Friday, January 14, 2005
Just thought everyone might like to wake up to a nice cup of SSPX
The amount of ignoring what was going on by Abp. Lefebvre and others is quite impressive.
As is clearly visible from the content of Archbishop Lefebvre's appeal, he neither accepted the decision of the Commission of Cardinals, nor the actions of Bishop Mamie in suppressing the SSPX. Archbishop Lefebvre presented his arguments to the Apostolic Signatura based upon three grounds.
First of all, he claimed proper procedure was not followed in suppressing the SSPX and their seminary.
Secondly, he claimed that the Commission of Cardinals was not competent to judge his declaration, rather this was the competency of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
And thirdly, he claimed that the declaration was his alone, and neither the SSPX nor their seminary should be suppressed as a result of his personal declaration.
Whether or not the normal canonical procedure had been meticulously followed would soon become irrelevant, for on June 10, 1975 the Apostolic Signatura rejected Archbishop Lefebvre's appeal on the grounds that the Holy Father had approved the decision of the Commission of Cardinals in forma specifica.(45) This would be confirmed by Pope Paul VI personally in a letter to Archbishop Lefebvre in which the Holy Father stated: "Finally, the conclusions which [the Commission of Cardinals] proposed to Us, We made all and each of them Ours, and We personally ordered that they be immediately put into force."(46) Hence, no further recourse was possible for Archbishop Lefebvre, for under c*. 1880, "there is no appeal: (1) from the sentence of the Supreme Pontiff himself or from the Signatura Apostolica..."(47) Consequently, the SSPX and their seminary were unquestionably suppressed as a juridical person within the Church.
As is clearly visible from the content of Archbishop Lefebvre's appeal, he neither accepted the decision of the Commission of Cardinals, nor the actions of Bishop Mamie in suppressing the SSPX. Archbishop Lefebvre presented his arguments to the Apostolic Signatura based upon three grounds.
First of all, he claimed proper procedure was not followed in suppressing the SSPX and their seminary.
Secondly, he claimed that the Commission of Cardinals was not competent to judge his declaration, rather this was the competency of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
And thirdly, he claimed that the declaration was his alone, and neither the SSPX nor their seminary should be suppressed as a result of his personal declaration.
Whether or not the normal canonical procedure had been meticulously followed would soon become irrelevant, for on June 10, 1975 the Apostolic Signatura rejected Archbishop Lefebvre's appeal on the grounds that the Holy Father had approved the decision of the Commission of Cardinals in forma specifica.(45) This would be confirmed by Pope Paul VI personally in a letter to Archbishop Lefebvre in which the Holy Father stated: "Finally, the conclusions which [the Commission of Cardinals] proposed to Us, We made all and each of them Ours, and We personally ordered that they be immediately put into force."(46) Hence, no further recourse was possible for Archbishop Lefebvre, for under c*. 1880, "there is no appeal: (1) from the sentence of the Supreme Pontiff himself or from the Signatura Apostolica..."(47) Consequently, the SSPX and their seminary were unquestionably suppressed as a juridical person within the Church.
