Quantcast
Channel: Tradicat
Viewing all 1631 articles
Browse latest View live

Father Samir's perspective on Islam and the Palm Sunday terror attacks

$
0
0
+
JMJ

Father Samir (see link) has an interesting perspective.


However, I do wonder if he is hinting at neutering Islam of its vitality just as the modernists have done to the Catholicism.

The reality is that Islam is not in need of a 'reform' or Vatican II moment, but the followers of Islam need to be converted to Catholicism. 



In order for that to happen, the strong Truths of Catholicism need to be unleashed from the fetters forged and applied for the past 50+ years.



P^3

National Catholic Register (EWTN): Father Samir, Egypts Palm Sunday terror reflects a sickness within Islam

Cardinal Burke and the SSPX

$
0
0
+
JMJ

I've haven't written (or frankly read ) about CMTV for some time, but this article popped up in my auto-search.

CMTV: CDL. BURKE: GRACED FAMILIES ARE THE SOLUTION TO EVIL IN THE WORLD

Concerning the possible reunion of the Society of St. Pius X (FSSPX) with the Catholic Church, Cdl. Burke said he prays and hopes that it will happen but expressed concern that the reunification be based on truth:

We cannot just simply will it. In other words, if there is not a common understanding, what we reconcile will result in all sort of conflicts and difficulties. We have to make sure that there it is a common understanding in regard to all the questions which, in the past, the FSSPX has had about the Church, the Holy See and the direction of the Catholic Church.

I agree that we do need to come to a rational agreement on just what happened at the Second Vatican Council and has happened to the Catholic Church since that time.

Rationally speaking, those who wished to adhere to the Catholic Faith as expressed in Her Dogmas, Doctrines, Liturgy were punished and those who did not adhere were rewarded.

This would be the first understanding to be reached.

The next would be who was faithful to the Church of 2000 years and who was faithful to the Church of 50ish years.

Have this common understanding and the situation becomes crystal clear ... and more difficult for the Church.

But things that are worth doing seem to never be easy.

P^3

Will the SSPX be 'regularized' in 2017???

$
0
0
+
JMJ

While the media once again has 'regularization fever', Andrea Tornelli seems to be prescribing analgesics.

I agree with his prescription, but not his 'tone'.

P^3

Eponymous Flower: Vaticanist putting on the brakes to speculation of SSPX regularization





 "Some sources have spoken of a possible acceleration, and the announcement of an imminent action of the granting of a personal prelature during the trip, which the Pope will undertake to Fatima on the 12th and 13th of May, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions, which have influenced the history of the 20th century."
I've lost count of the regularization 'dates' that have be floated about ... 
"However, the situation has not changed since a few months ago. The General Assembly of the Society, Bishop Bernard Fellay, has not yet signed the modified and simplified doctrinal statement, which contains a professio fidei, considered by the Congregation of the Faith and the Pontifical Commission, Ecclesia Dei, as a necessary step before the legal process, the full return of the [Priestly Society] St. Pius X to communion. "
I understand the reason (or at least one reason) for the SSPX reticence, is that some issues have been reintroduced into the document that indicate that perhaps Rome is not ready to really 'Accept us as we are'.  The 'Marriage' announcement is a good indication of this. I believe that Mr. Ferrara was bang-on in his assessment here.
"The pope and the Vatican dicasteries are in no hurry and do not want to push Fellay, knowing that he has to make the bill with differences of opinion within the Society. It is also foreseeable that the Holy See, before setting up the Personal Prelature, will adequately inform the affected bishops' conferences of those countries in which the Lefebvrians are present and effective.

I love it when Rome throws in a 'FUD' statement of a 'difference of opinion within the Society'.  There is no difference of opinion, 'Accept us as we are' (ie Catholic) or we will continue to wait.  

The benefit of perspective:



The priests of the Society of Saint Pius X will strive faithfully, as they have done since their ordination, to prepare future spouses for marriage according to the unchangeable doctrine of Christ about the unity and indissolubility of this union (cf. Mt 19:6), before receiving the parties’ consent in the traditional rite of the Holy Church.
SSPX.org: SSPX Statement about Holy See Letter Concerning Marriages


And for good measure: SSPX.org:  SSPX Marriages are incontestable 

Form, Matter and INTENTION

$
0
0
+
JMJ

One of the canards thrown up against the SSPX is the claim that they assert that the Novus Ordo Missae (New Mass) is invalid.

There are three elements necessary for the validity of Sacraments.

Form and Matter are fairly simple to discern - but Intention is another issue - - - or so it seems.

St. Thomas devoted a section of the Summa to the question of the Sacraments and included the point about 'Intention'.

Summary:

  • Can evil ministers confer the sacraments?
    • Yes - they are instruments.
  • Is the ministers intention necessary for validity?
    • Yes - they need to have the proper intention.
  • Is the faith necessary for validity?
    • No - provided the other essentials are fulfilled.
  • Does the minister have to have a good intention
    • The direct intention related to the sacrament is necessary (as above)
    • A secondary intention that is evil has no effect on the primary intention

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia the Council of Trent had the following to say about intention:
The Church teaches very unequivocally that for the valid conferring of the sacraments, the minister must have the intention of doing at least what the Church does. This is laid down with great emphasis by the Council of Trent (sess. VII). The opinion once defended by such theologians as Catharinus and Salmeron that there need only be the intention to perform deliberately the external rite proper to each sacrament, and that, as long as this was true, the interior dissent of the minister from the mind of the Church would not invalidate the sacrament, no longer finds adherents. The common doctrine now is that a real internal intention to act as a minister of Christ, or to do what Christ instituted the sacraments to effect, in other words, to truly baptize, absolve, etc., is required. This intention need not necessarily be of the sort called actual. That would often be practically impossible. It is enough that it be virtual. Neither habitual nor interpretative intention in the minister will suffice for the validity of the sacrament. The truth is that here and now, when the sacrament is being conferred, neither of these intentions exists, and they can therefore exercise no determining influence upon what is done. To administer the sacraments with a conditional intention, which makes their effect contingent upon a future event, is to confer them invalidly. This holds good for all the sacraments except matrimony, which, being a contract, is susceptible of such a limitation. (Catholic Encyclopedia - Intention).
Here's the actual canon:
CANON XI.-If any one saith, that, in ministers, when they effect, and confer the sacraments, there is not required the intention at least of doing what the Church does; let him be anathema. (Council of Trent: 7)

So as long as the minister is validly ordained, has proper form, matter and 'intends to do what the Church does' - the sacrament is valid.

This does not mean that the circumstances surrounding the sacrament are good and proper. Such as schismatic masses.

Now ... here's what the SSPX states about the New Mass.

Is the Novus Ordo Missae invalid?
This does not necessarily follow from the above defects, as serious as they might be, for only three things are required for validity (presupposing a validly ordained priest), proper:
  • matter,
  • form,
  • and intention.
However, the celebrant must intend to do what the Church does. The Novus Ordo Missae will no longer in and of itself guarantee that the celebrant has this intention. That will depend on his personal faith (generally unknown to those assisting).
Therefore, these Masses can be of doubtful validity.
The words of consecration, especially of the wine, have been tampered with. Has the “substance of the sacrament” (cf. Pope Pius XII quoted in principle 5) been respected? While we should assume that despite this change the consecration is still valid, nevertheless this does add to the doubt. (SSPX FAQ) 

 So there we have it.  The myth is debunked.

P^3



Article 5. Whether the sacraments can be conferred by evil ministers?

Objection 1. It seems that the sacraments cannot be conferred by evil ministers. For the sacraments of the New Law are ordained for the purpose of cleansing from sin and for the bestowal of grace. Now evil men, being themselves unclean, cannot cleanse others from sin, according to Sirach 34:4: "Who [Vulgate: 'What'] can be made clean by the unclean?" Moreover, since they have not grace, it seems that they cannot give grace, for "no one gives what he has not." It seems, therefore, that the sacraments cannot be conferred by wickedmen.
Objection 2. Further, all the power of the sacraments is derived from Christ, as stated above (Article 3III:62:5). But evil men are cut off from Christ: because they have not charity, by which the members are united to their Head, according to 1 John 4:16: "He that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him." Therefore it seems that the sacraments cannot be conferred by evil men.
Objection 3. Further, if anything is wanting that is required for the sacraments, the sacrament is invalid; for instance, if the required matter or form be wanting. But the minister required for a sacrament is one who is without the stain of sin, according to Leviticus 21:17-18: "Whosoever of thy seed throughout their families, hath a blemish, he shall not offer bread to his God, neither shall he approach to minister to Him." Therefore it seems that if the minister be wicked, the sacrament has no effect.
On the contrary, Augustine says on John 1:33: "He upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit," etc. (Tract. v in Joan.), that "John did not know that our Lord, having the authority of baptizing, would keep it to Himself, but that the ministry would certainly pass to both good and evil men . . . What is a bad minister to thee, where the Lord is good?"
I answer that, As stated above (Article 1), the ministers of the Church work instrumentally in the sacraments, because, in a way, a minister is of the nature of an instrument. But, as stated above (III:62:4), an instrument acts not by reason of its own form, but by the power of the one who moves it. Consequently, whatever form or power an instrument has in addition to that which it has as an instrument, is accidental to it: for instance, that a physician's body, which is the instrument of his soul, wherein is his medical art, be healthy or sickly; or that a pipe, through which water passes, be of silver or lead. Therefore the ministers of the Church can confer the sacraments, though they be wicked.
Reply to Objection 1. The ministers of the Church do not by their own power cleanse from sin those who approach the sacraments, nor do they confer grace on them: it is Christ Who does this by His own power while He employs them as instruments. Consequently, those who approach the sacraments receive an effect whereby they are enlikened not to the ministers but to Christ.
Reply to Objection 2. Christ's members are united to their Head by charity, so that they may receive life from Him; for as it is written (1 John 3:14): "He that loveth not abideth in death." Now it is possible for a man to work with a lifeless instrument, and separated from him as to bodily union, provided it be united to him by some sort of motion: for a workman works in one way with his hand, in another with his axe. Consequently, it is thus that Christ works in the sacraments, both by wicked men as lifeless instruments, and by good men as living instruments.
Reply to Objection 3. A thing is required in a sacrament in two ways. First, as being essential to it: and if this be wanting, the sacrament is invalid; for instance, if the due form or matter be wanting. Secondly, a thing is required for a sacrament, by reason of a certain fitness. And in this way good ministers are required for a sacrament.

Article 8. Whether the minister's intention is required for the validity of a sacrament?

Objection 1. It seems that the minister's intention is not required for the validity of a sacrament. For the minister of a sacrament works instrumentally. But the perfection of an action does not depend on the intention of the instrument, but on that of the principal agent. Therefore the minister's intention is not necessary for the perfecting of a sacrament.
Objection 2. Further, one man's intention cannot be known to another. Therefore if the minister's intention were required for the validity of a sacrament, he who approaches a sacrament could not know whether he has received the sacrament. Consequently he could have no certainty in regard to salvation; the more that some sacraments are necessary for salvation, as we shall state further on (III:65:4.
Objection 3. Further, a man's intention cannot bear on that to which he does not attend. But sometimes ministers of sacraments do not attend to what they say or do, through thinking of something else. Therefore in this respect the sacrament would be invalid through want of intention.
On the contrary, What is unintentional happens by chance. But this cannot be said of the sacramental operation. Therefore the sacraments require the intention of the minister.
I answer that, When a thing is indifferent to many uses, it must needs be determined to one, if that one has to be effected. Now those things which are done in the sacraments, can be done with various intent; for instance, washing with water, which is done in baptism, may be ordained to bodily cleanliness, to the health of the body, to amusement, and many other similar things. Consequently, it needs to be determined to one purpose, i.e. the sacramental effect, by the intention of him who washes. And this intention is expressed by the words which are pronounced in the sacraments; for instance the words, "I baptize thee in the name of the Father," etc.
Reply to Objection 1. An inanimate instrument has no intention regarding the effect; but instead of the intention there is the motion whereby it is moved by the principal agent. But an animate instrument, such as a minister, is not only moved, but in a sense moves itself, in so far as by his will he moves his bodily members to act. Consequently, his intention is required, whereby he subjects himself to the principal agent; that is, it is necessary that he intend to do that which Christ and the Church do.
Reply to Objection 2. On this point there are two opinions. For some hold that the mental intention of the minister is necessary; in the absence of which the sacrament is invalid: and that this defect in the case of children who have not the intention of approaching the sacrament, is made good by Christ, Who baptizes inwardly: whereas in adults, who have that intention, this defect is made good by their faith and devotion.
This might be true enough of the ultimate effect, i.e. justification from sins; but as to that effect which is both real and sacramental, viz. the character, it does not appear possible for it to be made good by the devotion of the recipient, since a character is never imprinted save by a sacrament.
Consequently, others with better reason hold that the minister of a sacrament acts in the person of the whole Church, whose minister he is; while in the words uttered by him, the intention of the Church is expressed; and that this suffices for the validity of the sacrament, except the contrary be expressed on the part either of the minister or of the recipient of the sacrament.
Reply to Objection 3. Although he who thinks of something else, has no actual intention, yet he has habitual intention, which suffices for the validity of the sacrament; for instance if, when a priest goes to baptize someone, he intends to do to him what the Church does. Wherefore if subsequently during the exercise of the act his mind be distracted by other matters, the sacrament is valid in virtue of his original intention. Nevertheless, the minister of a sacrament should take great care to have actual intention. But this is not entirely in man's power, because when a man wishes to be very intent on something, he begins unintentionally to think of other things, according to Psalm 39:18: "My heart hath forsaken me."

Article 9. Whether faith is required of necessity in the minister of a sacrament?

