Archbishop Lefebvre’s “surprising” legacy

Letter from the District Superior, Rev. Robert Brucciani to Damian Thompson of the Catholic Herald, 25 June 2018

Dear Mr. Thompson,

In your article ‘Archbishop Lefebvre’s surprising legacy’, printed in the Catholic Herald of 22 June 2018, you accuse Archbishop Lefebvre of stubbornness. Indeed, he was stubborn, but his was the stubbornness of a St. Athanasius or a St. John Fisher fighting against heresy, rather than that of a bitter old man that you seem to infer.

You are surprised that his consecration of four bishops without a mandate has borne fruit, but how could it be otherwise? Archbishop Lefebvre was doing his duty as a Catholic bishop: passing on what he had received. He was the champion of Catholic doctrine against the revolution that was the Second Vatican Council. That the Second Vatican Council was a revolution is a boast of its own architects; that it was not inspired by the Holy Ghost is evident from its fruits which are rotten.

Archbishop Lefebvre believed that the restoration of the Catholic priesthood was the means by which the crisis is the Church would be resolved, and he founded the Society of St. Pius X for this end. Its continued survival and growth shows that it is thus-far blessed. It now exists in a canonical limbo, but this is not of choice. It wishes to be secure and free to preach and practice the faith within the visible structure of the Church, but this is not possible through no fault of its own. “We are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all, even until now”, but that is our glory. The Society remains free to remind the world of Catholic truths and is a bulwark against the enemies of the Catholic faith within the hierarchy of the Church, for it is not unreasonable to suggest that, if it failed, these enemies would not be slow to declare open season on the Fraternity of St. Peter, the Institute of Christ the King and all the other Ecclesia Dei communities.

One day, the decision of Archbishop Lefebvre to consecrate the four bishops will be widely hailed as a heroic act of prudence and an example of obedience to the higher law of doctrine rather than to the law of a man, even if that man be the pope himself.

Thank you for asking for prayers for the repose of the soul of the Archbishop. Please may your readers pray for his successors too.

Yours, in Christo Sacerdote,

Rev. Robert Brucciani
District Superior of Great Britain Society of St. Pius X

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