Description
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In this follow-up reflection on the SSPX controversy, I respond to some of the arguments being made in defense of the Society after the recent excommunication decree.
The key issue is not whether the SSPX can make arguments in its own defense. The issue is whether the accused can also appoint themselves the final judge of their own case.
I also address comparisons with the Eastern Orthodox and Chinese bishops, arguing that those situations are not equivalent. Finally, I make a plea for the Church to offer real, tangible pastoral pathways for SSPX clergy and faithful to return to full communion—not merely punishment, but welcome, accommodation, and charity.
00:00 – Why I’m addressing the SSPX controversy again
00:36 – Charity, honesty, and concern for SSPX faithful
01:52 – The SSPX claim that the excommunication decree is invalid
02:56 – Why most of us should be humble about canon law
04:10 – The accused cannot be the judge of his own case
04:33 – The Pope’s supreme authority in Church governance
05:00 – Why appealing to canon law cannot overrule the Pope
07:10 – Why SSPX and Eastern Orthodoxy are not the same situation
09:38 – What about bishops in China?
11:16 – The Church needs to offer SSPX faithful a path home
12:43 – Benedict XVI, the Ordinariate, and pastoral solutions
13:30 – A final plea for charity, communion, and healing
Music written and generously provided by Paul Jernberg. Find out more about his work as a composer here: http://pauljernberg.com
Podcast Version: https://brianholdsworth.libsyn.com/