Objection 1. It seems that faith is required of necessity in the minister of a sacrament. For, as stated above (Article 8), the intention of the minister is necessary for the validity of a sacrament. But "faith directs in intention" as Augustine says against Julian (In Psalm xxxi, cf. Contra Julian iv). Therefore, if the minister is without the true faith, the sacrament is invalid.
Objection 2. Further, if a minister of the Church has not the true faith, it seems that he is a heretic. But heretics, seemingly, cannot confer sacraments. For Cyprian says in an epistle against heretics (lxxiii): "Everything whatsoever heretics do, is carnal, void and counterfeit, so that nothing that they do should receive our approval." And Pope Leo says in his epistle to Leo Augustus (clvi): "It is a matter of notoriety that the light of all the heavenly sacraments is extinguished in the see of Alexandria, by an act of dire and senseless cruelty. The sacrifice is no longer offered, the chrism is no longer consecrated, all the mysteries of religion have fled at the touch of the parricide hands of ungodly men." Therefore a sacrament requires of necessity that the minister should have the true faith.
Objection 3. Further, those who have not the true faith seem to be separated from the Church by excommunication: for it is written in the second canonical epistle of John (10): "If any man come to you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into the house, nor say to him; God speed you": and (Titus 3:10): "A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition avoid." But it seems that an excommunicate cannot confer a sacrament of the Church: since he is separated from the Church, to whose ministry the dispensation of the sacraments belongs. Therefore a sacrament requires of necessity that the minister should have the true faith.
On the contrary, Augustine says against the Donatist Petilian: "Remember that the evil lives of wicked men are not prejudicial to God's sacraments, by rendering them either invalid or less holy."
I answer that, As stated above (Article 5), since the minister works instrumentally in the sacraments, he acts not by his own but by Christ's power. Now just as charity belongs to a man's own power so also does faith. Wherefore, just as the validity of a sacrament does not require that the minister should have charity, and even sinners can confer sacraments, as stated above (Article 5); so neither is it necessary that he should have faith, and even an unbeliever can confer a true sacrament, provided that the other essentials be there.
Reply to Objection 1. It may happen that a man's faith is defective in regard to something else, and not in regard to the reality of the sacrament which he confers: for instance, he may believe that it is unlawful to swear in any case whatever, and yet he may believe that baptism is an efficient cause of salvation. And thus such unbelief does not hinder the intention of conferring the sacrament. But if his faith be defective in regard to the very sacrament that he confers, although he believe that no inward effect is caused by the thing done outwardly, yet he does know that the Catholic Church intends to confer a sacrament by that which is outwardly done. Wherefore, his unbelief notwithstanding, he can intend to do what the Church does, albeit he esteem it to be nothing. And such an intention suffices for a sacrament: because as stated above (Article 8, Reply to Objection 2) the minister of a sacrament acts in the person of the Church by whose faith any defect in the minister's faith is made good.
Reply to Objection 2. Some heretics in conferring sacraments do not observe the form prescribed by the Church: and these confer neither the sacrament nor the reality of the sacrament. But some do observe the form prescribed by the Church: and these confer indeed the sacrament but not the reality. I say this in the supposition that they are outwardly cut off from the Church; because from the very fact that anyone receives the sacraments from them, he sins; and consequently is hindered from receiving the effect of the sacrament. Wherefore Augustine (Fulgentius, De Fide ad Pet.) says: "Be well assured and have no doubt whatever that those who are baptized outside the Church, unless they come back to the Church, will reap disaster from their Baptism." In this sense Pope Leo says that "the light of the sacraments was extinguished in the Church of Alexandria"; viz. in regard to the reality of the sacrament, not as to the sacrament itself.
Cyprian, however, thought that heretics do not confer even the sacrament: but in this respect we do not follow his opinion. Hence Augustine says (De unico Baptismo xiii): "Though the martyr Cyprian refused to recognize Baptism conferred by heretics or schismatics, yet so great are his merits, culminating in the crown of martyrdom, that the light of his charity dispels the darkness of his fault, and if anything needed pruning, the sickle of his passion cut it off."
Reply to Objection 3. The power of administering the sacraments belongs to the spiritual character which is indelible, as explained above (III:63:3. Consequently, if a man be suspended by the Church, or excommunicated or degraded, he does not lose the power of conferring sacraments, but the permission to use this power. Wherefore he does indeed confer the sacrament, but he sins in so doing. He also sins that receives a sacrament from such a man: so that he does not receive the reality of the sacrament, unless ignorance excuses him.

Article 10. Whether the validity of a sacrament requires a good intention in the minister?

Objection 1. It seems that the validity of a sacrament requires a good intention in the minister. For the minister's intention should be in conformity with the Church's intention, as explained above (Article 8, Reply to Objection 1). But the intention of the Church is always good. Therefore the validity of a sacrament requires of necessity a good intention in the minister.
Objection 2. Further, a perverse intention seems worse than a playful one. But a playful intention destroys a sacrament: for instance, if someone were to baptize anybody not seriously but in fun. Much more, therefore, does a perverse intention destroy a sacrament: for instance, if somebody were to baptize a man in order to kill him afterwards.
Objection 3. Further, a perverse intention vitiates the whole work, according to Luke 11:34: "If thy eye be evil, thy" whole "body will be darksome." But the sacraments of Christ cannot be contaminated by evil men; as Augustine says against Petilian (Cont. Litt. Petil ii). Therefore it seems that, if the minister's intention is perverse, the sacrament is invalid.
On the contrary, A perverse intention belongs to the wickedness of the minister. But the wickedness of the minister does not annul the sacrament: neither, therefore, does his perverse intention.
I answer that, The minister's intention may be perverted in two ways. First in regard to the sacrament: for instance, when a man does not intend to confer a sacrament, but to make a mockery of it. Such a perverse intention takes away the truth of the sacrament, especially if it be manifested outwardly.
Secondly, the minister's intention may be perverted as to something that follows the sacrament: for instance, a priest may intend to baptize a woman so as to be able to abuse her; or to consecrate the Body of Christ, so as to use it for sorcery. And because that which comes first does not depend on that which follows, consequently such a perverse intention does not annul the sacrament; but the minister himself sins grievously in having such an intention.
Reply to Objection 1. The Church has a good intention both as to the validity of the sacrament and as to the use thereof: but it is the former intention that perfects the sacrament, while the latter conduces to the meritorious effect. Consequently, the minister who conforms his intention to the Church as to the former rectitude, but not as to the latter, perfects the sacrament indeed, but gains no merit for himself.
Reply to Objection 2. The intention of mimicry or fun excludes the first kind of right intentionnecessary for the validity of a sacrament. Consequently, there is no comparison.
Reply to Objection 3. A perverse intention perverts the action of the one who has such an intention, not the action of another. Consequently, the perverse intention of the minister perverts the sacrament in so far as it is his action: not in so far as it is the action of Christ, Whose minister he is. It is just as if the servant [minister] of some man were to carry alms to the poor with a wicked intention, whereas his master had commanded him with a good intention to do so.
Source: Newadvent Summa


Further Reading

https://www.ewtn.com/library/DOCTRINE/INTENTIO.TXT

Bishop John England




Humour: Funny old insults

$
0
0
+
JMJ


I was looking for a definition of a word and this link popped up.

Maybe we should re-incorporate these into our vocabulary😄?

In this crisis, we need to keep our sense of humour - otherwise we'll become bitter, cranky old fogies.

P^3

Gobermouch: This is an old Irish term for someone who likes to meddle in other people’s business. Everyone knows a busybody, right?

Gnashnab: Gnashnab is an 18th century northern English word, meaning someone who just complains all the time. Contemporary synonyms include nitpicker, moaner and grumbler. It's just as true now as it was back then—no one likes a gnashnab.

Snoutband: A snoutband is someone who always interrupts a conversation to correct or contradict the person speaking. Every social group has a snoutband, who thinks they know everything. They probably don't know the meaning of this word, though. At least, not yet.



Stampcrab: Someone that's clumsy and heavy of foot would be considered a stampcrab. It sounds like a good band name, doesn't it? More of those coming up, so scroll on.

Scobblelotcher: Mental Floss notes this word is "probably derived from 'scopperloit,' an old English dialect word for a vacation or a break from work." A scobberlotcher is someone who avoids hard work like it's their job. The next time you catch someone dozing off at their desk, hit 'em with this one.

Whiffle-Whaffle: This is someone who wastes a lot of time. You could easily make the case that a scobblelotcher is also a whiffle-whaffle, correct? Or would that be a ... whiffle-whaffler?

Zounderkite: This is a Victorian word meaning idiot. This is an appropriate example with a contemporary angle, spoken with some irritation while driving on the highway: "That zounderkite just cut me off!"

Fopdoodle: A fopdoodle is someone of little significance. So if you're letting someone get on your nerves that really shouldn't have the power, remember that they're just a fopdoodle. Then carry on.

Klazomaniac: This would be a person WHO CAN ONLY SPEAK BY SHOUTING. That's all we're going to say ABOUT THAT!


George Weigel and the SSPX - Rorate-Caeli

$
0
0
+
JMJ

I've written a lot about confirmation biases and cultural issues within organizations.

George Weigel's response to the possibility of the SSPX not being required to accept the mantra is outlandish.

I think we can apply a label to a person who's sole claim to fame is writing Pope St. John Paul II's biography.

Fopdoodle

Seriously, the modernists (ie progressivists) are already disregarding the Teachings of the Church and promoting the 'infallibilty' of V2 as the reason for their heresy.

The possibilty of the SSPX actually being acknowledged as Catholic (and right!) would cause him to rethink some of his assumptions about JPII.




Seriously.


P^3


Source: Rorate-Caeli




George Weigel and the SPPX

by P.J. Smith

George Weigel, in his most recent column, has decided that the Holy See should not offer the Society of St. Pius X a personal prelature. It appears from statements by Archbishop Guido Pozzo, secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, and Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the Society, that a personal prelature is the current offer. More than that, it seems that the Holy See is not insisting on the Society’s submission to every jot and tittle of every document of the Second Vatican Council. This is wonderful news.

Many informed commentators noted that the 2012 negotiations between Rome and the Society were torpedoed at the last moment by the sudden insistence of the Roman authorities on such submission. Archbishop Pozzo has conceded in public interviews that there are levels of authority in the documents of that “pastoral council,” and that total assent may not be necessary. And Weigel is positively hysterical at the prospect.


Of course, one recognizes at the outset that Weigel literally wishes to be more Catholic than the Pope. Pope Francis’s course of dealing with the Society has been marked by his recognition that the Society of St. Pius X is wholly Catholic and entitled to canonical standing. He has, more or less on his own initiative, conferred upon priests of the Society the faculty to hear confessions. He has also provided a process by which Society priests may lawfully witness marriages. While the Society has argued that it has had supplied jurisdiction for these acts, the fact remains that there are now few differences between priests of the Society and ordinary parish priests. (Except, all too often, the Society priests are better formed and more willing to do the gritty work of a pastor.) All of this the Supreme Pontiff has decreed, but George Weigel knows better.

Weigel’s entire argument is this: the SSPX “dissents” from the Church’s teaching on religious liberty, as that teaching is set forth in the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on Religious Liberty, Dignitatis humanae. He asserts that the Society’s supposed dissent is based upon French politics after the Revolution rather than “a serious account of the history of Catholic church-state doctrine.” Yet his allegation is wholly peremptory and wholly unserious. We have Weigel’s ipse dixitand that is it. It is easier, in fact, to rehearse what Weigel does not talk about in his haste to declare the Society dissenters. For example, Weigel does not discuss  Archbishop Lefebvre’s dubia regarding Dignitatis humanae, submitted to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which did not receive an authoritative, point-by-point response, but only a vague general reply by an anonymous peritus. Weigel does not mention Mirari vosQuanta curaImmortale DeiLibertas praestantissimum, or any of the other papal pronouncements on religious liberty before 1965. And Weigel certainly does not show any signs of having considered the more recent work on Dignitatis humanae by scholars such as Prof. Thomas Pink.


It is, of course, by no means clear that the Society actually dissents from or rejects Church teaching. Given wthe text and history of Dignitatis humanae itself, it is not clear what Dignitatis humanae actually means, and, therefore, it is impossible to say what dissent looks like. Even if the Declaration were wholly clear, that would not resolve the question. In 2014, the International Theological Commission issued a very lengthy document, “Sensus fidei in the life of the Church,” which discussed the sensus fidei, “a sort of spiritual instinct that enables the believer to judge spontaneously whether a particular teaching or practice is or is not in conformity with the Gospel and with apostolic faith” (para. 49). The document observes that, “[a]lerted by their sensus fidei, individual believers may deny assent even to the teaching of legitimate pastors if they do not recognise in that teaching the voice of Christ, the Good Shepherd” (para. 63). Given the sharp distinctions between Dignitatis humanae and the teachings of Gregory XVI, Pius IX, Leo XIII, and other good and holy popes, it seems eminently reasonable to discuss the Society’s position in terms of the reaction of an authentic sensus fidei. With all of this in mind, one must ask whether it is George Weigel who is staking out a position for largely political reasons.

Things go from bad to worse when Weigel explains why it is that the Society’s supposed dissent is such a problem. To recognize the Society and give it a personal prelature would, Weigel frets, embolden liberal dissenters. Because the Society identifies inconsistencies between Dignitatis humanae and the Church’s traditional teachings—set forth in all those dusty encyclicals Weigel ignores—modernists would articulate a case for “faithful dissent” from Humanae vitae and Ordinatio sacerdotalis. Weigel’s claim is as bizarre as it is ridiculous. For one thing, modernists have had no trouble asserting for themselves a right to faithful dissent, even during the years when simply everyone thought the Society was “schismatic.” St. Pius X warned us in Pascendi that dissent and tension are among the most favored methods of the modernists. 

That great pope has been proved right again and again, notwithstanding the question of the Society that bears his name. There is no reason to believe that granting the Society the juridical recognition that is its right would embolden modernists, if only because it is impossible to believe, in 2017, that the modernists could be bolder.And Weigel’s argument is beyond ridiculous insofar as he attempts to say that the Society of St. Pius X’s ongoing questions about Dignitatis humanae(among other things) are equivalent to the modernists’ heresies. Consider it like this: the priests  of the Society observe that Dignitatis humanae cannot be reconciled easily, if at all, with the teachings of Gregory XVI, Pius IX, Leo XIII and other good and holy popes. They, following their sensus fidei, appeal to the universal magisterium, including the teachings of those popes, and ask for clarification from the Roman authorities. After long decades of hostility and silence from the Roman authorities, Archbishop Pozzo stakes out a position that would go some distance toward clarifying the situation, and additional clarification could take place through careful study. To put this process—a process reflecting true submission to the universal magisterium of the Church—on the same level as the modernists’ clamor for priestesses and blessings for sodomitical unions beggars belief, but it appears that Weigel wants to do just that.

Weigel never really comes to the point. He suggests that giving the Society its long-deserved juridical recognition would hurt ecumenical outreach and the New Evangelization. Weigel apparently does not know that the New Evangelization has been a dead letter since March 13, 2013, when Pope Francis’s election was announced. And it is impossible to imagine how ecumenical outreach could be hurt by the Society when Pope Francis makes extravagant ecumenical gestures at every turn. The only possible explanation for Weigel’s incoherent argument is that he has committed himself to the view that the Second Vatican Council is the most significant moment in the life of the Church since Pentecost. To be sure, a faction in the Church believes just that. And they are a faction with considerable power. Denying the Society juridical recognition—despite its evident Catholicism and the indefatigable pastoral work of its good and holy priests—would, therefore, in Weigel’s words, “reinforce the notion that doctrine is not about truth, but about power.”


P.J. Smith blogs at Semiduplex 
- See more at: http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2017/04/guest-post-george-weigel-and-sspx.html#sthash.d5fuY9Nr.dpuf

SSPX as Barometer

$
0
0
+
JMJ

It's been said that the SSPX acts as a barometer for the Catholic Church. The further Her leaders take Her away from the truth, the more glaring the differences between the practice of the SSPX and that of the 'Modern' Church.

The first interesting article was this one from 1P5 ( 1P5: FSSP superior distinguishes fraternity from sspx eschews traditionalist label ).

