What I object to is the casual hurling of the term schism around by people who obviously have no idea about its theological definition. Fortunately, some of the old classicaly educated Cardinals still know what they’re talking about.
Disobedience, even chronic disobedience, DOES NOT EQUAL schism. Schism entails the principled rejection of papal authority.
Excommunication of the consecrating / consecrated bishops DOES NOT EQUAL excommunication of all SSPX adherants, not even of all the priests, only that priests ordained by the bishops are suspended.
In the meantime, Paul VI declared that nothing at Vatican II had the note of infallibility, that the Council was pastoral, not dogmatic, and therefore did not intend to define any new doctrine, a commission of cardinals appointed by John Paul II admitted that the Tridentine Latin Mass had never been abrogated, most of the abuses currently running rampant in Novus Ordo parishes happen by way of PERMISSIONS and not commands – e.g. altar girls, lay ministers, communion in the hand. There has never been any mandate from Rome to the effect that these practices must take place – in fact Rome opposed communion in the hand and altar girls for the longest time, characterizing them as abuses before finally caving in and tolerating it. Consequently, even the case for disobedience is very weak at best. Apart from the consecration of bishops done without the consent of Rome, explain how the SSPX are even disobedient by Rome’s standards.
In any case, where they have been positively disobedient, they have been more than justified because what they disobey clearly has been destroying faith and morals in the Church, and they have not only the right but even a duty to disobey.
It’s funny to attack the alleged “schism” of SSPX where in point of fact a single individual at any given SSPX chapel has more faith and more devotion to Holy Mother Church and to the Holy Father than entire Novus Ordo parishes combined. In your typical Novus Ordo parish, >80-90% of Catholics by most polls today deny one or more dogmas of the faith, the vast majority defy the Church’s teaching on birth control, many live in sin due to divorce / remarriage, throngs waltz up to Communion while you’re lucky to see half a dozen people at Confession any given weekend. It’s an ABSOLUTE DISASTER. I have a right before God – Pope Benedict or no Pope Benedict – not to have my own soul and those of my children subjected to these things which cause decay of faith, to not have to listen to one heretical or modernist proposition after another from the pulpits, to not have myself or my children subjected to watching half-dressed people milling around in front of the tabernacle gabbing away about the afternoon’s football game as if Our Lord weren’t present there. I have a right not to have to answer my children’s question like: “Daddy, why did Father say that? Daddy, why are people at Church in shorts? Daddy, why are there girls wearing cassocks in the sanctuary – or worse still girls with bare midrifs serving Mass? Daddy, why are there so few people at Confession? Daddy, why do people who receive Communion act like they’re just casually munching on potato chips on a couch watching a football game?” I answer to God for the souls of my children and not the Pope Benedict.
We have a right not to have to go to these garbage parishes – and until Rome and the bishops clean up their act, they have no right to force us to go there.
. But do you know of any TLMs closer to me, in Burlington? You seem like you know where they’re at 
