On June 26, the Vatican announced the appointment of Archbishop J. Augustine Di Noia to a specially created post as "a sign of the Holy Father's pastoral solicitude for traditionalist Catholics in communion with the Holy See and his strong desire for the reconciliation of those traditionalist communities not in union with the See of Peter."

That same day, a letter was leaked showing that the leader of those communities, Bishop Bernard Fellay, had already rejected the latest overtures from Pope Benedict 13 days before the Vatican announcement of the Di Noia appointment.

Obsessively pressing one's attentions on a person who does not want them is called stalking. In many places and cases, it is a criminal offense.

Archbishop Di Nioa's appointment even after the latest rejection of the pope's repeatedly rejected and repeatedly renewed approaches to the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) certainly looks like stalking of the SSPX by the Vatican.

By now it should be clear that despite concessions on the liturgy, offers to play down aspects of Vatican II and repeated attempts at wooing in spite of being spurned, the SSPX and the ultra-traditionalists they represent are just not interested in a relationship with the Vatican and will not be until Rome comes to them in abject and total surrender.

What is the power behind the SSPX's ability to bring Rome to its knees, begging to be seen worthy to have the sect return to the fold? Whatever that power, there must be glee in the SSPX ranks in knowing they have it.

In the meantime, Rome has given little glee to non-traditionalist Catholics who have remained faithful members of the Church through the past decades. Though Pope Benedict's personal inclinations are clearly traditionalist, he must know that the majority of Catholics are not traditionalists in his sense and never will be. But they remain in communion with him.

In one sense, those who have remained faithful during a half-century of ups and downs are certainly traditionalist in maintaining their loyalty to the Church in spite of being disappointed, embarrassed and even vilified for their loyalty. It would be easy for them to just leave, a move that more rabid traditionalists actually and vehemently encourage, but they have not. And though increasing numbers are departing, the majority seems likely to continue their allegiance.

That majority has endured the pain of seeing bishops inflict abusive priests upon their communities, the embarrassment of the corruption and confusion at the Vatican disclosed by Vatileaks and the frustration of having liturgical translations imposed upon them that they neither want nor accept. They have watched as Rome "bent over backwards" to appease schismatic rebels while ignoring the opinions and hopes of the faithful.

So, where is the pope's "pastoral solicitude" for them? Perhaps it is time to provide a bit more solicitude to the faithful Catholics who are the majority of the Church.

There is an old saying that "what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander." That is, favors or provisions made for one party or group should be available to all.

What might "solicitous sauce" entail?

Well, for starters, it would involve giving non-traditionalist Catholics the same right to use previous forms of the liturgy that has been given to traditionalists. This would probably constitute a referendum on the translations that have recently been imposed throughout the world, often to the consternation of clergy and laity alike.

There is more. The Vatican should really listen to the voices of those whose concerns and ways of living their faith arise out of their encounters with the modern world, especially those outside of a European ambit.

Rome must admit that the old ways so beloved by many traditionalists failed in the face of a changing world and our leaders must be humble enough to learn from places where the Church is growing in Africa, Asia and the Americas.

And finally, would it hurt the pope or anyone else to simply express some gratitude and admiration to all those Christians who in spite of scandals, confusion and a sense of being ignored and abused continue to engage in the journey of faith as part of the Catholic Church?

First published in UCA News. Used with permission.

Sources

• Image: CathNews USA

The commission, an outreach to traditionalist Catholics, was established in 1988 to with a particular aim of reconciliation with SSPX.

In a series of new appointments to the Roman Curia made before the Pope's annual summer stay at Castel Gandolfo, American Archbishop Augustine Di Noia was named the commission's vice-president — a position that had not existed before.

Archbishop Di Noia told Catholic News Service the Vatican needed to help people who have strong objections to the reforms following the Second Vatican Council see "that these disagreements don't have to be dividing or keep us from the same Communion table".

"It is possible to have theological disagreements while remaining in communion with the see of Peter," he said.

