This summary analyzes the text "CONSTAT DOCTRINAL sur la TRADITION CATHOLIQUE et sur la Fraternité Sacerdotale Saint-Pie X (FSSPX)," written by Father Michel Marchiset and published on the Virgo-Maria.org website, with its first version dated July 2, 2006. The document emerges in a context of intense discussions about the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) and its relations with post-conciliar Rome, especially after the election of Benedict XVI. The author states that his objective is to analyze the doctrinal situation of Tradition, warning clergy and faithful of the dangers of a "collusion-apostasy" with what he considers to be the "conciliar church," while reaffirming the sound doctrine on the Catholic Church and divine pedagogy.
⚔️ The Nature of the Combat and the Form of Action
The author, Father Marchiset, frames his analysis not as a neutral observation but as a form of "combat" for Catholic truth. Justifying his polemical and direct tone, he invokes anti-liberal authors such as Dom Guéranger and Don Félix Sarda y Salvani, affirming the need to "tear the mask off the enemies of the Church" rather than engaging in sterile debates. He argues that gentleness in denouncing error is a betrayal of the faith. His action, manifested through the Virgo-Maria.org website, aims to combat liberalism, doctrinal errors about the nature of the Church, duplicity and opacity in the relations between the SSPX and Rome, and, centrally, the issue he considers paramount and hidden for almost 40 years: the invalidity of the new rite of episcopal consecration of 1968, promulgated by Paul VI, which, according to him, severs the ordinary channels of grace by producing null ordinations and consecrations. The ultimate purpose is not to attack the SSPX, whose merits he acknowledges, but to prevent it from making an "eternally regrettable decision."
The author, Father Marchiset, frames his analysis not as a neutral observation but as a form of "combat" for Catholic truth. Justifying his polemical and direct tone, he invokes anti-liberal authors such as Dom Guéranger and Don Félix Sarda y Salvani, affirming the need to "tear the mask off the enemies of the Church" rather than engaging in sterile debates. He argues that gentleness in denouncing error is a betrayal of the faith. His action, manifested through the Virgo-Maria.org website, aims to combat liberalism, doctrinal errors about the nature of the Church, duplicity and opacity in the relations between the SSPX and Rome, and, centrally, the issue he considers paramount and hidden for almost 40 years: the invalidity of the new rite of episcopal consecration of 1968, promulgated by Paul VI, which, according to him, severs the ordinary channels of grace by producing null ordinations and consecrations. The ultimate purpose is not to attack the SSPX, whose merits he acknowledges, but to prevent it from making an "eternally regrettable decision."
🧐 The Two Main Causes of the Doctrinal Crisis
Marchiset identifies two fundamental causes for the precarious doctrinal situation in Tradition and, particularly, in the SSPX. The first is what he calls "forty years of errors about infallibility." He argues that the teaching transmitted within Tradition, to circumvent the issue of the legitimacy of the conciliar authorities, has reduced the Church's infallibility almost exclusively to ex cathedra statements, ignoring the infallibility of the Ordinary and Universal Magisterium. This has allegedly installed a mentality of "private judgment," where the faithful and clergy feel entitled to judge and filter the teachings of an authority they paradoxically recognize as legitimate. This theological flaw, he claims, explains the ease with which SSPX theologians consider the Second Vatican Council as "neither dogmatic nor pastoral" or having "zero degree of authority," positions the author deems untenable from the standpoint of traditional Catholic doctrine on the Magisterium.
The second main cause is the gap or deliberate refusal to study the nature and methods of the adversary. The author states that most traditionalists are ignorant of the reality of the "anti-Christian conspiracy," whose plans were exposed in documents such as the instructions of the Alta Vendita. This plan aimed to infiltrate the clergy with liberal and humanitarian doctrines to eventually elect a "pope" aligned with these principles. Marchiset contends that this plan succeeded and that the post-Pius XII "popes" (from Roncalli to Ratzinger) are not true popes who fell into heresy, but men who had already strayed from the faith before their election. Consequently, their elections would be canonically null and void, as stipulated by Pope Paul IV's Bull Cum ex apostolatus. This situation, where the shepherd is struck and the sheep are scattered, fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah (13:7) and explains the message of Our Lady of La Salette: "Rome will lose the faith and become the seat of the Antichrist." The true Catholic Church has not become heretical; it is "eclipsed" by this usurping conciliar sect.
