O
otjm
Guest
The issue of whether they are in schism or not is a technical question of Canon law. Rome has said - whether authoritively or not - that they are not, but has hedged the question by going back to the fact that the bishops, while not under the interdict of excommunication, are without any status in the Church, and thus have no authority to exercise - meaning they cannot set up parishes or parish equivalents, and cannot authorize priests ordained by them to licitly say Mass.
I say “authoritively or not” because it appears that Rome simply has not wanted to answer the question directly and succinctly; and that serves Rome’s purpose of wanting to bring the SSPX back into full communion with the Church. Definitively saying that the SSPX were in schism (or are, as the case may be) would serve no purpose other than to drive a further wedge between the SSPX and the rest of the Church.
People have expounded all over the place on the issue of schism. People, however, are not the defining authority. Rome has chosen to give an answer that doesn’t strictly answer the question, because it suits Rome’s purpose. The short of it is that the people - those expounding on one side of the other - simply don’t count when it gets down to the counting. Rome desires reunification, Rome is seeking reunification, and answering such a question does not serve Rome’s purpose.
Note: by this I am not proposing they are in schism; neither am I saying they are not. It is clear they are not in full communion with Rome and that should be sufficient as neither I nor anyone else on this or related threads has anything whatsoever to do with the reunification process. It is ours to watch and pray. It is Rome’s to determine if, after Rome has decided there has been sufficient dialogue, that either the bishops, or some of them, have accepted the documents of Vatican 2 and Rome’s explanation and they all can move on to the next step, or decide that the bishops, or some of them have not accepted it and are not in union with Rome.
We get to watch, and that through a lense darkly because we are not a party to the discussion. What will come out of it, and when and in what format and to what degree, will most likely not be a full explication of all that occurs.
And assuming that some or all of the bishops do find reunification, it will then be incumbant that the next round occur, that is, the priests ordained to date; and then to some decision as to how they will be structured; and then as to how those who are adherents “in the pews” will be brought along.
And as is normal, some will come along meekly, some kicking and screaming, and some, most likely, not at all. Hopepfully the last group will be quite small.
I say “authoritively or not” because it appears that Rome simply has not wanted to answer the question directly and succinctly; and that serves Rome’s purpose of wanting to bring the SSPX back into full communion with the Church. Definitively saying that the SSPX were in schism (or are, as the case may be) would serve no purpose other than to drive a further wedge between the SSPX and the rest of the Church.
People have expounded all over the place on the issue of schism. People, however, are not the defining authority. Rome has chosen to give an answer that doesn’t strictly answer the question, because it suits Rome’s purpose. The short of it is that the people - those expounding on one side of the other - simply don’t count when it gets down to the counting. Rome desires reunification, Rome is seeking reunification, and answering such a question does not serve Rome’s purpose.
Note: by this I am not proposing they are in schism; neither am I saying they are not. It is clear they are not in full communion with Rome and that should be sufficient as neither I nor anyone else on this or related threads has anything whatsoever to do with the reunification process. It is ours to watch and pray. It is Rome’s to determine if, after Rome has decided there has been sufficient dialogue, that either the bishops, or some of them, have accepted the documents of Vatican 2 and Rome’s explanation and they all can move on to the next step, or decide that the bishops, or some of them have not accepted it and are not in union with Rome.
We get to watch, and that through a lense darkly because we are not a party to the discussion. What will come out of it, and when and in what format and to what degree, will most likely not be a full explication of all that occurs.
And assuming that some or all of the bishops do find reunification, it will then be incumbant that the next round occur, that is, the priests ordained to date; and then to some decision as to how they will be structured; and then as to how those who are adherents “in the pews” will be brought along.
And as is normal, some will come along meekly, some kicking and screaming, and some, most likely, not at all. Hopepfully the last group will be quite small.
