Catholic rebels see slow reconciliation with Rome

[SnorterLuster]

PARIS (Reuters) - Talks aimed at reconciling the Roman Catholic Church and an ultra-traditionalist splinter group are progressing, with the Vatican pushing to move faster than the rebels, the head of the breakaway group said on Friday.

Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX), told journalists he was sure that Pope Benedict wanted to end the 17-year split and bring the group back into the mainstream of the Catholic Church.

(more at the link below)

today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-01-13T160613Z_01_DIT357934_RTRUKOC_0_US-RELIGION-CATHOLIC-TRADITIONALISTS.xml&archived=False

 

[FiremanFrank]

I went ahead and read the whole article, and it is clear that the SSPX still disagrees with Holy Mother Church on way too many things right now.

So unless the SSPX comes to full repentance, I do not see their reconciliation coming any time soon.

 

[Nohome]

PARIS (Reuters) - Talks aimed at reconciling the Roman Catholic Church and an ultra-traditionalist splinter group are progressing, with the Vatican pushing to move faster than the rebels, the head of the breakaway group said on Friday.

Someone please help me to understand the situation. Why would the Vatican “push” to reconcile with any “splinter group”? Don’t efforts toward reconcilliation by the Vatican give credibility to the cause of this group? Does this mean that the Vatican has been “wrong” in some situations? Does this not encourage other groups to leave if there is a possibility that Rome will come running after you?

It seems to me that the RCC should say “this is the faith, love it or leave it”.

Nohome

 

[SnorterLuster]

Nohome:

Someone please help me to understand the situation. Why would the Vatican “push” to reconcile with any “splinter group”? Don’t efforts toward reconcilliation by the Vatican give credibility to the cause of this group? Does this mean that the Vatican has been “wrong” in some situations? Does this not encourage other groups to leave if there is a possibility that Rome will come running after you?

It seems to me that the RCC should say “this is the faith, love it or leave it”.

Nohome

Remember, it appears this report is based just on an interview with Bishop Fellay. I imagine if a spokesman from the Vatican was interviewed, there might be a whole different “take” on the ongoing talks.

 

[Jaypeeto3]

The SSPX are extremely traditionalist.
Still, there are many, many, many so called Catholics who openly deny church dogma and push heresy, and yet none of THEM has been excommunicated (which is a dereliction of duty on the part of the powers that be in the church), and they are FAR worse than the SSPX people. Let the Church do it’s duty of “removing the wicked men from among ourselves” (1st Corinthians) and you’d have fewer of these angry traditionalists.

 

[Ortho]

I think the major concern is that the group has valid priests and bishops. If there is not a reconciliation, it leaves a possibility that it could grow into a competing church with a valid and self-perpetuating priesthood.

 

[Michael_C]

Jaypeeto3:

The SSPX are extremely traditionalist.
Still, there are many, many, many so called Catholics who openly deny church dogma and push heresy, and yet none of THEM has been excommunicated (which is a dereliction of duty on the part of the powers that be in the church), and they are FAR worse than the SSPX people. Let the Church do it’s duty of “removing the wicked men from among ourselves” (1st Corinthians) and you’d have fewer of these angry traditionalists.

You make a good point. I always wondered why the traditionalist group gets instantly ex-commuincated but individual progressive dissenters, especially in te U.S. go unchallenged by Rome.

 

[oat_soda]

Don’t efforts toward reconcilliation by the Vatican give credibility to the cause of this group? Does this mean that the Vatican has been “wrong” in some situations?

yes, the sspx have some valid points, as do many schismatic and heretical groups. and yes, it does mean that the vatican can be “wrong” in some situations. the pope’s primary job is one of unity in christendom. look at our sister eastern churches who have maintained faithfully the apostolic traditions handed down to them -rome is to blame for some of these divisions as well. even the church acknowledges that the reformation was a response to a corupt church which badly needed renewal.

never the less humility is the most important virtue, especially for the pope. if the sspx and reformers where humble, there probably wouldn’t be any divisions. i think we can benefit greatly if the sspx are offically in communion with the church.

 

[FiremanFrank]

SnorterLusterQuote:

Remember, it appears this report is based just on an interview with Bishop Fellay. I imagine if a spokesman from the Vatican was interviewed, there might be a whole different “take” on the ongoing talks.

My thoughts exactly.

Michael C
I always wondered why the traditionalist group gets instantly ex-commuincated but individual progressive dissenters, especially in te U.S. go unchallenged by Rome.

Because the dissenting “liberal” bishops have been more sneaky in their actions by not having publicly and formally separated themselves from Rome (while at the same time ordaining their own priests).

If they did, there is no doubt they would suffer the same fate as the schismatic SSPX’rs.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

Jaypeeto3:

The SSPX are extremely traditionalist.
Still, there are many, many, many so called Catholics who openly deny church dogma and push heresy, and yet none of THEM has been excommunicated (which is a dereliction of duty on the part of the powers that be in the church), and they are FAR worse than the SSPX people. Let the Church do it’s duty of “removing the wicked men from among ourselves” (1st Corinthians) and you’d have fewer of these angry traditionalists.

None of them dared to defy the pope by undertaking episcopal consecrations without his approval. That’s a specific ACT, not an idea (as pernicious as those can be). Some liberals have hived off and left the Church as well, joining the independent Catholic/autocephalous movment, the Episcopal church (Matthew Fox, who was silenced by the Holy See, which also pulled Currans and Kung’s liscenses, etc). I don’t think the authorities of the Church have been derelict in their duties. The SSPX clearly crossed the line. AND they excommunicated THEMSELVES, according to canon law. Up until that time, the Church (ie, the Pope and the Holy See) had taken the same tact with them as with the liberals, ie, persuasion, reason, etc., not the stick.