Priestly Fraternity Of Saint Pius X

Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X
Historical Milestones
Foundation	1970
Founder (s)	Marcel Lefebvre
Identity card
Church	Catholic
Religious movement	Traditionalist
Vocation	Defense of Tradition, celebrating the Mass according to the Tridentine rite said, opposition to new developments introduced by Liberal and after Vatican II
Leader	Bernard Fellay
Location	64 countries
Internet
Website	http://www.fsspx.org
Related Pages	http://www.dici.org http://www.laportelatine.org
change

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X SSPX is a society of priests, Catholics founded in Switzerland , whose goals are "to train priests and create seminars. It is headquartered in Menzingen in the canton of Zug (Switzerland) .

Founded on ¹ November 1970, the company, whose articles had been accepted and approved by the diocesan bishop of cne in 1970 as a "pious union" loses its official recognition May 6, 1975 . The decision of its founder, ^Monsignor Marcel Lefebvre , ordering himself four bishops without the approval of Pope John Paul II in 1988 led to their excommunication , causing a schism with the Catholic Church. Marcel Lefebvre and his followers consider themselves traditionalists while for many, as explained Emile Poulat , the movement is the incarnation of fundamentalism , in a debate that is unresolved .

Negotiations with the Vatican for the reinstatement of the community in the bosom of the Catholic Church lead to the lifting of the excommunication of the bishops in January 2009 unless it means a return to full communion with the SSPX which must recognize the authority of the Pope and the Vatican Council II .

Summary 1 Goals, law and organization 2 History of relations with the Roman authorities 2.1 The beginnings 2.2 The break 2.3 From 1988 to Today 2.3.1 The "rallied" to Rome "Ecclesia Dei communities" 2.3.1.1 The case of Campos 2.3.1.2 New rallies 2.3.2 The "rallies" at the Society of St. Pius X 2.3.3 The motu proprio Summorum Pontificum 2.4 Closure of the excommunication of the SSPX bishops and Ecclesiae unitatem 2.4.1 Ecclesiae unitatem 3 Doctrine 3.1 The hotspots 3.2 A Roman response 3.3 Liturgy 4 Status canonical 4.1 Perspectives Roman 4.2 The position of the Society of St. Pius X 5 Controversies and polemics 5.1 The SSPX and Sedevacantism 5.2 The Brotherhood and the political 5.3 The SSPX and Bishop of Amiens 5.4 The Williamson 5.4.1 Reactions 5.4.1.1 The Catholic Church 5.4.1.2 Jewish Community 5.4.1.3 SSPX 6 Places of worship of the SSPX 7 Annexes 7.1 Notes and references 7.2 Bibliography 7.3 Related articles 7.4 External Links

Goals, law and organization

Goals

Under its constitution , the SSPX, is to "the priesthood and everything related to it and nothing but what concerns him," principles that involve, inter alia, "to direct and perform life the priest to what is essentially its reason for being: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass "while avoiding" thoroughly modern errors, especially liberalism and all its substitutes. In practice, this implies the maintenance of the Tridentine rite , a theology based on St. Thomas Aquinas and a scathing critique of "modern errors."

Right

From the perspective of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, if the SSPX was a work of Church between 1970 and 1975, it is no longer so today and Rome does not receive any form of approval or recognition. Indeed, this society of common life without vows was approved by Bishop Charriere, Bishop of Fribourg, and erected in his diocese on November ^1, 1970 February 18, 1971, the prefect of the Sacred Congregation for Religious, Cardinal Wright sign a decree approving the statutes of the Brotherhood . However, May 6, 1975, Bishop Mamie, the new Bishop of Fribourg, announced in a letter to Archbishop Lefebvre decides to withdraw approval of 1970, largely because of his refusal to "the new liturgy" .

