This post will be modest in scope. It is my opinion, that the July 1st crisis was avoidable. Both sides have blundered, and in their blundering have - seemingly - boxed themselves in.
The Pope and the Romans: Last year we are told the SSPX approached Rome for an audience, only to be ignored. I would say it is uncharitable and negligent to refuse to see the head of a Society of nearly a 1000 priests who requests to see his father.
On the other hand the SSPX can perhaps be faulted for not approaching Pope Francis over his 13 years; especially after he granted full canonical authority to hear confessions and formalize marriages. Why no approach?
A possible solution could have been that the SSPX had initially submitted 4 names to the Pope for the selection of 2 bishops. The Pope, as the "bridge builder", could have accepted this, and proposed back that the SSPX submit to him another 4 names within 12 months of the consecration of the first 2 bishops.
On the other hand, Rome in being intransigent regarding the authority of the Council - such as Tucho Fernandez claiming that every iota of a pastoral Council must be accepted - obviously is shutting down any discussion a priori. The limitations of the authority of the Council has already been dealt with from John XXIII onwards. Further, Rome's refusal to retract the uncharitable and unjust restrictions of Traditiones Custodes (which we now know were promulgated on lies and distortions told to the Pope) is an intolerable abuse of Catholics. While the Roman Mass is being crushed, the abuses in the liturgy continue unabated.
The Abbe de Nantes:
“One cannot save the Church by building on other foundations. But some people wanted to persuade me to do just that. As someone unjustly (although legally) deprived of all power of jurisdiction over souls by a Pope and bishops suspected of schism and heresy, I was supposed to consider myself a victim of persecution and to attribute to myself some kind of extraordinary jurisdiction directly derived from God ! The determining factor was meant to be the pressing necessity of souls who were in danger of perishing in a Church that had completely lost her direction. Well, my answer to this was : never, not at any price. Such jurisdiction has never been recognised by the holy canons except in the case of bishops in countries where persecution has totally destroyed or paralysed the local hierarchy. Presuming on the assent of the Holy See, these bishops would exercise this kind of extraordinary jurisdiction to save these Churches from total ruin and to provide for the urgent necessities of souls (Dom Gréa, L'Église, p. 235-238).
The proposals of Bishop Schneider, it seems to me, are Catholic and charitable. Let us pray that they are heard.
Catholic Unscripted also has a very interesting interview with Fr. Perricone.
