Bishop Morlino Apologizes to SSPX

Edit: Raymond Arroyo is turning a corner.

SSPX Gratefully Thanks the Supreme Pontiff for "His Fatherly Gesture"

(Rome / Menzingen) The Society of St. Pius X has thanked Pope Francis for the "fatherly gesture" with which he decreed that the absolution of sins by a priest of the SSPX during the Holy Year of mercy can be received "validly and licitly."

The General House, founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre SSPX, published a corresponding communiqué. Meanwhile, contacts between the General Council of the Society and the competent authorities of the Holy See continue in looking for a solution that allows for full communion and the canonical recognition of the Society.

Communiqué of the General House of the SSPX to the Pope's Letter

The communiqué of the General House of the Society of St. Pius X to the Pope's letter Francis on the occasion of the approaching Holy Year in full text:

"The Society of St. Pius X has heard through the press, the dispositions of Pope Francis on the occasion of the coming Holy Year.

"In the last section of his letter, which he addressed to  Archbishop Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, the Holy Father writes: '[I] determine [...] In the meantime, in its own disposal, that those who during the Holy Year of Mercy receive the sacrament of reconciliation with the priests of the Fraternity of St. Pius X,  will receive valid and licit absolution of their sins achieve.'

"The Fraternity expresses its gratitude to the Supreme Pontiff for his fatherly gesture.  In the administration of the sacrament of penance we have always relied and with complete certainty, in the extraordinary jurisdiction, as asserted by the Normae generales of the Canon Law. On the occasion of this Jubilee Year, Pope Francis wants that all the faithful who wish to confess to the priests of the Fraternity of St. Pius X, can do so without any concern.

This year, the priests of the Fraternity of St. Pius X will return in their hearts, with renewed generosity to their posts as confessors.  The example of the tireless efforts of  St. Vianney has been given to all priests to follow.

Menzingen, the September 1, 2015

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Vatican Insider

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholishes...

AMDG

Pope Invokes New Evangelization to Encourage the Society for Saint Pius X For Jubilee of Mercy

Edit: does Bishop Athanasius Schneider have the Pope's ear? Apparently so, since he has heard many good things about the Society, and that Bishop Schneider was visitor.

Apparently, "all are welcome".  Here is the text:

To My Venerable Brother Archbishop Rino Fisichella President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization

With the approach of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy I would like to focus on several points which I believe require attention to enable the celebration of the Holy Year to be for all believers a true moment of encounter with the mercy of God. It is indeed my wish that the Jubilee be a living experience of the closeness of the Father, whose tenderness is almost tangible, so that the faith of every believer may be strengthened and thus testimony to it be ever more effective. 

My thought first of all goes to all the faithful who, whether in individual Dioceses or as pilgrims to Rome, will experience the grace of the Jubilee. I wish that the Jubilee Indulgence may reach each one as a genuine experience of God’s mercy, which comes to meet each person in the Face of the Father who welcomes and forgives, forgetting completely the sin committed. To experience and obtain the Indulgence, the faithful are called to make a brief pilgrimage to the Holy Door, open in every Cathedral or in the churches designated by the Diocesan Bishop, and in the four Papal Basilicas in Rome, as a sign of the deep desire for true conversion. Likewise, I dispose that the Indulgence may be obtained in the Shrines in which the Door of Mercy is open and in the churches which traditionally are identified as Jubilee Churches. It is important that this moment be linked, first and foremost, to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to the celebration of the Holy Eucharist with a reflection on mercy. It will be necessary to accompany these celebrations with the profession of faith and with prayer for me and for the intentions that I bear in my heart for the good of the Church and of the entire world. 

Additionally, I am thinking of those for whom, for various reasons, it will be impossible to enter the Holy Door, particularly the sick and people who are elderly and alone, often confined to the home. For them it will be of great help to live their sickness and suffering as an experience of closeness to the Lord who in the mystery of his Passion, death and Resurrection indicates the royal road which gives meaning to pain and loneliness. Living with faith and joyful hope this moment of trial, receiving communion or attending Holy Mass and community prayer, even through the various means of communication, will be for them the means of obtaining the Jubilee Indulgence. My thoughts also turn to those incarcerated, whose freedom is limited. The Jubilee Year has always constituted an opportunity for great amnesty, which is intended to include the many people who, despite deserving punishment, have become conscious of the injustice they worked and sincerely wish to re-enter society and make their honest contribution to it. May they all be touched in a tangible way by the mercy of the Father who wants to be close to those who have the greatest need of his forgiveness. They may obtain the Indulgence in the chapels of the prisons. May the gesture of directing their thought and prayer to the Father each time they cross the threshold of their cell signify for them their passage through the Holy Door, because the mercy of God is able to transform hearts, and is also able to transform bars into an experience of freedom. 

I have asked the Church in this Jubilee Year to rediscover the richness encompassed by the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. The experience of mercy, indeed, becomes visible in the witness of concrete signs as Jesus himself taught us. Each time that one of the faithful personally performs one or more of these actions, he or she shall surely obtain the Jubilee Indulgence. Hence the commitment to live by mercy so as to obtain the grace of complete and exhaustive forgiveness by the power of the love of the Father who excludes no one. The Jubilee Indulgence is thus full, the fruit of the very event which is to be celebrated and experienced with faith, hope and charity. 

Furthermore, the Jubilee Indulgence can also be obtained for the deceased. We are bound to them by the witness of faith and charity that they have left us. Thus, as we remember them in the Eucharistic celebration, thus we can, in the great mystery of the Communion of Saints, pray for them, that the merciful Face of the Father free them of every remnant of fault and strongly embrace them in the unending beatitude. 

