CNS Video Interview with Bishop Fellay; US District Superior of SSPX denounces communications leaks

If you do not know about the SSPX, you will want to brief yourself with some background. I usually don't link to Wikipedia entries, but hopefully this will give those who are not familiar, some background.

News of an interview done by Catholic News Service (CNS), the reporting arm of the USCCB, of Bishop Fellay, the head of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) has been making the rounds. Above you will find video of that interview.  I like how, near the beginning, he acknowledges that some of the things done in the name of Vatican II were never in the documents of Vatican II and the Church is trying to correct that.

I was quite impressed with much of this interview of Bishop Fellay. He came across to me as a humble man of good faith.  I hope and pray that the SSPX can be brought home and continue the discussions from within. Pearls are created from friction. Further, concerns I have are probably on the mind of the Holy Father, as well as Bishop Fellay. The four bishops are not getting any younger. There is no guarantee for any of us to reach old age. Once these bishops have gone to meet the Just Judge, there will be no one to ordain priests.  Right now the ordinations are valid, but illicit.   Fast forward 50 years from now, then 100 years from now.  If this attempt to bring them fully home fails, what will happen to the many followers in the decades ahead?  Who will Confirm their young? How will they handle an ever growing priest shortage with no further ordinations after these bishops are gone?  These are serious, rational questions and certainly on the radar screen of anyone who looks past the difficulties of today, for the practical challenges of tomorrow.

Will the SSPX Split?

News also spread after a letter from the other three SSPX bishops to Bishop Fellay leaked out to the public revealing internal discord.  It led many, myself included, to believe a serious split was forthcoming.  I was pleased to see a rational letter by the U.S. District Superior of the SSPX, admonishing those responsible on another aspect of morality, as it pertains to private communications.

Fr. Arnaud Rostand writes (my emphasis in bold; comments bracketed in red):

Recently, private letters between the three bishops of the Society and the General Council were leaked [obviously by someone within the SSPX itself, or office staff]. As these documents are now public, I wish to make a few comments.

First of all, I want to denounce the immorality [it's about time someone called this activity out for what it is], as well as the revolutionary nature, of publishing such private documents [not sure what he means by revolutionary, but I take this to mean that it is really not the way Catholics have traditionally treated such things, and is more of a contemporary behavior often involving an effort to put pressure on one party or another]. If it can be grave matter to read private letters, as moral theology teaches, it is even more serious to publish or distribute them without the permission of the authors. [I recall Fr. Perrone teaching this in his popular catechism class.] Furthermore, it is subversive to publish private discussions between superiors because it puts undue pressure on them [There it is - a decision must be made between the General Superior, and his fellow bishops united with him, and the Holy Father;  people using a document, in the absence of other information that might put it in a different context, want to force one outcome or another through popular opinion once leaked]. A superior must be able to make a decision in view of the common good and not because of any pressures [True.  Part of that common good may be the considerations I mentioned, looking forward 100 years from now. The Holy Spirit does not work through such public pressure and it can actually sabotage the workings of the Holy Spirit, which are often delicate]

Usually the defense of the Faith is invoked to justify such actions. It is, indeed, clear that the theological virtue of Faith is above the moral virtues but it cannot justify acting against them. [The ends do not justify the means. You can never engage in evil for a good cause (Veritatis Splendor 75).]

It is essential to remember that letters of this kind are normal ways of communicating between members of the Society on a very important matter. It is normal and good that bishops or even priests of the Society should be able to express their personal opinions in a respectful way and in a spirit of charity. [Agreed. Even if there is internal discord, it is not practical for all of these bishops to be in one room at the same time where this can be expressed privately, so it flows in letters.  There should be opportunities for them to say what is on their mind without the world butting in.  What the faithful should look for, is the end result.  If the faithful should do anything, it is to pray that all parties act on the graces coming to them].

Once again it is their publication without the consent of both parties, which is unacceptable.[!!!]

What are the principles that must guide us today? First of all, we must ask ourselves who has the authority to make such a decision. It is clear that the Superior General has the responsibility of the Society of St. Pius X and will render an account to Almighty God....

You know the old saying that just because everyone else does something, it doesn't make it right.  That applies here.  I've long been concerned with leaks from the Holy See and from other sources because of the potential for such things to derail delicate negotiations.  I don't see the point of it.

