An Open Letter to Bishop Fellay by The Catholic Trumpet

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An Open Letter to Bishop Fellay by The Catholic Trumpet

The Catholic Trumpet [adapted] | January 4, 2025


Your Excellency,

In the spirit of charity and truth, and for the salvation of souls, we address this letter with profound humility yet great urgency. The crisis in the Church and the world demands clarity and courage from those entrusted with the defense of the Faith.

We write this letter to plead with Your Excellency to act decisively: to publicly and formally condemn the doctrinal and moral errors that have emerged under your leadership, particularly the 2012 Doctrinal Declaration and the SSPX’s silence—or tacit approval—on moral issues such as the COVID vaccines tied to abortion.

This is not written to accuse but to implore: to urge Your Excellency to stand firmly with Tradition and Archbishop Lefebvre’s mission, even at the cost of temporal backlash. The salvation of souls, including your own, depends on fidelity to Christ and His unchanging truths.

The Errors of the 2012 Doctrinal Declaration

The 2012 Doctrinal Declaration is not merely a misstep or misunderstanding; it codifies errors that strike at the very heart of the SSPX’s mission. Two key paragraphs reveal its devastating implications:

1. Paragraph III, 4: Vatican II “Enlightens and Deepens” Doctrine

The Declaration states:

“The entire tradition of Catholic Faith must be the criterion and guide in understanding the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, which, in turn, enlightens—in other words, deepens and subsequently makes explicit—certain aspects of the life and doctrine of the Church implicitly present within itself or not yet conceptually formulated.”

This paragraph is utterly indefensible. To suggest that Vatican II “enlightens” or “deepens” Catholic doctrine is to grant the Council a level of authority and legitimacy that Archbishop Lefebvre categorically rejected. Lefebvre stated:

“Vatican II is not an authentic Council; it is a revolution within the Church, introducing errors and heresies that contradict Tradition.”

Even more troubling, the footnote to this paragraph cites Lumen Gentium, no. 21, which contains the flawed teaching on the episcopacy—a hallmark of the collegiality Archbishop Lefebvre condemned. This alignment with Vatican II is an implicit endorsement of its errors, contradicting the SSPX’s founding principles.


2. Paragraph III, 5: Acceptance of Religious Liberty and Ecumenism

The Declaration further states:

“The affirmations of the Second Vatican Council and of the later Pontifical Magisterium relating to the relationship between the Church and the non-Catholic Christian confessions, as well as the social duty of religion and the right to religious liberty, whose formulation is with difficulty reconcilable with prior doctrinal affirmations from the Magisterium, must be understood in the light of the whole, uninterrupted Tradition, in a manner coherent with the truths previously taught by the Magisterium of the Church, without accepting any interpretation of these affirmations whatsoever that would expose Catholic doctrine to opposition or rupture with Tradition and with this Magisterium.”

This paragraph is a textbook example of the “hermeneutic of continuity”, a sophistic approach advanced by Benedict XVI to mask the irreconcilable contradictions between Vatican II and prior magisterial teaching.

By framing religious liberty and ecumenism as reconcilable with Tradition, the Declaration endorses doctrines explicitly condemned by the preconciliar Church:

• Religious Liberty (Dignitatis Humanae) contradicts the Kingship of Christ, which Pope Pius XI reaffirmed in Quas Primas: “It would be a grave error to believe that all religions have the same rights as the one true Church of Christ.”

• Ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratio) denies the Church’s unique claim to truth and salvation, violating Pope Pius XI’s Mortalium Animos: “The union of Christians can only be achieved by the return of dissidents to the one true Church.”

By adopting this language, the Declaration relativizes Catholic teaching, reducing immutable truths to matters of “interpretation.” As Fr. Méramo warned:

“Mixing truth and error can only result in new error. This relativism destroys the principle of non-contradiction and jettisons objective truth.”


The SSPX’s Silence on the COVID Vaccine Scandal

Your Excellency, the SSPX’s failure to condemn COVID vaccines tied to abortion has caused grave scandal. Some priests even suggested their use was permissible—a position that violates Catholic moral teaching.

Pope Pius XII taught that cooperation with intrinsic evil is never permissible, even when remote, especially when it involves the destruction of innocent life. Archbishop Lefebvre echoed this:

“We must reject even the appearance of consent to evil, for such consent endangers our souls and the souls of others.”

Your Excellency, silence or ambiguity on this issue is a grave failure to protect the faithful. We implore you to address this scandal publicly.


A Call for Public Condemnation

We respectfully but urgently ask Your Excellency to:

1. Publicly condemn the 2012 Doctrinal Declaration as a grave error and betrayal of Tradition.

2. Reaffirm the SSPX’s rejection of Vatican II and the New Mass as incompatible with the Catholic Faith.

3. Issue a formal condemnation of the COVID vaccines and clearly prohibit their use.

Such actions would restore clarity to the SSPX’s mission and renew the trust of the faithful.


Eternal Consequences

Your Excellency, Our Lord has warned: “To whom much is given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48).

Failure to act has eternal consequences. The responsibility of shepherding souls comes with immense accountability. Every soul misled by these errors will cry out for justice before God. Archbishop Lefebvre reminded us: “We are not of this world, and our treasure is in Heaven.”


Encouragement and Hope

We assure you that if you take these courageous steps, you will not stand alone. Faithful Catholics worldwide will support you, and more importantly, Our Lord and Our Lady will sustain you.

Let us resist apostasy with all our strength, knowing that the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is certain.



In Christ the King and Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth,

- The Catholic Trumpet