Marcel Lefebvre

Biography

It is resulting from a catholic family very whose five children out of eight become priests or monk. His/her father dies in February 1944 with the camp of Sonnenburg where it was interned for facts of resistance, which had been worth two judgments with mort.
to him Raise Free Institution of the Sacred Heart, entered with the French seminar of Rome in 1923, it is ordered priest in 1929 by the archbishop of Lille Mgr Liénart. Disciple and admiror of his professor the P. Henri Le Floch, it remains to him faithful although this one was constrained to leave its post of vice-chancellor to the French seminar for his sympathies maurrassiennes (the French Action had just been condemned by Pie XI in 1926). After one year as vicar in a parish of the working suburbs of Lille, it joined the noviciate of the Congrégation of the Holy Spirit, (whose members are more known under the name of Spiritains ). It makes religious profession in September 1932.

Missionary

He becomes missionary with the Gabon. He implies himself in the parishes of bush and directs the seminar there. With the Second world war, it is still mobilizable and is affected with the colony. he is recalled in France, 1945 and is named director and superior of the theological college of philosophy of the spiritains with Mortain.

In 1947, it is named bishop and apostolic vicar of Dakar. Pie XII gives him the apostolic load of delegate for the French-speaking Africa (more than 40 dioceses), with the mission of Africanizing the Church in Africa: for that, it creates seminars and entrusts responsibilities to the local clergy; it must also seek the people ready to become bishops; it is replaced with this load the July 9th 1959 by Mgr Emile Maury. In 1955, it is the first Archevêque of Dakar. It is replaced there in January 1962 by Mgr Hyacinthe Thiandoum which it had ordered priest in 1949.

There is then named bishop of Tulle (France), while remaining archbishop with personal capacity. This same year, he is elected higher general of the spiritains. He gives up then the Diocèse of Tulle.

The council

It is under superior of order and Archbishop that it takes part in the Concile Vatican II.

At the time of the important debates on the religious liberty, it joined the group Coetus Internationalis Patrum. This work group criticizes in particular the conclusions of the Declaration on the religious liberty Dignitatis Humanae , considering them nonin conformity with the Tradition of the Church. After long debates, this text is adopted by 2308 votes for and 70 against. During the council, within the Coetus , he seeks to make hear the traditional voice and defend the coherence of the teaching of the Church.

Following the council, it tackles the question of the “aggiornamento” within its order (spiritains). In 1968, following the modification of the established rule by their founder, the Worthy Libermann Father, which he refused, he is dislocated of his load of superior. Gradually, in deprived, then openly, it joins criticism “traditionalists” against the council the Vatican II and reforms resulting from the “spirit from the council”.

Critical of the new religious liberty (for all the religions), of the new oecumenism (without conversion), of the new design of the Collegial structure and the general reform of the Liturgy, and particularly of the rite of the mass promulgated by Paul VI - new Ordo Missae - which comes to replace the rite known as tridentin, codified by the holy Pope Pie V. In a general way, he criticizes the attempt at adaptation of the Church to the modernity, which he names compromising.

Fraternité Saint-Pie X

In 1970, at the request of several French seminarists, it founds with Écône (Suisse) the Sacerdotal Fraternité Saint-Magpie X. The goals of this sacerdotal fraternity are “priesthood and all that is referred to it and only what relates to it”. The institution is set up canonically by Mgr Cart-track, bishop of the diocese of Lausanne, Geneva and Freiburg as a “pious union” for one 3 years duration renewable AD experimentum . On his side, the bishop of Sion authorizes it to found a seminar with Ecône.

Initially relatively discrete in its critic of the Concile Vatican II, Mgr Lefebvre comes from there to give an opinion publicly. It is indeed the time when the priests who get busy to preserve the traditional Mass find in the need for choosing, and to enter in rupture.

Whereas Rome precisely forces it to choose, while enjoignant to him to adopt the rite of Paul VI, Mgr Lefebvre publishes the November 21st 1974 a proclamation summarizing its positions:

“We refuse on the other hand and always refused to follow néo-modernistic Rome of tendency and néo-Protestant woman who appeared clearly in the council the Vatican II and after the council in all the reforms which of it result. (…)

No authority, even highest in the hierarchy, has been able to force us to give up or decrease our catholic faith clearly expressed and professed by the Magistère of the Church for nineteen centuries. (…)

This Reform resulting from the Liberalism, of the modernism, very whole is poisoned; it leaves the heresy and leads to the heresy, even if all its acts are not formally heretics. It is thus impossible with any catholic conscious and faithful of adopting this Reform and of subjecting some manner to it that it is. (…)

This is why without any rebellion, any bitterness, no resentment we continue our work of sacerdotal formation under star of magistère of always, persuaded which we cannot make more large a service to the Holy Catholic church, Sovereign pontiff and the future generations. ”

Consequently, in spring 1975, the bishop of Freiburg withdraws his authorization with sacerdotal Fraternity Saint-Magpie X.

In spite of that, Mgr Lefebvre decides to continue its education act of priests, and, in June 1976, it orders 13 priests without letters dimissoires .

The July 22nd 1976, Paul VI striking Marcel Lefebvre of a suspense has divinis , for ordinations without letters dimissoriales and Fraternity is dissolved.

In answer, in an interview with the Barber, Mgr Lefebvre describes the Vatican II like “a schismatic council” and wonders publicly about the legitimacy of Paul VI. And on August 29th, Mgr Lefebvre celebrates the “mass of Lille”. February 27th, 1977, of the faithful traditionalists, carried out by Mgr François Ducaud-Le Bourget, return the church Saint-Nicolas-of-Hanging-post to the Tridentin rite.

