Catalog of Compromise, Change, and Contradiction in the SSPX

[Stone]

#11: Contradiction (What is the conciliar church?)

In an Open Letter to Fr. Thouvenot (Secretary General of the SSPX), Fr. Matthew Clifton (SSPX - England) spoke of Menzingen "privileging a small group of trusted supports of the new policy towards Rome." www.cathinfo.com/sspx-resistance-news/collection-of-sspx-resistance-writings/

One of those "privileged" accordist apologists was Fr. Francois Laisney (former District Superior, USA).

In a 12/21/12 article titled "Various Churches?" intended to rebut Bishop Williamson's notion of "Church," Fr. Laisney considers the meaning of the term "conciliar church" as used by Archbishop Lefebvre:

"Then what is the Conciliar Church? This express[ion] was coined by Cardinal Benelli: it manifested clearly the novelty of the reforms introduced by Vatican II. But did it designate a separate Church, with its own structure, its own faithful separated from the Catholic Church? Not really." sspx.org/en/various-churches-fr-laisney-rebuttal

However, Archbishop Lefebvre said the opposite of Fr. Laisney:

"How could it be more clear?! From now on it is the conciliar church one must obey and be faithful to, and not to the Catholic Church. This is precisely our problem. We are suspended a divinis by the conciliar church, of which we do not want to be a part. This conciliar church is a schismatic church, because it breaks with the Catholic Church of all time. It has it’s new dogmas, it’s new priesthood, it’s new institutions, it’s new liturgy, already condemned by the Church in many official and definitive documents. This is why the founders of the conciliar church insist on obedience to the church of today, making abstraction of the Church of yesterday, as if it didn’t exist anymore. […] The church which affirms such errors is at one and the same time heretical and schismatic. This conciliar church is therefore not Catholic. In the measure in which the Pope, the bishops, priests or faithful adhere to this new church, they separate themselves from the Catholic Church. The church of today is the true Church only in the measure in which it continues and is one with the Church of yesterday and of always. The norm for the Catholic faith is Tradition." www.dominicansavrille.us/is-there-a-conciliar-church/ (See footnote #26: Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, handwritten and photocopied, of July 29th 1976, to his friends; reproduced in the Sel de la Terre 36, p. 10.)

True, the conciliar church is not 100% distinct from the Catholic Church, but that they are two different churches with different institutions was, at least to Archbishop Lefebvre, Bishop Williamson, and the old SSPX, clear and indisputable.



#12: Change (or Hypocrisy?)

In 2003, Fr. Aulagnier was expelled from the SSPX for advocating for a practical accord.

The reasons adduced in favor of reaching a practical agreement with unconverted Rome by Fr. Aulagnier in 2003 are nearly identical to Bishop Fellay's reasons for reaching a practical accord with Rome since 2012:

1) The danger of schism

2) Friendship with the betrayers of Tradition (Campos)

3) An alleged "new attitude in Rome"

4) The conflict may last for ages

The similarities are striking, and cause the reader to wonder:

-Had Fr. Aulagnier kept quiet until 2012, would he not have been in Bishop Fellay's "privileged group" of insiders and apologists?

-If Fr. Aulagnier was expelled for advocating for a practical accord along these lines, by what right does Bishop Fellay retain his membership in the SSPX?

In the article below, Fr. Violette (then District Superior of Canada) is sounding very much like Archbishop Lefebvre and the Resistance, while the rationale he is condemning in Fr. Aulagnier is sounding very much like Bishop Fellay and the neo-SSPX!

I encourage you to read the entire article, but here are some selections related to the points above:

1) Rebutting the "danger of schism" canard: "Our resistance is not rebellion. It is the necessary attitude of Catholics who want to keep the faith when faced with prelates who attack, deny or threaten it. We do not want to become Protestants!...What is in question is not their [Roman] authority but whether we can trust them or not...It is a matter of can we put ourselves under them and trust them to protect our Faith? Unfortunately the present Roman authorities have proven over and over they cannot be trusted, that they have not changed as we will point out later on."

