VTMS Response

The VTMS on behalf of its members will be making an official response and request to Cardinal Ratzinger, Cardinal Estevez, and Cardinal Felici of the Ecclesia Dei Commission. At this point in time we are not requesting our members to write personally; however this is still a distinct possibility for the future, and we will let you know if and when that time is appropriate.

The following should be kept in mind so that we have a correct perspective of events as they unfold:

• Priests who join a traditional fraternity do so with the full knowledge that these fraternities are in existence to promote, say, and use exclusively the Traditional Mass and Sacraments of the Church. These Priests are also called to minister exclusively to Traditional Communities.

• The desire to celebrate the Novus Ordo Mass, on the part of a few Traditional Priests in France, is in the mistaken belief that French Bishops will then permit them to serve Traditional communities who are in dire need of Priests.

• It is just possible that Cardinal Medina Estevez does not foresee the full consequences of protocol 1411.

• The constitution of the FSSP which provides for exclusive use of the 1962 Missal was approved by the Holy See in 1988, and it has been accepted, by all Traditionalists, that the agreement provided by the Holy See to the Fraternity was an extension of the agreement reached with Archbishop Lefevbre in October of that year.

• If this agreement had instead been arrived at with Archbishop Lefevbre under no circumstances would he have permitted Priests of the Society of St. Pius X to celebrate the Novus Ordo Mass.

• The Cardinal gives his approval for the celebration of the Novus Ordo, and beyond this, states that the superior of the FSSP would not be permitted to expel any of his priests who did celebrate the New Mass. This undermines and usurps the authority of the Superior of Traditional Fraternities.

• The ultimate consequences of Protocol 1411 is that Traditional Fraternities will be de facto forced to become biritual, which is against their constitution. And beyond this, the pressure will mount from bishops asking Fraternity priests to celebrate the New Rite because of the present shortage of Priests (and making that a condition for them to enter dioceses). It is further conceivable that the Tridentine Rite will soon become an exception, and could possibly disappear entirely in authorised settings.

• Protocol 1411 makes reconciliation with the Society of St. Pius X well neigh impossible and will ultimately force many traditional Catholics to move in that direction. The VTMS has full confidence in Fr. Bisig the Superior of the FSSP. He has done an excellent job under very trying and difficult conditions and he has served Christ the King well.

The VTMS is strongly opposed to this "responsa" by Cardinal Estavez, and we ask that this document be rescinded. We further request that the Charisms of these Traditional Fraternities be respected and protected and the right of these fraternities, to exclusively use the 1962 Missal and Traditional Sacraments for themselves and the traditional communities they serve, not in any way be undermined.

VTMS LETTERS TO ROME

The letter below was sent to Cardinal Estevez, Cardinal Ratzinger and Cardinal Felici

September 5, 1999

Your Emminence:

On behalf of the members of the Traditional Mass Society,Vancouver, Canada, we respectfully request that the response document, Protocol 1411, be withdrawn. Its promulgation could trigger several serious consequences, some of which we outline below.

While it may be seen tofulfill the requests of priests who initiated the request, it does far more than that. To wit:

• Protocol 1411 contradicts the wishes of the Holy Father when he initially provided the Indult with the specific intention of keepingthe congregation attached to the Traditional Rite within the Church. Reconciliation with the Society of St. Pius X would not only be impossible, but many faithful traditional Catholics may well move in that direction.

• Protocol 1411 violates the provisions within the Constitution of the FSSP, and undermines the authority of the Superior of Traditional Fraternities.

• Protocol 1411 could induce pressure from Bishops to require priests to celebrate the New Rite because of the present shortage of Priests as a condition of entering dioceses.

The VTMS has full confidence in Father Bisig, the Superior of the FSSP. He has done an excellent job under very trying conditionsand he has served Christ the King well. We request that the Charisms of these Traditional Fraternities be respected and protected along with the right of these fraternities to exclusively use the 1962 Missal and Traditional Sacraments for themselves and the traditional communities they serve.

Yours in Christ,

Moira T. Garneau, President; Elouise Raeder, Vice-President; Lynn Reid, Financial Secretary; David Reid, Director of Communications