As an aside I was greatly amused when a 'resistance' website made the mistake of thinking that this was an SSPX superior.

Anyway, it shows that at least in Germany there are significant differences between the FSSP and FSSPX.

I suspect that when the FSSPX is given the canonical standing that it deserves there will be a split within the FSSP.

Next we have this article ( Common Wealmagazine: Catholic Traditionalism Old and New) from Common Weal.



Well, I'll let you read it ... but first some comments:

The SSPX has a track record of pulling out of agreements at the last minute. But even if this agreement will not be signed, what is happening says a lot. Of course, the consequences of the possible return of the SSPX to the Church are tied to the success or failure of Francis’s reforms in the long run. It might curb traditionalism, or it might instead give it a boost. Part of the thinking is that in the future global Church, both old-school French-speaking traditionalism and new, English-speaking traditionalism will be more marginal.
I have to admit I giggled at the 'track record' statement. What happens is Rome has, each time, changed the agreement or required a last minute compromise.
The regularization of the SSPX might also erode or limit the validity of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, which might no longer be justified if a new “personal prelature” for the traditionalists delimits the application space of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite. It would be another step for Francis dealing with the Ratzinger legacy in liturgical matters, after the decision to create a commission to review the 2001 Vatican instruction Liturgiam Authenticam.
Well, I think the erosion of SP is a matter of distinction.  SP was at the behest of the SSPX and it will stand as law unless abrogated. However, I suspect that a number of dioceses will use it as an excuse to remove the traditionalist thorn from their sides.
What the traditionalists do not seem to perceive is that the possible recognition of the SSPX would not come at the expense of Vatican II, but thanks to it: the dialogue towards all in the Church (for example: the divorced and remarried, LGBT people) enables and justifies a bold opening toward the SSPX as well. As Italian ecumenist Lorenzo Prezzi observed, a deal between the Vatican and the SSPX in 2009 or in 2012 would have legitimized and solidified a restrictive reading of Vatican II, while also influencing the conclave of 2013. Now the opposite seems likely. The return of the SSPX will give some more power to the conservatives, but in a process of reform. Of course, this scenario makes more sense for Catholic churches in which Vatican II was implemented more fully than in the United States, where during these last few decades an institutional “Vatican II revisionism,” pushed especially by the bishops, has been a subset of the culture wars.
Well, I believe that if the SSPX does not need to accept V2 (see mantra) then yes it is at the expense of V2.

It will be a brave new world where one can question the crazy practices of the past 50+ years.

P^3



LET’S NOT MAKE A DEAL...AT LEAST THIS DEAL - Weigel - Sequel

$
0
0
+
JMJ

Well, it is quite amusing to see the extents that someone will go to to not admit that there's an issue with the documents of the Second Vatican Council.

To make a deal with the SSPX and the Lefebvrist movement on Archbishop Pozzo’s premise—that this new personal prelature would be conceded a right to reject certain teachings of the Second Vatican Council—would be to make the symphony of Catholic truth discordant rather than melodic. It would validate even more dissent on the Catholic Left. It would reinforce the notion that doctrine is not about truth, but about power. (First Things: Lets-not-make-a-deal-at-least-this-deal)

Ok - let's see if I understand this:

  1. selon the SSPX the documents of the Second Vatican "dissent" from prior magisterium.
  2. If the SSPX is allowed to maintain on to this understanding of prior magisterium and be 'regularized' that affects the standing of the V2 magisterium.
  3. This would validate even more dissent from the Catholic Left.
Well this is kinda funny, the SSPX's adherence to Catholic Teaching encourages modernists et al in their dissent.

Seriously?

Truth is stranger than fiction!

P^3

Two Years after the SSPX Episcopal Consecrations - The Sequel

$
0
0
+
JMJ

A few years ago, I made the claim in this post that the 'As We Are' condition was embedded and not abandoned by Archbishop Lefebvre.

A number of people have stated that the following phrase contradicts that:
However, one day they will be obliged to recognize that the Society represents a spiritual force and a strength of the Faith which is irreplaceable and which they will have, I hope, the joy and the satisfaction to make use of, but when they have come back to their Traditional Faith.
I've already made my case, but recently I decided to look for and found the original french text (full text below).

Here's the original text of the above statement:
Bien qu’ils n’aient pas voulu le dire explicitement, ils sont bien obligés de reconnaître que la Fraternité représente une force spirituelle irremplaçable pour la foi, dont ils auront, j’espère, la joie et la satisfaction de se servir lorsqu’ils auront retrouvé la foi traditionnelle.
Comparing to the above translation we find the following:

  1. There is no comma in between "make use of" and the rest of the statement.
  2. Also there is no "but" in the original phrase.

Let's do a more literal translation:

so, this means that the phrase would more appropriately translated by Tradical as:
While they did not want to say so explicitly, they are obliged to recognize that the Fraternity represents an irreplaceable spiritual force for the faith, of which they will have, I hope,  the joy and the satisfaction to make use of when they rediscover the traditional faith.
Here's the two translations side by side:

Original Translation
Tradical Translation
However, one day they will be obliged to recognize that the Society represents a spiritual force and a strength of the Faith which is irreplaceable and which they will have, I hope, the joy and the satisfaction to make use of, but when they have come back to their Traditional Faith.
While they did not want to say so explicitly, they are obliged to recognize that the Fraternity represents an irreplaceable spiritual force for the faith, of which they will have, I hope,  the joy and the satisfaction to make use of when they rediscover the traditional faith.

It is amazing how a misplaced a comma and word can alter the sense if not the meaning of a phrase.

Looking at the two translations the Tradical version (validated below by our friend Google), definitely shows a different tone if not a different meaning.

First, the 'one day' is not present in the original and the tense is actually in the present, not the future.

Second is the structure and meaning of the last sentence of the paragraph.  The 'ultimatum' attitude implied by the 'but' etc is absent.

A google robo-translation is consistent with the Tradical translation.  Thank-you Mother for suggesting that I enter French Immersion!

P^3






Les pro et les anti-Syllabus


Conférence de Mgr Lefebvre à l’issue de la retraite sacerdotale au mois de septembre 1990 à Ecône.

Elle demeure toujours d’actualité, car elle illustre bien le changement radical qui s’est opéré dans l’Eglise à l’occasion du Concile.

Vatican II a pris le contre-pied de ce que le magistère avait enseigné, notamment du combat qu’avaient mené les papes du XIX siècle et du XX siècle jusqu’à Pie XII, contre les erreurs modernes.

Après avoir rappelé une conversation téléphonique qu’il avait eue avec le cardinal Oddi qui le pressait de demander « un petit pardon au Pape », et au cours de laquelle il lui avait affirmé : « Il faut que Rome change. Ce n’est pas une question de liturgie, mais une question de foi », Monseigneur Lefebvre affirme que le combat que nous vivons aujourd’hui est toujours le même. Il y a les pro-Syllabus et ceux qui sont contre.

Fideliter N° 87.
Mai-Juin 1992

Le problème demeure très grave, et il ne faut surtout pas le minimiser. C’est ce qu’il faut répondre à tous les laïcs qui vous demandent si la crise va finir, s’il n’y aurait pas moyen d’avoir une autorisation pour notre liturgie, pour nos sacrements…

Certainement la question de la liturgie et des sacrements est très importante, mais plus importante encore est celle de la foi. Pour nous cette question est résolue, car nous avons la foi de toujours, celle du concile de Trente, du catéchisme de saint Pie X, de tous les conciles et de tous les papes d’avant Vatican II, en un mot la foi de l’Eglise.

Mais à Rome ? La persévérance et la pertinacité des idées fausses et des graves erreurs de Vatican II continuent. C’est clair.

Monsieur l’abbé Tam nous a envoyé des coupures de L’Osservatore Romano : des discours du Saint-Père, du cardinal Casaroli, du cardinal Ratzinger. Ce sont des documents officiels de l’Eglise dont on ne peut douter de l’authenticité, et on est stupéfait.

Ces temps-ci (puisque je suis un peu en chômage) j’ai relu le livre que vous connaissez bien, de Barbier, sur le catholicisme libéral. Il est frappant de voir que notre combat est exactement celui des grands catholiques du XIXe siècle depuis la Révolution, et le combat des papes Pie VI, Pie VII, Pie VIII. Grégoire XVI, Pie IX, Léon XIII, saint Pie X, jusqu’à Pie XII. Or en quoi se résume-t-il ? C’est Quanta Cura et le Syllabus de Pie IX, et Pascendi domini gregis de saint Pie X. Ce sont des documents sensationnels, qui d’ailleurs ont fait choc en leur temps, et qui ont opposé la doctrine du Saint-Siège devant les erreurs modernes. C’est la doctrine que l’Eglise a opposée aux erreurs qui se sont manifestées au cours de la Révolution, particulièrement dans la Déclaration de droits de l’homme.

Or c’est le même combat que nous livrons aujourd’hui : il y a les pro- Syllabus, les pro-Quanta Cura, les pro-Pascendi et il y a ceux qui sont contre. C’est tout simple.

Ceux qui sont contre ces documents adoptent les principes de la Révolution, les erreurs modernes. Ceux qui sont pour demeurent dans la vraie foi catholique.

Or, vous savez très bien que le cardinal Ratzinger a dit officiellement que pour lui Vatican II était l’anti-Syllabus. S’il s’est clairement placé contre le Syllabus, c’est donc qu’il a adopté le principe de la Révolution. D’ailleurs il l’a dit très clairement : « L’Eglise s’est ouverte aux doctrines qui ne sont pas nôtres mais qui viennent de la société, etc… » Tout le monde a compris : les principes de 89, les Droits de l’homme.

Nous sommes exactement dans la situation du cardinal Pie, de Mgr Freppel, de Louis Veuillot, du député Keller en Alsace, de Ketler en Allemagne, du cardinal Mermillod en Suisse, qui ont combattu le bon combat, avec la grande majorité des évêques, car à cette époque là ils avaient la chance d’avoir la grande majorité des évêques avec eux. Certes, Mgr Dupanloup et quelques évêques français à sa suite ont fait exception. De même quelques-uns, en Allemagne et en Italie, ont été ouvertement opposés au Syllabus et à Pie IX, mais ce furent plutôt des cas extraordinaires.

Il y avait cette force révolutionnaire des héritiers de la Révolution et, pour leur tendre la main, les Dupanloup, Montalembert, Lamennais…, qui ne voulaient jamais invoquer les droits de Dieu contre les droits de l’homme. « Nous demandons le droit commun » c’est-à-dire ce qui convient à tous les hommes, à toutes les religions, à tout le monde. Le droit commun, pas les droits de Dieu…

Nous nous retrouvons à présent dans la même situation, il faut ne pas se faire d’illusions : nous menons un combat très fort. Mais comme il est assuré par toute une lignée de papes, nous n’avons pas à hésiter ou à avoir peur.

Certains voudraient changer ceci ou cela, se rallier quand même à Rome, au pape… Nous le ferions, bien sur, s’ils étaient dans la Tradition, et continuaient le travail de tous les papes du XIXe siècle et de la première moitié du XXe. Mais eux-mêmes reconnaissent qu’ils ont pris une voie nouvelle, que le concile Vatican II a ouvert une nouvelle ère, et que l’Eglise parcourt une nouvelle étape.

Je pense qu’il faut inculquer cela à nos fidèles, de telle manière qu’ils se sentent solidaires de toute l’histoire de l’Eglise. Parce qu’enfin cela remonte même avant la Révolution : c’est le combat de Satan contre la Cité de Dieu. Comment cela va-t-il se résoudre ? C’est le secret de Dieu, un mystère. Mais il n’y a pas à se faire de souci, il faut avoir confiance dans la grâce du Bon Dieu.

Que nous ayons à combattre contre les idées actuellement en vogue à Rome, celles que le Pape exprime, ainsi que Ratzinger, Casaroli, Willebrands, et tant d’autres, c’est clair. Nous les combattons parce qu’ils ne font que répéter le contraire de ce que les papes ont dit et affirmé solennellement pendant un siècle et demi.

Alors il faut choisir.

C’est ce que je disais au pape Paul VI. On est bien obligé de choisir entre vous, le Concile, et vos prédécesseurs. A qui faut-il aller ? Aux prédécesseurs qui ont affirmé la doctrine de l’Eglise, ou bien suivre les nouveautés du concile Vatican II que vous avez affirmées. « Oh, il ne faut pas faire de théologie ici », m’a-t-il répondu. C’est donc clair!

Nous n’avons pas à hésiter une minute, si nous voulons ne pas nous retrouver avec ceux qui sont en train de nous trahir. Il y en a qui ont toujours envie de regarder de l’autre côté de la barrière. Ils ne regardent pas du côté des amis, de ceux qui se défendent sur le terrain même du combat, ils regardent toujours un peu du côté de l’ennemi.

Ils disent qu’il faut être charitable, avoir de bons sentiments, qu’il faut éviter les divisions. Après tout, ces gens là disent quand même la bonne messe, ils ne sont pas si mauvais qu’on le dit…

Mais ils nous trahissent. Ils donnent la main à ceux qui démolissent l’Église, à ceux qui ont des idées modernistes et libérales, pourtant condamnées par l’Eglise. Donc maintenant, ils font le travail du diable, eux qui travaillaient avec nous pour le règne de Notre Seigneur et polir le salut des âmes.

« Oh, pourvu qu’on nous accorde la bonne messe, on peut donner la main à Rome, il n’y a pas de problèmes ». Voilà comment ça marche ! Ils sont dans une impasse car on ne peut pas à la fois donner la main aux modernistes et vouloir garder la Tradition.

Qu’on ait des contacts pour les ramener à la Tradition, les convertir, à la rigueur. C’est le bon œcuménisme. Mais donner l’impression qu’on regrette presque, et qu’après tout on irait bien parler avec eux, ce n’est pas possible. Comment parler avec ceux qui maintenant nous disent que nous sommes figés comme des cadavres ? Selon eux, nous ne sommes plus la Tradition vivante, nous sommes des gens tristes, « sans vie et sans joie ». C’est à croire qu’ils n’ont jamais fait partie de la Tradition ! C’est invraisemblable. Comment voulez-vous que l’on puisse avoir des rapports avec ces gens-là?

C’est ce qui nous pose parfois des problèmes avec certains très bons laïcs, qui sont pour nous et qui ont accepté les sacres, mais qui ont comme une espèce de regret intime de ne plus être avec ceux avec lesquels ils étaient auparavant, ceux qui n’ont pas accepté les sacres et qui maintenant sont coutre nous. « C’est dommage, je voudrais bien aller les retrouver, boire un verre avec eux, leur tendre la main ». Cela c’est de la trahison, parce qu’à la moindre occasion ils partiront avec eux. Il faut savoir ce que l’on veut.

Car c’est cela qui a tué la chrétienté de l’Europe, pas seulement l’Église de France, mais aussi celle d’Allemagne, de Suisse… Ce sont les libéraux qui ont permis à la Révolution de s’installer, précisément parce qu’ils ont tendu les mains à ceux qui n’avaient pas leurs principes.

