First of all Seraphim, I never said that ordering Bishop Williamson to shut down his blog was against Catholic doctrine. Just because something isn't against Catholic doctrine does not mean that command must be followed. For instance, demanding that Archbishop LeFebvre didn't Consecrate Bishops was not against Catholic doctrine. Does that mean Archbishop LeFebvre should have obeyed JPII? Of course not, because if he did then the SSPX would no longer exist. That was precisely why the Vatican didn't want him to Consecrate those Bishops, and exactly why they excommunicated him and the Society after he did the Consecrations. The Vatican was furious that the Society would continue, so they excommuncated them in order for them not to be recognized by the Vatican II church.
This isn't so much about Bishop Fellay trying to shut down EC. This is primarily about Fellay totally ignoring Archbishop LeFebvre's mission by trying to "reconcile" with modernists who have no interest in bringing back Tradition. None of the other three Bishops in the Society seem very interested in reconciling, yet Bishop Fellay apparently thinks it will achieve something.
But exactly what would it achieve? The approval of Novus Ordites? What Bishop Fellay needs to realize is that even if the Society becomes "regularlized" it won't make the modernists listen to them or like them anymore. Take the Fraternity of St. Peter for example. They're "in communion" with Rome, but do the modernists acknowledge them or act is if they exist? No, because they don't like Tradition or the Traditional Latin Mass. So if they don't follow the FSSP, what makes you, Bishop Fellay, or anyone else think they would follow the SSPX if they are "regularlized"? They don't even acknowledge that Benedict lifted the Society's excommunications two years ago, they still say the Society is "schismatic" and "offers illicit Masses". Even if a reconciliation occurs, they'll keep saying the same things unless the Society accepts Vatican II and the Novus Ordo.
The fact is, liberals and modernists only obey the Pope when he does something liberal. Oh, but when he does something even remotely Traditional (like release the Motu Proprio) they completely ignore him and what he does. And they accuse Traditional Catholics of not obeying the Pope! Look at the double standard!
So Bishop Fellay is wasting his time trying to reconcile. It's pointless. The ONLY thing it would accomplish would be getting a few more semi-Trads to show up at their chapels. That's it.
Then I consider the case closed:
You have just admitted the order to close down EC does not violate faith or morals.
The necessary conclusion, therefore, is obedience must be rendered.
But you don't like that conclusion (Which means your beef is not with me, but with Jesus and His Church and His moral law).
I doubt you will be able to find higher authority to overrule Him.
PS: I fully realize you will fall back to the entirely gratuitous "No bishop can bind another bishop" rationale (For which 16 pages of comments have been unable to provide a citation, and for which 2011 years of Church history provide countless examples of refutation).
PPS: After this, you will further regress to "Sure bishops can bind other bishops, but these bishops do not exercise ordinary jurisdiction." In which case, you have just pulled the rug out from under every sedevacantist and entirelyeliminated the doctrine of necessity from the corpus of Catholic doctrine. Quite an impressive feet! Did you stop to realize that after doing so, there is nothing left but obedience to modernism or the fictitious "lone bishop in the woods?"
Topic: Letter from Bishop Fellay to Bishop Williamson (Read 54138 times)