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Has the SSPX Strayed from the Teaching of the Church and Archbishop Lefebvre?

Has the SSPX Strayed from the Teaching of the Church and Archbishop Lefebvre?

-A Layman's Thoughts-

There have been a lot of wild accusations made about the SSPX and in particular Bishop Fellay. The chief of these is that the SSPX has abandoned the principles set down by Archbishop Lefebvre.

This is a serious accusation as principles are the guides used to aid in decision making.  Bad principles will lead to bad decisions.

One of the key principles that guides the SSPX happens to be an article in the Apostle's Creed: "I believe in the Holy, Catholic, Church".

This article is so important that the authors of the Catechism of Trent wrote:

Since, therefore, it is impossible that anyone be infected with the contagion of heresy, so long as he holds what this Article proposes to be believed, let pastors use every diligence that the faithful, having known this mystery and guarded against the wiles of Satan, may persevere in the true faith.
Words that are as applicable today, as they were during the height of the Protestant Revolt.

The Marks of the Church of Christ

The explanation of the Four Marks of the Church forms a significant part of the article in the Catechism of the Council of Trent. This is understandable as it is by these marks that a Catholic recognizes the Church. A Church that they profess belief in each Sunday in the Nicene Creed to be One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and daily in the Apostle's Creed to be Holy and Catholic. A Church that they must belong to in order to be saved.

Apostolic

The Church of Christ can be recognized by its Apostolic origin, for "the Holy Ghost, who presides over the Church, governs her by no other ministers than those of Apostolic succession".

Catholic

The Catholic Church is Universal, "embraces ... all mankind" and includes "all the faithful who have existed from Adam to the present day, or who shall exist, in the profession of the true faith, to the end of time".  Finally, the Church is called Universal because "all who desire eternal salvation must cling to and embrace her".

Holy

The Church is Holy for the following reasons: it is consecrated and dedicated to God; because the Church, as the Mystical Body of Christ, is united to its head: Our Lord Jesus Christ; and lastly the Church has the true worship of God.

The Catechism of Trent closes this explanation with the following:

... the Church alone has the legitimate worship of sacrifice, and the salutary use of the Sacraments, which are the efficacious instruments of divine grace, used by God to produce true holiness. Hence, to possess true holiness, we must belong to this Church. The Church therefore it is clear, is holy, and holy because she is the body of Christ, by whom she is sanctified, and in whose blood she is washed.

Lastly, in this crisis of the Church it is also critical to note that:
"... the Church, although numbering among her children many sinners, is called holy. ... so in like manner the faithful, although offending in many things and violating the engagements to which they had pledged themselves, are still called holy, because they have been made the people of God and have consecrated themselves to Christ by faith and Baptism. ..." (Catechism of Trent)

One

Finally we reach the first 'Mark' of the Church of Christ: Oneness, or more succinctly the Church of Christ can be known by its Unity. This is the one mark that, in my opinion, has suffered the most in this crisis as a result of a 'diabolical disorientation'.

For completeness, I will use two additional resources: The documents of the First Vatican Council and finally the theology textbook Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma by Dr. Ott.

The authors of the Catechism divide their explanation into Unity of Government and Unity in Spirit, Hope and Faith.

Concerning Unity of Government the doctrine is clear and precise: Christ is the invisible  head of "the Church, which is his body", the visible "governor" is the Pope "the legitimate successor of Peter".

Of the Pope, the authors further explain, that the Fathers of the Church are unanimous in teaching that the "visible head is necessary to establish and preserve unity in the Church".

Interestingly, the authors of the Catechism of Trent expended four to five times as many lines expounding on the unifying role of the Pope vs the following passage which lists the other unifying aspects within the Church.

 Moreover, the Apostle, writing to the Corinthians, tells them that there is but one and the same Spirit who imparts grace to the faithful, as the soul communicates life to the members of the body. Exhorting the Ephesians to preserve this unity, he says: Be careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace; one body and one Spirit. As the human body consists of many members, animated by one soul, which gives sight to the eves, hearing to the ears, and to the other senses the power of discharging their respective functions; so the mystical body of Christ, which is the Church, is composed of many faithful. The hope, to which we are called, is also one, as the Apostle tells us in the same place; for we all hope for the same consummation, eternal and happy life. Finally, the faith which all are bound to believe and to profess is one: Let there be no schisms amongst you, says the Apostle. And Baptism, which is the seal of our Christian faith, is also one.

