Lefebvrians: The last train
vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/lefebvriani-lefebvrianos-lefebvrians-22445/
The article title is misleading in my view, in fact, very much so. It might be the last opportunity for the short term as any new pope is going to have plenty to take care beyond this particular situation. However, the idea that Rome is going to simply stop trying to bring the SSPX back into the fold is a false one in my view.
I believe the article is trying to say that there is a chance that the next pope may not be as patient. Which is always possible. As Archbishop Mueller recently said, “The Church can’t wait forever.” Even with the Eastern Christians, there was a point at which the Church disengaged. It’s taken almost 1,000 years for the Catholic and Orthodox Churches to sit down and talk again.
This can certainly happen. A future pope may decide to disengage. At which point, the SSPX is then in schism, because it will be Rome who will be refusing to speak with the SSPX unless it’s on Rome’s terms. Up to now, the dialogue has been on the SSPX’s terms. They asked for the EF mass. They got it. They asked for the remission of the excommunications, they got it. They have asked to celebrate mass at some of the Church’s holiest sites, they’ve gotten it, eve though they’re not supposed to be celebrating mass at all. They have asked for other things and Rome has given it to them rather than treat them with antagonism. During the last 2 1/2 years when they’ve been talking, Rome was said very little. In fact, Rome has said nothing about what has happened behind closed doors. It has been the SSPX that has made information available to the public. It has been the SSPX who has bashed Rome, even while negotiation were taking place. Rome behaved diplomatically and politely, respecting the privacy of both parties and their good name.
If we think on all of this, a future pope may say that Rome has given enough. Such a position would be the last train. From then on, reconciliations will have to be individual. A generation or more will pass before Rome attempts this again.
The parishioners of a Roman Catholic Church in my city were given this notice in this Sunday’s bulletin.“During a talk at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy in New Hamburg Bishop B. Fellay of the SSPX made a statement that the “Jews are the enemies of the Church.” Such remarks are not in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops denounces all forms of anti-Semitism and rejects assertions such as those reported to have been made. PLEASE NOTE: The SSPX is a schismatic group not in communion with the Catholic Church. Therefore, Sacraments celebrated by priests of the SSPX at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy in New Hamburg are illicit. The sacraments of Marriage and Penance celebrated there are invalid.” If this is true I doubt that the Church would want the members of the SSPX to join us. At least not the anti-Semitic members of the SSPX. Apparently their leader is anti-Semitic.
The Bishop did make this comment and it is true that Rome condemned the comment. I don’t know if he’s antisemitic or if that was just an imprudent way of describing the tension between Judaism and Christianity. The tension is a theological one, not a political one. When one uses the term “enemy” it can easily be translated into politics. That would be incorrect.
There may be some Catholics who have a political ax to grind with Jews, the Vatican does not and it is the Vatican, not Bishop Fellay and not the laity who speaks for the Church.
The one mistake in the pastor’s memo is that the SSPX is not a schismatic group. The SSPX is guilty of schismatic actions, guilty of violating Canon Law, guilty of disobedience, guilty of pride, and probably guilty of presumption. Having said all of that, I can publish a list of my sins that will make the SSPX and Bishop Fellay look like Mother Teresa and her nuns, not that the Bishop and the SSPX would find that flattering. They have a bone to pick with Mother Teresa too. That’s another story.
My point is that we all have a list of sins. The key here is to understand that the SSPX cannot legally celebrate the sacraments and there are certain sacraments that it cannot even celebrate validly. In the case of confession, it is better to take your chances with Father Bozo, who has faculties from his bishop than Father Saint at the SSPX, who does not have faculties from any bishop and whom the Church denies has supplied faculties. To be on the safe side, Father Bozo is a better choice. He can validly absolve, even if he is a clown. The sacrament does not depend on his person, but on his relationship with the Church. You can have a saint and a clown, but the clown is in good standing with the Church and the saint is not, then only the clown can forgive your sins. The saint is iffy at best.
In the end, I don’t have to take Father Bozo home with me or believe everything he says. But I can believe when he says, "I absolve you . . . . " There is no doubt in the mind of the Church that you are absolved, if you are sorry for your sins.
