May 17, 2012: The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has announced
it will hold separate talks with the superior general of the breakaway traditionalist
Society of St. Pius X and each of its three other bishops to try and acheive reconciliation.
“The text of the response of Bishop Bernard Fellay, received on 17 April, 2012, was
examined and some observations, which will be considered in further discussions between
the Holy See and the Society of St. Pius X, were formulated,” said a statement issued
on Wednesday. The statement was published after a quarterly meeting of the Ordinary
Session of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The 16-person committee
– known as Feria Quarta – met on Wednesday morning to discuss the modifications made
by the Superior of the Society of St. Pius X, Bishop Bernard Fellay, to a “doctrinal
preamble” prepared last year by the Vatican. The document establishes a framework
for agreement on some key issues of Church doctrine, including acceptance of the teachings
of the Second Vatican Council. In contrast to Bishop Fellay, the Society’s three other
bishops seem hostile to the idea of reconciliation with Rome.
Today’s Vatican
communication said the situations of the three other bishops “will have to be dealt
with separately and singularly.”