Vatican confirms April 2 meeting

“Pope” Francis meets with SSPX Superior General, Bishop Fellay

The Press Office of the “Holy See” has confirmed a newspaper report of an unannounced meeting that took place between “Pope Francis” and the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, on Saturday, April 2, at Vatican City. The Italian paper Il Foglio broke the story, quoting sources who said the meeting “was positive” and “understanding is good” between Fellay and Francis, whom Fellay had called “a genuine Modernist” in 2013.

According to Il Foglio, the discussions between the “Pope” and the Lefebvrian SSPX are moving towards a personal prelature model similar to that under which Opus Dei operates. The SSPX, too, confirmed the meeting, which it described as “private and informal”, although it claims it took place on Friday, April 1. Fellay was accompanied by his Second General Assistant, Fr. Alain-Marc Nély, according to an official SSPX press release.

Here are the relevant links:

The April 2, 2016 meeting was the first time Francis and the long-time leader of the SSPX had an official meeting. There had been a brief encounter between the two back in late 2013 or early 2014, as Fellay was meeting with “Archbishops” Pozzo and DiNoia at the Vatican. It is not clear how this first real meeting came about or why it was not announced beforehand. Perhaps it was Bishop Fellay’s abysmal performance in the Conflict Zone interview with Tim Sebastian in February that gave him the necessary credentials for a meeting with the “Pope”. In it, an unscripted Fellay proved himself not as a great anti-Modernist leader of the last remnant of Catholics, but as a spineless pushover who caves before any aggressive challenge for the sake of human respect and diplomacy. It’s an interview the SSPX has tried to keep hidden from its followers (total news blackout!), and The Remnant admitted they “buried it”. Make sure you watch it:

sebastian-fellay-conflict-zone.jpg

Tim Sebastian vs. Bp. Fellay:
There is a reason why the SSPX didn’t tell you about this interview

The never-ending story of SSPX relations with Rome is getting increasingly annoying. Most of all, it has absolutely nothing to do with Catholic principles, because in real traditional Catholicism, there is only one thing to do for those who are not in communion with the Holy See: submit. There is nothing to “negotiate” about. But then again, the SSPX will say, they are already in communion with Rome. Oh, but then there are two Romes: “Eternal Rome” and “Neo-Modernist Rome”, and depending on whether they agree with what’s coming from Rome on a particular day, they toggle between the one and the other, always ensuring only that people will never doubt that the man they are negotiating with is in fact the Vicar of Christ — it ultimately just doesn’t really mean anything.

And so it becomes obvious that the “traditional Catholicism” of the SSPX — despite the good intentions and sincere piety of many of its adherents — is neither traditional nor Catholic. If we actually look at what the Catholic Church traditionally taught on these matters, a very different picture emerges. For example:

What good is it to proclaim aloud the dogma of the supremacy of St. Peter and his successors? What good is it to repeat over and over declarations of faith in the Catholic Church and of obedience to the Apostolic See when actions give the lie to these fine words? Moreover, is not rebellion rendered all the more inexcusable by the fact that obedience is recognized as a duty? Again, does not the authority of the Holy See extend, as a sanction, to the measures which We have been obliged to take, or is it enough to be in communion of faith with this See without adding the submission of obedience, — a thing which cannot be maintained without damaging the Catholic Faith?

…In fact, Venerable Brothers and beloved Sons, it is a question of recognizing the power (of this See), even over your churches, not merely in what pertains to faith, but also in what concerns discipline. He who would deny this is a heretic; he who recognizes this and obstinately refuses to obey is worthy of anathema.

(Pope Pius IX, Encyclical Quae in Patriarchatu [Sept. 1, 1876], nn. 23-24; in Acta Sanctae Sedis X [1877], pp. 3-37; English taken from Papal Teachings: The Church, nn. 433-434.)

In fact, Venerable Brother, you are not ignorant of the truth that nothing should be nearer to a Catholic Bishop, nothing is more obligatory for him, than heartfelt respect for the supreme power of this Chair of St. Peter, whence flows sacerdotal unity, the ordination of bishops, and the government of the Church; than to defend with all his strength the rights of this See and to honor them, splendid as they are with an authority, not human, but divine; than to attach himself firmly to the Sovereign Pontiff, to recognize him, faithfully to render to him all respect and obedience, this Pontiff, placed in this See, who has received from Our Lord Himself in the person of the Blessed Prince of the Apostles, all power to feed the sheep and the lambs, to confirm his brethren, to rule and govern the whole Church throughout the world.

(Pope Pius IX, Apostolic Letter Redditae Sunt, Jan. 6, 1851; excerpted in Papal Teachings: The Church, p. 153.)

If you are wondering why you’ve never seen these quotes from the SSPX, there is a reason for that. As is clearly evident, the result of the SSPX’s bizarre Pseudo-Traditionalism has been a complete destruction of Catholic teaching on the papacy and the magisterium in the minds of their adherents, who do not look upon the Holy See as the final authority concerning all matters of faith and morals, but merely as a venerable institution (if even that) which is Catholic to the extent that it agrees with the SSPX. The damage thus caused is catastrophic.

Some time ago we issued Twelve Inconvenient Questions for the SSPX, to illustrate further the erroneous nature of the ideas they propagate. Another result of their schizophrenic, uncatholic position — one that is certainly not unintended — is that it keeps the Novus Ordo charade going indefinitely, because the only thing that is not permissible in this doctrinal circus is holding that the “genuine Modernist” who runs the whole thing isn’t in fact the Pope of the Catholic Church.

The Twilight Zone is reality TV compared to this.

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