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Marcel Lefebvre

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Archbishop Lefebvre
Founder of the Society of St. Pius X

The Most Reverend Marcel-François Lefebvre C.S.Sp. (November 29, 1905–March 25 1991), better known as Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was a Roman Catholic bishop[1] who took the lead in opposing the reforms within the Catholic Church associated with the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).[2] In particular, he condemned ecumenism,[3] the principle of religious liberty,[4] collegiality[5] and the replacement of the Tridentine Mass.[6] In 1970, he founded the Priestly Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), an organisation which continues in existence to this day.[7]

In 1988, the Holy See declared him automatically excommunicated for consecrating four bishops in violation of the orders of Pope John Paul II.[8] His supporters continue to dispute the validity of this excommunication.[9]

Early life and ministry

Marcel Lefebvre was born in Tourcoing, France,[10] the second son and third child[11] of factory-owner René Lefebvre[12] (died 1944 in the Nazi concentration camp at Sonnenburg[13]) and his wife Gabrielle Wattin (died 1938).[14]

His parents were devout Catholics who brought their children to daily Mass.[15] His father was also an outspoken monarchist[16] who ran a spy-ring for British Intelligence when Tourcoing was occupied by the Germans during World War I.[17]

In 1923 Lefebvre began studies for the priesthood; at the insistence of his father he went to the French Seminary in Rome.[18] He would later credit his conservative views to the rector, a Breton priest named Father Henri Le Floch.[19] His studies were interrupted in 1926 and 1927 when he did his military service.[20] On May 25 1929 he was ordained deacon by Cardinal Basilio Pompilj in the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome.[citation needed] On September 21 1929 he was ordained priest by Bishop (soon to be Cardinal) Achille Liénart in Lille,[21] the diocese in which he was incardinated.[22] After ordination, he continued his studies in Rome, completing a doctorate in theology in July 1930.[23]

In August 1930 Cardinal Liénart assigned Lefebvre to be assistant curate in a parish in Lomme, a suburb of Lille.[24] Even before this, Lefebvre had already asked to be released for missionary duties as a member of the Holy Ghost Fathers.[citation needed] But the cardinal insisted that he consider this for a year while he engaged in parish work in the diocese of Lille.[citation needed] In July 1931 Liénart released Lefebvre from the diocese.[25] In September Lefebvre entered the novitiate of the Holy Ghost Fathers at Orly.[26] A year later on September 8 1932 he took simple vows for a period of three years.[27]

Lefebvre's first assignment as a Holy Ghost Father was as a professor at St. John's Seminary in Libreville, Gabon.[28] In 1934 he was made rector of the seminary.[29] On September 28 1935 he made his perpetual vows. He served as superior of a number of missions of the Holy Ghost Fathers in Gabon.[30] In October 1945 Lefebvre was ordered by the superior general to return to France and take up new duties as rector of the Holy Ghost Fathers seminary in Mortain.[31]

Bishop in Africa

Lefebvre's return to France was not to last long. On June 12 1947 Pope Pius XII appointed him Vicar Apostolic of Dakar in Senegal;[32] he received the titular episcopal see of Anthedon[33] (El Blakiyeh[citation needed] near Gaza in Palestine[34]). On September 18 1947 he was consecrated a bishop in his family parish church in Tourcoing[35] by Cardinal Liénart (who had previously ordained him a priest).[36]

In his new position Lefebvre was responsible for the Catholic Church in the part of Senegal north of Gambia.[citation needed] There were only 50,000 Catholics in a population of 3.5 million (including 3 million Muslims and approximately 450,000 animists).[37] Lefebvre was regarded as successful,[38] increasing the number of priests,[39] lay brothers,[citation needed] and sisters,[40] as well as the number of parishes[citation needed] and churches.[41]

On September 22 1948 Lefebvre, while continuing as Vicar Apostolic of Dakar,[42] received additional responsibilities: Pope Pius XII appointed him Apostolic Delegate to French Africa.[43] In this capacity he was the papal representative to the Church authorities[44] (46 ecclesiastical territories:[45] 1 diocese,[citation needed] 26 vicariates,[citation needed] and 17 apostolic prefectures[citation needed]) "in continental and insular Africa subject to the French Government, with the addition of the Diocese of Reunion, the whole of the island of Madagascar and the other neighbouring islands under French rule, but excluding the dioceses of North Africa, namely those of Carthage, Constantine, Algiers and Oran."[46] With this new responsibiity, it was appropriate that he have the title of archbishop; he was accordingly given the titular archiepiscopal see of Arcadiopolis in Europa[47] (now Lüleburgaz) in Turkey.

