Écône, Switzerland - The Society of Saint Pius X's General Chapter Meeting, scheduled from July 9 to July 14, is now upon us. The participants have been engaged in a retreat extending from July 3rd up until the start of the meeting in preparation for the important decisions that must be made. By the SSPX's own admission, much of the discussion will revolve around the continuing negotiations between the SSPX and Rome. Both sides appear to have been working very hard to come to an agreement and put an end to the split.
The reaction of most people outside the situation ranges from "Yes! Reconciliation with Rome!" to "So? What's the big deal?" In an effort to shed some light on the situation and clear up some misunderstandings, Catholic Times Review has prepared a brief Q & A about the nature of the rupture between the Society of Saint Pius X and Rome.
Q: Who was Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre?
A: Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (pronounced Le FEH vra) is the founder and first Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X. He was consecrated bishop under Pope Pius XII and served as bishop in both France and Africa.
Q. What was the basis for Archbishop Lefebvre's disagreement with Rome?
A. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre was present at the Second Vatican Council, convened by John XXIII and implemented by Paul VI and his successors. He opposed many of the documents and principles which came from the council, most notably documents that promoted ecumenism at the expense of emphasis on the Catholic Church's unique role as the One True Faith founded by Jesus Christ and the means of salvation, the promotion of religious liberty, the concept of collegiality (the belief that the Pope is essentially the "first among equals" rather than the Supreme Head of the Chuch), and the promotion of the Novus Ordo Missae in place of the traditional Mass.
Q. Why was the SSPX founded?
A. Four years after the council ended, in 1969, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre received permission to found a seminary at Fribourg after he was approached by traditionalist seminarians who had been refused the last step of priestly ordination. The seminary began with nine students and they became the first priests of the SSPX.
Q. When was the SSPX founded?
A. The SSPX was founded in November of 1970.
Q. How did Paul VI view the SSPX?
A. Not well! In 1975, the new Bishop of Fribourg decided to withdraw the SSPX's status as a pious union in his diocese. This decision was met with approval by Paul VI, who forbade Archbishop Lefebvre from proceeding with the planned priestly ordinations of the Society of Saint Pius X seminarians.
Q. How did Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre react to that?
A. Not well! Archbishop Lefebvre recognized that his seminarians were well-prepared for ordination and he could not deny them the priesthood. He went ahead with the ordinations as planned and the seminarians became priests of the Catholic Church on June 29, 1976.
Q. What were the consequences of the 1976 ordinations by the Archbishop?
A. Archbishop Lefebvre received notice that he and the new priests were to be suspended from priestly duties for their defiance of Paul VI's prohibition. The Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops informed Archbishop Lefebvre that he must seek pardon for his actions. Archbishop Lefebvre refused to meet the demands of the PCB and Paul VI, citing the Second Vatican Council's attempted modernization of the Catholic Church and "compromise with the ideas of modern man" as the basis for his refusal to comply with those who had presided over and carried out the modernizations.
Archbishop Lefebvre continued to act as a Catholic bishop, administering the sacraments according to their traditional pre-Vatican II formulas, and Paul VI died two years later in 1978.
Q. Did the situation improve under John Paul II?
A. At first the situation did not change much. Archbishop Lefebvre and the Society continued to administer the sacraments and Rome continued to officially ignore their activities. Then, on October 27, 1986, John Paul II called together representatives from more than 120 different false religions to pray together at the "World Day of Prayer for Peace", often called simply "Assisi" after the location of the event. This was a significant event that showed just how far the modernizations brought about by the Second Vatican Council had gone in just 21 years. Eight months later, Archbishop Lefebvre gave a sermon stating,"Rome is in darkness, in the darkness of error...the bishops of the whole world are following the false ideas of the Council with their ecumenism and liberalism." He concluded: "This is why it is likely that before I give account of my life to the good Lord, I shall have to consecrate some bishops."
Q. Why did Archbishop Lefebvre want to consecrate bishops?
A. Archbishop Lefebvre viewed the consecration of traditional bishops in traditional episcopal consecration ceremonies as the only way to preserve the traditions of the Catholic Church for future generations. According to Catholic tradition, when Our Lord consecrated the Apostles as the first bishops of the Catholic Church, they passed on episcopal consecration to their successor bishops, who in turn passed on episcopal consecration to their successor bishops, and so on, right up until the present day. Catholic tradition holds that every legitimate Catholic bishop of the present day can trace his episcopal lineage straight back to the Apostles and Our Lord Himself. Without traditional bishops to ordain traditional priests, that Apostolic line of succession would end upon the death of the last traditional priest.
