Old Traditions, New Schisms: Part 3

Part 1
Part 2

After the excommunication of Lefebvre for his opposition to the pope and unauthorized consecration of bishops, many followers left the society. Some formed new groups, still dedicated to the pre-conciliar Mass but operating within the approval of the Church.  

And that’s how things stayed for about 15 years, even after Lefebvre died in 1991. In the early 2000s, efforts were made to reconcile members of SSPX with the Church. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI authorized use of the 1962 missal as an “extraordinary” form of the Mass, to be used in limited circumstances. In 2009, he remitted the excommunications of 1988. But discussions on the issues of religious liberty, ecumenicism, liturgy, and sacraments stalled, as neither side would concede. In 2012, one of the men consecrated a SSPX bishop in 1988 administered the sacrament of confirmation to about 100 people; the act had not been authorized by society leadership. The society expelled the bishop. Apparently it was virtuous to illicitly administer sacraments when opposing Vatican leadership but not when opposing SSPX leadership.

In 2015, as part of the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis authorized that SSPX priests could licitly offer the sacrament of confession. In 2017, he authorized diocesan bishops to grant SSPX priests facilities to officiate marriages, meaning SSPX priests could come into a diocese at the local bishop’s discretion in order to officiate valid Catholic marriages. These were small but significant steps in bringing the society back into good standing with the Church.

Old Traditions, New Schisms: Part 2

Part 1

After losing his position as the superior general of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit and watching many of the documents passed at the Second Vatican Council go against his conscience, Lefebvre was approached by others in the traditionalist movement and asked to open a conservative seminary. He received permission from the bishop of Fribourg, Switzerland and opened a small seminary in Econe. In 1970, he established a society of priests called the International Priestly Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX). Pius X was chosen as the patron because of his opposition to socialism and his anti-modernist stance. The society initially received episcopal blessing and adhered to call canonical norms. Additional seminaries were opened in Michigan in 1973 and Rome in 1974.

The society focused on the formation of priests, believing well-formed, traditional priests was the most effective means at reforming the Church and society. It viewed the Second Vatican Council critically, believing it to be in line with the modernist and socialist movements of the 20th century, which they believed caused religious and social decline. The society does not outright reject the council, but it questions and even dismisses many of the council’s documents, especially those regarding religious tolerance, ecumenicism, unity, and liturgy.

SSPX is probably best known for its opposition to the liturgical changes of the Second Vatican Council. The New Roman Missel was published in 1970, which made significant changes to the prayers and readings of the Mass and allowed for the use of vernacular language, ad populum positioning, new music, and greater congregational participation. The society rejects the legitimacy of the post-conciliar Mass and openly expresses doubt of the validity of the universal Mass celebrated by more than a billion Catholics. Therefore, the society celebrates the Mass according to pre-conciliar missals.

Old Traditions, New Schisms: Part 1

Last week, the Vatican formally excommunicated the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX). It was a long time coming, but it still made for big news. The society claims to support the Catholic Church and the pope yet also rejects many of the Church documents of the past 60 years. The Church has tried different approaches in bringing the group in line, ultimately drawing a line in the sand, hoping tough love will lead its supporters back into proper communion.

SSPX was founded by Marcel Lefebvre in 1970. Lefebvre was a conservative Catholic priest from France. In the 1920s he went to Rome to study, as his family thought the French seminaries too liberal. His political and religious positions were deeply shaped by his family and by French society in the early 20th century. His father was a monarchist who believed the Revolution had been Masonic and anti-Catholic; French monarchists believed a monarchy and powerful Church was the best structure for a Catholic society. Lefebvre later supported political movements like the Vichy government and National Front that suppressed religious liberty and tolerance.

In 1931 Lefebvre joined the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. He served in Gabon as a missionary then in the order’s seminary in France. In 1947, he was appointed vicar apostolic in Dakar and given the responsibility of overseeing Church matters across French Africa. In 1959, Lefebvre was one of 120 appointed to the preparatory commission for the Second Vatican Council.