The rumors are apparently being confirmed: several German-language news agencies report today that the ordinations which had been planned for next Saturday at the Seminary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX / SSPX), in Zaitzkofen (near Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany) have been canceled.
UPDATE: The ordinations have not been canceled, but merely transferred, "at the request of the Holy See", to the Swiss seminary of the SSPX, the Seminary of Saint Pius X, in Écône, as confirmed by the Superior General of the Fraternity, Bishop Bernard Fellay (Source: DICI - permanent link).
Full text of the communiqué (our thanks to the Rev. Fr. Anthony, our reader, for the translation):
Full text of the communiqué (our thanks to the Rev. Fr. Anthony, our reader, for the translation):
At the request of the Holy See, we decided to move the ordinations to the sub-diaconate that were supposed to take place at Zaitzkofen, in Germany, this Saturday March 28th. They will take place at the seminary of Ecône, in Switzerland, on the same date.
This decision is intended to be a peaceful gesture after the lifting of the unjust condemnations that weighed on the Bishops of the Society and the violent reactions that followed. In fact, we regret that some Episcopates have taken advantage of this to conduct an open rebellion against the Sovereign Pontiff. We are particularly disheartened by the attitude of the German Episcopate that has not ceased to show its hostility stripped of charity and its continuous judgements of intention, treating us “hatefully, without misgiving or restraint”, as the Holy Father justly said in his letter of last March 10th.
We know that our situation, before the law of the Church, is imperfect. This is not new, and is intimately linked with the crisis that is affecting the Church and the state of necessity that flows from it. Then, it is useless to invoke law to try to suffocate the life of our priestly society. The other ordinations will take place as planned. There has never been any question of cancelling them. Indeed, the kind act of the Holy See should not be interpreted as a determination to strangle the Society of Saint Pius X.
We are sticking to the schedule as indicated by the decree of last January 21st which provides for the “necessary talks” concerning the Council Vatican II and its novelties. To the Holy Father, we repeat our promise of our prayer so that the full light of the whole Truth may bloom from these doctrinal discussions.Menzingen, March 24th 2009.+ Bernard Fellay
