On the SSPX Controversy

If you think the one or the other position is obviously, self-evidently, exceptionlessly correct — a “no brainer” — then I believe you might be a simpleton. As everyone knows, on July 1st, two bishops of the Society of St. Pius X, in a pontifical ceremony, consecrated four more bishops, and on July 2nd, the Vatican announced in a Declaration that these six bishops had suffered excommunication latae sententiae by performing a schismatic act. In a further Note appended to the Declaration, Cardinal Fernández went on to state that all the clergy, as well as any laity who “formally adhere” to the SSPX, would also fall under latae sententiae excommunication. A process of “reconciliation” was put forward for priests and laity. Thus for a bare outline of the facts. What interests me more is how to interpret the facts. Since there’s a lot to cover, I shall try to be as brief as possible, without sacrificing clarity. Much of what follows is developed from commentary I have offered this past week …