Society of St. Pius X rejects dialogue proposed by the Holy See

By Salvatore Cernuzio

The Society of St. Pius X has rejected the Holy See's proposal for a “specifically theological” dialogue, because the texts of the Second Vatican Council and the legitimacy of the liturgical reform would never be called into question. They have confirmed their intention to proceed with the episcopal ordinations scheduled for July 1. 

This response comes in a letter from Fr. Davide Pagliarani, Superior General of the Society, to Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, following their meeting on February 12 in the Vatican. 

In a subsequent statement, Cardinal Fernández described the meeting as “cordial” and “sincere” and mentioned that he had proposed initiating “a specifically theological dialogue” with “a precise methodology” on issues that still lack sufficient clarification. 

This proposal was accompanied by a request to suspend the episcopal ordinations announced on February 2, warning that such a move would “imply a decisive break in ecclesial communion (schism), with serious consequences for the Society as a whole.”

A week ago, Fr. Pagliarani had indicated that he would present the Vatican's proposal to the General Council of the Society, and he confirmed that “sufficient time was taken to evaluate it.” On February 18, the Society's response to the Cardinal arrived, signed by the five members of the General Council.

The proposal for dialogue

In his letter to Cardinal Fernández, the Superior of the often-called Lefebvrians (named after Bishop Marcel Lefebvre, who founded the Society in the 1970s in opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council) expressed his satisfaction with “the new openness to dialogue”. He saw this as a “positive response” to the suggestion he made in January 2019 for doctrinal discussion, in “a calm and peaceful moment, without the pressure or threat of excommunication.”

However, Fr. Pagliarani rejected the Holy See's proposal, stating that a common path of dialogue could never “determine together what would constitute the 'minimum requirements for full communion with the Catholic Church,'” because “the texts of the Council cannot be corrected, nor can the legitimacy of the liturgical reform be questioned.”

“The Council,” he emphasized, “is not a collection of texts that can be freely interpreted: it has been received, developed, and applied over sixty years by the successive Popes, according to specific doctrinal and pastoral guidelines. This official reading is expressed, for example, in significant texts like Redemptor hominis, Ut unum sint, Evangelii gaudium, and Amoris lætitia. It is also evident in the liturgical reform, including in light of the principles reaffirmed in Traditionis custodes. All these documents show that the doctrinal and pastoral framework within which the Holy See intends to place any discussion is already determined.”

Ordinations confirmed

“For these reasons,” Fr Pagliarani added, “with the shared understanding that we cannot reach an agreement on doctrine, it seems that the only point where we can meet is that of charity towards souls and towards the Church.”

The leader of the Society, which does not accept the legitimacy of the liturgical rite resulting from the liturgical reform, stated that he cannot accept “the perspective and goals on which the Dicastery proposes resuming dialogue at this time; nor, at the same time, the postponement of the July 1 date.” 

The ordinations of new bishops have therefore been confirmed as a “concrete short-term need for the survival of Tradition.”

Cardinal Fernández's statement

As previously noted, in a statement on February 12, Cardinal Fernández had declared: “It was reiterated by the Holy See that the ordination of bishops without the mandate of the Holy Father, who holds supreme, full, universal, immediate, and direct ordinary power (cf. CIC, can. 331; Dogmatic Constitution Pastor aeternus, caps. I and III) would imply a decisive break in ecclesial communion (schism) with serious consequences for the Society as a whole (John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Ecclesia Dei, July 2, 1988, nn. 3 and 5c; Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Explanatory Note, August 24, 1966, n. 1).”