In addition, during the coronation of bishops in 1988, ^Monsignor Lefebvre, his co-celebrant ^Monsignor Antonio de Castro Mayer , and the four new bishops were excommunicated . Nevertheless, on several occasions, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos , president of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei to July 2009 indicated in the media that the SSPX was inside the church, but he nevertheless lacked "a more perfect communion. "

For its part, the SSPX considers that the withdrawal of approval issued in 1975 is nil as legally flawed .

Finally in terms of political power, the Bureau of Religious Affairs Department of the Interior French considers it a religious association of independent Christian Roman Catholic Church and had no contact with her. The situation is similar in most countries of the world where it is present.

Organization

The SSPX today boasts 529 priests , 200 seminarians in six seminars (the most famous in cne , was founded in 1971 ), 117 brothers, 164 religious, and believes it represents 600,000 faithful in at least 30 countries .

The Superior General of the SSPX is ^Bishop Bernard Fellay , who was crowned June 30, 1988 by ^Monsignor Lefebvre with three other priests . The fraternity is organized into 14 "districts", that is to say, countries or groups of countries where it has trained more than 3 priories and 6 "stand-alone houses, which are districts in preparation.

In France, one of the best known locations is the church of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet , in the ^fifth arrondissement of Paris. The forcible occupation of the church was recognized as illegal by the French courts. At the request of Father assignee an expulsion order was obtained but never executed. Under the term of office Delano , the Greens have made new attempts, disapproved by the Mayor, for the SSPX would be deported without success: the decision in any case not belonging to the Municipality, but the Archdiocese of Paris, who falls assignment of this church (see above).

History of relations with the Roman authorities

The beginnings

In 1970 ^, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre founded in cne ( Switzerland ) the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X at the request of several French seminarians. The goals of the Priestly Fraternity are "the priesthood and everything related to it and nothing but what concerns him." Courtesy of Paul VI , the institution is canonically erected by ^Bishop Charriere, Bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg as a "pious union" for a period of three years renewable experimentum ad. For its part, the Bishop of Sion is authorized to establish a seminary to cne.

Subsequently, ^Mgr Lefebvre continues to stigmatize, more or less violently, the policy of opening the post-conciliar, attacking in particular the inter-religious dialogue which tries the Catholic Church. On 21 November 1974 , he published a manifesto outlining its positions:

"We comply with all our heart, our whole soul to Catholic Rome, Guardian of the Catholic Faith and traditions necessary to sustain this faith, to eternal Rome, mistress of wisdom and truth. Cons, we refuse and have always refused to follow the Rome of neo-modernist and neo-Protestant who was clearly manifested in the Second Vatican Council and after all the reforms which are derived. (...)
No authority, even higher in the hierarchy, can force us to abandon or diminish our Catholic faith clearly expressed and professed by the Church's Magisterium for nineteen centuries. (...)
This was after the Reformation liberalism of modernism , is entirely poisonous, it leaves leads to heresy and heresy, even if all its acts are not formally heretical. It is therefore impossible for any conscious and Catholic faithful to adopt the reform and abide in any manner whatsoever. (...)
That's why no rebellion, no bitterness, no resentment, we pursue our work of priestly formation in the star's Magisterium always confident that we can make a greater service to the Holy Catholic Church, the Sovereign Pontiff and future generations . "

Consequently, in spring 1975, the new Bishop of Fribourg withdraw the authorization granted by his predecessor at the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X . Despite that ^Mgr Lefebvre decides to continue its training of priests, and in June 1976, he ordered thirteen priests without letters dimissory .

On 22 July 1976 , Paul VI Marcel Lefebvre hit a suspense has divinis for his opposition to Vatican II and its opposition to reforms related and the fraternity was disbanded. In response, in an interview with Le Figaro, ^Mgr Lefebvre describes Vatican II as "a schismatic council" . And August 29, ^Monsignor Lefebvre celebrated "Mass of Lille" .

