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Author Topic: Thoughts on the General Council - by Stephen Heiner  (Read 1480 times)

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Offline Matthew

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Thoughts on the General Council - by Stephen Heiner
« on: July 12, 2012, 02:45:57 PM »
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  • From Stephen Heiner's True Restoration Blog:

    Wednesday, July 4, 2012
    The General Chapter

    I think that the entire situation with the SSPX has been a great test for those who only get their news from 1-2 sources. For those of us who use a multiplicity of voices to read the mosaic of the story, the narrative is fairly consistent, though it has had some real surprises. For others who don't, they may find themselves on the edge of their seats, lurching from one news story to the next. With about a week to go before the General Chapter, at which this issue will probably be resolved definitively, I think it is helpful to clarify a few things once more.

    1. Bishop Fellay has been pushing for a practical deal since the thought-shift in the leadership that the doctrinal impasse should not prevent a canonical agreement. He has sent out District Superiors to back him both explicitly (Bishop Fellay "alone" can decide these matters, we cannot be "88-ers," and "stay off the internet") and implicitly. This really can't be denied.

    2. Surprisingly (at least to this commentator), several SSPX priests have spoken out. Now, keep in mind that there are over 600 SSPX/SSPX-affiliated priests worldwide so even if we go by a very generous count of 25 "resistors," that's 4%. Four percent. Even if we triple that number and say that represents the number of laypeople attached to those priests, that's 12%. Hardly a threatening number. I'm sure that Bishop Fellay, who is an accountant by trade, had these numbers within his "margin of error" for those who might resist him. And as I've said in all my articles prior to this one - by what theological principles do SSPX priests or faithful resist a "deal" with Rome? Is this man the Pope or not? We hear the word "Modernism" so often that we forget that it is a heresy. Fr. Joseph Pfeiffer, in the sermon he gave in the Phillippines some weeks ago now, referred to Benedict XVI as Modernist numerous times. So has Bishop Tissier, both in print and in sermons. [...]

    3. Those priests who have spoken out have been disciplined. This is not at all surprising. Bishop Fellay's iron-fisted moves have been behind the curtains for many years so now that everything is out in the open a lot of people are understanding the dictatorial way in which he runs the SSPX. Some poor lost souls consider "dictatorship" the same thing as "leadership" and completely think that just because the religious life involves following orders that all those orders make sense and have some purpose. No. Sometimes they are pointless and wrong. Sometimes they are beyond the scope of the constitutions of that order.

    4. The intervention of the three bishops prevented the publication of a deal prior to the General Chapter. While it was an open secret that there was opposition from some of the bishops no one could possibly have anticipated the wiki-leaked letter.

    5. Bishop Fellay does need the support, not necessarily the approval, of the District Superiors. The meeting at Albano last year was to have private one-on-one meetings to gauge support. The General Chapter was to run the Superiors through the new structure of the SSPX in the proposed deal, not to take a sham vote to see if they "approved" of his actions. Bishop Fellay doesn't care if the Superiors agree or approve. He has over and over brandished his power, all the while diminishing his authority. He is hurting himself.

    6. One devastating way in which he showed his power and diminished his authority was in the denial of ordinations to some deacons (those from the Dominicans/Capuchins) while they were on Ordination retreat! The families were there; it's just like a wedding! It's totally out of order to do something like that. And yet people still nod their heads in approval. Trads, wandering in the wilderness for so many years searching for Papal authority, yearn to give unconditional obedience to somebody, anybody, because they can't give it to their Papa (even if they won't admit that they are practically-speaking, sedevacantists), and so as each move is made by Bishop Fellay they simply say, "obey," while completely missing the irony that this is what they have not done for 40 years.

    7. The General Chapter will, in all likelihood, announce a deal one way or the other. Whatever may have been announced in the media or by DICI about a "rejection" by Bishop Fellay, the reality is that prior to the last meeting in Rome, Bishop Fellay was building an oral agreement. Those in business know that often a deal is sealed prior to the final day of signatures. The deal is put together in words, in conversations, in handshakes. Then you take it back to your investors and shareholders and get signatures. So too here, Bishop Fellay has been constantly dealing "in good faith" with Rome, assuring them that he could get his "shareholders" in line with the deal. Given public disclosures of resistance, Rome is a bit shaken, but adjusted by saying that this agreement will only apply to Bishop Fellay, and that the other 3 bishops will be dealt with separately. Just because there seems to be a current stall does not mean the momentum has stopped. Trads have conflated a constant flow of news stories with momentum. The General Chapter was always going to be the time and place for the rubber stamping of this deal any way, so while the announcement of a deal may have been thwarted, the momentum of getting it done has not been.

