Bishop Williamson: Defending Archbishop Lefebvre against the accusation of schism
October 6, 1992
A very
interesting article appeared recently in a twice-monthly paper
out of Italy called "Si si no no", in its August edition, Anno
XVIII, #14, pp. 4-6. The article itself is a little technical,
dealing with matters of Church law, but perhaps it can be
explained in not too difficult terms.
The
anonymous author, signing himself "Churchman" (all articles in
S.S.N.N. are under pseudonyms), is defending Archbishop
Lefebvre against the accusation of schism which was levelled at
him when he consecrated four bishops on June 30,1988.
"Churchman" admits that Pope John-Paul II was right in calling
the consecrations "a schismatic act" if those consecrations be
judged by the New Code of Canon Law promulgated in 1983 in the wake
of Vatican II; but he demonstrates that that Council and that Code,
in order to condemn the Archbishop, have to depart from
Catholic Truth and Tradition, and so the Archbishop is innocent
of any real accusation: he may be in schism with that Code and
that Council, but only in a matter in which they are
themselves in schism with Catholicism. As he always used to
say, "They have only thrown me out of their Conciliar Church to
which I never belonged!" Let us go into detail.
By
consecrating bishops against the Pope's orders, the Archbishop
committed an act of disobedience, which if it was justified by
the crisis of the Church was not real (or formal) disobedience
but only apparent (or material) disobedience. In any case
Catholic doctrine is, in the words of the great Dominican theologian
Cajetan, that "however obstinate disobedience may be, it does
not become schism so long as it involves no revolt against the
function of the Pope or the Church". Now the Archbishop made it
abundantly clear at the time that he was in no way revolting
against the Papacy or the Church, so John-Paul II in "Ecclesia
Dei" needed to back up his condemnation of the Archbishop's act
as being schismatic. This the Pope did by saying that the
Archbishop was in fact rejecting the primacy of the Pope because
"the consecration of a bishop is the sacramental perpetuation
of the apostolic succession". Hence the Pope's condemnation
rests upon an episcopal consecration done against his orders
being not only an act of disobedience, but also necessarily a rejection of his primacy. Is it?
Here
is where the new doctrine diverges from Tradition. We must
first explain a classic Catholic distinction, between power of
orders and power of jurisdiction. A bishop or priest may have
both powers, but they are quite distinct nevertheless. His power
of orders is the sacramental spiritual power he received at his own
consecration or ordination to confect the sacraments, for
instance to ordain priests or to hear confessions. His
jurisdictional power is his quite different power or authority
to say what goes, in a given diocese or parish to which he is
appointed. This power he received not necessarily when he was
consecrated or ordained, but when he was put in charge of that
diocese or parish. That at any rate is the Traditional
teaching.
Now
the Pope's primacy is not a sacramental primacy, or primacy of
orders, because as Bishop of Rome he is, purely as a bishop, no more or less a bishop than any other bishop. If then as Bishop of Rome
he has primacy over all other bishops in the world, as he
does, it is a primacy of jurisdiction, meaning the Pope has the
authority to say what goes throughout the Universal Church.
Clearly
then, according to Tradition, there is no clash between a
"disobedient" consecration, which confers the sacramental
orders but no jurisdiction, and the Pope's primacy which
is one of jurisdiction. That is why Archbishop Lefebvre,
following Tradition, emphasized that he was, in consecrating, conferring
Orders but no ordinary jurisdiction. That is why the Society
bishops go out of their way to avoid even the appearance of
taking up any such jurisdiction. That is why Traditionalists
cannot understand the Pope accusing Archbishop Lefebvre of
schism. Disobedience, if you wish to call it that. Schism,
never. But the Pope in “Ecclesia Dei” is proceeding from a brand new doctrine.
At
Vatican II, in accordance with that Council's drive to
democratize the Church, the document "Lumen Gentium" introduced
the famous doctrine of "collegiality". It declared that "the
order of bishops is the subject of supreme and full power over
the universal Church" (#22), in other words the Pope shares
with the "college" of bishops his supreme jurisdiction over the
Church. Moreover their sharing in his jurisdiction is conferred
on them by their mere consecration as bishops! Text of Lumen Gentium,
#21: "Episcopal consecration, together with the office of
sanctifying" (power of orders), "also confers the offices of
teaching and of governing" (power of jurisdiction)!
