Letter of the Superior General of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X to the Faithful

Dear faithful,

 The Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum
of July 7, 2007 reinstates the Tridentine Mass in its right. In the
text it is clearly acknowledged that it had never been abrogated. Thus
fidelity to this Mass – for the sake of which many priests and lay
people have been persecuted or even penalized for almost forty years –
this fidelity never was a disobedience. Today it is merely a matter of
justice to thank Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre for having maintained us in
this fidelity to the Mass of all times in the name of true obedience,
and against all the abuses of power. There is also no doubt that this
recognition of the right of the traditional Mass is the fruit of the
very many rosaries addressed to Our Lady during our Rosary Crusade last
October; we must now know how to tell her our gratitude.

 Beyond
the re-establishment  of the Mass of Saint Pius V in its legitimate
right, it is important to study the concrete measures issued by the
Motu Proprio and the justification given by Benedict XVI in the letter
accompanying the text:

 -       By right,
the practical dispositions taken by the pope must enable the
traditional liturgy – not only the Mass, but also the sacraments – to
be celebrated normally. This is an immense spiritual benefit for the
whole Church, for the priests and faithful who were up to now paralyzed
by the unjust authority of the bishops. However, in the coming months
it will be good to observe how these measures are applied in fact
by the bishops and parish priests. For this reason, we will continue to
pray for the pope so that he may remain steadfast after the courageous
act he has done.

-       The letter
accompanying the Motu Proprio gives the pope’s reasons. The affirmation
of the existence of one single rite under two forms – the ordinary and
the extraordinary forms --, of equal rights and especially the
rejection of the exclusive celebration of the traditional liturgy, may,
it is true, be interpreted as the expression of a political desire not
to confront the Bishops’ Conferences which are openly opposed to any
liberalization of the Tridentine Mass. But we may also see in this an
expression of the "reform of the reform" desired by the pope himself,
and in which, as he himself writes in this letter, the Mass of Saint
Pius V and of Paul VI would fecundate each other.

 In
any case, there is with Benedict XVI the clear desire to re-affirm the
continuity of Vatican II and the Mass issued from it, with the
bimillenary Tradition. This denial of a rupture caused by the last
council – already made manifest in his address to the Curia on December
22, 2005 – shows that what is at stakes in the debate between Rome and
the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X is essentially doctrinal. For this
reason, the undeniable step forward made by the Motu Proprio in the
liturgical domain must be followed – after the withdrawal of the decree
of excommunication – by theological discussions.

 The
reference to Archbishop Lefebvre and the Society of Saint Pius X made
in the accompanying letter, as well as the acknowledgment of the
testimony given by the young generations which take up the torch of
Tradition, clearly point out that our constancy to defend the lex orandi has been taken into account. With God’s help, we must continue the combat for the lex credendi, the combat for the faith, with the same firmness.

 Menzingen, July 7, 2007

 + Bernard Fellay

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