The past few days, replete with revelations and drama around the Society of Saint Pius X, have emphasised something that many have not yet fully noticed. At the risk of being reductionist, one overlooked aspect is the influence that Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández is having on the Catholic Church.
Catholic Herald readers will by now be well acquainted with the February 2 statement from the SSPX announcing episcopal consecrations for July 1. For Fr Davide Pagliarani, SSPX Superior General, the decision was a natural one in light of what he interpreted as a breakdown in negotiations between the Society and the Holy See.
His request for a papal audience last summer was disregarded, and a subsequent detailed letter to the Pope was answered in recent days by Cardinal Fernández. Don Davide wrote that it “does not in any way respond to our requests”.
The Church has been taken by storm by the news, and reactions have varied greatly. Some have made the charge of active schism, others have sought to defend the Society, while fewer have attempted to analyse what this will mean for the Church.
Una Voce International issued a measured response, calling on Leo to be “mindful of these pastoral realities”, which see many Catholics flock to the traditional liturgies. Bishop David Waller of the Ordinariate cautioned strongly against the consecrations, while telling the Herald that the very discussion “is indicative of a serious ecclesiological problem in itself, regardless of whether such consecrations go ahead”.
Undoubtedly, it will force Leo XIV to address the question of the traditional Mass, perhaps sooner than he would have otherwise wished. Though not afraid to implement the law when necessary, Leo tends to govern by consent. He will be tested if he is to build one of his famous bridges after having his hand forced in this manner.
This is where Fernández becomes relevant. In an interview with the SSPX in-house news service, Fr Pagliarani pointed to Fernández’s documents, such as Mater Populi Fidelis, and actions, such as his promotion of synodality and divorcing the kerygma from Tradition, as key elements in the decision to proceed with the episcopal consecrations.
The priest made the criticisms of Cardinal Joseph Zen his own: “Cardinal Zen himself considers this method manipulative and considers attributing it to the Holy Ghost blasphemous. Unfortunately, I fear that he is right.”
More: https://thecatholicherald.com/article/the-real-source-of-tensions-in-the-sspx-and-vatican-standoff
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