Paris, France, Apr 23, 2008 / 14:49 pm
Bernard Fellay, the leader of the Society of St. Pius X, has rejected the idea of reaching an agreement with Rome and that the Motu Propio allowing broader use of the traditional Latin Mass would lead to an agreement between his group and the Holy See.
In a letter to the faithful of the SSPX, Fellay said the publication of the motu propio is “clear sign of his good will towards us,” and that therefore, “there would be nothing left for the Society to do but to ‘sign an agreement with Rome.’ Unfortunately, a few of our friends were deceived by such an illusion.” “Basically, nothing has really changed except for the motu proprio’s liturgical Overture,” Fellay asserted.
He went on to discuss his understanding of the terms “heretic” and “schismatic” in the wake of Vatican II, saying these words “used to designate the religions closer to the Catholic Church” but have now “disappeared, except when they are occasionally employed, especially the term ‘schismatic,’ to label us.”
“The same holds true for the term ‘excommunication’,” Fellay said. “The new approach is called ecumenism, and contrary to what everyone used to think, it does not mean a return to Catholic unity, but rather the establishment of a new kind of unity that no longer requires conversion.