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A SHORT
HISTORY OF THE SSPX
continued |
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APPENDIX III: PART III
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1983
This is the year of
the publication of the new Code of Canon Law, which expresses in
canonical terms the new Conciliar conception of the Church.
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Wednesday,
March 1st: Fr. Barrielle, an apostle of the
Exercises of St.
Ignatius, dies at Econe, standing up like the soldier that he always
was. Before his birth, his mother had consecrated him to the Blessed
Virgin asking for a boy who one day would be a priest. And priest he
became, the parish priest of a large church of Marseilles. With the
permission of his bishop he followed Fr. Vallet to preach with him the
5-day Ignatian Retreats as we know them today. In 1944, he became
Superior General of the Cooperators of Christ the King, a priestly
institute dedicated to Ignatian retreats. In 1973, the general chapter
of his congregation changed the original constitutions, and Fr. Barrielle wrote an official letter stating that he had never been a
member of this new congregation and that he did not want to leave the
one in which he had made his religious vows. As he used to say, he:
remained the only
member of the congregation founded by Fr. Vallet.
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Fr.
Barrielle, apostle of the Ignatian Exercises, which are now used
in all of the retreat centers of the SSPX |
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He became spiritual
director of the seminary of Econe, where he helped generations of
priests inspiring them with his zeal and giving them the key to the
Exercises. This priest
"with a heart of fire," as the Archbishop said of him, signed his
testament: Ludovic Marie Barrielle, slave of Mary and Joseph.
On April 5th, the Archbishop writes very
openly to the pope:
The use of this ecumenical Mass fosters a mentality which is Protestant
and indifferentist, placing all religions at the same level in the manner of
the Declaration of Religious Liberty, with the doctrinal foundation of
the rights of man, a misunderstood concept of human dignity that has been
condemned by the Society of St. Pius X. The consequences of this spirit are
deplorable and ruin the spiritual vitality of the Church. In conscience we
must discourage the priests and the faithful from the use of this Novus Ordo
if we wish that the integral Catholic faith remain alive.
Those who maintain that the
Archbishop spoke against religious freedom only in his last years should read
what he wrote in 1983:
It is
obvious that tradition is not compatible with the Declaration on Religious
Liberty of the Council. We request a reform of the affirmations of the
Council that are contrary to the official magisterium of the Church,
especially the Declaration on Religious Liberty. It is impossible for
me to sign anything that may hinder the Catholic faith of my infancy, as it is
the case with false ecumenism, false religious freedom. I want to live and to
die in the Catholic faith.
During the Spring
some priests in the US leave us, pretending that the liturgy used by the Society
is bad. In this they join the choir of our modernist persecutors in Rome who
also say that our liturgy is not authorized. This absurd attitude unfortunately
sows confusion within the faithful and seminarians in the States. This situation
puts to proof the Germanic endurance of the new Superior General, Fr. Schmidberger. In June, 28 new priests are ordained in Econe. Ireland receives
the first priest of the Society. The Archbishop wishes that God will bring many
vocations from this island that in the past gave so many priests and
missionaries to the Church.
Cardinal Ratzinger
writes from Rome in July:
The pope acknowledges the
devotion of Archbishop Lefebvre and his fundamental attachment to the Holy
See, expressed for instance by the exclusion of members who do not recognize
the authority of the pope.
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The
main building of the Don Bosco School and its chapel |
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On August
27-28, Switzerland sees the first traditional pilgrimage to Flueli, Sanctuary of St. Nicholas of Flue, with more than 4,000
faithful attending. In Econe 65 priests follow the priestly retreat and
in Ridgefield, 11 new students join the seminary after the split. In
Germany, Don Bosco School starts with 15 students. |
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The priests of
Campos publish a declaration about the priestly ministry in
the present extraordinary period of grave crisis, explaining
the canonical doctrine that allows traditional priests to hear
confessions and bless marriages.
In November, the
Archbishop visits the United States, confirming 360 in Ciudad
Juarez in the morning, and in the afternoon 350 in El Paso. On
November 5th the Archbishop blesses St. Michael’s Chapel in Long
Island. |
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Bishop
Antonio de Castro Mayer (seated) and these priests of the
diocese of Campos, Brazil, have a story to tell in
The Mouth
of the Lion [available from
Angelus
Press]. |
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On the 21st, he meets with Bishop
de Castro Mayer in Rio de Janeiro. Together they prepare an open letter to the
pope:
In our capacity
as bishops of the Holy Catholic Church, successors of the Apostles, our hearts
are overwhelmed at the sights throughout the world,.... It seems to us to
remain silent in these circumstances would be to become accomplices to these
wicked works (cf., II Jn. 11). That is why we find
ourselves obliged to intervene in public before Your Holiness (considering all
the measures we have undertaken in private during the last 15 years have
remained ineffectual) in order to denounce the principal causes of this
dramatic situation, and to beseech Your Holiness to use his power as Successor
of Peter to "confirm your brothers in the Faith" (Lk. 22:32),
which has been faithfully handed down to us by Apostolic Tradition. [See The
Angelus, Jan. 1984 —Ed.]
