Society of St. Pius X
The Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) is an international Catholic society of priests without vows, founded on November 1, 1970. Though it considers itself Roman Catholic, it is considered by some within Roman Catholicism to be "schismatic". The Society is managed by a Superior General and District Superiors in various countries. The Official Name of the organization is the: Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Pii X or Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X.See also traditional Catholicism.
The SSPX was founded by retired French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, formerly Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers, a Father of the Second Vatican Council, and perhaps one of the most celebrated modern prelates in Africa, where he spent much of his early career. The Archibishop had been approached by French seminarians whom he said were being persecuted for their adherence to traditional (pre-Vatican II) beliefs and doctrines. They were critical of what they perceived as the liberalism being taught in their seminaries, and were looking for the guidance of a seminary where they believed they would receive the correct Catholic doctrines. The Society was setup in EcÃÂône, Switzerland as an international training ground for priests, to maintain the true doctrines of the Church which they believed were being ignored or suppressed in other seminaries. The Society was approved by the Vatican on February 18, 1971.
The SSPX has chapters throughout the world. Its main seminary remains in Econe, Switzerland, and has others in the United States, France (Flavigny-sur-Ozerain), Germany, the Philippines, Australia, and Argentina.
The largest controversy surrounding the SSPX concerns the consecration of 4 SSPX priests as bishops in June 1988, despite the Vatican disapproval of such an action.
The Archbishop, after a number of years of heavy travelling to confer sacraments and holy orders, declared that he intended to consecrate a successor to himself, to ensure seminarians could be ordained and sacraments such as Confirmation could be conferred. As an Archbishop, Lefebvre could licitly consecrate a bishop by himself, however for a simple bishop to licitly consecrate another bishop two assistant bishops are required. For such a reason 4 bishops were consecrated (to ensure upon the death of one, three remained to consecrate another replacement): (Richard Williamson, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Alfonso de Galarreta and Bernard Fellay).
Bishop emeritus Antonio de Castro Mayer of Campos, Brazil, also assisted Lefebvre in these 1988 consecrations.
The Vatican refused to approve the consecrations and viewed the act as schismatic. Under the newer 1983 Canon Law, Vatican approval was required to consecrate a bishop, without extenuating circumstances such an act would be disobedient and "schismatic. Lefebvre cited these extenuating circumstances, but Cardinal Bernardin Gantin issued a decree which stated the Vatican considered the act "schismatic." The next day Pope John Paul II issued a Motu Proprio letter Ecclesia Dei Adflicta concerning the consecrations. Officially the Vatican views the bishops consecrated as valid bishops, but due to the schismatic act, excommunicated along with Lefebvre and de Castro Mayer. No excommunication decree has been issued against the priests or other religious of the SSPX. The SSPX argues that the consecrations were a matter of necessity to ensure orthodox bishops were available, and therefore the bishops were not validly excommunicated.
In recent letters from the Ecclesia Dei Commission, Rome has officially recognized that the Masses of the SSPX may be attended by the Catholic faithful and that Sunday obligation is fulfilled there, provided there is no "schismatic attitude" or intent.
The SSPX considers itself faithful to the Catholic Church and professes that it recognises Pope John Paul II as Pope so is not schismatic or Sedevacantist. Many within Roman Catholicism consider the SSPX a "schismatic and excomunicated" group.
The SSPX has nearly 400 priests as of 2003 in its ranks and commonly associates with independent priests. It collaborated for a number of years with the late Bishop Salvador Lazo of San Fernando de La Union, Philippines and currently is in collaboration with Bishop John Bosco Manat of Thailand. The SSPX has been in on-and-off discussions with the Vatican about regularizing their relationship.
Activities of the SSPX include the training of priests in seminaries, and establishing what they call "missions" in different locations to provide the Mass, sacraments, and the teaching of faith to people. The main locations, called "priories" usually try to have a Chapel and a school, and house extra Priests who travel to different areas at different times to offer Mass for smaller groups of people. The SSPX's larger goal however, has been to assemble people to live closer together to form traditional catholic communities and neighborhoods (where a fully traditional catholic lifestyle, from living arrangements to work, can be maintained). So far the main centers in the United States that have been developing include Saint Thomas Aquinas Seminary
in Winona, Minnesota, Post Falls, Idaho, Dickinson, Texas and Saint Mary's, Kansas. The largest SSPX center has been in Africa where Archbishop Levebre once presided, in Gabon.
The SSPX is affiliated with many independent Priests who share its same philosophy and outlook, as well as many traditional religious orders. Recently it has been making large gains in popularity in Eastern Europe with its affiliates in non-Roman rites.
While traditional catholicism, per se, is not a political position, there is still, in certain countries such as France, a particular set of far-right political positions associated with traditional catholics: monarchism, antisemitism as well as hostility to the separation of Church and State, democracy, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and other widely assumed modern values.
There is an ongoing controversy with respect to the Society of St Pius X occupying illegally the church of St Nicolas du Chardonnet in Paris, from 1977 on. The owner of the church is the city of Paris, which, according to the 1905 French law of separation of Church and State, grants to the Catholic Church a free usage right. In 1978, the Cour de Cassation confirmed that the occupation of St Nicolas du Chardonnet by the society of St Pius X was illegal. However, the Society was never expelled. [1] On February 20, 1987, the Conseil d'ÃÂÃÂtat ruled that the trouble to public order resulting from an expulsion would be greater than the trouble resulting from the illegal occupation. In 2002, several executives of the Society of St Pius X were convicted of disseminating antisemitic propaganda at St Nicolas. On June 22, 2002, the municipal council of Paris voted a wish that the Society of St Pius X should be expelled from St Nicolas du Chardonnet against the opinion of mayor Bertrand DelanoÃÂë, who considers the matter internal to the Catholic Church and remarks that the Archbishop of Paris has not asked for expulsion.The inception of the SSPX
The 1988 consecrations
The SSPX today
Controversies