From ZENIT:
Benedict XVI is offering a personal explanation for his decision to
remove the excommunication of four traditionalist bishops ordained
without papal permission.
The Pope spoke today at the general audience of the decree made public Saturday, which lifted the excommunication of four prelates of the Society of St. Pius X, illicitly ordained to the episcopate by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988.
The move has been criticized as an affront to Jewish-Catholic relations because one of the four, Bishop Richard Williamson, told an interviewer that he didn't believe 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust. Another of the cleared bishops, the superior-general of the Society of St. Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, has since silenced the prelate.
But, the Holy Father made clear today that the lifting of the excommunication is about one thing only: Church unity.
"In the homily delivered on the occasion of the solemn inauguration of my pontificate, I said that the 'call to unity' is an 'explicit' duty of the pastor," he said.
The Pontiff recalled how he reflected in that first of his papal homilies on the story of the miraculous catch of fish, and how Christians could now say: "Alas, beloved Lord, with sorrow we must now acknowledge that it [the net] has been torn."
But, he continued quoting from his homily, "We must not be sad! Let us rejoice because of your promise, which does not disappoint, and let us do all we can to pursue the path towards the unity you have promised. … Do not allow your net to be torn, help us to be servants of unity!"
The Pope spoke today at the general audience of the decree made public Saturday, which lifted the excommunication of four prelates of the Society of St. Pius X, illicitly ordained to the episcopate by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988.
The move has been criticized as an affront to Jewish-Catholic relations because one of the four, Bishop Richard Williamson, told an interviewer that he didn't believe 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust. Another of the cleared bishops, the superior-general of the Society of St. Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, has since silenced the prelate.
But, the Holy Father made clear today that the lifting of the excommunication is about one thing only: Church unity.
"In the homily delivered on the occasion of the solemn inauguration of my pontificate, I said that the 'call to unity' is an 'explicit' duty of the pastor," he said.
The Pontiff recalled how he reflected in that first of his papal homilies on the story of the miraculous catch of fish, and how Christians could now say: "Alas, beloved Lord, with sorrow we must now acknowledge that it [the net] has been torn."
But, he continued quoting from his homily, "We must not be sad! Let us rejoice because of your promise, which does not disappoint, and let us do all we can to pursue the path towards the unity you have promised. … Do not allow your net to be torn, help us to be servants of unity!"
I wonder what, if anything, the L'OR article will add.
Posted by: Ed Peters | Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 05:43 AM
See, this is exactly why I parted with Protestantism: I could never discern any real desire for unity (which would have been impossible in any case because it is way too fissiparous). Only in the Catholic Church headed by Christ's earthly stand-in is there any real hope for unity. I think I now applaud our Pope on this one.
Posted by: M.L. Hearing | Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 08:47 AM
Well, MLH, okay, but I must remind you, the SSPX is not in union with Rome. Not yet anyway. Even the pope says that. They are not excommunicated anymore, but things are far from hunkydory.
Posted by: Ed Peters | Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 06:31 PM
Mr. Peters, point taken and thanks--that helps some. I'm just trying to move beyond completely unalloyed ambivalence on this. Union is, of course, a great goal, but what do you think the actual outcome will be?
Posted by: M.L. Hearing | Friday, January 30, 2009 at 07:13 AM
Well, one could only add my guess to about 500 other educated guesses, but my default setting tends to the pessimistic.
Once again, though, if I may say so, Fr. Lombardi is speaking confusion, saying things like "one may talk in terms of full communion." I'm really tiring of having to check myself almost everytime he talks with "maybe he was mistranslated" or "maybe only he was misquoted". imho, the VPO needs a serious overhaul. N-V, now he was good.
ps: a quote attributed to L'OR (I have not see our copy yet) was allegedly griping about the world not understanding B16's preference for mercy over condemnations. Brother. I really, really hope that was not said.
Posted by: Ed Peters | Friday, January 30, 2009 at 07:47 PM