SSPX Excommunicated Unjustly

Pray for a reunited Church

The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, known as the SSPX, has been excommunicated this week, following the consecration of four bishops without a papal mandate.

The Society, founded by the late Most Reverend Marcel Lefebvre to protect the Tradition of the Catholic Church, has been seen as controversial by modern Catholics because of the growing divide between the New Order and the Old - the Novus Ordo and the Vetus Ordo. Without going into too much inside baseball, there have been arguments over whether the SSPX were schismatic, irregular or in full communion with Rome since the first consecrations in 1988, or indeed, since the Society was founded in 1970. The Vatican has now issued a decree outlining that all bishops, priests and laymen who continue to attend SSPX chapels are ipso facto excommunicated. This will come as a huge blow to families who attend these chapels not out of defiance of Rome, but to ensure they raise their children in the fullness of the faith, in line with Sacred Tradition. There are many lay Catholics who are attempting to avoid the local modernist church where Pride Masses, same-sex blessings, altar girls, lay Eucharistic Ministers and Drag Queen story time are promoted as the norm. Understandably so.

One would have hoped the Pope would have met with the SSPX Superior General at the very least - such an invitation was not forthcoming. It is regular practice for the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) to meet in such situations. Unfortunately, that is currently Cardinal Fernández, the author of “Heal Me With Your Mouth: The Art of Kissing” and “Mystical Passion: Spirituality and Sensuality.” How such a man got into a position of such power and influence with such scandalous and blasphemous books about “mystical orgasms” and an “erotic encounter with Jesus Christ” is beyond me. But one can surely appreciate why traditionalist Catholics would not be particularly excited about meeting with him. And all that said, there is nothing to prevent the Holy Father from meeting with the SSPX. After all, he recently met and prayed with a priestess, the Archisopette of Canterbury. I believe it would have been a good thing for the Pope to grant the SSPX a papal mandate to elect their bishops, because they are doing so out of necessity. Faithful families need bishops to confirm their children. Bishops are a prerequisite for access to the Sacraments, and that is the primary purpose of the Church.

It has been sad to see people celebrating these excommunications with glee. Catholic families around the world will be facing a tough dilemma because of this, and any separation of the faithful from each other should be a cause of sadness. We should pray for unity, and anyone gloating should repent.

Some lay Catholics are now going to have to choose between adhering to Catholic Tradition but being excommunicated, or being in Communion with Rome but embracing modernism. No one should be forced into this situation. Many people will disagree with me, but I know this to be true as I have spoken to families in these situations. It is a dichotomy that should not exist. The Traditional Latin Mass is a significant part of the deposit of faith, as is communion with the Pope. One should never be put into a scenario where one must choose one over the other. And that raises the question: what does it mean to be Catholic? The Athanasian Creed would teach us that it is, first and foremost, about our faith, and that is what the SSPX’s response has been. Again, that is not to say communion with Rome is unimportant; of course, it is a vital factor in Catholicism, but is it the definition? It was once the wholeness of the universal faith that was the priority. What happens when the pope is wrong? And we must not forget that the Mass is the source and summit of the Catholic faith. (CCC 1324)

Are there other routes for disciplining ‘disobedient’ bishops without excommunicating them? Can consecrating bishops in the faith ever be disobedient? Especially when the Church is in a time of crisis. The SSPX have determined that the Church is in a state of necessity. If it is the Vatican which is the cause of the necessity, can the Vatican rightly excommunicate those calling for restoration? So many questions, but the one at the forefront of my mind is, will there also be excommunications for Fr James Martin who promotes same-sex blessings, the German bishops who push for priestesses, the Sisters of St Joseph who ditched their habits and act like priests, Cardinal Kasper for communing divorcees, Cardinals McElroy and Cupich for pushing progressive politics, Bishop Martin and Archbishop Weisenburger for vindictively suppressing the Tradition of the Church, which it is their sacred duty to protect? Somehow I doubt it. Just this week, Fr Jim O’Keefe hosted what looked like a gay wedding in church and said, ‘We celebrate two men who are honourably gay.’ He remains in good standing with the Church.