After going on at some length to explain to his readers the authority held by the SSPX Superior General, Bishop Fellay, he closes with this:

The second notion that we must keep in mind is our attachment to Eternal Rome. We have always professed this attachment while refusing to follow the neo-Modernist tendencies of our times. As the Catholic Church is at the same time both human and divine, it is necessary to have a supernatural approach to the actual problems within the Catholic Church. This is why we reaffirm our Faith in Eternal Rome, with Pope Benedict XVI as the Vicar of Jesus Christ and visible head of His Church, while recognizing the dramatic situation of the Church today and the difficult but necessary task of keeping these two in balance. [And, many of us are also concerned with certain problems that are manifest and the best way to resolve them is to continue discussions, from within]

The last point, and not the least, is the indispensable defense of the Faith in times of crisis. There must be no doubt that the fight for the Faith, the denouncing of errors, and the spread of Tradition would continue even within a “new canonical structure,” as His Excellency Bishop Fellay has repeatedly affirmed. Our Superior General; and his assistants have expressed their conviction that the possibility of a personal prelature is not a trap. This is a prudential question and different opinions are possible, but the final decision belongs only to the Superior General. [Prudential judgments are often complained about as if they were doctrinal matters.  This is where humility plays a role in recognizing the prudential versus the doctrinal or dogmatic]

I have been regularly and recently in contact with His Excellency Bishop Fellay and other superiors of the Society. Further, I can assure you of the unity which exists in our District, following the line of Archbishop Lefebvre, which continues to be manifested today. Do not be disturbed by media reports, which may prematurely, and without sufficient information, prophesy many things.

At this hour, we do not know what will be the outcome of this situation. Will the Society of St. Pius X be “recognized” or will we have to stay in the same situation for some more time? We trust and hope that whatever circumstances Providence determines will lead to a restoration of Tradition. Let us therefore keep in our prayers both the Holy Father and Bishop Fellay, that the Holy Ghost may guide them under such difficult circumstances, in addition to the whole Society and her priests. Be assured of my prayers and may the Immaculate Heart of Mary protect the Society of St. Pius X.

Read the full text at the SSPX site.


The Rorate Caeli blog has been all over this, so you might want to check there daily for updates.  The best thing we can all do, in charity, is to pray for all involved.  May the Holy Spirit triumph in spite of the obstacles brought on as people act on human lower nature, rather than by grace.




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- Diane M. Korzeniewski

Note: The recommended links below are automatically generated by the tool, so they are not necessarily related content.

SSPX Bishop Williamson Leaves Argentina for London

I don't have much time at the moment, but you may recall that, about a week ago, the Argentinian government told SSPX Bishop Williamson that he must leave the country within 10 days.

Well, Bishop Williamson has left the building Argentina.

Please pray for this bishop. He really needs a dose of grace.


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Novena Prayer for Pope Benedict XVI - Feb 14-22

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) offers us this Novena to pray for Pope Benedict XVI. This comes in light of what he is trying to do with the SSPX, and the many attacks from within, and outside of the Church, to derail it or skew public thinking on it.

You can see an enlargement of these prayers - one in French, the other in English, by clicking on the icon in the lower right hand corner, or just poke the link directly above the box.

Novena of Prayer for Pope Benedict XVI

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Manuals prayer pope benedict

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Rabbi hits the nail on the head on destructive nature of dissenting Catholics

Excellent article by Hilary White of LifeSiteNews.com.

An orthodox Rabbi speaks out on how the "left-wing" of the Church is damaging her. Rabbi Levin also spoke about Bishop Williamson and how the Church is handling his odd views towards the holocaust.

You may want to read this at the blog of Fr. Z, just for his added comments, and for the ever active combox.

Left Wing of the Catholic Church Destroying the Faith Says Orthodox Rabbi
By Hilary White, Rome correspondent

ROME, February 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The dissident, leftist movement in the Catholic Church over the last forty years has severely undermined the teaching of the Catholic Church on the moral teachings on life and family, a prominent US Orthodox rabbi told LifeSiteNews.com. Rabbi Yehuda Levin, the head of a group of 800 Orthodox rabbis in the US and Canada, also dismissed the accusations that the Holy See had not sufficiently distanced itself from the comments made by Bishop Richard Williamson of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) on the Holocaust.