2) Regarding friendship with the betrayers of Tradition (Campos): "Does it take heroic virtue to capitulate in the fight for Tradition in order to obtain recognition? Did it take heroic virtue to renounce their spiritual father, Bishop de Castro Mayer, to abandon and turn against their former comrades in arms? I don’t think so."

3) Regarding an alleged "new attitude" in Rome: "This is the most unbelievable reason of all. Where has Father Aulagnier [or Bishop Fellay?!] been for the past 5 years?...He seems to have forgotten what Archbishop Lefebvre knew well and denounced: there are two Romes: Catholic Rome and the neo-modernist Rome. As did Archbishop Lefebvre, we adhere with our whole heart to Catholic Rome but reject the neo-modernist Rome. Catholic Rome has been infiltrated and is occupied by Modernists. This is a fact...But we are not looking for acceptance."

4) Regarding the conflict lasting for ages: "In my opinion, I think we might see here the real reason for Father Aulagnier’s [and Bishop Fellay's?] change. The fight is dragging on. He has been at the center of this fight for over 30 years. Maybe he is tired of the fight! But this is not the first time that a conflict over the faith has lasted for ages." sspx.ca/en/publications/newsletters/december-2003-district-superiors-letter-1210

This is not merely a change in the SSPX.

It is hypocrisy.

Yet we are to believe the Resistance are the rebels, and the Fellayistas are the loyal sons of Archbishop Lefebvre??



#13: Contradiction (Doctrinal Pluralism)

Formerly, the SSPX used to oppose a practical accord with unconverted Rome because, among other reasons, it wanted Rome to convert back to the faith, for the good of the whole Church, and therefore refused to become just one more "stripe" of Catholicism among the pantheon of modernist flavors.

In late 2003, Fr. Violette (District Superior - Canada) commented upon the reasons for the expulsion of Fr. Aulagnier for his pro-agreement agitation:

"The solution to this crisis will come from Rome when the Roman authorities come back to the integrity of the Faith. But until then we do well to continue our resistance. How long this will take is not our problem but God’s. But we cannot for the sake of a fake unity join those who promote errors, who reduce the Church to a human institution, or simply one religion among others thus destroying it." sspx.ca/en/publications/newsletters/december-2003-district-superiors-letter-1210

And a year earlier, speaking of the modernist Romans, Bishop Fellay declared:

"Currently, there is no conviction that tradition is the right way. They see the fruits; they even say the fruits are good! They say the Holy Ghost is there! (Not too bad!) But, they don’t say, “That’s the way to go.” Instead, they say, “Tradition is a way amongst other ways.” Their perspective is pluralism. Their thinking goes something like this: Oh, look, if we have progressive people who do silly things as members of the Church, then we should also have a place for those who like tradition – a place in the middle of this circus, of this zoo, a place for dinosaurs and the prehistoric animals – that’s our place(!) – “But just stay in your zoo cage,” they will train us…" www.angelusonline.org/index.php?section=articles&subsection=show_article&article_id=2185

But today, doctrinal pluralism not only seems not objectionable, but, according to this November/2016 interview of Bishop Fellay by conciliar priest, Fr. Kevin Cusick, desirable:

"He [Bishop Fellay] said that we must arrive at a point where one can “disagree and still be a Catholic” when it comes to the mentioned points of Vatican II at issue." rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2016/11/sspx-exclusive-bp-fellay-speaks-to.html

#14: Contradiction (More Doctrinal Pluralism)

Bishop Fellay in 2003:

"But if this is the new concept of the Church, then why not grant a little cage to the dinosaurs? If you already have all the birds and all kinds of animals, why not have a little place for the "fossils" which they think us to be? There is a condition, though: the dinosaurs have to stay in their cage. Imagine crocodiles or dinosaurs all over the zoo! Never! So the Tridentine Mass for everybody? - No! For the dinosaurs in their little cage? - Fine. So when Rome comes to us with a big smile, that is their ulterior motive. That is, we grant you a place, but you must stay very quiet there and not move. So we come to them and we say, "Well, we are sorry, but there is no zoo." The Catholic Church is not a zoo. This comparison may show you how deep is the difference of vision. As long as things are at that level, it is just unthinkable that we should be able to reach a basic or fundamental agreement. It is impossible. And, once again, let us look at Campos." archives.sspx.org/sspx_and_rome/what_catholics_need_to_know.htm

