TRÁI TIM MẸ:  NƠI CON NƯƠNG NÁU - ĐƯỜNG ĐẾN VỚI CHÚA

"Chúa Giêsu muốn dùng con để làm cho Mẹ được nhận biết và yêu mến"

January 28, 2009 - Wednesday in 3rd Week of Ordinary Time     LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION: "Those who hear the word and accept it, bear fruit a hundredfold" UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S): Bishop Fellay's Apology for Holocaust Statements What Is Not True About the Good Friday Prayer for Jews SAINT OF THE DAY St. Thomas Aquinas  GENERAL MARIOLOGY THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA   DIVINE MERCY On Mercy The Full Power of Your Mercy  TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION: UK Bishops on Lifting of Excommunications

DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION

"Those who hear the word and accept it, bear fruit a hundredfold" Scripture:  Mark 4:1-20 1 Again he began to teach beside the sea.  And a very large crowd gathered about him so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; 6 and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." 9 And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." 10 And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables. 11 And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; 12 so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven." 13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is  sown in them. 16 And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately  they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a  hundredfold." Meditation: What does the parable about seeds and roots say to us about the kingdom of God? Any farmer will attest to the importance of good soil for supplying nutrients for growth. And how does a plant get the necessary food and water it needs except by its roots? The scriptures frequently use the image of fruit-bearing plants or trees to convey the principle of spiritual life and death. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah 17:7-8; see also Psalm 1:3) Jesus' parable of the sower is aimed at the hearers of his word. There are different ways of accepting God's word and they produce different kinds of fruit accordingly. There is the prejudiced hearer who has a shut mind. Such a person is unteachable and blind to what he or she doesn't want to hear. Then there is the shallow hearer. He or she fails to think things out or think them through; they lack depth. They may initially respond with an emotional reaction; but when it wears off their mind wanders to something else. Another type of hearer is the person who has many interests or cares, but who lacks the ability to hear or comprehend what is truly important. Such a person is too busy to pray or too preoccupied to study and meditate on God's word. Then there is the one whose mind is open. Such a person is at all times willing to listen and to learn. He or she is never too proud or too busy to learn. They listen in order to understand. God gives grace to those who hunger for his word that they may understand his will and have the strength to live according to it.  Do you hunger for God's word? "Lord Jesus, faith in your word is the way to wisdom, and to ponder your divine plan is to grow in the truth. Open my eyes to your deeds, and my ears to the sound of your call, that I may understand your will for my life and live according to it". Psalm 89:4-5, 27-29 4 `I will establish your descendants for ever, and build your throne for all generations.'" [Selah] 5 Let the heavens praise thy wonders, O LORD, thy faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! 27 And I will make him the first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth. 28 My steadfast love I will keep for him for ever, and my covenant will stand firm for him. 29 I will establish his line for ever and his throne as the days of the heavens.   www.dailyscripture.net   RETURN TO TOP

UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS

Bishop Fellay's Apology for Holocaust Statements "We Ask For the Forgiveness of the Supreme Pontiff"   MENZINGEN, Switzerland, JAN. 27, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of the communiqué made public today by the superior-general of the Society of St. Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, in which he apologizes for statements made by Bishop Richard Williamson, a member of the society, in which he denied the extent of the Holocaust. On Saturday, the Pope lifted the excommunication of the four bishops ordained by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1988 without papal permission. Bishops Fellay and Williamson were among the four. * * * We have come to know of an interview given by Bishop Richard Williamson, a member of our Fraternity of St. Pius X, on Swedish television. In this interview he spoke of historical questions, in particular on the question of the genocide of the Jews by the Nazis. It is evident that a Catholic bishop cannot speak with ecclesial authority if it is not a question of faith and morals. Our fraternity does not claim any authority over other questions. Its mission is the propagation and restoration of authentic Catholic doctrine, as found in the dogmas of the faith. It is for this that we are known, accepted and appreciated throughout the world. With great sadness we acknowledge the extent to which the violation of this mandate has damaged our mission. The statements of Bishop Williamson do not reflect in any way the position of our society. For this, I have prohibited him, until further notice, from speaking publicly on these political and historical questions We ask for the forgiveness of the Supreme Pontiff, and of all people of good will, for the dramatic consequences of this act. As we recognize how imprudent the statements were, we affirm with sadness that they have directly affected our fraternity by discrediting our mission. This is not acceptable, and we declare that we will continue preaching Catholic doctrine and administering the sacraments of grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Menzingen, Jan. 27, 2009 Bishop Bernard Fellay Superior General   What Is Not True About the Good Friday Prayer for Jews Scholar Points to Errors in Understanding   ROME, JAN. 27, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Dialogue between Jews and Christians is a sensitive issue, and there have been many misunderstandings about the new Good Friday prayer for the Jews, says a scholar in the matter. According to Father Michel Remaud, director of the Christian Institute of Jewish Studies and Hebrew Literature of Jerusalem, the Good Friday prayer for the Jews used in the "extraordinary rite" is not a prayer for their conversion, but rather a prayer for the Jewish people. He said the text approved by Benedict XVI does not say "Oremus pro conversione Judæorum" (Let us pray for the conversion of the Jews), but "Oremus et pro Judæis" (Let us also pray for the Jews). The prayer continues: "That God our Lord should illuminate their hearts, so that they will recognize Jesus Christ, the Savior of all men." This prayer was released last February, following the July 2007 document "Summorum Pontificum," which permitted an increased use of the 1962 Missal. The Good Friday prayer for the Jews used in the ordinary rite, that is, by the vast majority of Catholics, was not changed. The Italian episcopal conference had planned a day of dialogue Jan. 16 with leaders of Judaism, just ahead of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The rabbis, however, declined to participate because of Benedict XVI's approval of this prayer. In something as delicate as Christian-Jewish relations, Father Remaud suggested, "one has to be rigorous." The priest proposed that the heart of the issue is this: "The Christian who expresses his faith utilizing formulas from the New Testament -- should he be accused of a will to convert when he dialogues with the Jews?" Liturgical elements The scholar contended that precision in liturgical terms is also important regarding this issue. And in this regard, he lamented that the press is often inaccurate. For example, to refer to the 1962 Missal as the "Latin Mass" is erroneous, given that Latin can be the language for the Mass celebrated according to the missal approved after Vatican II by Paul VI. In fact, this Mass, the ordinary rite, is often celebrated in Latin in international settings. "To refer to the ritual previous to the 1969 reform, journalists have created the expression -- comfortable but inadequate -- of 'Latin Mass,'" Father Remaud observed. In fact, he added, the missal prepared to reflect the reforms is originally in Latin. Furthermore, the priest continued, to speak of the Good Friday prayer for the Jews in relation to Mass is also incorrect, given that on Good Friday, there is no Mass celebrated. The Good Friday liturgy, the commemoration of Our Lord's Passion, includes a long list of prayers, including the prayer for the Jews, our "older brothers," as Pope John Paul II referred to them in the synagogue of Rome in 1986. The prayers said on Good Friday are "'universal' -- for all of humanity. The office proper to this day includes a long series of prayers in which all categories of believers that make up humanity -- and nonbelievers -- are commended to God," Father Remaud added. "Until 1959," he said, "they prayed, among other intentions, in Latin 'pro perfidis judæis.'" But, "even after the suppression made by John XXIII of the adjective 'perfidos,' the prayer continued using formulas that could be considered hurtful for Jews." "Perfidos," the priest clarified, does not have a pejorative sense in Latin as it can in vernacular tongues. The word comes from "per" and "fides," that is, to persist or remain in faith. The formula fell into disuse some years after with the promulgation of the Paul VI Missal, he added, partially because of the pejorative connotation the formula had taken on. Its use only continued in the communities who received permission from the Church to celebrate the Mass according to the 1962 Missal, after they had returned to communion with Rome from the schism led by Marcel Lefebvre. Thus, for 24 years, the old prayer was used in these Catholic communities, and no one protested, observed Father Remaud. "Paradoxically," he said, "it is precisely the decision to correct this formula, judged unacceptable and utilized by a very restricted group of Catholics, that has stirred up all this indignation." Finally, Father Remaud noted that much of the dismay of the Jewish leaders is centered on a word that does not exist in the prayer: conversion. "To ask God to illuminate hearts is one thing, and to pressure people to try to convince them is another," he said. "The difference is more than a nuance."   RETURN TO TOP

DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT

January 28, 2009 St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)   By universal consent Thomas Aquinas is the preeminent spokesman of the Catholic tradition of reason and of divine revelation. He is one of the great teachers of the medieval Catholic Church, honored with the titles Doctor of the Church and Angelic Doctor. At five he was given to the Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino in his parents’ hopes that he would choose that way of life and later become abbot. In 1239 he was sent to Naples to complete his studies. It was here that he was first attracted to Aristotle’s philosophy. By 1243, Thomas abandoned his family’s plans for him and joined the Dominicans, much to his mother’s dismay. On her order, Thomas was captured by his brother and kept at home for over a year. Once free, he went to Paris and then to Cologne, where he finished his studies with Albert the Great. He held two professorships at Paris, lived at the court of Pope Urban IV, directed the Dominican schools at Rome and Viterbo, combated adversaries of the mendicants, as well as the Averroists, and argued with some Franciscans about Aristotelianism. His greatest contribution to the Catholic Church is his writings. The unity, harmony and continuity of faith and reason, of revealed and natural human knowledge, pervades his writings. One might expect Thomas, as a man of the gospel, to be an ardent defender of revealed truth. But he was broad enough, deep enough, to see the whole natural order as coming from God the Creator, and to see reason as a divine gift to be highly cherished. The Summa Theologiae, his last and, unfortunately, uncompleted work, deals with the whole of Catholic theology. He stopped work on it after celebrating Mass on December 6, 1273. When asked why he stopped writing, he replied, “I cannot go on.... All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.” He died March 7, 1274. Comment: We can look to Thomas Aquinas as a towering example of Catholicism in the sense of broadness, universality and inclusiveness. We should be determined anew to exercise the divine gift of reason in us, our power to know, learn and understand. At the same time we should thank God for the gift of his revelation, especially in Jesus Christ. Quote: “Hence we must say that for the knowledge of any truth whatsoever man needs divine help, that the intellect may be moved by God to its act. But he does not need a new light added to his natural light, in order to know the truth in all things, but only in some that surpasses his natural knowledge” (Summa Theologiae, I-II, 109, 1).   http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay RETURN TO TOP

