Posted on 08/01/2013 11:28:46 AM PDT by Weiss White
Q: What’s the canonical status of priests ordained by SSPX bishops, and what’s the canonical status of the sacraments they administer? –John
A: It would have been marvelous to be able to respond to John that the priests of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) were now fully united to Rome, and thus had a status comparable to the members of any other religious institute in the Church. Sadly, however, this is not the case! While Pope Benedict was clearly hoping to reconcile the SSPX to the Church during his papacy, the fact is that this important item on his to-do list was left unfinished when he resigned in February.
(Excerpt) Read more at canonlawmadeeasy.com ...
In short: valid yes, licit no.
I attended an SSPX mass once, which was nice, however, the priest afterwards gave a talk where he spent almost the whole time bashing Pope John Paul II, so I never went back.
It wasn’t Benedict’s fault that SSPX is still on the outside looking in.
I thought SSPX was the latest Intel processor
Except the sacraments of Penance and Marriage, as teased in the last sentence of the article. But this interpretation is not entirely clearcut.
Similarly, I heard a priest at our regular diocese parish bash tradition and actually go out of his way to ridicule it. I never went back.
I think FSSP is the coprocessor of the Vatican chipset.
Matrimony and regular confession are not valid among the SSPX. Their priests have no proper faculties for those sacraments.
In regard to Matrimony it’s entirely clear cut according to every diocesan Catholic tribunal. That’s why every SSPX couple can walk in and get an annulment so easily.
I actually don’t understand why the diocesan tribunal even deals with the SSPX-married couple if the marriage sacrament was without validity in the Church. They wouldn’t deal with a civilly-married couple, would they (I have no knowledge or experience with this — correct me if wrong).
“I actually don’t understand why the diocesan tribunal even deals with the SSPX-married couple if the marriage sacrament was without validity in the Church.”
To receive a writ (whatever the proper term is) saying exactly that. That way the person can marry again WITHIN the Church and with perfect validity.
“They wouldn’t deal with a civilly-married couple, would they (I have no knowledge or experience with this — correct me if wrong).”
Yes, to receive essentially the same sort of writ. I know someone who did so. He wanted to be able to marry within the Church and wanted it to be clearly understood that he never had a valid marriage previously.
The SSPX has gone so far as to pretend it has authority it clearly does not: http://www.sspxseminary.org/publications/rectors-letters-separator/rectors-letter/226.html
“I actually don’t understand why the diocesan tribunal even deals with the SSPX-married couple if the marriage sacrament was without validity in the Church.”
To receive a writ (whatever the proper term is) saying exactly that. That way the person can marry again WITHIN the Church and with perfect validity.
“They wouldn’t deal with a civilly-married couple, would they (I have no knowledge or experience with this — correct me if wrong).”
Yes, to receive essentially the same sort of writ. I know someone who did so. He wanted to be able to marry within the Church and wanted it to be clearly understood that he never had a valid marriage previously.
The SSPX has gone so far as to pretend it has authority it clearly does not: http://www.sspxseminary.org/publications/rectors-letters-separator/rectors-letter/226.html
Looks like that would be "Declaration of Nullity".
I am still a little puzzled because I was told that the Church considers every marriage to be valid a priori, whether a Catholic Sacrament of Matrimony was involved or not. An annulment is obtained only if some defect is found in the previous marriage, even a civil marriage, such as one party having been coerced. Or maybe this is the old pre-Vatican II world and now anything goes as a reason?
No, you’re right, but you need to expand the range of defect. If you are a Catholic and marry a Jew without permission of your bishop and in only a civil ceremony, I assume the invalidity would be easily recognized.
This kind of discussion can get confusing quickly because “Validity of the Marriage” And “Validity of the Sacrament of Matrimony vis-a-vis SSPX” are two entirely different issues.
In other words, a Catholic diocese bishop would view an SSPX marriage as a priori valid even though he would view the associated Sacrament of Matrimony as a priori not valid. So the couple would be considered married but not in a Catholic marriage.
At least I have discerned that.
Yes, they would deal with a civilly-married couple, if (a) one of them was a Catholic who now wanted to marry in the Catholic Church, or (b) one of them was not Catholic but now wanted to marry a Catholic in the Catholic Church.
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