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Dear faithful,
A few days after the ceremony of 1 July, I wish to address these few words to you.
First of all, I wish to thank you. For several years, I had been praying to the Most Holy Virgin that she would prepare hearts for this historic event. I confess that I have been deeply moved to see how all of you have accompanied the episcopal consecrations with your prayer and your gratitude towards divine Providence.
On 1 July, numerous faithful from all over the world were present at Écône, and they represented all of you. It was an immense joy to see them so numerous and so fervent. As you certainly know, a storm broke out during the ceremony: “At the brightness that was before him the clouds passed… And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the highest gave his voice” (Ps. 17:13–14). At that moment, my joy redoubled. On the one hand, I was the privileged witness of a liturgy of exceptional beauty; on the other, I had before my eyes another beauty, just as touching: that of an immense crowd of faithful remaining in their places throughout the storm, praying to Our Lady for the new bishops, for the Church, and for the Pope. Among them were elderly ladies, on their knees, as well as young mothers carrying their infants in their arms. It was the most beautiful image that could be given of the Society: faithful animated by an unshakeable faith that nothing could trouble; souls for whom the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is truly the centre of their lives. You cannot imagine the consolation that was mine at that moment. This scene has been deeply engraved on my memory, and I shall never be able to forget it.
Right up until the last day, I hoped for a gesture of goodwill, or at least of simple understanding, on the part of the Holy See. But the consecrations were condemned, and the harshness of the sanctions imposed is unprecedented. They are directed first at the bishops, but also at the members of the Society. Even the faithful are affected. This condemnation, wholly unjust, represents an immense humiliation for people who have no other aim than to defend the true Faith and to work for the salvation of souls. But I want you to know that this profound humiliation, which touches the members of the Society first, has a meaning in the eyes of God that must not escape you. In the final analysis, these consecrations were carried out for each one of you, dear faithful. Your souls are the true treasure entrusted to the Society, that which it cherishes most. A single soul possesses infinite value. If such a humiliation is the price that must be paid to secure the teaching of the true Faith and the administration of the true sacraments, then it is worth it, because a soul has no price. The feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord, the price of our salvation, reminded us of this forcefully on 1 July.
The sanctions are intended to strike you too, in a rather cruel way. This is certainly painful, but do not be too surprised by it. Ultimately, it is Tradition itself, which we cherish above all else, that is excommunicated in all those who embody it. It is evident that, before God, such a condemnation cannot be valid, for it would condemn what lies at the very heart of the life of the Church.
But then, in the midst of this new storm, a question arises: what does Our Lord expect of you now? It is in the soul of each one of you that the Faith must remain whole and alive. If Providence permits such a crisis that the teaching of the Faith becomes mysteriously obscured, that same Faith must continue to live in souls, despite all the contrary winds that seek to extinguish it. If the outward brightness of the official profession of Faith should disappear, the little candle that each of you received on the day of your baptism must remain lit in your heart and mind until your last day. That is, in the end, the only thing that matters. This little flame is the first thing we received at the beginning of our Christian life, and it is also the only thing we shall keep until the end.
I entrust you all to the Most Holy Virgin Mary, to whom the Society of Saint Pius X has been consecrated in a most particular way. May she always protect you amid all storms and all difficulties, and may she keep this little flame alive in your souls when all the contrary winds are unleashed. All graces come to us through her hands. It is her we must thank for the grace of the consecrations, and it is to her we must pray that the new bishops may be instruments ever more docile to her inspirations, and that they may persevere in this fidelity to the end.
The Society will never abandon you. Never will your souls lose their value and their worth in the eyes of its priests.
God bless you!
Davide Pagliarani