Bishop Bernard Fellay gave a press conference in Rome, on the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple. On this occasion, he made public the SSPX letter to the Cardinals of the Roman Church, which itself accompanied a SSPX document entitled “From Ecumenism to Silent Apostasy.”
This document is a theological study of the 25-year pontificate of John Paul II. The Pope has paid tribute to the impact that the Second Vatican Council had in his life by making ecumenism the leading theme of his pontificate. The title of this study clearly manifests the fruits of this disastrous “new evangelization.” You will find this document in your chapels. We join to this Letter two other documents: Bishop Fellay’s latest Letter to Friends and Benefactors, which is a summary of the above mentioned study, and the interview that our Superior General granted to the information agency DICI, in which he points out the spirit in which this public statement was made.
Dear Friends and Benefactors,
Bishop Bernard Fellay gave a press conference in Rome, on the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple. On this occasion, he made public the SSPX letter to the Cardinals of the Roman Church, which itself accompanied a SSPX document entitled “From Ecumenism to Silent Apostasy.”
This document is a theological study of the 25-year pontificate of John Paul II. The Pope has paid tribute to the impact that the Second Vatican Council had in his life by making ecumenism the leading theme of his pontificate. The title of this study clearly manifests the fruits of this disastrous “new evangelization.” You will find this document in your chapels. We join to this Letter two other documents: Bishop Fellay’s latest Letter to Friends and Benefactors, which is a summary of the above mentioned study, and the interview that our Superior General granted to the information agency DICI, in which he points out the spirit in which this public statement was made.
Some have not hesitated to denounce and sharply criticize the document. But didn’t St. Paul tell his disciple Timothy to teach the truth “in season, and out of season,“ to encourage, certainly, but also to rebuke those who err, and even to threaten them when it is deemed necessary to do so, not only to defend the truth, but also for the good of the person sullied by this error? This teaching, defying fashions and not making exception of persons, is a supreme act of charity.
Charity is the supernatural virtue which makes us love God as He loves Himself. But to be able to live here on earth in this loving intimacy, we must first know God and be united to Him. This is accomplished by the virtue of faith, which enlightens our intelligence and gives us certain knowledge of God, allowing us to rest upon the truthfulness of He Who cannot err nor lead us into error. As a result, charity depends closely on faith. Even if we can live in faith without living in charity, the inverse is not possible: charity does not grow but from the soil of faith. Do we need to point out that this indispensable soil is infinitely superior to the world of sensible perceptions? Thus, charity must not be confused with those emotional jolts that affect us from time to time! Charity is not a question of feelings, but of truth. The first act of charity is, undoubtedly, the defense of the Faith and the desire to preserve its virginal purity.
Every Catholic is obliged to defend the Faith when it is attacked. It would be a sin, and a grave one, if we allow the Faith to be insulted and do not rush to defend it. In addition to this, if the attack is public, our defense must also be public. And if due to the misfortunes of the times and the weakness of men, the superiors are the ones who contradict the veracity of faith, our duty remains unchanged. In fact, it becomes even more pressing, because of the position and influence of those who participate in the custody of the Deposit of Faith.
This duty to rebuke publicly, once exercised by St. Paul toward St. Peter, is not founded on our expectation of its efficacy. It is simply motivated by the honor due to Our Lord, Who has given us this sacred de-posit without which it is impossible to remain in His intimacy. It is motivated by the honor of Holy Mother Church, who should be able to find some of her children who cannot accept seeing her relegated to the rank of the daughters of Babylon. It is also motivated by the respect due to souls and to the Blood of Christ that has been shed for them. It is only justice to give to these souls the bread of truth, and not to substitute it with error.
Independently of any anticipated usefulness or sensational results, we have the duty to render public witness to truth. In this way, it will not be said that the whole Church has remained quiet and silently accepted the triumph of modernist vileness. At the foot of the Cross, around Our Lady, there were some souls who wanted to remain faithful. In this hour, when Holy Mother Church has the honor of being called to share the lot of her Divine Spouse, more souls must be found to proclaim, against the present vociferations, the unchangeable divinity of the Holy Church, the only ark of salvation.
Some will retort that we show overweening pride and, above all, that we assume a place that is not ours. They will say that the very fact of judging the Pope is, in effect, a flagrant proof that the SSPX considers itself superior to him, and that our assumed superiority is a specifically schismatic attitude.
God forbid! We are Roman Catholics and we intend to remain such. We do no more than repeat unceasingly that the Church is the only ark of salvation. In the end, we simply content ourselves with repeating this truth, strongly and tenaciously, in a time when, in the bosom of the Church and in the name of a “new evangelization,” the pernicious doctrine of ecumenism reigns, which in turn tramples on the doctrine of “no salvation outside the Church.” The voice of the Pope, unfortunately, has the same ecumenical accents. How can we not painfully deplore it? It is absolutely impossible to discern the beauty and purity of our holy doctrine when the Pope, by his words and acts, becomes the apostle of this grave error. Ecumenism keeps silent about that truth which all other beliefs will never accept. This omission is a grave offense against the divinity of Christ and of His Church. The fact that it has received the backing of the Pope does not diminish its gravity. Thus, it is our duty to denounce it and to alert the Pope, telling him with all respect: “Holy Father, you are mistaken. Holy Father, you lead us into error.” This is only an act of charity towards him!
We must be careful to keep this painful analysis of the dramatic situation of our Holy Mother Church in the order of duty. It must never be an act of self-sufficiency. We do not pretend to take over pontifical infallibility, so frequently neglected today. We want only to affirm what has been and remains the doctrine of the Church, without adding or subtracting anything. Our role is similar to that of a sentinel, whose often thankless and dangerous duty is to be watchful and to protect the sleeping village by pointing out the dangers that threaten it.
Let us fulfill this duty faithfully. We must not allow ourselves to fall asleep. Let us protect ourselves from the dangers that too often affect our souls, already made fragile and wounded by a profound lack of formation. Let us gather around Our Lady on the feast of her apparition at Lourdes, and let us ask Her to keep us under Her maternal protection, in the knowledge of the faith and in a spirit of humility, so that we may participate in the privilege of Her Immaculate Conception. We pray Thee, O Our Lady, to protect the Holy Church so that she will again be proud of her title of Spouse. Deign also to guard our faith unsullied and to give our souls a deep sense of indignation against the errors that deface our Mother the Church and debase the glory of Thy Divine Son.
In Christo Sacerdote et Maria,
Fr. Yves le Roux