After the first crack in the union with Rome, ^Monsignor Lefebvre and the Society of St. Pius X choose to continue their efforts in forming priests, opening places of worship throughout the Christian world with a desire to "maintain and perpetuate atoning sacrifice of Christ and glory in the Church " . Gradually, fraternity adopts a hierarchical structure separate and distinct from the Roman Church . On October 3, 1984, Rome published a letter Quattuor abhinc annos under certain conditions liberalizing the celebration of the Tridentine rite , under the jurisdiction of bishops. The SSPX, while welcoming this first step, remains highly suspicious of the diocesan hierarchy and calls for a general liberalization of books from 1962 and a legal status directly subordinate to the Pope .

^Monsignor Lefebvre severely criticized visit to a synagogue by John Paul II , or inter-religious meetings of Assisi in 1986. At this meeting, resulting in prayers for world peace, all these religious leaders had asked all their God. For the Catholic tradition, it may seem that "all religions are equal", which was always condemned by the Catholic Church . ^Mgr Lefebvre said during a conference cne spiritual, the Pope is so inspired by the devil and the Freemasons.

Rupture

The reports are maintained with Rome, and an attempt to normalize the situation of the SSPX takes place May 5, 1988, by signing an agreement between Cardinal Ratzinger and ^Monsignor Lefebvre. This agreement recognized the principle of the ordination of a bishop, the maintenance of "discipline Special granted to the Society by a particular law." But the next day, May 6, ^Mgr Lefebvre returns to his signature .

Feeling old, and in ensuring the sustainability of its ^work, Archbishop Lefebvre decided to proceed with the consecrations of bishops, even without the consent of Rome. What it does, despite warnings canonical , the 30 June 1988. ^Monsignor Lefebvre , assisted by ^Bishop Antonio de Castro Mayer , Bishop emeritus of Campos , coronation four bishops , Alfonso de Galarreta , Bernard Fellay , Bernard Tissier de Mallerais and Richard Williamson.

This consecration of bishops in Rome despite the ban falls under the excommunication latae sententiae: s'excommunie the individual himself, simply because of his act, but the excommunication should be a public statement. This is what Cardinal Gantin, the ¹ July 1988 by decree Dominus Marcellus Lefebvre: it warns any person of good will that ^Monsignor Lefebvre "posed a schismatic act" citing the canons 1364-1 and 1382 Code of Canon Law

"The apostate from the faith, heretic or schismatic incur an excommunication latae sententiae. "A bishop who, without a pontifical mandate, consecrates Bishop someone, and even the one who receives the consecration of the Bishop incur excommunication latae sententiae reserved to the Apostolic See . "

He says therefore excommunicated ^Bishop Lefebvre himself, ^Bishop de Castro Mayer, co-consecrating bishop, and the four new bishops. 2 July 1988 by the motu proprio Ecclesia Dei , John Paul II reminded the faithful that no one should ignore that "formal adherence to the schism is a grave offense against God and carries the penalty of excommunication decreed by the law of the Church. "

From 1988 to Today

The "rallied" to Rome "Ecclesia Dei communities"

Some communities in the wake of the SSPX, like the Benedictines Barroux , do not accept the situation of schism caused by the consecrations of June 30 They are canonically received into the Catholic Church in July 1988. Some priests of the SSPX founded the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter , on the model agreements on 5-May A commission of Cardinals - the pontifical commission Ecclesia Dei " - ensure the practical application of the motu proprio.

The case of Campos

Until 2000, there is no official relations between Rome and the Brotherhood. It seeks to expand its global footprint and to castigate the "joined" . In August 2000, the Society of St. Pius X makes a pilgrimage to Rome in the Jubilee. On this occasion, several key members including ^Bishop Fellay, the superior general, meet with Cardinal Castrillon-Hoyos, President of the Ecclesia Dei commission. Throughout the year 2000, meetings have multiplied , but in mid-2001 relations have stalled.

One of the communities of the movement of the fraternity of St. Pius X, the Union St. Jean-Marie Vianney of Campos in Brazil , led by Bishop Rangel, for its continuing talks with the Vatican, the Vatican recognizes He interpreted the "light of tradition" and the validity and legality of the rite of Paul VI and received January 18, 2002 the status of "personal apostolic administration" submitted directly to the Pope . The Tridentine rite is recognized as their own rite.

