|
Dear members of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X,
These past months we have witnessed, in Rome, a re-growth of
an unusual degree of activity concerning the question of the Tridentine Mass.
Several actions and documents on the part of the Holy See seem to reveal a real
and bitter attack. We can very well wonder if Rome is determined to finish once
and for all with the rite of many centuries that has sanctified the Church and
Her St.s since Antiquity, and this at the passing of the millennium.
On June 11, the Congregation for
Divine Worship opened fire in its response to the Archbishop of Sienna. It was
stated that:
-
No priest can base himself on the
bull, Quo Primum, in order to
celebrate the old rite.
-
Quo Primum was abrogated by the promulgation of the new rite.
A salvo had in fact preceded this, in the announcement of an
apostolic visit of the Institute of Christ the King, which had been denounced
for serious faults. The Fraternity of St. Peter itself is now also under the
fire by the Roman Curia. For denounced by 16 of its own members, it is
considered to be too rigidly attached to the rites of 1962! It is even said that
a schismatic tendency, like that of Archbishop Lefebvre, can be seen there….You
can read of different aspects of the shock waves in the Fraternity of St. Peter
in the chronicle section of this issue of the Cor Unum.
At the same time, the Congregation for Divine Worship
declared, on July 3, that every Ecclesia Dei priest can, and in certain
circumstances, must celebrate the New Mass, as well as concelebrating it, and
that none of their superiors can oppose this.
According to a document that is in our possession, it is
apparent that the very foundation upon which the Ecclesia Dei communities
are based, which they make into their grounds for celebrating only the
Tridentine Mass, is being called into question by Rome. How much weight, in
effect, does a promise (contained in the 1988 Protocol), or their statutes have
in comparison to the new rite?
The different communities involved, and in particular the
Fraternity of St. Peter, did not fail to make it clear, for example in their
supplication to the Holy See of July 23, that these decisions could make it look
as if the Lefebvrists were right, and that, if they continue to act in this way,
there is a danger that the faithful might turn towards the Society of St. Pius
X.
Alas, they defend themselves very poorly. They cannot even
use real arguments, for they voluntarily deprived themselves of them when they
declared the New Mass "valid and orthodox". How then can they
explain their obstinate refusal to celebrate it? This is the reproach that they
cannot escape from.
The New Mass remains bad —very bad
—and the reflection of an unprecedented crisis in the Church. At the same time,
its cause becomes every more visible: a Mass imbued with a modern and
protestant spirit, a Mass of another theology, a Mass in which man has taken the
place of God, an ecumenical Mass, a Mass which no longer inspires the respect of
God’s immense Majesty, a Mass that no longer radiates divine beauty or divine
goodness, a Mass which has lost all its apostolic meaning, for it no longer
reflects Jesus’ Cross —Regnavit
a ligno Deus —"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw
all things to myself" (Jn 12:32). It is as if Jesus in the Host has
been forced to abandon his honor. When he can be found, it is most often in a
miserable tabernacle, as one put aside on account of the liturgical reform. How
far we are from "oportet illum regnare"!
And if this were not enough, towards the end of October the
Roman fireworks display will produce other spectacles just as dramatic. St.
Peter’s Square, jewel of Christendom, with Bernini’s majestic series of
columns directed towards the imposing façade of St. Peter’s major basilica,
will be the theater for the tragic repetition of Assisi, the exposition of
religions, God in the midst of devils… This theater will keep showing over
five days. Red October. Black October… This month of Mary’s triumphs of the
victories of Lepanto and Vienna, will be stained right till its very last day by
the signing of a common declaration by the Catholic Church and by the Federation
of Lutheran churches on Justification. The Catholic Church (but who?) is going
to agree with the Protestants that the common declaration (of June 11, 1999) is
acceptable on all points, and this after having written, on June 25, 1999, an
astonishing "response of the Catholic Church to the common declaration
between the Catholic Church and the world Federation of Lutheran churches"
[sic], which response directly contradicts the first text and affirms that
certain protestant opinions are still under the condemnation of the anathemas of
the Council of Trent. It is following on such a startling contradiction, on a
question of dogmas, that Cardinal Cassidy is nevertheless going to sign this
monstrosity.
At the beginning of the month of November John Paul
II will
be on pilgrimage from Ur of Chaldea to Mount Sinai…
An entire world is falling apart
before our eyes: it is the world of the Catholic Faith.
Let us rejuvenate our Faith! Let us defend the honor of Our
Holy Mother, the Church, and the Holy Mass, which Archbishop Lefebvre chose to
make his spiritual Will on September 23, 1984: "Hold fast to the Mass, to
the Mass of all time".
Let us remind the faithful of the
urgency of the combat, and of what is at stake. It is not only the Holy Mass,
but the Church itself in her entirety.
It is not enough for us to
perform exterior actions, such as the day of reparation for the scandal of the
meeting of religions which will take place from October 23 – 28. We must also
console Our Lord by a great love of our Holy Mass, and by a more intimate,
profound and ardent union with Our Lord immolated on Calvary, which mystery we
perpetuate every day at the altar.
May every one of our communions enable us to participate more
perfectly in the redeeming sufferings of Jesus, Victim; may they anchor us more
solidly in the mystery of the unity of the Mystical Body, "res
sacramenti", effect of the sacrament of the Eucharist.
Now is the time for us to give
special attention, by careful charity, to the common life in our priories and
houses, which are an imperfect but very real sign of our effective cooperation
in the Church’s unity.
A priory whose members are united
around the altar, at the prayer of the Office in common and in a true common
life, necessarily radiates apostolic grace and is a true source of strength for
the faithful in their suffering.
May Our Lady of the Rosary, may
the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary deign to protect you all and to bless
you with her divine Infant.
Nos cum prole pia benedicat Virgo Maria.
+Bernard Fellay
Superior General
|
