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Latin Mass News
Sacred Heart Church
12704 Foothill Boulevard
Rancho Cucamonga, Ca 92739-9764
VOL.3, Issue 25 ---- July 23, 2000

WE TOLD YOU SO

In our July 9 Newsletter we included the following paragraph in reference to the apparent shift favoring the return of the Traditional Mass in some quarters of the Church:

"However; we must be careful in accepting what appears as a favorable shift in the acceptance of the Traditional Mass by high authorities in the Church. We have been through that before and found the rug suddenly yanked out beneath our feet due to the powerful opposing factions in the Church."

Now we do not claim the gift of prophecy for ourselves-we are not charismatic. We only claim common sense. We have watched Rome operate during the past 35 years and it does not necessarily require Divine inspiration to predict what will occur in succeeding days, months, or years in the Vatican. So it was not a complete shock to find the rug yanked out beneath the feet of the Traditional movement by Cardinal Hoyos of the Ecclesia Dei Committee.

Cardinal Hoyos, President of the Ecclesia Dei Commission, last week issued! a statement that the head of the Fraternity of St. Peter, Fr. Bisig,, was to he removed as Superior General of the Order; even though Bisig had the overwhelming support of the members of the Fraternity, and was due to again be confirmed in his position by the members.

In addition to refusing to accept the will of the order as to their choice for Superior General, Cardinal Hoyos also removed the very orthodox head of the Saint Peter of Wigratzbad International Seminary (FSSP).

Fr. Bisig was replaced by order of the Vatican with Father Arnaud Devillers FSSP. Father Devillers had been heading the District of North America; and has apparently done a effective job in that position. However, in the past we have noticed a number of comments by Fr Devillers that left us wondering 'Why did he say that?"

When informed of the decision of Cardinal Hoyos that he was to be appointed Superior General of the Order, Fr. Devillers claimed he did not want or desire the appointment. Our question, then, why did he accept?

Fr. Bisig was one of the original groups of priests, who after the Consecration of the four Bishops by Bishop Lefebvre, went to the Pope and requested the formation of a new religious order that would continue to offer the Traditional Mass.

Favoring this request Pope John Paul II established, under his direct jurisdiction, the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, with the assurance that the members could continue to offer the Traditional Mass according to the 1962 Missal. He con-firmed the appointment of Fr. Bisig as head of this newly established Religious Order. At the time many people, we included, felt that the establishment of the FSSP was a means to blunt the effective-ness of Archbishop Lefebvre, and not because the Pope had any attachment to the Traditional Mass.

Under the direction of Fr. Bisig FSSP has prospered and has expanded throughout the world. Vocations have overwhelmed the order, and contrary to statement, made by Cardinal Hoyos, these vocations. include many in Europe. In fact the order cannot accommodate all those who wish to enter due to physical limitations of the two Seminaries located in America and Europe.

We plan to publish the lengthy statement of Cardinal Hoyos concerning the changes in the FSSP on our web site in the very near future. We just do not have room for it in a Newsletter. We suggest when you read it, read between the lines and discover the real intent of the Vatican. In fact, some of the claims the Cardinal made in the statement are just not true; such as the stagnation of FSSP vocations in Europe.

Obviously, there has been quite a reaction throughout the world to the unusual interference by the Vatican in the appointment of a Religious Superior. Particularly when that installation runs contrary to the desires of the members of that order. Without question, the Vatican, and we believe the Pope, wishes to weaken the Fraternity by allowing some members to offer the Novus Ordo contrary to the very reason for it's establishment. We believe the success of the FSSP has taken many in the Vatican by surprise, and has led some in very high places in the Church to try to cripple, if not eliminate it.

Naturally, Una Voce International has voiced opposition to the appointment of Fr. Devillier as Superior General. Not because Una Voce questions his qualifications, but because of the imposition of a Superior General contrary to the desires of the vast majority of the FSSP members. Una Voce president Michael Davies will be meeting in Rome with the Ecclesia Dei Commission in the very near future. As most of you know, Michael Davies, has been fighting the battle for the restoration of the Traditional Mass in hooks and publications, ever since the imposition of the Novus Ordo by Pope Paul VI on the faithful. Davies has become one of the foremost authorities on the New Mass in the world.

