Some 50 laypeople are seeking to influence the type of person who will be appointed to replace Roland Minnerath, the current Archbishop of Dijon.

Msgr Minnerath turned 75 on Saturday, the age when bishops are expected to submit their resignation to the pope.

"We expect our next bishop to be 'a fellow traveler and a brother', at a time when the synod launched by Pope Francis is opening in the Church," say the Catholics of Dijon in a letter to Archbishop Celestino Migliore.

Archbishop Migliore, the Apostolic Nuncio to France, will play a key role in proposing candidates to succeed Archbishop Minnerath.

The group, from 16 different parishes and 25 Catholic movements, was formed when Pope Francis published his Letter to the people of God in August 2018. Their mission is "To understand what it means to follow Christ today and to try to put it into practice".

They decided to take advantage of the impending appointment of a new bishop to express several ideas for a new way of governance in the archdiocese. They also want a closer examination of the recommendations made by the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE).

"With him (the next archbishop), we would like to build an organization that is at the service of these communities, putting in place, wherever necessary, transparency and safeguards that prevent abuse and control over people and minds," specifies the letter to the nuncio.

The tone of the text is warm and addresses Archbishop Migliore as "dear brother". In the letter, the signatories express a type of "offer of service" by proposing to the future bishop to entrust missions to professionals, particularly human resources and financial management.

Sources

La Croix International

World Today News

Archbishop Roland Minnerath announced in May that he would no longer allow two Priestly Fraternity of St Peter (FSSP) priests to continue to reside and offer Mass in the Old Rite.

Minnerath told the FSSP members that they will have to leave the premises of the Basilica of Saint-Bernard de Fontaine-lès-Dijon in September.

Traditionalist Catholics in eastern France are protesting against the archbishop's decision.

Supporters of the FSSP gathered in front of the Minnerath's office with signs calling for "dialogue" and "respect for ritual diversity".

The traditionalist priestly fraternity has been in Dijon for 23 years, five years before Minnerath became archbishop in 2004.

A press release on the FSSP website complained about the lack of "prior consultation". There was also a criticsm about how vague the "reason given" for the fraternity expulsion.

The archbishop's office has produced a list of grievances against the fraternity.

Most notable is the refusal of FSSP priests to celebrate the post-Vatican II Mass even "from time to time". It said this was contrary to what had been "agreed upon" when the FSSP arrived in Dijon in 1998.

"Such an attitude is indicative of a conception of their ministry that we do not share," said the archdiocese.

"The Old Rite should not create a parallel community," it said.

This aligns with the sense of communion that Pope Benedict XVI made clear in his letter accompanying the "motu proprio" Summorum Pontificum in 2007.

"Needless to say, to experience full communion, the priests of the communities adhering to the former usage cannot, as a matter of principle, exclude celebrating according to the new books," he wrote.

"The total exclusion of the new rite would not, in fact, be consistent with the recognition of its value and holiness," Benedict pointed out.

Archbishop Minnerath went last Saturday to talk with the protesters.

"I have made a final proposal to the FSSP, but I don't yet know their answer. Either they agree to concelebrate from time to time and stay, them or other priests, or they leave," he said.

But the local FSSP superior, Rev Roch Perrel, said it was impossible for him to concelebrate in the new rite.

"I have chosen a traditional rite; I intend to be faithful to it. It is a choice of life," he said.

"One out of every two priests in the Fraternity of St. Peter is on the same line in France," said a person familiar with the matter.

A meeting is scheduled for the end of this week between Minnerath and the FSSP priests. The archbishop is hoping to reduce the tensions that have arisen over the Tridentine Rite and reach a compromise.

Sources

La Croix International