Muller’s Farewell Gift…

“Cardinal” Müller throws Monkey Wrench into SSPX-Rome Reconciliation: Vatican now demands Full Acceptance of Vatican II and Novus Ordo “Mass”

(photo credit: Andreas Arnold/dpa/Alamy Live News)

Although he has just been relieved from his post as Prefect of the Congregation for the Destruction of the Faith and the Ecclesia Dei Commission, “Cardinal” Gerhard Ludwig Muller was certainly still in charge back in May of this year, when, as it has just been made known, the then-head of the CDF called a plenary session of his congregation to discuss once more the doctrinal declaration the Society of St. Pius X will be required to sign as a condition for full reconciliation with the Novus Ordo Sect.

In a nutshell: All members of the CDF agreed unanimously that in order to enjoy “full communion” with the Vatican, the SSPX would have to meet the following conditions:

  1. Adherence to the Professio Fidei (Profession of Faith) of 1998, not merely that of 1962, which was promulgated with John Paul II’s motu proprio Ad Tuendam Fidem
  2. Explicit acceptance of the teachings of Vatican II and the post-conciliar magisterium according to their required degrees of adherence
  3. Recognition of the validity and the legitimacy of the Novus Ordo Missae (“New Mass”) of Paul VI

Best of all, not only were these requirements decided on unanimously, they were also approved by “Pope” Francis!

In other words: Muller and Francis have stopped any SSPX-Rome deal dead in its tracks, for it is obvious that the SSPX could not possibly agree to these three conditions without entirely and quite openly betraying everything it stands for.

“Cardinal” Muller informed the Lefebvrists of these decisions on June 27 in a letter sent to the SSPX headquarters in Menzingen, Switzerland, where Bp. Bernard Fellay, the Superior General, is stationed. Bp. Fellay just forwarded this letter to all SSPX clergy, according to a report published by Christian Lassale of medias-catholique.info, which quotes from Muller’s letter and provides additional details.

The following text in blue is our English translation of this report.


Cardinal Müller, Like Benedict XVI in 2012, Halts a Possible Doctrinal Agreement With the SSPX

The General House of the SSPX just relayed to all its members the contents of a letter from Gerhard Cardinal Müller which, for the naïve, has the feel of a cold, even freezing, shower. Here are the most “delectable” of the main excerpts:

As you know, Pope Francis has expressed time and again his good will towards the Priestly Fraternity, in particular by granting to all its priest members the faculty to validly hear the confessions of the faithful and by authorizing local ordinaries to grant licenses for the celebration of marriages of the faithful who follow the pastoral activity in your Fraternity. On the other hand, the discussion continues regarding questions relating to the full reestablishment of your Fraternity’s communion with the Catholic Church.

Regarding this subject, with the approval of the Sovereign Pontiff, I judged it necessary to submit to the Ordinary Session of our Congregation, gathered this past May 10th, the text of the Doctrinal Declaration that was given to you during the meeting of June 13, 2016, as a necessary condition in view of fully reestablishing communion. In this regard, here are the unanimous decisions of all Members of our Dicastery:

1) It is necessary to require members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X to adhere to the new formula of the Profession of Faith dating from 1988 [sic — should read 1998] (see attachment). Consequently, it is no longer sufficient to ask them to profess the Profession of Faith of 1962.

2) The new text of the Doctrinal Declaration must include a paragraph in which the signatories declare, in an explicit manner, their acceptance of the teachings of the Vatican II Council and those of the post-conciliar period, giving the said doctrinal statements the degree of adherence that is due to them.

3) The members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X must recognize not only the validity but also the legitimacy of the Rite of Holy Mass and of the Sacraments, according to the liturgical books promulgated after the Second Vatican Council.

And the dear cardinal concludes, in cauda venenum [“the poison being in the tail”], that “during the audience granted to the Cardinal Prefect on May 20, 2017, the Sovereign Pontiff approved these decisions.”

In his accompanying letter, Fr. Thouvenot recalls, most “opportunely,” the words of Bishop Fellay at the end of the meeting of major superiors in Anzère on June 28, 2016:

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X does not seek foremost a canonical recognition to which it has a right, because it is Catholic. The solution is not simply juridical. It pertains to a doctrinal position which it is imperative to manifest…. Divine Providence does not abandon the Church, the head of which is the Pope, the Vicar of Jesus Christ. That is why an incontestable sign of this restoration will be in the Sovereign Pontiff’s manifest desire to give the means for reestablishing the order of the priesthood, of faith, and of Tradition—a sign which will be, moreover, the guarantee for the necessary unity of the family of Tradition.