One of the serious problems of our time is clearly the changed relationship with respect to life. A widespread and insensitive mentality has led to the loss of the proper personal and social sensitivity to welcome new life. The tragedy of abortion is experienced by some with a superficial awareness, as if not realizing the extreme harm that such an act entails. Many others, on the other hand, although experiencing this moment as a defeat, believe that they have no other option. I think in particular of all the women who have resorted to abortion. I am well aware of the pressure that has led them to this decision. I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal. I have met so many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonizing and painful decision. What has happened is profoundly unjust; yet only understanding the truth of it can enable one not to lose hope. The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to one who has repented, especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of Confession with a sincere heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the Father. For this reason too, I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it. May priests fulfil this great task by expressing words of genuine welcome combined with a reflection that explains the gravity of the sin committed, besides indicating a path of authentic conversion by which to obtain the true and generous forgiveness of the Father who renews all with his presence. 

A final consideration concerns those faithful who for various reasons choose to attend churches officiated by priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X. This Jubilee Year of Mercy excludes no one. From various quarters, several Brother Bishops have told me of their good faith and sacramental practice, combined however with an uneasy situation from the pastoral standpoint. I trust that in the near future solutions may be found to recover full communion with the priests and superiors of the Fraternity. In the meantime, motivated by the need to respond to the good of these faithful, through my own disposition, I establish that those who during the Holy Year of Mercy approach these priests of the Fraternity of St Pius X to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation shall validly and licitly receive the absolution of their sins. 

Trusting in the intercession of the Mother of Mercy, I entrust the preparations for this Extraordinary Jubilee Year to her protection. 

From the Vatican, 1 September 2015

Msgr. Athanasius Schneider: "Society of St. Pius Should be Recognized, Just as They Are"

(Rome) Msgr. Athanasius Schneider, Bishop of Astana, has suggested in an interview with the Catholic Spanish site Adelante la Fe, that the Holy See is close to recognizing  the Society of St. Pius X.. Bishop Schneider said: There is "no reason to deny the priests and faithful of the Priestly Fraternity of an official canonical recognition".

The auxiliary bishop visited  the seminaries of the SSPX in the United States and France in the Spring. Adelante la Fe asked him whether there are "prospects for a speedy reconciliation" and what is the main obstacle to such.

Schneider said: "The Holy See asked me to visit the two seminaries of the SSPX to perform with a group of theologians of the Society and His Excellency, Bishop Fellay, a debate on a particular theological problem. This showed me that the SSPX is not an insignificant ecclesial reality for the Holy See, but should be taken seriously. I have gotten a very good impression during my visits. I was able to observe in two seminaries a healthy theological, spiritual and human reality. The spirit of the sentire cum ecclesia of the SSPX was obvious as they welcomed me as envoy of the Holy See with real respect and great warmth. In both seminaries, I was glad to see the images of Francis, the currently reigning Pope, at the entrance."

Next the Bishop said: "The singing of the traditional prayer for the Pope ("Oremus pro pontifice nostro Francisco ...) during the solemn exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was moving. To my knowledge, there are no grounds to refuse the priests and faithful of the SSPX official canonical recognition, therefore, they should be accepted as they are."

"Vatican II on both sides overvalued and overstimated"

In his reply, Mgr Schneider also addressed the Second Vatican Council: "I think that the question of Vatican II is to be considered not as aconditio sine qua non, as it was an assembly whose purpose and character primarily was pastoral. Parts of the Council statements reflect the circumstances of the time and therefore have only temporary validity, [emphasis ours] as is customary for just disciplinary and pastoral documents. If we look at the matter from the perspective of two thousand years of church history, we can see that an overvaluation and overestimate a pastoral reality of the Church is present as the Second Vatican Council by  both sides (of the Holy See and the SSPX).
The SSPX believes it celebrates a living and moral life as demanded by the highest moral life and Magisterium  as the Church has done for centuries around the world, and they recognize the legitimacy of the Pope and the diocesan bishops praying publicly for them, they recognize the validity of the sacraments according to the typical edition of the new liturgical books, that should be enough for a canonical recognition of the SSPX by the Holy See. Otherwise, the oft-repeated pastoral and ecumenical openness of the present Church would lose its objective credibility, and raise the story someday  of accusations against the Church authorities of today, because they have imposed on  brothers a greater   load than necessary (Acts 15:28), which is the opposite of what is the pastoral method of the Apostles.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Adelante la Fe

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches....

AMDG

"No Compromises of the Church's Teaching" -- Cardinal Müller on the Bishops' Synod, SSPX, Medjugorje and Liberation Theology

(Rome) There will be "no compromise of the Church's teaching" in the Bishops' Synod this autumn. This was affirmed  by Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the prefect of the CDF. It is meant to seek pastoral ways to better integrate people in difficult situations in the community. While there is, says the Cardinal, no "substantial news" regarding  the SSPX, there would be a decision to Medjugorje in the fall.  Katholisch.de, the media portal of the German Bishops' Conference published an  an interview with the Cardinal.

Renewal and Deepening of  Marriage Preparation Necessary

Overlooking the Synod of Bishops on marriage and family  the German cardinal stressed that the Church must help "the people, even Catholics, ...to re-understand what the point is to marry and so, also publicly, to bind a person." While the discussion is so far turned mainly to the "failure" of marriages, Cardinal Müller stressed the need for "a renewal and deepening" of marriage preparation.

The cardinal also confirmed that the "ordinary general assembly" of the CDF will deal this "autumn" with Medjugorje: "The opinion of the Congregation will be  submitted  to the Holy Father for a further decision."

