Tomorrow morning, the Holy See will deliver a two page docuмent to Bishop Fellay, which the Fraternity of Saint Pius X will have to make a decision about
 Andrea Tornielli
vatican city
 
 
The relationship between the Lefebvrians and the Holy See is a decisive step “of no return”, as the Holy See describe it. The superior of the Fraternity of Saint Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay will enter the Palace of the Holy Office accompanied by his collaborators, the abbot Niklaus Pfluger and abbot Marc-Alain Nely.
 
 
 
Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Monsignor Guido Pozzo will be there to greet them.
 


Vatican Insider has learnt that the Lefebvrian superior will be handed a two page docuмent, containing the Church’s appraisal of the doctrinal discussions held in recent months between the Vatican and the Fraternity, approved by the Pope. It is an altogether brief but accurate docuмent, which contains the answers to the problems raised in the discussions regarding the interpretation of the Second Vatican Council’s texts on religious freedom, ecuмenism and ecclesiology.
 


Monsignor Fellay, who so far, has not been implicated in the discussions, as the Frateriny’s superior, does not yet know the content of the docuмent that will be submitted to him. The former Holy Office will be asking him to take his time in evaluating it and to then offer a response within a reasonable space of time, if not immediately. In short, the Lefebvrians will have to adopt a position: they can ask the Holy See for further clarifications but they cannot beat around the bush any longer.
 
 
 
The Holy See considers the acceptance of the docuмent as an essential condition for full communion, which would also provide for a legal settlement for the Fraternity founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, probably through the constitution of a similar ordinariate to the one expected for the Anglicans.
 


Readers will recall that in recent years, Benedict XVI has taken a number of important steps to heal the mini – schism caused by Lefebvre with the illegitimate Episcopal ordinations that took place in 1988.
 
 
 
The Fraternity had agreed to resume discussions on two conditions, which it put to Rome: the first was the liberalisation of the old preconciliar missal; the second was that the excommunications would be revoked.

 
 
Pope Ratzinger implemented liberalisation using his own motto Summorum Pontificuм (2007), then in 2009 he saw to the revocation of the excommunications of four bishops that had been ordained by Lefebvre. Unfortunately, the moment was tarnished by the so called “Williamson case”, which came about as a result of the shocking answers one of the four bishops, Richard Williamson gave in an interview, in which he denied gas chambers ever existed.
 
 
 
Now it is decision time: the Lefebvrians have met with the Holy See, the former have presented a set of problems regarding the acceptance of the Second Vatican Council and now they are waiting for answers, in accordance with the conciliar hermeneutics proposed by Benedict XVI ever since the beginning of his Pontificate. As of tomorrow morning, the decision will be placed in the hands of the Lefebvrians. It is common knowledge that part of the Fraternity aspires to full communion while another part, Williamson included, tend to stress that it is impossible to reach an agreement with the post – conciliar Catholic Church.
 
 
 
The match taking place within the group of traditionalists, under Lefebvre, will not be an easy one. In the Vatican there are those who draw parallels between this and what has happened in recent times with Anglicans, who were offered an ordinariate by the Pope which allowed them to keep many of their traditions: “We accepted the comparison with Anglicans who wanted to enter into communion again with Roman Catholic Church. Those who did not want this were left out…”

I'd love to see the two page docuмent!

Answers to all of the questions raised regarding religious liberty, ecuмenism, liturgy, collegiality in two pages :rolleyes:? Wow. It must be a doozy!

Vatican, SSPX close to agreement?
Catholic World News
September 13, 2011

The Vatican is close to an agreement with the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) that would regularize the status of the breakaway traditionalist group, according to a report in Le Figaro.

Jean-Marie Guenois, the veteran religion correspondent for the French daily, predicts that a September 14 meeting between the SSPX leader, Bishop Bernard Fellay, and key Vatican officials will lead quickly to a resolution of the split that began in 1998 when the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre ordained 4 traditionalist bishops without permission from Rome, resulting in the excommunication of the SSPX leaders. Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunications in 2009, but the bishops and priests of the SSPX remain under suspension. That suspension could be lifted, and the SSPX given formal approval by the Holy See, under the terms of the agreement the Figaro writer envisions.

The Vatican and SSPX recently concluded a series of talks on theological issues, designed to identity the points on which the SSPX questions the teachings of Vatican II. According to Le Figaro, the proposed agreement would state that the issues raised by the SSPX are not fundamental doctrines of the Church, and it is possible to question them without challenging the authority of Church teaching.

Liberal Catholics will be unhappy with a regularization of the SSPX, Guenois concedes. But liberals will find it difficult to object to the proposed agreement, since they regularly claim to be loyal Catholics while raising questions about certain aspects of Church teaching.

"People of good will can differ on theological points and still remain in unity. People of good will can attain unity even when they disagree on matters which are by no means clear. The history of the Church’s great Councils underscores this fact.
How many times have I written that the so-called “Feeneyites” were able to be in union with the Church but without having to abjure their position about extra Ecclesiam nulla salus. The theological problems the SSPX has with the Second Vatican Council or the Holy See or anything else, don’t necessarily need to be the absolute obstruction to unity.

Questions of the role of the Church in the modern world or religious liberty are really hard. There is room for debate and disagreement. It is possible for people of good will to disagree about whether or not the fruits of Vatican II were all wonderful. There is a precedent for closer union even when we consider the theological concerns some SSPXers might be harboring."

I have a feeling  the count will start to  go way up in the sedevacantist camp.  

Quote from: MyrnaM

I have a feeling  the count will start to  go way up in the sedevacantist camp.  

Praise God if this becomes true. One step closer towards the end of the "crisis in the Church".