In an unusual move, the Vatican newspaper has published an essay responding directly to concerns raised by the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX).
The piece, titled
Author: Jimmy Akin
Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."
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“It is clear that if the Magisterium does not teach a particular doctrine infallibly then it must, by inference, teach it
I always have a sense that the SSPX leaders believe they are bestowing a gift upon the true Church founded by Christ by offering to return under their own conditions and that the Catholic Church, founded by Christ, must bow to the demands of the SSPX leaders…sad because so many were led astray by these leaders who claimed all Popes after Vatican II including Pope John Paul II were devils or spawns of satan despite the fact that Pope John Paul II tried hard to work with them. Unless they adhere fully to the teachings of the Church, including Vatican Council II, they should not be permitted to return. Instead, send out good Catholic men and women, Religious and secular, to evangelize the followers of SSPX and lead them back to the true Church.
Florin,
Are you sure you aren’t confusing SSPX with sedevacantists? I mean, SSPX believe the Popes are valid.
Also, what new did Vatican II teach that they should adhere to?
Florin,
Your comments are historically wrong and uncharitable towards your Catholic brethren. As Taylor stated, you’re confusing sedevacantists with the SSPX. Also, your comment “despite the fact that Pope John Paul II tried hard to work with them” – what are you referring to? “Unless they adhere fully to the teachings of the Church, including Vatican Council II, they should not be permitted to return” – I’m not sure you read the entire piece which seems to indicate that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) does not agree with your statement.
Prayers for you.
The problem is that many traditionalists’ response to this article is going to be a denial that the Osservatore Romano really speaks for the Church…etc!…because stubborn resistance to authority always finds an excuse to consider itself right!!! I say this as a person who has sympathy with some (not all) of the concerns of the SSPX. But obedience is obedience, and if you reject the authority of the Magisterium, you’ve gone the way of Luther. Simple as that!
At the same time, I also know some SSPX “sympathizers” who are not schismatics, who seem to use the idea that Vatican II was “only a pastoral council” to soothe their troubled souls, because they sincerely feel they cannot reconcile certain teachings of Vatican II with certain other councils and papal teachings. And it’s not always because they are mixing up different levels of authority either. But they know that it is a heresy if they really believe a Council can err! So this “only pastoral” idea seems to be a way that they can, to their own minds, make peace with the Council even though they really think the Magisterium went off its rocker on certain points. Perhaps the “only pastoral” idea actually kept some people from leaving the Church who otherwise might have. But ultimately one needs to know the truth and assent to it, not come up with pretexts for ignoring problems with our obedient submission to the Magisterium.
I think we should all pray very much for everyone struggling in this area, that they will have the grace to recover their proper submission.
In my opinion the Vatican is moving left, right, up and down in order to increase its scope. If Pope John Paul can kiss the Koran, a book that denies the divinity of Christ, the Church can welcome back the Right.
Hi, Jimmy! Nice to make your acquaintence again, thanks for this post. There is a recent interview with Bishop Fellay, I’ll put the link below, regarding the preamble and the state of the discussions and subsequent dialogue. I’m afraid one can sum up the bishop’s comments with the thought that a miracle is needed for the situation to resolve. I myself am participating in the rosary campaign to that end (the Holy Father pocketed the last one without comment; I’m not sure he realizes the work involved! I feel as if I haven’t been free to really read in years!!).
The doctrinal issues are huge. They affect the salvation of souls, that’s the sad, horrific bottom line, and they affect practical issues too. They affect the hospital care of our loved ones (euthanasia is here, now–hospitals are trading pain relief via morphine for enough morphone to kill the person, that is, they are withholding pain medication for permission to use too much, but they don’t call it that, they call it by a euphemism, ‘the morphone drip,’ just as they have for years traded food for a woman’s children for aborting the baby in her womb–and it is the liberalism of these days that have corrupted and minimized the Church’s war against it; liberal doctrine costs lives as well as souls!). They affect the wall street crisis. The Catholic Church is the only friend the poor have, and she is asleep, waiting for a prince’s kiss. Lord, we need the Inquisition! (What if the next pope were the prince? This one ain’t, or not yet.)
Here’s the link to that interview–it’s short.
http://www.dici.org/en/
Oh, I forgot the point of the post. What they wrote is true. SSPX has always said so, although I don’t know where the link is. SSPX has said, in any case, that one must obey the Church in everything, not just in infallible things. They answer the obvious question by saying we are presently in a ‘state of emergency.’ If one were to google that on
DICT one would surely get the hit where Bishop Fellay explicitly says that. It has always struck me as a variation of, ‘Yes, my son, you must obey, unless they tell you to jump off a cliff.’ It is difficult to deny that we seem very much to be in a state of dead on crisis.
Sad that the Vatican didn’t simply allow Acbhp. Lefebvre to simply go ahead with his ordinations. That move would have alleviated much angst and a ton of pain. I understand the protocol, but John Paul II had the authority to simply wave protocol and say ok to a few brand new loyal “princes of the church” and we would have all been so much better off spiritually. Right from the get go, the Latin Mass would have maintained its force and millions of Catholics would not have left mother Church to wander in the desert. The good fathers of Pius X would have a great positive impact on the faith without the scandals that have rocked us for years. Had that simple permission been offered, the Church would still be in position to save the world instead of becoming the effete socialized organization that we have today. “By their fruits, ye shall know them.”
I think the Time has come to bring back the charitable anathema for the sake of Christ, His Church, all who believe, all who will come to believe, and that person who has separated himself from communion and will hopefully return to The Body of Christ. I think the SSPX would agree that in the Spirit of ecumenism we can never forget that the fullness of Love requires that we desire Salvation for our beloved, and that those we Love will come to understand that communion is not a matter of degree. The fact that dissent has been tolerated in His Church has caused great scandal and confusion.
Jimmy, here’s today’s DICI article on the piece, On Adhesion, and it is optimistic (I’m surprised, and thank God for it!)that this indicates an opening to the eventual thorough discussion of the innovations of the Council:
http://www.dici.org/en/documents/on-adherence-to-the-second-vatican-council-bishop-fernando-ocariz-and-bishop-brunero-gherardini/
Sorry for sounding ignorant but, as a Marine I kill easier then understand. What good did Vatican ll do? Was it alter girls, receiving in the hand (very)un-reverent) clown and homosexual masses, drums and dancing on the alter, a feel good mass, rock music and holding hands, etc..? I am not kidding or acting funny. Did I miss the fruits of Vatican ll – What are they and what was different from before 1962.