Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, Monsignor Jean-Marc Micas, has withdrawn from the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) the authorization it held to celebrate Mass, administer sacraments, and organize public prayers at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes. The measure, communicated on August 13, follows the episcopal consecrations carried out without pontifical mandate in Écône on July 1 and the subsequent decree of the Holy See regarding the canonical situation of the Fraternity.
The decision does not prevent priests or faithful linked to the FSSPX from accessing the Sanctuary or visiting the Grotto of Massabielle. The bishop himself clarifies that any person may continue to visit these places freely to pray in private.
Micas links the decision to the consecrations in Écône
In the informative note, specifically dedicated to the FSSPX pilgrimage to Lourdes, Micas maintains that the episcopal consecrations of July 1 “without pontifical mandate” have created “a new situation in the relations between the FSSPX and the Catholic Church.”
The bishop recalls that, according to the decree of the Holy See, the excommunication affects the six bishops involved in the consecrations—the two consecrators and the four new bishops—and notes that the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith extended the sanction to the priests of the Fraternity and to the faithful who publicly and formally adhere to it.
Micas also mentions the appeal filed against the decree and maintains that this procedure “does not substantially change anything regarding the substance of what caused it.” Before adopting his decision, he states that he consulted both his collaborators and other competent persons.
No public celebrations of the FSSPX inside the Sanctuary
In light of this new situation, the bishop affirms that he cannot authorize “the celebration of Mass nor that of the other sacraments, nor even the public prayers of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X inside the Sanctuary.”
The authorization previously granted to the FSSPX to carry out these activities in Lourdes is thus withdrawn. The restriction affects acts publicly organized by the Fraternity, but not the individual access of its priests and faithful.
The measure will have consequences for the international pilgrimage of Christ the King that the FSSPX has scheduled in Lourdes from October 23 to 26 of this year, an event that usually gathers numerous priests, religious, families, and faithful.
The bishop acknowledges the “pain” the measure will cause
Micas admits in his communiqué that he is aware “of the pain and perhaps the incomprehension” that his decision will provoke and states that he entrusts it “to the mercy of God.”
The bishop also refers to the divisions existing in the Church and notes that these “scandalize the little ones and hinder our evangelical witness.” “Our pain is great at the situation of tearing the tunic of Christ caused by our divisions,” he adds.
The communiqué concludes with an invocation to the Virgin: “May Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, come to the aid of all of us, out of love and in service to the Body of her Son.”
The decision represents a change regarding the pilgrimages the FSSPX has been making in Lourdes. Its faithful may continue to enter the Sanctuary and pray privately, but the Fraternity will no longer have authorization to publicly celebrate Mass there, administer the sacraments, or organize acts of prayer.