The Society's General Chapter, so I believe, begins today.
We live in times when faithful Catholics, whenever they meet, exchange views about the present situation in the Whole State of Christ's Church Militant Here in Earth. This must inevitably also be true of the SSPX. And, all the more so, since the Society cannot avoid being compelled to make prudential judgements about its own relationships with the Holy See.
One can only feel immense compassion for those involved in such decisions. On the one hand, the Society's bishops are now thirty years older than when they were consecrated. If they were to be supplemented sine mandato Apostolico, that would incur new excommunications latae sententiae; so there would have been a real step backwards in de facto relationships.
On the other hand, nobody needs to be reminded of the way Rome is capable of treating those whom it has at its mercy. And, despite the rhetoric, Mercy is not a hallmark of the present regime.
Being a cynic, I tend to think that any agreement ought to secure the independant financial state of this dear and admirable Society, so that, if subsequently there were Roman bad faith, the Society could resume its former course undamaged. 'Hands off the Cash and the Property' seems to me a most important consideration. Collaring the Kaboodle appeared to be one of the main motives of the savage Visitatorial regime imposed upon the Franciscans of the Immaculate. But what can I know about the intricacies of the present situation?
What I am sure of is that the members of the Society are our beloved brethren in the Lord for whom at this time we have a considerable obligation to pray. And, in doing so, also to give thanks for all that the SSPX has done for the maintenance of the Faith.
As one of those who generated the Filial Correction, I cannot forget that H E Bishop Fellay was the only Successor of the Apostles who gave it his signature.
As I remember (I could be wrong) H.E. Bishop Fellay was not the only bishop who signed the "Filial Correction". I seem to remember that H.E. Bishop Gracida signed it also. I receive regular posts from Bishop Gracida. He is now 92 years of age but he is a regular blogger anyway. "Abbissus Abbissum Invocat"
ReplyDeleteMy apologies Bishop Gracida's blog is "Abyssus Abyssum Invocat"
ReplyDeleteThank you for this beautiful reflection.
ReplyDeleteI came into contact with the SSPX in early 1973 with a prolonged conversation with a senior member, which providentially left me unconvinced that I should throw in my lot with them. I am, however, very glad of their witness for the sake of the Roman Catholic Church, whose situation now appears very much worse than it did then.
The Lord knows the real state of affairs, and though one may feel despairingly, as did Elias, "(that) I alone am left," it is a joy that God has kept so many visibly faithful to, and teaching, what was taught to us and our forefathers of the Faith and true Worship. May God bless all the SSPX according to His promise.
Your third paragraph identifies and describes a hallmark characteristic of this pontificate very well. It is a characteristic of the devil first of all, identified by Our Lord Himself (Jn 8:44.)
I would be grateful if you or other commenters qualified to do so could compose an epigram from it, in terse, latin style. Less than eight words, or even five, may do very well. It will be a fitting epitaph.
Hasten the day O Lord, when the SSPX comes into its own, when the eco-alphabetical priests of Baal and the servants of Jezebel are overthrown!
It makes me glad that the SSPX exists; however, they pledge obedience to the Pope. So, while I hope that the SSPX does become part of the Catholic Church again, it is difficult for me to take seriously an organization who is not obedient to the Pope--even if they make the usual prayers for him during the Mass.
ReplyDeleteMr. Broughton seems to be the one out of sync with the Catholic Church, as the highest authorities of the Church have in the past decade or so made it very clear that the situation of the SSPX is canonically irregular but within the Church. To talk about "obedience to the Pope," when the Church is visibly being destroyed by the very pope called to defend her and nourish Her---per the solemn and clear mandatum of Christ the Lord---is too cruel to even be ironic.
ReplyDeleteThe Church is King Lear. Having gone mad he turned over his kingdom to two daughter who were outwardly loyal but in truth betrayers. He exiled his one true daughter and the one faithful vassal, Kent, because they appeared to be disloyal, and yet they were the only one who truly loved and were loyal to the King.
ReplyDeleteThere’s a lesson there for us and how we think about the SSPX vis-a-vis the “true Catholics” like Cardinal Cupich and Daneels.
Perhaps an audience member in the early 17th century would also have made some connection between Lear and Henry VIII, whose true friends were More and Fisher, while he favored and empowered his enemies Cranmer and Rich.
In short, don’t be too quick—as the commentor Tom B is—that those who have been exiled are the disobedient ones.
Mr. Smith: an insightful parallel with arguably Shakespeare's greatest play, "King Lear." The question of both loyalty and obedience must be always understood within the parameters of truth, undistorted history, sound tradition, logic, and common sense. Blind obedience and blind loyalty belong to members of cults and false religions, but are totally unworthy of Catholics. Today Holy Mother Church suffers intensely---to the point of disappearing from parts of the world and of betraying Her Master (at least in official positions by present hierarchs)---precisely because of the perverted notions of charity and obedience that too many Catholics have ignorantly adopted. Time to wake up and be Catholic men and women of courage and sound obedience to tradition. RC
ReplyDelete@Matt Smith and @coradcorloquitur
ReplyDeleteGentlemen,
I understand your position. Please do not misunderstand me: it makes me glad that the SSPX exists. While my sincere hope is that some day they do exercise full faculties licitly in the Catholic Church, I do not believe that bad behavior (i.e., the SSPX) should be used to justify bad behavior (i.e., Pope Francis). If the priests and bishops do not maintain obedience to the Pope, then we have chaos. If we want that environment, we can join a church in the Anglican Communion or one of the Churches in the Continuing Anglican Movement. The FSSP (a non-schismatic group) exists, and are in communion with the Pope.
Mr. Broughton seems intent on declaring, officially and all by himself, the SSPX "schismatic." Talk about ecclesial chaos. The truth is that the choices are not between two "bad behaviors," as Mr. Broughton strangely puts it, but between Catholic Tradition and orthodox doctrine and truly chaotic Modernist destruction---as luminously represented by Pope Francis. To seek refuge in the Faith of always and millenial tradition in the face of such rank betrayal is not to run into the vortex of chaos but to reject it. It is the Modernist project, in full display today, that is chaos and not the Society of St. Pius X which neither denied a single dogma of Faith or declared on the legitimacy of the present occupant of the Chair of Peter. No, Mr. Broughton, the chaos is entirely with the Modernists: with their desacralized Mass, perversions of Holy Writ, novel doctrines (such as the "emptiness of Hell" or the "anonymous Christians of ecumenical feverish imagination), desecrations of the holy places, destruction of religious orders and empty seminaries, etc. ad infinitum. To embrace or at least justify any of this is to be complicit with the chaos that obtains in the Church today. Thank you, Archbishop Lefebvre, for showing all true Catholics that to remain Catholic one need not embrace conciliar anti-Catholicism in these times of betrayals.
ReplyDelete