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Rome-SSPX
German District Superior: "for that we are grateful"
Editorial of the May 2012 issue of the monthly of the German District of the Society of Saint Pius X, Mitteilungsblatt, penned by the District Superior, and former SSPX Superior General, Father Franz Schmidberger:


Stuttgart, April 20, 2012


 Dear friends and benefactors, dear faithful,


“We hold fast, with all our heart and with all our soul, to Catholic Rome, Guardian of the Catholic faith and of the traditions necessary to preserve this faith, to Eternal Rome, Mistress of wisdom and truth.”


 “We refuse, on the other hand, and have always refused to follow the Rome of neo-Modernist and neo-Protestant tendencies which were clearly evident in the Second Vatican Council and, after the Council, in all the reforms which issued from it.”


 In this statement of Abp. Lefebvre of his epochal declaration of 21 November 1974 are contained two inseparable fundamental principles: on one hand, the rejection of the spirit of the Council, of some of the declarations of the council and of some of the reforms that arose from the Council – and we have devoted ourselves with all our force to this task since the foundation of the Fraternity in 1970. On the other, unbreakable relations with Rome, insofar as it portrays eternal Rome. We cannot expect, however, that after the conciliar and post-conciliar collapse everything will be perfect again in the Church Militant within one day. The Church has in her bosom both saints and sinners. Amongst her human imperfections can even be counted errors, if they do not directly oppose the revealed truth. A Church Militant filled with saints only is the heresy of Jansenism, which has been condemned expressly by the Magisterium. Of course every Christian has the duty to fight sin and error, each according to his possibility and his position in the Church; however, we must always start with ourselves and align our lives with the principles of the Catholic faith.


 During and after the Council, the following slogan was issued time and time again: Ecclesia semper reformanda est – the Church is always being reformed. This statement is ambiguous and was shamefully abused by those who want to reform. It is only Catholic when we mean: the Church is always to be reformed in its members, the life of faith and morals must always be renewed, and even the discipline of the Church is sometimes to be adapted to new circuмstances. But the structure of the church is God-given and cannot be altered nor “renewed” by man.


Let us then not forget in the heat of our battle the first principle of Abp. Lefebvre: the Church was founded by Christ on Peter. To him he entrusted the keys of heaven, to him he gave the mandate to feed the sheep (Mt. 16, 18ff; Jn 21, 15ff). And the field of the Church may be filled with tares, so full that one can hardly see the wheat – the Church has the promise of eternal life; the Lord is with her all the days until the end of times (Mt. 28, 20). It is His Church, not ours. We do not have the right to dispose of her. We cannot see the Church in a too human, too political, or too diplomatic way. However much St. Athanasius, in the fourth century A.D., saved the faith in the divinity of Christ, however much he safeguarded the survival of the Church – he was but a tool of Divine Providence, with which the promise of the Church’s perpetual existence was to be accomplished. Had he flinched from this mission, God would have called upon another tool. And it is like this with Archbishop Lefebvre and the Society of Saint Pius X that he founded: the founder and his work have significantly contributed to upholding for the Church the true Holy Mass, the doubt-free sacraments, and the deposit of the faith during stormy times. And yet, the great confessor-bishop, the priests that he ordained, the bishops that he consecrated, they are but unprofitable servants (Lk 17, 10), who are in the service of Divine Providence and promise. How much grace, greatness and joy lay in this being allowed to serve! And yet, the tools do not possess the promise of eternal life, but the Church does, as the Mystical Body of the Lord. And this is why we hold fast, with all our heart, to eternal Rome, and why we want to be neither heretical, nor schismatic, but simply Catholic.


 If Rome now calls us back from the exile to which it expelled us in 1975 with the abrogation of the [canonical] approval [of the Society], and even more in 1988 with the decree of excommunication, then that is an act of justice and without doubt also an act of authentic pastoral care of Pope Benedict XVI. And for that we are grateful.


 With priestly benediction in the risen Lord and His most Holy Mother.


Yours,


 Father Franz Schmidberger

They need to consecrate a couple more bishops FAST.

Complete 180 in terms of talking points on the part of some within the SSPX. Years ago it was Modernist Rome who needed to repent and turn from its errors. Now its we, the naughty SSPX who are looking to be called back from being expelled. Quo Vadis SSPX?

Well, he is saying it's an act of justice.  But yes, it's totally incompatible with what has been said before about the modernists.

No surprises there from Fr Schmidberger. There will of course be priests like this and  chapel attendee's who support him. Just look at how some in Germany still vote for the CDU. The Party of Merkel and Krah.

I thought this important so I posted Dumb Ox's comment here.Let us not forget that the elderly Fr. Maessen left Fr Pfluger ashen faced and was applauded by vast majority of clerics present.Fr Schmidberger like Bishop Fellay are following their own ambitions.They are happy to compromise.


http://cathinfo-warning-pornography!/Ignis_Ardens/index.php?s=04dbf89d2c58f38f67694fadcdca2114&showtopic=9287&view=getnewpost

Quote

Dear Gabriel,

I am aware that you have a soft-spot for Fr. Schmidberger and so will not care much to hear it, but Dawn Marie and gregj are correct.

Fr. Schmidberger has been intent upon making a deal for a long time. His influence in the matter is such that when the two bishops travelled last week to meet specifically with Bishop Fellay and his General Council they arrived only to find that Fr. Schmidberger was additionally there waiting for them. He is not part of Bishop Fellay's General Council.

The priests of the German District are in fact very much opposed to any deal being made. It is not the other way around.

Those pushing heavily for a deal in Germany are Fr's. Schmidberger and Frey with the close collaboration of Fr. Pfluger and The Crow.

