4-18-2012
The media are announcing that Bishop Bernard Fellay has sent a “positive response” to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and that consequently the doctrinal question between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X is now resolved.
The reality is different.
In a letter dated April 17, 2012, the Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X responded to the request for clarification that had been made to him on March 16 by Cardinal William Levada concerning the Doctrinal Preamble delivered on September 14, 2011. As the press release dated today from the Ecclesia Dei Commission indicates, the text of this response “will be examined by the dicastery (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) then submitted to the Holy Father for his judgment”.
This is therefore a stage and not a conclusion.
Menzingen, April 18, 2012.
I thought the reality was more like this, stick in the mud that I am.
Mary Victrix 
Oh my. This is becoming like an auction, with offers and counter-offers. But what the SSPX fails to see is that Holy Mother Church should not be bargained with. She has made a proposal, and it shouldn’t take this long to accept it if SSPX wishes to be under Her guidance and direction.
Looking around the traditional blogs yesterday, the traditionalists were cheering as though they had scored a victory through the “news” about SSPX “maybe” coming back, failing to see that the news did not come right out and say that they had accepted the proposal outright. The reports were saying that SSPX still had some “minor” differences, implying that they would not be a problem in the long run. If they are such “minor” differences, why must the SSPX be so stubborn in demanding them in their counter-offer?!
But the traditional bloggers can’t seem to see this from the other perspective. They are, instead, proclaiming their superiority over anything that is not “traditional.” Michael Voris has been, in particular, ranting and raving recently in his videos about how the Church is being “resurrected” by traditionally minded people, whom he seems to define as those who attend the Extraordinary form of the Mass. He actually repeatedly speaks about a Church divided. Either one is a liberal, wallowing in happy clappy liturgically abusive Masses in their parishes, or they’re the “young Turks” who are having large families, meeting online and bringing Holy Mother Church back to life through lives revolving around the Latin Mass. It’s as though there is no shade of grey in between!
Anyway — I’m kind of off the topic…and kind of not. This is the elitism that comes from refusing to see, in charity, that our Holy Father loves the Church and is doing what he has been ordained by God to do, as Peter. He does not need to be bargained with by those who think they know better. And vloggers and bloggers need to wake up and realize that attending the Latin Mass does not make for the perfect Catholic culture to which we must all gravitate. Are we to leave our “corrupted” (as he implies) parishes and all flock to traditional communities, vs. staying in our parishes and trying to catechize our neighbors through words and actions? Seems like a cowardly copout to me. But that is, after all, how the elitists through history have often acted.
God’s will be done. God reward you Fr. Angelo! Ave Maria!
Robin Kerlin
Your comments hit the bull’s eye! A real danger for those wedded to the EF of the Mass is the temptation to be come an elitist Catholic.
I am 72 years old, and I spent most of my time in the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s doing battle with the liberal dissenters. It forced me to read all of the documents of V2; therefore, I was able to quote pertinent passages from Lumen Gentium re the authority of the papal magisterium.
I also suffered from liturgical abuses, but I was able to always find a parish were these were minimal.
Unfortunately, my occasional battle now is with the dissenters on the right.
My wife, Kathy, passed away on May 7, 2009; she was the most Christ-like person that I have ever known, and yet she never attended a Latin Mass after the OF was introduced. We attended a parish where the GIRM was usually followed in detail. Somehow my wife was able to come into a close union with God despite the fact that she was a daily communicant at an OF Mass. She is proof that one does not have to attend an EF Mass to do God’s holy will.
from Bill Foley
Bill – thank you for adding your personal witness to my comments. How wonderful, too , to be blessed with such a holy spouse! Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord.
Amen, Robin. there’s no perfect answer to much of this. We certainly don’t want to have all of these Catholic Churches with liturgical abuses happening and priests who preach kumbaya every week. Yet, the Vatican has not said that the EF is the ‘better’ Mass, so how can anyone else say that? We need to pray for orthodox Masses in both forms and unity within our Church.
(I’ve learned a lot from Michael Voris but in the end, I think he might be dividing the Church instead of uniting it and I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Not to mention that he has his own ideas about what orthodox means….sigh.)
Ave Maria!
Jesus is Substantially Present (Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity), in the Eucharist at both the OF and the EF. Of course one can grow in holiness by attending either. Our Holy Father celebrates both the OF and EF.
In Christ
Marian
Great post & comments!
Father,
A stick in the mud can only be moved by an outside pressure. It does not move in the changing wind, it only moves when a physicall force greater than itself moves it. I like the fact that your a stick in the mud…keep up the good work.