Obedience is important, but blind obedience has never been Church practice. We are to be obedient in all things lawful and right. The virtue of obedience must always serve the Truth. Archbishop Lefebvre said, “Obedience is a virtue intended to direct us toward good, not toward evil.”

The modernists have a stranglehold on the Vatican. A clergyman can promote abortion, LGBTQ+, mass migration or communism and seemingly remain in good standing - all issues which go against the faith. But in defending the Apostolic Tradition, the SSPX have found themselves booted out. None of this seems right, just or fair. What you permit, you promote!

There is a Pharisaical legalism about all of this. People latching onto the letter of Canon Law, without considering the Spirit.

There is an evident Papal positivism rearing its ugly head, which is outside the Tradition of the Faith. This could be the fruit of an exaggerated ultramontanist interpretation of Vatican I, and the American legal culture could have some part to play in all this, with its emphasis on positive law. But what is certain is that we could all do with re-reading St John Henry Newman: “The Pope is a guardian of Tradition, not its master.”

The Pope, as the Vicar of Christ and Successor of St Peter, has supreme and universal primacy in the Church. He has the authority to teach and govern. But his authority is limited; it is ministerial, not arbitrary or absolute. As Bishop Athanasius Schneider said, there has been “an implicit divinisation of the pope” amongst papal-positivists, modernists, and hyper-ultramontanists. As well as being bound by collegiality, divine and natural law (thus the inability to command the faithful to sin or contradict the moral order), he is bound by the Deposit of Faith and Church Tradition. In regard to the Deposit of Faith (Sacred Scripture + Sacred Tradition), the pope is its guardian and interpreter, not its master or creator. He cannot invent new doctrines or abrogate essential elements of Tradition. Tell me how suppressing the Traditional Latin Mass is not abrogating essential elements of Tradition. In adhering to Apostolic Tradition and in consecrating bishops out of necessity, the SSPX seem to be in the right. In my humble opinion, the popes were out of bounds by suppressing the Mass, and it is wrong to excommunicate bishops who have declared that the Church is in a state of grave necessity. Especially considering that all of this could have been avoided if a mandate had been granted.

Prayers for unity must continue. But that will come from two directions, not one.

It has been very telling seeing the vicious attacks from one camp of Catholics towards another. Again, I am neither Roman Catholic nor SSPX; I have no dog in this fight. But wrong is wrong. The Novus Ordo fangirls and fanboys who have been attacking their brothers and sisters in Christ need to reflect on their motivations.

People are pointing out that there are other options for the laity, such as the FSSP, but let us not pretend that the FSSP would exist were it not for the SSPX, which has been a prominent defender of the faith once delivered to the saints. And most dioceses no longer have ready access to TLM Masses, because vindictive modernist bishops have suppressed the Mass of the Ages, in accordance with Traditionis Custodes.

And so, now, many people really will have to choose between the Mass celebrated by most Christians throughout Church history and the New Mass of Vatican II and the faith that accompanies it. No one is suggesting the Novus Ordo is any less valid than the Vetus Ordo, but as catholics we believe lex orandi lex credendi. How you worship matters - faith is taught implicitly as well as explicitly, and children pick up a lot through osmosis. Yes, there are some reverent N.O. Masses, but that is far from the standard. Catholic families deserve better.

There is some question on the legality of the excommunications, like there was in 1988, and that will resolve itself with time, no doubt. But for now, let us pray for a reunited Church. As Christ prayed that we are all one, as He is one with the Father. (John 17:20-23)

And remember, Saints Joan of Arc, Mary MacKillop, Athanasius of Alexandria, and Columba were excommunicated, too. Excommunication does not necessarily mean permanent separation.

Pray for the SSPX. Her clergy and her faithful members.