Rorate Caeli

Using Abp. Lefebvre's words - and collegiality

From the sermon pronounced by Fr. Benoît Wailliez, Superior of the Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) District of the Society of Saint Pius X (FSSPX / SSPX), yesterday in Brussels:

And, of course, at this very moment we cannot not think of our founder, of Mgr. Lefebvre. What would he have done, today, in 2012? How would he judge the situation? And here we might be tempted to “make Abp. Lefebvre speak”. And this, I would say, might be a bit too easy. We can make Abp. Lefebvre say whatever we want! You will find texts – he did, after all, speak openly from the Council in the sixties until his death in 1991, so, during thirty years. He said many things concerning the Church, adapted to the circumstances at that very moment. Concerning this or that crisis, or concerning some favourable gesture of the Pope or a Bishop. It is very difficult, but at the same time maybe too easy, to let someone who is dead speak. However that may be, it is clear that Abp. Lefebvre never refused to go to Rome! And we must add that Rome, also at that moment, was infected by Modernism and Liberalism.

(...) Let me give you an example. Cardinal Ranjith of Sri Lanka told us a couple of years ago that the day that things would be arranged with Rome, he would confer to us his seminary for the formation of his priests of Sri Lanka. It is just for showing you that things are very complex and that one cannot have a simplistic point of view on these questions of grave importance. It cannot be denied that our current canonical situation is not normal. And we cannot not desire that one day our situation will be regularized. This is only normal.

(...) You see, my dear faithful, when we talk about the Second Vatican Council, and about one of the grave problems in the Church, we talk immediately about collegiality. That democracy was installed in the Church, where everyone says what he wants, thinks what he wants and opposes everything, even the Pope. Let us pay attention that we will not have that same situation in our Fraternity! We are not a democracy! We do not have collegiality, where everybody can say what he wants, can put things on the Internet, pressure people, leak confidential documents... This is an absolutely lamentable situation! In contrast, my beloved faithful, in an army we follow our leader who has the grace of state to make the decision in this situation.

(...) Bp. Fellay has called an extraordinary General Chapter for early July that will take place after the priestly ordinations and a retreat, (...) and this Chapter will deal with the questions of a canonical structure and of these important questions concerning the relations between the Fraternity and Rome.

[Source: GloriaTV, video in French; tip and translation: reader IM]