There are different ways of breaking with Rome: there are heretics, who deny a truth of the faith; there are apostates, who reject not just one truth but everything; and there are schismatics: those that embrace the faith but break the unity of the Church, specifically with the pope in Rome.
The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X—commonly known in the United States as SSPX—is back on route to the last category: schism. They want to ordain bishops without papal approval, which is condemned by the Code of Canon Law in canon 1387.
On February 12, a summit was held in Rome. The Vatican asked the Fraternity to cancel the episcopal ordinations scheduled for July 1. In exchange, they offered a table for theological dialogue. Behind all of it, the problem remains Vatican II and the liturgical reforms that the Fraternity rejects.
After several days of reflection, the Lefebvrians announced their decision: they will go ahead with the ordinations, keeping the July 1 date. They argue that the Vatican’s dialogue table is forced because…
The outstretched hand offered for dialogue is accompanied by another already ready to punish.
In other words, they do not see a theological dialogue as possible if the goal is already predefined: to conform to Rome. In any case, it is not an easy decision for either side. In recent years, relations had become smoother, previously confirmed by the Vatican official responsible for engaging in dialogue with the Fraternity.
GUIDO POZZO
Secretary, Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei
I have noticed that there is not a controversial spirit but constructive. The different points of view or opinions we have on some issues do not necessarily need to lead to division, but to a mutual enrichment.
The Fraternity was founded in 1970. Its charism is centered on priestly formation. However, it has been highly critical of certain key aspects of Vatican II, such as ecumenism, episcopal collegiality, and liturgical reform. So critical that at the end of the 1980s, its founder, Marcel Lefebvre, already provoked a previous schism by ordaining bishops without papal approval. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI readmitted them, opening a period of greater dialogue — which now seems to be at risk of breaking down again.