Various encounters with SSPX , "which should enhance mutual trust"

When asked whether the "unification efforts were suspended or postponed," since "recently" the  Priestly Society of St. Pius X had "become noticeably quiet," said Cardinal Müller that there was  "no substantial news in this issue." "The Holy Father wants us to keep at it: with 'determination and patience.'" In the "recent months", there were "encounters of various kinds, which should enhance mutual trust." "A prerequisite for a full reconciliation" said the Cardinal again, "is the signing of a doctrinal preamble, to ensure full compliance in the essential matters of faith." The Prefect's response   suggests that this singing the Preamble of 2012 is not required..

The recent trip to Latin America by Pope Francis has shown "that the Church must use an authentic liberation theology." He, Müller, has worked "for many years in accordance with the instruction of the Congregation" which the Marxist liberation theology was condemned in the 1980s, "for such a theology that is not aligned ideologically, but interested in the good of man and society." The election of Pope Francis on the Chair of Peter is "providential" because the majority of Catholics today live in Latin America. "Pope Francis has strengthened the believers  on his journey from the Gospel and encouraged and called the peoples there to  a peaceful and equitable coexistence. This is an order of the day," said Müller.

"I have Totally Committed my Life in Fidelity to the Pope"

When asked about his statement, there is a need to " theologically restructure" the pontificate of Pope Francis, the cardinal affirmed that "the specific task of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. . It has to promote the faith and morals throughout the Catholic Church on behalf of the Pope and protect his personal relationship with the reigning pope." Cardinal Müller said: "Personally,  I have totally committed my entire life in loyalty to the Pope."

Addressing eco-Encyclical Laudato Si, Müller said, that he is "very grateful for the encyclical" to the Pope. The document had a "very strong social-ethical component" and leads from "the tradition of the social encyclicals."  It "seems" to him that the Pope  proposed, "to open the eyes of all people of good will to the problem of environmental and human ecology and promote dialogue with each other  at all levels."

About the controversial issues is the allowance of remarried divorcees to Communion and the acceptance of homosexuality, with which the Synod of Bishops will deal next October, Cardinal Müller said: "Here the Synod faces the challenge to find pastoral ways of greater integration in the community, without compromising the Word of Jesus and the Church's teaching based on it. The family is irreplaceable importance for the future of the Church and of society. "

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: katholisch.de (Screenshot)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Socialists Want to Block Establishment of "Fundamentalist" SSPX Capuchins

Edit: as Tiberge at Galliawatch notes, it's as if the Devil has commanded his minions to take action against a small settlement of good natured Capuchins who want to take over an abandoned Capuchin friary with the blessing of the local mayor.  Not even the mostly harmless local Ordinary doesn't seem to mind.  He'd prefer to avoid conflict. 

What is interesting to me is the similarity between the tactics, objections and what motivates the Socialists and those within the Catholic Church who use such strident language to attack the Society.

The councilor, Noëlle Aznar-Molliex explains herself at the Osons-Albertville website:  

 During the City Council meeting of July 6, mayor Martine Berthet had intended to put to a vote the turning over of the Clos des Capucins, a city property situated on mount Adolphe Hugues, at the entrance of the medieval village of Conflans, to the association of the Convent of Saint-François de Morgon, that hopes to renovate the site and install there a community.  

Osons-Albertville strongly opposes this plan. The truth is that the community of Capuchin monks of the Morgon convent, said to be "of traditional observance", is part of the line of thought of traditionalist and fundamentalist churches, that of the SSPX, and is not recognized by the church of Rome, because it has been in a state of schism since the Second Vatican Council. These communities reject ecumenism and all initiatives favoring inter-religious dialogue.

Link to Galliawatch...
AMDG

100 Kilometers: Pentecost Pilgrimage of Tradition -- Paris -- Chartres or Chartres Paris

(Paris) From 23 to the 25th of May, 2015 the great  International pilgrimage  for  tradition of Paris and Chartres will take place. Also, this year there will be, as there has been since 1989, two pilgrimages, on each of which thousands of people will participate.

The 33rd Pentecost Pilgrimage of Ecclesia Dei communities, with the official name Pèlerinage de chrétienté (Pilgrimage of Christendom),  will march about 100 kilometers from Paris to Chartres. The organizer  is the Association of Our Lady of Christendom . The motto of this year's Pentecost pilgrimage is "Jesus Christ, Savior of the world". The pilgrimage begins on Saturday, 23 May at 7:00 clock with the Holy Mass in the traditional Rite in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The pilgrimage route  leaves from Paris by the Ile de France to Chartres, where in the cathedral in the afternoon of Whit Monday, a Pontifical Mass will be celebrated in the traditional Rite.

The 27th Pentecost Pilgrimage of the SSPX , with the official name Pèlerinage de tradition (Pilgrimage of Tradition), will follow the reverse way from Chartres to Paris. The organizers is the Association Pèlegrinage de Tradition . The Pentecost Pilgrimage 2015 will be held under the motto "God's Angels our Protectors."  The pilgrimage begins on Saturday, 23 May at 7:45 clock with the Holy Mass in the traditional rite in Chartres next to the cathedral. Pilgrims will arrive in Paris, drawing near the Eiffel Tower to the Invalides, where a Pontifical High Mass in the Immemorial Rite will be celebrated at Place Vauban in the afternoon of Whit Monday.

Pilgrims will spend two nights each in large tent cities that are built along the pilgrimage route. The organization by numerous volunteers is outstanding. On the significance of Pentecost pilgrimage See also the report The Camp of The Saints - see Today the Church of Tomorrow (in German) .

