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Peace!

RISU has published a story on the excommunication of a UGCC priest who is associated with the SSPX. The story can be found at:

http://www.risu.org.ua/article.php?sid=1166&l=en

In a note after the report, RISU states, in part:

"The traditionalists did not accept changes in the liturgy, in particular �cleansing� the rite of Latin practices that had come into usage and what they called the �ukrainianization� of the liturgy."

We need "the cleansing" of the rite down here too. I'm pretty sure that some of our priests would be in trouble as well.
What we really need is Studites down here.
Lauro

I have been a long time fan of Archbishop Lefebvre myself but deplore the conduct of the current leadership of his group which is very intolerant with its own priests.

It's somehow curious that they do protect the use of Old Slavonic language just as the traditional Orthodox. It's not always true that the Eastern Rite clergy currently under Bishop Fellay's omophor are defending Latinized practices. In Rusia they have Orthodox priests working among them who are very traditiionalists and totaly Eastern, reject Latinization and so on.

By the way, the SSPX makes its own kind of Ecumenism with traditionalist Orthodox. Now I know where some traditionalist Orthodox get the vocabulary and attitudes they now use.

Mexican, the problem is this Society of St. Josaphat sees the Litugy of the Synods of Zamosc and L'viv as "traditional". So while yes, Slavonic is maintained, they have adopted and vigorously defend some of the worst Latinizations of the rite.

They look at the priests who are genuinely returning Byzantine tradition to the parishes as "Russifying", "modernizing", "ukrainianizing", etc. for wanting to do such things as Presanctified Liturgies in Lent instead of Stations of the Cross, removing "low" or recited Liturgies, etc.

It is quite a perverted and short sighted view of "tradition". They are precisely defending the "modernizations" they claim the others guilty of by holding on to some of the worst forms of latinization.

Mexican, I agree with your observation about the SSPX. They treat the priests who leave abhorrently. Look at the recent fracus with Fr. Aulagnier, one of Archbishop Lefevbre's earliest and closest supporters. Becuase he tried to contact Rome and discuss matters himself, which I believe he is certainly free to do as a priest, he was ostracized and eventually removed.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

I have before my eyes the current February issue of the "Regina Coeli Report," the newsletter of the SSPX in the U.S. In it, there is coverage of the Society of St. Josaphat, proudly sporting photos of their altars (without iconostasis, and extremely Latin), a processsion with the Blessed Sacrament, with monstrance and all; and the first ordination of one of their priests in the traditional Latin rite.... One of the disgusting thing I have ever seen in my life! You can probably find it on-line at www.sspx.org [sspx.org] under the Regina Coeli report link (I have a hard-copy in front of me.)
Talk about "Uniates with an inferiority complex!
I too am very sympathetic to the SSPX in many ways, but I think they are beginning to go off the deep end. As was mention, Fr. Aulangier was kicked out of the SSPX recently, and he was the first priest to be ordained by the SSPX, the one who knew Archbishop Lefebvre best. Just going from bad to worse.
Many years to Patriarch Lubomir for finally putting these renegades in their place. Hopefully, they will submit without bringing more scandal to the Church.

Arturo

Dear friends.

The pictures can be found here:

http://www.dici.org/preview.php?id=29

I would say that ignorance is the cause. SSPX, as they just know of the Latin Rite and the eastern Church is unknown to them, they believe that these priests are also "defending tradition" while in fact they're doing the opposite.

They also have this trauma against the Catholic hierarchy as a whole, and they think that Patriarch Lubomyr is just like those American or French Bishops who imposed abusive modernizations upon their clergy.

After their contacts with ultraconservative Orthodox priests in Russia who have joined them, they will probably change their mind and improve, but I am not sure about that.

Here is the link to the Regina Coeli Report (pdf format) for 02/04;

Society of St Josaphat [sspx.org]

the article appears on pages 6-7 of the report and is accompanied by photos. Mexican's link offers a much briefer text, altho his photos are in color.

Many years,

Neil

Dear Diak,

Not only that group, but in Galicia and other places in Eastern Europe, as you know, Latin practices are the "litmus test" of one's true Catholicity and of one's "Ukrainianness."

This is also why the Orthodox Church in those same areas has ALSO adopted the devotion to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the public rosary, the Stations of the Cross (I have a copy published by the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Galicia) and even the use of the Monstrance!

Historically, this "makes sense" insofar as it was the practice of the Russian Orthodox Church, when the Tsarist and Communist regimes were around, to begin the process of "taking over" the Greek-Catholic Church in those areas by announcing first a policy of "Ritual cleansing" from Latinizations such as those mentioned above.

But the end object was, of course, the annexation of the Greek-Catholic Church to force it to become part of the ROC.

There is in the Greek-Catholic Church of Eastern Europe today a lot of popular anti-Russian sentiment that, on the religious plane, expresses itself in favour of Latin practices and views with suspicion moves to "Easternize" the Greek-Catholic Church.

The Administrator may call that being "anti-Russian" and he would be perfectly right!

At the same time, I don't think any among the Greek-Catholic faithful of Eastern Europe are going to lose any sleep over the fact that they are anti-Russian!

Alex