Il faut savoir si nous voulons collaborer aussi à la destruction de l’Église, à la ruine du règne social de Notre Seigneur, ou bien si nous sommes décidés à œuvrer au règne de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ.

Tous ceux qui veulent venir avec nous, pour travailler avec nous, Deo gratias, nous les accueillons, peu importe d’où ils viennent, mais qu’ils ne nous disent pas de quitter notre chemin pour aller avec eux collaborer avec les autres. Ce n’est pas possible.

Tout au long du XIXe siècle, les catholiques se sont littéralement déchirés à propos de ce document du Syllabus, pour, contre, pour, contre…

Vous vous souvenez en particulier du comte de Chambord que l’on a critiqué d’avoir refusé la royauté pour une question de drapeau. Mais ce n’était pas tellement une question de drapeau, le comte de Chambord a refusé d’être soumis aux principes de la Révolution. Il a dit : « Je ne consentirai jamais à être le roi légitime de la Révolution ». Et il avait raison, car il aurait été plébiscité par le pays et l’Assemblée, mais à condition d’accepter le parlementarisme, c’est-à-dire les principes de la Révolution. Alois il a dit : « Non, si je dois être roi, je le serai selon mes ancêtres d’avant la Révolution ».

Il avait raison, c’est à choisir. Avec le Pape il choisissait les principes d’avant la Révolution, principes catholiques et contre-révolutionnaires. Et nous aussi nous avons choisi d’être contre-révolutionnaires, avec le Syllabus, contre les erreurs modernes, d’être dans la vérité catholique et de la défendre.

Ce combat entre l’Église et les libéraux modernistes, c’est celui du concile Vatican Il. Il ne faut pas chercher midi à quatorze heures. Et cela va très loin. Plus on analyse les documents de Vatican II et l’interprétation qu’en ont donnée les autorités de l’Eglise, plus on s’aperçoit qu’il s’agit non seulement de quelques erreurs, l’œcuménisme, la liberté religieuse, la collégialité, un certain libéralisme, mais encore d’une perversion de l’esprit. C’est toute une nouvelle philosophie, basée sur la philosophie moderne du subjectivisme. Le livre que vient de faire paraître un théologien allemand, et qui, j’espère sera traduit en français afin que vous puissiez l’avoir en mains, est très instructif de ce point de vue. Il commente la pensée du Pape, spécialement une retraite que, simple évêque, il prêcha au Vatican. Il montre bien que tout est subjectif chez le Pape. Quand on relit ensuite ses discours, on s’aperçoit bien que telle est sa pensée. Malgré les apparences, ce n’est pas catholique. La pensée que le Pape a de Dieu, de Notre Seigneur, vient du tréfonds de sa conscience et non pas d’une Révélation objective à laquelle il adhère par son intelligence. Il construit l’idée de Dieu. Il a dit dernièrement, dans un document invraisemblable, que l’idée de la Trinité n’a pu venir que très tard, parce qu’il fallait que la psychologie de l’homme intérieur puisse être capable d’arriver à la Trinité Sainte. C’est donc que l’idée de la Trinité n’est pas venue d’une révélation, mais du tréfonds de la conscience. C’est toute une autre conception de la Révélation, de la foi et de la philosophie, c’est une perversion totale. Comment sortir de là ? Je n’en sais rien En tout cas, c’est un fait.

Ce ne sont pas de petites erreurs. On se trouve devant tout un courant de philosophie qui remonte à Descartes, à Kant, à toute la lignée des philosophes modernes qui ont préparé la Révolution.

Voici quelques citations du Pape sur l’œcuménisme publiées dans L’Osservatore Romano du 2 juin 1989:

« Ma visite aux pays nordiques est une confirmation de l’intérêt de l’Église catholique dans l’œuvre de l’œcuménisme qui est de promouvoir l’unité entre tous les chrétiens. Il y a vingt-cinq ans que le concile Vatican II a insisté clairement sur l’urgence de ce défi à l’Eglise. Mes prédécesseurs ont cherché à atteindre cet objectif avec une persévérante attention à la grâce du Saint-Esprit qui est la source divine et le garant du mouvement œcuménique. Depuis le début de mon pontificat, j’ai fait de l’œcuménisme la priorité de ma sollicitude pour l’action pastorale ».

C’est clair.

Et le Pape fait sans arrêt bien d’autres discours sur l’œcuménisme parce qu’il reçoit constamment des délégations d’orthodoxes, de toutes les religions, de toutes les sectes.

Mais on peut dire que cet œcuménisme n’a pas fait faire le moindre progrès à l’Eglise. Il n’a abouti à rien, sinon à conforter les autres dans leurs erreurs, sans chercher à les convertir. Tout ce qu’on dit est un véritable charabia : la communion, l’approche, nous désirons bientôt être dans une communauté parfaite, nous espérons bien d’ici peu pouvoir communier dans les sacrements de l’unité… Et ainsi de suite. Mais ils n’avancent pas, et il est impossible qu’ils avancent jamais.

Toujours dans L’Osservatore Romano, on trouve un discours de Casaroii s’adressant à la Commission des droits de l’homme des Nations Unies :

« En répondant avec beaucoup de plaisir à l’invitation qui m’a été adressée de venir jusqu’à vous et en vous apportant les encouragements du Saint-Siège, je désire m’attarder quelque peu – et tous le comprendront – sur un aspect spécifique de la liberté fondamentale de penser et d’agir selon sa conscience, donc la liberté de religion. » (Entendre des choses comme cela dans la bouche d’un archevêque !). « Jean-Paul II n’hésitait pas à affirmer l’an passé dans un message pour la Journée mondiale de la paix, que la liberté religieuse constitue comme une pierre angulaire dans l’édifice des droits de l’homme.

L’Église catholique et son Pasteur suprême, qui a fait des droits de l’homme l’un de grands thèmes de sa prédication, n’ont pas manqué de rappeler que dans le monde fait par l’homme et pour l’homme » (dixit Casaroli !) « toute l’organisation de la société n’a de sens que dans la mesure où elle fait de la dimension humaine une préoccupation centrale. » (Dieu, on n’en parle pas, pas de dimension de Dieu dans l’homme, c’est affreux. C’est le paganisme). Alors il continue : « Tout homme et tout l’homme, voilà la préoccupation du Saint-Siège, telle est sans doute la vôtre aussi ».

Il n’y a plus qu’à tirer l’échelle ! Nous n’avons rien à faire avec ces gens-là, car nous n’avons rien de commun avec eux.

Alors notre fameux Ratzinger se trouve maintenant gêné d’avoir dit que Vatican II était un contre-Syllabus, car on le lui reproche souvent. C’est pourquoi il a trouvé une explication, qu’il a donnée le 27 juin 1990.

Vous savez que Rome a publié un document fleuve pour expliquer les relations entre le Magistère et les théologiens. Comme ils ne savent pas comment se sortir des ennuis qu’ils ont un peu partout, ils essayent de rattraper les théologiens sans trop les condamner. Il y en a des pages et des pages, c’est à s’y perdre complètement.

C’est dans la présentation de ce document que le cardinal Ratzinger délivre sa pensée sur la possibilité de pouvoir dire le contraire de ce que les papes ont toujours affirmé depuis le siècle dernier.

« Le document, dit le Cardinal, affirme peut-être pour la première fois avec cette clarté (en effet, je pense que c’est vrai), qu’il y a des décisions du Magistère qui ne peuvent être le dernier mot sur la matière en tant que telle, mais qui sont un ancrage substantiel dans le problème (le malin !) et avant tout une expression de prudence pastorale. Une espèce de disposition provisoire. (Des décisions officielles du Saint-Siège, des dispositions provisoires !) Le noyau reste stable mais les aspects particuliers sur lesquels, ont une influence les circonstances du temps, peuvent avoir besoin de rectifications ultérieures. A cet égard on peut signaler les déclarations des papes du siècle dernier sur la liberté religieuse (s’il vous plaît) comme aussi les décisions antimodernistes du début du siècle. (Il va fort !) Et surtout les décisions de la Commission biblique de la même époque » (Alors cela il ne peut pas le digérer).

Voilà trois décisions du Magistère que l’on peut mettre de côté. Cela peut changer. A cet égard on peut signaler les déclarations des papes du siècle dernier qui ont besoin de rectifications ultérieures « Les décisions antimodernistes ont rendu un grand service, mais après avoir rendu leur service pastoral en leur temps, dans leurs déterminations particulières, elles sont maintenant dépassées ». (Et voilà, on tourne la page du modernisme. C’est terminé, on n’en parle plus).

Il se dégage de l’accusation qu’on lui fait d’être contre le Syllabus, contre des décisions pontificales et le Magistère : un noyau reste (quel noyau ? on ne sait pas !) mais les aspects particuliers sur lesquels ont une influence particulière les circonstances du temps peuvent avoir besoin de rectifications ultérieures. Voilà, le tour est joué, c’est incroyable

Comment voulez-vous que l’on ait confiance en des gens comme cela, qui justifient la négation de Quanta Cura, de Pascendi, des décisions de la Commission biblique, etc…

Ou bien nous sommes les héritiers de l’Église catholique, c’est-à-dire de Quanta Cura, de Pascendi, avec tous les papes jusqu’avant le concile, et la grande majorité des évêques d’alors, pour le règne de Notre Seigneur et le salut des âmes, ou bien nous sommes les héritiers de ceux qui s’efforcent, même au prix d’une rupture avec l’Eglise et sa doctrine, d’admettre les principes des droits de l’homme, basés sur une véritable apostasie, en vue d’obtenir une présence de serviteurs dans le gouvernement mondial révolutionnaire. Car c’est cela au fond : à force de dire qu’ils sont pour les droits de l’homme, pour la liberté religieuse, la démocratie et l’égalité des hommes, ils auront une place dans le gouvernement mondial, mais ce sera une place de serviteurs.

Si je vous dis ces choses, c’est parce qu’il me semble qu’il faut raccrocher notre combat à ce qui l’a précédé. Car il n’a pas commencé avec le Concile, ce combat très dur, très pénible, dans lequel le sang a coulé. La séparation de l’Eglise et de l’Etat, les religieux et les religieuses chassés, la mainmise sur tous les biens de l’Eglise, ont constitué une véritable persécution, pas seulement chez nous mais en Suisse, en Allemagne, en Italie. C’était le moment de l’occupation des Etats pontificaux, lorsque le Pape s’est trouvé relégué dans le Vatican, en proie à des choses abominables. Alors serons-nous avec tout ce monde-là, contre la doctrine des papes, sans nous occuper des protestations qu’ils ont élevées pour défendre les droits de l’Eglise et de Notre Seigneur, pour défendre les âmes?

Je crois que nous avons vraiment une assise et une force qui ne sont pas de notre fait. Bien précisément, ce n’est pas notre combat que nous livrons, c’est celui de Notre Seigneur, continué par l’Eglise. Nous ne pouvons pas hésiter : ou bien nous sommes avec l’Eglise ou bien nous sommes contre elle, nous ne sommes pas pour cette Eglise conciliaire qui a de moins en moins de l’Eglise catholique, pratiquement plus rien.

Avant, quand le Pape parlait des droits de l’homme, il faisait souvent au début allusion aux devoirs de l’homme également. Maintenant c’est fini : tout est pour l’homme, tout par l’homme. Je voulais vous donner ces quelques considérations, pour que vous vous fortifiiez aussi, et que vous ayez conscience de continuer le combat avec la grâce du Bon Dieu.

Parce qu’il est évident que nous n’existerions plus si le Bon Dieu n’avait pas été avec nous. Il y a eu au moins quatre ou cinq occasions au cours desquelles la Fraternité aurait pu disparaître. Et, grâce à Dieu, nous sommes toujours là pour continuer. Elle devait disparaître en particulier à l’occasion des sacres, on nous l’avait tant prédit ! Tous les prophètes de malheur et même de nos proches nous disaient : « Monseigneur, ne faites jamais cela, c’est la fin de la Fraternité ». Mais non, le Bon Dieu ne veut pas que son combat se termine. C’est tout.

Ce combat a eu ses martyrs : les martyrs de la Révolution, et tous ceux qui ont été martyrisés moralement au cours de toutes les persécutions du XIXe et du XXe siècle. Saint Pie X a souffert le martyre à cause de tant d’évêques persécutés, de couvents expropriés, de religieuses chassées au-delà des frontières et tant d’autres choses. Et tout cela serait pour rien ? Ce serait un faux combat, inutile, un combat qui condamnerait les victimes et les martyrs ? Ce n’est pas possible.

Nous sommes pris dans ce courant, dans cette continuité, remercions-en le Bon Dieu. Nous sommes persécutés, c’est évident, nous sommes les seuls excommuniés, les seuls persécutés, mais nous ne pouvons pas ne pas l’être.

Alors qu’adviendra t-il ? Je ne le sais pas. Elie ? Je lisais cela encore ce matin dans l’Ecriture : « Elie reviendra et remettra tout en place », Omnia restituet. Qu’il vienne tout de suite !

Humainement parlant, je ne vois pas de possibilité d’accord actuellement. On me disait hier : « Si Rome acceptait vos évêques et que vous soyez complètement exempt de la juridiction des évêques… » D’abord ils sont bien loin d’accepter une chose comme celle-là, ensuite il faudrait qu’ils nous en fassent l’offre, et je ne pense pas qu’ils y soient prêts, car le fond de la difficulté, c’est précisément de nous donner un évêque traditionaliste. Eux ils ne voulaient qu’un évêque ayant le profil du Saint-Siège. Le « profil », vous comprenez ce que cela veut dire. Ils savaient très bien qu’en nous donnant un évêque traditionnel ils constitueraient une citadelle traditionaliste. Ils ne le voulaient pas, et ne l’ont pas plus donné aux autres. Quand les autres disent qu’ils ont signé le même protocole que nous, ce n’est pas vrai. Notre protocole prévoyait un évêque et deux membres à la Commission romaine. Or eux ils n’ont ni l’évêque, ni les membres dans la Commission romaine. Rome a enlevé cela du protocole, car elle n’en voulait à aucun prix.

Le premier novembre prochain nous fêterons les vingt ans de la Fraternité, et je suis intimement convaincu que c’est elle qui représente ce que le Bon Dieu veut pour garder et maintenir la foi, la vérité de l’Eglise, et ce qui peut encore être sauvé dans l’Eglise. Cela se fera grâce aussi aux évêques qui entourent le Supérieur général, et remplissent leur rôle indispensable de mainteneurs de la foi, en prêchant, et en donnant les grâces du sacerdoce et de la confirmation. Ce sont des choses irremplaçables, dont on a absolument besoin.

