“It is not us who will break with Rome, the Eternal Rome, mistress of wisdom and truth. Nevertheless, it would be unrealistic to deny that there is a modernist and liberal influence in the Church since the Second Vatican Council and its subsequent reforms.” Bishop Bernard Fellay said this in an interview published in the bulletin of the Society of St. Pius X (DICI.org) at the end of the Lefebvrians’ General Chapter held in Écône in recent days.
Fellay does not talk about the content of the response - regarding the latest version of the doctrinal preamble - he is about to send to Rome although in recent weeks he affirmed he would not sign the version presented to him by Cardinal William Levada last 13 June.
Above all, Fellay explains that the Fraternity has settled its differences following the internal clashes that had recently been plaguing it and says that during the Chapter he presented the batch of documents which the superior had exchanged with the Holy See over the past few months.
“This made it possible for us to conduct direct discussions which have cleared out the doubts and dissipated any misunderstandings, resulting in peace and unity of hearts.”
“Very soon we will convey to Rome the position of the Chapter, which has been the occasion to specify our road map insisting upon the conservation of our identity, the only efficacious means to help the Church to restore Christendom,” Fellay said, adding: “We cannot keep silent when facing the rampant loss of faith, the staggering fall of the number of vocations, and the decrease of religious practice. We cannot refrain from speaking when confronted with the “silent apostasy” and its causes.”
The Lefebvrian Superior then explains that the approach of the Society of St. Pius X “is inspired not only by the doctrinal firmness of Archbishop Lefebvre but also by his pastoral charity. The Church has always considered that the best testimony to the truth is to be found in the early Christians’ unity built in prayer and charity.”
Fellay distances himself “resolutely from all those who have tried to take advantage of the situation in order to drive a wedge turning Society members against each other.” “We are Catholic, - the Lefebvrian Superior assured - we recognise the pope and the bishops, but above all else we must keep intact the Faith, source of God’s grace. Therefore we must avoid all that may endanger the Faith, without trying to become a replacement for the Church, Catholic, Apostolic, and Roman. Far from us the idea of establishing a parallel Church, of exercising a parallel magisterium!”
“In a word, - he continued - we maintain the faith in the primacy of the Roman Pontiff and in the Church founded upon Peter, but we refuse all which contributes to the “self-demolition of the Church” acknowledged by Paul VI himself since 1968.”
During the interview, Fellay sharply criticised the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Bishop Gerhard Müller: “After the courageous action of Benedict XVI on our behalf, in 2009, he refused to cooperate and treated us like if we were lepers! He is the one who stated that our seminary should be closed and that our students should go to the seminaries of their dioceses of origin, adding bluntly that “the four bishops of the SSPX should resign”! (cf. interview with Zeit Online, 8 May 2009).”
The Lefebvrian Superior then defines Müller’s role in defence of the faith, “fighting doctrinal errors and heresy” as “more important and more alarming.” Fellay then refers to some famous passages from the Prefect’s writings on transubstantiation, Mary’s virginity and ecumenism, defining them as “questionable” and stating: “there is no doubt that these texts would have been in the past the object of an intervention of the Holy Office.”
But we must read between the lines here: Fellay has reconsolidated the Fraternity and isolated Williamson. Although he makes no statement about this, I think he considers signing the latest version of the doctrinal preamble an impossibility. He was shocked by this version of the preamble because the proposals and requests for modifications which he had presented after receiving some kind of unofficial endorsement from the Vatican, were rejected. But the reply he is about to send to Rome is not to be seen as a definitive end to dialogue. On many occasions during the interview, he emphasises his recognition of the Pope’s authority and affirms that he does not wish to create a parallel Church.