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Reading Papal Tea Leaves! (Updated - Correcting my type-o's etc)

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JMJ

There's been a lot of speculation since Pope Leo XIV was elected as Vicar of Christ, the visible head of the Catholic Church.

Everyone seems to be impatiently trying to see which way Leo wants to take the Church and making a lot of assumptions about the meaning of various actions, assignments made since he was elected.

While I don't know when the process of these decisions started and Pope Leo's involvement, what I do know is that trying to ascribe intentions is like trying to read tea-leaves and just as effective.

What I do know is that the SSPX is going to Rome this summer and like the pilgrimage in 2000, we are at a potential inflection point in the life of the Church.  In 2000, Rome saw the SSPX and tradition wasn't stale and dying but full of life.  Twenty-five years later, I think we may be approaching a repeat of 2000. 

Here's my best-case scenario:

  • SSPX has a successful pilgrimage,
  • Roman authorities such as Cardinals or maybe even Pope Leo XIV have a brief introductory meeting,
  • Discussions restart quietly,
  • The Canonical Structure and 2012 Agreement are revisited,
  • A no-compromise structure and agreement are developed,
  • SSPX comes in from the canonical grey area,
  • ... then I think the real fun will begin - perhaps a real schism.

This may sound like fantasy, but like a time capsule, the 2012 agreement and structure still represent the way-station of the relationship between Rome and the SSPX.  So, restarting the work doesn't mean Rome and the SSPX have to go back to 2000. They only need to cover what's happened during the pontificate of Pope Francis ... and a lot has happened.

In particular, we have Traditionis Custodes the revoked Summorum Pontificum and Universae Ecclesiae (SP/UE).

So things to watch for:

  1. Public contacts between Rome and the SSPX (I've been told that there is no contact at this time).
  2. Amendments or repeal of Traditionis Custodes,
  3. Promulgation of a new SP/UE.
Those actions (or contrary ones) will be solid information on what Pope Leo actually intends to do.

Something to pray for in the coming months.

P^3



August 19 - 21, 2025


The last Jubilee when the SSPX went to Rome was the Jubilee of the Year 2000. This pilgrimage to Rome marked a significant event for the Society of Saint Pius X, as it occurred after a period of limited dialogue between the SSPX and the Holy See. The SSPX also participated in the Jubilee of 1975 with its founder, Archbishop Lefebvre.  (Google)


https://sspx.org/en/news/worldwide-jubilee-year-pilgrimage-rome-august-2025-49148

https://sspx.org/en/news/vatican-communique-about-sspxs-reply-doctrinal-4555

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