Hopefully there will be a spit. The bigger, the better.
Are you not aware that this statement alone ipso facto removes YOU from the Church?
Hmm... interesting perspective.
It didn't jump off the page to me at all.
Thanks for pointing that out, LordPhan.
Could you provide some reference point you're basing it on? Unity of the Church?
On the contrary, Augustine (Contra Faust. xx, 3; Contra Crescon. ii, 4) distinguishes between schism and heresy, for he says that a "schismatic is one who holds the same faith, and practises the same worship, as others, and takes pleasure in the mere disunion of the community, whereas a heretic is one who holds another faith from that of the Catholic Church." Therefore schism is not a generic sin.
Summa Theologica second part of the second part Question 39.
Phan, I cannot help but not be convinced by your assertion. It seems to me that if Bishop Fellay takes the Roman deal, he is effectively endorsing doctrinal pluralism -- ecuмenism -- and therefore by his public actions does not believe in the Catholic Faith, but the Conciliar one as enunciated by the "hermeneutic of continuity." That is to say, he seems to be willing to negotiate on points of Catholic doctrine, putting himself and his organisation at the mercy of neo-Modernists and their interpretations -- i.e., their teachings. This is not exactly the old Conciliarist religion; it is a qualified and updated version, but it is a form of the same old Conciliarism nonetheless in that Tradition is being subjugated to novel "hermeneutics" and subversive political programmes.
You said it yourself : Bishop Fellay seems to have adopted the position of the FSSP. If the FSSP believes in the continuity between the old doctrines and the new ones invented at and since the Robber Council, they practice with Benedict a different religion than the Catholic one, since they do not believe in the Church's teachings on religious liberty, ecuмenism, the visible unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, the authority of the Pope, etc. How would Fellay's situation be any different from that of the FSSP and Campos and Papa Stronsay ? He would be practicing the Benedictine religion, too, no ?
Thus, I do not think it is just to accuse somebody who favours a big split of supporting schism. On the contrary, it seems clear that Fellay means to make the deal, in which case the Catholic Faith would benefit from the most amount of people in the SSPX possible not going along with Menzingen's manoeuvre.
If we were to apply your logic to Papa Stronsay's situation, for instance, we would have no choice but to accuse of being a schismatic anybody who privately or publicly expressed the desire that as many of the Transapline Redemptorists as possible would leave their organisation and stay faithful to their old position and the Catholic Faith. The same applies to Campos, in which case we would need to accuse almost everybody in the SSPX -- who opposed both deals as defections and praised those priests who didn't go along with them -- of schism. Are you ready to do that ? It seems like it would be better to rescind your statement and apologise to Mysterium Fidei.
Hoping for a split amongst the faithful is schismatic. The Catholic thing to do is to pray that those causing it come to their senses, saying "The bigger the split the better" is in itself taking joy in schism. We are to be pained by it but be aware that it is happening and being on the right side.
Do not defend sin sir.
Let me clarify my position. Although I disagree with the SSPX regarding their position on the man that they recognize as the Pope, I have absolutely nothing against the SSPX, Bishop Fellay, or any of those that choose go to SSPX Chapels and receive the Sacraments from them. It is my fervent prayer that +Fellay comes to his senses and rejects any proposed deal with the Modernists, and remain faithful to Tradition.
I am operating under the assumption that a deal between +Fellay and Rome is basically a
done deal and the only thing remaining to be done is to announce the agreement.
IF then there is a deal, it is my hope and prayer that the 3 remaining Bishops and as many clergy and laity as possible reject the compromise with Modernists and remain faithful to Tradition.
My statement about hoping for a big split was certainly not meant to be uncharitable and I sincerely apologize if it appeared to be lacking in charity.