Monday, August 29, 2005

Pope Meets SSPX Leader

By Mitchell

This story has appeared at a number of sites, but I'm linking to two posts (1, 2) at Roman Catholic Blog because they give the best synopsis of a very complicated story.

Count me among those who fervently hope that this schism can be healed. And there is no question in my mind that the SSPX is a schismatic group. Having said that, I also have a great deal of sympathy for these people as a whole (notwithstanding that some of its members, like those of any group, can be unreasonable). Imagine having so many things that you believed in ripped away from you. Imagine being told that your devotions were wrong and had to be given up, that the Mass you cherished had become a folk fest, and that if you disagreed with it you were in the wrong.

Yes, I know that this isn't what Vatican II really taught, but so many people were misled and deceived on the truth of Vatican II (and continue to be to this day). In many respects, perception becomes reality. You might consider some SSPXers to be dogmatic to an extreme, but at least they believe in something, which is more than can be said of many.

But enough of all that. Let's just pray that the Holy Spirit provides the healing power necessary to bring this particular wing of our Catholic Church back into the fold. Finding peace with our separated Protestant bretheren will be that much easier when we find peace within our own house.

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