1988 excommunications lifted or declared null?

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James924

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Were the 1988 excommunications “lifted” or “declared null”?

Links to source documents would be appreciated
 
Why were there excommunications in 1988? This is new to me! Can someone explain?
 
Are you talking about the excommunications that were put on the SSPX’s leaders for consecrating Bishops without Papal mandate in the 80’s? If so, they were lifted in 2009 I am fairly sure.
 
I assume lifted. I mean, consecration of bishops with the Pope’s knowledge but without his approval? Pretty hard to get around that.
 
NiceMimi said:
Why were there excommunications in 1988? This is new to me! Can someone explain?
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I hadn’t heard of it until seeing this thread either, but just from a quick search on the internet, in 1988 there were four bishops excommunicated for leading the SSPX, one of them being Richard Williamson, who publicly denies the holocast, and his Holiness Benedict XVI rescently reinstated all four Bishops.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. Specifically I’m trying to determine whether or not it voids the 1988 decree in its entirety and would therefore extend to Archbishop Lefevre.

The wording “while I declare deprived of any juridical effect, from the present date, the Decree emanated at that time” seems to imply that the entire decree is deprived of juridical effect and the decree included the excommunication of Lefevre as well so would that also be “deprived of juridical effect”?
 
I would think that given the fact that the Arcbishop is long gone that the current as well as past state of his soul and eclesiastical condition rests solely in the hands of God.

As an aside, since the decree specifically excluded the Archbishop, I have the feelingthat the Holy father felt pretty much the same way.

Just my opinion.
 
I certainly don’t believe that LeFebvre is in Hell.
His heart was wholly with the historic Catholic Faith and was horrified
beyond words by the open apostasies he was witnessing.
Still, his consecrating of the four bishops when the pope told him not to,
was disobedience and warranted excommunication, for him and for the four.

The excommunications were officially LIFTED by Pope Benedict XVI.

Bishop Williamson, however, needs to get a grip:
The Holocaust REALLY HAPPENED and it is OUTRAGEOUS
to suggest otherwise. I personally met and knew SEVERAL survivors
of those brutal, satanic Nazi camps, and saw their tatoos. One dear woman
I knew was forcibly sterilized and experimented on by those evil people at Auschwitz
and her ENTIRE family (mom, dad, brothers, sisters, ALL uncles and aunts, cousins) was murdered by them. Williamson needs to repent of his no-holocaust claims which desecrate these innocent people’s memory. Of all the nerve.
Jaypeeto4
+JMJ+
 
Mike30 said:
As an aside, since the decree specifically excluded the Archbishop, I have the feelingthat the Holy father felt pretty much the same way.

Just my opinion.
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Good point, although it might have simply only mentioned the 4 in question because they were the 4 alive and requesting the lifting. That last line about “while I declare deprived of any juridical effect, from the present date, the Decree emanated at that time” sounds so clear its just hard for me to ignore it. Ah well, I appreciate everyone’s (name removed by moderator)ut thus far.
 
TeenageConvert said:
I hadn’t heard of it until seeing this thread either, but just from a quick search on the internet, in 1988 there were four bishops excommunicated for leading the SSPX, one of them being Richard Williamson, who publicly denies the holocast, and his Holiness Benedict XVI rescently reinstated all four Bishops.
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To be fair, the Vatican did not know about Williamson’s “opinions” until after the fact.
 
archangel04 said:
To be fair, the Vatican did not know about Williamson’s “opinions” until after the fact.
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Correct me if I’m wrong but, despicable as his positions are, it makes no difference regarding the excommunications because the decree of excommunication was for the consecrations at econe (sp?), not his views of the holocaust. Canonically speaking, if the vatican wanted to declare the excommunication “deprived of any juridical effect” then the excommunication of all of them was lifted. Afterward, theoretically, I suppose they could re-excommunicate him for the holocaust business (though I’ve no idea if thats excommunicable) but the lifting of the econe excommunication decree is what it is what it is what it is, the holocaust issue being completely unrelated.
 
James924 said:
Good point, although it might have simply only mentioned the 4 in question because they were the 4 alive and requesting the lifting. That last line about “while I declare deprived of any juridical effect, from the present date, the Decree emanated at that time” sounds so clear its just hard for me to ignore it. Ah well, I appreciate everyone’s (name removed by moderator)ut thus far.
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Depends on who translated.

vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cbishops/documents/rc_con_cbishops_doc_20090121_remissione-scomunica_en.html
On the basis of the powers expressly granted to me by the Holy Father Benedict XVI, by virtue of the present Decree I remit the penalty of excommunication latae sententiae incurred by Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson and Alfonso de Galarreta, and declared by this Congregation on 1 July 1988. At the same time I declare that, as of today’s date, the Decree issued at that time no longer has juridical effect.
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Rome, from the Congregation for Bishops, 21 January 2009
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Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re
Prefect
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James924 said:
Correct me if I’m wrong but, despicable as his positions are, it makes no difference regarding the excommunications because the decree of excommunication was for the consecrations at econe (sp?), not his views of the holocaust. Canonically speaking, if the vatican wanted to declare the excommunication “deprived of any juridical effect” then the excommunication of all of them was lifted. Afterward, theoretically, I suppose they could re-excommunicate him for the holocaust business (though I’ve no idea if thats excommunicable) but the lifting of the econe excommunication decree is what it is what it is what it is, the holocaust issue being completely unrelated.
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Actually, Pope Benedict has said that had he known of Bishop Williamson’s views and positions on the Holocaust, he would not have lifted his excommunication.

Brother JR has told us that the pope is free at any time to excommunicate anyone he wishes for anything, since he is, as the pope, the supreme authority of the Church. I believe he said that the pope could excommunicate someone because he* doesn’t like the color of their toothbrush*!

Also, a person cannot have an excommunication lifted after death. The fact becomes that they died excommunicated. No one knows the result of such a situation so we leave it to God’s mercy. I personally think that the Archbishop was probably used as a pawn by those behind the scenes, just as others are used in political struggles. Either that or that his mind was not what it once was. It is certainly a sad situation for a man who loved the Church so much.
 
Timothysis said:
Also, a person cannot have an excommunication lifted after death.
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Yet we have, e.g, Ste Jeanne d’Arc whose “excommunication” was indeed lifted after her death.
Timothysis said:
I personally think that the Archbishop was probably used as a pawn by those behind the scenes, just as others are used in political struggles. Either that or that his mind was not what it once was. It is certainly a sad situation for a man who loved the Church so much.
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Yes, it’s not at all unlikely that the poor man was manipulated in his waning years. I’ve said that more than once in this forum. 😉
 
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