Letter to Bishop Bernard Fellay by Rev. Robert L. Neville (1997)
Your Excellency:
Since the departure of several priests to the Society of St. John, I have been thinking more seriously about certain things which were never really clear in my mind. Lately I have been thinking about authority and infallibility, as well as their respective relation to the Society of St. Pius X and to the Church. I have come to the conclusion that the Society has many inherent errors and contradictions and I will attempt to enumerate them.
I believe that I am correct in saying that the Society maintains that John Paul II and the hierarchy in communion with him have authority and jurisdiction. If this is the case, then one must logically conclude that their ordinary universal magisterium and disciplinary reforms are infallible. One is also forced to conclude that this authority must be recognized as such, not only theoretically, but also in practice.
Either we can save our souls by accepting Vatican II and following its changes, or we cannot. If we can save our souls by following Vatican II, then we as Catholics must accept it, along with the various reforms which ensued from it. If this were the case there would then be no real reason to resist these changes, and the work which the Society of St. Pius X does would not be necessary. If we cannot save our souls by following Vatican II and its changes, then it is impossible that they proceed from the authority of the Church, which is infallible in her ordinary universal magisterium and universal disciplines. Thus the position of the Society of St. Pius X is equally wrong, because it recognizes an authority from which come false doctrines and disciplines.
Your Excellency:
Since the departure of several priests to the Society of St. John, I have been thinking more seriously about certain things which were never really clear in my mind. Lately I have been thinking about authority and infallibility, as well as their respective relation to the Society of St. Pius X and to the Church. I have come to the conclusion that the Society has many inherent errors and contradictions and I will attempt to enumerate them.
I believe that I am correct in saying that the Society maintains that John Paul II and the hierarchy in communion with him have authority and jurisdiction. If this is the case, then one must logically conclude that their ordinary universal magisterium and disciplinary reforms are infallible. One is also forced to conclude that this authority must be recognized as such, not only theoretically, but also in practice.
Either we can save our souls by accepting Vatican II and following its changes, or we cannot. If we can save our souls by following Vatican II, then we as Catholics must accept it, along with the various reforms which ensued from it. If this were the case there would then be no real reason to resist these changes, and the work which the Society of St. Pius X does would not be necessary. If we cannot save our souls by following Vatican II and its changes, then it is impossible that they proceed from the authority of the Church, which is infallible in her ordinary universal magisterium and universal disciplines. Thus the position of the Society of St. Pius X is equally wrong, because it recognizes an authority from which come false doctrines and disciplines.
Your Excellency:
Since the departure of several priests to the Society of St. John, I have been thinking more seriously about certain things which were never really clear in my mind. Lately I have been thinking about authority and infallibility, as well as their respective relation to the Society of St. Pius X and to the Church. I have come to the conclusion that the Society has many inherent errors and contradictions and I will attempt to enumerate them.
I believe that I am correct in saying that the Society maintains that John Paul II and the hierarchy in communion with him have authority and jurisdiction. If this is the case, then one must logically conclude that their ordinary universal magisterium and disciplinary reforms are infallible. One is also forced to conclude that this authority must be recognized as such, not only theoretically, but also in practice.
Either we can save our souls by accepting Vatican II and following its changes, or we cannot. If we can save our souls by following Vatican II, then we as Catholics must accept it, along with the various reforms which ensued from it. If this were the case there would then be no real reason to resist these changes, and the work which the Society of St. Pius X does would not be necessary. If we cannot save our souls by following Vatican II and its changes, then it is impossible that they proceed from the authority of the Church, which is infallible in her ordinary universal magisterium and universal disciplines. Thus the position of the Society of St. Pius X is equally wrong, because it recognizes an authority from which come false doctrines and disciplines.