Skip to main content

The Chastisement of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate (FFI) - Part 2

Image
By
As noted in my earlier article, Rorate-Caeli has been doing an excellent job tracking the developments within the reorganization of the Franciscans Friars of the Immaculate (FFI).

From the Pope's recent admonition to obey the cooperate with the commissioner (Fr. Volpi)

To highlighting Father Manelli's report to the FFI that diagnoses the malaise within the Church, leading to some conclusions that are remarkably similar to those of Archbishop Lefebvre and the SSPX.

To Antonio Socci's and Sandro Magister's latest analyses on the manner in which the FFI are being dealt with by the Vatican.

Finally, we have this related piece concerning the cessation of TLM in the church under the care of the FFI in Rome.



Mr Socci's conclusion bears comment.
I believe that their destruction will damage the present Pope greatly. As it annihilates a precious charisma for the Church and it will bring grist to the mill of the “Lefebvrians” who have attacked Bergoglio publically. Now the “Lefebvrians” can say: “See, in Francis’ Church there is room for everyone, except for Catholics.” -Antonio Socci
Concerning Mr. Socci's last sentence, I think that the SSPX has always been aware the there is no 'room' in the 'big tent' for them.  That's why they are in a canonically irregular state.

At the root of this chastisement of the FFI is an belief that at least some of them hold in common with the SSPX. They appear to have questioned two fundamental assumptions related to the Second Vatican Council and the liturgical reform (most notably the Novus Ordo Missae) that emanated from it.

This is evident since the vow that is being foisted upon them is, in substance, that which Bishop Fellay refused in 2012 as being a compromise.
"...candidates for Orders who are presently in formation must personally subscribe to a formal acceptance of:
  • the Novus Ordo as an authentic expression of the liturgical tradition of the Church and therefore of Franciscan tradition (without prejudice to the what is permitted by the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, once the current disciplinary decree of veto, ad hoc and ad tempus, is revoked for the Institute), and
  • the documents of the Second Vatican Council, in accordance with the authority accorded them by the Magisterium."

What cultural assumptions are being challenged by the FFI and by extension the SSPX?
  1. That the Novus Ordo Missae is an legitimate development of the liturgical tradition of the Church.
  2. That the documents of the Second Vatican Council do not contradict prior magisterium.
At the beginning of the chastisement, what action was taken liturgically: The suppression of the Tridentine Mass.  

The Tridentine Mass is, in organizational culture terms, an artifact.  It is an expression of fundamental assumptions (theology) that are buried beneath the surface.

What aspect of pre-conciliar theology could possibly be conflicting with the current, I would say alien, culture within the Church?

I think that the answer is contained in one word: Ecumenism.

Since the Council what doctrines are inconvenient to express and are therefore not expressed?

The first one that comes to mind is that the Church of Christ is the one and only True Religion.

That could put a damper on inter-religious relations.

P^3








Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rome,the SSPX and this time of Crisis - Updated

By
+ JMJ Obviously there's lots of events right now. First we have the April 1st - I almost thought it was April Fools - meeting between Pope Francis and Bishop Fellay.  Nothing really news worthy as this is a natural progression as Rome appears to be considering fulfilling Archbishop Lefebvre's wish to 'accept us as we are'. Second we have the April 8th publication of what will be a verbose exhortation of the Synod of the Family. I'm willing to bet that the Pope will give with one hand (unilateral regularization of SSPX) and take with the other (ambiguous document that opens the flood gates of sin further). Much to pray for. P^3
30 comments
Read more

A Reply to Martin Blackshaw’s FLAWED Remnant article titled: FLAWED: SSPX Advice on Abortion-tainted Vaccines

By
 + JMJ    An article has appeared in the Remnant (link to article) and I am afraid that there are a number of flaws in it that need to be addressed. The author, Martin Blackshaw, believes that both the Church and the SSPX are misapplying the principle of Moral Theology called 'Cooperation In Evil'.  Unfortunately, Mr. Blackshaw rests most of his arguments on citing authors that support his position, without considering the possibility that they are wrong. This highlights a key factor in this crisis: ignorance of the faith and its application . I don't am not singling out Mr. Blackshaw for this criticism, I have observed that it applies to laity and religious, superior and subject a like.  No one seems immune in this enduring crisis, myself included.  I further believe that this ignorance is why so many Catholics, both traditional and non, rely on their gut feeling or "Catholic conscience" for charting their way through this crisis of the faith.  While...
25 comments
Read more

Rorate-Caeli URGENT: Pope tells Italian Bishops he plans to abolish the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum

By
 + JMJ  Now THIS is probably the most important news item in the last two years - yes I place this above the pandemic. I'm only surprised by how long it took for this to surface during this pontificate. I hope and pray that it is false or that if it comes to pass that somehow some good will arise out of the ashes of Summorum Pontificum. P^3  Courtesy of Rorate-Caeli URGENT: Pope tells Italian Bishops he plans to abolish the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum (Updated) Update (May 26): Rorate's additional sources in Rome have confirmed this Wednesday that Francis has indeed a text on Summorum Pontificum lined up, which has been developed for months, but what is not known at this point is if the text is just about a more limited take on the Summorum application questionnaire (first revealed by us in the spring of 2020) or about an overhaul of Summorum Pontificum in general: drafts could be dealing with both matters. It is also not impossible for a text to come ou...
9 comments
Read more

If Pope Francis is bad - what about Pope St. John Paul II et al?

By
+ JMJ So here we are on the apparent cusp of yet another post conciliar Papal canonization. This time we have Pope's John-Paul I and Paul VI canonizations to 'look forward' to. This follows, obviously, on the heels of Pope St. John Paul II's canonization? So the first question that I usually encounter is: How is it possible, keeping in mind the doctrine on infallibility of canonizations (note doctrine not dogma), that Pope St. John Paul II is a Saint? First, what does it mean???  According to the doctrine of dogmatic facts - it is the universal opinion of Theologians that canonizations are infallible.  It means that they enjoy the beatific vision.  ... that's it.  That is the doctrine and it is at the level of universal opinion of theologians.  It is called a 'dogmatic fact'. That they made mistakes is obvious.  That the miracles seem to not be very miraculous is also a bit of an issue. Here's something to consider: The rush that surrou...
16 comments
Read more

The Vatican and SSPX – An Organizational Culture Perspective

By
Introduction The recent and continuing interactions between the Vatican and the SSPX have been a great opportunity for prayer and reflection.  The basis for the disagreement is theological and not liturgical. As noted by Dr. Lamont (2012), the SSPX theological position on the four key controversial aspects of the Second Vatican Council are base on prior theological work that resulted from relevant magisterial pronouncements.  So it is difficult to understand the apparent rejection of the theological position of the SSPX.
17 comments
Read more