Fellay re-elected to lead Society of Saint Pius X

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Comments: 15

Bern, Switzerland, Jul 12, 2006 / 12:00 am (CNA).- Yesterday, the Society of Saint Pius X re-elected Bishop Bernard Fellay as their superior, at their headquarters in Econe, Switzerland.

Bishop Bernard Fellay, one of four priests illicitly ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988, will remain superior of the group for a second, twelve-year term.

The election of Fellay, who is one of the bishops more amicable to reconciliation with the Holy See, came as a victory over Bishops Richard Williamsson and Bernard Tissier de Mallerais who are considerably more hostile towards talk of reconciliation. Both Tissier and Williamson have recently released interviews very critical of Pope Benedict XVI on the site www.unavox.it <http://www.unavox.it>.

In August of 2005 Fellay met with Pope Benedict at his summer residence at Castelgandolfo.

The Society of Saint Pius X, founded by Archbishop Lefebvre, rejects the reforms of the Second Vatican Council especially those exhibited in the post-conciliar liturgy. Following the ordination of Bishop Fellay and the three others without his permission, Pope John Paul II proclaimed that Lefebvre and the four bishops had excommunicated themselves and referred to their disobedience as a “schismatic act.”

Many have been waiting for Pope Benedict XVI to grant a complete authorization for the celebration of the Tridentine Mass in order to facilitate the Society’s return to the fold of the Catholic Church. While such an universal indult has not been assured, Tuesday’s vote is seen by many as a positive step in amelioration between the SSPX and the Vatican.

Comments: 15

Subscriber comments:

Published by: Myron Perish
Verndale, MN 05/05/2008 04:16 AM EST

I am new to SSPX but can tell you this much. The complete lack of reverence the the priests and lay people exhibit in the Novus Ordo Mass is one of the main reasons I chose to return to tradition. When II Vatican Counsil. Anyone can see how quickly the church has dissovled since 1962. Where is the reverence? Where is the teaching of our faith to our children. I put my three oldest children through Catholic school and they know less about their faith than I was taught at "release time". I am not here to argue right or wrong, but to everyone I say, pray that we do God's bidding not mans, ANY MAN!!!

Published by: Esteban
Costa Rica 10/03/2006 05:24 PM EST

Mr. Jack Leone
Wantagh, NY, peace be with you also. Yes Archbishop Lefevbrev excomunicated himself when he ordained bishops without the permission of Pope John Paul II, and those who were ordained bishops were also excomunicated. I have nothing to argue about this. However, the cannonical status of those catholics that in good faith attend SSPX services was convalidated when once Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger revoked, as Prefect of CDF, an excomunication issued by a bishop from Hawaii against lay catholics that attended SSPX masses. Now regarding the Pope's infalibility, I as catholic believe as a matter of dogma that he is Vicar of Jesus Christ and therefore we are obliged to revere him and obey him in everything that does not contradict our catholic faith. After all we are not slaves of the Pope, but friends of Jesus Christ. However, his infallibility is not ordinary but extraordinary. The I Vatican Council, and the II Vatican Council deepened in this matter, defined that this is not in everything. He is infallible only when he explicitly wishes to be so: that is in an ex-cathedra declaration. All the rest of his norms are not infallible. I would adjure to join the Crusade of the Rosary that the SSPX has called for the months of august, september and october of this year for the lifting of the restrictions on the Tridentine Liturgy, for the restoration of the Social Kingship of Christ and the Triump of the Inmaculate Heart of Mary. In Christ.

Published by: Jack Leone
Wantagh, NY 10/03/2006 01:34 PM EST

Mr. Esteban,

Peace be with you. Archbishop Lefebrve excommunicated himself according to the "Code Canon Law" 1364, paragraph 1 (Latae Sententiae) and 1382. Pope John Paul disciplined him and comprised "Ecclesia Dei." The Pope, who is infallible, has the authority of Jesus Christ on earth. With the bishops united to his person, this is the Magisterium of the Church. I have nothing more to say regarding this issue as there is nothing to be said.

Published by: Esteban
Costa Rica 10/02/2006 11:29 AM EST

Mr. Jack Leone of Wantagh, NY, without trying to appear heckling, you say that the SSPX and the like are dissobedient to the Pope and that you find this reprehensible. I would like to add that one of the biggest failures of the post-council Catholic Church has been to forget that what is important for salvation is to be OBEDIENT to the COMMANDMENTS of Jesus Christ, starting from Peter (the Pope) down to the last member of the Mystical Body of Christ. In this sense the insistence of the post-council church in obedience to authority (which by nature is valid and not to be disparaged) is an indication that the Church has forgotten to whom is obedience due. The Pope and the bishops in communion with him, must firstly be obedient to the commandments of Jesus Christ. Jesus never said "obey Peter" for himself. Peter and his succesors are the ones that must be examples in obedience to Jesus Christ, and from there all members of the Mystical Body of Christ are bound to obedience to him. But the post-council church has forgoten this and here lays the biggest failure of the current church, which is not only a mistake but a true "heressy" in itself. It is true that the SSPX has made some mistakes, but the mistakes of Rome are graver. When Rome returns to complete obedience to Jesus Christ, then all of these problems will disappear. In the mean time we must give thanks to God for the courage of a single bishop (Archbishop Lefevbrev) who had the courage to stand up to totalitarian Rome.