Tout cela est vraiment très consolant, et je pense que nous pouvons remercier le Bon Dieu, et œuvrer dans la persévérance, afin qu’un jour on reconnaisse ce que nous faisons. Bien que la visite du cardinal Gagnon n’ait pas donné beaucoup de résultats, elle a quand même montré que nous étions présents, et que du bien se faisait par la Fraternité. Bien qu’ils n’aient pas voulu le dire explicitement, ils sont bien obligés de reconnaître que la Fraternité représente une force spirituelle irremplaçable pour la foi, dont ils auront, j’espère, la joie et la satisfaction de se servir lorsqu’ils auront retrouvé la foi traditionnelle.

Prions la Sainte Vierge, demandons à Notre-Dame de Fatima, à tous nos pèlerinages respectifs dans tous les pays, de venir en aide à la Fraternité pour qu’elle ait beaucoup de vocations. Nous devrions avoir un peu plus de vocations, nos séminaires ne sont pas remplis. Mais je pense qu’avec la grâce de Dieu, cela viendra. Merci de m’avoir écouté. Je vous demande de prier pour que je fasse une bonne et sainte mort, parce que maintenant je n’ai plus que cela à faire.

Source: Radiocristiandad


The Modernist Zombie Apocalypse Has Arrived

$
0
0
+
JMJ

It occurred to me that the reactions to a no-compromise SSPX regularization (particularly of the Mr. Weigel and Common Weal) may be a symptom of Modernist Zombie-ism.

The current lore is that Zombies have some sort of ailment that transforms them into mindless, brain / flesh-eating monsters.

Well, in a weird twist of fate, those who imbibed too deeply into the excuse making under the past pontificates have become the 'walking dead' seeking to consume those who are still alive enough to realise that frankly the past pontificates left much to be desired.

Even the Vatican stated that Pope St. John Paul II was not canonized because of his papacy!

P^3

ps. Don't lose your sense of humour!

Letter to Friends and Benefactors #87

$
0
0
+
JMJ

Nothing too big today, just some regular Catholicism from the SSPX.

P^3

Courtesy SSPX.ca


April 2017 - Letter to Friends and Benefactors #87



Luther's private judgment denies the need for supernatural authority and makes unity in the Truth impossible.
Dear Friends and Benefactors,
Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther rebelled against the Church, taking a good third of Europe along with him. It was probably the most significant loss that the Catholic Church has had to suffer during her entire history, after the Eastern Schism of 1054. He thus deprived millions of souls of the necessary means of salvation, separating them not just from one religious organization among others, but actually from the one Church founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ, denying its supernatural reality and the necessity of it for salvation. He completely distorted the Faith, rejecting its fundamental dogmas, which are the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Real Presence in the Eucharist, the priesthood, the papacy, grace, and justification.
At the foundation of his thinking, which even today is that of Protestantism as a whole, is private judgment. This principle amounts to denying the need for a supernatural, infallible authority that can impose itself on particular judgments and decide debates between those whom she is commissioned to guide along the path to Heaven. This principle, which is claimed explicitly, quite simply renders the act of supernatural faith impossible, since the latter is based on the submission of the intellect and the will to the Truth revealed by God and taught authoritatively by the Church.
Private judgment, set up as a principle, not only cuts off access to the supernatural faith which is the way of salvation (“He that believeth not shall be condemned,” Mk 16:16), but also makes unity in the Truth impossible. He thus established in principle for Protestants the impossibility of eternal salvation and of unity in the Truth. And in fact the number of Protestant sects has not stopped increasing since the 16th century.
In the face of such a distressing spectacle, who would not understand the maternal efforts made by the true Church of Christ to look for the lost sheep? Who would not welcome the many apostolic attempts to liberate so many souls locked up in that fallacious principle that forbids them access to eternal salvation? This concern for their return to the unity of the true Faith and of the true Church runs through the centuries. It is not at all new; consider the prayer recited on Good Friday:
Let us pray for heretics and schismatics, that our Lord God may deliver them from all errors and may deign to bring them back to our Holy Mother, the Catholic and Apostolic Church.
Almighty and ever-living God, who savest all and dost not wish that any one should perish, look at the souls deceived by the diabolical fraud, so that the hearts of those who err, having set aside all heretical perversity, might repent and return to the unity of Thy truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
This traditional language leaves no room for the confusion that is so widespread today in the name of a false ecumenism. The warnings of the Congregation of the Sacred Office in 1949, following several papal documents, the most important of which is certainly the Encyclical by Pius XI, Mortalium Animos (1928), these fair warnings seem now to be a dead letter. Nevertheless, the dangers of this ecumenical irenicism, which was denounced by Pius XII in Humani Generis (1950), are immense and extremely serious, because it discourages conversions to Catholicism. What Protestant, seeing the “riches” and the “venerable traditions” of Luther’s Reform being praised, would feel the need to convert? Besides, the very word “conversion” is currently banished from the official Catholic vocabulary when it is a question of other Christian denominations.
Furthermore this new attitude, made up of praises for Protestantism and apologies for Catholicism, causes the loss of faith in countless Catholics—this is an observable fact. Every survey inquiring about the faith of Catholics shows the ravages resulting from this frightening alignment with Protestantism. How many Catholics are affected in the 21st century by what the Church condemned, until the Council, by the name of indifferentism? A fatal error that claims that the whole world is saved, whatever one’s religion may be. An error diametrically opposed to the teaching of Our Lord Himself and of the whole Church after Him. Nevertheless, if someone denounces this error against the two-thousand-year-old Catholic Faith, he is immediately branded as a fanatic or a dangerous extremist.
The new liturgy, too, was invented in the name of this new ecumenism. It has so many parallels with the Protestant Lord’s Supper that several Protestant theologians, for example, Max Thurian in Taizé, have been able to state that it is possible for their co-religionists to use the new Catholic missal. And during this time the children of the Catholic Church found themselves deprived of the most beautiful treasures of divine worship and of grace. Thank God, Benedict XVI courageously declared that the many-centuries-old liturgy had never been abolished, but—for more than 40 years, throughout the world—the postconciliar liturgical reform drove millions of the faithful from the churches, because they no longer found what they expected of the Catholic Church.
How can anyone be surprised, then, that this ecumenism, which is supposed to promote the unity of Christians, makes but little progress?
Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, from the Council on, denounced this new way of dealing with the Protestants that took shelter under the name of ecumenism. In fact, this very elastic term expresses a general manner of seeing and doing that was introduced into the Church at the time of Vatican II. We are talking about an ostentatious benevolence toward all human beings, a determination to no longer condemn error, a search all over the map for “what unites us” rather than what separates us.... And what ought to have been only the first step in a journey toward unity, within the framework of a captatio benevolentiae [a rhetorical gesture to win good will], rapidly turned into a pursuit for its own sake that became an end in itself; an unending quest for an undefined truth. It then strayed from its objective purpose: the return to the Church of those who have lost unity with her. Thus the meaning of the word ecumenism was changed, the concept of unity was modified, and the means of arriving at it were falsified.
In the past, the Church knew that she is the only true Church and proclaimed it loud and strong, but this traditional clarity has been replaced by a new, uncertain doctrine—a mixture of apologetic self-denigration and post-modern relativism (for example, “we do not possess the whole truth”), which currently leads a majority of Catholics to reject the statement that there is only one way of salvation, and that we have it from Jesus Christ Himself that “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but through me” (Jn 14:6).
The dogma “Outside the Church there is no salvation” has been changed surreptitiously by confused ideas, to the point of altering the statement that the Church of Christ and the Catholic Church are identical. Cardinal Walter Kasper, then-President of the Council for Promoting Christian Unity, saw the new definition of the Church (subsistit in; “subsists in”) as the thing that quite simply made possible the ecumenism that has been promoted since the Council. Coming from a figure like that, this is a fitting admission that should be taken seriously!
That, in a few words, is why we cannot celebrate joyfully the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Quite the contrary, we lament this cruel division. Following Our Lord, we pray and work so that the lost sheep might find again the path that will lead them safely to salvation, the path of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.
We pray also that this illusory irenicism will soon be abandoned and that in its place a true movement of conversion may be reborn, like the one that existed before the Council, particularly in English-speaking countries.
Finally, during this centenary of the apparitions of Our Lady to the three shepherd children of Fatima, we pray also that the requests of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary may be heard. She promised the conversion of Russia, when the Supreme Pontiff will be so kind as to consecrate this country explicitly to her Immaculate Heart. Let us redouble our prayers and sacrifices, so that the promise of the Mother of God may become a reality, without delay.
With her Divine Son, cum prole pia, may she deign to bless you during this Easter season and lead us all to eternal happiness.
Easter Sunday 2017
+ Bernard Fellay

Status of the SSPX

$
0
0
+
JMJ

Periodically, the status of the SSPX comes up in the media.

For the record here's what the SSPX has compiled!

P^3


Courtesy of SSPX.org




What is the canonical status of the SSPX?



A compilation of quotes, citations and reading suggestions concerning the Society of St. Pius X's canonical status. Includes a link to an article about the groundbreaking case of the "Hawaii Six"—resolved by Cardinal Ratzinger himself.

Various quotes about the SSPX’s canonical status

The citations below from various ecclesiastical persons and various authorities demonstrate the following:
  1. The political nature of the persecution of the SSPX as seen by ambiguous and contradicting statements emitted from various churchmen; that is, some exonerate the SSPX (albeit often half-heartily), while others outright condemn it.
  2. Thereby the effectiveness of liberal-motivated propaganda ploy of ostracizing the SSPX through false accusations and decrees of “excommunication”, “schism”, etc.
  3. The SSPX has been correct when claiming (based upon the principles of Canon Law and Catholic teaching) that no canonical censures against the SSPX have ever existed.
In addition to the following citations, we offer below some further reading recommendations available from Angelus Press or on website.

Abbreviations used


  • J.C.D. = Doctorate of Canon Law
  • N.C. = New 1983 Code of Canon Law

Attending Mass at a SSPX chapel

Cardinal Silvio Oddi
President for the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy
March 17, 1984
This reply was made to a inquiry made by a family about whether attending Mass at an SSPX chapel would serve to fulfilled their Sunday Obligation:
According to the New Code of Canon Law, “The obligation of assisting at Mass is satisfied wherever Mass is celebrated in a Catholic rite....” I hope that settles your doubts."
NB: Ironically, because of the ambiguous canon in the New Code regarding the fulfillment of one’s Sunday obligation (i.e., “wherever Mass is celebrated in a Catholic rite”) many liberally-minded bishops and priests will apply this in the “spirit of ecumenism” to the divine services offered by the schismatic and heretical Orthodox, but not to the Masses celebrated by priests of the SSPX!
Msgr. Camille Perl
Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
In a May 28, 1996 letter and repeated in Protocol No. 236/98 of March 6, 1998:
In the strict sense you may fulfill your Sunday obligation by attending a Mass celebrated by a priest of the Society of Saint Pius X. ...If your intention is simply to participate in Mass according to the 1962 Missal for the sake of devotion, this would not be a sin. It would seem that a modest contribution to the collection at Mass could be justified.
And in a letter of September 27, 2002:
It is true that participation in the Mass and sacraments at the chapels of the Society of St. Pius X does not of itself constitute “formal adherence to the schism”.

Is the SSPX in schism, excommunicated?

The Episcopal Consecrations (aka, “Operation Survival”) were performed by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer (of Campos, Brazil) on June 29, 1988.
Fr. Yves Congar
In the Dictionnaire de Theologia Catholique:
Schism involves a refusal to accept the existence of legitimate authority in the Church.
Professor Geringer, J.C.D.
Canon lawyer at the University of Munich
During a radio interview on June 30, 1988:
With the episcopal consecrations, Archbishop Lefebvre was by no means creating a schism."
Cardinal Castillo Lara, J.C.D.
President of the Pontifical Commission for the Authentic Interpretation of Canon Law President of the Disciplinary Commission of the Roman Curia
In the Italian newspaper La Republica on July 8, 1988:
The act of consecrating a bishop [without a papal mandate] is not in itself a schismatic act."
Count Neri Capponi, D.Cn.L., Ll.D
D.CN.L.—Lateran (doctor of canon law)
LL.D.—Florence (doctor of laws)
Professor Emeritus of Canon Law at the University of Florence
Accredited Advocate of the Apostolic Signatura (the highest ecclesiastical appeals tribunal)
Accredited Advocate of the Holy Roman Rota (the highest ecclesiastical marriage tribunal)
The fact is that Archbishop Lefebvre simply said: 'I am creating bishops in order that my priestly order can continue. They do not take the place of other bishops. I am not creating a parallel church.' Therefore, this act was not, per se, schismatic."
Canon Thomas C. G. Glover, J.C.D.
Cf. his 1993 article in Is Tradition Excommunicated?
Dr. Rudolf Kaschewsky
Professor and lawyer of canon law, and Vice President of Una Voce Deutschland
Cf. his March-April 1988 article in Is Tradition Excommunicated?
Dr. Georg May
President of the Seminary of Canon Law at the University of Mainz
Excerpted from his work, Notwehr, Widerstand, Notsand (Legitimate Defense, Resistance, Necessity) printed in 1984 (and republished in Is Tradition Excommunicated?):

Law of Necessity

The Code recognizes necessity as a circumstance which exempts from all penalties in case of violation of the law (N.C. 1324, §4), provided that the action is not intrinsically bad or harmful to souls; in this latter case necessity would only mitigate the penalty. But no latae sententiae penalty can be incurred by anyone who has acted in this circumstance." (N.C. 1324, §3).

