3 hours ago
It is not without amazement that one sees that the Vatican is asking for those members of the SSPX who wish to 'reconcile' with the Vatican after the excommunication of the SSPX's now six bisops by accepting the Vatican's 'Profession of Faith and Formula of Adherence' are nearly identical to the concessions of Bp. Fellay in the Doctrinal Declaration of 2012!
Firstly...
Jul 2, 2026
(LifeSiteNews) — The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) under Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández has issued a document “Procedure for the Reconciliation of Priests of the Society of Saint Pius X,” and another for the lay faithful which includes a Profession of Faith and Formula of Adherence.
The move follows Thursday’s excommunication of the Society after their episcopal consecrations without a papal mandate.
The procedure, effective July 1 and translated in full by Rorate Caeli, requires priests belonging to the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) who have decided to leave the order to:
Laity who frequently assist at SSPX liturgical celebrations and formally share its doctrinal positions, as well as those who are third-order members of the Society, are considered to have also incurred a canonical penalty and will be required to sign the Profession of Faith and Formula of Adherence.
The Profession of Faith begins with affirming that the cleric or layman believes every article in the Nicene Creed then states:
The Formula of Adherence states in part:
The question of accepting each document of the Second Vatican Council, including Lumen Gentium No. 25, was a sticking point between the SSPX and the Vatican prior to Wednesday’s consecrations.
A February communiqué from the SSPX General House published after Superior General Fr. Davide Pagliarani’s meeting with Fernández claimed that the cardinal proposed dialogue with the SSPX to clarify the “minimum necessary” for the SSPX’s canonical status. The cardinal had already made clear that the Second Vatican Council documents must be accepted in full by the SSPX to reach such “regular” status.
“The Cardinal stated orally that, while it would be possible to engage in dialogue about the Council, its texts could not be corrected,” the communiqué said.
Fernández proposed exchanges with the SSPX that would seek agreement on “the different degrees of adherence required by the various texts of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and their interpretation.” [...]
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Now here is an excerpt containing the text of the Doctrinal Declaration of 2012 signed by Bishop Fellay, taken from a Recusant article
“I. We promise to be always faithful to the Catholic Church and to the Roman Pontiff, the Supreme Pastor, Vicar of Christ, Successor of Peter, and head of the body of bishops.
II. We declare that we accept the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church in the substance of Faith and Morals, adhering to each doctrinal affirmation in the required degree, according to the doctrine contained in No.25 of the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council.(1)
III.
1. We declare that we accept the doctrine regarding the Roman Pontiff and regarding the college of bishops, with the Pope as its head, which is taught by the dogmatic constitution Pastor Aeternus of Vatican I and by the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium of Vatican II, chapter 3 (deconstitutione hierarchica Ecclesiae et in specie de episcopatu), explained and interpreted by the nota explicativa praevia in this same chapter.
2. We recognise the authority of the Magisterium to which alone is given the task of authentically interpreting the word of God, in written form or handed down (2) in fidelity to Tradition, recalling that, “the Holy Ghost was not promised to the successors of Peter in order for them to make known, through revelation, a new doctrine, but so that with His assistance they may keep in a holy and expressly faithful manner the revelation transmitted by the Apostles, that is to say, the Faith.”(3)
3. Tradition is the living transmission of revelation ‘usque ad nos’(4) and the Church in its doctrine, in its life and in its liturgy perpetuates and transmits to all generations what this is and what She believes. Tradition progresses in the Church with the assistance of the Holy Ghost(5), not as a contrary novelty(6), but through a better understanding of the Deposit of the Faith(7).
4. The entire tradition of Catholic Faith must be the criterion and guide in understanding the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, which, in turn, enlightens - in other words deepens and subsequently makes explicit - certain aspects of the life and doctrine of the Church implicitly present within itself or not yet conceptually formulated(8).
5. The affirmations of the Second Vatican Council and of the later Pontifical Magisterium relating to the relationship between the Church and the non-Catholic Christian confessions, as well as the social duty of religion and the right to religious liberty, whose formulation is with difficulty reconcilable with prior doctrinal affirmations from the Magisterium, must be understood in the light of the whole, uninterrupted Tradition, in a manner coherent with the truths previously taught by the Magisterium of the Church, without accepting any interpretation of these affirmations whatsoever that would expose Catholic doctrine to opposition or rupture with Tradition and with this Magisterium.