At this point, Archbishop Lefebvre was 82 years old; the consecrations would have to be done soon.
Q. How did Archbishop Lefebvre go about preparing to consecrate traditional bishops?
A. Archbishop Lefebvre entered negotiations with Rome for the consecration of one or more traditional bishops for the Society of Saint Pius X. Traditional Catholic teachings hold that there must be a papal mandate (permission) for every episcopal consecration. Almost one year after the Archbishop's announcement to consecrate, he reached an agreement with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (presided over at that time by none other than Joseph Ratzinger).
Q. What were the terms of the agreement between Archbishop Lefebvre and Joseph Ratzinger?
A. Rome agreed to recognize the SSPX as a "Society of Apostolic Life" which would have 1) the faculty of celebrating the traditional Catholic sacraments, 2) its own bishop consecrated from among the SSPX, and 3) a special commission to resolve conflicts which would automatically include two members of the SSPX. In return, Archbishop Lefebvre would pledge to be faithful to the Catholic Church and the Pope, recognize the validity of the revised sacraments and church law, accept certain principles of Vatican II, and take a non-polemic stand on any problematic aspects of Vatican II (meaning that he and the other members of the SSPX would not preach against Vatican II).
Archbishop Lefebvre accepted this agreement on behalf of the whole Society on May 5, 1988, and it went to Rome for John Paul II's signature.
Q. So what went wrong?
A. Archbishop Lefebvre quickly came to the view that he was being enticed into a trap. The very next day, Archbishop Lefebvre declared that he was obliged in conscience to proceed with the consecrations, and that he intended to consecrate the bishops on June 30, with or without papal approval.
Q. How did Rome react to the news that Archbishop Lefebvre was determined to consecrate?
A. A meeting was hastily called in Rome between both parties on May 28. Joseph Ratinzger there attempted to reassure Archbishop Lefebvre and persuade him to re-accept the agreement, notifying him of John Paul II's intention to move up the proposed consecration date to August 15. In return, he asked only for Archbishop Lefebvre's reconciliation and submission to the original terms of the agreement.
Q. How did the Archbishop respond to Rome's appeals?
A. Archbishop Lefebvre countered that three SSPX priests must receive permission for episcopal consecration and that the SSPX members of the "conflict resolution committee" stipulated in the May 5 agreement (point #3) must constitute a majority of the committee in order to prevent a future takeover of the SSPX by a modernist majority.
Q. Did Rome agree to the Archbishop's new terms?
Archbishop Lefebvre had apparently discovered Rome's ruse. John Paul II refused to alter the May 5 agreement, stating through a Ratzinger communique that, "[O]n the question of the commission, whose purpose was to favour reconciliation, not to make decisions, the Holy Father thought it best to keep to the agreement that Lefebvre had signed on 5 May". The August 15 date was reiterated as the day John Paul II would make the episcopal appointment and the note ended with the admonition, "Since you have announced again recently your intention to ordain three bishops on June 30 with or without the agreement of Rome, you must state clearly that you entrust yourself to the Holy Father's decision in full obedience."
Q. Were they able to come to some sort of a resolution ultimately?
A. With Rome's play now clearly in view, there could be no other resolution for the situation: Archbishop Lefebvre would be moving ahead with the episcopal consecrations as planned. Though Rome continued to warn, appeal, and entreat through the month of June, the trust had been broken and Archbishop Lefebvre would make no further agreements with Rome during his lifetime.
Q. So Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated the SSPX bishops?
A. On June 30, 1988, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops at Écône, Switzerland: Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, Alfonso de Galarreta, and Bernard Fellay --the present Superior General of the SSPX. Bishop Antonio de Castro-Mayer of Campos, Brazil, acted as co-consecrator.
Q. What were the consequences of the Écône consecrations?
A. The next day, the Congregation for Bishops declared that Archbishop Lefebvre has incurred automatic excommunication for his actions and the day after that, John Paul II issued the apostolic letter Ecclesia Dei, condemning those involved (with the exception of Bishop de Castro-Mayer) as schismatics. Archbishop Lefebvre asserted his fidelity to the magisterium of the Church and argued that Canon 1324 of the Code of Canon Law protects him from excommunication in this case. Canon 1324 provides that, when someone believes there to be a state of necessity that compels him to perform a canonically illegal act, the normal canonical penalties are to be reduced or replaced, and automatic penalties do not apply.
