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El siguiente documento es la respuesta de la Pontificia Comisin Ecclesia Deique ha enviado al Sr.

Brian Mershon, periodista de Renew Americacon fecha 23 de Mayo de 2008 y publicada por el

mismo medio de comunicacin [Link aqu].

Msgr. Camille Perl, Vice President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED) has recentlyresponded with a letter dated May 23, 2008, to questions I invoked regarding the official canonical

status of the Society of St. Pius X and those Catholics who attend their chapels to fulfill their Sunday

obligation.

This article is certain to generate much commentary both from die-hard SSPXers who can't bear to

believe their marriages and confessions might be invalid to "more Catholic than the Pope"

conservatives who will continue to misconstrue the clear teaching of the PCED, Cardinal Castrilln

and the Catholic Church regarding laity who attend SSPX chapels to fulfill their Sunday obligation.

Indeed, the repeated public statements of Cardinal Castrilln that the SSPX is not in formal schism

certainly rises above the level of a cleric's private opinion on matters outside of his competence. Hisstatements can be viewed by all Catholics as reflective of the current position of the Catholic Church

on these matters. While some canonists, in good faith, might disagree, Cardinal Castrilln and the

PCED's responses to private correspondence certainly rise above the level of authority of a mere

canonist's opinion.

The responses to the letter below can be acted upon with a moral certitude.

His Eminence

Daro Cardinal Castrilln Hoyos

President, Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei(PCED)Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio

00120 VATICAN CITY

Monday of Holy Week

Anno Domini2008

Your Eminence,

I have compiled as reference numerous public interviews, both print and television, where you

were quoted as stating that the case of the Society of St. Pius X "is not a formal schism" and other

words to that effect.

Q:Is this your mere private opinion, or the official teaching of the Catholic Church in your official

capacity as head of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei?

PCED:"Statements made by Cardinal Castrilln need to be understood in a technical, canonical

sense. Stating that the Society of St. Pius X "is not in formal schism" is to say that there has been no

http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/mershon/080711http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/mershon/080711http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/mershon/080711http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/mershon/080711

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official declaration on the part of the Holy See that the Society of St. Pius X is in schism. Up to now,

the Church has sought to show the maximum charity, courtesy and consideration to all those

involved with the hope that such a declaration will not eventually be necessary."

Would you please clarify the following for me in this private correspondence so that I can ensure

that my family and I are following the current teaching of the Church on this specific matter?

Q:Does the Catholic Church currently hold that the priests and bishops of the Society of St. Pius X

are in formal schism with the Catholic Church?

PCED:"The bishops of the Society of St. Pius X are excommunicated according to the prescription of

canon 1382 of the Code of Canon Law which states that "A bishop who consecrates someone a

bishop without pontifical mandate and the person who receives the consecration from him incur a

latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See." Archbishop Lefebvre was duly

reminded of this before his conferral of Episcopal ordination on 30 June 1988 and the Holy Father

confirmed that this penalty had been incurred in his Apostolic Letter Ecclesia Dei, #3 [cf. AAS 80

(1988) 1495-1498; English translation in L'Osservatore Romano English edition of 11 July 1988, p.

1].

"The priests of the Society of St. Pius X are validly ordained, but suspended, that is prohibited from

exercising their priestly functions because they are not properly incardinated in a diocese of

religious institute in full communion with the Holy See (cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 265) and also

because those ordained after the schismatic Episcopal ordinations were ordained by an

excommunicated bishop.

"Concretely, this means that the Masses offered by the priests of the Society of St. Pius X are valid,

but illicit, i.e., contrary to Canon Law. The Sacraments of Penance and Matrimony, however,require that the priest enjoys the faculties of the diocese or has proper delegation. Since that is not

the case with these priests, these sacraments are invalid. It remains true, however, that, if the

faithful are genuinely ignorant that the priests of the Society of St. Pius X do not have proper

faculty to absolve, the Church supplies these faculties so that the sacrament is valid (cf. Code of

Canon Law, canon 144)

"While it is true that participation in the Mass at chapels of the Society of St. Pius X does not of

itself constitute "formal adherence to the schism" (cf. Ecclesia Dei 5, c), such adherence can come

about over a period of time as one slowly imbibes a schismatic mentality which separates itself

from the teaching of the Supreme Pontiff and the entire Catholic Church. While we hope and pray

for a reconciliation with the Society of St. Pius X, the Pontifical Commission "Ecclesia Dei" cannot

recommend that members of the faithful frequent their chapels for the reasons which we have

outlined above. We deeply regret this situation and pray that soon a reconciliation of the Society of

St. Pius X with the Church may come about, but until such time the explanations which we have

given remain in force."

