Catholic World News News Feature

SSPX bishop sees little hope for agreement with Rome October 27, 2006

An outspoken prelate of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) has indicated that he does not expect reconciliation with the Holy See, and would "have difficulty following" if the leaders of the SSPX came to an agreement with Rome.

In an interview with the traditionalist Angelqueen web site, Bishop Richard Williamson explained that he could not imagine that Bishop Bernard Fellay, the head of the SSPX, would reach any agreement with the Holy See that would allow the traditionalist group to "come under conciliar control." If such agreement did occur, he said, "some of us might have difficulty following."

Emphasizing the implacable opposition that he sees between the SSPX and the Vatican, Bishop Williamson said that the Catholic world is now witnessing "a war to the death between two directly opposed religions: the Catholic religion centered on God, and the conciliar religion centered on man and the modern world." The schismatic prelate said that the "conciliar religion," held and promoted by the Vatican leadership, "is a diabolically skillful counterfeit of the true religion."

"Between these two religions, as such, there can be no peace until one of them is dead," Bishop Williamson concluded.

The SSPX leader acknowledged that Pope Benedict XVI has cautioned against misinterpretations of Vatican II. But he charged that the Pope's concerns about the Council do not go far enough, "because never as cardinal nor now as Pope has he denounced its false principles." Until the Pope repudiates Vatican II, he said, "he will continue to preside over the destruction of the Catholic Church.