New rallies

Within the Fraternity of St. Pius X, this kind of agreement seems satisfactory to some. Thus, during the year 2003, Father Paul Aulagnier , former District Superior of France, expressed his support for "Campos agreements" and is excluded from the SSPX in October 2003. In 2004, Father Philip Lagurie , former pastor of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet expresses his dissatisfaction with the functioning of the seminars and some choices of the Brotherhood, he is the subject of a disciplinary transfer to Mexico, that he refuses. ^Bishop Bernard Fellay said while the abbot Lagurie "was no longer part of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X". The penalty is the same for those who had indicated their support as the abbots of Tanouarn William , Henry Christophe Hery and Forestry. On September 8, 2006, the abbots Lagurie Philippe , Guillaume de Tanouarn Paul Aulagnier, Christophe Hery and Henri Forestier join full communion with the Roman Catholic Church in the Institute of the Good Shepherd , with the use exclusive books of 1962 and the right to "constructive criticism" of Vatican II.

The "rallies" at the Society of St. Pius X

On July 30, 2006, a Swedish Lutheran pastor Sten Sandmark abjured Lutheranism and professed the Catholic faith in the Church of St. Nicolas du Chardonnet in front of ^Bishop Tissier Mallerais . The Society of St. Josaphat was founded in 2001, comprised of Slavonic rites of priests in Ukraine, located in the SSPX movement by asking the latter for his seminary professors. ^Bishop Tissier de Mallerais ordered a priest of this community in 2003. In 1995, ^Bishop Lazo, Bishop Emeritus of La Union (Philippines), joined the SSPX. He died in 2000.

The motu proprio Summorum Pontificum

By the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum , issued on 7 July 2007 , Pope Benedict XVI , who as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was very aware of the "problem traditionalist "is restoring the Tridentine rite. In his letter to bishops accompanying the motu proprio, the pope states that one purpose of this text is the "internal reconciliation within the Church."

These provisions are welcomed by Bishop Fellay on behalf of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X. For him, this "favorable climate established" by Benedict XVI and the "undeniable progress liturgical" must precede removal of excommunications and the opening of true doctrinal discussions.

Closure of the excommunication of the SSPX bishops and Ecclesiae unitatem

By decree of the Congregation for Bishops on 21 January 2009 signed by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re , prefect of the congregation, the excommunication latae sententiae (that is to say, de facto) that struck the four bishops consecrated ^by Mgr Lefebvre , ^Bishop Bernard Fellay , ^Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta , ^Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais and ^Bishop Richard Williamson , rose .

The same decree adds that "It is hoped that this will not follow the rapid realization of full communion with the Church throughout the Fraternity of Saint Pius X , meaning that the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X n is not yet considered in full communion with the Church of Rome. According to Church law, the lifting of the excommunication is not reconciliation or rehabilitation, but opening the way to reconciliation and the four bishops remain suspended (pending a divinis), which that it does not always permit them to exercise episcopal ministry within the Catholic Church .

The emotion that comes within the Catholic Church, following the revisionist one of four bishops and facing the ambiguity of the position of the SSPX in relation to Vatican II , leads Benedict XVI noted that the lifting of the excommunication of bishops for the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) "does not mean of course the return to full communion in the fundamentalist movement, and could not be done in respect for the teaching of Vatican II " .

However, the Roman authority, through the Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos (then prefect of the pontifical commission Ecclesia Dei) who has reported the analysis of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts , while the sentence of the Holy See never touched that priests ordained by M ^gr Lefebvre from July 1976 . The opening in the pursuit of reconciliation continues.

