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Announcement due tomorrow. There is no return to Rome. The superior of the Lefebvrists of Spain and Portugal, Juan Maria Montagut, will communicate to the faithful, after the mass of 11, that the hierarchy of the FSSPX, gathered in Ecône, have decided to say "no" to the Vatican. The followers of Lefebvre will not return to the Roman fold. Primarily, because they are not willing to accept the Second Vatican Council in all its extremes.

(RNS) A breakaway traditionalist Catholic group on Monday (June 25) slammed as “clearly unacceptable” a Vatican doctrinal document that was supposed to lay the foundation for the group's reconciliation with Rome. The move comes after three years of complex negotiations between the Vatican and the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), and was revealed just as Pope Benedict XVI appointed a high-profile American archbishop to a key post to oversee relations with traditionalists. A letter by the Rev. Christian Thouvenot, secretary general of the SSPX, to SSPX bishops and regional leaders was leaked on the Internet on Tuesday (June 26)....

The SSPX traditionalist Catholic group on Monday slammed as "clearly unacceptable" a Vatican doctrinal document that was supposed to lay the foundation for the group's reconciliation with Rome, reports NCR Online.The move comes after three years of complex negotiations between the Vatican and the Society of St Pius X and was revealed just as Pope Benedict XVI appointed a high-profile American archbishop to a key post to oversee relations with traditionalists.A letter by Fr Christian Thouvenot, secretary general of the SSPX, to SSPX bishops and regional leaders was leaked on the Internet on Tuesday. Thouvenot later confirmed its authenticity.The letter says...

Over 200 followers of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) have signed a letter publicly castigating Bishop Fellay for dealing with the Pope and the Catholic Church. Below is the public open letter being circulated by the SSPX parishioners. It should be noted that the letter is signed by a founder of the International Third Position and various members and organizers of a pro-Bishop Williamson internet forum that is tolerant of antisemitism. This letter may not be as spontaneous and innocent as it purports to be. An Open Letter to Bishop Fellay from some concerned faithful of the SSPX...

Superior of the Society of St. Pius X Bishop Bernard Fellay. Vatican City, Jun 14, 2012 / 10:26 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican has confirmed that the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X is being offered the status of a personal prelature as part of a deal to heal the group’s 24-year rift with the Catholic Church. “Clearly the ball is now in the court of the Society,” Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi said on June 14. Yesterday afternoon the Society’s superior general, Bishop Bernard Fellay, spent over two hours in talks with representatives of the Vatican’s Congregation for...

UPDATE from 19.00 clock: a new statement from the SSPX: "The desire for further clarifications could usher in a new series of meeting" - The Vatican plans to offer a personal prelature The Vatican on Wednesday evening consulted with the leadership of the SSPX on the progress of the ecclesiastical unity efforts. The prefect of the Congregation of the Faith, Cardinal William Levada, gave the Superior of the Priestly Society of St. Pius X, Bernard Fellay, in a detailed interview at the headquarters of his curial body, the official response of the Pope. Benedict XVI had informed Levada and the...

Fr. Miche Koller of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) has proclaimed that an agreement between Rome and the SSPX will be announced this week. He then went on to rally against union with Rome. It is impossible to know whether or not Bisop Williamson's followers will prevent the SSPX from joining with the Catholic Church. But if the above prediction turns out to be true, see the entire video below for some of what will be coming to a parish near you. The cultic video is ironically entitled, "Bishop Williamson: The Unchanging Catholic Unifier"

The latest volley in Bishop Richard Williamson's war against Bishop Fellay and the Holy Father has come from Fr. Francois Chazal, a priest of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX)stationed in Asia. At the end of this post you will find a video and written transcript of a sermon give by Fr. Chazal that praises Bishop Williamson, a renowned Holocaust Denier, for thwarting Bishop Fellay's "plot" to sign a deal with Rome. This lengthy sermon is well worth taking time to listen to as it provides a perfect example of the ecclesiology taught within the SSPX. It would be...