Marchiset identifies two fundamental causes for the precarious doctrinal situation in Tradition and, particularly, in the SSPX. The first is what he calls "forty years of errors about infallibility." He argues that the teaching transmitted within Tradition, to circumvent the issue of the legitimacy of the conciliar authorities, has reduced the Church's infallibility almost exclusively to ex cathedra statements, ignoring the infallibility of the Ordinary and Universal Magisterium. This has allegedly installed a mentality of "private judgment," where the faithful and clergy feel entitled to judge and filter the teachings of an authority they paradoxically recognize as legitimate. This theological flaw, he claims, explains the ease with which SSPX theologians consider the Second Vatican Council as "neither dogmatic nor pastoral" or having "zero degree of authority," positions the author deems untenable from the standpoint of traditional Catholic doctrine on the Magisterium.
The second main cause is the gap or deliberate refusal to study the nature and methods of the adversary. The author states that most traditionalists are ignorant of the reality of the "anti-Christian conspiracy," whose plans were exposed in documents such as the instructions of the Alta Vendita. This plan aimed to infiltrate the clergy with liberal and humanitarian doctrines to eventually elect a "pope" aligned with these principles. Marchiset contends that this plan succeeded and that the post-Pius XII "popes" (from Roncalli to Ratzinger) are not true popes who fell into heresy, but men who had already strayed from the faith before their election. Consequently, their elections would be canonically null and void, as stipulated by Pope Paul IV's Bull Cum ex apostolatus. This situation, where the shepherd is struck and the sheep are scattered, fulfills the prophecy of Zechariah (13:7) and explains the message of Our Lady of La Salette: "Rome will lose the faith and become the seat of the Antichrist." The true Catholic Church has not become heretical; it is "eclipsed" by this usurping conciliar sect.
⚠️ Consequences of the Errors and the Critical Situation of the SSPX
The consequences of these doctrinal errors are visible in the fragmentation of the traditionalist movement and, more seriously, in the dangerous direction taken by the SSPX. The author classifies the various "rallied" groups (Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, Campos, etc.) as apostates for having accepted communion with the "conciliar sect." The main focus, however, is on the SSPX under the leadership of Bishop Fellay and Father Schmidberger, which is accused of following the same path, albeit more slowly and deceitfully. Marchiset denounces a systematic "opacity" in the negotiations with Rome, where the "prerequisites" (liberalization of the Mass and lifting of the excommunications) are publicly presented as firm conditions but are, in reality, just steps in a "reconciliation process" that has already been decided. He also points to the influence of two subversive networks within the SSPX: a "German network," linked to Ratzinger, which promotes a "reform of the reform" of the liturgy as a Trojan horse to eliminate the Tridentine Mass in the medium term; and the G.R.E.C. (Group for Reflection Among Catholics), led by Father Lorans, which promotes an ecumenical-style dialogue aimed at reconciliation at the expense of doctrinal truth. Finally, the author argues that the "resolution of doctrinal issues," presented as a safeguard, is an illusion, as the SSPX's flawed theology on Vatican II will inevitably lead it to a semantic compromise, accepting the Council "in the light of Tradition."