Ecclesiae unitatem

On 8 July 2009 , the Vatican published the Motu proprio Ecclesiae unitatem which connects the Commission Ecclesia Dei to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith headed by American Cardinal William Levada , allegedly because of the goal that found the SSPX in full communion with Church. He recalls that "the Brotherhood does not enjoy any canonical status in the Church and its ministers can not legitimately exercise any ministry" as a doctrinal issues remain . A week earlier, one of the leaders of the SSPX, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais , regarded as the theologian of the SSPX , for his part said that "the discussions will only move forward if Rome reform its way of seeing and recognize errors in which the Council has led the Church . "

Doctrine

The rupture between Rome and the Fraternity took place in two time legally. But the separation is due to deeper problems based on the expression of the dogma of the Catholic Church.

TrPs

Thus the SSPX refuses aggiornamento and what she calls the measures liberal of Vatican II , including:

• the religious freedom which it believes would oppose the doctrine of the social kingship of Christ ;
• the collegiality , which would dilute and bind papal authority by granting too much power to bishops' conferences ;
• the ecumenism and what would be its corollary, the abandonment of proselytizing or mission ;
• changes in the liturgy.

Responses Roman

Cardinal Castrillon-Hoyos, prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy, lists in a letter dated April 5, 2002 to ^Bishop Bernard Fellay several points of dispute, stating: "I would (...) to enumerate some of these attitudes and contradictory statements in which your fraternity seems to have ventured, provoking confusion and contradict the Tradition of the Church. "

In terms of doctrine, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, recalls the teachings of the First Vatican Council, under which the papacy is free from any risk of error. For him, the papal magisterium of John Paul II does not therefore contradict the prior teaching of the Church. He recalled that the "necessity" invoked by the Brotherhood to justify the ordinations of 1988 are still subject to the decision of the Pope and can not be used against him or without him. Finally, he accuses the bishops of the Society of their "lack of charity" and their tone was deliberately controversial ^Liturgy

The SSPX famous exclusively Mass according to the rite called "St. Pius V "or the Tridentine rite , now called the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite, in Latin in its 1962 version. It recognizes the validity of the Mass of Paul VI ^{Canon Status}

Roman Viewpoint

Following a request from ^BishopNorbert Brunner , Roman Catholic Bishop of Sion (Switzerland), the diocese in which are located at cne, the seminary and the Society of Saint Pius X, Rome, through the Congregation for Bishops and the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, expresses this view:

1. Canon Law revised in 1983 specifies that the consecration of a bishop without a mandate from the Holy See causes automatic excommunication (latae sententiae) which directs the prelate and ordinands. It then returns to Rome to publicize the penalties. By Dominus Marcellus Lefebvre's letter ¹ July 1988, Cardinal Gantin perform this procedure.
2. the crime of schism, the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, the process of removal of hierarchical communion . Accordingly, the fact persist in disobedience to lawful authority following the schismatic act of 1988, entails a split between the SSPX and Rome.

For the Catholic Church, if all the priests and bishops of the SSPX are validly ordained, their legal status is not consistent with church law. Therefore, baptism , Eucharist , confirmation , ordination and anointing of the sick are quite valid, even if done in a wrongful act. However, to be valid, the sacraments of penance and marriage should be conferred by a minister who received jurisdiction to do so. For these two sacraments, so there was doubt about the validity .

However, Cardinal Castrillon-Hoyos, prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy and president of the Ecclesia Dei commission says November 13, 2003 "We're not facing a heresy. We can not say in words correct, accurate, precise, there is a schism. There, in the fact of consecrating bishops without papal mandate, a schismatic attitude. They are inside the Church. There is only the fact that he lacks a full, more perfect - as was said during the meeting with ^Bishop Fellay - a fuller communion, because communion exists. "

However, February 23, 2006, the same cardinal said in a letter regarding the departure of Indian seminarians from the SSPX to the diocese: "The testimony of these seminarians gives reason for serious concern about the separatist mentality that has surrounded the seminary Goulburn. Thus, for him, the schism is not consumed but it can be. He confirmed this view in an interview March 16, 2007 .