"The theological dialogue has gone on for three years but now [the Pope] is hoping to find the language or the modality for a reconciliation. We're at the stage of finessing, to help them find a formula which respects their own theological integrity.

"It seems to everyone that [a reconciliation] is close, but now it needs a kind of push," he said.

Archbishop Di Noia, a Dominican theologian who worked closely with Pope Benedict in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has served since 2009 as secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship.

The announcement of his appointment noted that he was involved in the Vatican's preparations for the Pope's motu proprio broadening use of the traditional Latin Mass.

Archbishop Di Noia — who said his reassignment from the Congregation for Divine Worship after only three years had left him "flabbergasted" — will be replaced there by Bishop Arthur Roche of Leeds, England.

Sources:

Catholic World News

Catholic News Service

Catholic World News

Image: Whispers in the Loggia

He said that the Rosary crusade which the Society is conducting will continue for several more months so that the Society may obtain "the graces of light and strength that we need more than ever."

Bishop Fellay's comments followed a two-hour meeting at which he was presented with a statement of principles, or "doctrinal preamble," by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Levada. The document outlined points of doctrine that the Vatican needs clarified before finally healing the decades-long rift between the two sides.

If the Society agrees they may be offered the status of a personal prelature within the Church - a jurisdiction without geographical boundaries designed to carry out particular pastoral initiatives.

"The meeting was conducted with great courtesy and with equally great candor, because for the sake of honesty the Society of St. Pius X refuses to evade the problems that remain," said Bishop Fellay in an interview posted on the Society's website.

Yesterday's talks seem to leave open the possibility of the Society repairing its relationship with the Church, while still being allowed to express concerns over the legacy of the Second Vatican Council.

Bishop Fellay says this view confirms a 2005 conversation he had with Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, then President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, who told him that the Society's various objections to aspects of the Second Vatican Council "does not mean that you are outside the Church."

While not giving a time scale for the Society's response, Bishop Fellay said he will reply to the Vatican as soon as he has "taken the time necessary to study" the document and "to consult with those who are chiefly responsible for the Society of St. Pius X."

Full Article: CNA

Image: Rorate Caeli

The Vatican told the Society of St. Pius X that they must accept some core church teachings if they want to be fully reintegrated into the church. But the Holy See said some expressions contained in documents from the Second Vatican Council could be left open for "legitimate discussion."

A key Vatican II document, Nostra Aetate, revolutionized the Catholic Church's relations with Jews by declaring that Christ's death couldn't be attributed to Jews as a whole. Other Vatican II teachings to which the society objects concern religious freedom and ecumenical relations.

The uncertainty over what is being required of the society provoked unease among some Jewish groups.

The Swiss-based Society of St. Pius X was formed in 1969, opposed to many of Vatican II's reforms.

The Vatican refused to say which core teachings the society must accept to be reintegrated, and which elements of Vatican II documents could be left open for discussion.

Abraham Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League's U.S. director, said he was confident that Pope Benedict XVI would require the society to accept the church's "positive teachings" about Jews before being fully reconciled with the church.

"It would be unthinkable for the Vatican to allow a Catholic breakaway sect that includes a Holocaust-denying bishop, Richard Williamson, to be reintegrated into the church while still being allowed to promote anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism," he said in a statement.

Even Rabbi David Rosen, who heads the American Jewish Committee's interreligious affairs office and is a veteran of Catholic-Jewish dialogue, said he was worried about the Vatican's gesture and awaited further clarification.

"If 'Nostra Aetate' and 'Lumen Gentium' (another Vatican II document) are not considered fundamental doctrines of the Church, and it is possible to question them without challenging the authority of the church, then we (and not just Jewish-Catholic relations) are in for a very rough ride ahead," he said in an email.

The society's superior, Bishop Bernard Fellay, has said he would study the two-page document of core church teachings handed over to him by the Vatican and respond.

Source: Associated Press