Pilgrims through the streets of Paris

Information and Registration

For those interested in the German-speaking countries:

Pentecost Pilgrimage of Ecclesia Dei -Gemeinschaften: 
International pilgrimage on foot Paris-Chartres 2015 
Registration Germany 
Registration Austria 
Application Switzerland

Pentecost Pilgrimage of SSPX : 
International pilgrimage on foot Chartres-Paris 2015
Mr D. Volckmann
Stefan-George-Ring 42
81929 München
Phone: +49 89 99 65 06 80
Fax: +49 89 21 75 22 50
Email:  Chartres-Paris [a] Arcor. de

In USA:

International Pilgrimage of Tradition

Sponsor a Youth to Pray for You

Father Rutledge's Recommendations 

Register at Regina Pilgrimages

The international pilgrimage on foot for tradition first took place in 1983 and has been held regularly over the years as the world's largest, meeting of tradition. Also the 1988/1989 break which took place breakage did not change this. The  episcopal ordinations carried out by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre without the permission of Rome in the summer of 1988 and the Motu Proprio Ecclesia Dei traditional Catholics both participate. The group standing in unity with Rome  continued commenced the pilgrimage commenced in 1983, while the SSPX in brought its own pilgrimage to life in 1989. Both pilgrimages take place at the same time and run the same route, but in reverse directions. During the Pentecost Pilgrimage of Ecclesia Dei communities will celebrate its  Masses at the cathedrals of Chartres and Paris and will be celebrated only on the second day in an open field, while the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass must take place in the open air on the pilgrimage of the SSPX.

If and when the two opposing pilgrimages are merged, no one can say. The doubling is some a nuisance because it is seen as a visible expression of an open wound. Fortunately the spiritual profit for the personal life of faith doesn't depend for most on this issue, but on attending the pilgrimage. It is physically and mentally a challenge for which both come from two directions to Mary. Both the Cathedral of Paris and Chartres Cathedral is dedicated to the Blessed Mother.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: pelerinagesdetradition.com/nd-chretiente.com

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

SSPX Statement on Situation With Rome

Pozzo's actions speak louder than words!


[SSPX District USA] We publish here a Le Seignadou editorial by Fr. Michel Simoulin, SSPX chaplain of the Dominicans of Fanjeaux. Fr. Simoulin comments on the behind the scenes denial of the celebration of Mass during the pilgrimage the sisters and their students made last February in Rome, which contradicts the recently assertions made by Archbishop Pozzo of the Ecclesia Dei Commission.

There is Rome…and then there is the Vatican and the Vatican officials, the guardians of the law and of the Temple! Alas, it is not always the same thing! The Vatican of our times very often manifests a spirit that is not the spirit of Rome, that Rome sung by Dante, Dom Gueranger, Louis Veuillot, Fr. Berto, Archbishop Lefebvre…and long before them by the Fathers of the Church: St. Clement of Rome, St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Irenaeus of Lyon, Tertullian, Origen, St. Cyprian of Carthage…

Good old Corneille proclaimed in his time that “Rome is no longer in Rome; she is wherever I am” (Sertorius, III, I), and we are, alas, obliged to make a distinction between Rome and the Vatican, between what comes from Rome and what comes from the Vatican! And it was to Rome that our sisters led their schools, in thanksgiving and out of fidelity to Rome, under the astonished eyes of the Vatican officials.

Oddly enough, a small noisy group criticized this pilgrimage: it would seem that the children were forced, obliged against their will, forcefully dragged to the feet of the pope…outrageous fees were “extorted” from the parents…in short, meanness vies with stupidity, and those who say these things should take a look at, read and meditate on the accounts given by and about those who participated! When they threw their berets in the air at St. Peter’s Square, it seemed spontaneous and rather joyful to me!

Cont...

http://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/actions-speak-than-louder-words

DICI: The State of Argentina Recognizes the Society of St. Pius X Administratively

Edit: copied from DICI for the record.


Argentina: The State of Argentina Recognizes the Society of St. Pius X Administratively
13-04-2015
Filed under From Tradition, News

Queen Mary House, headquarter of the District of South America (Buenos Aires, Argentina).

On April 12, 2015, the Argentinian newspaper Clarin announced the decision of the Secretary of Religion, Guillermo R. Oliveri, published in the official bulletin of the Argentine Republic on April 9, 2015; according to this decision the Society of St. Pius X is recognized in Argentina as a juridical person and has been added to the Register of the Institutes of Consecrated Life in which are listed the Catholic orders and religious congregations present in Argentina.
This decision was made possible, among other formalities, by a letter from the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Mario Aurelio Poli, addressed to the Secretary of Religion as a part of the procedures undertaken by the Society’s authorities in 2011. This letter, in which the archbishop of Buenos Aires “asked that ‘the Society of the Apostles of Jesus and Mary’ (Society of St. Pius X) be considered as an association with diocesan rights, until a definitive juridical framework is granted to it in the universal Church,” is a necessary condition for all religious congregations in Argentina.
Cardinal Poli’s document has no canonical authority, for he cannot substitute himself for the Roman authority that alone can settle the Society’s canonical status. It is simply a procedure that allows the State of Argentina to make an administrative decision until “a definitive juridical framework is granted (to the Society) in the universal Church.”

It is important to know that in Argentina, Catholic religious congregations can only exercise their apostolate within an administrative and juridical framework conditioned by their inscription in the register of the Institutes of Consecrated Life, on the ecclesiastical authority’s recommendation.

The fact that Cardinal Poli is Cardinal Bergoglio’s successor to the archiepiscopal see of Buenos Aires is a legitimate reason to believe that this decision was not taken without consulting Pope Francis. Nonetheless, it is nothing more than a strictly administrative procedure in the restricted context of the Republic of Argentina.
(Sources: FSSPX-MG/Clarin/BO Rep. Arg. DICI, 4-13-2015)
Argentina: El Estado Argentino reconoce administrativamente la Fraternidad San Pío X

Pope's Argentine Successor Urges State to Recognize Catholicity of SSPX

Edit: this will make some people at Vatican Insider very unhappy.

