Do the SSPX religious not take solemn (public) vows?

Started by Geremia, August 08, 2018, 02:09:00 PM

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Geremia

Abp. Lefebvre gave a sermon to the Avrillé convent in 1981, in which he said (PDF p. 5 of this):
QuoteIl est vrai que je n'ai pas reçu de délégation spéciale du Supérieur général de l'Ordre des dominicains pour recevoir ces vœux que vous allez prononcer, et que, par conséquent, on peut dire que ces vœux au regard de l'Église ne sont pas des vœux publics, mais des vœux privés.

[It is true that I have not received a special delegation from the Superior General of the Order of the Dominicans to receive the vows that you are going to pronounce, and that, consequently, one can say that these vows in regard to the Church are not public vows, but private vows.]
Do the SSPX religious technically not take solemn (public) vows?

Daniel

#1
As far as I'm aware, the SSPX was established only as a pia unio, and only on a temporary six-year basis, beginning in 1971. Even if we assume that those six years have not yet expired (due to some sort of legal loophole), I'm pretty sure that the permission pertains only to their priests, not to their religious (a religious order is not a pia unio or even part of a pia unio and thus needs separate approval). So since their religious order is not Church-approved, I am guessing that their religious vows are not received by the Church either.

Michael Wilson

The Society of St. Pius X describes itself as
QuoteThe Society of St. Pius X is an international priestly society of common life without vows, whose purpose is to train, support, and encourage holy priests so that they may effectively spread the Catholic Faith throughout the world.
Msgr. Lefebvre modeled the SSPX after the Fathers of the Holy Ghost, who also do not take solemn vows. Some congregations don't. He thought that the lack of solemn vows made the SSPX more flexible to meet the demands of its apostolate.
"The World Must Conform to Our Lord and not He to it." Rev. Dennis Fahey CSSP

"My brothers, all of you, if you are condemned to see the triumph of evil, never applaud it. Never say to evil: you are good; to decadence: you are progess; to death: you are life. Sanctify yourselves in the times wherein God has placed you; bewail the evils and the disorders which God tolerates; oppose them with the energy of your works and your efforts, your life uncontaminated by error, free from being led astray, in such a way that having lived here below, united with the Spirit of the Lord, you will be admitted to be made but one with Him forever and ever: But he who is joined to the Lord is one in spirit." Cardinal Pie of Potiers

Gardener

Canonically speaking, the people in Religious "Orders" associated with the SSPX make private vows.

QuoteCan the Society's Canonical Commission dispense from religious vows?

Clearly if these vows were made in a community not affiliated with our priestly society, dispensation is to be obtained, either from the Superior General of that community, or from the Holy See, depending on the case.

However, the problem lies with the vows made in traditional communities. As far as we are concerned, these are public vows and a diriment impediment to marriage. As far as Rome is concerned, they are private vows (for they do not recognize the traditional communities as such), and, according to the New Code, they do not constitute an impediment to marriage at all. How can we ask Rome, or the local Ordinary, to grant a dispensation from an impediment, which they maintain does not even exist? Clearly, we are again in the situation of impossibility of having recourse, and supplied jurisdiction applies, in the act of performing the marriage. To prevent abuses, it is totally reasonable to expect the Society to set up some kind of authority to regulate this. This is the Superior General for members of the Society of St. Pius X, or the bishop with responsibility for the religious communities for those who have made public vows in those communities.
http://sspx.org/en/questions-about-our-canonical-commision

It would seem that they consider these vows public, but that's at variance with the Abp.'s own words.

However, under the 1983 code of Canon Law, a private vow is not something that the maker of the vow can just willy-nilly disregard.

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4E.HTM

I'm not sure what the 1917 code says.

I wonder how this would change, had they been Benedictines?(Benedictines are independent monasteries and have no Order Superior General, per se, just an abbot primate that is more of a representative)
"If anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have Christ for his Brother." - St. Maximilian Kolbe

Geremia

Quote from: Gardener on August 08, 2018, 09:23:53 PMhttp://sspx.org/en/questions-about-our-canonical-commision

It would seem that they consider these vows public, but that's at variance with the Abp.'s own words.
Thanks. I didn't know about the SSPX's "St. Charles Borromeo Canonical Commission".
Quote from: Gardener on August 08, 2018, 09:23:53 PMHowever, under the 1983 code of Canon Law, a private vow is not something that the maker of the vow can just willy-nilly disregard.

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4E.HTM

I'm not sure what the 1917 code says.
cf. 1917 canon 1313

Gardener

Quote from: Geremia on August 09, 2018, 08:58:28 AM
Quote from: Gardener on August 08, 2018, 09:23:53 PMhttp://sspx.org/en/questions-about-our-canonical-commision

It would seem that they consider these vows public, but that's at variance with the Abp.'s own words.
Thanks. I didn't know about the SSPX's "St. Charles Borromeo Canonical Commission".
Quote from: Gardener on August 08, 2018, 09:23:53 PMHowever, under the 1983 code of Canon Law, a private vow is not something that the maker of the vow can just willy-nilly disregard.

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4E.HTM

I'm not sure what the 1917 code says.
cf. 1917 canon 1313

So basically same in 1917
"If anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his Mother, he will not have Christ for his Brother." - St. Maximilian Kolbe