"I support this move" to reconcile the traditionalist faction in the Church, he said, "because I understand the big picture, which is that the Catholic Church has a problem. There is a strong left wing of the Church that is doing immeasurable harm to the faith."

Rabbi Levin said that he understands "perfectly" why the reconciliation is vital to the fight against abortion and the homosexualist movement.

"I understand that it is very important to fill the pews of the Catholic Church not with cultural Catholics and left-wingers who are helping to destroy the Catholic Church and corrupt the values of the Catholic Church." This corruption, he said, "has a trickle-down effect to every single religious community in the world."

"What's the Pope doing? He's trying to bring the traditionalists back in because they have a lot of very important things to contribute the commonweal of Catholicism.

"Now, if in the process, he inadvertently includes someone who is prominent in the traditionalist movement who happens to say very strange things about the Holocaust, is that a reason to throw out the baby with the bathwater and start to condemn Pope Benedict? Absolutely not."

During a visit to Rome at the end of January, Rabbi Levin told LifeSiteNews.com that he believes the media furore over the lifting of the excommunications of the four bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X is a red herring. He called "ridiculous" the accusations that in doing so Pope Benedict VXI or the Catholic Church are anti-Semitic and described as "very strong" the statements distancing the Holy See and the Pope from Williamson's comments.

Rabbi Levin was in Rome holding meetings with high level Vatican officials to propose what he called a "new stream of thinking" for the Church's inter-religious dialogue, one based on commonly held moral teachings, particularly on the right to life and the sanctity of natural marriage.

"The most important issue," he said, is the work the Church is doing "to save babies from abortion, and save children's minds, and young people's minds, helping them to know right and wrong on the life and family issues."

"That's where ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue has to go."

Although numbers are difficult to determine, it is estimated that the Society of St. Pius X has over a million followers worldwide. The traditionalist movement in the Catholic Church is noted for doctrinal orthodoxy and enthusiasm not only for old-fashioned devotional practices, but for the Church's moral teachings and opposition to post-modern secularist sexual mores. Liberals in the Church, particularly in Europe, have bitterly opposed all overtures to the SSPX and other traditionalists, particularly the Pope's recent permission to revive the traditional Latin Mass.

The Vatican announced in early January that, as part of ongoing efforts to reconcile the breakaway group, the 1988 decree of excommunication against the Society had been rescinded. Later that month, a Swedish television station aired an interview, recorded in November 2008, in which Bishop Richard Williamson, one of the four leaders of the Society, said that he did not believe that six million Jews were killed in the Nazi death camps during World War II.

At that time, the media erupted with protests and accusations that the Catholic Church, and especially Pope Benedict XVI, are anti-Semitic.

Rabbi Levin particularly defended Pope Benedict, saying he is the genius behind the moves of the late Pope John Paul II to reconcile the Church with the Jewish community.

"Anyone who understands and follows Vatican history knows that in the last three decades, one of the moral and intellectual underpinnings of the papacy of Pope John Paul II, was Cardinal Ratzinger.

"And therefore, a lot of the things that Pope John Paul did vis-à-vis the Holocaust, he [Benedict] might have done himself, whether it was visiting Auschwitz or visiting and speaking in the synagogues or asking forgiveness. A lot of this had direct input from Cardinal Ratzinger. Whoever doesn't understand this doesn't realise that this man, Pope Benedict XVI, has a decades-long track record of anti-Nazism and sympathy for the Jews."

Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Rabbi Speaks on Pope Benedict Controversy: Leftist Catholics Using Jews to Attack the Pope

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Updates on SSPX and Bp Williamson

Several things have happened on the SSPX matter since I have last had a chance to blog.

It was first rumored that Bp Williamson, the holocaust denying bishop, had been removed from his position as rector of the SSPX seminary in Argentina. Then word floated out that it was not the case.

It now appears that Bishop Williamson has indeed accepted the decision of his Superior, Bernard Fellay, to step down.

Rorate writes:

Bishop Williamson, as he declared in his interview [to Der Spiegel] does not wish to "hurt in any way the work of the Fraternity"; that is why he accepted, on January 31, the decision of the Superior General [Bishop Fellay] to relieve him of his position as director of the Seminary of La Reja (Argentina).

