Cardinal Fernández proposes path of theological dialogue with SSPX toward full communion

ROME (OSV News) — The Vatican’s doctrine chief proposed a path of theological dialogue with the Society of St. Pius X, the traditionalist Catholic group threatening to defy Rome by ordaining bishops without papal approval, during a meeting at the Vatican on Feb. 12.

Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández met with Father Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the society commonly referred to as SSPX, to offer “a path of specifically theological dialogue, with a well-defined methodology,” according to a statement from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The proposed talks would address “the minimum requirements necessary for full communion with the Catholic Church” and then outline a canonical statute for the group.

Topics proposed for dialogue include “the different degrees of adherence required by the various texts of the Second Vatican Council and their interpretation.”

The meeting comes after the society announced plans to proceed with episcopal consecrations on July 1 without a papal mandate. The Vatican dicastery underlined in its most recent statement that such ordinations “would imply a decisive rupture of ecclesial communion (schism) with grave consequences for the Fraternity as a whole.”

The doctrine dicastery said any dialogue requires the society to “suspend the decision regarding the announced episcopal ordinations.”

The meeting, which the dicastery described as “cordial and sincere,” ended with an agreement that Father Pagliarani would present the dialogue proposal to his council. The Vatican is awaiting his response.

The crisis represents a significant challenge to Pope Leo XIV in the first year of his pontificate, as the pope has repeatedly emphasized Christian unity. Vatican officials have sought for decades to fully reintegrate SSPX members into the Catholic Church.

The planned consecrations echo a 1988 crisis when the society’s founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, ordained four bishops without papal mandate. St. John Paul II declared the act schismatic and excommunicated Archbishop Lefebvre and the newly ordained bishops.

Founded in 1969 by Archbishop Lefebvre in opposition to Second Vatican Council reforms, the society rejects the council’s liturgical changes and its approaches to religious freedom and ecumenism. Its priests celebrate the traditional Latin Mass.

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