Given the attacks against the Papacy, the Fathers of the First Vatican Council put forth the following more detailed explanation on the relation of the Pope and the Church's unity:

"The eternal shepherd and guardian of our souls, in order to render permanent the saving work of redemption, determined to build a church in which, as in the house of the living God,all the faithful should be linked by the bond of one faith and charity.
...
In order, then, that the episcopal office should be one and undivided and that, by the union of the clergy, the whole multitude of believers should be held together in the unity of faith and communion, he set blessed Peter over the rest of the apostles and instituted in him the permanent principle of both unities and their visible foundation. "  (First Vatican Council Session 4)

Echoing the Fathers of the First Vatican Council, Dr. Ott, in his text Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, provides a detailed explanation of unity:

"One may, with the Vatican Council, distinguish a two-fold unity of the Church:

Unity of Faith
This consists in the fact that all members of the Church inwardly believe the truths of faith proposed by the teaching office of the Church, at least implicitly, and outwardly confess them. ... Unity of Faith leaves room for various opinions in those controversial questions which the Church has not finally decided. 

Unity of Communion
This consists, on the one hand, in the subjection of the members of the Church to the authority of the bishops and of the Pope (unity of government or hierarchical unity) ; on the other hand, in the binding of the members among themselves to a social unity by participation in the same cult and in the same means of grace (unity of cult or liturgical unity).
The unity of both faith and of communion is guaranteed by the Primacy of the Pope, the Supreme Teacher and Pastor of the Church (centrum unitatis : D 1960). One is cut off from the unity of Faith by heresy and from the unity of communion by schism.
...
St. Thomas declares that the unity of the Church is founded on three elements: The common faith of all members of the Church, the common Hope of eternal life, and the common Love of God and of one another in mutual service. Fidelity to the unity of the Church is a condition for the attaining of eternal salvation. "

Visibility of the Church

There is one last aspect of the Church that I think it is important to consider prior to moving on to an examination of the present position of the SSPX, namely the 'visibility of the Church'. There seems to be a tendency to associate the visibility of the Church with the buildings used by Catholics. Bricks and Mortar do not constitute the visibility of the Church. 
When we speak of the visibility of the Church, we do not mean simply that her members, her rites, and her ministry can be seen. What we mean is that these can be recognized to constitute the true Church of Christ ; so that, in other words, we can point out a certain society, and say of it "This is Christ's Church." ...In order to understand this property of visibility, we  must carefully note the distinction between the body and the soul of the Church. The former consists of those external elements which go to make a society, viz. the ministry of the pastors and subordination of the sheep, the profession of the faith and participation in the sacraments ; the latter means the internal gifts of sanctifying grace, of faith and charity, and other virtues. The external elements are necessary for the Church's social existence ; the internal elements must be possessed by her members if they would attain the end for which they were called to the Church, i.e. eternal salvation. (A Manual of Catholic Theology - Wilhelm and Scannell 1908)

Conclusions Concerning The Four Marks, and Visibility

The four marks of the Church are integral to external elements that constitute the visibility of the Church:
  • A unity that can be traced back to the Apostles in Government, Faith, & Worship.
  • A universality from the beginning to end of time embracing all peoples in the profession of the same faith.

The marks and the visibility of the Church are woven into a tapestry of the Church. Remove or mar one and the entire tapestry is ruined.

A Church that lacks this visibility, cannot be the Church, just as a Church that lacks the Four Marks cannot be the Church.

So where is the Visible, One, Holy, Catholic Apostolic Church of Christ? Where is the continual uninterrupted “assembly of men united in the profession of the same Christian faith and in the communion of the same sacraments, under the rule of legitimate pastors, and in particular, that of the one Vicar of Christ on earth, the Roman Pontiff.”


Given that the doctrine of the Faith, Sacraments and Vicar of Christ are found intact only in the "assembly of men" united under Pope Francis. That is where we find the Church of Christ - even in these days of crisis within the Church.