Two meetings were held for the priests in Germany, just as in France, in order to attempt to sell a deal to them. Both meetings were addressed by Fr. Pfluger who spoke for several hours. On both occasions he met almost universal opposition amongst the priests. Every argument that Fr. Pfluger proposed for assimilation was utterly demolished in minutes by the heroic Fr. Maessen who just kept quoting Archbishop Lefebvre back to him.

Unfortunately, nobody has been able to cite a credible source for these stories of French and German resistence.

They seem to have aappeared gratuitously, and then sent around the internet.

I hope they are true, but there is nothing credible to bacck them.

As Dumb Ox writes.

http://cathinfo-warning-pornography!/Ignis_Ardens/index.php?showtopic=9263&st=25

The SSPX resistance has already formed its nucleus and is now beginning to approach and talk with colleagues about the grave danger of a canonical deal.

Among the nucleus of resistance, that is those who have so far declared to each other their determined opposition and resistance to any deal can be included:

1) at least half of the people who will consist the General Chapter.
2) at least seven District Superiors with full support of their district priests.
3) three districts whose priests solidly oppose a deal in contrast to their District Superior.
4) at least two Seminary Rectors and their professors.
5) every member of the SSPX Theological Commission involved in the doctrinal discussion with the Newchurch theologians.
6) three bishops.

It is a heavy-weight resistance already and that is only its nucleus. Many SSPX members including District Superiors and Seminary Rectors have not yet been personally approached. That will surely be done now that the ball is rolling and gathering momentum.

On top of that, although they do not belong to SSPX, can be counted the chief religious orders allied to SSPX. They also carry great weight and will have their influence upon things.


Dear Binx,

"Aye. In my circles, the prevailing trust seems to be placed in +F".

Are you referring to members of SSPX or those among its faithful?

Rome will have a fight on their hands if they think the Irish will hand them over their chapels and Mass centre's. Just one example.Bishop Fellay needs to remember we housed and financed his priests and looked after them well. Thousands of punts and now Euro have been given over the years. These are our chapels

So be it if faithful have to 'occupy' a chapel

I'm not sure if readers follow events in Ireland but a friend of mine sent me this regarding Cardinal Brady. There has been calls again today for Cardinal Brady to resign.Relevant for this thread and any deal with Rome. It's the likes of Sean Brady who become Cardinals.

The Novus Ordo Primate of all Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady has been caught out, yet again. This is the huckster who gave a cast-iron assurance that he would resign if found out covering up child abuse, but refused to do so, because he said that the pantheistic, teilhardian non holy spirit told him to stay on that he may "lead reform and renewal in Ireland," no less! He blames an "unhealthy culture of deference at the time." It is only unhealthy (and extremely dangerous!) to defer to apostate wolves in sheep's clothing. The true Catholic Church is the "voice of God" as St Paul says, and it is most salutary and safe to defer to it.

The Society reformers will direct their fire power away from Rome and the dioceses towards their own 'schismatics'. The new Rome-friendly construct we have seen lately will develop quickly to become part of Ratzinger's strange legacy that is inveigling some jaded trad minds. For hostile priests and laymen to remain with an entity so infused with unavoidable doses of future experimentation may be asking too much. If they are going to act to stop all this, they must act now. Tomorrow will be too late.

Rorate Caeli, who favour an agreement posted this.

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2012/05/rome-sspx-us-district-superior-matter.html

Rome-SSPX
U.S. District Superior: "The matter is in the hands of the Holy Father and we are waiting for His decision."

The Superior of the American District of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) asks for a special novena regarding the current moment, in a "Letter to friends and benefactors" that has just been released:

May 2012

Dear Friends and Benefactors,


A lot of rumors are being spread regarding the relations between the Roman authorities and the Society of St. Pius X. On this regard, I wish to simply remind the communiqué from the General House of the Society of April 18, 2012:

In a letter dated April 17, 2012, the Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X responded to the request for clarification that had been made to him on March 16 by Cardinal William Levada concerning the Doctrinal Preamble delivered on September 14, 2011. As the press release dated today from the Ecclesia Dei Commission indicates, the text of this response “will be examined by the dicastery (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) then submitted to the Holy Father for his judgment".

The matter is in the hands of the Holy Father and we are waiting for His decision.

Let us remember that it is to our Superior General, and only to him, that has been entrusted by the law of the Church and the will of Archbishop Lefebvre the delicate task of our relations with Rome. As such, he is the only competent authority to take prudent decisions for our Society. Because of his function and his 18 years of leadership in keeping the Faith and seeking the common good of the Church, we renew to him all our confidence, trust and respectful obedience in this difficult time. Our filial piety to him, as to the Sovereign Pontiff, pushes us to do more than usual in these unusual circuмstances: we desire to bring to them the support of all your prayers.

To pray is indeed the most important, and as a matter of fact, the only thing we can do now. I would like to ask you to double your efforts in the Rosary Crusade, which will end on Pentecost Sunday (May 27, 2012), keeping in mind the striking results of the previous ones. I wish also to solicit your generosity in offering a novena to the Holy Ghost.

The intention of this novena will be that the Holy Ghost may give the graces of light and strength to the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, and to the Superior General  of the Society, Bishop Fellay.

The novena consists of praying the Veni Creator Spiritus and adding the Memorare (Remember, O Most Gracious Virgin Mary) starting on May 8 and ending on May 16, the vigil of the feast of the Ascension of Our Lord.

I authorize the priests to add these prayers just before or after their daily Mass.

Let us pray that the Good Lord may keep us all united in the Faith and in a corps spirit around our Superior, working for the Restoration of all things in Christ as ever.

In the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

Fr. Arnaud Rostand

Question to Fr Rostand. Where are these rumours being spread?