Q. What is the position of the SSPX today?
A. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre died in 1991, three years after the Écône consecrations, and no substantial changes in the relationship between the SSPX and Rome were made until after the election of Benedict XVI. In 2009, the excommunications of the four SSPX bishops were lifted and talks began once again about the possibility of bringing the SSPX under Rome's control. These discussions reached a peak in March of 2012 when this was widely expected to happen, but again "more negotiations" were cited as being necessary. It remains to be seen whether or not the General Chapter meeting of the SSPX will bring about a more permanent resolution.
 |
| shaking hands |
Q: Who was Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre?
A: Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (pronounced Le FEH vra) is the founder and first Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X. He was consecrated bishop under Pope Pius XII and served as bishop in both France and Africa.
Q. What was the basis for Archbishop Lefebvre's disagreement with Rome?
A. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre was present at the Second Vatican Council, convened by John XXIII and implemented by Paul VI and his successors. He opposed many of the documents and principles which came from the council, most notably documents that promoted ecumenism at the expense of emphasis on the Catholic Church's unique role as the One True Faith founded by Jesus Christ and the means of salvation, the promotion of religious liberty, the concept of collegiality (the belief that the Pope is essentially the "first among equals" rather than the Supreme Head of the Chuch), and the promotion of the Novus Ordo Missae in place of the traditional Mass.
Q. Why was the SSPX founded?
A. Four years after the council ended, in 1969, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre received permission to found a seminary at Fribourg after he was approached by traditionalist seminarians who had been refused the last step of priestly ordination. The seminary began with nine students and they became the first priests of the SSPX.
Q. When was the SSPX founded?
A. The SSPX was founded in November of 1970.
Q. How did Paul VI view the SSPX?
A. Not well! In 1975, the new Bishop of Fribourg decided to withdraw the SSPX's status as a pious union in his diocese. This decision was met with approval by Paul VI, who forbade Archbishop Lefebvre from proceeding with the planned priestly ordinations of the Society of Saint Pius X seminarians.
Q. How did Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre react to that?
A. Not well! Archbishop Lefebvre recognized that his seminarians were well-prepared for ordination and he could not deny them the priesthood. He went ahead with the ordinations as planned and the seminarians became priests of the Catholic Church on June 29, 1976.
Q. What were the consequences of the 1976 ordinations by the Archbishop?
A. Archbishop Lefebvre received notice that he and the new priests were to be suspended from priestly duties for their defiance of Paul VI's prohibition. The Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops informed Archbishop Lefebvre that he must seek pardon for his actions. Archbishop Lefebvre refused to meet the demands of the PCB and Paul VI, citing the Second Vatican Council's attempted modernization of the Catholic Church and "compromise with the ideas of modern man" as the basis for his refusal to comply with those who had presided over and carried out the modernizations.
Archbishop Lefebvre continued to act as a Catholic bishop, administering the sacraments according to their traditional pre-Vatican II formulas, and Paul VI died two years later in 1978.
Q. Did the situation improve under John Paul II?
A. At first the situation did not change much. Archbishop Lefebvre and the Society continued to administer the sacraments and Rome continued to officially ignore their activities. Then, on October 27, 1986, John Paul II called together representatives from more than 120 different false religions to pray together at the "World Day of Prayer for Peace", often called simply "Assisi" after the location of the event. This was a significant event that showed just how far the modernizations brought about by the Second Vatican Council had gone in just 21 years. Eight months later, Archbishop Lefebvre gave a sermon stating,"Rome is in darkness, in the darkness of error...the bishops of the whole world are following the false ideas of the Council with their ecumenism and liberalism." He concluded: "This is why it is likely that before I give account of my life to the good Lord, I shall have to consecrate some bishops."
Q. Why did Archbishop Lefebvre want to consecrate bishops?
A. Archbishop Lefebvre viewed the consecration of traditional bishops in traditional episcopal consecration ceremonies as the only way to preserve the traditions of the Catholic Church for future generations. According to Catholic tradition, when Our Lord consecrated the Apostles as the first bishops of the Catholic Church, they passed on episcopal consecration to their successor bishops, who in turn passed on episcopal consecration to their successor bishops, and so on, right up until the present day. Catholic tradition holds that every legitimate Catholic bishop of the present day can trace his episcopal lineage straight back to the Apostles and Our Lord Himself. Without traditional bishops to ordain traditional priests, that Apostolic line of succession would end upon the death of the last traditional priest.
At this point, Archbishop Lefebvre was 82 years old; the consecrations would have to be done soon.
Q. How did Archbishop Lefebvre go about preparing to consecrate traditional bishops?
A. Archbishop Lefebvre entered negotiations with Rome for the consecration of one or more traditional bishops for the Society of Saint Pius X. Traditional Catholic teachings hold that there must be a papal mandate (permission) for every episcopal consecration. Almost one year after the Archbishop's announcement to consecrate, he reached an agreement with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (presided over at that time by none other than Joseph Ratzinger).