Note from CFN: Bishop Fellay and SSPX Leadership have to yet to publicly comment on this development, but will probably do so soon.

Argentina formally recognizes SSPX as part of the Catholic Church - at the request of the Archbishop of Buenos Aires (and Pope Francis?)
Our partners at Adelante de la Fe have broken the news that the Argentinian government has recognized the SSPX as part of the Roman Catholic Church: La FSSPX reconocida en Argentina como parte de la Iglesia Católica Romana.In the words of the official state Resolution granting this recognition:

http://www.cfnews.org/page88/files/0829beea0af2b1811ba5fb8777ba136f-366.html

Society of St. Pius X Six Years After the Letter of Benedict XVI Between Vocations and Schism

(Menzingen) The Catholic monthly magazine Il Timone has published the following article about the traditional Society of St. Pius X (SSPX)  not presently   in unity with Rome.

"Six years ago, on 10 March 2009, Pope Benedict XVI wrote the "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church Concerning the  lifting of the excommunication of the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Lefebvre."  It was one of the most moving and vibrant documents of his magisterium and at the same time also one of the most dramatic. It was created to respond to a wild campaign, which was sparked by the media and parts of the Church against him, to give in to the  "biting and devouring" as St. Paul complains in his letter to the Galatians, and what Benedict XVI. then pointed to describe the climate of those days.

In his letter, which is worth reading in its entirety because of its clarity and depth,  Benedict XVI wrote. amongst other things:

'Can we be totally indifferent about a community which has 491 priests, 215 seminarians, 6 seminaries, 88 schools, 2 university-level institutes, 117 religious brothers, 164 religious sisters and thousands of lay faithful? Should we casually let them drift farther from the Church? I think for example of the 491 priests. We cannot know how mixed their motives may be. All the same, I do not think that they would have chosen the priesthood if, alongside various distorted and unhealthy elements, they did not have a love for Christ and a desire to proclaim him and, with him, the living God. Can we simply exclude them, as representatives of a radical fringe, from our pursuit of reconciliation and unity? What would then become of them?'

The letter  has new relevance these days because of two events. The first  is that Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X has announced that the Society has a count, this year in its history, of more than 600 priests for the first time. More than 100 priests in just  six years. Today, the Society maintains permanent establishments in 35 countries. However, their Apostolate extends to 70 countries. Its spread is particularly strong in the US, where it is building a new seminary, which will become its largest seminary. 'Shall we let them drift farther from the Church?' asked Benedict XVI. in his letter.

The second message is extremely fatal, published   yesterday by Rorate Caeli. One of the four bishops consecrated by Lefebvre, Richard Williamson,who was expelled in 2012 from the SSPX,  wants to at least consecrate one new bishop: Father Jean-Michel Faure, former superior of the Latin American District of the SSPX and former rector of the seminary La Reja, Argentina. He also belongs with Williamson, to those who have left the Society. The ordinations are to take place in the monastery formerly associated with the SSPX  of Santa Cruz in Nova Friburgo, a city in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With the episcopal ordination  Williamson would again incur excommunication , as well as for the new illegitimate bishop, and it would form one of those runaway lines of apostolic succession that Rome has tried to avoid in all circumstances, because they are able to produce schismatic groups, because it is a sacramental Potestas  they can claim for themselves.

Translation: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Il Timone

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

SSPX Teaching Sisters Reported on EWTN

Edit: on February 13th, we picked up a report on the SSPX Dominican Sisters of Fanjeau on a pilgrimage in Rome.  EWTN has picked it up now.

A group of girls and accompanying nuns made a unique pilgrimage to St. Peter’s in February.  

The nuns are the “teaching sisters” - Dominicans - and they were celebrating a special occasion with children from their schools in the US, France and Germany.  

There’s a unique twist to this story. The Society of St. Pius the Tenth priests and the “teaching sisters” accompanying the pilgrimage are not in full communion with the Church in Rome. 

They have maintained opposition to some teachings and implementations of reforms from the Second Vatican Council.

Bishop Athanasius Schneider Visits SSPX Seminary in USA

Edit: Interesting news. More talk about an impending resolution.

Link to DICI...

Link to Rorate...

On February 11, 2015, Bishop Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Astana in Kazakhstan, met with Bishop Bernard Fellay, SSPX Superior General, and also with several priests of the Society, at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Winona (United States). 

This was the second visit by Bishop Schneider to one of our seminaries. On January 16, 2015, he had visited the St. Cure d’Ars Seminary in Flavigny (France). Both meetings pertained to the question of the liturgical reform of Paul VI and the doctrinal presuppositions of the Novus Ordo Missae. 

On December 5, 2014, Cardinal Walter Brandmuller, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, had visited Sacred Heart Seminary in Zaitzkofen (Germany), where the discussion focused on the magisterial authority of Vatican Council II. 

These meetings are a way of continuing the doctrinal discussions between the Society of St. Pius X and the Roman authorities « in a larger and less formal context than that of the preceding meetings », according to the decision made during the meeting of Bishop Fellay with Cardinal Gerhard Muller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on September 23, 2014.

Old Ritual Dominicans in Rome -- Procession Into Saint Peter's Under the Eyes of the Cardinals

Pilgrimage of Old Ritual Dominicans With Graduates in
the Archbasilica in Rome

(Rome) On the 40th anniversary of their order, the  Dominican Sisters of Fanjeaux are making a pilgrimage to Rome at the mother of all churches and the grave of Peter. The School Sisters of the Mother House in France in the Languedoc Fanjeaux (Aude) serves eight girls' schools. Six schools are located in France, one in the US and since 2012, one in the Federal Republic of Germany, near Freiburg im Breisgau.

