Here is an article by Pete Vere that I found interesting. I hope you don't mind, Pete, that I am posting this here. I am wondering if you have modified your views at all since this article was written.

http://www.catholic-legate.com/Apologetics/Ultra-Traditionalism/Articles/MyJourneyOutOfLefebvreSchism.aspx

If you're a Catholic who's faithful to the Church's teaching Magisterium, you've probably met up with followers of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre's 1988 schism, known as the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX). They're filled with devotion to the Blessed Mother, extremely conservative with regard to most moral issues afflicting the Western world today, and quite reverent before the Blessed Sacrament during their old Latin liturgies. In short, on the surface, adherents to Archbishop Lefebvre's schism appear to be devout Catholics.

It's easy to sympathize with these folks since most of them have joined the SSPX after being scandalized by contemporary abuses in doctrine and liturgy in some of our Catholic churches in North America. In fact, it was precisely because of such sympathies, as well as the beauty of the Tridentine Mass, that I found myself frequenting SSPX chapels about eight years ago. Like most SSPX adherents, at the time I thought that my separation from Rome was merely temporary.

I failed to realize, however, that at the root of every schism, as the present Code of Canon Law explains, "is the withdrawal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or from communion with the members of the Church subject to him" (Can. 751). Such ruptures from communion with the Church, the Catechism of the Catholic Church points out, "wound the unity of Christ's Body" (CCC 817). For that reason, at the heart of my journey back to full communion with Rome lay many questions about the unity of the Church as an institution founded by Christ.

What follows is a practical reflection on questions concerning Catholic Tradition that troubled my conscience during my sojourn in the SSPX schism. The answers to these questions eventually led me to conclude that Sacred Tradition can only be fully actualized in communion with Rome. My conclusions draw upon eight years of personal experience within the Traditionalist Movement – the last five after being reconciled to Rome. In addition, during the last two years I've pursued a licentiate in canon law from the Church, studies that have culminated in the publication of a major research paper entitled "A Canonical History of Archbishop Lefebvre's Schism." Here's a brief account of what I learned that led to my reconciliation with Rome....

Here is an article by Pete Vere that I found interesting. I hope you don't mind, Pete, that I am posting this here. I am wondering if you have modified your views at all since this article was written.

I think most of us who were around from back then have modified our views since those days. So yes, I would include myself among them. Additionally, the FSSPX itself has changed quite a bit as well.

Some of the major things I did not foresee back then: Cardinal Ratzinger being elected Pope Benedict, or his promulgation of SP that led to a flooding of new traditionalists within the Ecclesia Dei communities.

One thing I did foresee back then that most other traddies disagreed with me over: The eventual split between Mgr. Williamson and the FSSPX, after which he would jettison the FSSPX's traditional hard line against sedevacantism.

Other no brainers include:

- The consolidation between Ecclesia Dei communities and Feeneyite communities, which for the most part have now been regularized.

- The growth and mainstreaming of sedevacantism within traditionalism.

- Mgr TdM's position as the most hardline of the three bishops on the one hand, and his refusal to go along with Mgr. W. on the other.

Those things that did surprise me? That it would be Mgr. Fellay among the four bishops pushing hard for reconciliation. The assumption back then, for reasons I will not get into, is that the push from among the four bishops would come from Mgr. dG. With regards to Mgr Fellay, the assumption is he would remain in the middle between Mgr. dG and Mgr. TdM.

Another surprise is the high percentage of former FSSPX priests and faithful who completely bypass the Ecclesia Dei movement (or remain there only temporarily) after leaving the FSSPX, and go Novus Ordo.

The number of sedeprivationists who abandoned or renounced sedeprivationism to embrace the Ecclesia Dei one.

As far as predictions that have not yet come to pass, but which I still see happening in the future?

- The bulk of the Resistance will be absorbed into sedevacantism or sedeprivationism.

- Mgr. Williamson will prevail ideologically over his reported priestly critics within the Resistance.

- The FSSPX will either reach an accord with Rome regularizing their canonical situation, or find itself a Latin equivalent of the Polish National Catholic Church once the current generation passes.

- Sedeprivationism, currently on life-support, will re-emerge much more strongly within the next decade. the re-emergent sedeprivationism will be much less intellectual than its historic predecessor, but much broader and more passionate, practical and emotional.