Vatican and SSPX: Reconciliation update

An article on Catholic Exchange gives a good update on where things stand between the Vatican and the Society of St. Pius X. The traditionalist group, which was led by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and protested many of the changes of the Second Vatican Council, was excommunicated by Pope John Paul II in 1988 for consecrating four bishops against orders from the Holy See. Before his passing, John Paul II sought to repair the relationship between the Vatican and SSPX but was not able to accomplish it.

Since the election of the tradition-minded Pope Benedict XVI, there has been renewed hope that SSPX will reconcile with the Vatican. One issue, unrestricted use of the Tridentine (Latin) Mass, could happen soon, the writer says. Currently, a priest must receive approval from the diocesan bishop to celebrate the Tridentine Mass, which was the Mass celebrated before Vatican II and is still celebrated by the members of SSPX. The second, and tougher obstacle, according to the writer, is full acceptance of the Vatican II documents by the society.

Pope Benedict seems determined to heal the rift, and if anyone is suited to do it, it is him. As prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, then-Cardinal Ratzinger was heavily involved in discussions with the society. Pope Benedict's love for the traditional Mass has been a key connection, but he is also adamant that the Vatican II documents are valid and should be implemented. What BXVI's context is for the Vatican II documents is an entire other post, as he told us after his election that a main task of his papacy is to elaborate on that. In a meeting with the Roman Curia late last year, he touched on this.

The pope said there was no denying that the reception of Vatican II has been difficult for the church. In explaining why, he said there was a right way and a wrong way to understand the council.

The wrong way, he said, sees the council as a break with the past -- a view that often has the sympathy of the mass media. Its proponents think the council's documents are imperfect, and so "one should follow not the texts of the council but its
spirit," he said.

He said the proper understanding of the council, on the other hand, understands the council's reforms in continuity with the church's tradition and its basic teachings.

At this point, the pope went off into a lengthy and complex reflection on the church's
relationship with the modern world. He said the council's great task was to help
heal the rift between the church and modernity, in three specific problematic
relationships: faith and science, church and state, and Christianity and other
religions.

Given the bold statements that came out of the council on these relationships, it was natural that some would see only the apparent discontinuity with church tradition, instead of understanding them as an evolution of core Christian beliefs, he said.

But that would be to misconstrue the council's intent, he said. "The church is, before and after the council, the same one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, moving forward through the times," he said. (John Thavis, Catholic News Service, Dec. 22, 2005)