As Apostolic Delegate, Lefebvre's chief duty was the building up of the ecclesiastical structure in French Africa.[48] Pope Pius XII wanted to move quickly towards a proper hierarchy (dioceses with bishops, instead of vicariates and apostolic prefectures). Lefebvre was responsible for selecting these new bishops including the first indigenous bishops in French Africa. On September 14 1955 Lefebvre was promoted to be the first Archbishop of Dakar.

In 1958 Pope Pius XII died and was succeeded by Blessed John XXIII. Lefebvre was not among those made cardinal by John XXIII in December of that year. He was, however, appointed to the Preparatory Commission for the Second Vatican Council on June 5 1959. The following month he was replaced as Apostolic Delegate to French Africa. Lefebvre continued as Archbishop of Dakar until January 23 1962, when he was transferred to the new diocese of Tulle in France, retaining his personal title of archbishop.

Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers

Main article: Holy Ghost Fathers

On July 26 1962 the Chapter General of the Holy Ghost Fathers elected Lefebvre Superior General. Lefebvre was widely respected for his experience in the mission field and his ability to deal with the Roman Curia. On the other hand, certain progressive members of his congregation, particularly in France, considered his administrative style authoritarian.[49] On August 7 1962 Lefebvre was given the titular archiepiscopal see of Synnada in Phrygia.

Lefebvre first instituted a major reform of the seminaries run by the Holy Ghost Fathers. He transferred several professors whom he considered too liberal to non-educational posts. He ordered books by certain contemporary theologians, including Yves Congar and Marie-Dominique Chenu to be removed from the seminary library, finding them too Neo-Modernistic.

Lefebvre was increasingly criticized by influential members of his large religious congregation who considered him was out-of-step with modern Church leaders and the demand of bishops' conferences, particularly in France, for reform.[50] A general chapter of the Holy Ghost Fathers was convened in Rome in September 1968. The first action of the chapter was to name several moderators to lead the chapter's sessions instead of Lefebvre.[51] Lefebvre then handed in his resignation as Superior General to Pope Paul VI.[52] He would later say that it had become impossible for him to remain Superior of an Order which no longer wanted or listened to him. On October 28 a new superior general was elected to replace him.

Second Vatican Council

Main article: Coetus Intenationalis Patrum

As a member of the Preparatory Commission for the Second Vatican Council, Lefebvre took part in the discussions about the draft documents submitted to the bishops for consideration at the Council. During the first session of the Council (October to December 1962), he became concerned about the direction the Council's deliberations were taking. Together with several other like-minded bishops, including Bishop Antônio de Castro Mayer and Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, Lefebvre established a study group of bishops at the Council which organized lectures by important theologians. Eventually this group became known as the Coetus Intenationalis Patrum.

This study group was concerned about a number of issues at the Council. They feared that episcopal collegiality could undermine papal primacy. They thought there should be a specific condemnation of communism. They opposed the reversal of the traditional formulation of the ends of marriage (i.e. listing the good of the couple before the procreation and education of children). They thought there should be a specific Council document about the Blessed Virgin Mary, not merely a chapter in Lumen gentium.

Lefebvre's chief area of concern at the Council was the debate about the principle of religious liberty. During the Council's third session (September to November 1964) Pope Paul VI appointed Lefebvre to a special commission to discuss the draft document on the topic, but at the request of a number of more liberal cardinals he was removed from the commission before it met. Lefebvre and Cardinal Ottaviani had proposed instead a constitution that would proclaim the principle of religious tolerance, but not of absolute religious liberty in the public sphere. The Coetus Internationalis Patrum did, however, manage to get a vote on the final document put off until the fourth session of the Council. On December 7, 1965 the overwhelming Council majority voted in favour of the declaration Dignitatis humanae. Although Lefebvre voted against the declaration[53], he then signed it. In later years, Lefebvre sometimes said or wrote that he did not sign Dignitatis humanae [54]; in an interview printed in The Angelus in January 1991, he stated that he had voted against the declaration, and that his signature was only an indication of his presence at the voting.[55]

The Society of Saint Pius X

Main article: Society of Saint Pius X

After retiring from the post of Superior General of the Holy Ghost Fathers, Lefebvre was approached by traditionalists from the French Seminary in Rome, asking for a conservative seminary to complete their studies.[56] After directing them to the University of Fribourg, Switzerland,[57] Lefebvre was urged to teach these seminarians personally.[58] In 1969, he received permission from the local bishop to establish a seminary in Fribourg which opened with nine students[59], moving to Ecône in 1971.