If a person claims the name of Catholic and refuses to acknowledge this fact, they should be wary that they aren't being described by the following words:

"For in after ages there would not be wanting wicked men who, like the ape that would fain pass for a man, would claim that they alone were Catholics, and with no less impiety than effrontery assert that with them alone is the Catholic Church." Catechism of Trent

Ecclesiology of the SSPX & Archbishop Lefebvre

Now we should have sufficient understanding to answer the question posed at the beginning of this article. Namely: Has the SSPX Strayed from the Teaching of the Church and Archbishop Lefebvre?
To determine the present thought of the SSPX concerning the Church is it simply a matter of reviewing some of its recent publications. The following article titled "Can One Speak of the Conciliar Church" is useful because it provides the words of the Superior General of the Society and and accompanying explanation of the present understanding of the phrase "conciliar Church".

"... To the extent in which a ‘change of direction’since Vatican II has occurred, we use the term ‘conciliar Church’. This expression is commonly understood, not as a distinct object or substance, but rather as a new spirit, introduced into the Church at the time of the Council Vatican II, and which constitutes an obstacle the end of the Church ... Bishop Fellay recently stated that the contemporary Church, as represented by the Roman authorities, remains the true Church, one, Catholic, holy, and apostolic. “When we say extra Ecclesiam nulla salus, out of the Church, no salvation, it is indeed to the Church of today that we refer. That fact is absolutely certain. We must cling to it. […} Going to Rome does not mean we agree with them. But Rome is the Church, and the true Church.” He speaks further of “the Church, which is not an idea, which is real, which stands before us, which we call the Roman Catholic Church, the Church, with its pope, its bishops, debilitated as they may be.” Therefore, the official Church cannot be referred to today as a conciliar Church distinct from the Catholic Church ..."i
The two key elements of Fr. Gleize's discourse are that the SSPX considers the phrase 'conciliar Church' to mean a spirit within the Church and that the "contemporary Church, as represented by the Roman authorities, remains the true Church, One, Catholic, Holy, and Apostolic".
These elements are completely consistent with the analysis performed in the previous sections of this article.
The time of the consecrations was one of significant elation and sadness within the SSPX. Elation at the spectre of extinction being removed due to a lack of a Traditional Bishop to supply the life blood of the apostolate of the SSPX: Priests. Sadness at the departure of a number of collaborators who went on to found the FSSP.
Is there consistency between SSPX's present understanding of the phrase 'conciliar Church' and the understanding that it held in 1988?
The letter to Cardinal Gantin sent by the Superiours of the SSPX shortly after the Episcopal Consecrations provides the needed insight:

"... we have never wished to belong to this system which calls itself the Conciliar Church, and defines itself with the Novus Ordo Missæ, an ecumenism which leads to indifferentism and the laicization of all society. ... We ask for nothing better than to be declared out of communion with this adulterous spirit which has been blowing in the Church for the last 25 years; we ask for nothing better than to be declared outside of this impious communion of the ungodly. We believe in the One God, Our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, and we will always remain faithful to His unique Spouse, the One Holy Catholic Apostolic and Roman Church..."ii
It is obvious that in 1988, the leadership of the SSPX understood the conciliar Church to be a system, a spirit that was within the Church. That they considered the Church led by Pope John Paul II to be the One Holy Catholic Apostolic and Roman Church is implied as I am not aware of any other organization through which the "adulterous spirit" had been blowing in the 25 years since the council.

The consistency of the SSPX's understanding and use of the phrase 'conciliar Church' is clear. All that remains now is to determine if its founder shared the same sentiments.

In this case, I have turned to the Long Island Conference given in 1983. Interestingly, part of this conference is a rebuttal to those who accuse the Archbishop of compromising with Rome.

Why do I maintain relations with Rome? Why do I keep going to Rome? Because I think that Rome is the center of Catholicism, because I think that there cannot be any Catholic Church without Rome. iii


I could refer to other quotations, however this one contains all we need to know about the sentiments of Archbishop Lefebvre on this topic. Where is the One Holy Catholic Apostolic and Roman Church? In Rome, the center of Catholicism.

Conclusions

So what conclusions can be drawn from this analysis?

First, that the SSPX is in complete agreement with Church Teaching concerning its understanding of Ecclesiology and the use of the phrase 'conciliar Church'.

Second, that it is likewise in agreement with its founder.

Third, that these words spoken by its Superior General in 1983 could be repeated today:

We have made no compromise with Rome. That charge is not true. So it is very sad to think that these priests who were ordained by myself and who, after all is said and done, receiving everything from Econe and the Society, should now be turning against the Society. Why? They say we are making compromises, they say we are going to accept the New Mass, they say things of this kind, which are absolutely false. You can see that for yourselves.




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