But in May 2008, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, is interviewed by Vittoria Prisciandaro for the Society of St. Paul (religious congregation founded in Italy 1914) and stated:
"There are positive signs, there is an uninterrupted dialogue ... I consider viable reconciliation with the SSPX because, as we have often said to" Ecclesia Dei ", this does not a real schism but an anomalous situation arose after the "schismatic action" of Msgr Lefebvre in conferring the episcopate without papal mandate, against the wishes of the Pope. In my heart I have great confidence that the Holy Father will be able to mend the fabric of the Church with the arrival of these brothers to full communion. He will always be some differences, as we have always been in the history of the Church " .

The position of the Society of St. Pius X

From the coronation of 1988, the SSPX published several papers justifying their choices. In the late 1990s, the SSPX is launching an information campaign among its faithful. A leaflet is widely distributed, proclaiming the first page:

"The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X schismatic is it? excommunicated? Rome says no! The faithful can they attend a Mass of St. Pius V celebrated by a priest of the Society of Saint Pius X? Yes! "

The basic argument rests on several points:

Necessity

"Indeed, when extreme or near extreme spiritual necessity of the individual (life threatening) or the severe spiritual necessity of a large number (eg dissemination of undoubted heresy) so require, and that the relief Pastors lack ordinary, all limitations imposed by the ecclesiastical law fall, and every minister of God (priest or bishop) has the duty to do so legally, even "without the necessary authorization," all he can validly done by divine right by virtue of its power to order. If it did not, he would sin mortally, because the natural and positive divine law requires relief, whenever possible, any person in severe need. (See, among others, St. Alphonsus, teologia Moralis, I.3, tract. 3 n. 27 and I.6, tract. 4, n. 560; F. Suarez De Charitate dispute. 9, sect. II, n. 4: From Billuart Charitate eloquent. IV, art. 3, St. Thomas, S. Th. Suppli Q. 8 a. 6.3; Cappello, Summa Iuris Canonici vol. I, p. 258, n. 258 2.) .

The willingness of schism

so that there is schism, as the gun ^No. 1364, there must be a willingness to create a parallel Church. Now, for the SSPX, that will never exist, for giving arguments at the Mass the priests pray for the reigning pope, the sedevacantists are excluded from the fraternity and the fraternity is fully committed to Catholic doctrine. Moreover, for them, Rome has never defined what was the schismatic SSPX.

The invalidity of the excommunications

^No citing canon 1323 "Is punishable by any sentence a person who, when she violated a law or precept, acted compelled by grave fear, or driven by necessity or to avoid serious disadvantage, committed a violation ... "and the gun ^No. 1324, which reduced the sentence to one who believed in a state of necessity, the SSPX defends the fact that if there was a schismatic act, extenuating circumstances such two guns are the term of excommunication should not have been delivered and that it is thereby disabled .

Controversies and polemics

The SSPX and Sedevacantism

The irregular situation of the Society of St. Pius X entails a questioning of submission to papal authority. The position of the Brotherhood is a denial of Sedevacantism . Some priests, like Father Claude Barthe in 1980, or abbot Daniel Dolan in 1983 expressed this opinion at a time, were excluded from the fraternity.

The Brotherhood and the political

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X Catholic doctrine takes about engagement in politics: "Political action, real politics, practical politics, is part of the duty to state, even though its practical details may vary from individual to another depending on the building, and emergency situations . ^"Bishop Tissier de Mallerais explains that, in the words of Christ, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God the things belongs to God (Mt 22, 21), the time domain, that of civil society and the spiritual realm, that of the Church are each sovereign in its kind, without having to be separated. For him, the common good , to civil society is related to eternal salvation , purpose of the Church.

In this context, members (clergy) of the SSPX have no partisan political involvement, as this could cause confusion fields, even if some spiritual activities have caused a certain disorder, such as pilgrimages to the island of Yeu , on the grave of Marshal Petain ^, like that of September 22, 2007 during which, the abbot of Cacqueray "compares the struggle of Marshal Petain in France that of ^Mgr Lefebvre for the Church . .

Some observers, however, that link the secession of a traditionalist, beyond the ideological, political basis and that the links of the SSPX with the far right are "notorious" in France and Belgium .