Lefebvre proposed to his seminarians the establishment of a society of priests without vows.[60] In November 1970, Bishop François Charrière of Fribourg established, on a provisional (ad experimentum) basis for six years, the International Priestly Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) as a "pious union".[61]

The French bishops treated the Ecône seminary with suspicion and referred to it as a wildcat seminary.[62] They indicated that they would incardinate none of the seminarians.[63]

In November 1974, two Belgian priests[64] carried out a rigorous inspection[65] on the instructions of a commission of cardinals,[66] producing, it was said, a favourable report.[67] However, while at Ecône, they expressed a number of theological opinions that the seminarians and staff judged to be scandalous.[68] In what he later described as a mood of "doubtlessly excessive indignation",[69] the Archbishop wrote a "Declaration" in which he strongly attacked the liberal trends that he saw as apparent in the contemporary Church.[70]

Clash with the Vatican

In January 1975 the incumbent Bishop of Fribourg stated his wish to withdraw the SSPX's pious union status.[71]. Though Lefebvre then had two meetings with the commission of Cardinals, the Bishop put his intention into effect on 6 May 1975, thereby officially dissolving the Society. Lefebvre continued his work regtardless.

In the consistory of 24 May 1976, Pope Paul VI criticized Archbishop Lefebvre by name and appealed to him and his followers to change their minds.[72]

On June 29 1976, Lefebvre went ahead with planned ordinations despite receiving letters from Rome forbidding them. As a result Lefebvre was suspended a collatione ordinum, i.e., forbidden to ordain any priests. A week later, the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops informed him that, to have his situation regularized, he needed to ask the Pope's pardon. Lefebvre responded with a letter claiming that the modernisation of the Church was a "compromise with the ideas of modern man" originating in a secret agreement between high dignitaries in the Church and senior Freemasons prior to the Council.[73] Lefebvre was then notified that, since he had not apologised to the Pope, he was suspended a divinis,[74] i.e., he could no longer legally administer any of the sacraments.[75] Lefebvre said that he had been forbidden from celebrating the new rite of Mass,[76] as if, Pope Paul VI remarked, "he thought he dodged the penalty by administering the sacraments using the previous formulas."[77]

Lefebvre was received in audience by Paul VI on 11 September 1976,[78] and one month later the Pope wrote to him, repeating the appeal he had made to him at the audience.[79] In 1978, sixty days after his election, Pope John Paul II received Lefebvre in audience,[80] again without concrete results for either side.

Ecône Consecrations

Main article: Ecône Consecrations

In a sermon in June 1987 Lefebvre, now aged 81, announced his intention to consecrate a bishop to carry on his work after his death. This was controversial as under Catholic canon law, the consecration of a bishop requires the permission of the Pope.[81]

After a dialogue an agreement was signed with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,[82] in which, in return for a number of concessions, the SSPX promised fidelity to the Pope and accepted a number of contentious aspects of or following on from the Second Vatican Council. Before the Pope could approve the document, Lefebvre came to the view that he was being enticed into a trap and declared he was obliged in conscience to proceed, with or without papal approval, to ordain a bishop to succeed him. Further negotiations between Ratzinger and Lefebvre broke down.

Lefebvre wrote from Ecône, stating that he intended to proceed consecrations. The Pope replied to him with a personal letter, appealing to him not to proceed with a design that "would be seen as nothing other than a schismatic act, the theological and canonical consequences of which are known to you". Lefebvre did not reply, and the letter was made public on 16 June.

On 30 June 1988, Archbishop Lefebvre then proceeded to consecrate as bishops, not three, but four SSPX priests: the above-mentioned Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, Alfonso de Galarreta and Bernard Fellay. Bishop Emeritus Antônio de Castro Mayer of Campos, Brazil, was co-consecrator with Lefebvre.

On 2 July Pope John Paul II condemned the consecration in the apostolic letter Ecclesia Dei,[83] in which he stated that the consecration "constitute[d] a schismatic act", and that, by virtue of canon 1382 of the Code,[84] all the bishops involved were automatically excommunicated.

Lefebvre declared that he had not withdrawn his submission to the Pope and that the crisis in the Church justified the consecrations, although the Holy See rejects this argument as Lefebvre had been served with express canonical warnings.

