Skip to main content

Fisher-More, FFI, SSPX - What connects the dots?

+
JMJ

There has been a lot of chatter about the latest events at Fisher-More.  You can read about it here , here, here and here.

What triggered the reaction against F-M?



As far as I can determine it comes down to two things:

  1. Second Vatican Council
  2. Reforms emanating from it.
What must the Ecclesia Dei institutes accept in order to be canonically regular?

  1. Second Vatican Council
  2. Reforms emanating from it.
What is the rallying point around which the authorities consistently have struck for the last fifty years?

The Tridentine Mass

All I want to know is the answer to one question: Why?

We know what the SSPX hold as being contrary to previous doctrine :
  • "The doctrine on religious liberty, as it is expressed in no. 2 of the Declaration 'Dignitatis humanae,' contradicts the teachings of Gregory XVI in 'Mirari vos' and of Pius IX in 'Quanta cura' as well as those of Pope Leo XIII in 'Immortale Dei' and those of Pope Pius XI in 'Quas primas.'
  • "The doctrine on the Church, as it is expressed in no. 8 of the Constitution 'Lumen gentium,' contradicts the teachings of Pope Pius XII in 'Mystici corporis' and 'Humani generis.'
  • "The doctrine on ecumenism, as it is expressed in no. 8 of 'Lumen gentium' and no. 3 of the Decree 'Unitatis redintegratio,' contradicts the teachings of Pope Pius IX in propositions 16 and 17 of the 'Syllabus,' those of Leo XIII in 'Satis cognitum,' and those of Pope Pius XI in 'Mortalium animos.'
  • "The doctrine on collegiality, as it is expressed in no. 22 of the Constitution 'Lumen gentium,' including no. 3 of the 'Nota praevia' [Explanatory Note], contradicts the teachings of the First Vatican Council on the uniqueness of the subject of supreme power in the Church, in the Constitution 'Pastor aeternus'."
We further know the issues that they see with the reform the emanated from the Second Vatican Council.

Setting aside the issues with the N.O.M. and focusing on the doctrinal issues.

If  ...
  • the SSPX has a correct understanding of the pre-conciliar doctrines noted above
  • the Second Vatican Council did not change doctrine
Then what is the fuss about?

Logically, if the SSPX 'position' is not against pre-conciliar doctrine and that doctrine was not changed by the Council, what is the problem?

I think the problem revolves around what seems to happen as people have their culture reformed by exposure and participation in the Tridentine Liturgy.  They seem to realize that there are issues with the N.O.M. as well as the Council documents.

Maybe there is a method to the madness of the Bishops who reject the Tridentine Mass.

What would be the consequences for the Pope, Bishops and Catholic Church if the SSPX position is the right one?

Off the top of my head here of some pieces of low hanging fruit:
  1. Our Lord Jesus Christ is God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity
  2. The Church of Christ IS the Roman Catholic Church
  3. Membership in the Church of Christ (actual or by desire) is necessary for salvation
  4. Religious organizations that are do not form part of the unity of faith or government of the Roman Catholic Church are not part of the Church of Christ
Not a bad start.

Of course, when they are no longer afraid to say such things, then life for Catholics will be very interesting.

No wonder they are afraid

No wonder they attack anyone that crosses the red-line of V2 and the N.O.M.

There's more to think of here ... put perhaps after the Ascension.

P^3









Comments

  1. Can anyone verify or disprove the claim some are making that Fisher More College currently has an SSPX filling in?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SSPX and the Resistance - A Comparison Of Ecclesiology

Shining the light of Church Teaching on the doctrinal positions of the SSPX and the Resistance. Principles are guides used to aid in decision making.  It stands to reason that bad principles will lead to bad decisions. The recent interactions between Rome and the SSPX has challenged a number of closely held cultural assumptions of people in both sides of the disagreement. This has resulted in cultural skirmishes in both Rome and the SSPX. Since it is the smaller of the two, the skirmishes have been more evident within the SSPX.  The cultural fault-line that Bishop Fellay crossed appears to be linked to two points of Catholic Doctrine: Ecclesiology and Obedience.  The cultural difference of view points is strong enough that it has resulted in the expulsion of a number of members.  It should also be noted that some other priests expelled since the beginning of the latest interactions (starting in 2000) held the same view points and have joined with the l...

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

+ JMJ Along the theme of P^3 (Prayer, Penance, Patience), and for my own reference ... here is a collection of Morning and Evening prayers from the Ideal Daily Missal along with some additional prayers. In this crisis of the Church, I do not think it is possible to do too much prayer, penance and have patience. P^3

Church Militant TV and the SSPX - Again

+ JMJ The old narrative used to be that the SSPX was 'schismatic' and 'excommunicated'. Now the excommunication has been lifted for a number of years and the only ones who think it still has effect are the 'resistors'. That leaves the other opponents of the SSPX with the label 'schismatic'. Make it clear, the conservative Catholics have issues with the SSPX probably because they violate some of their assumptions about the Faith and this crisis of the Church. Church Militant TV is one of these the exists along the Catholic thought spectrum. They like the Traditional Mass but must ensure that they don't get tarred with the same 'schismatic' brush that the liberals use against the SSPX.  So what do they do, they use the same brush against the SSPX. The funny thing is that even when the Church does speak, they don't want to listen and persist in calling the SSPX 'schismatic'. Here's a transcript of the latest s...

The Curious Case of Steve Skojec and the Dangers of Deep Diving into the Crisis Sub-Titled: The Failings of Others

 + JMJ It's been a while now since Steve Skojec sold 1P5 and abandoned the Catholic Faith. I've been a 'Trad' since 1982 and in those 40+ years I seen this death-spiral before with a similar end point. It seems that anyone who jumps into the fray unprepared for the enormous task of righting wrongs will, eventually, become discouraged by not the task but the people who surround them.   I remember when Skojec complained of the treatment his family received from a traditional priest.  This seems to have been the start of the end for him. So what can we learn from the likes of Steve Skojec, Michael Voris (maybe?), Louie Verrecchio, Gerry Matatix and other celebrity Catholics? Probably quite a lot about what not to do. First, don't burn out on the crisis?  When you burn out, on work or anything else, little things assume a more greater importance than they are due.   This is one of my 'canary in the coal mine' signals that I've been stretching myself too th...

The Position of the SSPX on Canonizations by the Saint Factory

+ JMJ I have sometimes been criticized for including 'St' as a title for Pope John Paul II et al. I've given my reasons here  in a discussion with Alex Long. The question is one of prudence in discussions with ntCatholics and in some cases with tCatholics. In discussions with:  ntCatholics, I will use the title in order to continue the discussion and help them arrive at a realistic understanding of the crisis of the Church. tCatholics, I will use the title in order to broaden their perspective on the doctrine of dogmatic facts. This broader perspective is, in my opinion, essential maintaining a realistic understanding of the crisis of the Church. So from a doctrinal position, I have written the article Dogmatic Fact of Fancy  and includes a reference on canonizations. Now, I know the position of the SSPX is that the canonizations are doubtful (see references below) and I also know of at least one non-SSPX theologian who agrees with the level of doubt du...