While the secular press reported fallout from the outrageous position of Bp Williamson, I wonder how many are reporting things like this:

Rorate also has a post up, with a link to the translated press release by the Holy See:

COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE AND OF THE SPOKESMAN OF THE GERMAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The Holy Father Benedict XVI and Chancellor Mrs. Angela Merkel, in a telephone conversation requested by the same Madam Chancellor, had the opportunity of exchanging their mutual points of view in an atmosphere of great respect.

In it, both made references once again to the declarations made, respectively, by the Holy Father in the General Audience of Wednesday, January 28, and by the Madam Chancellor last Thursday.

The spokesman of the Federal Government, Mr Wilhelm, and Father Lombardi, Director of the Press Office, remarked: "It was a cordial and constructive conversation, marked by the common and profound adherence to the always valid warning of the Shoah for mankind."

And, finally, again at Rorate, the best source for updates with it's many translations:

In an interview to the RCN radio network of Colombia, Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos, president of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei", aside from emphatically reiterating Pope Benedict's position on the Shoah, had some interesting words on current events:

"I have always had truth as a rule. The Holy Father knows this. We are moving forward, ensuring that this unity of the Church be rebuilt, and that this schism be completely ended."

"[W]hat is important at this moment is that the Pope has stopped a schism. The charity that Christ wanted to exist in the Church has been remarkably reestablished, and paths of hope are opened."

Fr. Z has some comments up on this, as well

Please continue to pray and make sacrifices for full unification of the SSPX.

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Detroit Free Press editorial board resorts to bigotry on SSPX matter....

I just got back from my monthly Carmelite meeting and decided to check in at Fr. Z's blog only to find him taking the Detroit Free Press ediorial board out to the woodshed.

I don't have time right now to post on it, and Fr. Z has called it out for what it is.

Go read: No matter what the Pope would do, it wouldn’t be enough for this lot

The unfortunate thing here is that most Catholics are getting catechized by the Detroit Free Press, the New York Times, and other secular sources who don't do their homework.

Related Posts by Fr. Z (a good go-to source for any news organization looking for proper perspective):

• “A breath of sanity in the storm”
• Reese piece
• The scapegoating of Card. Castrillon
• Jewish leader: “the full story has not been told”
• Rabbi comments on official Jewish reaction to the Pope
• Card. Kasper unhappy with the Pope, Reuters helps Fr. Reese whine
• US Catholic Congressmen write to Pope Benedict about SSPX
• Toronto’s Archbp. Collins on Pope Benedict and the SSPX
• More on Fr. Farinella: what he really wrote
• The seeping cracks are spliting open
• Boston Globe: Card. O’Malley on Pope Benedict, SSPX
• Observation of Prefect of Cong. for Bishops on SSPX excommunications

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SSPX and a NOTE OF THE SECRETARIAT OF STATE

Tarcisio Cardinal Bertone, the Vatican Secretariat of State has issued this important note:

Following the reactions caused by the recent Decree of the Congregation for Bishops, with which the excommunication of the four Prelates of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X was remitted, and regarding the Negationist or Reductionist declarations on the Shoah of Bishop Williamson, of the same Fraternity, it is considered convenient to clarify a few aspects of past events.

1. Remission of the excommunication.

As already made public previously, the Decree of the Congregation for Bishops, dated January 21, 2009, was an act by which the Holy Father graciously responded to the repeated requests by the Superior General of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X.

His Holiness desired to remove an obstacle which prevented the opening of a door to dialogue. He now expects that an equal disposition will be expressed by the four Bishops in complete adherence to the doctrine and discipline of the Church.

The extremely grave censure of latae sententiae excommunication, in which the aforementioned Bishops had incurred on June 30, 1988, then formally declared on July 1st of the same year, was a consequence of their illegitimate ordinarion by Mons. Marcel Lefebvre.

The removal of the excommunication released the four Bishops from an extremely grave canonical censure, but has not changed the juridical position of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X, which, at the current moment, does not enjoy any canonical recognition by the Catholic Church. Not even the four Bishops, though released from the excommunication, have a canonical function in the Church and they do not exercise licitly a ministry in it.