Death

Archbishop Lefebvre died in 1991 at the age of 85 from cancer in Martigny, Switzerland and is buried at the society's international seminary in Ecône, Switzerland.

Episcopal Succession

Ordination history of
Marcel Lefebvre
History
Episcopal consecration
Consecrated byAchille Cardinal Lienart
DateSeptember 18 1947
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by Marcel Lefebvre as principal consecrator
Georges-Henri GuibertFebruary 19 1950
Emile-Elie VerhilleDecember 21 1951
Gordon Anthony PantinMarch 19 1968
Bernard Tissier de MalleraisJune 30 1988
Richard WilliamsonJune 30 1988
Alfonso de GalarretaJune 30 1988
Bernard FellayJune 30 1988

References

  1. ^ Entry for Archbishop Marcel-François Lefebvre, C.S.Sp
  2. ^ During the last twenty years a not inconsiderable number of Catholics have followed the lead given by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the Society of St. Pius X founded by him, thinking that this was the way to defend what they believed to be the traditional Catholic faith in a time of crisis in the Church. That there is such a crisis is not really a matter for argument. Since the Second Vatican Council there has been a large decline in the number of Catholics practicing their faith. Schism, Obedience and the Society of St. Pius X by John Beaumont and John Walsh, Fidelity Magazine, October 1993
  3. ^ This spirit of adultery is also made clear in the ecumenism instituted by The Secretariat for the Unity of Christians. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre's JUNE 1988 PUBLIC STATEMENT Against False Ecumenism, 19 October 1983, hosted by the United States district of the Society of Pius X
  4. ^ Hence, to accept Religious Liberty was in principle to accept the “rights of man” within the Church. Now, the Church has always condemned these declarations on the “rights of man” which have been made against the authority of God. Conference Of His Excellency Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, Long Island, New York, November 5, 1983, hosted by SSPXasia.com
  5. ^ Archbishop Lefebvre is known most widely for his support of the Tridentine liturgy and his attacks on the liturgical changes initiated by Vatican II. But his complaints against Vatican II go far beyond liturgical reforms. He also rejects conciliar developments in collegiality, religious liberty and ecumenism. These are seen by him as corresponding to the Revolution's égalité, liberté and fraternité. Archbishop Lefebvre: Moving Toward Schism?, Thomas J. Reese, S.J., America, June 4, 1988
  6. ^ However, Lefebvre’s continued use of the Tridentine Mass eventually became an issue with the Vatican. My Journey out of the Lefebvre Schism By Pete Vere
  7. ^ The Society of St. Pius X is a priestly fraternity, founded by His Grace Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre consisting of well over 300 priests and 100 brothers and nuns worldwide. The Society ministers to souls in over 600 chapels and churches in over twenty-five countries including: Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Italy, Sri-Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States., Frequently Asked Questions about the Society of Pius X
  8. ^ The Excommunication of Followers of Archbishop Lefebvre
  9. ^ "Now, the excommunication warned of on June 17, for abuse of episcopal powers (canon 1382), was not incurred" QUESTION 11 Wasn't ARCHBISHOP LEFEBVRE excommunicated for consecrating bishops unlawfully? from FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS about the Society of Saint Pius X, hosted by Society of Saint Pius XII in the United States of America
  10. ^ MARCEL LEFEBVRE was born at Tourcoing in northern France on 29 November 1905. Who is Marcel Lefebvre?
  11. ^ Keeping God's holy laws they began by having five children, one each year, then three others later on. Three in 1903, 1904, 1905 (Rene first; Jeanne next and the third Marcel); then in 1907 my sister Marie-Gabriel, in 1908 my sister Marie-Christiane and in 1914 just before the war Joseph. Then the two others after the war. Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  12. ^ René Lefebvre, a factory owner The ghost at all our tables, Oriens, Summer 2005
  13. ^ In 1945, at the end of the Second World War, a young Holy Ghost Missionary named Marcel Lefebvre received the devastating news that his father, a profoundly Catholic and patriotic man, had died of infection and exhaustion at the Nazi Concentration Camp of Sonnenberg. RENE LEFEBVRE AND THE HOLOCAUST by Jeanette M. Pryor and J. Christopher Pryor, Le Floch Report, March 19, 2006
  14. ^ In 1945, at the end of the Second World War, a young Holy Ghost Missionary named Marcel Lefebvre received the devastating news that his father, a profoundly Catholic and patriotic man, had died of infection and exhaustion at the Nazi Concentration Camp of Sonnenberg. RENE LEFEBVRE AND THE HOLOCAUST
