The reference is to the followers of the late French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who broke with Rome in 1988 in part over the question of the older Mass. Members of his Society of St. Pius X are conventionally numbered at perhaps one and a half million worldwide.
*This makes no sense. They already have the Mass and while it is illicit, and while they illicility operate in the Jurisdiction of legitimate Bishops, I see no reason to accomodate this protestant cult. They don't desire accomodation. They desire the Living Magisterium surrender to their hatreds and heresies.
If anything, the Pope should issue a warning that he considers anyone who attends one illcit sspx liturgy shall incur an automatic excommunication. Then, POpe Benedict could pick a date, say May 15 (Feast of St. Dymphna), and declare that any in the schism who have not reconciled with the Catholic Church by then will be formally and publicly excommunicated en masse and no further talks will be held with the schism. It is LONG past time to stop pretending the schism is salvagable.
Fellay teaches the Normative Mass is evil. Fellay teaches Vatican Two is heretical. Fellay teaches the Jews are cursed. He is clearly a heretic riven with antisemtism and insanity and it just makes no sense to try and make a deal with such a man. Any deal with such a man will be as unreliable as all the former deals made with lefevbre. lefevbre could not be counted upon to keep his word either. Like schismatic father, like heretical son.
Gotta say...that really isn't showing the love of Christ now is it? There are many groups that are in communion with the Holy Roman Catholic Church that still offer the traditional way of celebrating mass. (Fraternity of St. Peter, Christ the King Institute, etc.)
Personally, I like the mass that one can attend in almost any city daily, but I also respect the fact that there are those out there that have a special love for the former liturgy. The previous missal was never abolished and I see nothing wrong with reports that the pope is considering issuing an indult to allow for more people to attend it. The traditional mass has it's own special beatuy, but both sides, the traditional AND the progressives, need to remember that the most important part of mass is Christ truely present in the Eucharist.
Yes, we need better catechisis, yes we need better respect for the laws of God that the Church gives us, but we also need a better respect for both sides of this debate. It is amazing to see how hostile this debate on a document that HASN'T BEEN RELEASED YET has already gotten.
The pope does not need to offer an ultimatim. What is wrong with saying "The mass can be said in either format, the tridentine or the novus ordo"? NOTHING! I agree that it is a shame that the members of SSXP have went the route they have, but there is compelling reasons listed on their web site as to why they are not schismatic, although I do prefer the term "irregular". Either way, shouldn't we be encouraging them to return to regular relations with the Church?! Of course, and we don't do that with threats.
There can be no compromising with the truth, that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ on Earth, that Christ is truely present in the Eucharist, etc. But there is room to work with in terms of which mass people can attend.
Forgetting the SSXP issue for a minute, can anyone say that the tridentine mass is "bad"? No? That's because it's not. I've seen no report that the pope is considering having the universal church use only the tridentine, but rather that he recognizes that many people have a special love in their heart for this way of celebrating mass and he wants to respond.
It's like when people invite me to "praise and worship" sessions, they don't attract me, I don't like to go. But I'm fine with those people worshiping God in their own fashion. I'm fine with both ways to say mass as long as it is LITUGICALY CORRECT. I am not studying to be a priest who says the tridentine mass, but I do think that it should be offered more because there is a growing group that wants to celebrate that way. (Just as praise and worship [NOT DURING MASS...we hope] is becoming much more common, and I'm fine with that)
To conclude this rather lengthy post, take a deep breath, count to five, and wait for the document to come out before making hyperventilating posts.
P.S. "The reference is to the followers of the late French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, who broke with Rome in 1988 in part over the question of the older Mass."
-Actually, there are also many orders that offer the tridentine mass that are not the SSXP. I've listed some above.
"They already have the Mass and while it is illicit, and while they illicility operate in the Jurisdiction of legitimate Bishops, I see no reason to accomodate this protestant cult."
-The tridentine mass was never abolished, the missal was replaced so the traditional way of celebrating mass is not technically illicite. Also, as previously stated, having a love for the tridentine mass does not make one a member of a "protestant cult" although I appreciate that you were speaking about the SSXP they are not a protestant cult. At worst they could be called schismatic, but a schismatic act is that of not recognizing the authority of the pope, which they do. Therefore they can not be considered schismatic.
"If anything, the Pope should issue a warning that he considers anyone who attends one illcit sspx liturgy shall incur an automatic excommunication. Then, POpe Benedict could pick a date, say May 15 (Feast of St. Dymphna), and declare that any in the schism who have not reconciled with the Catholic Church by then will be formally and publicly excommunicated en masse and no further talks will be held with the schism."
-Here is a case that shows that such an act is inconsistent with the Church' teaching on the matter...
On May 1, 1991, Bishop Ferrario of Hawaii “excommunicated” certain Catholics of his diocese for attending Masses celebrated by priests of the Society of Saint Pius X, and receiving a bishop of the Society of Saint Pius X to confer the sacrament of Confirmation. Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, overturned this decision:
"From the examination of the case... it did not result that the facts referred to in the above-mentioned decree, are formal schismatic acts in the strict sense, as they do not constitute the offense of schism; and therefore the Congregation holds that the Decree of May 1, 1991, lacks foundation and hence validity." (June 28, 1993)