On the political plan, it is close to the capacities openly Christian, granting its blessing to preserving movements, even to dictatorial modes. Thus in 1976, it expresses an indirect support for the mode of the general Videla, in Argentine. In the same way, in 1985, it states to admire the modes that set up Franco and Salazar, in particular greeting the fact that these two countries had known to remain neutral during the Second world war, saving not only their population, but also the many Jews which resided at it. Lastly, the same year, it grants its support, in the daily newspaper Présent , with Jean-Marie Le Pen, president of the National front, as an only politician clearly opposed to the Avortement. He will be admired besides by various personalities classified with the extreme right-hand side like François Brigneau and Roland Gaucher.

In spite of the tensions between Mgr Lefebvre and Rome, the relations are never broken and many mails are exchanged in order to find a solution apaisée' '.

Rupture

The conflict between Mgr Lefebvre and Rome is exacerbated in 1986. Indeed in this year, the Pope Jean-Paul II organizes with Assise, a interreligieuse meeting where the representatives of all the religions are invited to request for peace, but each one in front of its God. For example, the statue of Buddha is placed on the gate vault of the furnace bridge of the church Saint-Pierre d' Assise when the Buddhists celebrate there a worship of mantras. The pope asks that all the bishops follow his example, which occurs shortly after in Warsaw, Bari, Malta, Brussels, Canberra, Einsiedeln, etc.
Mgr Lefebvre considers these practices incompatible with the tradition of the Church and opposites to the first command of God: “only one God you will adore! … I am jealous God”. He sends to the pope an image with the text of psalm 95 of the Vulgate of the Scriptures: “The gods of nice are demons”.

Mgr Lefebvre considers that Rome does not want to make the “experiment of the Tradition” and consequently decides to crown bishops, with or without the approval of Rome, “to make survive the Tradition of the Church”.

However neither Mgr Lefebvre nor the pope Jean-Paul II want a rupture and try to maintain the dialog. In 1987, the pope names the cardinal Gagnon mediator. This one returns visit to many houses of Fraternity Saint Pie X; he concludes his round on very laudatory remarks and submits to the pope Jean-Paul II a report on these visits.

An agreement is signed on May 5th, 1988 by cardinal Ratzinger and Mgr Lefebvre, in particular approving the principle of the nomination of a bishop so that the work of Fraternity is maintained. But the attempt at reconciliation fails and the following day, Mgr Lefebvre retracts its signature.

June 30th, 1988, Mgr Lefebvre, assisted Mgr Antonio of Castro-Mayer, sacring bishops Bernard Fellay, Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson and Alfonso de Galarreta, the following day, the cardinal Gantin, prefect of the Congregation of the Bishops, declares the four new bishops, like Mgr Lefebvre and its Co-celebrating, excommunicated latæ sententiæ under the guns 1364-1 and 1382 of the canonical Code of right.

Certain close relations of Mgr Lefebvre and its Fraternity refuse the term of schism by quoting the Father Jone O.M.Cap who writes in 1934: “Is schismatic that which, by principle, does not want to be submitted to the pope… but is not schismatic that which simply refuses to obey the pope, while at the same time it would be for a long time. ” Gold Mgr Lefebvre forever disavowed catholic papacy, like made, for example, the orthodoxe schismatics (the “Photiens”). It is only question of a sharp discussion and a systematic disobedience relating to certain texts of the council the Vatican II and its reforms.

Mgr Lefebvre dies the March 25th 1991 (festival of the Annunciation), leaving behind him Sacerdotal Fraternity Saint-Magpie X, established in more than fifty countries out of the five continents. In spite of the act of rupture posed formally in 1988, the relations between Rome and the wire of Mgr Lefebvre are maintained still today.

Notice

The controversy on the Liturgie, born from the Concile Vatican II, which gave rise to the current called familiarly “traditionalism” by much of catholics, should not be confused with the key question of the Tradition (with a Majuscule), who is to know if the writings alone ( sola scripture according to the expression Lutheran) are enough (the Bible, and which version), or if it is necessary to also rest on the Christian Témoignage of in the Histoire, position defended by the Catholicisme, and not always accepted by the other Christians.

Works

nonexhaustive List ; Books

1976: I show the Council (compilation of texts and documents translated for the majority of Latin, 1962-1966). ED. Saint-Gabriel, Martigny, 116 p.
1976: the Mass of Luther . ED. Saint-Gabriel, Martigny, 20 p. (Joins together evangelic Mass of Luther to new Ordo missæ and Of the Mass and catholic priesthood , conferences pronounced with Florence, on February 15th, 1975, and in Mariazell, on September 8th, 1975.)
1977 : Not: yes with the Catholic church and Roman (talks with Jose Hanu with Mgr Marcel Lefebvre). ED. Stock, Paris, 251 p.
1979: a bishop speaks ED. DM,
1985: Open letter with the perplexed catholics , Paris: Albin Michel, coll “Open letter”. 216 p.
1987: They découronné it: : liberalism with the apostasy, the conciliar tragedy . (Collection of conferences made with the seminars of Écône). ED. Fideliter, Broût-Vernet
1989: Letters pastoral and written: ''. : ED. Fideliter, Broût-Vernet, 336 p.

; Articles

May 1979: Mgr Lefebvre and the Holy Office , re-examined Routes n° 233

Appendices

External bonds

Mgr Lefebvre told by Serge de Beketch.
Diaporama of old photographs

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