The consequences of these doctrinal errors are visible in the fragmentation of the traditionalist movement and, more seriously, in the dangerous direction taken by the SSPX. The author classifies the various "rallied" groups (Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, Campos, etc.) as apostates for having accepted communion with the "conciliar sect." The main focus, however, is on the SSPX under the leadership of Bishop Fellay and Father Schmidberger, which is accused of following the same path, albeit more slowly and deceitfully. Marchiset denounces a systematic "opacity" in the negotiations with Rome, where the "prerequisites" (liberalization of the Mass and lifting of the excommunications) are publicly presented as firm conditions but are, in reality, just steps in a "reconciliation process" that has already been decided. He also points to the influence of two subversive networks within the SSPX: a "German network," linked to Ratzinger, which promotes a "reform of the reform" of the liturgy as a Trojan horse to eliminate the Tridentine Mass in the medium term; and the G.R.E.C. (Group for Reflection Among Catholics), led by Father Lorans, which promotes an ecumenical-style dialogue aimed at reconciliation at the expense of doctrinal truth. Finally, the author argues that the "resolution of doctrinal issues," presented as a safeguard, is an illusion, as the SSPX's flawed theology on Vatican II will inevitably lead it to a semantic compromise, accepting the Council "in the light of Tradition."
✝️ Divine Pedagogy: Justice, Mercy, and the Little Flock
The text concludes by placing the current crisis within the framework of divine pedagogy. Just as in the Old Testament, sins attract punishment. The Second Vatican Council and its consequences are, for the author, a deserved divine punishment, mainly for the prevarication of the bishops who failed in their duty to guard the faith. The scattering of the flock, prophesied by Zechariah, is underway, with the majority being lost. However, the same prophecy promises that God will turn His hand to "the little ones," a small remnant that will remain faithful. This remnant, however, will not be spared trials, having to be purified "like silver and gold in the fire." The author exhorts the faithful to fear God's justice, to do penance, and to cling to the sound doctrine of the Church, preparing for this period of purification. The final intervention will come through the justice and mercy of Christ, as promised by Our Lady at La Salette, who will annihilate the enemies of the Church and establish a time of peace and the Reign of the Sacred Heart.
The text concludes by placing the current crisis within the framework of divine pedagogy. Just as in the Old Testament, sins attract punishment. The Second Vatican Council and its consequences are, for the author, a deserved divine punishment, mainly for the prevarication of the bishops who failed in their duty to guard the faith. The scattering of the flock, prophesied by Zechariah, is underway, with the majority being lost. However, the same prophecy promises that God will turn His hand to "the little ones," a small remnant that will remain faithful. This remnant, however, will not be spared trials, having to be purified "like silver and gold in the fire." The author exhorts the faithful to fear God's justice, to do penance, and to cling to the sound doctrine of the Church, preparing for this period of purification. The final intervention will come through the justice and mercy of Christ, as promised by Our Lady at La Salette, who will annihilate the enemies of the Church and establish a time of peace and the Reign of the Sacred Heart.
📣 Conclusion and Call to the True Purpose of the SSPX
In his conclusion, Marchiset presents the clergy and faithful of Tradition with a radical choice: either follow the erroneous doctrines about the Church and its magisterium, trusting in leaders who are leading them to an apostate agreement with the antichrist Rome, or persevere in the integral faith, recognizing the Church as "eclipsed," and accept the necessary purifications to be part of the faithful flock. He makes an urgent appeal to the SSPX to abandon the path of negotiation and return to its true purpose, as established by its founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre: not to seek canonical status from usurpers, but to focus solely on preserving the true Catholic priesthood and valid sacraments, which are the only guarantee for the survival of the faith.
In his conclusion, Marchiset presents the clergy and faithful of Tradition with a radical choice: either follow the erroneous doctrines about the Church and its magisterium, trusting in leaders who are leading them to an apostate agreement with the antichrist Rome, or persevere in the integral faith, recognizing the Church as "eclipsed," and accept the necessary purifications to be part of the faithful flock. He makes an urgent appeal to the SSPX to abandon the path of negotiation and return to its true purpose, as established by its founder, Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre: not to seek canonical status from usurpers, but to focus solely on preserving the true Catholic priesthood and valid sacraments, which are the only guarantee for the survival of the faith.