The Vatican is putting the Society of the Fraternity of Familia Christi under a Commissar
(Rome) Rome is subordinating another traditional community to a Commissar, for disturbing the new Archbishop of Ferrara and daring to accept the Brothers of the Franciscans of the Immaculate, also under the temporary administration. Will Archbishop Perego of Ferrara erase the legacy of his predecessor, Archbishop Luigi Negri?
Decree of the commissioner's appointment
The Roman Congregation of the Faith has placed the Fraternity of the Familia Christi (FSFC) at the request of Archbishop Gian Carlo Perego, Archbishop of Ferrara, under provisional administration. The decree dated December 1 (Prot. No. 116/96 - ED) was signed by the Prefect of the Congregation of Doctrine for the Faith, Cardinal Luis Ladaria Ferrer SJ in his capacity as President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei.
Ladaria appointed the Jesuit Msgr. Daniele Libanori, auxiliary bishop and episcopal vicar for the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, as the "authorized Commissioner" and delegate of the Holy See on the Fraternity of Familia Christi.
The Commissioner thus assumes the leadership of the fraternity. The appointment was ad nutum (until revoked) by the responsible Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei and by decree "with all powers and necessary responsibilities". As tasks are mentioned in the decree:
1. to take over the direction of the fraternity of Familia Christi during the time of the provisional administration
2. to clarify the truth of the elements and conclusions that have arisen through the canonical visitation of the aforementioned society of the apostolic life of diocesan right
3. to work with the Pontifical Commission to determine any future ways for the Fraternity of Familia Christi.
The decree does not say what these "elements and conclusions" are. Already last spring, however, there were voices that the young, traditional fraternity could become "the next victim of Pope Francis". It was speculated on a provisional administration because the Fraternity of Familia Christi had taken on members of the Order of the Franciscans of the Immaculate.
The Order of the Franciscans of the Immaculate Conception had been put under provisional administration a few months after the election of Pope Francis without mentioning reasons. The order was a traditional one, but was subordinate to the Congregation of Religious. Many members of the Order had initially requested the possibility of a new order, which should be subordinate to Ecclesia Dei. This was rejected by Rome as well as the release from religious vows. The now deceased first Commissioner threatened Italian bishops who would haves dared to accept Franciscans of theImmaculate in their dioceses. A hate campaign was initiates in the media against one who had dared, Bishop Mario Oliveri of Albenga-Imperia, then he was disempowered by Pope Francis with a coadjutor and finally emeritus.
The same fate now applies to the priestly fraternity of Familia Christi.
Basilica of Santa Maria in Vado
Archbishop Luigi Negri's canonical construction of the priesthood was initiated in 2014, when he was Archbishop of Ferrara-Comacchio. It emerged from the lay association Familia Christi, which had already been founded in 1937. The Priestly Society is committed to tradition and is therefore subject, since appropriate recognition in 2016 by the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei. In Rome, it looks after the Church of the Holy Pope Anicetus in the Palazzo Altemps.
In 2014, Archbishop Negri was able to consecrate the first two priests and two deacons who emerged from the fraternity. Today, the youngest society counts six priests and seven seminarians.
Monsignor Negri entrusted the Brotherhood with pastoral care to the Basilica of Santa Maria in Vado. The Church is attested since the 10th century. In 1171, a Eucharistic miracle occurred there.
Archbishop Negri, a Miles Christi in the best sense of the word, had made more than friends with his faithfulness to unabridged doctrine and his clear words, whether on Islam and Islamization, whether on homosexuality or the admission of remarried divorced to the sacraments, outside, but also within the Church. Pope Benedict XVI. had made the bishop of a small diocese of San Marino into Archbishop of Ferrara. In 2016, Msgr. Negri preached tradition at the Pontifical Mass in the traditional rite in St. Peter's Basilica at the 4th International Pilgrimage Summorum Pontificum.
However, with the election of Pope Francis began a hunt against the archbishop. Although it did not succeed in chasing him out of office prematurely, although they intrigued with the dirtiest means against him With the completion of his 75th year of life, he was, despite good health, immediately made an emeritus by Pope Francis.
Archbishop Negri 2014 with the new priests and deacons
He was replaced by Pope Francis with a so-called priest "from the margins" (Islam, immigration, remarried divorcees). Msgr. Gian Carlo Perego quickly showed that he was responsible for other positions than his predecessor. The unmistakable signal of the change of direction against tradition was the reversal of an altar in the cathedral of Ferrara in order to make it fit for the New Rite. Among other things, Archbishop Perego disturbed the Proesrly Fraternity of Familia Christi in his archdiocese and initiated a visitation Observers suspected little good, because the archbishop had already stated in advance that the report of the inspection would depend on "the future of the activities of the Brotherhood". After the visitation Perego sent a long list of complaints to Rome and withdrew, obviously the purpose of the exercise, the brotherhood into a “pastoral unit” in the basilica, which was incorporated since July 1, 2018.
The Priestly Fraternity was given the Church of Santa Chiara for the traditional rite, sharing it with the Community Communione e Liberazione (CL) and Orthodox.
Obviously, Archbishop Perego wants to remove the Society entirely from his diocese.
The zeal for extermination with which the current Church leadership persecutes the order of the Franciscans of the Immaculate seems unprecedented. The same applies to bishops who are close to tradition.
