Today’s appointment of bishops: who are the Lefebvrians on the brink of schism?

‘I beg you from the bottom of my heart, turn back; to tear Christ’s seamless robe is a sin of the utmost gravity. May the Lord enlighten your consciences and awaken your hearts.” The letter that Pope Leo sent to Superior of the Priestly Fraternity of St Pius X, Don Davide Pagliarani, in a final, desperate appeal to urge the traditionalist “rebels” to withdraw from the four illegitimate episcopal consecrations—lacking papal authorisation—scheduled for today in Ecône, Switzerland.

And it does indeed have a scope of a historical wound the act that the Lefebvrians, clad in extremely long robes and red gloves, are preparing to carry out in defiance of orthodoxy and the very programme of Leo’s pontificate, which from the very first day he wished to dedicate to the unity of all Christians. In a final attempt, Prevost extends a hand. ‘Filled with Christian affection,’ he writes in the letter dated 29 June—the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, but released today—‘I beg and implore you with all my heart: retrace your steps! I urge you to give careful consideration to the spiritual welfare of the faithful, for the schismatic act you would be committing would deprive them of the lawful – and in some cases even valid – reception of the sacraments which they love and seek for their own sanctification.” The Church ‘is open –’ he begins – ‘to a path of dialogue and understanding’, since ‘it recognises the attachment to liturgical life, the commitment to priestly formation, the apostolic zeal and the desire for fidelity to tradition that characterise many people and communities linked to this fraternity of yours’.

But the Lefebvrians reply: ‘Paradoxically, in today’s context, it seems to us that we must do everything possible to mend Christ’s robe, which has been torn by forces and pressures incompatible with a genuine Catholic spirit. We simply ask that you consider the sincerity of this intention before making a decision regarding the Priestly Fraternity. It is not too late. Far be it from us to think of separating ourselves from the Roman Church; on the contrary, we wish to serve her in an extraordinary way.’ And they add: ‘We kindly ask you to give us your blessing.’

However, the key issue that continues to drive a wedge between the followers of Marcel Lefebvre – the anti-Council bishop excommunicated by Saint John Paul II – and the Church of Rome is the failure to accept Vatican II and its reforms: from ecumenism, to openness to the laity, to the celebration of Mass in ‘vernacular’ languages rather than in Latin. The FSSPX has already launched a three-day programme of Masses and celebrations that will culminate in the ordination of four bishops: two French, one Swiss and one American, with the possible attendance of representatives from far-right political groups such as Forza Nuova and Mario Borghezio of Futuro Nazionale. On 13 May, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the relevant Vatican department, had already issued an ultimatum to the Lefebvrians: ‘The episcopal ordinations lack the requisite papal mandate,’ said the prefect, the theologian Victor Manuel Fernandez. ‘This gesture will constitute an act of schism.’ Words, like those of the Pope, apparently spoken in vain.