Thoughts on Bishop Fellay and the Ugliness of Schism

Last updated on: March 11, 2018 at 2:07 pm by Scott Eric Alt

Thoughts on Bishop Fellay and the Ugliness of Schism 2018-03-11T14:07:42-04:00 Scott Eric Alt

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Photo credit: Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter. Used by permission.

It pains me to have to write this, because I had great hopes for the reunion of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) with Rome. I had hoped, from all that I had read, that Bishop Fellay wanted reconciliation, and I was disappointed to learn that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) had decided to discontinue further negotations. And it is impossible to listen to Bp. Fellay’s latest talk of ninety-plus minutes and doubt that his love for the Church is sincere. However, I think that he has now done near-irreparable harm to his Society’s chances for reconciliation. I pray that I am wrong [1].

I am not just talking about the fact that he calls Jews the “enemies of the Church.” (And he says that about Masons and Modernists too.) The broader context of his discussion—which I have listened to, in its full hour-and-a-half entirety—was a discussion of Vatican II and its so-called “novelties.” Among other things, Bp. Fellay said that that the commitment to ecumenism is “contrary to tradition” and “doesn’t work,” that the conciliar documents are full of “errors,” and that the Novus Ordo is “bad” and “evil.” As an added bonus, the bishop voiced his stern objection to the move to beatify Pope Paul VI and noted that his (the pope’s) mother’s tomb is covered with Masonic symbols [2].

Bp. Fellay is right that the Church has suffered since Vatican II. But—and it is very important to get this right—the source of that harm was not anything the Council said, but rather those who used the Council as an excuse for whatever wild innovations the misguided mind of man could dream up. Could bishops have done a better job exercising Church discipline and eradicating this kind of stuff? Probably. Could they do better going forward? Almost certainly. But a Hydra-headed monster takes time to kill, and John Paul II and Benedict XVI have done a very good job in clarifying what the Council said and what it did not. To lay the fault at the feet of the Council itself is wrong and will always be wrong.

Hence the reason Fellay’s words last month are extraordinarily disappointing. He loves the Church—I don’t doubt that—and the SSPX has incredible gifts to bring to the Church. Its commitment to the Church’s traditions, and to the beauty of the Latin Mass, would go a long way toward restoring a sense of the sacred. That is why schism is ugly: It robs the Church of needed gifts; and God gives gifts to everyone in good measure. As a lifelong Protestant until converting to the Catholic Church in 2011, I understand that many Protestants are extraordinarily gifted in their love for the Sacred Scripture and their devotion to sound exegesis of it. The Church can benefit from those gifts, if only Protestants will forsake their attempts to go-it-on-their-own and return home. The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you. I would say the same thing to the SSPX. The Novus Ordo is not evil. Schism is.

Fr. Federico Lombardi, speaking on behalf of the Vatican, necessarily had to issue a stern rebuke of Bishop Fellay’s “unacceptable” comments regarding Jews as “enemies” of the Church. For his part, the bishop attempted to clarify that he was speaking about the Jewish leaders, not the Jewish people, and that the word “enemy” meant only that these leaders oppose the mission of the Church. That strikes me as splitting hairs extraordinarily fine. Neither the Jewish people, nor their leaders, should be scapegoats for what is wrong in the Church. From Abraham until now, they are God’s people. And it might be well to note that, in any case, Bishop Fellay does not speak for the Church. He speaks for the SSPX, and as it stands, and continues to stand, the SSPX is not in communion with Rome.

At the start of his talk, however, Bishop Fellay did say something that I thought was exactly right. Here is what he said: “When you lose the trust to the authority, then you are left to yourself, then you are alone to judge.” Unfortunately, he went on during the next ninety minutes to prove how much those very words apply to himself.

As you ponder all these things, I ask that you would pray the prayer of Jesus in Gesthemane: that we may all be one*.*

You can listen to Bishop Fellay’s remarks here. And you can read the Documents of Vatican II here. They are worth studying carefully.

Endnotes

[1] Fr. Z., with his usual precision, refers to Fellay’s address as “rambling.”

[2] There are some photos here that attempt to validate this claim, for what they may be worth. Update: There is some good discussion below, worth reading, that points out why these photos prove zero.

***

If you like the content on this blog, your generous gift to the author helps to keep it active. I remember all my supporters in my Mass intentions each week.

SSPX

Previous Post

January 9, 2013

Did Adam & Eve Practice Sola Scriptura?

Next Post

January 11, 2013 John Bugay's Eisegetical Creativity

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion About Me Answers for Calvinists Answers to Media Fictions Answers to Objections Anti-Catholicism Apologetics Apostolic Succession Atonement Authority of the Church Baptism Benedictines Biblical Exegesis Blogging Book Reviews Books & Writing &c. Calvin's Institutes Capital Punishment Catholic Church Chastity Christology Church Fathers Church Social Doctrine Confession Contraception Conversion Stories Crusades Debates Depression & Suicide Deuterocanon Development of Doctrine Ecumenism English Language Eucharistic Adoration Exorcism Extra Ecclesiam Fisks & Rebuttals Freedom of Religion Freedom of Speech Fundamentalism Gender Politics Gender Theory Good Works Homosexuality Humor Idolatry Immaculate Conception In the News Inquisition ISIS Islam Just for Fun Just War Justification LCWR Limbo Liturgical Abuse Liturgical Year Magisterium Marriage and Family Mary Mortal Sin New Evangelization NFP Papacy Papal Documents Papal Infallibility Personal Narrative Politics Pope Francis Pope Francis Derangement Syndrome Population Control Praying to the "Dead" Priesthood Primacy of Peter Protestant Denominations Purgatory Radical Islam Radical Traditionalists Real Presence Right to Conscience RIght to Life Saints Same-Sex "Marriage" Seven Quick Takes Social Justice Social Media Sola Scriptura Spirit of Vatican II SSPX The Eucharist The Mass The Resurrection Traditionalism Vatican II Year of Mercy

Select a Month August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 November 2018 October 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 April 2018 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 May 2013 April 2013 February 2013 January 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does the name "Elijah" mean?

Select your answer to see how you score.

My God is Yahweh God is Light God Saves God Provides