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Austen IvereighDecember 06, 2009

In my post the other day on the Swiss vote to ban (Muslim) minarets, I missed something I've just learned from The Tablet. While the Swiss Catholic bishops and the Vatican -- along with religious leaders across Europe -- deplored this assault on religious freedom, the traditionalist Society of St Pius X was delighted. Christa Pongratz-Lippitt and Robert Mickens report:

But the traditionalist Society of St Pius X (SSPX), which has its headquarters at Ecône in Switzerland, was overjoyed at the result. In a long article on its homepage it sharply criticised Archbishop Veglio and all bishops in favour of minarets in the name of religious liberty, accusing them of “unCatholic” views.  Such bishops are “either stupid or naive”, the article said, but the Swiss people had recognised the danger of Islam, it concludes.

I've searched for this SSPX article in vain; it might have been removed. But it reveals, yet again, how far the SSPX are from the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, and especially from Dignitatis humanae.

Plans are being drawn up to reverse the vote.

Incidentally, George Weigel has some interesting clarifications about the Vatican's current 'conversations' with the SSPX -- they are just that, he says; not negotiations.The questions it raises are, eg,

Does the SSPX accept the teaching of the Second Vatican Council on religious freedom as a fundamental human right that can be known by both reason and revelation? Does the SSPX accept that the age of altar-and-throne alliances, confessional states, and legally established Catholicism is over, and that the Catholic Church rejects the use of coercive state power on behalf of its truth claims? Does the SSPX accept the Council's teaching on Jews and Judaism as laid down in Vatican II's Declaration on Non-Christian Religions (Nostra Aetate), and does the SSPX repudiate all anti-Semitism? Does the SSPX accept the Council's teaching on the imperative of pursuing Christian unity in truth and the Council's teaching that elements of truth and sanctity exist in other Christian communities, and indeed in other religious communities?

After the SSPX reaction to the Swiss minaret referendum, the answers seem pretty clear.

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Ryan Sullivan
14 years 3 months ago
Hey Ultra Liberal,
Do you think Catholics in Muslim countries get the freedom even to worship much less build churches? Go to Saudi Arabia  see what that is like then write this article. Where is the outrage from Bishops and the Vatican about Saudi?  They and you are both cowards.  At least SSPX stood up for the Church.
Do you think you will get the same treatment from Muslims when they take over? 
Instead of standing up for the True Church and Jesus's teachings you are scared of the Muslims and hide behind religious freedom.  From those minarets, they will scream at the top of their lungs their denial of the Trinity and Jesus causing a scandal and confusion amoung the faithful.
It is no wonder why the Church is failing after Vatican 2, no one will stand up for the teachings of Jesus, except for these outcasts SSPX.
 
Austen Ivereigh
14 years 3 months ago
Ryan, I don't see how you can deplore the lack of religious freedom in Muslim countries but then advocate it in Christian ones, unless you believe that the Catholicism deserves freedom, but not Islam. If so, you're using an argument indistinguishable from fundamentalist Islam and entirely at odds with Catholic teaching.
I've never known a Christian to be plunged into doubt and confusion about Jesus after hearing the call of a muezzin, any more than I know any Muslims who have renounced the Qu'ran after hearing a church bell. Faith is more deeply rooted than that. Cowards are those who want the state to defend their faith because they're too afraid to.
As for Muslims taking over, all I can say is, you haven't been to Switzerland recently, have you?
Mike Magana
14 years 3 months ago
"I've searched for this SSPX article in vain; it might have been removed. But it reveals, yet again, how far the SSPX are from the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, and especially from Dignitatis humanae."
 
Where is the article?  Where is the proof?  Another attempt to discredit the SSPX - not that I'm a staunch supporter.  I respect those that stand up for their beliefs rather than those that cower under those they might be offending.  I urge you to move to Iran and see how you're treated as a Catholic.  Banning the minarets would be the least of your worries.
Patrick Murtha
14 years 3 months ago
This is another example of America's shoddy journalism. Without evidence, or at least questioning the SSPX, they simply assume what they read is true and smear the name of the SSPX. I find it odd that America is more willing to help and support Moslems, Protestants, and other Non-Catholics, than they are those who are trying to hold to the Universal teachings of the Catholic Church.

I think the Catholic Church calls this slander? Or is it Calumny? (Probably not. That might be a grave sin, God knows, and those don't exist any more.) If people would read the popes on the matters of the press, they would think twice or thrice before picking up a pen. Just a word of advice.
John Smythe
14 years 3 months ago
Please repost my comments that have been removed for no reason - other than they do not agree with what this article trys to claim.

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