SSPX and reconciliation

Without a doubt, their are firm opinions against the SSPX accepting some sort of regularisation in a canonical sense. 

I think we need to look at Holy Gamaliel, who, though a Pharisee, is considered a Saint and is in the Roman Martyrology. 

"And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God." —Acts 5:38–39

Updated thoughts and repost ... 

• The Society of St. Pius X is Catholic, it always has  been. The canonical recognition through a Personal Prelature is the correction of an injustice; -- the unjust excommunication of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the eventually remitted of the four bishops.
• It is the correction of the unjust suspension of all the newly ordained priests.
• It is the correction of the deep injustice of the suspension of Archbishop Lefebvre in the early 1970's for not agreeing to celebrate the Novus Ordo.
• It is the correction of the injustice of the attempt by Rome to suppress a canonically founded and correctly Catholic seminary.
• The sole purpose of the Society's existence is the formation and education of priests for the salvation of souls.
• The Society is in a stronger and even more credible position now than when first suspended over four decades ago.
• A regularisation would essentially return them to where they were prior to that initial suspension, except that they are in that stronger, more credible, more public reality than back then.
• As long as they have protected their assets and their charism then they have a duty to accept the reasonable offer.
• Failing to do so would leave them open to criticism and persecution by bishops throughout the world and the declaration of formal schism.
• The Church and a future Pontiff have a greater chance of renouncing the errors of modernism and Vatican II with the Society of St. Pius X on the "inside" formally, than being an outside observer, at best.

Last September, 2016, I wrote about the SSPX and the ongoing and progressing talks with the Vatican on full reconciliation and that they had nothing to fear from Francis, provided they controlled their assets and structure. It was titled, "Show me the money." 

We've heard in the last day, that there is a real estate purchase about to take place in Rome for their headquarters.

I will repeat my opinion now as I did then. The Society has nothing to fear as long as it gives up nothing. No control over its assets, no interference in its charism.

I am one who has never accepted the schismatic argument. The Church, beginning under Paul VI and continuing under John Paul II created an injustice against the Society, its priests and religious, and of course, its bishops and the faithful attending its chapels and schools. Benedict XVI tried to remove the injustice and laid the groundwork with Summorum Pontificum and the lifting of the unjust excommunications. Francis seems to be prepared to finish the work.

Remember friends, Bishop Bernard Fellay is no fool.

Many questions why? Why is Francis doing this?

The fact is, it does not matter. What matters is, he is doing it and it is the work of the Holy Spirit, not his, "god of surprises." It is the work of the Holy Spirit because only good will come of it. Francis is, the Pope, and he is being dragged kicking and screaming to this reconciliation even if he does not recognize if for what it is. 

Only good will come of this.

The Vatican and the SSPX: Show me the money!

Bishop Bernard Fellay of the Society of St. Pius X gave a talk in August which can be viewed on Rorate  Caeli. A number of bloggers have commented on what Fellay says. Some have opined that it is a "trap."

Having listened to the entirety of the two videos, there is a takeaway that deserves some thought.

The Church is in a grave crisis, there are good men left in the Vatican, they see the SSPX as a lifeline and that they hold the true faith as it was always taught. The Society has friends that it did not have a decade ago, it has allies. 

An offer of a Personal Prelature is apparently on the table. Much has been made about this and what it would entail and what they would or would not need to accept relating to the Second Vatican Council.

Is it a trap?

Here is how we will all know and it is something that I have no doubt, Bishop Fellay and his colleagues are already well aware of.

It's about the money. Period.

The Society is full of it in liquid terms and in land. It has been a good steward of the wealth bequeathed to it and given to it over decades to foster the work of God. The temporal wealth of the Society is what enables the Society to do the spiritual work of educating priests and saving souls. One cannot exist without the other. 

Is Rome, is Francis sincere?

Follow the money.

UPDATE:

Why do I think this is where the rubber meets the road?

We have the example of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate and the open persecution. We see the attack now on contemplative and cloistered nuns. Have we forgotten that the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter was promised a bishop, as just a few examples? Can these men in Rome be trusted? 

