Which suspensions?
The Bishops who were excommunicated had their excommunication’s lifted. They are bishops without dioceses but there isn’t anything to prevent them from going individually to the Vatican and requesting sees.
Bishops are not allowed to ask for Sees. They must be granted by the Holy Father. In the case of a bishop who is either a religious or a member of a society of apostolic life, which the SSPX is, the bishop must belong to a society that has canonical status or he must ask for a dispensation to leave the society.
The SSPX had canonical status. They were a society of apostolic life of pontifical right. They lost that status when the leadership was excommunicated. Aside from the differences regarding Vatican II, the CCC and other points, they still have to go back to the Sacred Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and be reinstated. This is the current state of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer or it was when I last heard. They may have been reinstated by now. They were allowed to received postulants and run them through their formation program, but they were not allowed to present any of them for perpetual vows or for Holy Orders. Eventually, they were given permission to receive men to perpetual vows, but not to Holy Orders. The last that I heard, they were waiting for that to come from the Sacred Congregation.
The crux here is that as long as the SSPX continues to ordain without permission, there not much that the Sacred Congregation for Societies of Apostolic Life can do for them until the Holy Father gives the nod of approval.
As it stands right now, they have two fronts that they have to resolve, 1) their theological differences and 2) the status of the SSPX itself. The Pope can choose to do to them what he did to the Sons of the Holy Redeemer. They had to rewrite their constitution and take out everything that the Sacred Congregation found objectionable.
I have never seen their constitution. There may not be anything objectionable in them. If that’s the case, then it’s must easier to be reinstated.
As things stand now, the SSPX bishop would have to ask for a dispensation to leave them. He would then become a diocesan bishop and could be assigned to another bishop as an auxiliary.
The priests are not so much suspended as they are without faculties.
Their priests are suspended. That’s why they don’t have faculties.
They could seek faculties by presenting themselves to their local Ordinary, couldn’t they?
Bishops may never grant faculties to any priest who is a member of a religious order or a society of apostolic life without the written request of the superior. In this case, the superior cannot request it, because canonically, he’s not the superior. To be a superior, you must have the right to exercise ministry in the Church. In addition, the superior can only ask for faculties as long as their is no impediment. In this case there is an impediment.
The priests of the Holy Redeemer had to ask for forgiveness for requesting ordination illicitly in order to get faculties, even after the excommunication was lifted. However, I believe that they did it collectively. In other words, the superior spoke for them.
Disobedience to the Pope was what made the SSPX movement schismatic and got some of its bishops excommunicated.
The movement is not schismatic and has never been labeled as such. The act of ordaining bishops without papal approval is a schismatic act. To be schismatic one has to meet a series of criteria and even then, the pope must make the final call as to whether or not you’re schismatic, heretic, apostate or just a naughty boy. As the say. Paper holds anything you put on it. In the end, it’s not the words of the law that determine if the SSPX is schismatic, but the judgment of the Pontiff. Both popes have said that the act was schismatic, not the Society.
Excommunications have been lifted but SSPX still refuse to obey. Until they admit they are wrong, repent and agree to be obedient to Rome then they will remain outside.
I don’t think that Cardinal Levada is looking to humiliate them. That’s not his style. He’s the one whom they have to convince. The Holy Father will do whatever Cardinal Levada suggests. I would guess that the Cardinal is looking for an agreement on their part to abide by the theological proposals put on the table by the Sacred Congregation for the Faith. Pope Benedict summed it up in an interview: 1) Accept the ordinary authority of Vatican II and its documents, 2) Accept the CCC as it is and 3) Accept the judgment of the Primacy.
It didn’t sound like they have to agree on everything. There seems to be room for long-term discussion, as long as you say, “I don’t agree, but I’ll do it, because authority commands it,” that will satisfy the Holy See.
I get the impression that the SSPX does not want to make that statement, “I’ll do it, because authority commands it.”
Very sad that such pride endangers their souls and those who support them.
I believe that some of their statements are very arrogant. I would not go as far as to say that they are in moral danger. Only God can walk through the inner corridors of the soul.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