  15. ^ Every morning, my parents went there early to receive Holy Communion and to hear Mass when they could. Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  16. ^ A convinced monarchist, he devoted himself during the whole of his life to the cause of the French Dynasty, seeing in a royal government the only way of restoring to his country its past grandeur and a Christian revival. A Calvary 1941-1944 René Lefebvre Part 1, June 1984, Volume VII, Number 6, The Angelus
  17. ^ At the time of the First World War, Mr. Lefebvre had served his country by operating as a spy. RENE LEFEBVRE AND THE HOLOCAUST
  18. ^ In 1923 Marcel followed his brother to the French Seminary in Rome , taking his father’s advice (or rather, obeying his father’s command) to avoid the diocesan seminaries, which he suspected of liberal leanings. The ghost at all our tables, Oriens journal
  19. ^ Archbishop Lefebvre readily admitted that were it not for the solid formation he received from Fr. Le Floch, he too might have succumbed to the creeping liberalism of the age. I have handed on what I have received by John Vennari, published in The Angelus [August 2005]
  20. ^ From 1926 to 1927 I had to go and do military service Monsignor Leferbve in his own words
  21. ^ Ordained priest at Lille, France, by Msgr Achille Liénart, Bishop of Lille, on 21 September 1929 Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre - Useful Information Society of Saint Pius X, District of Great Britain
  22. ^ His Grace, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was ordained to the priesthood on September 21, 1929, and consecrated a bishop on September 18, 1947, by (the late) Achille Cardinal Lienart, Bishop of Archbishop Lefebvre’s Diocese of Lille (France). THE VALIDITY OF HOLY ORDERS By Fr. Douglas Laudenschlager, Society of Saint Pius X, United States District
  23. ^ Seminary training: 1923-29 in the French Seminary, Rome, Doctor in philosophy and in theology. I - Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre
  24. ^ So I was spoiled during my seminary training, then spoiled even as curate at Marais-de-Lomme, where I spent only one year, but where I had such joy in taking care of a working-class parish, and where I found so much friendliness. Chapter 3: Archbishop Lefebvre in his own words, Apologia pro Marcel Lefebvre
  25. ^ So at the end of the year I wrote to Cardinal Liénart and then to the Holy Ghost Fathers saying that if the Cardinal gave me permission to leave the diocese I would be willing to join the Holy Ghost Fathers and become a missionary. Well, me Cardinal said yes, he said to me Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  26. ^ So I went to the noviciate in Orly right next to where the airport is now. There the Holy Ghost Fathers had their noviciate. Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  27. ^ Finally the noviciate was over and I was professed 8th September, 1932 on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. And then I was appointed to Gabon. Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  28. ^ He entered the Holy Ghost Fathers in 1930 and was assigned to the Seminary of St. Mary at Libreville (Gabon) from 1932 to 1945.Some Memories of Archbishop Lefebvre's childhood, The Angelus, November 1980, Volume III, Number 11, Sister Marie Christiane Lefebvre
  29. ^ Teacher of Dogma and Holy Scripture in the Seminary of Libreville, Rector from 1934, he managed to be at the same time teacher, bursar, printer, plumber, electrician, driver... maybe having already in mind his Society’s Priests! A Biography of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre by Father Ramón Anglés
  30. ^ St. Michel de Ndjolé (May 1938 - August 1939), Ste. Marie de Libreville (December 1939 - August 1940), St. Paul de Donguila (August 1940 - April 1943), and finally St. François Xavier de Lambaréné (April 1943 - October 1945)
  31. ^ the day I learned that they were recalling me to France to be Superior of the seminary of philosophy at Mortain, I wept Apologia pro Marcel Lefebvre Volume 1 Chapter 3, by Michael Davies
  32. ^ Archdiocese of Dakar, catholic-hierarchy.org
  33. ^ Anthedon (Titular See), catholic-hierarchy.org
  34. ^ Anthedon from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
  35. ^ it was decided to do the consecration on 18th September in my home parish of Our Lady of Tourcoing. Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  36. ^ Official Entry of the Institutional Church for Archbishop Lefebvre of Dakar