2. Tradition, doctrine, and the Second Vatican Council.

For a future recognition of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X, the full acknowledgment of the Second Vatican Council and of the Magisterium of Popes John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, and of the same Benedict XVI is an indispensable condition

As it was already affirmed in the Decree of January 21, 2009, the Holy See will not avoid, in ways deemed appropriate, discussing with the interested [party] the questions that remain open, so as to be able to reach a full and satisfactory resolution of the problems which originated this painful division.

3. Declarations on the Shoah.

The positions of Mons. Williamson on the Shoah are absolutely unacceptable and firmly rejected by the Holy Father, as he himself remarked on the past January 28, when, referring to that brutal genocide, he reaffirmed his full and unquestionable solidarity with our Brethren, receivers of the First Covenant, and affirmed that the memory of that terrible genocide must lead "mankind to reflect on the unpredictable power of evil when it conquers the heart of man", adding that the Shoah remains "for all a warning against forgetfulness, against denial or reductionism, because the violence against a single human being is violence against all".

Bishop Williamson, for an admission to episcopal functions in the Church, will also have to distance himself, in an absolutely unequivocal and public manner, from his positions regarding the Shoah, unknown to the Holy Father in the moment of the remission of the excommunication.

The Holy Father asks to be joined by the prayers of all the faithful, so that the Lord may enlighten the path of the Church. May the effort of the Pastors and of all the faithful increase in support of the delicate and burdensome mission of the Successor of Apostle Peter as "custodian of unity" in the Church.

From the Vatican, February 4, 2009.


[Translation corrected according to the published version -
L'Osservatore Romano, February 5, 2009

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The SSPX Post Roundup of the Day....Feb 4

This one is moving so fast it's hard to keep up with. I'm short on time, but just wanted to pass along a couple of really good posts on the SSPX matter.

• Rabbi comments on official Jewish reaction to the Pope
• From AFP … more hysteria and stupidity
• Note from Vatican Sec. State on Bp. Williamson, Holocaust, and the Pope (Ok, so this one is in Italian but....scroll to find a few relevant tidbits in English)

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Rumor: Full Regularization of SSPX by Feb 2nd???

With all my focus on the photopost of Archbishop Vigneron's installation yesterday, I missed some interesting news, among other things (which is why you really want to hit a few blogs every day).

Here is some really good coverage by Fr. Z of some hot rumors hitting cyberspace on the SSPX, and related SSPX news/commentary.

• The Remnant: SSPX reconciliation by 2 February? (Fr. Z)
• Card. Castrillon: Bp. Fellay recognized Vatican II (Fr. Z)
• Dissenter Leonardo Boff against Pope Benedict on SSPX (Fr. Z)
• A good note from Alcuin Reid on the SSPX development (Fr. Z)
• An interesting notion (Fr. Z)

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Fr. Z clarifies lifting of SSPX Excommunications...

Fr. Z has a good post up with some questions going through a lot of people's heads. There's more, so follow the link below this to read the rest...

I am seeing a lot of confusion in the wake of the lifting of the excommunications of the bishops of the SSPX.

Let’s get some things clear.

VERY LITTLE HAS CHANGED JURIDICALLY except in the status of those four bishops.

I hope that this has helped to change the "atmosphere" surrounding these problems.

The "lifting" of the excommunications is a first step in the long process that still remains.

Q: Is the SSPX now legitimate?

Not in a juridical sense, no. The SSPX still does not have the approval of the Pope or of a diocesan bishop. It is still a separated group, though these days many prefer not to speak of "schism".

Q: Is it okay for the SSPX bishops to ordain now?

No. The bishops of the SSPX are validly consecrated bishops, but the fact remains that they were illicitly consecrated. That hasn’t changed. They are still not reconciled with the Bishop of Rome. They are still suspended a divinis. They still have no permission to exercise ministry in the Church. They may not licitly ordain. They have no authority to establish parishes, etc.

Q: Are the chapels of the SSPX okay now?

Not in a juridical, legal sense, no. Many good things can happen in one of those communities, but the SSPX chapels are not, because of the lifting of the excommunications, suddenly made legitimate. They are not reconciled by this move.

Q: Are the priests of the SSPX in good standing now?

