On October 26, representatives from the Catholic Church met with the separatist group, the Society of St. Pius X, the first in a series of meetings to negotiate the reintegration of the SSPX into the Catholic fold.The SSPX, founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, broke with Rome in 1988 over reforms of the Second Vatican Council, especially the Council's call to respect other faiths.
Earlier this year, in a controversial move, Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications of four SSPX bishops, one of whom is a known Holocaust denier, in hopes that this step would "be followed by the prompt attainment of full communion with the Church by the entire Fraternity of St. Pius X, thus demonstrating true faithfulness and true recognition of the magisterium and authority of Pope with the sign of visible unity."
In 1988, Archbishop Lefebvre defied the orders of the Vatican and consecrated four bishops. In response, Pope John Paul II excommunicated the bishops, issuing a statement in which he condemned the actions of Lefebvre in no uncertain terms:
"In itself, this act was one of disobedience to the Roman Pontiff in a very grave matter and of supreme importance for the unity of the Church, such as is the ordination of bishops whereby the apostolic succession is sacramentally perpetuated. Hence such disobedience – which implies in practice the rejection of the Roman primacy – constitutes a schismatic act. ...In performing such an act, notwithstanding the formal canonical warning sent to them by the Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops on 17 June last, Mons. Lefebvre and the priests Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson and Alfonso de Galarreta have incurred the grave penalty of excommunication envisaged by ecclesiastical law."
However, in the same document John Paul II created the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei," charged with collaborating with the bishops, the Roman Curia, and other interested parties "in order to facilitate the full ecclesial communion of priests, seminarians, communities or individual men and women religious linked, to date, in various ways, to the Fraternity founded by Msgr. Lefebvre who desire to remain united to the Successor of Peter in the Catholic Church."
And so, in the Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio, headquarters of Ecclesia Dei and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, experts from Ecclesia Dei and from the SSPX held their initial meeting, examining the doctrinal differences still outstanding between the Society and the Apostolic See.
The Holy See described the meeting as "cordial" and respectful," and stated that the commission will focus on "the concept of Tradition, the Missal of Paul VI, the interpretation of Vatican Council II in continuity with Catholic doctrinal Tradition, the themes of the unity of the Church and the Catholic principles of ecumenism, the relationship between Christianity and non-Christian religions, and religious freedom."
According to the Vatican, discussions will be held over the coming months, most likely twice a month.
This meeting follows the Vatican's outreach, less than a week ago, to conservative members of the Anglican Church.
With these efforts, Pope Benedict continues his aim of unifying the Catholic Church, although liberal groups may be concerned about the conservative leanings of the new adherents.
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