As someone who attends the FSSP regularly(but has experience with the SSPX and groups further to the right of the FSSP), i had some questions which might be good food for thought.
1. Given that there are prominent theologians within the mainstream (or "Conciliar") Church who oppose a more liberal interpretation of Vatican 2(Fr. Thomas Crean O.P, the priests of the Fraternity of St. Vincent Ferrer, Dr. Thomas Pink, etc), what keeps you from attending the FSSP or ICKSP? I know folks on here like to throw around the idea that the sacraments from FSSP/ICK might not be valid, but I've found that hard to swallow for a number of reasons. Fr. Marie O.P of Avrille (a Resistance Dominican) argued that the sacraments of the New Rite are valid. If one is a Sedevacantist I guess I can understand disregarding Fr. Marie's view, but even so rejecting the sacraments of the New Rite raises serious problems. (even if one does hold the Thesis ) I'm of the opinion that as with politics, one has to be a realist in theology(that is, we as Traditional Catholics must start with what we have, not with a desired outcome or resolution to the Crisis) The fact of the matter is that the vast number of priests, Bishops, and Cardinals today were ordained/consecrated under the New Rite. Let's say that tomorrow, the Pope(or Pope elect if one holds the Thesis) decides to restore the TLM and declares that Vatican 2 must be interpreted traditionally. Do you really think that thousands and thousands of priests and Bishops (and indeed, the Pope himself) would suddenly view their orders as invalid and seek re-ordination/consecration? (and if they did, who would we have to re-ordain/re-consecrate all these folks? The SSPX isn't going to do it as they accept Fr. Marie's position and see the NRO?NRC as valid. The Resistance clergy (of who Fr. Marie is one obviously ) aren't united on the question, and the Thuc clergy more than likely don't have valid orders (even according to the vast majority of Traditionalist non-Thuc clergy) All this to say that it seems much more prudent and reasonable to accept the NRO/NROC if oen wants to consider serious solutions to the Crisis.
2. What is the issue with interpreting Vatican 2 in the light of Tradition?(or in different ways) Again, one has to consider the reality. It's great to oppose religious liberty (I'm firmly of the belief that no one has an absolute right to deny the authority of the Church/Catholic teaching in a Catholic state, though the state may tolerate such attitudes out of concern for the common good) But consider- there are no Catholic states today and it does not seem that there will be any in the near future. Is it really worth separating oneself from the Pope and the Church over an inconsequential difference?(at least in our modern period) One could read Vatican 2 in the modern context as arguing that in SECULAR STATES(almost all developed countries today) one has the right to practice one's religion freely. I'd argue that's a reasonable reading given that V2(DH in particualr) was speaking to the modern world in a context where Communism threatened the Church and religion more generally.
The same can be said about ecuмenism. Many Trads will reject V2 on the grounds that it teaches that we worship the same God as Jews and Muslims. There is a sense in which that's true however. We all claim to worship the one God, and in the sense that Jews and Muslims are monotheists, we do worship the same God. However, they have not reached the fully correct understanding of God( that He is Trinity in Unity) In that sense we can say that we do not worship the same God- but the vast majority of even Novus Ordo priests I know would hold this position. With the exception of extremely liberal clergy who are very few in number, almost no one claims that our understanding of who God is is exactly the same as that of Jews and Muslims.
I'd highly recommend reading Dominus Jesus on these matters.
Fr. Pierre-Marie Berthe of the SSPX (who is one of their most learned priests) seems to argue that the rupture between Rome and +ABL was pastoral, not primarily over doctrine. This argument has a number of points in its favor, not the least of which is that whatever one wants to say, +ABL did sign all the docuмents of V2 as well as the 1988 declaration. If he was firmly of the opinion that V2 contained heresy, why did he do these things?
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Just my thoughts. I'd be interested in what people have to say.