What is written here is not intended to be a definitive treatment of whether or not Vatican II can be interpreted in light of Tradition.2 I think, however, it worthwhile to address the notion that traditional Catholics should not hesitate to accept Vatican II in light of tradition, since the traditionalist Archbishop Lefebvre signed the Council documents. Thus, the reasoning goes, there really cannot be much wrong with the texts.
*********** The facts of the matter, however, are a bit more complex, which I will demonstrate in four quick points:
*********** 1) The Archbishop and the International Group of Fathers at Vatican II fought the liberal orientation of Vatican II throughout the entire Council, and yes, were successful in making the documents better than they would have been otherwise. The main point, however, is that Archbishop Lefebvre was well aware of the liberal spirit that took hold of the Council even before the Council began.3
*********** 2) Archbishop Lefebvre, like many other prelates at the time, felt himself under moral pressure to sign the documents. Archbishop Lefebvre was a man with a life-long career of serving the papacy. He was Apostolic Delegate to French speaking Africa and had worked closely with Pope Pius XII. In light of this filial devotion to the Holy See, the Archbishop said he believed himself “morally obliged to sign” the document if the Pope had signed it.4
*********** 3) Years after Vatican II, he said that at the time of the Council, in some ways, he was far too optimistic. Here he is referring to a statement he made toward the end of Vatican II.
*********** In 1965, just before the fourth and final session of the Council; he publicly stated his belief that despite what went on at the Council, and despite the progressivist “magisterium” at the Council that had done so much damage, “The Church in the person of Peter’s successor has not yet substituted the traditional Magisterium with this new one and neither has the Church of Rome … The majority of the Cardinals and especially the cardinals of the Curia, … do not look to the new magisterium. Neither collegiality nor the ill-conceived religious liberty, both of which are contrary to the doctrine of the Church, will succeed.”
*********** In other words, he never dreamed that the disastrous liberalism inherent in Vatican II would actually be promoted as Church policy by the Pope and the Roman Curia.
*********** More than two decades later, when re-reading his words from 1965, Archbishop Lefebvre said, “I admit that the optimism I showed regarding the Council and the Pope was ill-founded.”5
*********** 4) To his dying day, he never formally consented to accept Vatican II “in light of Tradition”.6 He steadfastly fought the Vatican II revolution without comprise until his last breath.
*********** That is a good model for us.