I don't know the statutes of the Society, how it is structured, how its property is held in various countries. The danger is in the future make up of a "Board," if you will and the power vested in the Superior General. If the Superior General is compromised by Rome and can appoint the Board of Governors of the Society, will he appoint a Board favourable to him that might eventually vote to follow a path out of step with the foundation of the Society. As long as the Society can maintain its property, it can survive whatever Rome wishes to throw at it. If this Pope, or another in the future tries to force the Society to accept a heretical action or sacrilege, they can continue to resist. If they do not control in perpetuity their assets, then they can be plundered over time in the manner of loading them, and all traditionalists, on a boat and then try to sink it. Rome must have no ability to seize their seminaries or chapels or schools. If that is not guaranteed, then we will know Rome's true intention.

One more point. On Hilary White's blog, What's up, S. Armaticus of Deus, ex machina has left a comment. He writes:

"And finally, I think you and all of your readers need to get ready. The finally battle is approaching. Francis will recognize the SSPX unilaterally. And that is when the defecation will hit the oscillating device." 

This is the great danger. That one morning he wakes up and just "does it." As full, complete and universal authority is vested in him, if he does this, without an agreement, the Society is in a position to be formally declared schismatic because they will be forced to submit without security, without clarity of the issues. They, and all those who attend there and support them, will be considered schismatic and their work will be severely affected. It would be an act on the part of Rome of great error and will, in my view, unleash a heavenly fury. Maybe this is what is necessary. 

It is my view, and it has been for a while. that ++Marcel Lefebvre was wrongly "excommunicated," that he was acting, in good conscience, in a "state of emergency." It is further my view, that he was the instrument of God, the Holy Spirit, the fruit has shown this to be obvious. One day, he will be declared a Blessed. 

If we find that the Vatican is prepared to make a deal with the Society of St. Pius X that allows the Society to maintain full and complete control over their assets in perpetuity then Rome's motivation is just and good. If there is any reason on the part of Bishop Fellay to believe otherwise, then he must not sign any agreement and continue on in the current situation until God's good time and a truly Catholic pope.

That's it folks.

Show me the money!

Communiqué of Bishop Fellay - where are the rest of the "Catholic" bishops, or are they, even?

Communiqué from the Superior General to All Members of the Society of Saint Pius X at the conclusion of the meeting of major superiors in Anzère (Valais), June 28 2016

16-07-2016  
Filed under From Tradition, News

Following the meeting of the superiors of the Society of St. Pius X, in addition to the statement he read on June 29, 2016, during the priestly ordinations in Ecône, Bishop Bernard Fellay, the day before, had addressed the priests in a statement that DICI publishes today exclusively.

Meeting of Major Superiors of the Society of Saint Pius X (25-28 June 2016).

For the glory of God,
for the honor of Our Lord Jesus Christ and of His Most Holy Mother,
for our salvation.

In the present grave state of necessity in the Church, which gives it the right to administer spiritual aid to the souls that turn to it, the Society of Saint Pius X does not seek above all a canonical recognition, to which it has a right because it is Catholic. The solution is not simply juridical. It depends on a doctrinal position that it is imperative to express.

When Saint Pius X condemned modernism, he traced the whole argument of the encyclical Pascendi back to one initial principle: independence. Now the world makes all its efforts to change the axis around which it must turn. And it is obvious to Catholics, as it is to those who are not, that the Cross is no longer that axis. Paul VI said it very well: man is (See Closing Speech of Vatican II, December 7, 1965).

Today the world turns around this, according to him, definitively established axis: human dignity, man’s conscience and freedom. Modern man exists for his own sake. Man is the king of the universe. He has dethroned Christ. Man exalts his autonomous, independent conscience, to the point of dissolving even the very foundations of the family and marriage.

The Society of Saint Pius X has always opposed this project of deconstruction of the universe, both the political society, and the Church.

To remedy this universal disorder, the Good Lord raised up a man, a Christian, a priest, a bishop. What did he do? He founded a society—a hierarchical society—the principle and end of which are just the antidote to this universal disorder: The Sacrament of Holy Orders. The purpose of the Society of Saint Pius X continues to be not only the actual remedy of the crisis but also thereby the salvation of all who cooperate in it. The Society is determined to keep doctrinal, theological and social rectitude, founded on the Cross of Jesus Christ, on His Kingship, on His sacrifice, and on His priesthood, the principle of all order and of all grace. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre fought his whole life long for the triumph of these fundamental truths. It is incumbent on us at the present hour to redouble our efforts and to intensify the same fight on the same principles.