Q. What were the terms of the agreement between Archbishop Lefebvre and Joseph Ratzinger?
A. Rome agreed to recognize the SSPX as a "Society of Apostolic Life" which would have 1) the faculty of celebrating the traditional Catholic sacraments, 2) its own bishop consecrated from among the SSPX, and 3) a special commission to resolve conflicts which would automatically include two members of the SSPX. In return, Archbishop Lefebvre would pledge to be faithful to the Catholic Church and the Pope, recognize the validity of the revised sacraments and church law, accept certain principles of Vatican II, and take a non-polemic stand on any problematic aspects of Vatican II (meaning that he and the other members of the SSPX would not preach against Vatican II).
Archbishop Lefebvre accepted this agreement on behalf of the whole Society on May 5, 1988, and it went to Rome for John Paul II's signature.
Q. So what went wrong?
A. Archbishop Lefebvre quickly came to the view that he was being enticed into a trap. The very next day, Archbishop Lefebvre declared that he was obliged in conscience to proceed with the consecrations, and that he intended to consecrate the bishops on June 30, with or without papal approval.
Q. How did Rome react to the news that Archbishop Lefebvre was determined to consecrate?
A. A meeting was hastily called in Rome between both parties on May 28. Joseph Ratinzger there attempted to reassure Archbishop Lefebvre and persuade him to re-accept the agreement, notifying him of John Paul II's intention to move up the proposed consecration date to August 15. In return, he asked only for Archbishop Lefebvre's reconciliation and submission to the original terms of the agreement.
Q. How did the Archbishop respond to Rome's appeals?
A. Archbishop Lefebvre countered that three SSPX priests must receive permission for episcopal consecration and that the SSPX members of the "conflict resolution committee" stipulated in the May 5 agreement (point #3) must constitute a majority of the committee in order to prevent a future takeover of the SSPX by a modernist majority.
Q. Did Rome agree to the Archbishop's new terms?
Archbishop Lefebvre had apparently discovered Rome's ruse. John Paul II refused to alter the May 5 agreement, stating through a Ratzinger communique that, "[O]n the question of the commission, whose purpose was to favour reconciliation, not to make decisions, the Holy Father thought it best to keep to the agreement that Lefebvre had signed on 5 May". The August 15 date was reiterated as the day John Paul II would make the episcopal appointment and the note ended with the admonition, "Since you have announced again recently your intention to ordain three bishops on June 30 with or without the agreement of Rome, you must state clearly that you entrust yourself to the Holy Father's decision in full obedience."
Q. Were they able to come to some sort of a resolution ultimately?
A. With Rome's play now clearly in view, there could be no other resolution for the situation: Archbishop Lefebvre would be moving ahead with the episcopal consecrations as planned. Though Rome continued to warn, appeal, and entreat through the month of June, the trust had been broken and Archbishop Lefebvre would make no further agreements with Rome during his lifetime.
Q. So Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated the SSPX bishops?
A. On June 30, 1988, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consecrated four bishops at Écône, Switzerland: Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, Alfonso de Galarreta, and Bernard Fellay --the present Superior General of the SSPX. Bishop Antonio de Castro-Mayer of Campos, Brazil, acted as co-consecrator.
Q. What were the consequences of the Écône consecrations?
A. The next day, the Congregation for Bishops declared that Archbishop Lefebvre has incurred automatic excommunication for his actions and the day after that, John Paul II issued the apostolic letter Ecclesia Dei, condemning those involved (with the exception of Bishop de Castro-Mayer) as schismatics. Archbishop Lefebvre asserted his fidelity to the magisterium of the Church and argued that Canon 1324 of the Code of Canon Law protects him from excommunication in this case. Canon 1324 provides that, when someone believes there to be a state of necessity that compels him to perform a canonically illegal act, the normal canonical penalties are to be reduced or replaced, and automatic penalties do not apply.
Q. What is the position of the SSPX today?
A. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre died in 1991, three years after the Écône consecrations, and no substantial changes in the relationship between the SSPX and Rome were made until after the election of Benedict XVI. In 2009, the excommunications of the four SSPX bishops were lifted and talks began once again about the possibility of bringing the SSPX under Rome's control. These discussions reached a peak in March of 2012 when this was widely expected to happen, but again "more negotiations" were cited as being necessary. It remains to be seen whether or not the General Chapter meeting of the SSPX will bring about a more permanent resolution.
