The Bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg, in Switzerland, Mons. Charles Morerod, considers that the recent episcopal consecrations carried out by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) hinder any gesture of institutional rapprochement, although he states that the Church must keep the possibility of dialogue open.
In statements to cath.ch, the Swiss prelate explained that, under the current circumstances, he would not again authorize the use of a diocesan church for a celebration of the Fraternity, as occurred in 2019 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its foundation.
A context different from that of 2019
On October 5, 2019, the Church of Saint Maurice in Fribourg, Switzerland, hosted the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the FSSPX. The authorization was granted by Bishop Morerod in a context in which, as he now explains, an approach between the Fraternity and the Holy See still seemed possible.
The parish made clear at the time that the loan of the church did not imply approval or endorsement of the Fraternity, but rather a decision taken in a context of good will.
“I do not see how a similar request could be accepted”
The situation, the bishop states, has changed following the consecrations of four new bishops celebrated on July 1 in Écône, in the Swiss canton of Valais, without a pontifical mandate.
“I do not see how it would be possible to grant a request of that kind if it were presented today,” Morerod notes. In his view, those ordinations took place after “numerous warnings, outstretched hands and calls for dialogue” from the Vatican and show that the Fraternity “has no disposition to enter into a process of reconciliation.”
A dialogue similar to that which exists with other communities
Nevertheless, the Bishop of Lausanne does not consider the possibility of maintaining contacts with the Fraternity to be closed.
“The Church is always willing to dialogue with everyone,” he affirms. In that sense, he suggests that in the future an “ecumenical” dialogue could be established with the FSSPX, similar to the one the Church maintains with other Christian communities that are not in full communion with Rome.
Morerod adds that only the development of that eventual dialogue will make it possible to determine whether concrete agreements can be reached in the future, as occurred in 2019 with the loan of the church for the commemoration of the Fraternity’s anniversary.