Interesting primarily because of the rumor that Rome was approving bishops for the SSPX, and the rumor that the canonical structure for a reconciled SSPX would be a personal prelature.  Is there any link between this new legislation and Rome/Menzingen's plans for the SSPX?

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/it/motu_proprio/docuмents/20230808-motu-proprio-prelature-personali.html








Personal prelatures are, for the first time, mentioned by the Second Vatican Council in the Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, No. 10, with regard to the distribution of presbyters, as part of the solicitude for all the Churches.

This spirit is taken up by the same Council in the Decree Ad gentes, which states "where, in order to make particular pastoral works easier for the different social classes, provision is made for the establishment of personal prelatures, as the proper exercise of the apostolate will have required" (note 105).

The Motu Proprio Ecclesiae Sanctae (Aug. 6, 1966), in the article devoted to "Distribution of clergy and aids to be provided to the dioceses," regarding Prelatures recalls: "in order to encourage special pastoral or missionary initiatives in favor of certain regions or social groups, which need special help, Prelatures may fruitfully be erected by the Apostolic See composed of presbyters of the secular clergy, possessing special training, endowed with their own statutes and under the direction of their own Prelate" (I,4).

In the 1983 Code of Canon Law, consistent with this view, personal prelatures are placed in Book II, under Title IV of Part I, where they deal with "the Christian faithful," among "sacred ministers or clerics" (Title III) and "associations of the faithful" (Title V).

Considering that with the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate evangelium (March 19, 2022), Art. 117, the competence over personal prelatures was transferred to the Dicastery for the Clergy, on which also depend the public clerical associations with the faculty to incardinate clerics (Art. 118, 2);

Given canon 265 and art. 6 of M.P. Ad charisma tuendum (July 14, 2022)

I now dispose of the following:

Art. 1

To can. 295, § 1, concerning statutes and the Prelate, it is added that the personal Prelature is "assimilated to public clerical associations of pontifical right with the faculty of incardinating clerics," that its statutes may be "approved or enacted by the Apostolic See," and that the Prelate acts "as Moderator, endowed with the faculties of an Ordinary," resulting in the canon in question being formulated as follows:

Can. 295, § 1. The personal prelature, which is similar to public clerical associations of pontifical law with the ability to incardinate clerics, is governed by statutes approved or emanated by the Apostolic See and presided over by the Prelate as Moderator, endowed with the faculties of an Ordinary, who has the right to erect a national or international seminary as well as to incardinate students, and promote them to orders under title of service to the prelature.

Art. 2

In can. 295, § 2, concerning the responsibilities of the Prelate regarding the formation and sustenance of the incardinated clerics of the Prelature, it is specified that he acts "as Moderator, endowed with the faculties of an Ordinary," resulting in the same canon being worded as follows:

Can. 295, § 2. As a Moderator endowed with the faculties of an Ordinary, the Prelate must provide either for the spiritual education of those whom he has promoted by the aforementioned title, or for their dignified support.

Art. 3

To can. 296, concerning the participation of the laity in the apostolic activities of the personal prelature, the reference to can. 107 is added, resulting in the above-mentioned canon worded as follows:

Can. 296. Servatis can. 107 according to the provisions and agreements entered into with the prelature, the laity can dedicate themselves to the apostolic works of the personal prelature; but the manner of this organic cooperation and the main duties and rights connected with it, shall be determined appropriately in the statutes.

What has been deliberated by this Apostolic Letter in the form of a Motu Proprio, I order to be firm and stable in force, notwithstanding anything to the contrary even if worthy of special mention, and to be promulgated in L'Osservatore Romano, entering into force on the day of its publication, and thus included in the official commentary of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.

Given in Rome, at St. Peter's, on the Memorial of St. Dominic, this 8th day of August 2023, the eleventh of the Pontificate.

FRANCIS

The link it's not working.

It contains a Cathinfo forbidden word.  You will have to copy/paste the link into your search browser.

Testing: gαy Jew h0Ɩ0cαųst

NB: It worked!!

Wait, what?  It worked initially, then went back to weird.  I give up.

What do you mean?  Your post is clear and unscambled for me.  It won't go back in time to fix past posts.

There have been rumors of the reconciliation of the SSPX with Rome for over 40 years now.  I remember it from the early 1980s.  Don't know how they get started.

I'll believe it when it happens.

 At first reading the main change seems to be demoting the Prelate from being the Ordinary to being a Moderator possessing the faculties of an Ordinary. An Ordinary, at least in theory, can act freely, whereas a Moderator requires the consent of his council to do anything substantive.
 It makes for a good way to be able to appoint a conservative or traditional leaning person to the position while his council prevents him from making any real changes. There's probably more to it; a wily one Francis is.

Pre-revision
Can. 295 §1. The statutes established by the Apostolic See govern a personal prelature, and a prelate presides over it as the proper ordinary; he has the right to erect a national or international seminary and even to incardinate students and promote them to orders under title of service to the prelature.

§2. The prelate must see to both the spiritual formation and decent support of those whom he has promoted under the above-mentioned title.

Can. 296 Lay persons can dedicate themselves to the apostolic works of a personal prelature by agreements entered into with the prelature. The statutes, however, are to determine suitably the manner of this organic cooperation and the principal duties and rights connected to it.

They couldn't really keep a personal prelature secret.  (Or could they?)

I'm reminded here of Delta House's "double secret probation" in Animal House.

Well, here is one possible consideration: +Lefebvre had it in his mind that he was going to consecrate Bishops prior to June 1988. In order to prevent a mass defection from the Society, both of clergy and of laity, the foundations were laid for the consecrations well in advance.

first, from what I understand, the discussions amongst the senior priests, superiors, seminary rectors, etc were had and these clergy were polled. Material justifying the consecrations was circulated to the priests ahead of time. 

as far as the laity go, from what I recall, conferences justifying consecrations were held in some of the larger Mass centres, St Mary’s etc. Bishop Williamson dedicated his Eleison comments to justifying future consecrations. Etc. Archbishop Lefebvre knew and understood that an event as momentous as the consecration of 4 Bishops would provoke an extreme reaction, and understandably wanted to limit the number of defections from the Society’s rank. 

it is the same thing for a reconciliation, except now, the Society has to lay the ground work to undo the good, sound education drilled into the heads of the long time Society priests and faithful. The Priests who would be most vocally opposed have already been purged, so as to prevent them taking large numbers of faithful with them. 

I am skeptical of Sean’s theory that a secret recognition has already taken place, but I think it is more likely that we are in the “reprogramming” phase designed to soften us to an imminent recognition. 

This author sees it as a Jesuit-Opus Dei battle:

https://cathcon.blogspot.com/2023/08/jesuit-cardinal-ghirlanda-triumphs-and.html
August 08, 2023
Jesuit Cardinal Ghirlanda triumphs and Pope dynamites Opus Dei
The Holy See this morning made public a new Motu proprio signed by Pope Francis that directly affects Opus Dei.




APOSTOLIC LETTER
Cathcon: When I was in Brussels, Opus Dei and the Jesuits used to fight it out for influence at the top of the European Commission. Pope John Paul II turned to Opus Dei to fulfil the role that the Jesuits had forsaken after the Council of loyally doing the Pope's ecclesiastical will. Now, with a Jesuit Pope, it is payback time. So much for lay involvement. Francis does not really believe in it, especially if the laity ruin his modernist schemes.