State of Necessity in the Church

In the Church, as in civil society, it is conceivable that there arrive a state of necessity or urgency which cannot be surmounted by the observance of positive law. Such a situation exists in the Church when the endurance, order or activity of the Church are threatened or harmed in a considerable manner. This threat can bear principally on ecclesiastical teaching, the liturgy and discipline."
Fr. Patrick Valdrini, J.C.D.
Dean of the Faculty of Canon Law at the Catholic Institute of Paris
During an interview with Valeurs Actuelles in Paris on July 4, 1988, and again in L'Homme Nouveau, also in Paris on July 17, 1988:
It is not the consecration of a bishop that creates the schism. What makes the schism is to give the bishop an apostolic mission [i.e., jurisdiction]."
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Hawaii Six Case; Protocol No. 14428; June 4, 1993
On May 1, 1991, Bishop Joseph Ferrario of Honolulu, Hawaii formally declared six laymen to be excommunicated, mainly for this reason contained in his January 18, 1991 canonical warning:
Whereas, on May 1987 you performed a schismatic act, not only by procuring the services of an excommunicated Lefebvre bishop, Richard Williamson, who performed contra jure illicit confirmation in your chapel, but also by that very association with the aforementioned bishop incurred ipso facto the grave censure of excommunication as forewarned by the Office of the Congregation of Bishops at the Vatican to all the faithful" (July 1, 1988).
The “Hawaii Six” appealed Bishop Ferrario’s decree of “excommunication” Rome and in response the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith responded:
This Congregation has examined carefully all the available documentation and has ascertained that the activities engaged in by the Petitioner ...are not sufficient to constitute the crime of schism. Since [the Petitioner] did not, in fact, commit the crime of schism and thus did not incur the latae sententiaepenalty, it is clear that the Decree of the Bishop lacks the precondition on which it is founded. This Congregation, noting all of the above, is obliged to declare null and void the aforesaid Decree of the Ordinary of Honolulu."
Due to the intrigue of the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio to the United States, this response did not end the matter and Cardinal Ratzinger was required to intervene again; see this this webpage for further details.
Cardinal Edward Cassidy
President of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity
Protocol number 2336/94; May 3, 1994
…Regarding your inquiry, I would point out at once that the Directory on Ecumenism is not concerned with the Society of St. Pius X. The situation of the members of this Society is an internal matter of the Catholic Church. The Society is not another Church or Ecclesial Community in the meaning used in the Directory.
Of course the Mass and Sacraments administered by priests of the Society are valid. The bishops are validly—but not lawfully—ordained. What is required is reconciliation with the Catholic Church, and this is something greatly desired by the Bishop of Rome. Unfortunately, there does not seem at this time any sign that this may happen at an early date…"
Fr. Gerald E. Murray, J.C.D.
Doctoral thesis
An excerpt from the doctoral thesis (Fr. Murray had his licentiate in Canon Law at this time) that was accepted and approved by the Pontifical Gregorian University, titled, “The Canonical Status of the Lay Faithful Associated with the Late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the Society of St. Pius X: Are they Excommunicated as Schismatics?” which was subsequently printed in the Fall 1995 issue of The Latin Mass magazine:
They're not excommunicated as schismatics, because the Vatican has never said they are.... You can ... show that Lefebvre himself was not excommunicated and therefore no one else was.... I come to the conclusion that, canonically speaking, he's not guilty of a schismatic act punishable by canon law. In the case of the Society of St. Pius X, the Vatican never declared any priest or lay person to have become a schismatic."
NB: In the summer 1996 issue of the aforementioned magazine, after receiving considerable pressure from his superiors, Fr. Murray stated his changed position to the politically-correct one; i.e., the SSPX is schismatic.
Cardinal Dario Castrillon-Hoyos
President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
Public interviews
30 Giorni [30 Days] with Gianni Cardinale in September 2005:
Unfortunately Archbishop Lefebvre went ahead with the consecration and hence the situation of separation came about, even if it was not a formal schism."
Italian TV Canal 5 on November 13, 2005
We are not dealing with a case of heresy. One cannot say in correct and exact terms that there is a schism. There is, in the act of ordaining bishops with out papal approval, a schismatic attitude. They are within the confines of the Church. The problem is just that there is a lack of a full, a more perfect—and as it was said during the meeting with Bishop Fellay—a more full communion, because communion exists."
Fr. Daniel Couture (SSPX)
Editorial from the December 2005 District of Asia’s Letter to Friends and Benefactors:
Another interesting point made to the Cardinal [Hoyos] by Bishop Fellay is that the excommunication incurred by a bishop who consecrates another bishop without papal mandate (CIC 1983, c. 1382), is not listed among the delicts of Title I: Delicts against Religion and the Unity of the Church, canons 1364-1369 (which is what the document Ecclesia Dei adflicta implies when it says that:
'3. In itself this act was one of disobedience to the Roman pontiff in a very grave matter and of supreme importance for the unity of the Church,… The root of this schismatic act…'), but rather it is listed among those of Title III: Usurpation of Ecclesiastical Functions and Delicts in Their Exercise, canons 1378-1389.
Therefore the whole argument of 'excommunication because it was a schismatic act' fails, since in these grave penal matters, one must be extremely precise and strict, according to the axiom, odiosa sunt restringenda."

Reading recommendations


Foundation of the Crisis of the Church

$
0
0
+

JMJ


There is, believe it or not, a root to this crisis of the Church.

In order to find it, you have to dig past the documents of Vatican II ... as well as basically all the post-V2 fluff that tries to pass for doctrine and dig a little deeper.

Ultimately, we will arrive at ... wait for it ... pride.

You see, the problems of Vatican II etc didn't happen over night, it started with Luther and simply erupted at V2.

The liberals, modernists, et al simply thought (and think) that they have such a deep knowledge of Theology etc that they see where the Church made a mistake in dealing with the World.  They prefer to make up their own perspective instead of accept reality, instead of submitting to the Church.

How was this pride manifested?

Disobedience.

They disobeyed Pope Pius X by (amongst other things) disobeying the interdicts against teaching modernism, by reading modernist books that were on the index etc.

This continues today.

Archbishop Lefebvre said it - perhaps first - but looking at the Church today - truer words have not be said:
Two religions confront each other; we are in a dramatic situation and it is impossible to avoid a choice, but the choice is not between obedience and disobedience.  What is suggested to us, what we are expressly invited to do, what we are persecuted for not doing, is to choose an appearance of obedience. But even the Holy Father cannot ask us to abandon our faith.
We therefore choose to keep it and we cannot be mistaken in clinging to what the Church has taught for two thousand years.  The crisis is profound, cleverly organized and directed, and by this token one can truly believe that the master mind is not a man but Satan himself.  For it is a master-stroke of Satan to get Catholics to disobey the whole of Tradition in the name of obedience.  A typical example is furnished by the “aggiornamento” of the religious societies. By obedience, monks and nuns are made to disobey the laws and constitutions of their founders, which they swore to observe when they made their profession. Obedience in this case should have been a categorical  refusal. Even legitimate authority cannot command a reprehensible and evil act. Nobody can oblige anyone to change his monastic vows into simple promises, just as nobody can make us become Protestants or modernists. St. Thomas Aquinas, to whom we must always refer, goes so far in the Summa Theologica as to ask whether the “fraternal correction” prescribed by Our Lord can be exercised towards our superiors. After having made all the appropriate distinctions he replies: “One can exercise fraternal correction towards superiors when it is a matter of faith.” (OpenLetterToConfusedCatholics/Chapter-18)

P^3

Holy Sepulchre -Research Paper

SSPX Marriages and Sundry

$
0
0
+
JMJ


As the 'distance' between Rome and the SSPX lessens, peoples assumptions are going to be tested.

Why?  Because, in this conflict (read: Fog of War), the guiding principles have become obscured or lost.

 If decisions are made upon unvalidated assumptions, independent of principles, then mistakes will be made.

An example of a mistake is the letter written in La Chardonnet and signed by 7 priests. In this letter they took it upon themselves to put forth their opinions (it was also read from the pulpit), that could be interpreted as being at odds with that of their superiors.

So, here we hit disobedience again.

Here's the key points from the  final paragraph that gives us a hint of the underlying issues.
  1.  Personal Prelature ... was supposed to recognize us as we are, and to maintain our independence vis-à-vis the local Ordinaries.
  2. First decisions taken consist in unjustly submitting our marriages to these very Ordinaries
  3. Tomorrow the opening of any new Houses will have to meet their approval
Looking at the first and third point we have the 'independence' from the local ordinaries assumption. What we want it to mean and what it can mean are two different things.  I prefer to look at what it can mean.

The geographic delegation of authority is Apostolic.  This means you need to be very careful when dealing with it, otherwise we could become little modernists in altering the constitution of the Church.



Changing Church doctrine because of our sentiments or distrust of the persons in places of authority is not a good principle, let alone a Catholic one.

Now to address point 2 and a specific aspect of point 3.

It may be an element of FUD, but it seems that they are hinting at a couple of things, but not being specific.

The core element can be summed up as decisions taken to (in their opinion) unjustly submit SSPX marriages and the opening of new priories to the Ordinaries.

In the both cases they are touching upon submission to an authority that is based in Apostolic tradition.

That is strike one.

In the case of marriages, it is necessary that the local ordinaries are made aware of marriages (and perhaps baptisms, deaths) within their dioceses.  This is not submission, this is common Church practice.

That is strike two.

Then there is the underlying issue, the implication that the Superiors are doing something wrong. This would their opinion, however they did not provide any evidence in this case - only inuendo.  Invoking the FUD principle is a sure sign that they are dealing out opinions that are based on conjecture.

That is strike three.


So what should we do?


  1. Understand the principles - obedience is good place to start
  2. Study the Faith and seek to understand it in context. Don't proof-text.
  3. Pray.  A solid Spiritual Life is essential to attaining and maintaining a Godly perspective on this crisis.

P^3








SSPX Marriages and Sundry - Addendum

$
0
0
+
JMJ


As a follow-up to my post on the issue in the Chardonnet etc., here's a conference given by Archbishop Lefebvre that touches on a number of the points.

P^3


Courtesy of SSPXasia: St. Nicholas du Chardonnet Conference May 5, 1988








If there is no agreement with Rome, we shall just have to continue our work. But supposing that there is an agreement with Rome, we would find ourselves in a different atmosphere. This would be a new period in the Society, a new period for Tradition that will require infinite precautions.
Why do I say, "if" there is an agreement? It is not difficult; I shall explain it to you in a few words. Thus I have signed the Protocol; I have it here. It contains five pages. The first is on doctrinal questions (see p.4), and the others on disciplinary questions.

On the doctrinal questions the discussion was a little difficult. They prepared this text; we did not; they put it on the table. We corrected some omissions. It is always the same question: a few sentences on the Pope saying that we recognize the Pope, that we submit ourselves to the Sovereign Pontiff, that we acknowledge his primacy.

And they had added that we acknowledge him as "the head of the college of bishops." I said, "I don't like that. It is an ambiguous notion. The best proof of this is that an explanatory note had to be included in the Council, to explain what "college" meant in this sense, saying that it was not a true college." So I said, "You should not put that. It will give the impression that we accept collegiality." So they said, "Let's put the body of bishops."' The Pope is the head of the episcopal body.

Then they said we had to accept the paragraph in Lumen Gentium, which deals with the Magisterium of the Church, no.25. When you read this paragraph, you understand it condemns them, not us; they would have to sign it because it is not so badly written and it contains a whole paragraph stressing the immutability of the doctrine, the immutability of the Faith, the immutability of the formulas. We agree with that. There are those who need to sign this. Thus there is no difficulty in accepting this paragraph, which expresses traditional doctrine.

Then they added a number three which made us swallow the pill that followed. It was not easy to accept but with this number three, we were "saved from the waters." In this number three they recognized that there were some points in the Council and in the reform of the liturgy and of the canon law, which we considered irreconcilable with Tradition. They agreed to speak of this, which they had always refused before. Every time that we had said something was not reconcilable with Tradition, such as religious liberty, they used to say, "You can't say that; there is nothing in the Council opposed to Tradition. Let us change the expression. We cannot say that there is anything irreconcilable with Tradition."

Then came the question of the liturgy. We recognized "the validity of the Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments celebrated with the intention of doing what the Church does, and according to the rites indicated in the typical editions of the Roman Missal." It was maybe too much, but since they had put that there were some points in the liturgy that were eventually against Tradition... I wanted to add, "taking into account what was stated in no. 3..." but they did not accept it.

Number five was on canon law. We promised, "to respect the common discipline of the Church and the ecclesiastical laws, especially those contained in the Code of Canon Law promulgated by Pope John Paul II." They wanted to say "all ecclesiastical law." I objected, it would have been to recognize all the new canon law. [I.e., including canon 844 on Eucharistic sharing with non-Catholics.] So they took away the word "all." As you see, it was a constant fight.

At the conclusion of number three they put "we pledge that we will have a positive attitude of study and communication with the Apostolic See, avoiding all polemics," as we had done on religious liberty (with the Dubia). "Without polemics," I said, "we never made any polemics!""Oh, no. See what you did to the Pope." They were referring to the little drawings (see below-Ed.) which the Pope looked at attentively...and maybe they were looking at them with a little smile ....So I said, "This was not polemics; it was a catechism lesson! Indeed, who is responsible for these actions? It is not us, it is the Pope. If the Pope would not do reprehensible things, we would say nothing. But since he does things, which are absolutely unbelievable, unacceptable, therefore, we react; it is absolutely natural. Let the Pope stop doing these reprehensible things, incomprehensible, unthinkable, and we will stop reacting." They said nothing; they did not answer. Then we spoke of the juridical questions.

The first was on the Roman Commission. There we lost some points. We wanted all the members of the Roman Commission to be members of Tradition. It did not matter whether they would belong to the Society or not, but they should be members of Tradition in order to be able to judge of the things of Tradition. They said, "No, this is not an embassy. We must be present, too." Thus the President would be Card. Ratzinger. There would be a Vice-President, too; but they did not want to release his name, but he probably would not be from Tradition. Then there would be other members from Rome and only two from Tradition. I said, "Well! That's very few."


Please note that; you shall see that throughout the discussions, and already you found that on the doctrinal discussions, their intentions have clearly appeared. I suspected they had such intentions but I did not expect them to manifest them so clearly. Their intention is clear: they want to put their hands on the Roman Commission. For the Society of Saint Pius X, its recognition would not raise any difficulty, but all the other foundations, which surround the Society, would have to deal directly with the Roman Commission. They would have no more relations with the Society. They put "the members of the community living according to the rules of various religious institutes ...are to be given case by case a particular statute regulating their relations with their respective order." One can see their intentions, separating these traditional communities from the Society and putting them under their (modernist) superiors general, making them defend themselves.

Then they agreed to recognize the Society as of pontifical right with some exemptions in the pastoral domain for the administration of the sacraments. This would be good only for the existing houses.
Then came the question of the bishops. They said very clearly, "You do not need a bishop. As soon as the Society is recognized with a canonical status with the Holy See, you can ask any bishop to perform your ordinations and confirmations. There are 3,000 bishops in the world ready to give you ordinations and confirmations... even Card. Gagnon and Card. Oddi are ready to give you confirmations and perform your ordinations!" I said, "This is impossible. This is a condition sine qua non. The faithful will never accept this. Indeed, what would these bishops preach?" With the intentions that we can see among them, their preaching will always be, "you must accept the Council, you must accept what the Pope does, you must accept the novelties. We respect your Tradition; you must respect our new rights. No difference."

So, we have been very severe. So, they have put a little paragraph, "for psychological reasons, the consecration of a member of the Society appears useful."

What procedure to follow? After signing the Protocol, they wanted me to write a letter to the Pope, asking for the re-establishment of a normal situation for the Society, for the pontifical right, the suppression of the canonical penalties, exemptions, and privileges - so-called privileges - on the liturgy. Thus, I have signed, I have written that letter.

I signed it on Thursday; Feast of St. Pius V They did not know it was the Feast of St. Pius V because they have relocated his feast to another date...

Thus I have said, "We must know where to stand concerning June 30th, it's coming soon." So, with these thoughts, I did not sleep the whole night. I told myself, "They are going to get us." Indeed, the Cardinal had made a few frightening reflections. "Well! There is only one Church ...as we respect your feelings, you must also respect religious liberty, the New Mass, the sacraments. It is inconceivable that you turn the faithful away from these new sacraments, from the New Mass.... For example, if there is an agreement, it is evident that in churches such as St. Nicolas du Chardonnet, Card. Lustiger shall ask that a New Mass be said there. This is the one Church, in it there is the Tradition that we shall grant you, but there are also the new rites that you must accept for the faithful of your parish who do not want Tradition." I said, "Well! Go and tell that to our parishioners and see how they receive you!"

