FSSP Founders Break Their Silence: Why They Say the SSPX Consecrations Are a 'Father Wound!

[00:00:00]Timothy Flanders knows the traditional Catholic world well. He converted from Protestantism to Orthodoxy, then to Catholicism. He founded The Meaning of Catholic. He is now editor-in-chief of 1 Peter 5, and he believes laypeople need to approach the SSPX debate with great care. Here is the core problem. The SSPX plans to consecrate four bishops in July without papal approval. This has caused deep division, but Flanders says the real issue is clerical. It is for priests and bishops to resolve.

[00:00:33]Laypeople should fast and pray. They should not fuel the fire on social media. Flanders wants to highlight what non-SSPX traditional clerics think.

[00:00:42]These are priests who love a Latin Mass, but chose to stay with Rome. Their views matter. First, there's Father Louis Marie De Blignières. He founded the Fraternity of Saint Vincent Ferrer. Then there is Father Joseph Biscay. He co-founded the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter. Both men were ordained by Archbishop Lefebvre in 1977, but in 1988, they chose against him. They sided with the Pope. Flanders says these men suffered deeply. Lefebvre was their direct father in the priesthood. They loved him, but they chose the Holy Father against their personal father.

[00:01:16]That is a painful wound. It's like a marriage vow. Laypeople cannot fully understand that agony. Both priests wrote extensive theological studies.

[00:01:25]They explained why they broke with Lefebvre. Flanders urges laypeople to read these sources. He says if you have not studied them, you should not speak strongly on the SSPX issue. He laments how social media is full of pride and indifference. People talk without knowledge. They wound the hearts of Jesus and Mary. The first study is by Father De Blignières from 1987. It is now in English as A Study of the Autonomous Episcopate. The second is by Father Biscay. It is called A Study of Episcopal Consecrations Against the Will of the Pope. It is available on the FSSPX website. These texts give the theological reasons for opposing the 1988 consecrations. In 2022, an SSPX priest named Father Gleize published articles criticizing the FSSPX views.

[00:02:13]Fathers de Blignières and Bisig responded. They presented their own interpretation of tradition. Flanders admits the theology is difficult. He could not understand all of it, but one thing struck him. The two priests said that for 34 years their fraternities have survived. Lefebvre and his followers predicted they would fail.

[00:02:32]They said the FSSPX would be contaminated by modernism. They said it would be suppressed, but that did not happen. The FSSPX and the Fraternity of Saint Vincent Ferrer have grown. They have remained faithful to their founding purpose. This proves something important. The 1988 consecrations were not absolutely necessary for tradition to survive. That is the view of these non-SSPX clerics. The SSPX priests disagree in conscience. Flanders says we should respect both views and pray for everyone. There are other traditional groups, too. The Institute of Christ the King was formed in 1990 in Africa. This group brings a touch of beauty to the traditionalist movement. Flanders could not find any official statements from them on the current debate, but he did find a French diocesan priest named Abbé Claude Barthe. He formally belonged to the SSPX. Now he teaches at the Institute's seminary. He said the planned consecrations are consequence of the wound opened by Vatican II. He called for open and peaceful talks between the Holy See and the SSPX.

[00:03:35]There's also the Priestly Society of Saint John Mary Vianney in Brazil. Their bishop was co-consecrator with Lefebvre in 1988. He was also excommunicated, but in 2002 this group sought full canonical status with Rome. They now celebrate the Latin Mass with full approval. Flanders notes that a Polish senator pointed out something important. The Holy See has shown it can create flexible legal structures. The personal apostolic administration in Brazil is one example.

[00:04:04]Pope Leo the 14th himself had experience with special canonical status. So the issue is not abstract. Solutions are possible. Flanders ends with a call to action. He urges everyone to fast and pray. Pray for priests inside and outside the SSPX. Pray for Pope Leo.

[00:04:23]Pray for reconciliation. The Eucharistic Heart of Jesus can heal all wounds. But we must approach this debate with humility, not pride.