  37. ^ Out of three and half million inhabitants there were three million muslims, around 50,000 Catholics and the rest were animists. Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  38. ^ The official journal of the Vatican, "L’Osservatore Romano" (French edition, July 1976) recalls that "in 1947, a young missionary bishop, Mgr. Lefebvre, gave a new life to the work of the Church with the opening of new centers of Catholicism... his creative work left in Africa a profound mark." His Grace Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (1905-1991) A short biography by one of his priests by Father Ramón Anglés
  39. ^ There was an extraordinary expansion of the missions, quite extraordinary! They built seminaries, ordained priests. Many religious Congregations came and, because they had priests, could send missionaries. Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  40. ^ They started and increased the missions, the convents, all types of institution. There were sisters for the dispensaries and the hospitals. I brought in the missionary Franciscan sisters of Mary to work in the hospitals, the Sisters of St. Thomas of Villeneuve, nursing sisters... There was a large number of teaching sisters who came to Africa to help. Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  41. ^ He was responsible for the construction of large numbers of churches and the foundation of charitable works of every kind, Father Jean Anzevui, quoted in Apologia pro Marcel Lefebvre (Chapter 1) by Michael Davies, citing (in footnote 1) "J. Mzevui, Le Drame d'Ecône (Sion, 1976), p. 16"
  42. ^ Archbishop Marcel-François Lefebvre, C.S.Sp. †
  43. ^ Nunciature to Sénégal
  44. ^ A papal representative who in the territory assigned to him has the power and duty of watching over the status of the Church and of keeping the Roman pontiff informed regarding the same. Apostolic Delegate, from the New Catholic Dictionary
  45. ^ You can imagine, I was always on the road; visiting dioceses, getting the bishops together - 46 dioceses was quite a lot - and they were spread out: Madagascar, Reunion Island, Djibouti, Morocco, the whole of French equatorial Africa, the whole of French West Africa, Cameroon. Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  46. ^ Antonio G. Filipazzi: Rappresentanze e Rappresentanti Pontifici dalla seconda metà del XX secolo (ISBN 88-209-7845-8), p. X
  47. ^ Arcadiopolis in Europa (Titular See)
  48. ^ "As first archbishop of Dakar and Apostolic Delegate of Pope Pius XII for all French-speaking Africa, he created four Episcopal Conferences, twenty-one new dioceses and apostolic prefectures and opened Seminaries in his extended jurisdiction." His Grace Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (1905-1991) A short biography by one of his priests by Father Ramón Anglés
  49. ^ Tissier de Mallerais, Bernard, Marcel Lefebvre: The Biography (Kansas City, Mo.: Angelus Press, 2004), 338.
  50. ^ "This little group was very active. They included a number of seminary professors like Fr. Lécuyer who was in Rome. They formed a small group of intellectuals - very progressive, rather modernist and very determined. Moreover, since it seemed the Council was working in their favour they felt emboldened and took the opportunity of spreading their ideas of modernising - the aggiornamento - the Congregation." July/August 2003 Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words, Society of Saint Pius X - Southern Africa
  51. ^ "With no authorisation from the Congregation for Religious, they wanted the chapter to be presided over by a triumvirate which meant that I, the Superior General, was not to preside over the chapter at all even though it was clearly written in the constitutions that the Superior General was to be in charge of all business discussed at the General Chapter." July/August 2003 Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words, Society of Saint Pius X - Southern Africa
  52. ^ "Back at the Mother House, I wrote a nice letter to the Pope saying that I was tendering my resignation because of what was going on in the Congregation and what I was going to have to do. I told him I couldn’t take responsibility for something like that." July/August 2003 Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words, Society of Saint Pius X - Southern Africa
  53. ^ "Thus, during the final vote on the morning of December 7 (when the fathers had to choose between a simple approval or disapproval of the last draft), he was one of the 70 -- about 3 percent of the total -- who voted against the schema." FIDELITY ARTICLE - Marcel Lefebvre: Signatory to Dignitatis Humanae Rev. Brian Harrison, O.S. Fidelity Magazine, March 1994 Issue
  54. ^ Tissier de Mallerais, Bernard, Marcel Lefebvre: The Biography (Kansas City, Mo.: Angelus Press, 2004), 312-313.
