Even MORE regarding ABL on the lack of jurisdiction over the EXEMPT religious congregations allied with Tradition:
#93: Change (Extorting Holy Orders for Loyalty?):
In late June, 2012 three Dominican subdeacons from Avrille, France and three Deacons from the Capuchins of Morgon were among those on retreat, preparing for their forthcoming ordinations to the diaconate and priesthood six days hence (on June 29). Abruptly, they were extracted from among their colleagues, and sent back to their respective monasteries, and told they would no longer be ordained.
What had happened? Had someone come forward regarding impediments to the reception of further major orders? Had their seminary professors second-guessed their former favorable appraisals of the candidates' academic or moral fitness?
On the contrary:
According to what has become known as the Steffeshausen Memorandum, Avrille provides some context to the June 25 letter of the General House in which the postponement of ordinations is announced:
"In the afternoon of 21 June 2012, the Secretary General of the SSPX called the Father Prior of Avrille. After having reproached him for playing in the refectory a sermon of a prior of the SSPX who was hostile to the agreement with Rome, he added, 'Father, if we sign an agreement with Rome, will you follow us?' Father Prior, a little surprised, explained to him that if there were an agreement with Rome, it would be on the basis of the Doctrinal Declaration that Bishop Fellay had sent to Rome in April and that we had not yet even seen. 'Indeed, you are not familiar with this text, but I cannot tell you about it.
You must trust us.'
Father Prior asked him for two days to reflect on the matter, which he obtained with difficulty.
The next day on June 22, at 9:26 AM, without waiting for the two days to pass, we received a fax from Bishop Fellay, followed by an email from the Secretary General, informing us of the refusal to ordain to the diaconate the three brothers who were to be ordained at Econe on 29 June. Bishop Fellay wrote in his fax:
'
Confidence in the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X has been shaken in your friary; therefore, I think it is necessary to postpone the ordination of the candidates you have presented for the ceremony to be held 29 June next, at Econe...We will wait until confidence has been restored; this will be better for everyone!'
Fr. Thouvenot wrote in his email:
'I did my best to relate to Bishop Fellay the conversation we had yesterday, but obviously the simple fact that you had your community listen to Fr. Koller's crazy sermon, as well as the fact that you needed more than 24 hours to respond to a simple question of trust in his authority, are enough to convince him that he needs to postpone the ordinations. This morning he forwarded a fax to you informing you of it. In the hope that you will fall into line and reestablish normal relations of harmonious collaboration, I assure you of my religious devotion.'"
http://www.ecclesiamilitans.com/steffeshausen_foundation.pdf (See pp. 7-8.)
A circular letter from the general House to SSPX priests
et al by Fr. Christian Thouvenot explained the reason for cancelling the ordinations:
"Finally, Bp. Fellay has decided to postpone the ordinations of the Dominicans of Avrillé and Capuchins of Morgon that were to take place in Écône on June 29. This postponement of Holy Orders was motivated simply by the wish to ensure the loyalty of these communities before the imposition of hands on their candidates (cf. I Tim. 5, 22)."
https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2012/06/for-record-confidentiality-like-water.htmlNote that the scriptural citation adduced as a justification for the postponement of ordination is neither here nor there: The moral and intellectual fitness for the reception of Holy Orders which this passage pertains to had long since been ascertained by the superiors of the various candidates. In fact, the stated justification of ensuring loyalty of the respective communities to Menzingen follows nearly as a non-sequitur.
But were not these communities independent and exempt from the jurisdiction of the SSPX bishops?
How then could the loyalty of their independent and exempt communities be adduced as grounds for withholding ordinations, when Archbishop Lefebvre had stated on 4/27/81 that he did not want to be Master General of the Dominicans, whereas in October/2012 at the Benedictine monastery at Bellaigue, Bishop de Galarreta informed Father Prior that he must consider Bishop Fellay as taking the place of the Master General of the Order?(
Ibid., p.9)
This illegitimate arrogation of "authority" represented a raw and unjust departure from the position of Archbishop Lefebvre with regard to the religious communities.
Moreover, to withhold ordination on the basis of these communities' fidelity to the Church and Tradition, and refusing to go along with Bishop Fellay's revolution and sellout is objectively an indefensible abuse of the episcopacy, in the case where the ordinands are all adjudged to be perfectly fit candidates for major orders.
Consequently, the postponement tactic of Bishop Fellay was nothing more than coercion or spiritual blackmail, having nothing to do with the fitness of the candidates, whatever pretext Bishop Fellay may have tried to create with the reference to I Tim. 5, 22.
PS: It would not be the last time Bishop Fellay would abuse his authority in this manner. In 2016, the Capuchins had recently published a book explaining why a deal with unconverted Rome was not acceptable. Soon thereafter, they sided with the 7 French Deans, who wrote a letter of opposition to the SSPX's acceptance of the 2017 "Pastoral guidelines" subjecting SSPx marriages to conciliar authority. Consequently, Bishop Fellay reverted to his extortion tactics, threatening for a 2nd time to withhold ordinations from Morgon. You can read about that incident here:
https://tradidi.com/menzingen-refuses-to-ordain-the-capuchins-deacons
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