Didn't Bishop Fellay tell us we did not have to worry about the SSPX ever changing its Statutes as a result of its pursuit of a practical accord with modernist Rome?
Well, here is an excerpt from the SSPX Statutes (1976 version, augmented by the General Chapter of 1982) vs the new policy (which will necessarily result in....changing the Statutes):
"5. The entry into the Fraternity is realized for the clergy through the commitment, publicly expressed before the Superior General or his delegate and before the Blessed Sacrament, to remain faithful to the statutes. This commitment cannot take place before a year of preparation in a house of the Fraternity.
6. Clerics during their formative years up to the sub-diaconate will make annual commitments. From the sub-diaconate they can commit for three years and after a new re-engagement of three years they can make a permanent commitment. For priests who would commit themselves to the Fraternity they must make at least one commitment of three years before their final commitment. The brothers, according to their particular statutes, after six years of temporary vows, that is to say two times three years, make perpetual vows."
NB: The new policy was first announced publicly in December, 2018. In all likelihood, therefore, it was agreed to change them at the 2018 General Chapter. The change is certainly related to the pursuit of an accord with modernist Rome (i.e., coming into conformity with the 1983 CIC: With the SSPX now arguing "the state of necessity recedes," they no longer have any theological justification for deviating from the canon law of the conciliar church).
Fr. Girouard on changes to the SSPX Constitutions/Statutes upon the announcement of the creation of two new "Counselor" positions upon the closing of the 2018 General Chapter:
"In other words: Such a change to the Statutes of the Society is a clear indicator that the General Chapter “means business” with the issue of an agreement with non-converted Rome. The Major Superiors have learned the hard way that such a move had to be done with the best tools available, and not hapharzadly like before.
They seem to have realized that the original Statutes defining the administrative mechanisms of the Society were not adapted to the requirements of achieving a deal with Rome. Indeed, the tumults experienced since 2012 showed them that such negotiations had to be done more “prudently”, in order to avoid an open resistance from the Society’s rank-and-file members. Therefore, they changed the Statutes, and chose Bp. Fellay and Fr. Schmidberger to fill the new positions.
This is nothing else than a deliberate blinding of the intellect and hardening of the heart. Instead of listening to the serious and compelling arguments of the Resistance against an agreement with non-converted Rome, the General Chapter has decided to change the Statutes so as to get such an official “recognition” from Rome. Let us hope that this imitation of Pharao’s obstinacy will not bring upon the Society the Plagues God had sent to Egypt!"
https://thebastion.faith/a-novelty-in-the-sspx-structure-the-general-councillors/And so too in the present instance:
A conciliar SSPX needs to be brought into line with conciliar canon law.
That the 1917 CIC had similar legislation regarding engagements is entirely beside the point:
"Necessity is not subject to law."
It was necessity, and not canon law, which formed the basis for the Archbishop's now-abandoned practice.
Likewise, it is the neo-SSPX's denial of necessity which results in its newfound canonical compliance.
Topic: SSPX Morphing: Perpetual Engagements as Seminarians? (Read 9234 times)