Personal Prelature Offer

Pope Benedict XVI has offered the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) a "personal prelature" which would bring SSPX into full communion with His Holiness, in fact - they would only answer to him.  The "personal prelature" gives them permission to operate, without jurisdictional boundries.  Allegedly this is Rome's "final offer" - but it is rumored that SSPX may want to revise the document which would need to be signed by them to end the dispute.  This so-called "reintegration" is not wholly supported by all in SSPX, especially not by Bp. Tissier de Mallerais (see links below).

The chief impediment for SSPX seems to be that over the "doctrine" of the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II).  However, let us ask, are they not making mountains of molehills?  One of the chief arguments made by "Traditionalists" has been that Vatican II was not a dogmatic/doctrinal council, but a pastoral one.  Nothing was dogmatically (or doctrinally) defined by Vatican II, so why now would some in SSPX be throwing up allegedly doctrinal roadblocks based upon Vatican II?  If the Traditionalists were right previously, does that make them wrong now?

I, for one, pray for acceptance of the personal prelature - and let them iron out anything else later.  Bp. Tissier de Mallerais argues:
We refuse a purely practical agreement because the doctrinal question is fundamental. Faith comes before legality. We cannot accept a legalization without the problem of the faith being solved. To submit ourselves now unconditionally to the higher authority imbibed with Modernism would be to expose ourselves to have to disobey.
So it would appear he assumes he will have to disobey something which does not exist at this time. How can he be held hostage to something he has not disobeyed yet because that which he MIGHT disobey has not been made real.  What kind of "obedience" is it to willfully reject the jesture of Pope Benedict XVI?


Related stories:
Catholic News

Washington Post

Catholic Culture (Bp. Tissier de Mallerais critcizes "Modernist Rome" - not a hopeful sign)

Rorate Caeli (transcript of Bp. Tissier de Mallerais comments)

1 comment:

  1. Williamson, IMHO, is probably behind the resistance to the offer. That man has always been a troublemaker. Hopefully, if he continues to be so, he can be isolated so his influence will be nill.

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