Q:Does the Catholic Church currently hold that the situation of the Society of St. Pius X is not one

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for ecumenical dialogue because the Society of St. Pius X is an internal matter within the Catholic

Church?

PCED:"Up to now the Catholic Church has acted as if the situation of the Society of St. Pius X is an

internal matter within the Catholic Church and not a matter of ecumenical dialogue."

Q:Do lay Catholics who frequent Society of St. Pius X chapels, either more less frequently, incur

any sin or canonical delict by doing so, if done solely out of devotion to the Church's Latin liturgical

tradition and not to separate one's self from communion with one's diocesan Ordinary or local

pastor?

PCED:"Catholics who frequent the chapels of the Society of St. Pius X do not incur any sin or

canonical delict by doing so. However, we further refer you to what we have already stated in #4

above."

A:What level of authority do your answers to this private correspondence hold?

PCED: "As we already stated to you in our letter of 4 July 2007: "This Pontifical Commission does its

best to transmit responses which are in full accord with the magisterium and the present canonical

practices of the Catholic Church. One should accept them with docility and can act upon them with

moral certainty." We would further add that no dicastery of the Holy See will give other responses

than those which we have given here."

Please know that you and your staff and the Holy Father are in my family's constant prayers as we

prepare to celebrate the Holy Week and the season of Easter.

Pax Christi in Regno Christi,

Brian C. Mershon

Commentary on the PCED Responses

1. The current language being used by the Catholic Church avoids saying that the Society of St. Pius

X is in formal schism.

2. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the four bishops he ordained in the Society of St. Pius X directly

against the express will of the Holy Father incurred excommunication, as outlined by the Code of

Canon Law and confirmed by the Congregation for Bishops and Pope John Paul II in his motu

proprio Ecclesia Dei Adflicta.

3. The Society of St. Pius X priests are suspended from priestly ministry. Therefore, objectively

speaking, they are committing sins of grave matter by continuing their active ministry without a

specific mandate of the Church. Of course, the Society's official claim, wrongly or rightly, is that

the salvation of souls and the current state of emergency in the Church forces them to continue to

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offer their ministries without ecclesiastical approval. There has been no indication by the Catholic

Church that the priests, as a whole, are excommunicated or in formal schism.

4. Therefore, all the sacraments offered by Society of St. Pius X priests, with the exception of

Penance and Matrimony, are valid, but illicit, meaning "illegal." Penance and Matrimony both

require faculties from the local bishop, which the Society of St. Pius X priests do not have;therefore, they are invalid. Cases of supplied jurisdiction apply to those who are, for example, in

danger of death. Those who read and understand the PCED's response can no longer claim

ignorance regarding the Church's official teaching on these two sacraments' invalidity.

5. Catholic laymen may attend Mass at a Society of St. Pius X chapel without committing any sin

nor incurring any canonical penalty. However, the PCED guidance is that it "cannot recommend"

attendance at the Society of St. Pius X chapels due to the danger of imbibing a "schismatic

mentality." In other words, someone might find some Society priests fomenting division from full

communion with the Church, their local Ordinary and/or the Holy Father in their sermons. The

PCED's recommendation is not to attend their chapels habitually, but they acknowledge there is

no sin committed nor canonical penalty incurred resulting from attending Mass at SSPX chapels

solely out of the desire to worship according to the 1962 missal and in order to fulfill their Sunday

obligation.

6. The Society of St. Pius X is in an irregular canonical situation and an "internal matter" and

therefore is not a case of ecumenical dialogue.