  55. ^ In the Angelus interview, however, Archbishop Lefebvre insisted that the published page showing his signature was merely "a large sheet. . . passed from hand to hand among the fathers of the Council. . . upon which everyone placed his signature." This sheet, the archbishop continued, "had no meaning of a vote for or against, but signified simply our presence at the meeting to vote for four documents." In order to emphasize what he saw as the absurdity of Fr. de Blignieres' claim, Lefebvre stressed that "the approbation or refusal of the documents was obviously accomplished for each document separately, the vote was in secret, accomplished on individual cards, and made with a special pencil, which permitted the electronic calculation of the votes." FIDELITY ARTICLE - Marcel Lefebvre: Signatory to Dignitatis Humanae Rev. Brian Harrison, O.S. Fidelity Magazine, March 1994 Issue. The Angelus Magazine does not currently have electronic archives covering 1991.
  56. ^ "That was when a few of the young men at the French Seminary, Mr. Aulagnier, Mr. Cottard and a few others, I think there were around a half dozen, came to see me to describe the situation at the French Seminary where things were getting worse and worse: no more discipline, the seminarists were out at night, no more cassock, a new liturgy every week." September-October 2003 Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  57. ^ "I thought there would be a way to put these few seminarists in the Holy Ghost Fathers' seminary in Freiburg so that they could continue their studies at the University." September-October 2003 Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  58. ^ Knowing that I was sort of looking after some seminarists, Fr. Philip, a Dominican, Mr. Bernard Faÿ, a layman, both professors at the University, Fr. Abbe d'Houterive and another layman who was also friendly with us and who looked after teaching in Freiburg asked to come and see me. They wanted to talk a bit about the question of forming seminarists. They were interested and wanted to know if there wasn't something that could be done. September-October 2003 Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  59. ^ We started, waiting to see who would come: Mr. Aulagnier, Mr. Tissier de Mallerais, Mr. Pellabeuf and then six others sent by Fr. Philippe and by other friends in Freiburg, so in the beginning there were nine of them. November-December 2003 Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  60. ^ “We must stay together, found a society to keep us together, then try and find a bishop who will accept us and let us carry on with Tradition, I can’t see any other way” September-October 2003 Monsignor Lefebvre in his own words
  61. ^ Pia unio - the preliminary stage towards becoming an officially recognized religious institute or Society of Apostolic Life
  62. ^ "The success of Ecône provided so dramatic a contrast to this débâcle that its very existence became intolerable for some French bishops. They referred to it as Le Séminaire Sauvage - the Wildcat Seminary - giving the impression that it had been set up illegally without the authorization of the Vatican. This appellation was seized upon gleefully by the Liberal Catholic press throughout the world and soon the terms 'Ecône' and 'Wildcat Seminary' became synonymous."Volume 1, Chapter 2 Apologia Pro Marcel Lefebvre
  63. ^ A statement condemning those who adhere to the Old Mass made by the French episcopate on 14 November 1974 was certainly aimed against Ecône, for at the same time the bishops let it be known that they would not accept any priests from Ecône in their dioceses. Volume 1 Chapter 4 Apologia Pro Marcel Lefebvre, Michael Davies
  64. ^ "The two Visitors were both Belgians: Mgr. Descamps, a biblical scholar, and Mgr. Onclin, a canonist."Volume 1 Chapter 4 Apologia Pro Marcel Lefebvre, Michael Davies
  65. ^ "The Apostolic Visitation was carried out with great thoroughness. Professors and students were subjected to searching and detailed questions concerning every aspect of life in the Seminary."Volume 1 Chapter 4Apologia Pro Marcel Lefebvre, Michael Davies
  66. ^ On 23 June 1974 the Commission of Cardinals met and decided upon a canonical visitation of the Seminary. Volume 1 Chapter 4 Apologia Pro Marcel Lefebvre, Michael Davies
  67. ^ "Archbishop Lefebvre was told that this examination was very positive and that he just had to come to Rome and clarify some questions."Conference of Father Franz Schmidberger, Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X at Rockdale, Sydney, Australia October 16, 1990 by Father Gerard Hogan and Father François Laisney]
