Return to The Reign of Mary No. 146
The Reign of Mary
Vol. XLIII, No. 146: Letter from the Editor
May 17, 2012
Ascension of Our Lord
Dear friends in Our Lady,
Praised be Jesus and Mary. On the 13th of this month we recalled the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, 95 years ago. (And as on that occasion, so likewise this year’s May 13th was the Sunday before Ascension Thursday.) The privileged children were dazzled by the Lady’s unspeakable beauty, although a bit frightened. Her first words to them were words of comfort: “Please don’t be afraid of me.” We recall the Archangel Gabriel’s greeting to Our Blessed Mother at the Annunciation (“Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God” — Luke, 1:30), as well as the first words of the Risen Savior in the Upper Room after His Resurrection (“Peace be to you! It is I, fear not” — Luke, 24:36).
Heavenly visitations always produce the same effect: peace of heart. (This is a good rule for use in the discernment of spirits.) The Lady from heaven enraptured the hearts of the children with joy, however, she assumed a serious, even at times, sad, mien. She instructed them to recite the Rosary every day and asked them if they would be willing to offer themselves to God and accept all the sufferings He would send them, in atonement for sin and for the conversion of sinners. When Lucia eagerly responded in the affirmative, our Blessed Mother told them, “Then you will have a great deal to suffer, but the grace of God will be with you and will strengthen you.”
These words of our heavenly Queen teach us several things. First, they point out that God’s grace brings joy to our hearts to enable us to carry our crosses. Further, our Blessed Mother repeatedly requested the daily recitation of the Rosary. She also asked for sacrifice, to prevent so many souls from going to hell. (If such were the case in 1917, how much more dire is the situation today!) Prayer and penance are the irreplaceable means available to us to placate the just wrath of God and to obtain the conversion of sinners. Let us pledge our determination to fulfill her requests.
As we honor our heavenly Mother and Queen during this month, let us also renew our consecration to her Immaculate Heart. Let us promise that, like the three shepherd children, we too will live as faithful Christians, in prayer, sacrifice and fidelity in carrying our crosses. In that regard, I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to attend our annual Fatima Conference, to be held this year from October 10-14. May we all persevere as faithful devotees of Our Lady of Fatima!
Now, let us turn out attention briefly to a current issue that is of interest to all traditional Catholics: the ongoing negotiations between the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) and the Vatican. Recently there has been a new twist to the drama of on-again, off-again negotiations. And that is the publication of a letter from three of the SSPX bishops (Bishops Tissier de Mallerais, Williamson and de Galarreta) to the superior general, Bishop Bernard Fellay, followed by the publication of the response from the General Council (Bishop Fellay and two priests) to those three bishops.
First, let me give you some background, and then I will add my insights into this affair. We recall that in 1988 Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated four of his priests as bishops, in open defiance of John Paul II, the man whom the archbishop recognized as pope. This was promptly followed by their excommunication. Many years later, when Josef Ratzinger was elected to succeed John Paul II, he made a reconciliation of the SSPX one of his priorities, eventually removing the excommunications of the four bishops. Over the past two years, confidential negotiations have been underway between certain representatives of the SSPX and the representatives of Benedict XVI’s Conciliar Church. Now, it seems that a final decision on the matter is imminent. All indications are that there will be some type of approval of the SSPX, likely giving them a separate “prelature” directly under the Vatican. I surmise that the accord, re-integrating the SSPX into the Conciliar Church, will be cast in a way that both sides can save face and claim victory: the SSPX will say that it has won and not compromised on principle, and the Vatican will say that it has brought the dissidents back into “the Church,” healing a schism.
Now for several observations concerning this matter: First, why does Benedict XVI so eagerly desire the return of the SSPX? It is clear from his actions and words, that the current “pope” is putting a lot on the line, risking the ire of his bishops in this move. So we are inclined to ask, why is he doing it? For one thing, I believe that he regrets having failed in the negotiations with Archbishop Lefebvre back in 1988, when he was sent by John Paul II to resolve the problem. He likely looks upon the historical reality of the eventual consecrations of the four SSPX bishops as a personal failure that he would like to resolve.
Further, there must be the constant uneasy feeling in his heart and soul that there really is something terribly wrong with the documents of Vatican II. We recall the photos of the young Fr. Ratzinger at Vatican II as a peritus, dressed in suit and tie instead of clerical attire. There is no question that he was one of the architects of that disastrous council. But God is good, and He gives grace to all men to work out their salvation, even to arch-heretics. Perhaps Benedict XVI, now seeing the utterly disastrous consequences of Vatican II, is trying vainly to find some solace that the council really was good. Of course, he constantly insists boldly that it was the work of the Holy Ghost, but in his heart of hearts, he must question that assertion. In this regard, one recalls the persistent attempts of King Henry VIII to enlist the support of Sir Thomas More to his plans to reject Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn, so well portrayed in the movie “A Man For All Seasons.” If Benedict XVI, now 85 years of age, could only have the SSPX say to him that yes, Vatican II was a good council, if understood properly — then he could perhaps go to his grave with a somewhat pacified conscience.
It is also apparent from this correspondence that a deal has already been struck. It seems that the Vatican is just working out the practical details, and that it is waiting for the most propitious moment to make the formal announcement. In my opinion, such an announcement would be a good thing, in that it would force the SSPX priests and parishioners to finally face the reality, that the modern Church cannot be the true Church of Christ. By maintaining its independence and yet claiming that it accepts “the pope” and “the Church” the SSPX has kept their faithful in an untenable situation, but one which they have not needed to resolve. After all, they had their Mass, their churches, their schools, etc. Now they will be forced to stop trying to straddle the fence and to decide for or against Vatican II, for or against the Conciliar Church. In my opinion, that is a good thing. Let us all pray for them (priests and parishioners of the SSPX chapels), that they will have the grace to see the truth of the matter and reject, once and for all, the apostate church of Vatican II and its leaders.
In the service of Jesus and Mary
Fr. Benedict Hughes, CMRI
(Email Father)