Bishop Fellay in 2016:
"He said that we must arrive at a point where one can “disagree and still be a Catholic” when it comes to the mentioned points of Vatican II at issue [religious liberty, ecumenism, liturgical reform]." rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2016/11/sspx-exclusive-bp-fellay-speaks-to.html



#15: Contradiction (Bishop Tissier de Mallerais vs Himself)

In 2012, Bishop Tissier de Mallerais was quite relieved a merely practical accord with modernist Rome had been narrowly averted, even citing the intervention of the Blessed Virgin to save the SSPX from disaster:

"Let us trust in the Blessed Virgin who got us out of a tight corner, it is true. This year, She got us out of this tight corner, She did not want any of this talk of an agreement; in other words, that we would go to Rome to submit ourselves to the Conciliar authorities...Dear Faithful, how could you want us to submit ourselves to such a Hierarchy? It would have been impossible to collaborate, it would have been a bogus collaboration, a lie. We would never have collaborated and we would have been constantly persecuted, threatened by the bishops and by Rome. How could one survive in such conditions? With the obligation of signing a misleading text, ah no!"  www.dominicansavrille.us/the-g-r-e-c/

But by 2016, Bishop Tissier had quite a change of heart:

"But now there is obviously [on] the part of Pope Francis, a provision to recognize us without these conditions. We say 'Go!' Because things are moving and they still need progress." laportelatine.org/publications/entret/2016/entretien_mgr_tissier_25_ans_mgr_lefebvre_160325/entretien_mgr_tissier_25_ans_mgr_lefebvre_160325.php
English translation here: www.cathinfo.com/sspx-resistance-news/bp-tissier-changed-his-position-2016-interview

#16: Contradiction (Bishop Tissier vs Archbishop Lefebvre)

Bishop Tissier de Mallerais in 2016:

"Archbishop Lefebvre has never posed as a condition of recognition by our new Rome, Rome abandons errors and conciliar reforms."
laportelatine.org/publications/entret/2016/entretien_mgr_tissier_25_ans_mgr_lefebvre_160325/entretien_mgr_tissier_25_ans_mgr_lefebvre_160325.php

Archbishop Lefebvre, on the contrary, said (just weeks before his death):

"Finally the Pope is more ecumenist than ever. All the false ideas of the Council continue to develop, to be reaffirmed with ever greater clarity. They are hiding less and less. It is absolutely inconceivable that we can agree to work with such a hierarchy." laportelatine.org/publications/entret/1991/mgr_lefebvre_fideliter_janvier_1991.php

#17: Contradiction (Still More Acceptance of Doctrinal Pluralism from Bishop Fellay)

As we saw earlier, this was Bishop Fellay's public (but not private) position regarding a doctrinally pluralistic agreement with unconverted Rome in 2003:

"But if this is the new concept of the Church, then why not grant a little cage to the dinosaurs? If you already have all the birds and all kinds of animals, why not have a little place for the "fossils" which they think us to be? There is a condition, though: the dinosaurs have to stay in their cage. Imagine crocodiles or dinosaurs all over the zoo! Never! So the Tridentine Mass for everybody? - No! For the dinosaurs in their little cage? - Fine. So when Rome comes to us with a big smile, that is their ulterior motive. That is, we grant you a place, but you must stay very quiet there and not move. So we come to them and we say, "Well, we are sorry, but there is no zoo." The Catholic Church is not a zoo. This comparison may show you how deep is the difference of vision. As long as things are at that level, it is just unthinkable that we should be able to reach a basic or fundamental agreement. It is impossible. And, once again, let us look at Campos." archives.sspx.org/sspx_and_rome/what_catholics_need_to_know.htm

But after Rome refused Bishop Fellay's signature of the April 15, 2012 "Doctrinal Declaration," Bishop Fellay wrote to Pope Benedict XVI, and stated his willingness to set doctrinal considerations aside:

"I had believed that you were disposed to postpone until later the resolution of the disputes that still remain over certain points of the Council and of the liturgical reform...so as to effect a union." - Letter of Bishop Fellay to Pope Benedict XVI (6/17/12) [Original complete Letter available here: www.lasapiniere.info/archives/649]

#18: Compromise: (Branding Campaign: From GREC to You!)