The pilgrims included more than 1,500 people, including over 200 nuns, teachers and graduates of their schools, who  were distinguished by their blue Basque berets. The first stage of the pilgrimage was last Tuesday at the Archbasilica San Giovanni in Laterano omnium urbis et orbis mater et caput ecclesiarum (mother and head of all churches of Rome and of the earth). The Lateran Basilica is the highest ranking among the four patriarchal churches and the cathedral of  the pope. There, the pilgrims sang the Creed, and prayed the Way of the Cross for the pope. In the morning they had participated a Mass  celebrated by Father Niklaus Pfluger. Father Pfluger is the first assistant to the Society of St. Pius X.

Ceremonial Entry in the Vatican Basilica Under the Eyes of Cardinals

The School Sisters Visiting the Patriarchal Basilica

On Thursday, the traditional pilgrims, sisters, girls and women moved in solemn order into St. Peter's Basilica to visit the grave of the Apostle Peter. An "impressive event under the eyes of the Cardinals just gathering for the Consistory, an improvement standing out from the otherwise hectic crowd of pilgrims and tourists stood out" as Chiesa e postconcilio reported.

According to Forum Catholique, despite repeated requests to the Pontifical Commission of Ecclesia Dei  by the pilgrims,  ​​no church was made available to celebrate the Holy Mass in the traditional rite in the city of Rome. It's a de facto ban that has allegedly, according to the French side, to do with the fact that the Holy Masses by priests of the SSPX had to be  celebrated to ensure the pastoral care of the Dominican Sisters for 40 years. Father Pfluger had to celebrate the Holy Mass in the church reach Rome in a rented hall.

No Church of Rome for the Sacrifice of the Mass and a Small Episode

Prayer in the Lateran Basilica, the "head and the mother of all churches"

In the Holy Year, the SSPX had made ​​a pilgrimage to Rome with fellow religious and faithful. The pilgrimage drew "a solemn calm, and majestic dignity" in St. Peter's Basilica, Paolo Pasqualucci, who was then among the faithful at St. Peter's Square, as postconcilio Chiesa e reported. "Three young men of the uniformed police of the Vatican security service stood by. The latter were visibly upset at the sight of the procession of the SSPX, who moved toward St. Peter's Basilica. Probably they had been forewarned, since these  very bad heretics and enemies of the Pope were coming. The policeman watched a passing priest earnestly.  Then he turned and said to the young men from the security service in Roman dialect, 'This is the true Church and not that there'  and made ​​pointed with  his head in a movement toward the Vatican palaces. Twice he repeated it still,  while the priests, religious and faithful moved into St. Peter's."

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Ciesa e postconcilio

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Cardinal Brandmüller Meets With SSPX at HQ

[SSPX USA] On December 5, 2014, Cardinal Walter Brandmuller, president emeritus of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, met with Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, accompanied by several priests. The meeting was held at the Herz Jesu Seminary of Zaitzkofen, in Bavaria.

This meeting was a follow-up of the September 23, 2014 meeting in Rome, during which all had agreed to pursue the doctrinal discussions “in a broader, less formal framework than in the previous discussions.” (see DICI #302, Oct. 10, 2014). The theme was the Council and its magisterial authority.

The goal of these meetings is to make the Church’s authorities more aware of the Society and the works of Tradition, and at the same time to expose to them the serious objections and points of divergence that remain concerning the Second Vatican Council and its reforms. In this perspective, two more meetings are scheduled in the coming months, one at the St. Cure de Ars Seminary in Flavigny (France), and the other at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Winona (USA).

(Source: fsspx/MG–DICI #307, Dec. 19, 2014)

Bishop Fellay Blesses Crib in European Parliament

(Brussels) At the invitation of the Italian MEP Mario Borghezio (Lega Nord) and the initiative of the Civitas Institute, the Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X,  visited the European Parliament in Brussels, and blessed a nativity scene there.

The large crib is located in one of the central, public halls of the parliamentary representation of the European Union in Brussels.  MEPs  from France, Great Britain, Greece, Portugal and Italy, parliamentary staff and EU officials gathered to be blessed. In his speech  Alain Escada, president of the French Civitas Institute suggested that the baby Jesus in the manger should rule over all nations, since all power comes from God. For this purpose, he quoted the Pope St. Pius X,  as the 100th  anniversary of his death was commemorated in 2014: "The civilization must not be contrived, for it was, it is and it has been a Christian civilization, it is the Catholic society.  To restore it merely requires the unceasing renewal of its  natural and divine principles. "

Bishop Bernard Fellay said in his speech: "There in the mange is where it all started. So it is quite normal that Europe's guides, God the helmsman give Him glory, who came among man to save him, He, the King of Kings. Let us remember what Cardinal Pie said, 'When the moment for the lordship of Jesus Christ did not come, then the time has not come for governments to continue'. By the blessing of this crib, the Church is a connection between this place and the grace of God's love. This little place is a Sacramental for the benefit of all who come here to gather inside."

Bishop Fellay was accompanied by the District Superior of  Society of St. Pius X for Belgium and the Netherlands, Father Thierry Legrand is in the seat of the European Parliament. He stressed the importance of the initiative,   because of the increasing attempt to prevent the establishment of nativity scenes in France in public spaces and Advent and attempts to replace and reinterpret  Christmas Traditions with "Winter events" and "Year End initiatives."

Text: pius.info/Giuseppe Nardi
image: pius.info

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

Link to Katholisches...

