What will the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI be like? Will he reverse the corroding spirit of Vatican II? Will he restore the 2,000 year old Tradition of the Church to its rightful place? Or will he continue on in the footsteps of his predecessor making the crisis even greater? These and other similar questions are foremost in our minds. However, time alone will give us the answers we hope for or dread.

Our Superior General, Bishop Bernard Fellay, expresses our hopes for this future in his Communique regarding the election of the new pope:

In the name of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, Superior General, welcomes the elevation of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Sovereign Pontiff. He sees in it a glimmer of hope of coming out of the profound crises which is shaking the Catholic Church, of which certain aspects have been alluded to by the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and most recently in his preaching on the occasion of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday.

His Excellency Bishop Fellay implores our Lord Jesus Christ, Head of the Mystical Body, that the 2,000 year old Tradition of the Church, forgotten and put aside during the past 40 years, may regain at last its place during this pontificate, and that the traditional Holy Mass may be re-established without restrictions in all its rights.

Finally, the Superior General assures the Successor of Peter, Benedict XVI of his prayers and those of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X for the considerable task awaiting him in the restoration of all things in Christ.

Let all of us pray for Pope Benedict XVI that he directs the Church back to its traditions and out of the present crisis.

Sincerely yours in Christ,