6. That is why it is legitimate to promote through legitimate discussion the study and theological explanations of the expressions and formulations of Vatican II and of the Magisterium which followed it, in the case where they don't appear reconcilable with the previous Magisterium of the Church(9).
7. We declare that we recognise the validity of the sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments celebrated with the intention to do what the Church does according to the rites indicated in the typical editions of the Roman Missal and the Sacramentary Rituals legitimately promulgated by Popes Paul VI and John-Paul II.
8. In following the guidelines laid out above (III,5), as well as Canon 21 of the Code of Canon Law, we promise to respect the common discipline of the Church and the ecclesiastical laws, especially those which are contained in the Code of Canon Law promulgated by John-Paul II (1983) and in the Code of Canon Law of the Oriental Churches promulgated by the same pontiff (1990), without prejudice to the discipline of the Society of Saint Pius X, by a special law.
Notes --
(1) Cf. the new formula for the Profession of Faith and the Oath of Fidelity for assuming a charge exercised in the name of the Church, 1989; cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 749,750, §2; 752; CCEO canon 597; 598, 1 & 2; 599.
(2) Cf. Pius XII, Humani Generis encyclical.
(3) Vatican I, Dogmatic Constitution, Pastor Aeternus, Dz. 3070.
(4) Council of Trent, Dz. 1501: “All saving truth and rules of conduct (Matt. 16:15) are contained in the written books and in the unwritten traditions, which, received by the Apostles from the mouth of Christ Himself, or from the Apostles themselves,[3] the Holy Ghost dictating, have come down to us, transmitted as it were from hand to hand.”
(5) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, 8 & 9, Denz. 4209-4210.
(6) Vatican I, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Filius, Dz. 3020: “Hence, also, that understanding of its sacred dogmas must be perpetually retained, which Holy Mother Church has once declared; and there must never be recession from that meaning under the specious name of a deeper understanding “Therefore […] let the understanding, the knowledge, and wisdom of individuals as of all, of one man as of the whole Church, grow and progress strongly with the passage of the ages and the centuries; but let it be solely in its own genus, namely in the same dogma, with the same sense and the same understanding.” [Vincent of Lerins, Commonitorium, 23, 3].”
(7) Vatican I, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Filius, Dz. 3011; Anti-modernist Oath, no. 4; Pius XII, Encyclical Letter Humani Generis, Dz 3886; Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, 10, Dz. 4213.
(8) For example, like the teaching on the sacraments and the episcopacy in Lumen Gentium, no. 21.
(9) There is a parallel in history in the Decree for the Armenians of the Council of Florence, where the porrection of the instruments was indicated as the matter of the sacrament of Order. Nevertheless theologians legitimately discussed, even after this decree, the accuracy of such an assertion. Pope Pius XII finally resolved the issue in another way.” (See: https://www.therecusant.com/doctrinalpreamble-15apr2012)
Firstly...
Vatican issues guidelines for SSPX clergy, laity to return to ‘full communion’
The DDF has issued two sets of guidelines for SSPX clergy and laity who wish to 'reconcile'
with the Vatican following Thursday's excommunications.
The DDF has issued two sets of guidelines for SSPX clergy and laity who wish to 'reconcile'
with the Vatican following Thursday's excommunications.
Jul 2, 2026
(LifeSiteNews) — The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) under Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández has issued a document “Procedure for the Reconciliation of Priests of the Society of Saint Pius X,” and another for the lay faithful which includes a Profession of Faith and Formula of Adherence.
The move follows Thursday’s excommunication of the Society after their episcopal consecrations without a papal mandate.
The procedure, effective July 1 and translated in full by Rorate Caeli, requires priests belonging to the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) who have decided to leave the order to:
- find a bishop, a major superior of a clerical pontifical institute or another ordinary who is willing to accept him ad experimentum,
- write a letter to Pope Leo XIV requesting the remission of the censures incurred by receiving priestly ordination from an excommunicated or canonically irregular bishop, and
- attach documentation of his priestly ordination and a Profession of Faith and a Formula of Adherence, as well as a letter signed by the ordinary explaining their willingness to accept the priest.