AMDG

Faithful Catholics and Theological Positions -- A Difference Which Must be Overlooked

Katholisches.info strives to present those things necessary for internal church discussions which don't officially take place and are in part also not desired. These include the guest comments by Clement Victor Oldendorf, some of which met with strong opposition, while the author felt misunderstood. Most recently, he set out in an essay about  the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, "The letter concluded" (Pope Francis) - attempt to overcome barriers of understanding, in  the search for ways  to counter the modernist innovation by theological reflection. The present article does not have the modernists in its sights, but the Society of St. Pius X.   Ultimately, it is Odendorf by his own admission to engage in reasonable debate in all of his contributions to tradition and its orientation in the debate within the Church.

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Guest commentary by Victor Clemens Oldendorf

Last Sunday of the Church year, at our view of the world and the end of the eschatological return of Christ. This eschatological orientation is prepared in Advent, in which we relive the expectation of the first coming of the Messiah and celebrate Christmas is in the liturgical calendar of the Novus Ordo, which is also characterized by the displacement of the feast of Christ the King on this Sunday. But the liturgy of the 24th and last Sunday after Pentecost in the traditional Roman Rite clearly shows this character - especially in the Scripture readings.

There is talk of false Christs, which one should not chase into the desert and not in the chambers and of the signs of the times, in which they are recognized. With that   the Antichrist becomes the topic and also the question of whether and in what sense he is condensed in a person and if it is not already present and atmospheric - has his precursor - in all trends, and movements. The great exegete Erik Peterson (1890-1960) spoke for that reason of the "eschatological proviso" under which the whole story is already complete and remains with the first coming of Christ.

I heard Holy Mass in a Priory of last Sunday Society of St. Pius X recently. There, too, the preacher dealt, inter alia with these issues.

In addition to what I report below, I'm emphatically not engaging in a criticism of this Father. That's why I won't deliberately reveal his identity and the place where I've heard the sermon. Also, there is general finding that not every preacher a good preacher, yes certainly every preacher can not be a good theologian, is not restricted to the SSPX, and vice versa you meet there, even often,   equally successful rhetorical and theological preaching. 

FSSP a Forerunner of the Antichrist?

After introductory remarks about the Antichrist and his predecessor suddenly remembered the sudden remark that "the FSSP is unacceptable for the Catholics" because they had accepted the "errors of Vatican II" or at least remain silent. The consequence of that, in the words of the priest, that  the Masses of FSSP and those other priests who celebrate it under the provisions of Summorum Pontificum, are  "unacceptable for Catholics"  remained unspoken to the best of my memory yet was unmistakable.

My basic point  is not aimed to even challenge that position. I think you can argue it and  justify it.   But not so, as in this case. While it is true that there is a theological problem of consciousness in relation to the Second Vatican Council in circles around Summorum Pontificum, for they often only pronounce privately or not at all, and there is no full understanding  given as to why   the "Old Mass" is favored and what's more, should practically avoid the "New". Nevertheless, the SSPX does not have binding magisterial authority about statements of the Second Vatican Council, which it sees problematic as "errors", which means that it identifies the theological positions of the SSPX with the Catholic faith, ultimately, I am deliberately formulating a provocative alternative identification  of the "Lefebvre-follower" and "Catholic." This was never done in this way or supported by  Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. It is  not only to participation in the "New Mass"  that is  to be rejected, but also at every Mass in the traditional Roman Rite, not celebrated by a priest of the Society of St. Pius X.

Why do I run with this rigamarole? Because  there is an actual mistake  that I notice in parts of the SSPX.  Namely, to see the difference that stands between fidelity to the disclosed and traditional Catholic faith and judgment with which it evaluated by this criterion, for example, controversial statements of the Second Vatican Council, or the new liturgy.

Despite Differences of Opinion Equally Faithful

What I want to say for sure is very easily illustrated  in 1988 with a flashback. The situation at that time was undoubtedly as complicated and confused as it was unmanageable. Thus  it was come to a conclusion without a doubt that one was  entitled or even obliged to consecrate bishops, but just as convinced this is not to be allowed, without the consent of John Paul II. Both convictions included in my opinion, does not exclude that both supporters of the consecrations, as well as those who believed they had to distance himself from it, in spite of the disagreement, were equally Catholic and remained faithful.

Similarly, it is my concern with the  appreciation of religious freedom by the SSPX and its connection with a certain political theories or political ends, that are not presupposed theologically to  underlie this position, which I believe it is by no means incompatible with the Catholic faith to take this position, but the SSPX can not also claim or demand (especially not necessarily prove) that one must share this vision, to be considered a faithful traditional Catholic.There have always been different positions in the Church on details and in particular with practical assessments of theological and pastoral problems on the basis of common unity in orthodoxy. If one does not see or bears with this, he succumbs to an illusion or fiction.

"Not even the Son", "but in the last 80 years"

When I come back to the sermon, which has pushed me to these considerations, it is fairly harmless when compared with this fundamental error, because the preacher,  although related to Matt 25:13, where it is noted that we have neither the day nor the hour of the Second Coming know Christ, but three times he emphatically said, "in the last eighty years." What you have to grin admit is that it speaks for someone to announce the date of the Last Judgment, for a certain shrewdness to choose such a time: With the exception of infants who did not follow the sermon with understanding, virtually none of the listeners can verify the accuracy of this statement, nor refute it.

The view of the preacher on the Advent let him weave the proper admonition to commit this period as a time of collection and seclusion. He exhorted them  to give up television and recommended obviously seriously, best to "rip out that plug". Whoever does not own pliers, can ask the preacher.