We are quite far from the “stamp” that some had been celebrating with fanfare, and we can only thank Our Lady, in this centenary year of the Fatima apparitions, for having again, after June 2012, saved us from the deadly danger of a fools’ agreement.

Let us pray for our superiors who are engaging in a dangerous “tango”—three steps forward, then two steps backwards—and let us thank Divine Providence for continuing to watch over the work of restoration taken up close to fifty years ago by Archbishop Lefebvre, who showed the same courage as our seven deans and friend-communities, faithful in his fight for the one truth.

Finally, on this July 1st, allow me to express a sentiment full of friendship and recognition for the heroic obedience of our confrere Fr. Patrick de La Rocque, who humbly accepted his punitive transfer to the Philippines and was denied the opportunity to celebrate his twenty-five years of priesthood at Ecône by the Superior General of his dear Fraternity.

[Source: Christin Lassale, “Le cardinal Müller, comme Benoît XVI en 2012, met un coup d’arrêt à un possible accord doctrinal avec la FSSPX”, medias-catholique.info, July 1, 2017; our translation; some formatting changed.]


It is too early, at this point, to give a full assessment of this latest development. It certainly seems to fly in the face of all the recent über-conciliatory efforts on the part of Rome, such as the concessions on confessions and marriages  — so much so that some people are already speculating that this may only be a trick to temporarily pacify those in the SSPX who oppose a reconciliation with Rome, until a more opportune time.

In any case, this is a fitting farewell gift from “Cardinal” Muller, who has always been hostile towards the Lefebvrists even at the diocesan level back in his Regensburg days (the SSPX seminary in Zaitzkofen is located in his former diocese). With great amusement we can now recall what “Cardinal” Muller said to Bp. Fellay earlier this year about their impending reconciliation with the Vatican: “We wait for you so that you may help us fight the Modernists.”

We told you back then that it was bovine manure, and we were right.

And so, at least for the time being, we seem to be back to square one. The SSPX will have to give some sort of a response, so surely we will hear more about this soon. Stay tuned.

Image source: alamy.com
License: rights-managed

Share this content now:

13 Responses to ““Cardinal” Müller throws Monkey Wrench into SSPX-Rome Reconciliation”

  1. Mike

    Thanks be to God. I was confidently and simply told by a well-connected SSPX layman/faithful – when all the media beat-ups were saying that it’s just a signature away and the deal is done – that “it’s not going to happen”.

    I believed this person more than I believed the press statements, (which all seemed to come from Rome and its media lackeys, to intentionally cause division, suspicion, fear and mistrust amongst the SSPX clergy and faithful) and I am glad I did.

  2. bartmaeus

    “Monkey wrench”. I like that. Goes with “primates”, as in “the primate of Armagh”, etc.

    Bunch of bloody degenerates, the lot of them. Never done a day’s work in their life. Parasites, rummaging for ticks in their furry pelts, flitting about from perch to perch, and screeching and playing out their faux battles.

  3. Siobhan

    I do not see this as a good thing. A so-called “reconciliation” is the only hope I saw ’til now. That-being the circumstance under which those secret non una-cum SSPX priests ( & those of them also who’re merely “priests,” ) would get the kick they require to take the leap into sedevacantism; thereby getting to know & teach at long last the True Faith, not the Modernist religion they’ve been promulgating.

  4. Melanie

    Well, I think Francis expressed his goodwill in order to display how hard he tried to rehabilitate the SSPX. Now that they have rebuffed his heroic efforts it will be with great sadness that he’ll excommunicate the lot. And no, I don’t think he gives a fig what religion anyone practices but he does know that SSPX is Catholic, he hates Catholic and he knows that Catholics really don’t like being excommunicated and they are actually the only ones who believe in excommunication. Though they don’t believe that Archbishop Lefebvre was excommunicated so I guess they just will continue to believe that though the Pope excommunicates them, they aren’t excommunicated. Then, he’ll get rid of Summorum Pontificum so that if anyone wants to attend the Latin Mass they can only do so under excommunication. So basically the entire Body of the Catholic Church could be excommunicated by an antiPope with no actual Pope at all. I guess I must lack faith if I find this disconcerting.