We are not “conciliarists”: for they deny that Christ’s cross is the world’s axis; neither are we dissenters who reject the social nature of the Church. We are a Society of priests of Jesus Christ, of the Catholic Church.

Is this truly the moment for the general restoration of the Church? Divine Providence does not abandon its Church, the head of which is the Pope, the Vicar of Jesus Christ. This is why an indisputable sign of this restoration will be the express desire will of the Supreme Pontiff to grant the means with which to reestablish the order of the priesthood, of the faith, and of Tradition, sign which will moreover be the guarantee of the necessary unity of the family of Tradition.

Christus regnat,
Christus imperat,
Deo gratias,
Amen.

+ Bernard Fellay
Anzère, 28 June 2016
on the vigil of the Apostles Peter and Paul

(Source : FSSPX/MG –DICI dated July 16, 2016)

SSPX issues communique - "The proclamation of Catholic doctrine requires the denunciation of errors that have made their way into it and are unfortunately encouraged including (by) the Pope himself."

The Society of St. Pius X has issued a communique today following its meeting of major superiors. 

The Pope is in error on much, he has sown seeds of discord and promulgated confusion, insults and he has even written and spoken heretical statements and praised the enemies of Catholicism. He has prayed with the enemies of Christ, the Mohammedans (as have his two predecessors) and he has asked schismatic and heretical sect leaders who have lead millions of Catholics away from the true Faith, to "bless" him.

On a weekly basis, Jorge Bergoglio gives scandal to the true Faith and to faithful Catholics everywhere. 

The time is coming when great churchmen will need to confront him and denounce his actions and this papacy.

He, who is pictured below, will be amongst them.

At the conclusion of the meeting of the major superiors of the Society of Saint Pius X that was held in Switzerland, from June 25 to 28, 2016, the Superior General addressed the following communiqué:

The purpose of the Society of Saint Pius X is chiefly the formation of priests, the essential condition for the renewal of the Church and for the restoration of society.

1. In the great and painful confusion that currently reigns in the Church, the proclamation of Catholic doctrine requires the denunciation of errors that have made their way into it and are unfortunately encouraged by a large number of pastors, including the Pope himself.
2. The Society of Saint Pius X, in the present state of grave necessity which gives it the right and duty to administer spiritual aid to the souls that turn to it, does not seek primarily a canonical recognition, to which it has a right as a Catholic work. It has only one desire: faithfully to bring the light of the bi-millennial Tradition which shows the only route to follow in this age of darkness in which the cult of man replaces the worship of God, in society as in the Church.
3. The “restoration of all things in Christ” intended by Saint Pius X, following Saint Paul (cf. Ep.h 1:10), cannot happen without the support of a Pope who concretely favors the return to Sacred Tradition. While waiting for that blessed day, the Society of Saint Pius X intends to redouble its efforts to establish and to spread, with the means that Divine Providence gives to it, the social reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
4. The Society of Saint Pius X prays and does penance for the Pope, that he might have the strength to proclaim Catholic faith and morals in their entirety. In this way he will hasten the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary that we earnestly desire as we approach the centennial of the apparitions in Fatima.

Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X

Ecône, June 29, 2016

The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

"Little by Little" Rome is being dragged kicking and screaming to accept the Society of St. Pius X!

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Daily News

SSPX’s Bishop Fellay: Little By Little Rome Is Giving Us All We Need for Reconciliation (521)

In a wide-ranging interview with the Register, the leader of the traditionalist priestly society details how Pope Francis has opened the door to the SSPX’s full integration with the Church.

BY EDWARD PENTIN 05/18/2016 Comment

Bishop Bernard Fellay

– Edward Pentin

MENZINGEN, Switzerland — Reconciliation between the Society of St. Pius X and Rome looks to be imminent as a key obstacle — opposition to certain aspects of the Second Vatican Council — may no longer be a cause for continued separation from the Church.

Bishop Bernard Fellay, the superior general of the SSPX, told the Register May 13 that he is “persuaded, at least in part, by a different approach,” in which, he believes, Pope Francis is placing less weight on the Council and more emphasis on “saving souls and finding a way to do it.”