GENERAL MARIOLOGY

CONGREGATION  FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH    THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA       INTRODUCTION    As the second millennium gives way to the third, Pope John Paul II has decided to publish the text of the third part of the “secret of Fatima”.  The twentieth century was one of the most crucial in human history, with its tragic and cruel events culminating in the assassination attempt on the “sweet Christ on earth”. Now a veil is drawn back on a series of events which make history and interpret it in depth, in a spiritual perspective alien to present-day attitudes, often tainted with rationalism.  Throughout history there have been supernatural apparitions and signs which go to the heart of human events and which, to the surprise of believers and non-believers alike, play their part in the unfolding of history. These manifestations can never contradict the content of faith, and must therefore have their focus in the core of Christ's proclamation: the Father's love which leads men and women to conversion and bestows the grace required to abandon oneself to him with filial devotion. This too is the message of Fatima which, with its urgent call to conversion and penance, draws us to the heart of the Gospel.  Fatima is undoubtedly the most prophetic of modern apparitions. The first and second parts of the “secret”—which are here published in sequence so as to complete the documentation—refer especially to the frightening vision of hell, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Second World War, and finally the prediction of the immense damage that Russia would do to humanity by abandoning the Christian faith and embracing Communist totalitarianism.  In 1917 no one could have imagined all this: the three pastorinhos of Fatima see, listen and remember, and Lucia, the surviving witness, commits it all to paper when ordered to do so by the Bishop of Leiria and with Our Lady's permission.  For the account of the first two parts of the “secret”, which have already been published and are therefore known, we have chosen the text written by Sister Lucia in the Third Memoir of 31 August 1941; some annotations were added in the Fourth Memoir of 8 December 1941.  The third part of the “secret” was written “by order of His Excellency the Bishop of Leiria and the Most Holy Mother ...” on 3 January 1944.  There is only one manuscript, which is here reproduced photostatically. The sealed envelope was initially in the custody of the Bishop of Leiria. To ensure better protection for the “secret” the envelope was placed in the Secret Archives of the Holy Office on 4 April 1957. The Bishop of Leiria informed Sister Lucia of this.  According to the records of the Archives, the Commissary of the Holy Office, Father Pierre Paul Philippe, OP, with the agreement of Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, brought the envelopecontaining the third part of the “secret of Fatima” to Pope John XXIII on 17 August 1959. “After some hesitation”, His Holiness said: “We shall wait. I shall pray. I shall let you know what I decide”.(1)  In fact Pope John XXIII decided to return the sealed envelope to the Holy Office and not to reveal the third part of the “secret”.  Paul VI read the contents with the Substitute, Archbishop Angelo Dell'Acqua, on 27 March 1965, and returned the envelope to the Archives of the Holy Office, deciding not to publish the text.  John Paul II, for his part, asked for the envelope containing the third part of the “secret” following the assassination attempt on 13 May 1981. On 18 July 1981 Cardinal Franjo Šeper, Prefect of the Congregation, gave two envelopes to Archbishop Eduardo Martínez Somalo, Substitute of the Secretariat of State: one white envelope, containing Sister Lucia's original text in Portuguese; the other orange, with the Italian translation of the “secret”. On the following 11 August, Archbishop Martínez returned the two envelopes to the Archives of the Holy Office.(2)  As is well known, Pope John Paul II immediately thought of consecrating the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and he himself composed a prayer for what he called an “Act of Entrustment”, which was to be celebrated in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major on 7 June 1981, the Solemnity of Pentecost, the day chosen to commemorate the 1600th anniversary of the First Council of Constantinople and the 1550th anniversary of the Council of Ephesus. Since the Pope was unable to be present, his recorded Address was broadcast. The following is the part which refers specifically to the Act of Entrustment:  “Mother of all individuals and peoples, you know all their sufferings and hopes. In your motherly heart you feel all the struggles between good and evil, between light and darkness, that convulse the world: accept the plea which we make in the Holy Spirit directly to your heart, and embrace with the love of the Mother and Handmaid of the Lord those who most await this embrace, and also those whose act of entrustment you too await in a particular way. Take under your motherly protection the whole human family, which with affectionate love we entrust to you, O Mother. May there dawn for everyone the time of peace and freedom, the time of truth, of justice and of hope”.(3)  In order to respond more fully to the requests of “Our Lady”, the Holy Father desired to make more explicit during the Holy Year of the Redemption the Act of Entrustment of 7 May 1981, which had been repeated in Fatima on 13 May 1982. On 25 March 1984 in Saint Peter's Square, while recalling the fiat uttered by Mary at the Annunciation, the Holy Father, in spiritual union with the Bishops of the world, who had been “convoked” beforehand, entrusted all men and women and all peoples to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in terms which recalled the heartfelt words spoken in 1981:  “O Mother of all men and women, and of all peoples, you who know all their sufferings and their hopes, you who have a mother's awareness of all the struggles between good and evil, between light and darkness, which afflict the modern world, accept the cry which we, moved by the Holy Spirit, address directly to your Heart. Embrace with the love of the Mother and Handmaid of the Lord, this human world of ours, which we entrust and consecrate to you, for we are full of concern for the earthly and eternal destiny of individuals and peoples.  