Holy See: Path to Healing for Pius X Society

The five demands are the result of a June 4 meeting between the Cardinal and excommunicated Bishop Bernard Fellay, leader of the fraternity St. Pius X.

ROME (CNA) - According to Andrea Tornielli, who claims to have a copy of the original letter sent by the Holy See to the schismatic Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the St. Pius X Society, the Holy See has given an ultimatum to the Society, with a deadline of June 30 for it to respond.

According to Tornielli, who writes on his blog for the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, Cardinal Dario Castrillón Hoyos has written a letter in his capacity as President of the Pontifical Ecclesia Dei Commission, presenting the conditions of the ultimatum that, if accepted would conclude with the final incorporation of the St. Pius X Society into the Church by means of the canonical procedure of personal prelature, similar to that of Opus Dei.

This arrangement would allow them to "continue their activity of training seminarians and priests" and would give them autonomy for the celebration of the liturgy according to the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, that is to say in Latin, and according to Missal of 1962.

According to Tornielli, the five demands are the result of a June 4 meeting between the Cardinal and excommunicated Bishop Bernard Fellay, leader of the fraternity St. Pius X.

The Vatican demands require: "a commitment to a response proportional to the generosity of the Pope, also the commitment to avoid any public statement disrespectful to the person of the Holy Father and that could be negative to ecclesial charity, the commitment to avoid the premise of a Magisterium superior to that of the Holy Father and not to propose to the fraternity (St. Pius X) in opposition to the Church; the commitment to demonstrate the will to act honestly in full ecclesial charity and in full respect of the authority of the Vicar of Christ."

The last requirement of the Holy See, Tornielli says, is "to respect the date established for June 30, ... for responding positively. This will be a required condition and necessary as immediate preparation for the adherence to have full communion."

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