Not yet they aren’t. The priests of the SSPX are still suspended a divinis. They say Mass validly, but without the permission of the Church, either from a faculty of the Holy See or the local bishop. They do not have the necessary faculties to hear confessions and give sacramental absolution except in danger of death.


Q: Is it okay to go to chapels of the SSPX for Mass?

Yes and no. It is still not "okay" to go to chapels of the SSPX if you are doing so out of contempt for the Holy See or Holy Father, etc. If are are deeply attached to the older form of Mass, and it is very hard on you to go without it, yes, you can attend these Masses our of devotion. You can fulfill your Sunday obligation still, because the 1983 Code of Canon Laws says you do.

But the fact remains that these are still chapels separated from unity with the local bishop.

In my opinion, it is not a good idea to go to these chapels exclusively except perhaps in very rare circumstances wherein there really is no acceptable alternative.

Read the rest at the blog of Fr. Z: MISCONCEPTIONS: What the “lifting” of the SSPX excom’s means for people

Fr. Ray Blake on the other side of the pond in the UK also has some good posts up worth reading:

• Reconcilliation with History


• SSPX Four

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Audio: Al Kresta and Fr. Peter Stravinskas discuss Pope Benedict XVI's lifting of SSPX Excommunications

I am listening right now to Al Kresta's Friday afternoon's broadcast in the Ave Maria Radio archives. Al is interviewing Fr. Peter Stravinskas in the first segment on the SSPX and lifting of excommunications of the four bishops. This conversation took place while it was still rumor on Friday. Of course, the Holy See announced the end to the excommunications this morning.

Here is a link where you can catch it anytime on your computer.

See my "Recent Posts" list for today which has many additional links on this topic and more.


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Excommunications Lifted on SSPX Bishops

EDIT: Several blogs and perhaps even some news outlets are reporting that the SSPX is fully home. This is not the case, but we are one step closer. What has happened is that Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications placed upon the four bishops consecrated without permission of Pope John Paul II in 1988 by Abp Marcel Lefebvre. The SSPX was founded in 1970 and remains in an "irregular" status with Rome. We look forward to a time when the entire fraternal society is brought home and regularized.

This is fantastic news...the excommunications of SSPX bishops have been lifted by Pope Benedict XVI.

It is not available at the Vatican website in English yet, but Fr. Z has it, with comments. He also has several other posts. I'm giving you more links with reactions at the bottom.

The fact that the excommunications on these four bishops were lifted, does not mean that the SSPX is home yet. We have to pray with our brothers and sisters in that society for them to come into complete regularization with the Holy See. This will take some time.

I'm going to give you the first part of it here, then follow his blog for the rest of the decree and, in the same post, the reaction of the SSPX.

CONGREGATIO PRO EPISCOPIS

By way of a letter of December 15, 2008 addressed to His Eminence Cardinal Dario Castrillón Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Mons. Bernard Fellay, also in the name of the other three Bishops consecrated on June 30, 1988, requested anew the removal of the latae sententiae excommunication formally declared with the Decree of the Prefect of this Congregation on July 1, 1988. In the aforementioned letter, Mons. Fellay affirms, among other things: "We are always firmly determined in our will to remain Catholic and to place all our efforts at the service of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the Roman Catholic Church. We accept its teachings with filial disposition. We believe firmly in the Primacy of Peter and in its prerogatives, and for this the current situation makes us suffer so much."

Continue reading Fr. Z's post: Lifted

The comboxes will be interesting to read, as well

More....

• Canon Lawyer Ed Peters weighs in on lift of excommunications (In Light of the Law)


• Pope Benedict lifts excommunication of Bishops ordained by Lefebvre (Catholic News Agency)


• Some thoughts about the SSPX, Rome, and unity (Fr. Z)


• A reaction to the “Lift Off” from North Carolina (Fr. Z)


• A French and German bishop react; some comments by Fr. Finigan (Fr. Z)


• Official announcement at the Vatican website (Italian)


• English translation provided (Rorate Caeli)


• Press release issued by the SSPX superior general, Bishop Fellay (DICI - Press Agency of the SSPX)


• Excommunications Lifted (Fr. Tim Finigan)


• SSPX Homepage Displays News


• Pope lifts excommunication on SSPX Bishops (UK Telegraph)

EDIT: In related news, Fr. Ray Blake in the UK came across a statement by Bishop Bernard Fellay about a recent interview with SSPX Bishop Williamson, who had denied the holocaust in an interview. See that statement and the interview here.

