It was no accident that Pope Benedict XVI chose the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity to lift the excommunication of the four bishops illicitly ordained in Ecône, Switzerland in 1988 by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. The lifting of the ban was a step toward healing the breach between Rome and the traditionalist association of clergy known as the Society of Pius X. Reconciliation among Christians is always in order, and faithful Christians ought to regard the pope’s initiative in that light. But there is no denying that this unilateral papal act is also perplexing to many bishops who opposed it and even to members of the curia who appear not to have been consulted.

Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard, the archbishop of Bordeaux, president of the French bishops’ conference and a member of the Pontifical Commission “Pro Ecclesia” assigned to deal with the problems presented by the Society of Pius X, offered the most satisfying commentary when he said, “The lifting of the excommunication is not the end, but the beginning of a process of dialogue.” The status of the Society of Pius X remains unresolved, and the assent of the bishops and other Lefebvrists to the teachings of Vatican II on liturgy, religious freedom, ecumenism and interreligious relations is unclear. Reconciliation to the magisterium must include unambiguous acceptance of the teachings of the Council.

The lifting of the excommunication against British-born Richard Williamson has produced particular dismay because of his denial of the Holocaust. Not everything that touches on Judaism is a properly a matter for Jewish concern, but at a time when Catholic-Jewish relations are sorely strained, especially in Italy, it is hard to comprehend how this particular schismatic could be reconciled without candid explanation to the church and the world.

Drew Christiansen, S.J.

Drew Christiansen, S.J., served as the editor in chief of America from 2005 to 2012. He was a Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Human Development at Georgetown University and a senior fellow with the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. He was co-editor with Carole Sargent of A World Free from Nuclear Weapons: The Vatican Conference on Disarmament (Georgetown, 2020).