"Pope Meets Successor of Lefebvre in Search of Communion"

"CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy, AUG. 29, 2005 (Zenit.org). -- Benedict XVI received Bishop Bernard Fellay, who succeeded Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre as head of the Society of St. Pius X, with the 'desire to arrive at perfect communion.'"

This from a recent communique from the Zenit news agency. The Monday (Aug. 29th) meeting took place in the apostolic palace of Castel Gandolfo, in response to a request from Bishop Fellay, according to Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro Valls.

"The Pope was accompanied by Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, president of the Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei,'" the spokesman said.

"Ecclesia Dei," according to the Holy See's own Web page, was "instituted by John Paul II with the 'Motu proprio' promulgated on July 2, 1988, following the schismatic gesture of illegitimate episcopal ordinations carried out by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in Econe."

According to Vatican spokesman, Navarro Valls (pictured left), "The meeting unfolded in a climate of love for the Church and the desire to arrive at perfect communion." His communique added: "Being aware of the difficulties, willingness was expressed to advance by degrees according to reasonable times."

After the meeting, Bishop Fellay said that "the meeting lasted some 35 minutes in a serene atmosphere." The audience, he stated, "was the occasion for the Society to manifest that it has always and always will be attached to the Holy See, Eternal Rome." He went on to say that they recalled the series of difficulties already known to the Pope "in a spirit of great love for the Church."

"The Society of St. Pius X prays that the Holy Father will find the strength to put an end to the crisis of the Church, 'restoring all things in Christ,'" concluded the bishop's communique.

Of particular interest is the fact that Bishop Fellay previously told his group's DICI press agency that, if he were to meet with Benedict XVI, he would request two things: First, the possibility for all priests to celebrate the Tridentine Mass without special permission from the local bishop, as is now required. Second, the "recanting [of] the decree of excommunication related to the consecrations" of four bishops in the Society.

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes out of this meeting.