The GREC is a group of diocesan, SSPX, and indultarian clergy and laymen who have been working "discreetly but not secretly" for a practical accord between the SSPX and modernist Rome since the mid-1990's.

One of the key strategies in the GREC quest for a practical accord between the SSPX and modernist Rome was for the Society to cease attacking the Roman modernists for their continual scandals.

As an excellent article by a Dominican of Avrille titled "The G.R.E.C.(Groupe de Réflexion Entre Catholiques or: Group for Reflection Among Catholics): A once hidden story, now revealed" explains:

"The leaders of the GREC seem to have been concerned with bringing about the cessation of attacks against today’s Rome. To quote Father Lelong [diocesan GREC kingpin]:

At that time, all too often aggressive and polemical points-of-view were being expressed both on the part of those Catholics attached to tradition14, as well as on that of those who claimed to follow the spirit of the Council. These were not contributing to bring about that climate of peace and mutual confidence which is necessary in the search for a true reconciliation (p. 33).

The Society of Saint Pius X must understand that, even if it has much to bring to the Church of Rome, it also has much to receive from it. Therefore, it must stop rejecting Vatican II in its entirety (p. 85).

In their letter to Benedict XVI of the 9th July 2008, which we have already quoted and which is so important, the leaders of the GREC (therefore, the unofficial representatives of Tradition as well?) desired to reassure the Pope on this point:

We ask the leaders of this Society to cease declarations and polemical articles which criticize the Holy See (p. 50).

On the 20th June 2008, Father Lelong and several members of the GREC had written to Bishop Fellay:

Are you not afraid that by refusing the repeated calls of the Holy Father and by permitting yourselves to criticize him unjustly and systematically, the Society will end up taking a path which will lead it inevitably to separate itself from Holy Church, as has – alas! – happened throughout history? (p. 39).

Was Bishop Fellay receptive to these pleas of the modernists for the SSPX to drop their aggressive polemics?

It would seem so, in light of the following developments:

1) Fr. Wegner announces he has contracted with a branding campaign which has advised him to drop the attacks against modernist Rome:
www.cathinfo.com/sspx-resistance-news/fr-girouard's-sermon-revealing-fr-wegner's-branding-campaign/msg644678/#msg644678

2) Fr. Wegner's Angelus announcement regarding the new "positive message" and style, "bare of any aggressive or imposing element" (Scroll down and click on pic to enlarge and read Fr. Wegner's announcement): www.traditioninaction.org/Questions/B999_M065_SSPX.html

3) The 2012 Letter of Archbishop di Noia to Bishop Fellay (and subsequently forwarded by Bishop Fellay to all SSPX priests) asking them not to preach against modernist Rome:  rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2013/01/di-noias-letter-full-text-in-french.html

If you have wondered why your priests no longer condemn Vatican II or Roman modernism like they used to (or why priests ordained from 2009 or later never condemned it in the first place!), you have here your explanation:

The SSPX sold out Archbishop Lefebvre's combat for the faith in pursuit of a practical accord, according to a plan hatched by the modernists themselves.



#19: Contradiction (Tradcumenism)

Archbishop Lefebvre considered collaboration with the rallied/approved once-traditional groups like the FSSP or IBP impossible:

"And we must not waver for one moment either in not being with those who are in the process of betraying us. Some people are always admiring the grass in the neighbor's field. Instead of looking to their friends, to the Church's defenders, to those fighting on the battlefield, they look to our enemies on the other side. "After all, we must be charitable, we must be kind, we must not be divisive, after all, they are celebrating the Tridentine Mass, they are not as bad as everyone says"—but they are betraying us—betraying us! They are shaking hands with the Church's destroyers. They are shaking hands with people holding modernist and liberal ideas condemned by the Church. So they are doing the devil's work.

