The Prelate explained in it that after the Pastoral Council, a "real disaster" broke out in the Church.

At the same time he warned that the Society should not let the "moment of Grace" pass by.

Discouraging Experiences 

Father Raphael Navas --  the one responsible for the traditional 'Institute of the Good Shepherd' for South America-- criticized the open letter on 'facebook.com'.

His Institute is a breakaway from the Society.   Father Navas was earlier a member there.

His report of his time in the Conciliar Church is not only rosy.

The Hopes of the Prelate.

Father Navas comments in the following excerpt from the open letter of Prelate Bux:

"In the fullness of Church members with the great family, that which the Church is, your voice will not be repressed any longer."

A reconciliation will bring significant fruits, which otherwise would decay -- wrote the Prelate.

The Reality is Completely Otherwise

Father Navas believes Father Bux is of good will.

But: "The reality is something else".

As an example Father described the problems of the Institute in Chile.

Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati Andrello (70) of Santiago in Chile and the neighboring Diocese have been reserved toward the Institute -- although it is approved by the Holy See.

"It goes as far as that the canonical establishement will be denied."

There is Only One Sin For the Old Liberals -- to be a Traditionalist

Father Navas named "modern forms of ecclesiastical persecution --  contempt, odium and indifference".

It is considered a "great sin" to only celebrate the Old Rite of the Mass and to interpret the Second Vatican Council in the sense of Catholic belief.

Link to original...

SSPX Germany: Letter Holds Out "Justifiable Hope" for Reconciliation

Reading from the pulpit of all the Churches and Chapels of the German District of the Society of St. Pius X. As translated from District website:

Dear Faithful,

On the 16th of March Cardinal Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for Doctrine and the Faith, presented a letter with clarifications in Rome, to the General Superior of the Society, Bishop Fellay, in which we will be called upon, to give a final affirmation of the Doctrinal Preamble of September 14th, as it has happened till now.

The final deadline for an answer is going to be April 15th, 2012. Certainly you have surely already learned this partly in the media. We are therefore arriving at a decisive point.

If the letter also has struck an unpleasant [unangenehmen] tone, yet it indeed gives justifiable hopes for a peaceful solution. In case this situations happens, it would strengthen all of the important protective powers in the Church; in the other case, these would be significantly weakened and demoralized. Therefore, what is uppermost is not our Society, rather the health of the entire Church.

For this reason we ask the fervent, persistent and beseeching prayers from all of our faithful and all Catholics, so that God, through the salvific sufferings of His only begotten son, leads His Church from Her crisis, and gives her in the holy resurrection of Jesus new life, new strength and blooming.

Stuttgart, 22 March 2012

Father Franz Schmidberger, District Superior

SSPX May Receive Recognition from Rome This Month

Editor: Rorate reporting in from Messa in Latino.

H/t AQ.