Do priests of the SSPX have jurisdiction?
A frequent question that arises concerning the priests of the Society of St. Pius X is whether they have jurisdiction to administer the sacraments. We will examine this important question in Episode 13 of our FAQ video series.
The justification for the application of supplied jurisdiction by the SSPX's (and other traditional) priests is founded on two topics previously addressed in our FAQ video series:
- Is there a crisis in the Church today? (Episode 6)
- Is there a state of necessity in the Church today? (Episode 12)
The current crisis in the Church has created a state of necessity which justifies and requires traditional priests to fulfill their duties even without having ordinary jurisdiction (that is, having faculties to exercise a priestly ministry).
Every member of the Church has the right to receive the doctrine and sacraments necessary for salvation. This right is embodied in the Code of Canon Law which declares that the supreme law is the salvation of souls. So, if the hierarchy (pastor, bishop, etc.) does not fulfill its duty, the faithful find themselves in a state of necessity which allows them to have recourse to any Catholic priest. In consequence of this state of necessity, such a priest receives directly from the Church what is called supplied jurisdiction in order to minister to the faithful.
In addition to the our FAQ video Episode 13, on the right side of this resource page can be found an abundant offering of sidebar media containing links to topics related to supplied jurisdiction, state of necessity, and the crisis in the Catholic Church.