Laity who frequently assist at SSPX liturgical celebrations and formally share its doctrinal positions, as well as those who are third-order members of the Society, are considered to have also incurred a canonical penalty and will be required to sign the Profession of Faith and Formula of Adherence.
The Profession of Faith begins with affirming that the cleric or layman believes every article in the Nicene Creed then states:
Quote:With firm faith, I also believe everything contained in the word of God, whether written or handed down in Tradition, which the Church proposes as divinely revealed, whether by solemn judgment or by her ordinary and universal Magisterium.
I likewise firmly accept and hold each and every teaching definitively proposed by the Church regarding faith and morals.
Moreover, with religious submission of will and intellect, I adhere to the teachings which either the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops proclaim when exercising their authentic Magisterium, even if they do not intend to proclaim them by a definitive act.
The Formula of Adherence states in part:
Quote:I accept the doctrine taught in No. 25 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council concerning the Magisterium of the Church and the adherence owed to it.
With regard to certain doctrines taught by the Second Vatican Council, or subsequent reforms in either the Sacred Liturgy or Canon Law, which may appear to some to be difficult to reconcile with previous declarations of the Magisterium, I undertake to follow a positive approach to their interpretation under the guidance of the Church’s Magisterium, so that none of these teachings may be separated from the remainder of the Church’s sacred doctrinal patrimony.
I further declare that I accept the validity of the Sacrifice of the Mass and of the Sacraments celebrated with the intention of doing what the Church does, and according to the rites contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal and the ritual books promulgated by the Supreme Pontiffs Paul VI and John Paul II.
Finally, I promise to adhere to the common discipline of the Church and to her laws, especially those contained in the Code of Canon Law promulgated by Pope John Paul II.
The question of accepting each document of the Second Vatican Council, including Lumen Gentium No. 25, was a sticking point between the SSPX and the Vatican prior to Wednesday’s consecrations.
A February communiqué from the SSPX General House published after Superior General Fr. Davide Pagliarani’s meeting with Fernández claimed that the cardinal proposed dialogue with the SSPX to clarify the “minimum necessary” for the SSPX’s canonical status. The cardinal had already made clear that the Second Vatican Council documents must be accepted in full by the SSPX to reach such “regular” status.
“The Cardinal stated orally that, while it would be possible to engage in dialogue about the Council, its texts could not be corrected,” the communiqué said.
Fernández proposed exchanges with the SSPX that would seek agreement on “the different degrees of adherence required by the various texts of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and their interpretation.” [...]
+ + +
Now here is an excerpt containing the text of the Doctrinal Declaration of 2012 signed by Bishop Fellay, taken from a Recusant article
Ten Years Ago…
15th April 2012 - Doctrinal Declaration composed and signed by the Superior
General on behalf of the SSPX and delivered to Rome (but kept secret from
even the SSPX’s own priests for almost a full year).
General on behalf of the SSPX and delivered to Rome (but kept secret from
even the SSPX’s own priests for almost a full year).
“I. We promise to be always faithful to the Catholic Church and to the Roman Pontiff, the Supreme Pastor, Vicar of Christ, Successor of Peter, and head of the body of bishops.
II. We declare that we accept the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church in the substance of Faith and Morals, adhering to each doctrinal affirmation in the required degree, according to the doctrine contained in No.25 of the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council.(1)
III.
1. We declare that we accept the doctrine regarding the Roman Pontiff and regarding the college of bishops, with the Pope as its head, which is taught by the dogmatic constitution Pastor Aeternus of Vatican I and by the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium of Vatican II, chapter 3 (deconstitutione hierarchica Ecclesiae et in specie de episcopatu), explained and interpreted by the nota explicativa praevia in this same chapter.