  68. ^ "However, considerable scandal was occasioned by opinions which the two Roman Visitors expressed in the presence of the students and staff. For, according to Mgr. Lefebvre, these two Visitors considered it normal and indeed inevitable that there should be a married clergy; they did not believe there was an immutable Truth; and they also had doubts concerning the traditional concept of our Lord's Resurrection." Volume 1 Chapter 4Apologia Pro Marcel Lefebvre, Michael Davies citing "Hanu, pp. 206-207" which refers to J. Hanu, Non, Entretiens de Joss Hanu avec Mgr. Lefebvre (Editions Stock, 1977)
  69. ^ On 21 November 1974, in reaction to the scandal occasioned by these opinions of the Apostolic Visitors, Mgr. Lefebvre considered it necessary to make clear where he stood in relation to the Rome represented by this attitude of mind. "This," he said, "was the origin of my Declaration which was, it is true, drawn up in a spirit of doubtlessly excessive indignation.”, Apologia pro Marcel Lefebvre, Volume 1, Chapter 4, Michael Davies, 1979
  70. ^ The DECLARATION of Archbishop Lefebvre
  71. ^ On 24 January 1975, Mgr. Mamie, Bishop of Lausanne, Geneva, and Fribourg, wrote to Cardinal Tabera, Prefect of the Congregation for Religious. In this letter he stated that, following the meeting of 21 January and having made a careful study of Mgr. Lefebvre's Declaration, he considered it a sad but urgent necessity to withdraw the approval given by his predecessor to the Society of St. Pius X. Volume 1, Chapter 4 Apologia pro Marcel Lefebvre, Michael Davies
  72. ^ Nos igitur iterum adhortamur hos Nostros fratres ac filios, eosque exoramus, ut conscii fiant gravium vulnerum quae secus Ecclesiae illaturi sunt. Invitationem ipsis iteramus, ut secum recogitent gravia Christi monita de Ecclesiae unitate (Cfr. Io. 17, 21 ss.) ac de oboedientia erga legitimum Pastorem, ab Ipso universo gregi praepositum, cum signum oboedientiae sit quae Patri ac Filio debetur (Cfr. Luc. 10, 16). Nos eos aperto corde exspectamus apertisque bracchiis ad eos prompte amplectendos: utinam humilitatis exemplum praebentes, ad gaudium Populi Dei rursus viam unitatis et amoris ingredi valeant! (Consistory for the creation of twenty new Cardinals (May 24, 1976)
  73. ^ Let Your Holiness abandon that ill-omened undertaking of compromise with the ideas of modern man, an undertaking which originates in a secret understanding between high dignitaries in the Church and those of Masonic lodges, since before the Council., Letter of Mgr. Lefebvre to Pope Paul VI, 17 July 1976, Quoted in Apologia pro Marcel Lefebvre by Michael Davies
  74. ^ Archbishop Lefebvre, who had been suspended a divinis two years earlier by Pope Paul VI for insubordination, “All We Ask is for the Mass”, by Roger McCaffrey and Thomas Woods, May 2005, Catholic World News
  75. ^ Though the phrase "suspension a divinis", defined in canon 2279 §2 2̊ of the 1917 Code of Canon Law as "prohibition of all acts of holy orders", is not found in the 1983 Code of Canon Law, it continues to be used to refer to the penalty envisaged in canon 1333 §1 1̊ of the present Code
  76. ^ The 23 of July suspensio a divinis forbids him to celebrate the New Mass, as the Archbishop says with humor, and also to ordain priests because the Society doesn't exist any more The International Priestly Society of Saint Pius X XXV Anniversary 1970-1995 A family diary, Conference given by Fr. Anglés at Kansas City, November 1, 1995
  77. ^ "arbitrans te poenam istam devitare, si sacramenta administras anterioribus formulis utens" (Letter of 11 October 1976 to Archbishop Lefebvre)
  78. ^ Volume 1, Chapter 14 Apologia Pro Marcel Lefebvre
  79. ^ In this letter the Pope asked Archbishop Lefebvre to accept the documents of the Second Vatican Council in their obvious meaning, the legitimacy of the revised liturgy, the obligatory character of the norms of canon law then in force, and the authority of the diocesan bishops over preaching and administration of the sacraments in their dioceses.
  80. ^ Weeks after becoming Pope in 1978, he granted Lefebvre's request for an audience (their only meeting) and repeatedly expressed his desire for peace.[1]
  81. ^ AD APOSTOLORUM PRINCIPIS, ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XII ON COMMUNISM AND THE CHURCH IN CHINA
  82. ^ PROTOCOL OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE HOLY SEE AND THE PRIESTLY SOCIETY OF SAINT PIUS X This is an English translation of the original French
  83. ^ ECCLESIA DEI From the Office of the Congregation for Bishops, 1 July 1988
  84. ^ "Can. 1382 A bishop who consecrates some one a bishop without a pontifical mandate and the person who receives the consecration from him incur a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See." TITLE III. USURPATION OF ECCLESIASTICAL FUNCTIONS AND DELICTS IN THEIR EXERCISE (Cann. 1378 - 1389) Code of Canon Law

See also

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