Post by guillaume on Sept 15, 2011 17:22:32 GMT
An important statement had been published yesterday by the Vatican from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith regarding the results of the "Doctrinal Discussions" occurred between SSPX and Rome last year :
On September 14, 2011, at the office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a meeting was held between His Eminence, Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of this Congregation and President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, His Excellency, Archbishop Luis Ladaria, S.J., Secretary of this Congregation, and Monsignor Guido Pozzo, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, and His Excellency, Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, and Fathers Niklaus Pfluger et Alain-Marc Nély, General Assistants of the Fraternity
Following the petition addressed on December 15, 2008, by the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X to His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, the Holy Father had taken the decision of lifting the excommunication of the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and to open at the same time doctrinal conversations with the Fraternity, aiming to overcome the difficulties and the problems of a doctrinal nature, and to achieve a healing of the existing fracture.
Obedient to the will of the Holy Father, a mixed study commission, composed of experts of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X and of experts of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, assembled eight times for meetings that took place in Rome between the month of October 2009 and the month of April 2011. These conversations, whose objective was that of presenting and examining the major doctrinal difficulties on controversial themes, achieved their goal, which was that of clarifying the respective positions and their motivations.
Given the concerns and requests presented by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X regarding the integrity of the Catholic faith considering the hermeneutic of rupture of the Second Vatican Council in respect of Tradition - hermeneutic mentioned by Pope Benedict XVI in his Address to the Roman Curia of December 22, 2005 -, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith takes as a fundamental basis for a full reconciliation with the Apostolic See the acceptance of the Doctrinal Preamble which was delivered in the course of the meeting of September 14, 2011. This preamble enunciates some of the doctrinal principles and criteria of interpretation of Catholic doctrine necessary for ensuring fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church and to the sentire cum Ecclesia, while leaving open to legitimate discussion the study and theological explanation of particular expressions and formulations present in the texts of the Second Vatican Council and of the Magisterium that followed it.
In the course of the same meeting, some elements were proposed regarding a canonical solution for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, which would follow the eventual and hoped-for reconciliation.
After this text being published, Bishop Fellay answered some questions in DICI, official SSPX Website :
[1. On the Doctrinal Preamble mentioned in the official Communiqué released by the Holy See:] "This document is titled Doctrinal Preamble, it was handed to us for a profound study. Due to this fact, it is confidential, and you will understand if I do not say anything else about it to you. Nonetheless, the word preamble indicates well that its acceptance constitutes a preliminary condition for all canonical recognition of the Society of Saint Pius X by the Holy See"
[2. On the content of the Doctrinal Preamble:] "I must in the name of objectivity recognize that one cannot find, in the doctrinal preamble, a marked distinction between the dogmatic area and the pastoral area subject to discussion. The only thing I can declare, because it is included in the communiqué, is that the preamble contains, 'doctrinal principles and criteria of interpretation of Catholic doctrine necessary for ensuring fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church and to the sentire cum Ecclesia, while leaving open to legitimate discussion the study and theological explanation of particular expressions and formulations present in the texts of the Second Vatican Council and of the Magisterium that followed it.' There it is, not more, not less."
[3. On the canonical statute to be proposed, concerning the rumors of an Ordinariate or of a Prelature:] "As you correctly recall, this canonical statute is conditional [on a response to the Preamble]; its exact format cannot be seen but afterwards, and still remains the object of discussion."
[4. In response to the question, "When do you believe you will present your response to the proposition of Doctrinal preamble?"] "As soon as I have taken the time that is needed to study this document and to consult with the main officials of the Society of Saint Pius X, because, in such an important matter, I am obligated before my brethren not to take any decision without consulting with them beforehand.
"But I can assure you that our decision will be taken for the good of the Church and of souls. Our Rosary crusade that has been taking place for several months must increase in intensity to allow us to obtain, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, the graces of light and strength of which we have greater need than ever."
On September 14, 2011, at the office of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a meeting was held between His Eminence, Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of this Congregation and President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, His Excellency, Archbishop Luis Ladaria, S.J., Secretary of this Congregation, and Monsignor Guido Pozzo, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, and His Excellency, Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, and Fathers Niklaus Pfluger et Alain-Marc Nély, General Assistants of the Fraternity
Following the petition addressed on December 15, 2008, by the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X to His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, the Holy Father had taken the decision of lifting the excommunication of the four bishops consecrated by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and to open at the same time doctrinal conversations with the Fraternity, aiming to overcome the difficulties and the problems of a doctrinal nature, and to achieve a healing of the existing fracture.
Obedient to the will of the Holy Father, a mixed study commission, composed of experts of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X and of experts of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, assembled eight times for meetings that took place in Rome between the month of October 2009 and the month of April 2011. These conversations, whose objective was that of presenting and examining the major doctrinal difficulties on controversial themes, achieved their goal, which was that of clarifying the respective positions and their motivations.
Given the concerns and requests presented by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X regarding the integrity of the Catholic faith considering the hermeneutic of rupture of the Second Vatican Council in respect of Tradition - hermeneutic mentioned by Pope Benedict XVI in his Address to the Roman Curia of December 22, 2005 -, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith takes as a fundamental basis for a full reconciliation with the Apostolic See the acceptance of the Doctrinal Preamble which was delivered in the course of the meeting of September 14, 2011. This preamble enunciates some of the doctrinal principles and criteria of interpretation of Catholic doctrine necessary for ensuring fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church and to the sentire cum Ecclesia, while leaving open to legitimate discussion the study and theological explanation of particular expressions and formulations present in the texts of the Second Vatican Council and of the Magisterium that followed it.
In the course of the same meeting, some elements were proposed regarding a canonical solution for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, which would follow the eventual and hoped-for reconciliation.
After this text being published, Bishop Fellay answered some questions in DICI, official SSPX Website :
[1. On the Doctrinal Preamble mentioned in the official Communiqué released by the Holy See:] "This document is titled Doctrinal Preamble, it was handed to us for a profound study. Due to this fact, it is confidential, and you will understand if I do not say anything else about it to you. Nonetheless, the word preamble indicates well that its acceptance constitutes a preliminary condition for all canonical recognition of the Society of Saint Pius X by the Holy See"
[2. On the content of the Doctrinal Preamble:] "I must in the name of objectivity recognize that one cannot find, in the doctrinal preamble, a marked distinction between the dogmatic area and the pastoral area subject to discussion. The only thing I can declare, because it is included in the communiqué, is that the preamble contains, 'doctrinal principles and criteria of interpretation of Catholic doctrine necessary for ensuring fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church and to the sentire cum Ecclesia, while leaving open to legitimate discussion the study and theological explanation of particular expressions and formulations present in the texts of the Second Vatican Council and of the Magisterium that followed it.' There it is, not more, not less."
[3. On the canonical statute to be proposed, concerning the rumors of an Ordinariate or of a Prelature:] "As you correctly recall, this canonical statute is conditional [on a response to the Preamble]; its exact format cannot be seen but afterwards, and still remains the object of discussion."
[4. In response to the question, "When do you believe you will present your response to the proposition of Doctrinal preamble?"] "As soon as I have taken the time that is needed to study this document and to consult with the main officials of the Society of Saint Pius X, because, in such an important matter, I am obligated before my brethren not to take any decision without consulting with them beforehand.
"But I can assure you that our decision will be taken for the good of the Church and of souls. Our Rosary crusade that has been taking place for several months must increase in intensity to allow us to obtain, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, the graces of light and strength of which we have greater need than ever."