They call all this a "reconciliation." This means that we accept what they do and they accept what we do. Thus, we have to align ourselves on Dom Augustin [Dom Augustin founded a traditional Benedictine monastery in the early 70's. In 1985, after the Indult, he had secret meetings with the Vatican to make a special arrangement. The Vatican required1) the New Mass as the Community Mass, 2) the new Breviary, 3) new rites of Ordination, 4) unconditional submission to the local bishop, who even for a while forbade them to preach the Exercises of St. Ignatius, which had been the main apostolic work of his monastery - Ed.] and Fongombault [a conservative Benedictine monastery in France which took the New Mass in the mid-70's under pressure from the local bishop - Ed.].
This is not possible. All this makes me hesitate. We asked the Cardinal when we would be able to consecrate a bishop. On the 30th of June? He said, "No, this is much too early. It takes time to make a bishop. In Germany it takes nine months to make a bishop." When I told that to Card. Oddi, he said, "That must be a beautiful baby then!" I said, "Well, give us a date. Let's be precise. The 15th of August?""No, on August 15th there is no one in Rome. It is the holidays from July 15th to September 15th.""What about November 1st?""I can't tell you.""What about Christmas?""I don't know."
I said to myself, "Finished. I have understood. They do not want to give us a bishop." They put it on the paper because we were ready to quit the negotiations without it, but they will maneuver. They are convinced that when the Society is acknowledged we don't need a bishop.

So, I took my pen on Friday morning and wrote to the Cardinal: "It was with real satisfaction that I put my signature on the Protocol drafted during the preceding days. However, you yourself have witnessed my deep disappointment upon the reading of the letter which you gave me, bringing the Holy Father's answer concerning the episcopal consecrations." Indeed, in that letter - I do not have it here - which he brought me from the Holy Father, there is an astonishing sentence. It goes, "It is possible that we consider one day granting you a consecration," as if it was something very vague, a mere possibility, an eventuality. I cannot accept that. [Here, the Archbishop reads the rest of the letter dated May 6, 1988. (See below)]

Letter of Archbishop Lefebvre to Card. Ratzinger (May 6, 1988)

Yesterday it was with real satisfaction that I put my signature on the Protocol drafted during the preceding days. However, you yourself have witnessed my deep disappointment upon the reading of the letter, which you gave me, bringing the Holy Father's answer concerning the episcopal consecrations.

Practically, to postpone the episcopal consecrations to a later undetermined date would be the fourth time that it would have been postponed. The date of the 30th of June was clearly indicated in my previous letters as the latest possible.

I have already given you a file concerning the candidates. There are still two months to make the mandate.

Given the particular circumstances of this proposal, the Holy Father can very well shorten the procedure so that the mandate be communicated to us around mid-June.

In case the answer will be negative, I would find myself in conscience obliged to proceed with the consecrations, relying upon the agreement given by the Holy See in the Protocol for the consecration of one bishop, member of the Society.

The reticence expressed on the subject of the episcopal consecration of a member of the Society, either by writing or by word of mouth, gives me reason to fear delays. Everything is now prepared for the ceremony of June 30th: hotel reservations, transportation, rental of a huge tent to house the ceremony.

The disappointment of our priests and faithful would be extreme. All of them hope that this consecration will be realized with the agreement of the Holy See; but being already disappointed by previous delays they will not understand that I would accept a further delay. They are aware and desirous above all of having truly Catholic bishops transmitting the true Faith to them, and communicating to them in a way that is certain the graces of salvation to which they aspire for themselves and for their children.

In the hope that this request shall not be an insurmountable obstacle to the reconciliation in process, please, Eminence, accept my respectful and fraternal sentiments in Christo et Maria.

+Marcel LefebvreFormer Archbishop-Bishop of Tulle

So, I immediately received an answer. On Friday morning I took my letter to the Cardinal before my departure from Rome. And, on that very evening, Fr. du Chalard was given the answer of the Cardinal, even before the Cardinal saw the Pope at 7:30pm. He should have waited to see the Pope and tell him, "Look what I just received from Archbishop Lefebvre. What shall we do?" He did not even wait. Here, the Archbishop reads the Cardinal's letter of May 6th. (See below.)

Letter of Card. Ratzinger to Archbishop Lefebvre (May 6, 1988)

I have attentively read the letter, which you just addressed, to me, in which you tell me your intentions concerning the episcopal consecration of a member of the Society on June 30th next.
Since these intentions are in sharp contrast with what has been accepted during our dialogue on May 4th, and which has been signed in the Protocol yesterday, I wish to inform you that the release of the press communiqué has to be deferred.

I earnestly wish that you reconsider your position in conformity with the results of the dialogue, so that the communiqué may be released.

In this hope, please Excellency..

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Fr. du Chalard brought that letter to me at Ecône on Sunday morning. I said to him, "Tell the Secretary of the Cardinal that for me the whole thing is finished. I am not changing the date of June 30th. It is the final date. I feel my strength diminishing. I even have a difficulty in traveling by car. [Fr. Lorans, former Rector of the Seminary of Ecône, reports that after the decision to proceed with the consecrations was taken, without accepting the Protocol, great peace and better health were noticeable again in the Archbishop - Ed.] I think it would be to put in danger the continuation of the Society and the seminaries if I do not perform these consecrations." I think they will agree to that date. They are too anxious for this reconciliation.

Again, for them, this reconciliation means, "We shall give you this Tradition for a little while but, after two or three years when you will have understood that you must accept the reforms, then your community Masses will be the New Mass - as for Dom Augustin - you may be allowed to say the traditional Mass in private but no more. Vatican II happened; you must accept Vatican II and its consequences. It is inadmissible that there be in the Church people who do not accept the reforms and consequences of Vatican II"

One can see that this is their way of thinking. I want to remain firm. They are afraid. They think that if there is a bishop, he will lead all the faithful attached to Tradition, he will give strength to Tradition by his preaching. For confirmations, ordinations, any occasion, a bishop strengthens the faith of the faithful. So they say, "If there is a bishop we cannot stop it." They want none of this.

But their intention is very clear. If I write the letter they want to the Pope, we are officially recognized. They ask us to be patient for a little while; they do not give us any date. And after the summer holiday, they tell us, "Look, now, you have been living for three months with this official recognition. You do not need a bishop. You can address yourself to any bishop for ordinations." This is almost certain; otherwise, they would give us a date. If they were really sincere about giving us a bishop, it would not have been difficult for them to say, "For sure, at least by Christmas, you will have a bishop." But, no, they did not want that. It was clear that they had previously agreed among themselves on this: they were four in front of us, none of them said anything; not even one said to the Cardinal, "Eminence, couldn't we..."

I think that by the end of this month they will call in Fr. du Chalard and say to him, "Well, let us settle. We shall give you a bishop."

I tell you that this makes a problem for me, given their will to impose Vatican II. After the visit, they could have said a little word such as, "We can see that Tradition has brought a lot of good. We are happy to welcome you, and to allow you to continue." But, no, not even the least compliment.
One can feel very well that they want to hold us under their influence. I fear this influence. These Romans would go and visit the Dominicans, the Benedictines, the priories of the Society. All these traditional foundations will be isolated from the Society. They will send their superiors general, who will talk to these sisters and say, "Be open-minded. Don't be against the New Mass..." They will give conferences to the sisters.... Above that, one has to reckon with the local bishops. What shall they say?...

We shall see what Providence manifests.... We are living through dramatic days. It is the whole of Tradition that is at stake. We must not make a mistake and let all these influences loose. There certainly are some advantages. It is like a bet: they bet that they shall "get us," and we bet that we will "get them!" They say that by having the upper hand on us, they will have the last word. We say that with the authorization of Rome, there will be such a development of our works that they won't be able to do anything against us. This bet is difficult to calculate. They have some flushes; we have some flushes. I did tell them, we really wish to have the authorization of Rome. Everyone wishes to have it, but we cannot remain in limbo.

Question by Fr. Boivin [District Bursar of the District of France.]: "Will there be one or several bishops?"

If there is no authorization from Rome, there will be several bishops. Personally, I think that some important events shall come. Europe was invaded twice and cut from America, from Africa - no more communication. So I think it will be useful to have several bishops. I did insist and ask the Cardinal for two or three, also because of the immensity of the work. He has never accepted, or one at the most...
Question by Fr. Boivin: "What about the churches?"

The existing places of worship will be ratified. They would ask the local bishops to consider them as regular places of worship in their diocese. But for any new one, there would be need of an agreement. It would be the duty of the Roman Commission to see what would be the conditions. It would certainly be more difficult. 
As they said for St. Nicolas du Chardonnet, if the bishops give us a parish - Card. Decourtray at Lyons has promised a beautiful church - they would require that one New Mass be said in that parish. Card. Decourtray did that with Fr. Cottin; he said to him, "I allow you to say the old Mass, but I request that at least one New Mass be said by the assistant priest." Thus there would be as much for the novelties as for Tradition.Of course, this is impossible. We have chosen Tradition because we deem the novelties to be bad and to hurt the Faith. It is the position of some conservative groups such as Una Voce who accept the New Mass. They would like to realign us along these lines. This is not possible. This would be contrary to all that we have fought for.



Another In-Flight Interview - SSPX

$
0
0
+
JMJ

By now we're used to the Airborne Magisterium of Pope Francis, but a couple of items of interest were to be found in the latest interview.  What the Pope related I've already heard from various conferences of the SSPX.  So no new news, but news none the less as the Vicar of Christ decided to make mention of it.
P^3

Nicolas Seneze (La Croix): Thanks, Holy Father. We’re returning from Fatima for which the Fraternity of St. Pius X has a great devotion and much is said about an agreement that would give an official statute to the Fraternity in the Church. Some even imagined that there would be an announcement today… Holiness, do you think that this agreement is possible in a short timeframe? And, what are the obstacles still? And what is the sense of this reconciliation for you? And, will it be the triumphant return for faithful who have shown what it means to be truly Catholic or what? 

Francis: I would toss out any form of triumphalism. None. Some days ago, the Feria Quarta of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, their meeting - the call it the Feria Quarta, because it’s the fourth Wednesday - studied a document and the document still hasn’t reached me, the study of the document. This is the first. Secondly, the current relations are fraternal. Last year, I gave a license for confession to all of them, also a form of jurisdiction for marriages, but even before the problems, the cases they had, for example, had to be resolved by the Doctrine of the Faith. The Doctrine of the Faith carries them forward. For example, abuses. The cases of abuse, they brought them to us, also to the Penitentiary. Also the reduction to the lay state of a priest, they bring to us. The relations are fraternal. With Msgr. Fellay I have a good rapport. I’ve spoken many times… I don’t like to hurry things. Walk. Walk. Walk. And then we’ll see. For me, it’s not an issue of winners and losers, it’s an issue of brothers who must walk together, looking for a formula to make steps forward. 
The reports that I've seen have only focused on the words of Pope Francis - but the question is critical to understanding the final aspects.


Likewise for the Medjugorje statements:

Mimmo Muolo (Avvenire): Good evening Holiness. I’m asking you a question in the name of the Italian group. Yesterday and today at Fatima, we saw a great witness of popular faith together with you. The same that is found, for example, also in other Marian shrines like Medjugorje. What do you think of those apparitions, if they were apparition, and of the religious fervor they have aroused seeing that you have decided to appoint a bishop delegate for the pastoral aspects? And if I can permit myself a second question I know is very close to your heart besides that of us italians… I would like to know, the NGOs were accused of collusion with the boat traffickers of men. What do you think of this? Thanks. 

Francis: I’ll start with the first. I read in the papers that I peruse in the morning that there was this problem, but I still don’t know how the details are and because of this I can’t give an opinion. I know there is an issue and the investigations are moving ahead. I hope that they continue ahead and that the whole truth comes out. Medjugorje, all the apparitions, or the presumed apparitions, belong to the private sphere, they aren’t part of the public, ordinary magisterium of the Church. Medjugorje. Medjugorje. A commission was formed, headed by Cardinal Ruini. Benedict XVI made it. I, at the end of 2013 the beginning of 2014, I received the result from Cardinal Ruini. It was commission good theologians, bishops, cardinals, but good. Very good. And the commission. The Ruini report was very, very good. Then there were some doubts in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Congregation judged it opportune to send each one of the members of this Feria quarta (Editor’s note: “Feria Quarta” is a once-a-month meeting in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith during which current cases are examined) all the documentation, even those that seemed to be against the Ruini report. I received a notification - I remember it was a Saturday evening, late evening… and it didn’t seem right. It was like putting up for auction - excuse me the word - the Ruini report which was very well done. And Sunday morning the prefect received a letter from me that said that instead of sending them to the Feria Quarta, they they would send the opinions to me personally.
These opinions were studied and all of them underscore the density of the Ruini report. Principally, three things must be distinguished: the first apparitions, that they were kids. The report more or less says that it must continue being studied. The apparitions, the presumed current apparitions: the report has its doubts. I personally am more nasty, I prefer the Madonna as Mother, our Mother, and not a woman who’s the head of a telegraphic office, who everyday sends a message at such hour. This is not the Mother of Jesus. And these presumed apparitions don’t have a lot of value. This I say as a personal opinion. But, it’s clear. Who thinks that the Madonna says, ‘come tomorrow at this time, and at such time I will say a message to that seer?’ No. The two apparitions are distinguished. The third, the core of the Ruini report, the spiritual fact, the pastoral fact. People go there and convert. People who encounter God, change their lives…but this…there is no magic wand there. And this spiritual and pastoral fact can’t be ignored. Now, to see things with all this information, with the answers that the theologians sent me, this good, good bishop was appointed because he has experience, to see the pastoral part, how it’s going. And at the end he’ll say some words.

SSPX Marriages Addendum 2: Interview with Bishop Fellay - April 2017

$
0
0
+
JMJ

Bishop Fellay, the Superior General, has providing insight to the marriage issue.

It would appear that rumours of the death of the SSPX were greatly exaggerated.


P^3

Courtesy of DICI.org





Transcript of the video interview with Bishop Fellay conducted by Mr. James Vogel, Communications Director of SSPX US District, on April 21, 2017.
SSPX USA: Your Excellency, thank you very much for taking the time out of your very busy schedule to meet with us. If you don't mind, we have a few questions that have been in the news recently that we hoped you might shed some light on.
Bishop Fellay: With pleasure.

