Published moments ago by La Stampa's Andrea Tornielli. We post it here for the record of ongoing events and media reports.
Fellay's reserved message [in Italiano]
The head of the Society of Saint Pius X writes to his priests: we are waiting, an agreement will happen if concessions which touch upon the faith are not asked from us and if we are assured true freedom
ANDREA TORNIELLICITTÀ DEL VATICANO
The Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X [SSPX, Bishop Bernard Fellay, took hold of paper and pen to send a reserved message to the other three bishops and to all priests belonging to the Lefebvrist group, confirming the state of relations with the Holy See.
Fellay, making reference to the media rumors on a possible positive outcome of the dialogue with Rome, would have explained that, at this moment, nothing of a definitive nature has yet taken place, neither in the direction of a canonical recognition, not in the direction of a rupture, and is thus in a moment of expectation.
The bishop, according to the rumors gathered by Vatican Insider, wished to confirm to the priests of the Society that which he had already written a few days ago, recalling the two principles that guide the Lefebvrists in the relations with Rome: the first is that no concessions be asked from the Society that touch upon the faith and that which derives from it (liturgy, sacraments, morals, and discipline). The second, that a true freedom and autonomy of action be granted to the [Society of] Saint Pius X, which would allow it to grow and develop.
How to interpret this message of the Lefebvrist superior? Above all, it is interesting to note that the possibility of a positive outcome - which many sources, both those close to the Society of Saint Pius X and those Vatican [sources], consider at this moment probable and imminent - is not denied at all. Fellay, who knows he has within [the Society] a group outspokenly opposed to the agreement (estimated at around 25%, but which includes also the other three bishops, Williamson, Tissier de Mallerais and Galarreta, though with differentiated positions), probably wanted to calm his internal partners on the fact that the canonical setting and the reentry into full communion will take place according to those two conditions already made public by him in the past few weeks.
