French diocesan Bishop confirms in SSPX chapel
Local SSPX priest in dispute with superiors






The following is reported by French blog Summorum Pontificuм observatus:







"A gesture that shakes things up and elicits admiration. Yesterday, Sunday, March 11, in the morning, Bishop [Jean] Bonfils [Emeritus of Nice], the Administrator of the Diocese of Ajaccio [Corsica] up until the installment of Bishop-Elect de Germay, went to the church served by the SSPX in Ajaccio. It was not simply a visit of courtesy or of pure diplomacy: Bp. Fellay being unable to come to Ajaccio for a very long period, his fellow bishop, Bp. Bonfils, proposed to him, by his own will, to carry on the confirmation of 19 candidates to this sacrament. The representative of the SSPX could not refuse the sacrament proposed by the Bishop in charge of the Diocese, even more so when he, naturally, conferred it according to the Traditional Rite. Bp. Bonfils celebrated the Mass of Saint Pius V afterwards.




"This act accomplished by a French Bishop, in the current context of the proposition made by the Pope to Bp. Fellay of a canonical statute of a universal personal prelature is not without meaning. [Rorate note: that is not the exact state of things; as we last reported, the whole matter is still under the consideration of the Holy See.] That he [Bp. Bonfils] was simply and normally received by the faithful of the SSPX is also very gladdening."



Addendum: Unfortunately, things do not look as rosy as reported above. We hear the following from trusted sources: (1) that the local SSPX priest, Fr. Hervé Mercury, was already involved in personal divergences with his superiors; (2) that, differently from what was mentioned above, the celebration was not conducted out of any sort of agreement with the SSPX General House; (3) that the same Fr. Mercury was already involved in discussions with Bp. Bonfils [updated information]. These things are not particularly bad in themselves, but they completely change the tone of what took place: not a disinterested pastoral visit, but a complex dispute between a priest who wishes to leave a society, his superiors, and a local diocesan bishop.




http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2012/03/very-relevant-heart-of-good-son-french.html

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2012/03/very-relevant-heart-of-good-son-french.html

Just to be clear, this story is a year old, right?

He is at lease a validly ordained Priest, ordained in 1954.

No surprise.  Rocognise and Resist when necessary.

Both the SSPX and Resistance Fathers recognize the local bishop as their ordinary.  If you believe these are to be your hierarchs, than of coarse you allow them to perform such actions.

Just in Corsica, or anywhere on French soil, or at all SSPX sites world-wide?

Such a surprising policy would seem to be problematic at many SSPX Mass sites, e.g.: one on whose sermons I believe you've posted first-hand reports: the SSPX priory in Sanford (Fla.).  The current bishop of the Diocese of Orlando (Fla.): John Gerard Noonan, was "ordained" for the Diocese of Miami (Fla.) in 1983, more than a dozen years after the Novus Ordo Ordinal became mandatory.  He was promoted(?) to monsignor in 2001, when appointed by the Conciliar Pope John Paul II to serve as "Chaplain to His Holiness".  It should be no surprise that he was "consecrated" bishop a few years later, in 2005.  So I think he'd have to be counted among Vatican-II-embracing modernists.  It's possible that he, like much of the modern hierarchy, even at the Vatican, doesn't really know Latin.

Considering that Noonan is the ordinary of the Roman diocese that includes Sanford, would he be welcome at the SSPX priory to administer his Novus Ordo confirmations?

I would expect an SSPX priory to reserve the episcopally administered sacraments for visits from one of the SSPX bishops consecrated by Abp. Lefebvre in the traditional sacrament of Holy Orders.  But I don't claim to understand how SSPX or SSPX-SO works.  Perhaps someone can point out something important that I've overlooked.

I had to re-think my thoughts. Perhaps the "UNA cuм" question is much more complex than I originally thought. Being "one with" the local bishop and Holy Father --- this is something much more than words, is it in their deeds as well. If the SSPX and Resistance priests are truly "una cuм" the local ordinary and holy father, it's not enough to just mention them in the Canon of the Mass. They should submit to these authorities and not resist. Otherwise when the priest goes up to the holy of holies, is he really not acting as how he believes? If the SSPX and SSPX-SO truly believes this, then they should run at every opportunity to make a deal with the Holy See as truly being one is not accomplished simply by just praying for someone, rather it is through the obedience and guidance through these figures who they acknowledge as legitimate authorities of the church that they should submit to.