Friday, June 07, 2024

Schism bishop's mentor keeps his distance – only the Poor Clares don't

While the apostate Poor Clares of Belorado, who are currently making headlines around the world, remain loyal to their schismatic bishop Pablo de Rojas, the next community is now turning its back on him. 

In this context, Spanish media reported on Tuesday about the schismatic Bishop Ricardo Subiron, who was labelled the "Spanish Lefebvre" at the time, and his community, the Franciscan Missionaries of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, which has been made up of former and expelled religious since 1970. 

In a letter on Tuesday afternoon, this Franciscan community expressly distanced itself from de Rojas and his association "Pia Unio Sancti Pauli Apostoli", to which the apostate nuns of Belorado have also belonged for several weeks.

"We are a religious community that is faithful to the Holy Church and in no way associated with Pablo de Rojas or his movement," the statement from the Franciscan missionaries continues. 

They assure "fidelity to the holy, catholic, apostolic and Roman Church" and no connection to traditionalist and sedisvacantist movements. 

According to a newspaper report, however, these statements contradict what can be read on the website of de Rojas' association. There it says that de Rojas asked Bishop Subiron, who was excommunicated by the Archdiocese of Valencia in 1983, to be consecrated a bishop "sub conditione" in 2010, as he had no certainty about his ordination as a priest and bishop.

This information and photos of Subiron, which were published on de Rojas' website, led to a connection being made in the media between de Rojas and the schismatic Poor Clares. 

The Franciscan missionaries denied these connections and emphasised that they did not know and had never seen the nuns of Belorado. They criticised the unsolicited use of images of ceremonies and liturgies in which Subiron had taken part. These were used with the claim that Subiron belonged to de Rojas' association. 

According to the Franciscan missionaries in their statement, de Rojas had initially appeared with good intentions and had declared that he had a "pious association of priests, seminarians and various religious communities". 

However, their founder has had no contact with de Rojas for four years.

The excommunicated Bishop Pablo de Rojas and his association have been in the headlines for several weeks because the schismatic Poor Clares of Belorado have renounced the Catholic Church and joined him. 

Currently, de Rojas is said to be resident in the Belorado monastery, which is why the Archbishopric of Burgos has asked him to leave the premises

However, de Rojas affirmed that he wanted to remain in Belorado for as long as the Poor Clares needed spiritual guidance.