<p>See for yourselves the interview, given in English and accessible on YouTube under the title, “Traditionalist leader talks about his movement, Rome”. Can anybody be surprised if “his movement” is currently going through the gravest crisis of its 42 years of existence ?"</p>

They sue a Green Party politician for his statements about Bishop Williamson and their attitude to Islam

Pope should be deposed if he accepts the SSPX back

Bishop Fellay quotes Pope saying it would be easier for him not to grant full recognition to the SSPX

In my last post concerning the SSPX, I discussed the radical antisemitism found there. Although I disagree with the fact that the SSPX has ostensibly done little to curb the radical factions within the organization, it is clear that the radicals hate Bishop Fellay for his attempts to bring normalcy and a truer Catholicism to the SSPX. This passion and disinformation can be readily seen in two examples. The first example can be seen in the article by Stephen Heiner entitled, Quod Vadis SSPX? Part III. One must really read the entire article to see the passion behind those opposed...

The process for the Society of St. Pius X’s return to full communion with Rome is expected to be concluded by the end of MayThe response sent to the Vatican on 17 April by Bishop Bernard Fellay will be examined in the next few days by the cardinal and bishop members in Ordinary Session of the Congregation of the Doctrine for the Faith, commonly known as Feria Quarta; their decision will then be submitted to Benedict XVI. The process which should lead the Society of St. Pius X – founded by Mgr. Lefebvre - to return to full communion with...

Rome-SSPX: "We cannot be 88ers" From the May 2012 issue of Seignadou, the newsletter of the chaplaincy of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) for the schools of the Traditional Dominican Sisters of Fanjeaux (France) - chaplain, Father Michel Simoulin, SSPX: Following our Jubilee [pilgrimage] in the year 2000, Rome took the initiative of establishing new relations. Today, the same Cardinal, having become Pope, has told us that the Tridentine Mass has never been abrogated (July 7, 2007: "It is, therefore, permissible to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass following the typical edition of the Roman Missal promulgated by...

A breakaway group of traditionalist Catholics may be on the verge of returning into full communion with Rome, bringing a 24-year rift to an end and fulfilling a key goal of Benedict XVI’s pontificate. Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi told journalists April 18 that the Society of St. Pius X had taken an encouraging “step forward” by clarifying its response to a “doctrinal preamble,” a Vatican document that has become the basis of any reconciliation. The society insisted “a step and not a conclusion” had been reached and stressed its clarifications, submitted by the society’s superior general, Bishop Bernard Fellay,...

Just mentioned by Andrea Tornielli for La Stampa: Lefebvrists: the positive response has arrived 17.09.2012 (1900 GMT - 2100 Rome) The Superior of the Society of Saint Pius X has signed the doctrinal preamble proposed by the Holy See, even if with some slight modifications ANDREA TORNIELLI CITTÀ DEL VATICANO The response of the Society of Saint Pius X has arrived in the Vatican and it is positive: according to the informal information gathered by Vatican Insider, Bishop Bernard Fellay would have signed the doctrinal preamble that the Holy See had proposed last September as a condition to reach full...

Communiqué of the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" The text of the response of His Excellency Bp. Bernard Fellay, Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, requested during the meeting in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of March 16, 2012, was delivered on April 17, 2012. This text will be examined by the Dicastery and submitted afterwards to the judgment of the Holy Father. [Source: original texts in Italian and French]

[...] the fraternity have “preannounced they will arrive at a final clarification, therefore I am hoping that at the beginning of next week we’ll be able to know their position and then take consequent positions.” [...]Msgr. Pozzo said “certain press reports, certain information, have been encouraging but we cannot predict their response until they give it to us.” [...] if the society “does not accept the offer of a pope like Benedict XVI, who has already made possible the gestures to meet them halfway, a historic opportunity would be lost, and, above all, there would be a further injury to...

April 15th is an unpleasant day in the United States and we await its arrival with dread. But in Rome and in Écône, Switzerland and around the world thousands upon thousands look upon the 15th with fear and hope all mixed together. April 15th is the deadline. And if you are smart, you should be paying attention too. By April 15th the Society of Saint Pius X will give their response to a “Doctrinal Preamble” outlining “certain doctrinal principles and criteria for the interpretation of Catholic doctrine … (while also) leaving open to legitimate discussion the examination and theological explanation...