Thus, many lay close to this fraternity have a political commitment. In line with Catholic doctrine, they are very much opposed to communism that Pope Pius XI roundly condemned in 1937 by the encyclical Divini Redemptoris. They are also faithful to the Church's teaching on the "right to life" developed by the encyclical Evangelium Vitae in 1992. These faithful generally refuse to campaign in movements or parties which do not accord with the moral doctrine of the Church. That's why Father Lagurie, member of the SSPX until 2004, was recognized in 1991 the National Front as "the party is the closest natural law." In France and Belgium, a number of associations with political goals, such as Belgium and Christianity claim to the moral teaching of the Church as advocated by the SSPX.

The SSPX and Bishop of Amiens

In 2007, the Society of St. Pius X Amiens nearing the end of the lease of the chapel which she occupied until then, the owner desires a change in nursery as part of an overall project. Then asks the SSPX Bishop ^Bishop Bouilleret the provision of a church or chapel to celebrate Mass with his own officers according to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite , that is to say according to the missal 1962, based on the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum the Pope Benedict XVI in July 2007. Following the negative response from the Bishop of Amiens by letter dated 16 September 2007 and following a failed attempt at dialogue with the bishop, the SSPX Masses held on the forecourt of the cathedral or to the Church of Saint Germain since November 11, 2007 .

On November 25, 2007, ^Bishop announced that Bouilleret Tridentine Mass would be celebrated in Amiens by a diocesan priest on alternate Sundays. The members of the SSPX did not wish to attend these celebrations.

^Bishop Bouilleret believes that the motu proprio is for Catholic traditionalists who are in full communion with the pope and the bishop, which is not true followers of the Society of St. Pius X . He argues that the city of Amiens could make a room available, that members of the SSPX do not. Its members continued their protest in the form of Mass on the square in front of churches. For them, this is to ask the bishop of a church loan. The bishop said that Lefebvrists "show and the issues are not the Latin Mass but those of the unity of the Roman Catholic Church," that dimension, he said, members of the SSPX do not "understand .

The case Williamson

In an interview with the issuance Uppdrag granskning Swedish public television SVT , ¹ November 2008, Richard Williamson , one of four bishops of the SSPX, said he did not believe that Jews were dead in room gas during the Holocaust : "I do not think there were gas chambers. I believe that 200 000 to 300 000 Jews died in concentration camps, but none in the gas chambers. " These statements are occurring just as the Vatican prepares to make public the lifting of the excommunication pronounced against him in 1988 and his three colleagues .

Initially, the superior general of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, Fellay said in a letter to the SVT that R. Williamson was the sole representative of his views and that the Brotherhood had no authority to judge the historical issues. Failing to condemn the remarks of his bishop, he felt even "shameful" that the interview covered topics ale secular "controversial" and not exclusively on religion . Bernard Fellay said shortly after the position advanced by R. Williamson is absolutely not that of the Brotherhood, that it "commits his person," adding that "we will conclude that the whole fraternity is anti-Semitic," s "erecting vehemently against such an accusation .

In a letter to Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos , the Vatican prelate in charge of negotiations with the SSPX, Richard Williamson expressed "sincere regrets" for "suffering" caused to Pope Benedict XVI for his remarks "reckless", without provided to retract . These "excuses" are immediately deemed "completely inadequate" by the Primate of the Gauls , Cardinal Philippe Barbarin while the Vatican spokesman, Federico Lombardi said that the bishop is not a fundamentalist "Bishop normal "the Catholic Church .

The Vatican, again forced to explain himself on Feb. 4 after sharp criticism from German Chancellor Angela Merkel , asked Williamson to deny "publicly" he said about the Holocaust. The Vatican believes that Richard Williamson must "unequivocally and publicly to distance himself" with his statements about the Holocaust before being admitted to the episcopal office in the Catholic Church . The latter, far from retracting, a replica rather it will examine the "evidence" of the historical existence of gas chambers before they consider a "correction . Following these remarks, the direction of the fraternity and Williamson agree that he withdrew from his post as director of the seminary of La Reja ^, .

