Are SSPX Sacraments Valid? Part I

canon law made easy ^ | August 1, 2013 | Cathy Caridi, J.C.L.

[NYer]

Q: What’s the canonical status of priests ordained by SSPX bishops, and what’s the canonical status of the sacraments they administer? –John

A: It would have been marvelous to be able to respond to John that the priests of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) were now fully united to Rome, and thus had a status comparable to the members of any other religious institute in the Church. Sadly, however, this is not the case! While Pope Benedict was clearly hoping to reconcile the SSPX to the Church during his papacy, the fact is that this important item on his to-do list was left unfinished when he resigned in February.

As we saw in “Are They Excommunicated? Sanctions, Part III,” the status of the SSPX from its very inception was canonically questionable, as its founder, the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, had established it in 1970 without the following the procedures and obtaining the approbations that were required at the time. Nevertheless, for many years the SSPX grew (and in many areas of the world, it positively thrived) on a sort of parallel track with the Catholic Church, without being directly and formally condemned by Rome. Things changed dramatically in 1988, however, when Lefebvre consecrated four new bishops without papal mandate, an act which caused the four men and Lefebvre himself to be declared excommunicated by John Paul II. As was noted in the abovementioned column, this excommunication applied only to these individual men, and not to the SSPX as a whole.

Eleven years later, as was already discussed in “Canon Law and the SSPX,” Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications of the four bishops.

[NYer]

With all that in mind, what is an ordinary lay-Catholic to do? On Sunday mornings it can be hard to turn one’s back on an SSPX church in the neighborhood, complete with beautiful liturgical rites celebrated by an obviously devout priest and attended by an equally devout congregation—especially if the alternative Mass, at one’s Catholic parish, involves none of those things! Still, it’s crucial to keep in mind that while aesthetics are undeniably important, they are not everything. Benedict XVI addressed this issue himself back in 2009.

Articles posted from this site must be excerpted. Recommend reading the article in its entirety.

[annalex]

It seems that the status of SSPX Sacraments is exactly what is the status of the Orthodox Sacraments, that is valid in itself, and at the same time it would be an act of disobedience for a Catholic to partake of them.

[ebb tide]

Why were the past Sacraments of Marriage and Confession considered valid and licit when the Diocese of Campos, Brazil reconciled with Rome?

Seems like Rome can break it’s own rules, huh?

[NYer]

Did you read the entire article? If you had, you would not have posted this question.

[Salvation]

**As long as the Society [of Saint Pius X] does not have a canonical status in the Church, its ministers do not exercise legitimate ministries in the Church…. In order to make this clear once again: until the doctrinal questions are clarified, the Society has no canonical status in the Church, and its ministers – even though they have been freed of the ecclesiastical penalty – do not legitimately exercise any ministry in the Church.**

[ebb tide]

I’m well aware of the statement you quoted.

Now please tell me what the “doctrinal questions” are? Could they be such topics as “extra Ecclesiam nulla salus”?

[ebb tide]

No, I only read Part I, which is all that you have posted. If you are privy to the remaining parts, please share them.

[narses]

Eleven years later, as was already discussed in “Canon Law and the SSPX,” Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications of the four bishops.