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/sspxs-bishop-fellay-little-by-little-rome-is-giving-us-all-we-need-for-reco/#ixzz490PdxdB2

"Fundamental agreement should be established" with SSPX says Pope Francis

It has certainly been coming. What began with Pope Benedict XVI may finally be delivered by Pope Francis. May it be so. May it be so, soon. If any Pope can do this, if only because of his sheer will to do things out of the ordinary, and more than often enough causing us consternation because of it; if any Pope can do this, it is Francis. 

Francis will do it and some may fear it, thinking the Society will compromise. What is happening, in my view, is really quite simple; the Holy Spirit and Our Lady will bring this all together are bringing this all about in spite of the personalities involved. 

Pope Francis has his reasons for doing this, he certainly likes, "dialogue." Bishop Fellay and the other leadership know that it is not healthy to put another generation through the insecurity and isolation - it will not have good long-term effect. For those who fear what Francis or others might do to the Society, in my view, there is nothing which can be done to negatively affect the Society unless they "sell-out" which is not going to happen. They simply would refuse. Good heavens, have you ever met these priests? They are men of God, men of Mary, men of steel!

This is the work of the Holy Spirit right before our eyes. While on one hand we see much in the Church at near collapse, we see the work of the Paraclete actively preserving the Holy Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, as I believe He did acting through Msgr. Marcel Lefebvre throughout the 1970's and 80's. The Holy Spirit also gave us Benedict XVI who was and is hated by many for Summorum Pontificum. From countless others, he is loved for this, and more. If they hate Papa Ratzinger for that motu proprio, then they hate the Holy Spirit and Christ Himself. 

As for explaining why Pope Francis seems prepared to reconcile, maybe it's just as simple as he wants to do everything for everybody or maybe its the active work of the Holy Spirit dragging all of them kicking and screaming to what must happen.

La Croix: You received, on the past April 1st, Bp. Bernard Fellay, Superior-General of the Society of Saint Pius X. Is the reintegration of the Lefebvrists in the Church once again being considered?

Pope Francis: In Buenos Aires, I always spoke with them. They saluted me, they asked for [my] blessing on their knees. They consider themselves Catholic. They love the Church. Bp. Fellay is a man with whom we can dialogue. It is not the case of other somewhat strange elements, such as Bp. Williamson, or others who have radicalized. I think, as I had expressed in Argentina, that they are Catholics on the path to full communion. During this Year of Mercy, it seemed that I should authorize their confessors to pardon the sin of abortion.[*] They thanked me for this gesture. Before that, Benedict XVI, whom they respect greatly, had liberalized the Mass according to the Tridentine Rite. We dialogue well, we do a good work.

La Croix: Would you be ready to grant them a status of personal prelature?

Pope Francis: It would be a possible solution, but, before, a fundamental agreement should be established with them. The Second Vatican Council has its value. We move forward slowly, with patience.

Bishop Bernard Fellay: It makes us cry!

The most Catholic of Bishops speaks!

 … An Apostolic Exhortation which bears the title “The joy of love,” but that makes us cry. This exhortation is a summary of the two synods on marriage. It is very long and contains many things that are right, that they are beautiful, and after building a beautiful building, a beautiful boat, the Supreme Pontiff has made a hole in the keel of the boat, along the waterline. You all know what is happening. Needless to say, the hole was made by taking all possible precautions, thus it is needless to say that the hole is small: the boat sinks! Our Lord himself said that even an iota, not a single iota will be taken away by the law of God. When God speaks, his words do not admit exceptions, when God commands, he is of infinite wisdom that has provided for all possible cases. There is no exception to the law of God. And now, suddenly, it is claimed that this law of marriage, which keeps saying that “marriage is indissoluble” (the repeats this sentence, it must be said), then it says you can, despite everything, have exceptions in the sense that these so-called divorced and remarried in this state of mortal sin may be in a state of grace, and therefore could receive communion. It is very serious! Very serious! I think they do not sufficiently measure the seriousness of what has been said. Needless to say, are small exceptions put there in the corner; that’s how it went to Communion in the hand and as I explained with the little hole in the vessel is appropriate, the boat sinks! “

Listen to a real "Catholic" Bishop!