What would Archbishop Lefebvre Do?

JMJ

There is, amongst many faithful Traditional Catholics, a desire to arrive at an understanding of what Archibishop Lefebvre (+1991) would do today in response to the overtures and tricks of Rome as well as the antics of those in positions of authority within the Catholic Church.

In order to do so, they sift through the actions, writings, speeches, and sermons of the Archbishop. In their eagerness for guidance and consolation, they latch on to items that seem to confirm their own opinions and decisions.

For example, I have repeatedly encountered the statement that the Archbishop stated that there can be no canonical regularization without a doctrinal agreement.

This is a dream.

The Archbishop never issued these words. This principle was formulated by a General Chapter of the SSPX and was used early on to guide the discussions with Rome. When it became obvious that it would force the SSPX to contradict the Catholic Doctrine of obedience, it was abandoned.

So the reality is that the Archbishop never issued a statement that stated "no canonical regularization without a doctrinal agreement". This is an inference from a narrow selection of the statements made by the Archbishop.

How to know the mind of the Archbishop is, without examining and memorizing ALL of the statements he made from 1960 until his death is an insurmountable task.

The easier way is to seek to understand the principles that he applied in understanding and acting as a Catholic prelate in this crisis.

From my perspective, perhaps the key principle is obedience.

We have a perfect example of this in how the Archbishop reacted at one of the first 'resistance' movements that manifested itself within the SSPX when they disagreed with the path of the Superior General: The Sedevacantists. Here is an excerpt of the Archbishop's explanation:

The basic principle of the Society’s thinking and action in the painful crisis the Church is going through is the principle taught by St. Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologica (II, II, q. 33, a.4). That one may not oppose the authority of the Church except in the case of imminent danger to the Faith. Now, there is no danger for the Faith in the liturgy of Pope Pius XII and Pope John XXIII, whereas there is great danger for the Faith in the liturgy of Pope Paul VI, which is unacceptable. (Tradicat)

This principle is discussed in detail by St. Thomas in the Summa II, II, Q104, which I have examined in detail in the series Breaking down St. Thomas' teaching on obedience as well as other articles.

We live in an atmosphere the reeks of disobedience from the highest level of the Church to the lowest level of society. In practically all places, those who should be obedient to God's Law and His Church are disobeying, even the Pope.

So what do I believe Archbishop Lefebvre would do when witnessing:

Some of his sons abandoning Catholic Dogma, Doctrine, Principles and Discipline.
Orders that he fostered and sheltered turning and attacking the order he founded.
The Pope's continuing their dereliction of duty and even worse fomenting confusion and the loss of souls.

I believe he would cry.

What he would do after crying will be the subject of another post.

P^3

References

Tradicat: DOCTRINAL PREAMBLE APRIL 15, 2012 VS PROTOCOL 1988

Tradicat: One and Two Years after the Consecrations

Tradicat: The SSPX and the Conversion of Rome - Fr. Robinson

Tradicat: A Look Back: The Nov/Dec Fideliter Interview

Tradicat: SSPX Declaration of 2006

Tradicat: Why the SSPX uses the 1962 missal

Tradicat: Articles on Obedience

Tradicat: Articles on Catholic Principles

Tradicat: The Principle of Obedience and the SSPX

Comments

The myth of the Hermeneutic of Continuity - Rorate Caeli

+ JMJ Interestingly the complete acceptance of the Second Vatican Council (without reservations) is required of the SSPX. Just when people are starting to wonder how it came to this! Courtesy of Rorate Caeli P^3

A Look Back: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976

+ JMJ Looking back is important to understand why we are where we are in this crisis. Courtesy of RemnantNewsPaper P^3 FOR THE FIRST TIME ONLINE: Archbishop Lefebvre’s Prophetic Address to The Remnant, 1976 Written by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre Introduction by Michael J. Matt More than forty years ago—during the disastrous reign of Pope Paul VI, the latest candidate for a Vatican-issued Halo Award, by the way—my father, Walter L. Matt, organized the first large scale public reception in the U.S. for the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. It was held at the Radisson South Hotel, Minneapolis, on Tuesday, May 12, 1976, and its stated purpose was to assist the Archbishop in gaining a stronger foothold for the Society of St. Pius X in the States during the unprecedented crisis Blessed Pope Paul had helped unleash on the Church. On that occasion Archbishop Lefebvre delivered ...

Of the Church and the Pope - Fr. Calmel O.P.

+ JMJ Once again, looking back to see if the 'Traditional Catholics' in the early days of this crisis of the Church had a sufficient view to realize the roots of the crisis. The root: The Pope Hence when the Pope is 'righted' the Church will be 'righted'. P^3 Courtesy of SSPXasia Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. This essay by Fr. Roger Calmel, O.P. (1914-75) helps us in these difficult times to preserve our love of the Church. More than 30 years after its first publication, this article retains all its relevance, so much so that it even seems to have been written for our time, in which the crisis in the Church deepens at an unprecedented pace. This essay will help the reader to think clearly, keep the Faith, and maintain serenity in the troubled times we are navigating. “My country has hurt m e,”wrote a young poet in 1944 during the purge 1 when the head of state [Charles De Gaulle] implacably pursued the sinister job that had been in the wo...

Canonical Mission and State of Emergency - A Response to Mr. John Salza - Part B

+ JMJ I was trying to think of a way to map out the time course I discussed in Part A of this article. Early this morning it came to me that this is more about obedience and duty than canon law. As is my wont, I mapped out my thoughts (see image) to draw linkages between the core concepts. My conclusion is that, at least subjectively, Archbishop Lefebvre had sufficient information to make good decisions concerning whether or not he was obliged to obey. I know that the Jesuits, some Sedevacantists and the priests that left over the years will not agree with my thoughts. So be it. The core pieces of information include: Attacks against the SSPX were launched because they kept the Tridentine Mass and the pre-conciliar understanding of the Truths of the Faith. The authorities in the Church were willing to go against the laws of the Church. The same authorities encouraged the various dangers to the Faith embedded in popular interpretations of ambiguo...

Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations - Courtesy of SSPX.org

+ JMJ In the blogosphere there are number of responses to this crisis in the Catholic Church that lead to conclusions that run counter to Catholic Doctrine and Dogmas - if taken to their logical conclusion. The validity of the New Rite of Episcopal consecrations is one such hotspot within more extreme sections of the 'traditionalist' culture. Validity of new rite of episcopal consecrations Courtesy of SSPX.org Why the new rite of episcopal consecration is valid Introduction This comprehensive study was compiled to settle a debate that has been circulating in traditional Catholic circles. Some writers have examined the new rite of episcopal consecration and concluded that it must be invalid. Since this would cause manifest problems if it were true and due to the heightened awareness of such a theory, we present a study of this question concluding that it is valid. Following the Council, in 1968 a new rite for the ordination of bishops was promulg...

Tradicat

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