In his homily for the priestly ordinations in the Swiss town of Ecône, the Superior of the Society of St. Pius X confirmed that the Lefebvrians could not sign the Vatican’s doctrinal preamble.
He had not made any public statement during the meeting with Cardinal William Levada on 13 June, in the Vatican.
But the Superior of the Society of St. Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, has now confirmed that no agreement could be signed with the Holy See at the present time.
During the homily for the priestly ordinations celebrated in Ecône, Fellay also made some comments about the negotiations with Vatican leaders.
You can listen to the homily - which lasts approximately half an hour - by clicking on this link.
The passage about the Society’s relations with Rome can be heard when the player gets to 21.50.
“You rightly ask me how things are going with Rome.” The Lefebvrian superior said, before going on to add: “Things are currently at a standstill.”
“There has been a lot of back and forth, exchanges, letters and protests - Mgr. Fellay added – but we are back to square one.” The bishop recalled: “We said we could not accept, we could not sign; that is all.”
This confirms the content of the communiqué issued by the Lefebvrians after the meeting in the Vatican. They also hinted at the need for new clarifications and discussions.
In his homily, Fellay also confirmed the opinion expressed in the letter sent by the Secretary General of the Society of St. Pius X to district superiors on 25 June, ahead of the next general chapter: the last version of the doctrinal preamble which was discussed by cardinals of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and approved by the Pope was defined as “unacceptable”.