In a special way we entrust and consecrate to you those individuals and nations which particularly need to be thus entrusted and consecrated.  ‘We have recourse to your protection, holy Mother of God!'  Despise not our petitions in our necessities”.  The Pope then continued more forcefully and with more specific references, as though commenting on the Message of Fatima in its sorrowful fulfilment:  “Behold, as we stand before you, Mother of Christ, before your Immaculate Heart, we desire, together with the whole Church, to unite ourselves with the consecration which, for love of us, your Son made of himself to the Father: ‘For their sake', he said, ‘I consecrate myself that they also may be consecrated in the truth' (Jn 17:19). We wish to unite ourselves with our Redeemer in this his consecration for the world and for the human race, which, in his divine Heart, has the power to obtain pardon and to secure reparation.  The power of this consecrationlasts for all time and embraces all individuals, peoples and nations. It overcomes every evil that the spirit of darkness is able to awaken, and has in fact awakened in our times, in the heart of man and in his history.  How deeply we feel the need for the consecration of humanity and the world—our modern world—in union with Christ himself! For the redeeming work of Christ must be shared in by the world through the Church.  The present Year of the Redemption shows this: the special Jubilee of the whole Church.  Above all creatures, may you be blessed, you, the Handmaid of the Lord, who in the fullest way obeyed the divine call!  Hail to you, who are wholly united to the redeeming consecration of your Son!  Mother of the Church! Enlighten the People of God along the paths of faith, hope, and love! Enlighten especially the peoples whose consecration and entrustment by us you are awaiting. Help us to live in the truth of the consecration of Christ for the entire human family of the modern world.  In entrusting to you, O Mother, the world, all individuals and peoples, we also entrust to you this very consecration of the world, placing it in your motherly Heart.  Immaculate Heart! Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today, and whose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem to block the paths towards the future!  From famine and war, deliver us.  From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us.  From sins against the life of man from its very beginning, deliver us.  From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us.  From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us.  From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us.  From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us.  From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us.  From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us, deliver us.  Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual human beings, laden with the sufferings of whole societies.  Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit to conquer all sin: individual sin and the ‘sin of the world', sin in all its manifestations.  Let there be revealed, once more, in the history of the world the infinite saving power of the Redemption: the power of merciful Love! May it put a stop to evil! May it transform consciences! May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of Hope!”.(4)  Sister Lucia personally confirmed that this solemn and universal act of consecration corresponded to what Our Lady wished (“Sim, està feita, tal como Nossa Senhora a pediu, desde o dia 25 de Março de 1984”: “Yes it has been done just as Our Lady asked, on 25 March 1984”: Letter of 8 November 1989). Hence any further discussion or request is without basis.  In the documentation presented here four other texts have been added to the manuscripts of Sister Lucia: 1) the Holy Father's letter of 19 April 2000 to Sister Lucia; 2) an account of the conversation of 27 April 2000 with Sister Lucia; 3) the statement which the Holy Father appointed Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Secretary of State, to read on 13 May 2000; 4) the theological commentary by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.  Sister Lucia had already given an indication for interpreting the third part of the “secret” in a letter to the Holy Father, dated 12 May 1982:  “The third part of the secret refers to Our Lady's words: ‘If not [Russia] will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated' (13-VII-1917).  The third part of the secret is a symbolic revelation, referring to this part of the Message, conditioned by whether we accept or not what the Message itself asks of us: ‘If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, etc.'.  Since we did not heed this appeal of the Message, we see that it has been fulfilled, Russia has invaded the world with her errors. And if we have not yet seen the complete fulfilment of the final part of this prophecy, we are going towards it little by little with great strides. If we do not reject the path of sin, hatred, revenge, injustice, violations of the rights of the human person, immorality and violence, etc.  And let us not say that it is God who is punishing us in this way; on the contrary it is people themselves who are preparing their own punishment. In his kindness God warns us and calls us to the right path, while respecting the freedom he has given us; hence people are responsible”.(5)  The decision of His Holiness Pope John Paul II to make public the third part of the “secret” of Fatima brings to an end a period of history marked by tragic human lust for power and evil, yet pervaded by the merciful love of God and the watchful care of the Mother of Jesus and of the Church.      The action of God, the Lord of history, and the co-responsibility of man in the drama of his creative freedom, are the two pillars upon which human history is built.  Our Lady, who appeared at Fatima, recalls these forgotten values. She reminds us that man's future is in God, and that we are active and responsible partners in creating that future.  Tarcisio Bertone, SDB Archbishop Emeritus of Vercelli Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith   RETURN TO TOP

