Another traditional Catholic group - with links to Malta - suppressed!

More bad news concerning traditional Catholic groups. In recent years, traditional Catholic groups such as the Little Sisters of the Redeemer, the Trappists of Aachen and the Franciscans of the Immaculate, have been de facto annihilated. On 30 June 2019, Pope Francis suppressed another group of priests in Italy known as Opera Familia Christi, from the Archdiocese of Ferrara-Comacchio. No reasons have been given for this latest suppression. 

Opera Familia Christi is remembered with affection in Malta because, on 24 June 2016, it celebrated the first Tridentine Mass since the introduction of the Novus Ordo in 1970, at St. Paul's Chapel in Birkirkara. One sincerely hopes that similar drastic measures will not be imposed on the only traditional Catholic chaplaincy in Malta - the Apostolate of Saint Paul Malta.

This Blog will continue to update its readers with any relevant information concerning the Fraternity of St. Peter, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, and other traditional priestly groups.

Concerning the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei

Much has been written in the past weeks that the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei (PCED), the Vatican body in charge of matters related to the Tridentine Mass and of negotiations with traditional Catholic groups (especially the SSPX), is set to be abolished shortly. Its functions would be completely amalgamated and absorbed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Notwithstanding its limitations, the PCED had proven extremely beneficial to the integrity of the Tridentine Mass, especially since 2007.

Last November, this Blog had hinted that the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum was not going to be abrogated for the time being, but changes were going to occur in that direction. This looks likely to be one of the steps being taken.

 

We also warned about the risks of an agreement between the SSPX and the Vatican. A personal prelature will be in due course subjected to Canon 297, under which the SPX would need the local Bishop's permission to add new apostolates.

 

In the meantime the Congregation for Divine Worship is planning to introduce the Novus Ordo Propers of 1970 in the Roman Missal of 1962.

 

Traditional Catholics should look carefully and fight back as these steps remind us of previous bad experiences, such as:

 

• the partial suppression of the FSSP by Protocol 1411-99;
• the total suppression of the Franciscans of the Immaculate, the Trappist Monks of Aachen, the Little Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Transalpine Redemptorists.