Cardinal Ricard on the Lifting of the Excommunications
Cardinal Ricard, the Archbishop of Bordeaux and member of the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei” has issued a statement regarding the lifting of the excommunications. The link to the French bishops website is:
A key paragraph is the following:
La levée de l’excommunication n’est pas une fin mais le début d’un processus de dialogue. Elle ne règle pas deux questions fondamentales : la structure juridique de la Fraternité Saint Pie X dans l’Eglise et un accord sur les questions dogmatiques et ecclésiologiques. Mais elle ouvre un chemin à parcourir ensemble. Ce chemin sera sans doute long. Il demandera meilleure connaissance mutuelle et estime. A un moment, la question du texte même du Concile Vatican II comme document magistériel de première importance devra être posée. Elle est fondamentale. Mais toutes les difficultés ne seront pas forcément de type doctrinal. D’autres, de type culturel et politique, peuvent aussi émerger. Les derniers propos, inacceptables, de Mgr Williamson, niant le drame de l’extermination des Juifs, en sont un exemple.
The lifting of the excommunication is not the end, but the beginning of a process of dialogue. It does not resolve two fundamental questions: the juridical structure of the Fraternity of St. Pius X in the Church and an agreement on dogmatic and ecclesiological questions. But it opens a path to walk together. This path will undoubtedly be long. It will require better mutual knowledge and respect. At a certain moment the question of the text of the Second Vatican Council, as a document of the Magisterium of primary importance, must be faced. This is fundamental. But all the difficuties will not necessarily be only of a doctrinal order. Others, of a cultural and political nature, will also emerge. The recent unacceptable statements of Bishop Williamson, denying the drama of the extermination of the Jews, is one example.
My gratitude to Robert Mickens for bringing the Statement to my attention and providing the link.
Thank God for this statement by Cardinal Ricard, particularly the sentence regarding Bishop Williamson’s henious beliefs regarding the Shoah.
As a person who attends the extraordinary form of the Mass, this is a primary reason why I would only attend an approved liturgy. I believe in the Second Vatican Council, particularly Nostra Aetate (sp?)!
Rorate Caeli now has a link up to an interview by Bp. Fellay with the Swiss Daily Le Temps:
http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2009/01/fellay-first-interview.html
Fellay: “It does not belong to me to condemn [Williamson's utterances]. I do not have the competence for this. But I deplore that a Bishop may have given the impression of involving the Fraternity with a view that is not ours.”
I rather think it does belong to him. Nonetheless, this is a stronger criticism of Williamson than I ever expected to see…
On the whole, Fellay strikes a more moderate tone than we have seen to date, which confirms my suspicion that at least a chunk of the SSPX will come back into the fold.
Thanks to Fr. Imbelli for the link to Cardinal Ricard’s comments, which I had not seen so far. This also gives me hope.
If nothing else, see the last sentence …..
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/world/europe/26pope.html?ref=world
“Father Küng agreed. Benedict “does not see that he is alienating himself from the larger part of the Catholic Church and Christianity,” he said. “He doesn’t see the real world. He only sees the Vatican world.”
Not to go too far off topic and forgive me if I do, but where is the dialogue with others living in ex-communication?
Excuse me, Frances, but to which dialogue are you referring?
I’m not aware of any such attempt at a meeting of the minds.
I should never comment when I am agitated and I did. What I was referring to and not doing a good job of communicating was the recent excommunication of Father Roy Bourgeois, M.M.
Dignity/USA members, which not excommunicated (but the millennium is young, doncha know), are prepared to dialog (as opposed to being objects of a monolog) with The Ontologically Priviliged of their Betters.
Frances and Jimmy:
Why in God’s Name would the Vatican want to “dialogue” with Bourgeois or Dignity/USA?
Answer: Because the Vatican doesn’t appear to be qualified to dialogue in God’s Name.
(God, I’m sure, would be most willing, but the Vatican is stuck in its ways.)