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Francis allows Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter to continue celebrating exclusively in Tridentine Rite, exempting it from July decree curtailing use of the pre-Vatican II liturgy
By Xavier Le Normand | France
Pope Francis has decreed that the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP), a group of traditionalist Catholic clergy originally part of the schismatic Lefevbrist movement, can continue to celebrate Mass and other sacraments according to the Tridentine Rite.
The decree, which was signed by Francis on February 11 and appeared on the FSSP website this week, constitutes an exemption from the "motu proprio" the pope issued last July to strictly curtail use of the pre-Vatican II liturgy.
Father Benedict Paul-Joseph, superior of the fraternity's French district, called the new decree a "great relief".
It states that the members of FSSP have "the faculty to celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass, and to carry out the sacraments and other sacred rites, as well as to fulfill the Divine Office, according to the typical editions of the liturgical books, namely the Missal, the Ritual, the Pontifical and the Roman Breviary, in force in the year 1962".
This means FSSP priests can continue following pre-conciliar liturgy "in their own churches or oratories" and for "private Mass".
They can also celebrate the sacraments according to the Tridentine formula used before the liturgical reforms stemming from the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).
In all other cases, they will need to obtain authorization from the local bishop.
"We have our place in the Church"
In effect, the new decree constitutes an exemption from Traditionis custodes, which was issued last July.
Father Paul-Joseph told La Croix that if this "motu proprio" had been applied to the FSSP, "it would have been a pure and simple negation of what we are, and it would have been difficult to envisage the continuation of our existence".
He said that, with this decree, "the Holy Father considers that we have our place in the Church as we are, by contributing what we can".
The decree came after Father Paul-Joseph and Father Vincent Ribeton, rector of the fraternity's historic seminary, traveled to Rome on February 4 to meet with Francis.
During the meeting, the pope reportedly assured priests that institutes specifically created for celebrations according to the Tridentine liturgy were not affected by Traditionis custodes - meaning that more exemptions could be granted.
A "politicization" of the Tridentine liturgy
Francis explained that the priests clearly targeted by the "moto proprio" -- mostly on the American continent -- are those who "seize" the pre-conciliar liturgy to "manifest their opposition", thus "politicizing" this liturgical form.
These clarifications complete the letter to bishops that the pope published alongside Traditionis custodes, in which he deplored the fact that the Tridentine liturgy could be "exploited to widen the gaps, reinforce the divergences, and encourage disagreements that injure the Church, block her path, and expose her to the peril of division".
The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter was erected in 1988 by several members of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (SSPX) who decided not to follow their founder and superior, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, into schism.
Lefebvre (1905-1991) incurred automatic excommunication in June of that year when he and another prelate consecrated four new bishops without a papal mandate.
Pope John Paul II made it possible for Lefebvrist priests to remain in communion with Rome when he issued the motu proprio Ecclesia Dei Adflicta, which demanded that "the necessary measures to guarantee respect for their rightful aspirations" be taken.
While Traditionis custodes seemed to go back on these guarantees, Francis' decree appears to have re-established them -- at least for the FSSP.
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