SSPX-Vatican: Agreement Imminent, Says “Le Figaro”

Thank you!!

If you forget for a moment the imprecision of the language used by the French journalist (“schism”, my aunt…) it appears improbable “Le Figaro” would risk such a blunder as to say the agreement is now a matter of days when they are not sure this is the case.

It is, therefore, very reasonable at this point to think the historic agreement is de facto reached.

Please read on the always excellent Rorate Caeli the text of the translation.

As I try to digest the latest news in this very turbulent matter, I make the following considerations:

1) I do hope the protocols of the meetings will be made public soon. They must make an extremely interesting and highly enjoyable reading. I hope they won’t prove too embarrassing for the Vatican side.

2) We might never fully know what happened between September and now, and ho wit came to pass this agreement seemed reached, then gone, now reached again. My personal impression is the Pope feels he does not have much time left and has decided than on the  balance of things it is better to allow the SSPX in with full status and without trying to muzzle them, than to keep them with a foot out and see how the times move, irresistibly now, towards them anyway.

3) Perhaps, the decision to – more or less – break negotiations caused a reaction within the Vatican, and many sincere friends of the SSPX inside persuaded the Pope the line of the CDF had been too intransigent? One is reminded of Monsignor Bux’ intervention.

4) The author of the article is, in my eyes, absolutely right when he says Pope Benedict has decided to reconcile the Church with herself, and in fact it is difficult to see this agreement as being anything else than the Church reconciling herself with the fact the SSPX is, and always has been, 100% Catholic orthodoxy.

We will have to wait for the announcement, the statements that will be released, and hopefully the background documents about the discussions. It will make for exciting days.

For conservative Catholics, at least.

Prayers for all involved at this point, but particularly for Pope Benedict, who allowing a full reconciliation with a group criticising his entire life work shows true greatness of mind, and love for the Church.

Mundabor