SSPX Publishes Open Letter to Pope Leo XIV With 28-Page Profession of Faith
As Pope Leo XIV prepares for the Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals at the Vatican this weekend, the SSPX (Society of Saint Pius X) published an open letter to the Holy Father and the Sacred College, per Vatican reporter Diane Montagna.
The letter and the accompanying 28-page Profession of Faith were originally published on the Italian site, Messa in Latino.
Montagna provided an English translation of the letter:
On the eve of the Consistory scheduled for the end of this month, and only days before the episcopal consecrations planned for 1 July at Ecône, it seems to us that the time has come for the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X to make an integral profession of the Catholic faith, which we wish to place into the hands of Your Holiness and of each of the Cardinals.
Today the Church suffers under the pressure of new forces, arising both from within and from without, which are driving her in every possible direction except—so it seems to us—the right one. Faced with such suffering, we cannot remain indifferent.
It does not belong to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X to indicate the path to be followed, but rather to the Church’s bimillennial Tradition, faithfully preserved and handed down by the Apostolic See throughout the centuries, and which many now regard, in practice, as an outdated reality, subject to continual evolution.
It is in the name of this same Tradition, and in its light alone, that we today formulate this profession of the Catholic faith in the face of the principal errors and the gravest dangers of our time.
We are convinced that Tradition contains all the remedies for the deepest evils from which the Church and the world suffer, and for which solutions are sought in vain outside it. The immutable and integral faith is the principle, the foundation, and the root of the salvation of souls. This faith, contained in Tradition and taught by the Church’s constant Magisterium, constitutes the true foundation of the Church’s unity and, consequently, the necessary means of establishing union and communion among the members of the Mystical Body of Christ.
Above the changes and vicissitudes of time stands immutable Tradition, the echo within history of eternal Truth.
We can only hope and implore that this Tradition and the purity of the faith may once again be placed at the foundation of the Church’s life, so that from them an authentic regeneration may begin. It is for this intention that we pray with insistence.
We are convinced that, within the unstable and extremely dangerous circumstances now before our eyes, the greatest contribution that can be offered to the universal Church is that of a sincere and integral profession of the Catholic faith.
We hope that one day this doctrinal text may serve as the basis for a frank discussion with the Holy See, in a peaceful, fraternal, and charitable spirit.
The text that we present to you is not the sterile litany of a group of nostalgics, but the necessary expression, peaceful yet resolute, of our faith.
Non enim possumus aliquid adversus veritatem sed pro veritate.
“For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.”
And according to the Psalmist, as taken up by Saint Paul:
Et nos credimus propter quod et loquimur.
“We too believe; therefore we speak.”
With gratitude for the attention that you will be willing to devote to this text, we assure you of our constant prayers for you and for the universal Church.
The letter is signed by Davide Pagliarani, Superior General, and a number of other SSPX authorities. The Society is set to consecrate new bishops next week.
The 28-page Profession of Faith was published by Messa in Latino on the afternoon of June 24. Although an official translation from Italian is not yet available, a web-based translation tool offers significant insight. An abbreviated version, highlighting merely the first phrases of the first section, is below:
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