Respondeo: Why Does the SSPX Need Bishops?

The following query was sent along, and we will answer each question briefly:

Have you addressed the reasons why SSPX feels a need to appoint bishops in the first place? I can’t think of any reason why a religious order should not be satisfied with a system of superiors, priors, etc. and instead feel that it has a need to appoint bishops – is the world not already comprehensively set out in regular dioceses? Will this not cause geographic confusion among us sheep, to add to other forms of it?

More importantly, is not the office of Peter as the appointer of bishops one of the most ancient and honoured of the traditions SSPX claims to defend?

In the mode of Saint Thomas, to the first:

Have you addressed the reasons why SSPX feels a need to appoint bishops in the first place?

As Archbishop Lefebvre was getting rather elderly in 1988, he originally requested a bishop to replace him to continue to ordain priests for his society. One might ask, could not other bishops ordain priests for the society, as in other ‘orders’.

Which brings us to the second question:

I can’t think of any reason why a religious order should not be satisfied with a system of superiors, priors, etc. and instead feel that it has a need to appoint bishops –

The difficulty here is that the SSPX is not an ‘order’, but rather a group of bishops, priests and faithful in irregular (and now schismatic) connection with the Church. They call themselves a ‘society’, but they are not recognized by, nor fully assimilated into, the Church, and hence, not under canonical jurisdiction, at least in any official sense. Hence, they have no mandate nor legal standing to ordain priests, and far less bishops. No other bishop in good standing with the Church will ordain their priests, unlike, say, the Dominicans, Franciscans or Jesuits whose priests are usually ordained by the local bishop. There are any number of friendly bishops who will gladly ordain priests in other recognized and established ‘traditional’ communities in full union with Rome, such as the FSSP or Society of Christ the King.

Is the world not already comprehensively set out in regular dioceses? Will this not cause geographic confusion among us sheep, to add to other forms of it?

The world is indeed comprehensively set out with regular dioceses, eparchies, or missionary territories, all governed by bishops, under the authority of the Pope, who is always the bishop of Rome. SSPX bishop do indeed overlap with this jurisdiction, and does indeed cause ‘confusion among the sheep’.

The SSPX claims that their bishops are only for ordaining their priests (or, as in the recent case, other bishops) to keep their society going. However, this is at best a limited argument, and does not really hold water. Every bishop, as Vatican II (and Trent) taught, is a successor of the Apostles, and with that role comes some sort of jurisdiction, which means the authority to govern souls, make laws and expect obedience from their flock. Bishops by the very nature of their office are shepherds, which includes the three-fold munera of Christ in fullness: to sanctify, to teach and to govern.

These roles, to put it mildly, are attenuated in the SSPX, as the society is governed by a simple priest, who has authority over the bishops. It is very odd and not in accord with Tradition (ironically enough!) that the SSPX attenuates, if not entirely abrogates, this natural authority of bishops, reducing them almost to sacramental machines, if you will. Such is the basis of their argument of the need to ordain bishops, even contrary to Rome.

Hence, any diocese with an SSPX ‘chapel’ or ‘priory’ will inevitably have competing and conflicting, and in the end incompatible, spheres of authority. Confusion ensues.

The laity should stick with Rome. As we will not tire of repeating, even with all of the deficiencies of any given pontiff or Magisterium, the hierarchy at least has the charism of governance from Christ and His Church, along with a principle of reform and correction, both by ecclesiastical and canonical law, as well be divine help, inspiration and intervention, through Christ and the Holy Spirit guiding the Church unto the end of time.

Stay in the ark or, if you will, in the storm-tossed boat with Christ. The storm will pass, and, like the unicorns, you’ll drown out there.

Ubi Petrus, ibi Ecclesia. Saint Ambrose of Milan (+397)