The State of Marriages in the SSPX

SSPX USA: The latest news from Rome, first of all, regarding the Society concerns provisions for our marriages. What does that mean for the Society and how will it affect us practically?
Bishop Fellay: It's a broad question. May I recall the background a bit? The background is that, for years, a kind of jurisprudence has been established by the official Church, by Rome, which claims that our marriages would be invalid. Of course, we have enough elements in Canon Law to prove that is not the case. But nevertheless, people who want to break – if I may say so -- their marriage have an easy door with this stipulation.
And so for years I've tried to see with Rome what can be done to block this unjust, unreal situation. Finally, after different ideas throughout the years – it's almost 10 years that I have been discussing this – and it's certainly an initiative of the Holy Father – came the idea of telling the bishops: why not recognize this situation as Catholic and hence give the delegation? That's really the background.
Now, as with many documents, you have to read between the lines. I think the aim is in the second paragraph which says to the bishops: the priests of the Society, though the Church labels them as irregular, are capable of receiving the delegation necessary to bless or to receive the consent of the marriage. So I think, it has to be read as a new step towards the Society, in fact; not at all a step of trying to get the Society” in the pockets”; how do you say? No, on the contrary, to recognize that what we do is Catholic and telling the bishops: “You can give the delegation even to these priests.”
And what is very interesting also: it is stated that they speak about our marriages. And they say in that case, even if diocesan priests would be delegated for receiving the consent, nevertheless the Mass itself would be celebrated by a priest of the Society. So the fact that there is a clear statement that the priest will celebrate the Mass from the Society is once again a new step in the right direction, saying that these priests not only can but will say the Mass. And obviously in the right manner, so without any irregularity.
So you have somewhere a certain contradiction in the text. It is obvious. It has to be understood in such a way that, first, Rome wants to state that we, in their eyes, are not yet completely in canonical order. So they want to make that statement. But despite that: “Treat them normally as if there would be no disorder.” That's the interesting thing.
Certainly, you can have different ways to look at this text; you can have a positive or a pessimistic way. But, looking at the Holy Father, looking at how Pope Francis deals with us, for a certain time, it is very clear that it is a benevolent step against us; not a trap, not a bad, hidden trick, or catch. No: it is a will that we are treated correctly at all levels.

SSPX USA: Your Excellency, you spoke of possible contradictions in the text or even different ways of reading between the lines. Some of the faithful who attend Society Masses have perhaps read a different interpretation, expecting to now accept priests from the diocese to receive their vows. And some of them seem uncomfortable with the idea of a diocesan priest, for instance, coming to a SSPX chapel to receive their vows. What would you say to those who expect or think this provision of Rome is simply another obstacle for the faithful to get married by priests of the Society?
Bishop Fellay: I think when we go into the practical situation, it is difficult to see beforehand. We will try to deal with the bishops; we will try to get the best out of the text. We already have examples right now of bishops, especially in Argentina, which is the country of the Pope, where the bishop has simply given the delegation to our priests. Period. And we expect that that will be the general situation. So, the correct interpretation of the text.
This does not exclude a situation where, let's say, a bishop will be stubborn and so on and will insist on imposing a priest. Then we will have to look into the concrete situation. Definitely, as it is a marriage of our faithful, they have a say. And that's why I read in this way the text which speaks of “in an impossibility of Plan A, go to Plan B”, which is give directly the delegation to the priests of the Society.
So, if there are cases where we feel uncomfortable, we have to say it. And it's even in the text. Probably we will have here and there some difficulties, but they are not without a solution.
 
SSPX USA: Since the document mentions the possibility of local ordinaries giving delegation directly to the Society, and you've mentioned possible examples that exist already, how will the priests of the Society go about trying to obtain that delegation? Is it up to individual priests, local priors, District Superiors, the General House? Is there any light you can shed on how, practically, that will play out?
Bishop Fellay: We will indicate to the different Districts the path, the way of handling that case. You may have different situations. In general, as I say, we will try not to handle this case-by-case, but to get to general policies with the bishops. And this would mean that there would be a contact with the Superior of the District.
 
SSPX USA: Speaking of general policies, in the document that was released from the General House, there was an indication that guidelines would be drawn up for the whole Society. Is it premature to comment on those guidelines or have discussions already occurred regarding those?
Bishop Fellay: I think it's too early. We have also to see how this text from Rome will be received locally. And we don't yet have all the answers. But you can easily imagine that, with such a text, most of the bishops don't bother as it is an opening towards us. And they will just grant it.


SSPX USA: How would we deal with the question of marriage in places where, for instance, the bishops do not want to collaborate? Is there a risk of having certain countries or dioceses where bishops grant delegation and others don't?
Bishop Fellay: Strictly speaking, we could expect that. It's possible, let's say, that bishops would go against the disposition of the Pope. We know that. And I don't fear that because we come back to the present situation, foreseen by Canon Law, which says that, if there is a grave difficulty, or in Latin, grave incommodum, the two future spouses can proceed. And they must have, for that situation, witnesses, and if a priest is available, the priest.

SSPX USA: So in the event a local bishop would be opposed, is there some recourse to Rome to protect us or is that not in the case?
Bishop Fellay: I would say it's not necessary, but we probably will look into the question. And we may speak with Rome about it: would it be just to establish in such cases another policy, if I may say? When I spoke to the Pope about the present situation of bishops refusing, he said: “But I can give it!”It was really interesting. Let's say, as an ultimate recourse, we know that, on the side of the Pope, there is a readiness. 

SSPX USA: This may seem like a practical question in light of the recent document, but where will these marriages from here on be registered? Will they simply be in the priories and chapels of the Society or in the local diocesan parishes or somewhere else?
Bishop Fellay: If we follow the indication of the text itself, I think that the correct interpretation is that we continue our registration and we send the notification to the diocese. It could be that we would send a little bit more than just the notification.

SSPX USA: Also, from the perspective of those who wish to be married, do you anticipate a kind of "test" for the spouses we have prepared for marriage? Would it not be strange for a priest who had no role in the training of the spouses to witness their vows and even have no idea whether they are properly prepared?
Bishop Fellay: Once again, I think the text foresees that we prepare, we make the tests, and the local priest is only there for the ceremony, like putting the stamp on a reality which is all ours.

A Step Forward With Rome

SSPX USA: You answered this a bit earlier, but perhaps you could expound on it. You seem to interpret this either as a step towards regularization or at least of good will from Rome rather than interpreting these gestures as a kind of trap to keep us from doing the work that we've already been doing. Can you comment any further on that dichotomy?
Bishop Fellay: Yes, no problem. I think that this is not the first step which goes in that direction. I said that I've been discussing about this question for 10 years already. I speak about other problems which would request an intervention of Rome, of the highest authority; Catholic acts which we establish and that would be recognized by Rome. And I see that this is happening at diverse levels. The more we go, the more intense this is the common practice.
Which means that, even though there are certain claims about us being irregular, more and more we are treated as if things would be just normal. In recent years, everybody has heard about the power of hearing confessions worldwide, everywhere. And being not only valid, but licit; that is, everybody can, without trouble of conscience, come to the priests of the Society. That's an example.
Another example is ordinations. Last year, I received a letter from Rome telling me: “You can freely ordain your priests without the permission of the local ordinary.” So if I can freely ordain, that means that the ordination is recognized by the Church, not just as valid but in order. If I can freely do it, it's clear that this is just already recognized and accepted. So this is one more step in this acceptance that we are “normal Catholics” despite this underlying sense that we are still not completely in order. More and more, this is going on and it's not the first step. Frankly, I don't see there any will to interfere or take over, but simply the recognition that what we do is Catholic.

SSPX USA: To switch topics a little bit, though I suppose it's indirectly related, there's a little more than a year until the next General Chapter of the Society. Can you say anything about what preparations are underway and what that means for the Society; or is it perhaps too early?
Bishop Fellay: No, I don't think it's too early. We can really talk about it. This Chapter is the one which will happen, provided everything goes forward or is still the way they are now. In any case, even if we are recognized before, it would imply a General Chapter according to our internal policies. So if it happens before, or at that time, in any case, it is the occasion for us to look into our faithfulness to our statutes, how accurate we accomplish them, what the failures are, what are the points are that need improvement, what the new questions are, and new problems. I guess that, with this new possible recognition by Rome, this will, when it happens, raise quite a number of new questions, of new situations. We certainly already reflect on them now, but we'll have to put them into guidelines or policies for the whole Society. In any case, I think it will be an important Chapter and we are preparing, definitely. One year is not too long before to prepare it.

The Current State of the SSPX

SSPX USA: Perhaps speaking even more generally, can you say how and where is the Society growing most around the world? Are there places in particular that perhaps strike you as unique or particularly impressive?

Bishop Fellay:  What I see, in general, is a more or less constant growth, not too spectacular. Here and then, a group would just join us as a group, but that is really rare. It's more or less individuals who come, who join, one family here or there. But this is universal in all the countries where we are settled; in all six continents you find that. Some places know greater or more intense growth: countries like the United States and some places in Africa have that, yes. But there are variations from one country to the other. So I cannot say for sure that for 10 years you really have one which is increasing more than another. The whole Society is still growing and I say, the more we grow, the more we have a problem of not having enough priests to cope with all the needs.

SSPX USA: Speaking of priests, what is the trend of priests coming from either dioceses or religious congregations, perhaps showing interest in the Society? Has it increased or decreased since Pope Francis? Maybe you can speak to their motives and why they choose the Society out of a number of options.
Bishop Fellay: Yes, it seems to me that there's not much change before and after the election of Pope Francis. I think it is deeper trend than just one person being in charge. There are priests, indeed, who approach us. They approach us to become a member but many of them don't necessarily want to become a member. But they want to be friends, they want to learn from us: the sacred liturgy, on one hand, but more the doctrine.
Once I was in front of a group of priest friends in Italy—it was about two years ago—and I asked them, about 30 priests: What do you expect from us? And I was almost certain that they would say, “Well, teach us how to say the Mass.” That was not the answer. The answer is: the doctrine. That's what they expect. And it's deeper, of course: without doctrine, which explains the Mass, the Mass may be beautiful and so on, but what makes it solid is the doctrine which is expressed, which is coming out of the Mass. And if you have a good and solid knowledge of this theology, it makes the liturgy even more necessary, I may say.
And that's what you see a little bit everywhere. I see priests who approach us, but not just for the Mass: for much more! They want to learn Tradition. Many of them, when they discover the Mass, are frustrated. They feel cheated. And they say: “These are treasurers, our treasures, and they were hidden from us!” But they don't remember that level of frustration; they really enjoy Tradition deeply and they want to live it.

Response to the Current Crises

SSPX USA: Your Excellency, speaking of another more universal question, Amoris Laetitia has generated a tremendous amount of confusion and controversy since it was released last year. On the one hand, one could say it's encouraging to see some wake up to the crisis in the Church; on the the other hand, the pastoral results of that document are really devastating. There are even some who claim the Society has been too soft in their critique of Amoris Laetitia. What are your thoughts about this document and the controversy it's engendered?
Bishop Fellay: At the time, I wrote to Pope Francis, and we prepared a text to wake up the cardinals, a letter from our three bishops. But, I will not say “unfortunately” —that would not be the right word—but four cardinals took the initiative just before we were about to send the letter. That's why there was not much noise about it because it was already done. So our letter just remains in a drawer.
In fact, we are certainly doing all that we can with those who raise their voice. I think it is important that people notice that we are no longer the only ones who complain, who denounce, who attack poor situations which are harming souls. It could be one of the reasons why, here and there, I would not talk immediately, letting their voice appear and not mixing mine with theirs. Because usually when we do that, they are disqualified because this tendency of disqualifying us in the modern Church is still very present. And so, letting their voice be heard, for the whole Church, is probably better. And everybody anyway knows what we think and what our positions are. It has not changed and everybody knows that.
So while, and as long as there are voices in the Church who talk in the right direction, to say that one day or another, I would have spoken more softly, does not change anything in the big picture, in the big fight which is still there. That's very, very clear. And it absolutely does not mean that we would, by politics, in order not to jeopardize a possible agreement—which is not the correct word—or canonical recognition, lower our voice is simply not true. If someone would be careful and look at all I write and say, they would say that I just continue. We are still the same.
And I insist in Rome to say we are like this and we are not going to change. We may be a little bit less controversial in attacking the persons. But our reason would not be just a personal gain. What we look for is the most efficient way to have a benefice for the whole Church. Sometimes you gain more by giving a simple argument than by barking it. You have to look at the cases. We are still in a fight, we know that, and it's definitely not over. It's not just for the pleasure of fighting, but we belong to the militant Church.

SSPX USA: Perhaps in conclusion, a simpler question: you're here in St. Mary's, KS, for confirmations. St. Mary's is obviously the Society's biggest parish and school in America. What are your impressions or thoughts you might share on St. Mary's?
Bishop Fellay: I admire the work of Divine Providence in this place which was sanctified just before us by the Jesuits. It was the scholasticate of the Jesuits. In the church, which is no longer there, which was burnt, we know that over 1,000 priests have been ordained. We know it's not only a very holy place, but a very priestly place. And as the first scope of the Society is the priesthood, it's a good reminder.
And I may say certainly we are harvesting. We are trying to sow the seed but we are more harvesting from the work of previous good workers in the field of the Lord. We certainly admire and thank God for these beautiful fruits of the traditional attitude, which was everywhere before.

WSJ: Pope Francis Looks to Reconcile With Breakaway Catholic Group

$
0
0
+
JMJ

I saw this on Rorate's twitter feed and found this paragraph telling:
Archbishop Lefebvre opposed the end of the Latin Mass—a move he regarded as a damaging rupture with the church’s millennial traditions—and the Vatican’s more open stance to other religions. He argued that Catholicism is the only true faith and that Catholic officeholders are duty bound to make sure it is favored by the state. Source: WSJ

Well at least someone understands what this is about!!!


Then we have this bit:

SSPX members “flagrantly reject the Catholic Church’s rite of the Mass, its teachings on the primacy of conscience, and its respect for the truths expressed by other religions. Yet they are beckoned back into the fold,” wrote Jamie L. Manson, an editor of the progressive National Catholic Reporter, in April 2016. “But Catholics who…challenge the church’s teachings on women’s ordination and sexual ethics are still locked outside of the doors of mercy.”
So, let's see if we get this right, the SSPX who upholds Church Teaching against all comers.

Manson et al are the ones who are coming.

Just saying ...


P^3

Mantra in Place

$
0
0
+
JMJ


Obviously the 'mantra' is still in force:

Vatican City (kath.net/ KAP)  According to Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, an agreement between the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X and the Vatican is not yet within reach."This takes time," said the Prefect of the Roman Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, according to Catholic broadcaster EWTN. What is needed is a "deeper reconciliation, not just the signing of a document." Those who wish to be Catholic must accept, among other things, the councils and other ecclesiastical doctrine as well as the "hierarchical communion with the local bishop, the communion of all bishops and the Holy Father".  (h/t Eponymous flower)
I understand that Archbishop Pozzo maintained his position (mantra not in force) in front of Bishop Fellay and Card. Mueller.

It does make me wonder if God inspires them to maintain the contradiction in order to protect the SSPX.

P^3

Viewing all 1631 articles
Browse latest View live