  5. Daniel

    I think that there is going to be a split in the SSPX. Those who are Vatican II like ‘Bishop’ Fellay will sign on but those who are truly Catholic will join the sedevacantists, no more luke warm ‘sitting on the fence’ which is a good thing. The FSSP signed on a long time ago, so why not the SSPX ?

  6. teri

    The approving of marriage and confessions will now prove even more harmful to the society in the eye’s of the new order church and those wavering with in. If they out right refuse, this approval will be with drawn. Fresh wounds of invalid sacraments! I think the infiltrator will accept all of this if they will only allow the Latin indult as the only crumb. The refuse and complain group have stopped short on their reasoning under Cath. teachings. They underestimate the satanic mind. Mary Julie Jahenny said there would be a new mass odious to God. Do you think she meant it was a sweet smelling pile of flowers or a pile of BS? If the Prot. service of memory alone is Idolatry. The Satanic black mass is an insult directed at God. Then unidentified infiltrators starting at the top have instituted an idolatrous, blasphemous, apostate insult. The bride is now the harlot! The new faith of our absconded church building is the 7 headed beast. 7 being complete and a beast being error. Complete error! We are to love what God loves and hate what he hates. He told us what he hates most of all in the bible. Now this new church tells us we have to hug and slobber all over these faggots and partake of the mass with them. What are we going to be partaking of? What do we have in common with unrepentant sinners? Why are we unwilling to call an apostate heretic what he is, when church documents tells us laity that we have this duty to know one, call them out, and refuse them, even though they be a Pope! Ipso facto- even if traitor bishops refuse to declare him so. The Holy spirit has give the church all she needs to remain faithful and firm in resolve. The only question people must face is do I want the society of man over God alone. Isolation is the one penance most will not even consider acceptable. So they refuse to look to the truths of the church to make the last reasoning’s needed to be able to stand alone with God. Lefebvre refused to acknowledge that a free mason can not pass on the powers of office. And his priesthood was already invalid (ipso facto). To painful to even contemplate. Proper reasoning and adherence to the true faith must continue in the never ending struggle for Gods truth only. As hard as the answer maybe. Or the Christian disorientation will continue to be influenced by the diabolical. The SSPX is also part of the deception, you can’t go there for anything but the sharing of similar opinions that are only half baked.

  7. Siobhan

    I can only imagine the agonizing pain & suffering you and yours endured during the interval of years you describe so poignantly here. Straightforward words like yours are so welcome in these days of skirting issues; especially the words you say here: ” have to give my children the defenses against the devil and modern world and could care less about what others call me,–.” You give me courage. God bless you.

  8. Ed of Ct.

    Same thing happened under Benedict 16th. .Bishop Fellay should permanently STOP negotiating with the Vatican. At the current rate Novus ordo churches are collapsing in the Ct. USA . Low Countries West Europe etc. and Canada in ten yrs or so as is occurring already in Low Countries there will be little left of the CINO Rc Faith in the West for sspx to rejoin…….. …. Not Surprising Pope Francis did this though. He has undermined Franciscan friars of Atonement, CDF Priests who ousted Involio etc. and AB Sarah. Plus Francis Sacked AB Muellar and Burke and undercut sovereignty of knights of Malta etc… He Francis has shown a undisguised contempt for Faithful traditional and Latin mass Catholics. All the while appointing CINO Jesuits like Fthr. Martin of Amer, Mgz. and Ven. ldr of Jesuits. Not to mention Francis advancing the likes of Cupich. Cupich, DePaglia, Roisica, Coccopalmeiro, Maradiaga Daneels , R. Marx and DeKessel AFTER the they mostly were exposed for Homosexual misconduct or covering it up etc. by Daneels predecessor most notably…….. I agree with Mr. Horton below. If Jesuits ,Franciscans and Lcwr-nuns on a bus can thrash Catholic faith and morality sexual and otherwise and NOT sign a loyalty oath to canon Law 915 or 16 so can sspx.. period!!!

  9. Junior_20_

    The diabolical fixation these men have on the manure of the Council has gone beyond any level of the pathological. They want to go to Hell and take the greatest number of souls. If they take the souls shepherded by the SSPX, that will be a sweet trump to them.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.