The 2 faithful bishops present
a list outlining the principal errors of the time, including an ecumenical
notion of the Church, a democratic orientation, a false notion of the natural
rights of man, and a Protestant notion of the Mass and of the sacraments.
1984
The Society of St.
Pius X has reached the number of 120 priests, and Econe also counts 120
seminarians. Fr. Schmidberger insists on a stabilization and consolidation with
a happy expansion, and to hold on to the motto, "Neither heretics nor
schismatic."
The pope, to the
great scandal of Catholics traditional or not, preaches in the Lutheran temple
of Rome in March. On the 10th of May, he bows before a bonze [a pagan
priest] in a Buddhist temple in Thailand; at the same time the
Vatican abrogates the concordat with Italy. At this point the Archbishop starts
to consider seriously the necessity of an episcopal consecration.
Also in May, Mother Mary Jude is
named Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X Sisters, and in the United
States the northeast and southwest districts are reunified.
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Msgr.
Ducaud Bourget preaching
at St. Nicholas de Chardonnet |
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Msgr. Ducaud Bourget dies in Paris in the middle of June. Chaplain of
the Order of Malta, renowned poet and writer, faithful to the
traditional Mass, he was responsible for the liberation of St. Nicolas
de Chardonnet. When the L'Osservatore Romano announced his
suspension, in the literary pages of the same issue an article praised
the latest book of a great Catholic French writer, Francois Ducaud
Bourget. No greater tribute could please more the ironic character of
our dear Abbe. |
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During summer the happy expansion
starts with foundations in Mexico, Colombia, South Africa, Holland, and
Portugal. Our seminarians spend one month in Rome inaugurating what will become
a yearly summer tradition. Directed by a priest, they are exposed during four
weeks to the history, the art, and majestic beauty of the eternal city.
October 3rd, the
Indult. The Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship communicates to the
presidents of the episcopal conferences that the diocesan bishops may allow the
celebration of the Mass according to the 1962 typical edition of the Roman
Missal. Among the draconian conditions, public evidence should exist that
the petitioners have no ties with those who deny the doctrinal soundness of the
missal promulgated by Paul VI, and that the celebration may take place only on
those days and circumstances approved by the bishop. The letter is signed by
Archbishop Mayer, afterwards cardinal in charge of the Ecclesia Dei
commission. He indicates that this Indult is to be used without prejudice to the
liturgical reform.
On October 18th, in
the so-called Document of Flavigny, the Society of St. Pius X and 40
priests and laymen leaders of traditional works, refuse the conditions of the
Indult and ask for a wider application without compromise regarding the
Liturgical Reformation.
In November, a Gallup poll
requested by traditional Catholics of Vienna, VA, reveals that 40% of American
Catholics want the return to traditional Mass, 53% will be happy to attend if it
is restored.
The Archbishop travels to Chile
in November. 400 confirmations are announced in Santiago; 1,200 arrive. During a
ceremony of 4 hours the Archbishop proceeds to the longest confirmation
session in his life.
On December 8th in Econe, all the superiors make the Consecration of the Society of St. Pius X
to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, prepared by an evening of prayers
at Martigny attended by more than 4,000 faithful.
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On December 21st,
Don Francesco Putti dies. A close spiritual dirige
of Padre Pio, he was a late vocation. Staunch defender of tradition in
Rome, he founded the Disciples of the Cenacle, a feminine congregation,
and the journal Si Si No No,
which can be found hidden under every desk in the Roman Curia. Don Putti
was feared by the Modernist hierarchy because of his no-nonsense
approach and his tenacity that took him to sue the L’Osservatore
Romano,
obtaining the first public apology that the newspaper ever published. He
was with us till the end.
At the
end of the year, Archbishop Lefebvre visits Cardinal Ratzinger, then
goes to Africa, and at his return to Rome he sees Cardinal Gagnon, who
gives shocking details
of the network of conspiracy and corruption in Rome. The
Archbishop comments: |
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Cardinal
Edouard Gagnon. In 1987, Pope John Paul II would
name him as President of the Pontifical Council for the
Family and Apostolic Visitor for the SSPX.
Archbishop Lefebvre valued Cardinal Gagnon for his
firmness in defending
the patrimony of the Faith. |
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The situation
is even worse than what we had thought until now.
1985
Archbishop Lefebvre on television. Archbishop Lefebvre honored
by a head of state and received by bishops. We are not talking
about the good old days, but of the visit that in January the
Archbishop paid to his missionary origins in Gabon. He had
been warmly received in Senegal, by Cardinal Thiandoum, and now he
is officially welcomed at Libreville by President Bongo, who
recalls the "excellent work accomplished by Fr. Lefebvre
in Gabon." A
well-deserved tribute that is featured in a television broadcast
for all the country. The president puts his car and his private
plane at the disposal of his guest and in a jubilant tour the
Archbishop visits the communities and friends where his memory
has remained imperishable. |
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