DIVINE MERCY

Dairy from St. Faustina On Mercy The Full Power of Your Mercy O Jesus, have mercy! Embrace the whole world and press me to Your Heart. ... O Lord, let my soul repose in the sea of Your unfathomable mercy (Diary, 869). My soul is in a sea of suffering. Sinners have taken everything away from me. But that is all right; I have given everything away for their sake that they might know that You are good and infinitely merciful (Diary, 893). I know the full power of Your mercy, and I trust that You will give me everything Your feeble child needs (Diary, 898). RETURN TO TOP

CATHOLIC  TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY

UK Bishops on Lifting of Excommunications Q-and-A Explains Standing of 4 Lefebvrite Bishops   LONDON, JAN. 27, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is an explanation prepared by the episcopal conference of England and Wales on the lifting of the excommunication of four bishops of the Society of St. Pius X. A statement released by the conference said the bishops are in harmony with Benedict XVI's decision, and expressed their "hope that this act will consolidate reciprocal relations of trust and to intensify and stabilize the relations" between the society and the Holy See. * * * Q: Why were the Society of St. Pius X bishops excommunicated? A: Canon 1013 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law provides that no bishop may consecrate anyone as bishop unless it is first established that a pontifical mandate has been issued. Canon 1382 goes on to provide that where a bishop consecrates a bishop without a pontifical mandate both the consecrating bishop and the bishop who receives consecration incur a "latae sententiae" excommunication. A "latae sententiae" penalty is one that is incurred automatically as soon as one commits an offence, without the need for any process to impose it. As there is no need for a process, an ecclesiastical authority will sometimes declare the penalty, which means that a formal declaration is issued stating that this penalty has taken effect. When Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated these four as bishops on June 30, 1988, he did so without a pontifical mandate. Therefore, by the very act of carrying out this consecration, both Archbishop Lefebvre and the four bishops being consecrated incurred an automatic excommunication. On July 1, 1988, the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops declared the penalty to have taken effect. Q: What was their status when they were excommunicated? A: The fact that this consecration was prohibited by the law of the Church and that the penalty of excommunication applied does not affect the sacramental validity of the consecration. Therefore, they were and are validly ordained bishops. Excommunication is a censure which, it is hoped, leads to the rehabilitation of the offender. The effects of it, according to Canon 1331 are to forbid a person to have any ministerial part in the Eucharist or other ceremonies of public worship, to celebrate the sacraments or sacramentals or to receive the sacraments or to exercise any ecclesiastical offices, ministries, functions or acts of governance. Q: What does the lifting of the excommunication mean? A: Censures can be remitted as their purpose is to bring about contrition. In fact, according to Canon 1358, when the contempt has been purged, remission of the censure cannot be refused. The Holy Father has taken the view that Bishop Fellay's letter of Dec. 15, 2008, to Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos shows a suitable commitment to reach a resolution of the original problem. He also considered that this would improve relations with the Society of St. Pius X and consolidate reciprocal trust. The lifting of the excommunications has not restored full communion with the Society of St. Pius X, but it is a first step that it is hoped will lead to a restoration of full communion by the whole Society of St. Pius X. Q: Does this lift the suspension on them practicing as bishops or priests in full communion? A: As full communion has not yet been restored, it follows that members of the Society of St. Pius X who are priests or bishops cannot exercise their ministry as priests or bishops in full communion. Part of the dialogue between the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X will include looking at how its bishops and priests could exercise their ministry in the Catholic Church were that hope to be realized. Q: Has the Pope's action changed the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Society of St. Pius X? A: From the point of view of full communion, the relationship has not changed. Furthermore, the Catholic Church has as a very important goal the restoration of full communion with all Christians and this has not changed either. The lifting of the excommunications is an important step of furthering that goal with regard to the Society of St. Pius X. Q: What are the next steps in the process? A: The decree from the Congregation for Bishops lifting the excommunications refers to the Holy Father's trust in the commitment of the Society of St. Pius X to spare no efforts in examining the outstanding questions in its discussions with the Holy See. The next step is continuing dialogue with a view to deepening the relations between the Catholic Church and the Society of St. Pius X, in the hope that there can be a return to full communion. How that dialogue unfolds is a matter for the Holy See and the authorities of the Society of St. Pius X. The complete text of the decree (Jan. 21, 2009) is given below: "In a letter of Dec. 15, 2008, addressed to Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, president of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, Bishop Bernard Fellay once again requested -- also in the name of the other three bishops consecrated on 30 June 1988 -- the removal of the excommunication 'latae sententiae' formally pronounced by a decree of the prefect of this Congregation for Bishops on July 1, 1988. In that letter Bishop Fellay affirmed, among other things, that 'we continue firmly resolute in our desire to remain Catholics and to put all our strength at the service of the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is the Roman Catholic Church. We accept her teachings in a filial spirit. We firmly believe in the Primacy of Peter and in its prerogatives, and for this reason the current situation causes us much suffering.' "His Holiness Benedict XVI -- in his paternal compassion for the spiritual discomfort expressed by the parties concerned, because of the excommunication, and trusting in the commitment they expressed in the aforesaid letter to spare no efforts in examining outstanding questions through the requisite discussions with the authorities of the Holy See in order to reach a prompt, full and satisfactory solution to the original problem -- has decided to reconsider the canonical position of Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson and Alfonso de Galarreta, which arose following their episcopal consecration. "With this act it is hoped to consolidate reciprocal relations of trust, and to intensify and stabilize the relations of the Fraternity of St. Pius X with this Holy See. This gift of peace, coming at the end of the Christmas celebrations, also wishes to be a sign to promote the universal Church's unity in charity, and to remove the scandal of division. "It is hoped that this step will 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. "On the basis of the powers expressly granted to me by the Holy Father Benedict XVI, and by virtue of this decree, I remit the sentence of excommunication 'latae sententiae' declared by this congregation on July 1, 1988, against Bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson and Alfonso de Galarreta. At the same time I declare that, as of today's date, the decree then issued is devoid of juridical effect."   RETURN TO TOP

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