The SSPX and the Rumor Mills

The
SSPX and the Rumor Mills | Michael J. Miller | Catholic World Report

Recent news stories about the SSPX spoke of a "definitive break with Rome" despite plenty of evidence to the contrary

The
late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (1905-1991) illicitly consecrated
four bishops for the Society of Saint Pius X on June 30, 1988. To
commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of that landmark event, the
Society’s three remaining prelates, Bishop Bernard Fellay (General
Superior), Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, and Bishop Alfonso de
Galarreta, issued a Declaration dated June 27, 2013, in which they
expressed “their
filial gratitude towards their venerable founder who, after so many
years spent serving the Church and the Sovereign Pontiff, so as to
safeguard the Faith and the Catholic priesthood, did not hesitate to
suffer the unjust accusation of disobedience.”

Shifting
into high gear

If
nothing else, the 1,400-word statement sent the rumor mills of
Vatican watchers into high gear. Many news stories about the
Declaration included the words “definitive break with Rome” in
the headline and noted the obstinate and explicit refusal of the SSPX
to accept the teachings of Vatican II, in particular concerning
ecumenism, collegiality and the liturgical reform.

If
such “news stories” had been student essays, the professor would
have returned them marked “Incomplete”, because they ignored the
second paragraph of the Declaration:

2.
In his letter addressed to us before the consecrations [in 1988, Abp.
Lefebvre] wrote, “I beseech you to remain attached to the See of
Peter, to the Roman Church..., in the integral Catholic Faith, as
expressed in the Professions of Faith, in the catechism of the
Council of Trent, in conformity with that which you have been taught
in the seminary. Remain
faithful to the transmission of this Faith so that the reign of Our
Lord may come.”
[...]

If
the SSPX bishops publicly pledge to continue the work of their
Founder and quote a letter written by him during crucial negotiations
with Rome, urging them to “remain attached to the See of Peter”,
the logical conclusion to be drawn is that the Society will continue
to seek to resolve their irregular canonical status, provided that
the terms do not require it to compromise its “integral Catholic
Faith”. Yet some progressive Catholic journalists, incapable of
following a simple syllogism, twisted the careful statement of
purpose in paragraphs 1 and 2 into its opposite, as though the
Declaration were a schismatic manifesto. That is not “reporting”
but misrepresentation. One might just as reasonably headline a news
story about Summorum
Pontificum
by Benedict XVI, which facilitated the celebration of the Traditional
Latin Mass, “Divisive New Papal Document”, while ignoring the
Accompanying Letter that explicitly states that the 2007 Motu Proprio
is aimed at “an interior reconciliation in the heart of the
Church”.

The
anonymous German-speaking commentator at the Traditional Latin Mass
website http://summorum-pontificum.de
has a more clear-sighted and fairer view of the recent SSPX
Declaration:

Continue reading on the CWR site.