The Bishop's Weekly Column from the Parish Bulletin

OUR LADY OF FATIMA

CATHOLIC CHURCH

The Text of the Decree...

...a Real Eye-opener !

September 10, 2006

Well Fr Paul Aulagnier was the first to post the decree erecting his new Institute (my translation accompanies it):

Commission Pontificale « Ecclesia Dei » Décret N° 118/2006 Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ est réellement le Pasteur et l’évêque de nos âmes, l’apôtre Pierre l’enseigne dans sa première épître (I P 2, 25). Au même endroit, il exhorte les fidèles à suivre les traces du Pasteur. Cette exhortation de l’Apôtre doit être suivie, c’est évident, par tous les chrétiens. Mais elle concerne en premier lieu ceux qui ont été appelés à exercer dans l’Église une charge de pasteur, c’est-à-dire les évêques eux-mêmes et leurs coopérateurs prêtres et diacres, pour lesquels le Christ Bon pasteur, lui qui donne sa vie pour ses brebis, est l’exemple manifeste de la vie et du ministère apostolique.	Pontifical "Ecclesia Dei" Commission Decree N° 118/2006 Our Lord Jesus Christ is truly the Shepherd and bishop of our souls, the Apostle Peter teaches in his first epistle (I Pt 2:25). In the same place he exhorts the faithful to follow the footsteps of the Shepherd. This exhortation of the Apostle ought to be followed, it is evident, by all Christians. But firstly it concerns those who have been called to exercise the charge of shepherd in the Church, that is to say the bishops themselves and their co-workers the priests and deacons, for whom Christ the Good Shepherd, He who gives his life for his sheep is the manifest example of the apostolic life and ministry.
Dans un certain nombre de diocèses en France, les fidèles attachés aux précédentes formes liturgiques du rite romain, manquent de pasteurs disponibles pour apporter aux évêques une aide efficace dans la charge pastorale de ces fidèles.	In a certain number of dioceses in France, the faithful attached to preceding liturgical forms of the Roman Rite, lack available shepherds to effectively help the bishops in the pastoral charge of these faithful.
Récemment, dans l’archidiocèse de Bordeaux, est apparu un groupe de quelques prêtres sous le patronage du Bon Pasteur. Les membres de ce groupe s’efforcent d’aider son Éminence révérendissime Jean-Pierre Cardinal Ricard dans le travail paroissial, tout d’abord à destination des fidèles résolus à célébrer l’antique liturgie romaine. L’archevêque lui-même, convaincu de la grande utilité de tels coopérateurs, reçoit dans son diocèse cette communauté, en lui confiant l’église Saint-Éloi située dans sa ville épiscopale, avec la charge pastorale de ses fidèles.	Recently, in the archdiocese of Bordeaux, a group of some priests under the patronage of the Good Shepherd has appeared. The members of this group are trying to help His Eminence the Most Reverend Jean-Pierre Cardinal Ricard in parish work, first of all with regards to the faithful attached to the celebration of the old Roman Liturgy. The Archbishop himself, convinced of the great usefulness of such coworkers, receives this community into his diocese, granting it the Church of Saint-Éloi in the Episcopal city with the pastoral charge of its faithful.
Et comme ce nouvel Institut veut offrir aussi aux autres évêques qui le désirent son service pastoral, cette communauté, dans les circonstances particulières du temps présent, a humblement demandé aide et soutien au Siège apostolique. Tous ces éléments étant bien pesés, la Commission pontificale Ecclesia Dei, recevant avec bienveillance cette demande et avec l’aide du secours divin, en vertu des facultés qui lui ont été attribuées par le Souverain Pontife Benoît XVI, après avoir informé le Préfet de la Congrégation pour les instituts de vie consacrée et les sociétés de vie apostolique, érige comme société de vie apostolique de droit pontifical, dans la ville de Bordeaux, et plus précisément en l’église Saint-Éloi:	And since this new institute wishes to offer other bishops who may desire their pastoral service, this community, in particular circumstances of the present time, has humbly asked the aid and the support of the Apostolic See. All the elements being duly weighed, the Pontifical "Ecclesia Dei" Commission, receiving with benevolence this request and with Divine aid, in virtue of faculties that have been granted it by the Sovereign Pontiff Benedict XVI, after having informed the Prefect of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, erects as a society of apostolic life and of Pontifical Rite, in the City of Bordeaux and more precisely in the Church of Saint-Éloi:
L’Institut du Bon Pasteur. Ainsi, la Commission approuve pour cinq ans, ad experimentum, les constitutions dudit Institut telles qu’elles se trouvent dans le texte mis en annexe à ce décret.	The Institute of the Good Shepherd. Thus, the Commission approves for five years ad experimentum, the constitutions of the aforementioned Institute as they are found in the text annexed to this decree.
Enfin, aux membres de cet Institut, elle confère le droit de célébrer la liturgie sacrée, en utilisant, et vraiment comme leur rite propre, les livres liturgiques en vigueur en 1962, à savoir le missel romain, le rituel romain et le pontifical romain pour conférer les ordres, et aussi le droit de réciter l’office divin selon le bréviaire romain édité la même année.	Finally, to the members of this Institute, it confides the right to celebrate the Sacred Liturgy using, and truly as their own rite, the liturgical books in use in 1962, namely the Roman Missal, the Roman Ritual and the Roman Pontifical for conferring orders and also the right to recite the Divine Office according to the Roman Breviary edited in the same year.
En dernier lieu, elle nomme le révérend abbé Philippe Laguérie premier supérieur de cet Institut. Rien de contraire n’y faisant obstacle.	Lastly we name Reverend Father Philippe Laguérie as first superior of this Institute. All things to the contrary notwithstanding.
Au siège de la Commission Pontificale « Ecclesia Dei », En la fête de la Nativité de la Bienheureuse Vierge Marie, le 8 septembre 2006.	At the office of the Pontifical "Ecclesia Dei" Commission On the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 8, 2006
Dario Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, Président Camille Perl, Secrétaire	Dario Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, President Camille Perl, Secetary

At first, as I was reading the text, I thought this had to be a hoax or then a joke, but no - it's the "real deal". Why my amazement ?

Well let's consider the story behind the "story". Frs Laguérie and Héry didn't "appear" in Bordeaux they occupied an empty church that the local Archbishop didn't even want. The local mayor (since all church buildings were alienated by the state) simply awarded the Church to the Traditionalists. Let us remember these priests were then members of the Society of St. Pius X. The local bishop (then Archbishop Ricard - now he's a Cardinal) didn't take this lying down - he took the priests to court and lost. The Trads stayed on. Then later the two priests were expelled by Bishop Fellay from the SSPX and the faithful stayed by their men.

Obviously an appeal was made to Rome and the rest is laid out in the decree...

Now you know the story behind the "story" what do you make of this line now ?:

The Archbishop himself, convinced of the great usefulness of such coworkers, receives this community into his diocese, granting it the Church of Saint-Éloi in the Episcopal city with the pastoral charge of its faithful.

And then as we said before, expect to see an Ecclesia Dei Commission with teeth:

All the elements being duly weighed, the Pontifical "Ecclesia Dei" Commission, receiving with benevolence this request and with Divine aid, in virtue of faculties that have been granted it by the Sovereign Pontiff Benedict XVI, after having informed the Prefect of the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, erects as a society of apostolic life and of Pontifical Rite, in the City of Bordeaux and more precisely in the Church of Saint-Éloi:

Clearly the Ratzinger Juggernaut mows down all opposition !

+TF