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SSPX coming home?

Some news has been breaking on blogs and news outlets all day, but this is the first opportunity I'v had to post.

It is looking like we may finally see some excommunications lifted in the SSPX. This is great news and many have been praying for this. Let's continue to pray for all involved.

Here is the scoop from Catholic Culture, emphasis mine in bold:

According to multiple reports from reliable Vatican-watchers, Pope Benedict XVI will soon lift the decree of excommunication imposed upon four traditionalist bishops who were consecrated by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988. Italian journalists report that the Pope's action will be made public within a matter of days. The move would be a major step toward reconciliation with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX).

SSPX leaders-- including the bishops living under the decree of excommunication-- have consistently stated that before ending their break with the Holy See, they would insist on the removal of that excommunication and the right of every Catholic priest to celebrate the Mass using the traditional rite. With the publication of Summorum Pontificum in 2007, Pope Benedict fulfilled the latter condition [not exclusively for this purpose, I might add, but certainly thought to be part of bringing the SSPX home]; lifting the excommunication would satisfy the former SSPX demand. Still to be resolved, however, would be the serious disagreements over the authority and interpretation of Vatican II documents [step by step]

The Rorate Caeli blog is carefully following the latest reports, from Rome and elsewhere, on the Pope's reported plan.

Again, continue to pray for the SSPX to come back into full communion with Rome.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Transalpine Redemptorists - Canonically Regularized

Deo gratias! This is fantastic news flying through cyberspace...

From the blog of the Transalpine Redemptorists, they have received word that they are in good standing, canonically (emphasis mine):

1 July, 2008
Feast of the Precious Blood

My dear friends,

I am happy to inform you that last June 18th, before Cardinal Castrillon and the members of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei in Rome, I humbly petitioned the Holy See on my own behalf and on behalf of the monastery council for our priestly suspensions to be lifted.

On June 26th I received word that the Holy See had granted our petition. All canonical censures have been lifted.

Our community now truly rejoices in undisputed and peaceful posession of Communion with the Holy See because our priests are now in canonical good standing.

We are very grateful to our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for issuing, last July, the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum which called us to come into undisputed and peaceful Communion with him.

Now we have that undisputed communion! It is a pearl of great price; a treasure hidden in the field; a sweetness that cannot be imagined by those who have not tasted it or who have not known it, now for many years. Its value cannot be fully expressed in earthly language and therefore we hope that all traditional priests who have not yet done so, will answer Pope Benedict's call to enjoy the grace of peaceful and undisputed communion with him. Believe us, the price to pay is nothing; even all the angry voices that have shouted against us and calumniated us are as nothing when weighed in the scales against undisputed communion with the Vicar of Christ; others have died for it; what are raucous voices?

We publicly thank all those souls who have prayed for us over the last months; some of you have truly stormed heaven for us. You have kept us afloat. We are deeply grateful. Especially we thank that priest who was unknown to us, until June 16th when he wrote in fraternal support. Where did he come from? Why us? But he told us of the number of Masses, Offices, prayers and sacrifices he had personally said for us; he had also enlisted the prayers of contemplatives and Third Order societies and had a great number of people fervently praying for us with an abundance of prayers. We were amazed! Thank you Father! Thank you also to that brave person who, so kindly wrote to us to say that if he said any more prayers for us he would be floating! What wonderful people! Thank you!

Looking to the future, the next stage will be to have our community canonically erected. So please, dear friends, keep praying for us, there will be many crosses to bear; but they will be yokes sweetened by the grace of these last days.

We assure you all of our very best wishes.
Your devoted servant,

Fr. Michael Mary, C.SS.R.
Vicar General

And we must continue to pray for all of those who have found themselves in schism, or an irregular status of some kind, that they too will have undisputed communion with the Vicar of Christ.

More on this from around the net (to be updated so check back!!):

CWNews: Transalpine Redemptorists reconciled with the Holy See

Fr. Z: Transalpine Redemptorists REGULARIZED!

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; rather, it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!.