This
astonishing departure from Catholic Tradition (Our Lord never
said "You (plural) are Peter", but "Thou (singular) art Peter",
etc.) raised a storm of protest from the Traditionalists at
the Council, and a corrective Note was affixed by Paul VI to
"Lumen Gentium", but that did not prevent the democratic
novelty from being carried over into the new Code of Canon Law:
Canon 330: " ....The Roman Pontiff, successor of Peter, and
the bishops, successors of the Apostles, are joined together." Canon
336: "The college of bishops, whose head is the Supreme Pontiff is
also the subject of supreme and full power over the universal
Church." And for consecration conferring jurisdiction, Canon
375: "By the fact of their episcopal consecration bishops
receive along with the function of sanctifying" (power of
orders) "also the functions of teaching and of ruling..."
(power of jurisdiction).
In
fact the New Code of Canon Law goes further yet: Canon 331:
"The bishop of the Church of Rome…. is" (notice, firstly) head
of the college of bishops," (notice, secondly) "the Vicar of
Christ and Pastor of the universal Church on earth;" (notice)
"therefore, in virtue of his office he enjoys supreme, full,
immediate and universal ordinary power in the Church...", as
though it is being head of the bishops' college which confers on him
his power, as though not the Pope empowers the bishops, but the
bishops empower the Pope!
On
the basis of this new anti-Traditional doctrine, small wonder
Pope John-Paul II condemned the Archbishop as schismatic!
Firstly, by the mere fact of consecrating bishops the Archbishop was
impinging on matters of jurisdiction, and he could not be, as
he claimed in accordance with Tradition, merely conferring the
fullness of Holy Orders. And secondly, by consecrating
uncollegial and undemocratic bishops he was putting himself and
them right outside the Spirit of Vatican Two and the spirit of the
new Canon Law, proudly codified by John-Paul II in the wake of his
beloved Vatican Two (see his preface to the New Code). At least
nobody can ever accuse him of being unfaithful to Vatican Two!
But Paul VI with his Vatican Two and John-Paul II with his New Code can
be accused of having, in that marvellous modern expression,
moved the goal-posts. According to the old goal-posts, it is
the Archbishop who scores, but according to the new goal-posts,
it is the liberal Popes who score.
But
cannot the Popes change the Church's goal-posts? Answer, not
those that were put in place by Our Lord Jesus Christ himself.
Now it is Our Lord who instituted the Catholic Church not as a
democracy but as a monarchy, in which the Pope governs the bishops: Mt. XVI, 16: "Thou art Peter..."; Lk. XXII, 32: "...and thou,
being once converted, confirm thy brethren" (fellow-Apostles,
fellow-bishops); Jn. XXI, 15-17: "Feed my lambs" (laity),
"...feed my lambs" (priests) "...feed my sheep"
(bishops). And nearly two thousand years of Church history faithfully
continued Christ's monarchy down to Vatican Two, after which
Archbishop Lefebvre was its outstanding defender. Therefore it
is the Liberalism of these Popes which is in schism, and not
the Archbishop.
Poor
John-Paul II! When he finds somebody resisting his Church
democracy, then he comes down on them like a Church monarch! A
tyrannical imposition of democracy! But that is your liberal's
deep-down contradiction: — "Freedom for everyone — except for
the enemies of freedom"! We continue to pray regularly and
sincerely for the Pope here at the Seminary.
He is in fact coming to the New World any day now to commemorate the 500th
anniversary of the dawning of the Light of Christ in a whole
hemisphere of our globe, an event which he genuinely
appreciates. Let us hope his visit is not too disrupted by the
revolutionaries spawned by his own liberal democratism.
We
have re-printed the Columbus "Verbum". By all means order more
copies if you wish. In it we should have acknowledged that the
text owed much to the Big Rock Paper on Columbus written in
the 1970's by Solange Hertz out of R. 2 Box 158, Leesburg, VA
22075. Many of the Big Rock papers present a fascinating
Catholic perspective on modern history, not to be found elsewhere.
Recommended, but prepare to be shocked, or delighted.
May
Our Lord Jesus Christ reign over the nations, may he reign
over the New World in particular. Christopher Columbus, Queen
Isabella, we thank you for 500 years of a continent's Faith.
Pray for us!
Most sincerely yours in Christ the King
Related:
http://tradcatknight.blogspot.com/2015/07/archbishop-lefebvre-rejects-new-code-of.html
http://tradcatknight.blogspot.com/2015/06/great-advice-from-his-excellency.html
http://tradcatknight.blogspot.com/2015/01/against-pseudo-traditionalism.html
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