7. Again, the correspondence from the PCED can be accepted and acted upon with "docility and

moral certitude" by Catholics. The specific questions I asked were broad enough in nature to

constitute an official response for Catholics to use as guidance.

Catholic priests, bishops or laymen who contradict these specific responses seem to be out of step

with the Church's current official position.

Brian Mershon

Traduccin al Espaol [Secretum Meum Mihi]

Brian Mershon

Julio 11, 2008

Msr. Camille Perl, Vicepresidente de la Pontificia Comisin Ecclesia Dei (PCED) ha respondido

recientemente con una carta fechada Mayo 23, 2008, a preguntas que Yo he invocado con respecto

al status cannico oficial de la Sociedad de San Po X y de aquellos Catlicos que asisten a sus capillas

para cumplir su precepto Dominical.

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Este artculo por cierto generar muchos comentarios de ambas partes, desde los reaccionarios de

lnea fuerte partidarios de la SSPX, quienes no pueden soportar creer que sus matrimonios y

confesiones podran ser invlidos, hasta los conservadores ms Catlicos que el Papa, quienes

siguen interpretando torcidamente la clara enseanza de la PCED, el Cardenal Castrilln y de la

Iglesia Catlica respecto a los laicos que asisten a las capillas de la SSPX para cumplir su precepto

Dominical.

En verdad, las repetidas afirmaciones pblicas del Cardenal Castrilln que la SSPX no est en cisma

formal, ciertamente rebasan el nivel de una opinin privada de un clrigo en materias fuera de su

competencia. Sus declaraciones pueden ser vistas por todos los catlicos como reflejo de la actual

posicin de la Iglesia Catlica sobre estas materias. Mientras algunos canonistas, de buena fe,

pudieran estar en desacuerdo, el Cardenal Castrilln y las respuestas de la PCED a correspondencia

privada, ciertamente sobrepasan el nivel de autoridad de la opinin de simples canonistas.

Las respuestas a la carta de abajo, pueden ser planteadas con certeza moral.

Su Eminencia

Daro Cardenal Castrilln Hoyos Presidente, Pontificia Comisin Ecclesia Dei (PCED)

Palazzo del SantUffizio

00120 Ciudad del Vaticano

Lunes de Semana Santa

Anno Domini 2008

Su Eminencia,

He recopilado como referencia, numerosas entrevistas pblicas, tanto impresas como televisivas,

en donde es Ud. citado afirmando que el caso de la Sociedad de SanPo X no est en cisma formal

y otras palabras a tal efecto.

P:Es esta su mera opinin privada, o [es] la enseanza oficial de la Iglesia Catlica en su capacidad

oficial como jefe de la Pontificia Comisin Ecclesia Dei?

PCED:Las afirmaciones hechas por el Cardenal Castrilln necesitan ser entendidas en un sentido

tcnico, cannico. Declarar que la Sociedad de San Po X no est en cisma formal es decir que no

ha habido declaracin oficial de parte de la Santa Sede de que la Sociedad de San Po X est en

cisma. Hasta ahora, la Iglesia ha buscado mostrar el mximo de caridad, cortesa y consideracin

por todos aquellos implicados, con la esperanza de que tal declaracin no sea eventualmente

necesaria.

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Podra Usted, por favor, clarificar lo siguiente por m en esta correspondencia privada, as me

podra asegurar que mi familia y Yo estamos siguiendo la actual enseanza de la Iglesia en esta

materia especifica?

P:Sostiene actualmente la Iglesia Catlica que los sacerdotes y obispos de la Sociedad de San Po

X estn en cisma formal con la Iglesia Catlica?

PCED:Los obispos de la Sociedad de San Po X estn excomulgados de acuerdo con la prescripcin

del canon 1382 del Cdigo de Derecho Cannico que afirma que Un Obispo que confiere a alguien

la consagracin episcopal sin mandato pontificio, as como el que recibe de l la consagracin,

incurren en excomunin latae sententiae reservada a la SedeApostlica. Al Arzobispo Lefebvre se

le record debidamente de esto antes de su conferimiento de la ordenacin Episcopal del 30 de

Junio de 1988 y de que el Santo Padre confirmara que se haba incurrido en esta pena en su Carta

Apostlica Ecclesia Dei # 3 [cf. AAS 80 (1988) 1495-1498; traduccin espaola en LOsservatore

Romano, edicin semanal en lengua espaola del 8 de Julio de 1988, p. 1]

Los sacerdotes de la Sociedad de San Po X estn vlidamente ordenados, pero suspendidos, eso

es: prohibidos de ejercitar sus funciones sacerdotales porque no estn propiamente incardinadosen una dicesis o instituto religioso en plena comunin con la Santa Sede (cf. Cdigo de Derecho

Cannico, canon 265) y tambin porque aquellos ordenados despus de las ordenaciones

Episcopales fueron ordenados por obispos excomulgados.

Concretamente, esto significa que las Misas ofrecidas por los sacerdotes de la Sociedad de San Po

X son vlidas, pero ilcitas, i.e., contrarias a la Ley Cannica. Los Sacramentos de la Penitencia y del

Matrimonio, sin embargo, requieren que el sacerdote goce de facultades de la dicesis o tenga

delegacin propia. Como ese no es el caso con estos sacerdotes, estos sacramentos son invlidos.

Queda cierto, sin embargo, que, si los fieles son genuinamente ignorantes que los sacerdotes de la

Sociedad de San Po X no tienen la facultad propia para absolver, la Iglesia suple estas facultades

para que as el sacramento sea vlido (cf. Cdigo de Derecho Cannico, canon 144)

En tanto es cierto que la participacin en la Misa en las capillas de la Sociedad de San Po X, no

constituye en s misma adherencia formal al cisma(cf. Ecclesia Dei 5, c), tal adherencia puede

acaecer en un periodo de tiempo en el que uno embeba una mentalidad cismtica que lo separe a

uno mismo de la enseanza del Supremo Pontfice y de toda la Iglesia Catlica. Mientras esperamos

y oramos por una reconciliacin con la Sociedad de San Po X, la Pontificia Comisin Ecclesia Dei

no puede recomendar que miembros de los fieles frecuenten sus capillas por las razones que hemos

arriba expuesto. Lamentamos profundamente esta situacin y oramos para que una reconciliacin

de la Sociedad de San Po X con la Iglesia pueda llegar, pero hasta tal tiempo, las explicaciones que

hemos dado permanecen en vigor.

P:Sostiene actualmente la Iglesia Catlica que la situacin de la Sociedad de San Po X no es una

[situacin] para el dilogo ecumnico porque la Sociedad de San Po X es un asunto interno dentro

de la Iglesia Catlica?

PCED: Hasta ahora la Iglesia Catlica ha actuado como si la situacin de la Sociedad de San Po X

fuera un asunto interno dentro de la Iglesia Catlicay no un asunto de dilogo ecumnico.

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P: Los Catlicos que frecuentan las capillas de la Sociedad de San Po X, ms o menos

frecuentemente, incurren en algn pecado o delito cannico hacindolo, si slo lo hacen por

devocin a la tradicin litrgica latina de la Iglesia y no por separase de la comunin con su Ordinario

diocesano o pastor local?

PCED: Los Catlicosque frecuentan las capillas de la Sociedad de San Po X no incurren en ningn

pecado o delito cannico por hacerlo. Sin Embargo, lo referimos ms aun a lo que ya hemos

afirmado arriba en el # 4.

P:Qu nivel de autoridad tienen sus respuestas a esta correspondencia privada?

PCED:Como ya le hemos afirmado en nuestra carta del 4 de Julio de 2007: Esta Pontificia Comisin

hace lo mejor que puede para transmitir respuestas que estn en pleno acuerdo con el magisterio

y las prcticas cannicas presentes de la Iglesia Catlica. Uno debe aceptarlas con docilidad y poder

plantearlas con certeza moral. Aun ms, aadiramos queningn dicasterio de la Santa Sede dar

otras respuestas que aquellas que hemos dado aqu.

Por favor, sepa que Usted y su equipo y el Santo Padre estn en las constantes oraciones de mi

familia mientras nos preparamos para celebrar la Semana Santa y el tiempo Pascual.

Pax Christi in Regno Christi,

Brian C. Mershon