    8. Bishop Williamson has been excluded from the Chapter for "inciting rebellion," but Bishop Tissier has not. Bishop Tissier has been vocal about not doing a deal - in one sermon he said it might be 30 years before one could be done. Will he be banned? Lots of people understand that the SSPX is all Bishop Fellay knows - as he was the little boy who grew up in Econe. But Bishop Tissier was one of the seminarians who went to the Archbishop to tell him to open a seminary. The SSPX is Bishop Tissier's life, and he is fighting desperately to save it and what he thinks it is from all who would change it. I've said before that I think he will go along in the end, but I do not deny that I have been (pleasantly) surprised by his actions, words, sermons, and interviews in the last few weeks.

    9. If there is not a deal, there very well may be punitive measures from Rome. This could include fresh excommunications, suspensions, special instructions to laypeople about penalties for attending Mass with the SSPX, etc. Bishop Fellay has hinted at this in previous comments.

    10. Bishop de Galarreta's long condemnation of the Doctrinal Preamble should silence all those who, until now have blissfully said, "but we haven't even SEEN it." An SSPX bishop has seen it, and hated it.
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    Offline InstaurareEcclesiam

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    Thoughts on the General Council - by Stephen Heiner
    « Reply #1 on: July 13, 2012, 04:25:51 AM »
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  • Quite a fine analysis.
    Especially on the question of authority. Whereas His Exc. Bp. Fellay as general superior has a normal authority as superior of the pious union (pia unio) of priests and faithful, and even if one takes the SSPX as a canonical priestly association (which it is), it does not mean the possibility to exclude Bp. Williamson or other very senior priests and bishops.

    The divide and conquer strategy is understood far better by the subjectivist-relativists in the Vatican, than by the bickering and (socially) outdated 'traditionalists' (i.e. the orthodox and faithful Roman Catholic priests with orthodoxy ánd orthopraxis).  

    The divide and conquer worked in the Campos negotiations in 2002, and now Bp. Fellay seems to be doing nothing less. Of course I do not expect him to concelebrate the Novus Ordo as soon, but theologically and doctrinally speaking, he must do so. And Benedict XVI, just like JP 2 with Le Barroux prior Dom Gérard during his visit to hand over 70,000 signatures to 'liberate' the Traditional Roman Rite inside the Conciliar counterchurch, will not hesitate to push Fellay.

    And for sure Gerhard Ludwig Mueller will not hesitate.

    Even priestly ordinations may become difficult in future inside the 'regularized' Personal Prelature of Saint Pius X. Lots of conditions will be slowly imposed.

    Salami tactics in order to stifle all dogmatic-doctrinal resistance and criticism.

    You, Benedict XVI, Mueller and many others are intellectuals. Highly intelligent men often, highly educated (well in theology). But they adhere to modernis. They are not an average Filipino, Mexican, American or African bishop with lots of pastoral experience who just went with the flow of 'obedience'. Such later Conciliar 'bishops' can be excused (subjectively) maybe.

    But the 'reconciliation' from the CDF, Ratzinger, Mueller and other Vatican view (with the exception maybe of the derailed Castrillon Hoyos - who nevertheless was a puppet), is nothing but promoting the Hegelian philosophical (and thus DOCTRINAL-DOGMATIC) synthesis by bringing the antithesis (the SSPX and 'traditionalists') into contact with the thesis (the Modernist Conciliar 'moderate evolution' neoconservative power elite of the Communio newspaper Nouvelle Théologie).

    The mere attacks are from ignorant atheist journalists, ignorant ecuмenicist Protestant news followers, Jєωιѕн paranoia groups and from Hans Küng (the Concilium newspaper friend of Ratzinger, fellow theologian, but then part of the RADICALIZED Modernist 'quick quick' revolution-evolution clique). And even these attacks are not heard these last months. Lots of anti-Catholic 'intellectuals' and intelligent power brokers hope for this Fellay agreement to succeed. They know then that the SSPX and the powerful French monarchist and 'integralist' Roman Catholic resistance subculture will be watered down. They think in political terms, not in dogmatic religious terms nor in eternal salvation perspective as we (ought to) do here ourselves.

    I am absolutely convinced that Archbishop Lefebvre would not have taken the 'lifting' (not an annulment, not a declaration of invalidity or practical error) of the 'excommunications' in 2009 as well as the 2007 Summorum pontificuм synthesis liturgical doublespeak (imposing the 1969 Novus Ordo Missae as 'ordinary form' of the Roman Rite of which it is a neo-Protestant hyper-liturgist neo-Modernist parody), as an excuse to give up resistance.