Ordered to leave the country by the Argentine Minister of Interior Florencio Randazzo, "under penalty of being expelled," Richard Williamson leaving Argentina to London on February 24 . On 26 February at the joint request of the pope and the superior of the SSPX, Williamson apologize to the Church and to the survivors and families of Holocaust victims for the "evil" have done his remarks Swedish TV .

The Vatican considers the apology insufficient both in form and substance and requires Williamson retracts "absolutely and unequivocally (...) on the Holocaust," while the Jewish communities of Germany and Italy, joined by representatives of Catholic associations, give no credence to these "regret . The European Commission said that Holocaust denial is a crime in several European countries and the German authorities are considering, they, to continue the bishop Lefebvre for denial .

Reactions

The Catholic Church

Within the Catholic Church, the emotion is intense and is expressed in particular by the bishops from different countries and up within the Curia. The fears among others on a possible denial of the teachings of Vatican II , one of which lies precisely advances in the new reports created with the Jewish people. During a papal audience of 28 January 2009, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his solidarity "full and indisputable" with the Jewish people and condemned Holocaust denial. He also points out that the lifting of the excommunication is an act of "mercy father, he does not return to full communion with the SSPX is conditional upon recognition by the fundamentalists of the Pope's authority and that the Council .

The Catholic Church of Sweden distanced himself from those remarks, and in relation to any form of racism and antisemitism . Cardinal Vingt-Trois of Paris archbishop acknowledges that such statements are "a ridge across the throat," but recalls that "the excommunication was not about the Holocaust deniers, but the illegitimate ordination of bishops. " . On January 27, 2009, the President of the Swiss Bishops Conference also recalls that "the four bishops have repeatedly stated that they and fraternity, did not accept the statement of Vatican II, Nostra Aetate on relations with Judaism and non-Christian religions. " He is also the acceptance of Vatican II and particularly the Declaration Nostra Aetate, a prerequisite to restoration of communion and the lifting of the suspensions .

Jewish Community

The bishop's deniers about traditionalist, concurrent with the announcement of the lifting of excommunication, raise a stir and even anger among Jewish organizations, challenging the interreligious dialogue. Italian rabbis, then American, expressed "deep regret "while the Central Council of Jews in Germany suspend all dialogue with the Catholic Church and the Jewish community as a whole, is awaiting clarification from the Holy See ^, . Once the ambiguities raised the official visit of the Pope in Israel a few weeks later, as scheduled. On this trip, one of the first visit of Benedict XVI to the memorial of Yad Vashem , where he speaks specifically and unequivocally "six million Jews" murdered during the Holocaust.

SSPX

After numerous exchanges with the Vatican , B. Fellay on tax returns R. Williamson, adding that they "do not reflect any position of our society" and that "he was banned until further notice, any public stance on political or historical." He then asked "pardon the Sovereign Pontiff, and all men of good will, to the dramatic consequences of such an act" on behalf of the Society of Saint Pius X. The Israeli ambassador to the Holy See note however that Bernard Fellay does not explicitly condemns Holocaust denial per se, merely using the adjective "very weak" to "inappropriate" .

The day after a papal statement condemning the denial on January 28 , Floriano Abrahamowicz, the priest of the fraternity responsible for the north-eastern Italy revived the controversy by ambiguous comments, explaining that 'rooms gases have existed for at least disinfect, but not knowing that "if they caused death or not" on the pretext that he does "

. He also claims that those who publicly indignant about R. Williamson does so only to annoy the Vatican . The latter was expelled on February 6 of the Italian branch of the SSPX "serious disciplinary grounds" and to "avoid the image of the Society of St. Pius X does not suffer additional distortions .

More generally, Gilles Karmasyn notes that since the early 1990s, pastoral letters are peppered with Williamson racist, sexist and anti-Semitism without the SSPX has never distanced himself vis--vis these remarks

Places of worship of the SSPX