Published by: Esteban
Costa Rica 09/30/2006 03:23 PM EST

Mr. Jack Leone of Wantagh, NY, I think it will be more helpful if you pray for yourself so that become and instrument of harmony and not of discord, because you don't know what you are talking about. Pray a lot for you, because you need it in the first place.

Published by: Jack Leone
Wantagh, NY 09/29/2006 03:08 PM EST

Mr. Estaben,

I have no hatred for anybody at all in this world. You put words in my mouth. Re-read what I wrote. I can only pray for you and all who support the schismatic and non-canonically recognized groups that are in disobedience to the Pope. They are not recognized by the Vatican. Many people can't accept this. That's what it is. Stick to the facts and what I posted. The facts are all that I presented. I'll certainly pray for you and the SSPX, that they obey the Pope and cease from performing non-canonical actions.

Published by: Esteban
Costa Rica 09/28/2006 09:33 PM EST

Mr. Jack Leone of Wantagh, NY, so much hatred against the SSPX. That is not good. You certainly have an anger management problem. Please seek some professional help. They do not do any harm. Their situation is only a manifestation of the crisis and sins of the church.

Published by: Anne-Marie
Quebec Canada 09/28/2006 07:15 PM EST

Latin Masses are the ones I attended in childhood
and growing up in the Church..They are NOT a cult and the traditional mass was never forbidden!
The authors of Vatican II have falsified true Catholic worship. Pope Benedict is trying to bring back the true sacredness of the Mass and is attempting damage control of what's left!

Published by: Jack Leone
Wantagh, NY 09/28/2006 03:29 PM EST

I will firmly add about how members of the schismatic SSPX and other like-minded groups go out and try to "recruit" people into their cults. Some try not to admit they are in these cults.

I pray that they come home to Holy Mother Church and leave the past behind. Archbishop Lefebvre got himself excommunicated.

All should read the book, "More Catholic Than the Pope" by Patrick Madrid to educate and arm themselves against schismatics.

Our Lady in the book "To the Priests" by Fr. Stefano Gobbi, tells how Mary said how bishops would be doing their own thing in 1988. This schism has caused a rupture in the Church. SSPX is NOT the Church, but a schismatic group.

Published by: Jack Leone
Wantagh, NY 09/28/2006 12:59 PM EST

SSPX is not in communion with Rome and everything they do illicit. Blessed Pope John XIII and Pope Paul VI were great Popes. SSPX is a cult of the devil because it opposes the will of the Pope.

Published by: Esteban
Costa Rica 07/17/2006 12:28 PM EST

As also think as Kingsley Lewis
of Wales, however we must be realistics in that for a reconciliation to take place, both sides must want it. And in the case of the Holy See and bishoprics, there are many clerics which cannot stand the SSPX. For this bad clerics, the solution would be a capitulation of the SSPX to Anti-Traditional Catholicism, and this the SSPX will never do. So yes, I do hope and wish for a prompt reconciliation between the SSPX and the Holy See, but we must also pray earnestly to the Holy Spirit, to come and change the rock hearts of so many bad clerics that "hate" catholic tradition. Althought there are also intolerant people among the SSPX, the one that has the key to solve this problem is the Holy See, in other words the Pope. But I don't think that the Pope will try to impose a solution with the SSPX, because he is afraid of the rebelion by the anti-traditional priests.

Published by: Kingsley Lewis
Wales 07/13/2006 04:12 PM EST

I pray and hope that the SSPX will come eventualy fully within the fold of the Church,it is where their home is and where they should be.

Published by: Esteban
Costa Rica 07/13/2006 12:09 PM EST

I believe that in this sense it is better to go slowly but with a constant pace. The rift between the SSPX and the Holy See is too wide so as to believe that a reconciliation will happen soon. The danger with hasten is that a so called early reconciliation would fail and a bigger scandal and real schysm would take place.

Published by: WF
Tulsa, OK 07/12/2006 09:30 PM EST

Wait, wait, wait. We'll be waiting for that universal indult/right through the B16 papacy the way we waited through the JPII papacy. There will be rumors and more rumors and , occasionally, a story claiming the "highest sources" that the Pope will assuredly give the permission on the Feast of (Fill-in-the-Blank). Then the day will pass and the news agencies that reported this sure thing will fall silent and mention it no more. Then will come the rumors from the "highest sources" all over again. Although I'm blessed to have an FSSP parish I can attend, I certainly sympathize with the faithful who have thrown up their arms in disgust at their local bishops and at all the Pope's waiting and who attend SSPX masses. I don't think they are any more schismatic than the modernist heretics who have effected their schism within the Church and claimed the Church bureaucracy for their own. In fact, I think the SSPX laity will find their judgement much less harsh than that of our modernist American bishops.

Published by: Esteban
Costa Rica 07/12/2006 09:19 PM EST

We must pray to God earnestly so that this reconciliations comes as soon as possible. Althought this elections does not mean that automatically a reconciliation will happen.

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