    Every example is there. The Institute of the Good Shepherd (IBP) is crumbling due to Conciliar attempts to 'mainstream' it, into the abyss of the collapsing Conciliar structures or some neoconservative 'moderate' Modernist ecuмenist relativist network of groups like the Brothers of Saint Jean (founded by the neocon papolatry promoting late Rev. Père Philippe OP, who in fact was the one redirecting the French seminarians like now Bp. Tissier to Abp. Lefebvre in the Spring of 1969).

    And after this practical compromise, doctrinal compromises will be pushed, the earthly existence and ignorant-kept parishioners and ("As long as I have the Latin Mass, I do not care about the rest") followers will lead to more 'cooperation' with Conciliar "moderate" ("conservative") doctrinal evolutionists (i.e. Modernists).

    Maybe then Fr. Laguérie and Bp. Fellay can kneel down in front of the president of the Jєωιѕн Community of France to beg "forgiveness" for the (politically and practically imprudent) shelter offered to Vichy police officer and war criminal Paul Touvier (son of very pious Catholic parents and brother of pious sisters, but himself quite secularized-paganized by interbellum extremist right-wing apostate fascism-racism - like some others here too). And then the Dalai Lama and Benedict XVI can sing to Yoruba religion 'deities' together in Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet church in Paris, France. All a big happy family.

    And only the exiled and banned ascetic 'fanatic' Bishop Tissier de Mallerais will be in some 'sedevacantist' small priory and barn chapel in Brittanny studying all denial of Catholic dogma in the continuing pan-religious, pan-Christian, ecuмenist-relativist-modernist 'socially conservative and moderated' Conciliar structures to which the (former) SSPX will head led by Bp. Fellay. Then in 2015 it will be like 1969 again. Barn sheds. Exiled few priests. Few if any seminaries for Tradition (apart from the Thuc line bishops who e.g. are strong in Mexico among Cristero sedevacantist descendants - 'religious fanatics' for the EU and Obama US governments of course).

    This is my scenario.

    But I am optimistic. God will overcome His enemies, the Holy Roman Church may seem to die, but She will never, and true Roman Catholic faithful will survive somehow (even ecclesiastical jurisdiction must survive somehow, maybe in an isolated Eastern Rite Catholic pocket in a mountain village bishop of Urmia, Iran or in Lebanon or Ethiopia - unlike sedevacantists ignoring this necessity).

    And new seminarians will come, Bp. Tissier and others will build new small seminaries (maybe the - perfectly valid, 'regular line' - Thuc sede bishops may cooperate in case of sudden death of Bps. Williamson and Tissier de Mallerais?). I have seen many miracles, but I am myself unworthy, a poor sinner, intellectually lazy and very prideful, I am an orthodox Roman Catholic, but a poor sinner always practically silent in real life.....

    While I am prideful, a poor sinner, disorganized, I would not mind 'going' back to the 1971 barn or shed improvised chapels in an 'underground' situation like it was before the 1980s SSPX building boom. I am young still, and never knew the 'triumphant' 1950s socially 'imposed and recommended' massive Catholicism myself. Some barn chapel in rainy Brittanny or the Vendée, with nice wooden altar and old surplices and old alb with Bp. Tissier saying the Holy Sacrifice of Mass, is not that bad. In fact, it is quite romantic for those who the history of persecution and exclusion of recusant non-juring 'reactionary' Catholics and their heroic clergy.


    Offline trento

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    Thoughts on the General Council - by Stephen Heiner
    « Reply #2 on: July 13, 2012, 05:02:41 AM »
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  • With regards to point #10, was Bishop de Galaretta referring to the initial preamble shown to the superiors at Albano, or was H.E. referring to the 'latest' version?

    Quote
    10. Bishop de Galarreta's long condemnation of the Doctrinal Preamble should silence all those who, until now have blissfully said, "but we haven't even SEEN it." An SSPX bishop has seen it, and hated it.



    Offline Maria Auxiliadora

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    Thoughts on the General Council - by Stephen Heiner
    « Reply #3 on: July 13, 2012, 06:55:34 AM »
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  • Quote from: trento
    With regards to point #10, was Bishop de Galaretta referring to the initial preamble shown to the superiors at Albano, or was H.E. referring to the 'latest' version?

    Quote
    10. Bishop de Galarreta's long condemnation of the Doctrinal Preamble should silence all those who, until now have blissfully said, "but we haven't even SEEN it." An SSPX bishop has seen it, and hated it.




    If + de Galarreta condemned the doctrinal preamble in Albano, the more he would oppose it now that the pope has  told them that they can: "disagree with the council, but they can not speak about the errors of the council"
    Rome, in my opinion is purging the SSPX of "disobedient troublemakers" that would come to Rome with ideas of converting them.
    The love of God be your motivation, the will of God your guiding principle, the glory of God your goal.
    (St. Clement Mary Hofbauer)