Thus those who were with us and were working with us for the rights of Our Lord, for the salvation of souls, are now saying, "So long as they grant us the old Mass, we can shake hands with Rome, no problem." But we are seeing how it works out. They are in an impossible situation. Impossible. One cannot both shake hands with modernists and keep following Tradition. Not possible. Not possible.

Now, stay in touch with them to bring them back, to convert them to Tradition, yes, if you like, that's the right kind of ecumenism! But give the impression that after all one almost regrets any break, that one likes talking to them? No way! These are people who call us corpse-like traditionalists, they are saying that we are as rigid as corpses, ours is not a living Tradition, we are glum-faced, ours is a glum Tradition! Unbelievable! Unimaginable! What kind of relations can you have with people like that? sspx.org/en/two-years-after-consecrations

But today's Society no longer sees any problem in this regard (after all, a "regularized" SSPX needs to learn how to play well with the other children in the "ecumenical zoo").

Consequently "tradcumenical" collaboration, or gestures implying same, has become commonplace in Europe and America. For example:

-In 2013 the SSPX Polish District website mentioned indult priestly ordinations in the same breath as SSPX ordinations: The mask had momemtarily slipped, and in the wake of intense and immediate scandal, the Polish District moved quickly to scrub the website, and eliminated reference to the indult communities: www.cathinfo.com/sspx-resistance-news/all-one-happy-family-on-sspx-polish-website/

-But by 2015, there was no more need for masks, and the SSPX was openly collaborating in joint SSPX-diocesan-Ecclesia Dei ventures, such as the so-called "Catholic Identity Conference, where pics show SSPX and indult priests standing side by side: remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/2032-catholic-identity-conference-makes-history

-Or, in 2018: catholicidentityconference.org/index.php/speakers [This link no longer works but this one does list the speakers, including the SSPX's Fr. Loop, on their website: http://pittsburghlatinmass.org/blog/?p=3506]

Can you imagine Archbishop Lefebvre attending such an event, or posing for pics with those whom he says "are doing the devil's work?"



#20: Contradiction: (More on "the Right to Know")

We saw in example #4 of this thread that Bishop Fellay had contradicted Archbishop Lefebvre's pastoral approach to the faithful regarding what the faithful did and did not have a "strict right to know:"

Archbishop Lefebvre:

"They have indeed a strict right to know that the priests who serve them are not in communion with a counterfeit church, promoting evolution, pentecostalism and syncretism." www.sspxasia.com/Documents/Archbishop-Lefebvre/Archbishop_Lefebvre_and_the_Vatican/Part_I/1988-07-06.htm

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Whereas we quoted the SSPX under Bishop Fellay as saying the opposite:

"Non-SSPX members [i.e., the faithful] do not have a strict right to be kept informed about the internal affairs of the SSPX, which is a religious congregation." https://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/%E2%80%9Cneed%E2%80%9D-know-all-vs-peace-soul-3073

Now, we post the declaration of Fr. de Cacqueray (former French District Superior) as showing us what was the attitude of the SSPX in 2008 (i.e., While the ralliement of the SSPX was still in a pre-pubescent stage), where he tells us:
[quote]"We must never say these theological discussions are a matter for specialists and do not concern us. It must be emphasized to show that exactly the opposite is the case: because they touch on faith, these issues concern us all, clergy and laity." -Suresne (French District Headquarters), 12/31/08
French original: [url=http://img91.xooimage.com/files/d/c/7/catechisme_in_fsspx_final-3bdb980.pdf]img91.xooimage.com/files/d/c/7/catechisme_in_fsspx_final-3bdb980.pdf (See #2)
English translation: gloria.tv/article/1U7bGzcEc39rCtaRMwZFc3Y9F (See #2)[/quote]

[NB: This quotation is excerpted from the important work, "Catechism of the Crisis in the SSPX," written by an anonymous priest of the French District, which is available here in entirety in several languages, and should be read by every traditional Catholic: www.lasapiniere.info/catechisme-de-la-crise-dans-la-fraternite]