2. We recognise the authority of the Magisterium to which alone is given the task of authentically interpreting the word of God, in written form or handed down (2) in fidelity to Tradition, recalling that, “the Holy Ghost was not promised to the successors of Peter in order for them to make known, through revelation, a new doctrine, but so that with His assistance they may keep in a holy and expressly faithful manner the revelation transmitted by the Apostles, that is to say, the Faith.”(3)
3. Tradition is the living transmission of revelation ‘usque ad nos’(4) and the Church in its doctrine, in its life and in its liturgy perpetuates and transmits to all generations what this is and what She believes. Tradition progresses in the Church with the assistance of the Holy Ghost(5), not as a contrary novelty(6), but through a better understanding of the Deposit of the Faith(7).
4. The entire tradition of Catholic Faith must be the criterion and guide in understanding the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, which, in turn, enlightens - in other words deepens and subsequently makes explicit - certain aspects of the life and doctrine of the Church implicitly present within itself or not yet conceptually formulated(8).
5. The affirmations of the Second Vatican Council and of the later Pontifical Magisterium relating to the relationship between the Church and the non-Catholic Christian confessions, as well as the social duty of religion and the right to religious liberty, whose formulation is with difficulty reconcilable with prior doctrinal affirmations from the Magisterium, must be understood in the light of the whole, uninterrupted Tradition, in a manner coherent with the truths previously taught by the Magisterium of the Church, without accepting any interpretation of these affirmations whatsoever that would expose Catholic doctrine to opposition or rupture with Tradition and with this Magisterium.
6. That is why it is legitimate to promote through legitimate discussion the study and theological explanations of the expressions and formulations of Vatican II and of the Magisterium which followed it, in the case where they don't appear reconcilable with the previous Magisterium of the Church(9).
7. We declare that we recognise the validity of the sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments celebrated with the intention to do what the Church does according to the rites indicated in the typical editions of the Roman Missal and the Sacramentary Rituals legitimately promulgated by Popes Paul VI and John-Paul II.
8. In following the guidelines laid out above (III,5), as well as Canon 21 of the Code of Canon Law, we promise to respect the common discipline of the Church and the ecclesiastical laws, especially those which are contained in the Code of Canon Law promulgated by John-Paul II (1983) and in the Code of Canon Law of the Oriental Churches promulgated by the same pontiff (1990), without prejudice to the discipline of the Society of Saint Pius X, by a special law.
Notes --
(1) Cf. the new formula for the Profession of Faith and the Oath of Fidelity for assuming a charge exercised in the name of the Church, 1989; cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 749,750, §2; 752; CCEO canon 597; 598, 1 & 2; 599.
(2) Cf. Pius XII, Humani Generis encyclical.
(3) Vatican I, Dogmatic Constitution, Pastor Aeternus, Dz. 3070.
(4) Council of Trent, Dz. 1501: “All saving truth and rules of conduct (Matt. 16:15) are contained in the written books and in the unwritten traditions, which, received by the Apostles from the mouth of Christ Himself, or from the Apostles themselves,[3] the Holy Ghost dictating, have come down to us, transmitted as it were from hand to hand.”
(5) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, 8 & 9, Denz. 4209-4210.
(6) Vatican I, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Filius, Dz. 3020: “Hence, also, that understanding of its sacred dogmas must be perpetually retained, which Holy Mother Church has once declared; and there must never be recession from that meaning under the specious name of a deeper understanding “Therefore […] let the understanding, the knowledge, and wisdom of individuals as of all, of one man as of the whole Church, grow and progress strongly with the passage of the ages and the centuries; but let it be solely in its own genus, namely in the same dogma, with the same sense and the same understanding.” [Vincent of Lerins, Commonitorium, 23, 3].”
(7) Vatican I, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Filius, Dz. 3011; Anti-modernist Oath, no. 4; Pius XII, Encyclical Letter Humani Generis, Dz 3886; Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, 10, Dz. 4213.
(8) For example, like the teaching on the sacraments and the episcopacy in Lumen Gentium, no. 21.
(9) There is a parallel in history in the Decree for the Armenians of the Council of Florence, where the porrection of the instruments was indicated as the matter of the sacrament of Order. Nevertheless theologians legitimately discussed, even after this decree, the accuracy of such an assertion. Pope Pius XII finally resolved the issue in another way.” (See: https://www.therecusant.com/doctrinalpreamble-15apr2012)
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre