This weekend, many Catholic faithful in the Valais (Switzerland), close to the very ancient Abbey of Saint-Maurice d'Agaune, which used to be a bulwark of Swiss-French Catholicism, were surprised to learn that one of the most beloved priests in the abbey, Canon Yannick Escher, had left the Augustinian house.
Canon Escher, who was the Chaplain of the abbatial school and master of ceremonies at the Abbey, left Saint-Maurice for ... Écône [the main international Seminary of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X - FSSPX / SSPX, also in the Valais]. Why? Summorum Pontificum Observatus explains:
In a message he sent us this morning, Canon Yannick Escher explains himself, and adds important details. He thus underlines that "Mgr. Roduit, the Abbot of Saint-Maurice, received a 5-page letter explaining my departure. On the following morning, my fellow brothers received the same letter. It involves essentially liturgical (it is unthinkable to implement the Motu proprio) and doctrinal reasons."It is thus confirmed that the reasons for this departure are not those of a personal nature - a bad relationship with his brothers or a depression, etc. - but rather liturgical and doctrinal. Canon Escher informs that implementing the Motu Proprio was unthinkable.Three years after the promulgation of the latter, the time of the reports having arrived, this departure of Canon Escher should be understood in this perspective. The resistance to the Motu Proprio is great among the episcopal and ecclesial authorities. ... It is about time that the Ecclesia Dei commission knows what it wishes to do so that it will not fall again in the inaction of the previous years.