One of the arguments that Cardinal Hoyos presented for his action was his concerned for those FSSP priests in France who, due to the reluctance of most of the bishops to grant the indult to priests of the Fraternity, sent a request to Rome to be permitted to also celebrate the Novus Ordo. Facts however, indicate that this request did not originate from the FSSP but was in the works within the Ecclesia Commission many months previous. Msgr. Perl appears to be the member behind the deception.

Cardinal Hoyos claims his appointment of Fr. Devillers was "to prevent the disintegration of your Fraternity and the loss of vocations, so precious in these times of ours". On the contrary, it was to deny the majority of members their desire, as they expressed during their Chapter Meeting, to maintain the Fraternity as an Order devoted exclusively to the Traditional Mass.

Everyone must now realize that the overwhelming vocations to the FSSP were and are due to its emphasis on members offering only the TRADITIONAL MASS. To suggest differently is to stretch the truth (to put it mildly). What the majority of members wish is to preserve the very foundation of the Order. Those members who now wished to offer the Novus Ordo can easily join another religious order. But Cardinal Hoyos doesn't see it this way. He says (and he exaggerates) "for you at this time when a not inconsiderable number of seminarians, and even priests, have the intention of leaving your institute if this rule (exclusive use of the Traditional Mass) were to be imposed --which in fact isn't possible."

We ask why isn't it possible for the FSSP to impose a rule to offer the Traditional Mass exclusively? Priests join or establish orders more to their liking all the time. Why cannot those members of the FSSP in France, or anywhere else, who wish to offer the Novus Ordo become incardinated under any number of Novus Ordo bishops and depart the order? Not to do so militates against the unity of the society in terms of its ends. Certainly, those who now wish to offer the Novus Ordo should be free to do so; but as members of other Religious Orders or as secular priests. Not as members of the FSSP.

Fr. Devellier, the new Superior General might be suspect insofar as his attachment to the Traditional Mass. It fact it was rumored he had concelebrated the Novus Ordo. To his credit he denies this rumor: "I have never celebrated or concelebrated the new Mass to date. Actually I said so to Cardinal Castrillon-Hoyos, President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, a few days before I was asked if I would accept this responsibility. It did not seem to bother him at all." Please note Fr. Devillier's careful use of the words: "to date".

A large number of the FSSP supporting Fr. Bisig sent a statement to Cardinal Hoyos expressing their dismay at his action in replacing this priest (We will publish this statement next week or you will be able to read it on our web site). However, we do have room for the following comment by Peter Perkins of Canada concerning the action of Cardinal Hoyos. It reads as follows:

"Fr. Josef Bisig, F.S.S.P., is an heroic figure who left the S.S.P.X as an act of loyalty to the Holy Father. He was the co-founder of the Fraternity and had been a senior member of the S.S.P.X By leaving the Society and cofounder this new Fraternity, he saw to it that traditionalists who wished to remain obedient to the Holy See had a place where young men could pursue vocations. This was all done for the benefit of traditionalists who are obedient to legitimate authority. But for the Modernists, the one unpardonable sin is the refusal to celebrate the New Order of Mass. If only a traditionalist priest will say it just *once* or if only a traditionalist will attend it just once in a public way, then all is well because this implies that love of the old Mass is merely a preference. Well, it's not just a preference and it represents a threat to a traditionalist charisma of spirituality--one which sees the Mass emphatically as an un-bloody Sacrifice."

We believe there is much more to this move of Cardinal Hoyos then what is contained in his statement. We certainly pray that Fr. Devillers and the Fraternity stand firm and resist all attacks on it from those who wish it's demise. We will keep you up to date on this subject.

It is easy to get discouraged when we witness the attacks and the expressions of hatred for the Mass of our forefathers. But people such as you will preserve the Traditional Mass. It may have to go into hiding as it did in Ireland during the religious persecution, but there will always be those devoted faithful who will sacrifice everything for it's preservation. Stand steadfast and fight for it. Pray for it often! Help us to expand it in this area. Pray for Fathers Bisig and Devilliers. And pray daily that the Pope's actions, as well as ours, will be in conformity with the will of God!

UNA VOCE