"Cardinals opposing cardinals"
November 23, 2007

Bishop Fellay ordaining priests for the Ukrainian Rite

At the risk of contradicting myself (from yesterday's take on apparition-itis) I begin with a reference to the messages of Our Lady at Akita, Japan about which I wrote last year. On October 13, 1973 Our Lady apparently said: 

"The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. 

A classic example of "cardinals opposing cardinals" has recently appeared. The priest to the left of Bishop Fellay (as you look at the picture above) was excommunicated by the Archeparchy (Eastern rite equivalent of an Archdiocese) of Lviv for his association with the Society of St. Pius X. Back in February of this year Cardinal Castrillón Hoyos of Ecclesia Dei (The Trad Czar) stated his opinion (and not for the first time either) that the Society of St. Pius X is not in formal schism with the Church.

Oddly enough, according to a report, Fr. Vasyl Kovpak appealed his excommunication to the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) - the Pope's old department - currently headed up by William Cardinal Levada (an American). The CDF has upheld the excommunication thus it seems Levada's department, contrary to Castrillón's, holds the SSPX to be schismatic since the only reason Fr Vasyl Kovpak is excommunicated is because he has been "hobnobbing" with the SSPX which the CDF now deems to be in schism.

Today the cardinals (and future ones ie. to be made Cardinals tomorrow) met with the Pope to discuss - of all things - ecumenism. This latest faux pas will certainly not bode well for "ecumenical dialog" between the SSPX and Rome. Is the SSPX in schism? It all depends upon which Cardinal you ask!

+TF

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