How do I help friends stay away from the SSPX?

[JPII_GenXer]

I know a group of fervently practicing and holy Catholics who have recently become interested in the SSPX. They are attracted to the traditional expression of the faith and the seemingly more reverent approach of the people toward the liturgy when compared to the average Catholic parish.

Can you suggest any arguments to help steer my friends back to the fullness of the Catholic faith before they veer too far off course?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

You might give your friends a copy of John Paul II’s apostolic letter Ecclesia Dei, in which he makes this appeal to Catholics:

In the present circumstances I wish especially to make an appeal both solemn and heartfelt, paternal and fraternal, to all those who until now have been linked in various ways to the movement [the Society of St. Pius X] of Archbishop [Marcel] Lefebvre, that they may fulfill the grave duty of remaining united to the Vicar of Christ in the unity of the Catholic Church, and of ceasing their support in any way for that movement. Everyone should be aware that formal adherence to the schism is a grave offense against God and carries the penalty of excommunication decreed by the Church’s law.

To all those Catholic faithful who feel attached to some previous liturgical and disciplinary forms of the Latin tradition I wish to manifest my will to facilitate their ecclesial communion by means of the necessary measures to guarantee respect for their rightful aspirations. In this matter I ask for the support of the bishops and of all those engaged in the pastoral ministry in the Church (ED 5c).

If you can find it through used-book sources or through interlibrary loan, you might also offer your friends The Pope, the Council, and the Mass by James Likoudis and Kenneth D. Whitehead, in which the authors answer the various questions raised by traditionalists attracted to groups like the SSPX.

Recommended reading:

Am I sinning by attending an SSPX chapel?