The Challenge of a Synod That Walks Away from Christ

The Challenge of a Synod That Walks Away from Christ

 

A guest article by the Canon of Shaftesbury. [This contribution expresses the opinions of its author and does not represent the official position of Rorate Cæli.]

 

Introduction

 

The superiors of the Society of Saint Pius X have argued that there exists a state of emergency in the Catholic Church. Those who deny this claim, who insist that all is well, that the concerns of the Society are exaggerated or unfounded, have, to employ a metaphor, buried their heads in the sand. The evidence is not obscure; it is visible in parishes, in chanceries, in synodal assembly halls, and in the documents these assemblies produce.

Canonical Analysis: The 2026 DDF Decree on the SSPX

By the Canon of Shaftesbury, a judicial vicar in a major archdiocese. [This contribution is of the sole responsibility of its author; it does not represent the official position of Rorate Cæli.]

The question is whether the Decree and Explanatory Note issued by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) on July 2, 2026 actually accomplished what many have said, namely, the excommunication of six bishops, over seven hundred priests, and an unspecified number of the faithful. The short answer, reading the documents against the Code of Canon Law, is that they did not.