JP II was in charge in 1988 when he excommunicated the SSPX leaders and adherents and declared SSPX a schism. He remained in charge until his death, earlier this year. Benedict XVI is now in charge. Neither JP II nor B XVI have changed the status of SSPX or its leaders or its adherents, who have, in any event, yet to prostrate themselves, sinful and sorrowful, before the pope. Hence no change seems justified.
There are still Nestorian heretics out there after many centuries. There are still Arian heretics out there. There are Utrecht's Old "Catholics" who started with a problem with Vatican I's definition of the doctrine of papal infallibility and now have the full gamut of exotic ecclesiastical flora and fauna. There are "retired" bishops who pass make-believe Holy Orders to dissident feminazis. There are those who believe that anal intercourse is the eighth "sacrament." There are those who adhere to the heresies crystallized in the 16th century. And there are the stiff-necked SSPX rebels who would grind papal authority under their fancy little heels in order to advance the cause of their offended liturgical tastes almighty or their ongoing rebellion against Vatican II.
As to all of the immediate prior paragraphs denizens, the Roman Catholic Church got along very well before it met them and will get along very well without them since 1988, now and forever if they choose not to knuckle under to papal authority. In their present posture, if they are ever readmitted to the Church, it will be too soon. If they want to crawl on their bellies in total humiliation, repudiating everything that is the SSPX schism and its leaders, and their respective "works and pomps" as it were, publicly pleading for forgiveness and renouncing Marcel the Malignant once and for all, then maybe, just maybe, with enough public penance as a precondition, the pope should consider readmitting them on an individual basis, each according to his public humiliation.
Until then, tooooo baaaaad, sooooo sadddd!
Study up on the Marxist notion of the Hegelian dialectic deserves your attention far more than does SSPX. Thesis (the Church as it was in 1988 under JP II), Antithesis (the nasty little revolution launched by Marcel in which Marcel and not the pope would decide whom Marcel would consecrate as bishops); Synthesis (Oh, well, who cares? The important thing is that we perceive some "progress" in the form of Fr. Recruiting Sergeant claiming that he has brought the unrepentant SSPX back to Rome with Rome ligitimating the excommunicated bishops and maybe raising old Marcel to the honors of the altar as the "patron saint" of those who despise the papacy and rebel against it). I'll pass. You should too. Most importantly Benedict XVI ought to pas as well as all of his successors.
What is it about the Americanist mentality that demands a complete resolution of all issues in a half hour or maybe an hour, less time for commercials, or we should be bored by whatever it is and accept anything in order to get it over with so we can move on to the next program, err, controversy?
The chances of SSPX ever being vindicated are none and less than none.
Sackcloth, ashes, peanut, nose!
For some reason this schism is "good."
Does anyone read the Bible and the Early Church Fathers anymore? Read the Early Church Fathers on Schism. They make your ears blister and they tell today's sspx'ers they are headed for HELL.
Period
Note to self, save this quote to serve it back as crow when Pope Benedict XVI makes his decision to clarify the excom issue and invites all priests everywhere to offer the 1962 Missal Traditional Latin Mass.
This statement is just as bold as the loud predictions, upon the death of John Paul II, that Cardinal Ratzinger had absolutely no chance at becoming Pope.
So sad, too bad...
Man, I wish I hd written that! It sounds like St. Jerome vitriol, and that is throughly admirable. Regards.
"Our way or the highway" most certainly has worked. The SSPX bishops are all excommunicated as they ought to be. That works for me. Those who adhere to the SSPX schism are also excommunicated, as they ought to be. That also works for me. The SSPX is declared to be what it is: a schism and quite accurately so. Therefore its members, adherents, supporters or whatever are schismatic. That also works for me. All of these things also work for Catholicism, papal authority, church discipline, and recognition of reality."
Hmmm. There are roughly 180 million Orthodox and 590 million Protestants. It would appear that we both have a very different idea of what a policy that "works" should demonstrate as it's end result.
...the process you describe is not all that different from GWB's moving the Republicans toward the Great Society.
Brilliant post! Amen!