Not Autonomous, but Responsible

The very negative attitude of Society to television seems to me to be such a practical example where catholicity is not decided. It's also not that the believer, so to speak, is entirely self-determined, without distinction to consume all, or may, without asking for measures of value, but in this particular case, the values must be taken into account and  act  responsibly. The  principle position  which expects a traditional Catholic to refrain entirely from television, is followed by a bit of convincing logic, which would insist that one can not read anything, because there are bad books.

Text: Victor Clemens Oldendorf
image: laportelatin.org
Trans: vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Church and SSPX: Friend of the Pope Threatens Faithful Catholics With Excommunication

(Rome) There is a campaign in progress in Italy against the Society of St. Pius X.  The reason is there is a bishop's threat  that believers who receive the sacraments at the SSPX may be excommunicated. The initiative is in direct contradiction to the recent opening of Rome toward the SSPX led by Archbishop Guido Pozzo, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.  Rorate Caeli speaks of "double standards" and  "selective compassion."

The media campaign was triggered by a letter from the Bishop of Alban  from last October 14th to all pastors of his diocese. Bishop Marcello Semeraro informs his diocese about the SSPX and issued instructions. Albano is one of the suburbicarian bishoprics of Rome, whose nominal owners are the cardinal bishops of the Catholic Church, that is the highest ranking members of the Sacred College. The Cardinal Bishop of Albano is the former Cardinal Secretary of State Angelo Cardinal Sodano.

Bishop Semeraro justified the "notification" because of queries  about the validity of sacraments by the SSPX, which were addressed to the Diocesan Curia. The seat of the Italian District of the Society is located in Albano.

"No canonical status", "no lawful exercise" of the priestly office

Bishop Marcello Semeraro

The bishop refers to the "benevolent lifting of the excommunication" of the bishops of the Fraternity by Pope Benedict XVI. on January 21, 2009. And to the letter to all the bishops of the Church from Benedict on 10 March 2009. Msgr. Semeraro places emphasis on the statement that the bishops of the Fraternity exerts no "legitimate" ministry in the Church (AAS CI, 2009, No. 4, p. 272) and the Society "has no canonical status" in the Church, which is why their priests can not exercise any office "lawfully" (AAS CI, 2009, No. 4, p. 710f).

Furthermore, the bishop refers to a pastoral letter by his predecessor, Monsignor Dante Bernini (1982-1999), which states:. "The Catholic faithful may not participate in the Masses or receive the sacraments provided by the Society.  Otherwise, this action would mean to break communion with the Catholic Church."

Faithful of the SSPX Are Not in Communion with the Church?

Bishop Semeraro draws the conclusion: "Therefore, each Catholic,  who solicits or receives the sacraments from the Society of St. Pius X, is  not in communion with the Catholic Church. A re-admission into the Catholic Church must be preceded by   an adequate personal  path of  reconciliation according to the competent episcopal ordinary".

Finally, the bishop regrets that some "options", presumably  relating particularly to children and young people, are "contrary to the pastoral orientation of the Italian Church and the Diocese of Albano."

The pastor should inform the faithful about this episcopal statement.

L'Espresso : "Pope forbids Lefebvrians to celebrate Mass"

The media, especially the weekly magazine L'Espresso, attacked the bishop writing with large headlines: "Pope Francis prohibits Lefebvrians from celebrating Mass". The subtitle: "The followers of an excommunicated, ultra-traditionalist  French bishop are now in the sights of Pope Bergoglio: one of his most faithful friends has forbidden the celebratiion of Mass and administeration of the sacraments. Whoever follows them, risks excommunication." The article whirls the truth, canon law and fictional conclusions into chaos.

The Career of the Bishop

Espresso credits a report that Bishop Semeraro is one of the closest confidants of Pope Francis. The bishop was appointed by Pope John Paul II. In 2004, He underwent a major upgrade under Pope Francis. In April of 2013 he was appointed secretary of the new Cardinal Council, to advise the Pope on the reform of the curia and the Church leadership (see Bishop Semeraro, C8-secretary . This C8-Council has been expanded by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin to a C9 Council.  Bishop Semeraro handles the coordination of the Council. In the Italian Bishops Conference , Msgr. Semeraro performs the function of the media bishop and thus has the oversight of the bishops' conference part of daily Avvenire , the published first the "notification" to the priest.

The relationship between Bishop Semeraro the the SSPX has never relaxed. Last year the SSPX elicited an opinion against the Pope's travel to Lampedusa (see  Lampedusa was "Inclined to Progressive Simplification" of a Complex Question ). Similarly, the willingness of the SSPX to hold a funeral Mass for Erich Priebke, because Priebke was for reasons of political correctness, and annoyance for the Diocese of Rome that brought them great embarrassment (see Diocese of Rome Refused Erich Priebke Public Funeral - Political Correctness About Death? out and Priebke Coffin Spat Upon - The Hatred Must Know Boundaries, but  Catholic Subservience Also  ).

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Wikicommons / NBQ

SSPX With Bishop Fellay and Bishops Celebrate Immemorial Mass at Lourdes Shrine

Edit: the Society of Saint Pius X has celebrated Mass at the modernist St. Pius X, at the Lourdes Shrine in France. It's a crowning even in the pilgrimage whose motto is, "To Our Lady in the Footsteps of St. Pius X."  Despite the large size of the church meant to accommodate throngs of pilgrims, it looks practically full. The building can accomodate 25,000 worshipers.  The celebrant for this Christ the King Mass was Bishop Fellay with Bishops de Galaretta and Tisser de Mallerais in attendance, is part of a celebration for the centenary of St. Pius X.
Amazingly, they got permission to do this from the authority in charge of the site which must have been high level indeed. This is a signal event.

Messe du Christ-Roi en la Basilique Saint-Pie X (26 octobre 2014) from DICI on Vimeo.