SSPX decries rumored rejection of Vatican statement

Moving to subdue rumors, the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) has issued a reminder that any authoritative response to a Vatican offer must come from the group’s leadership.

The SSPX issued its statement after a British traditionalist group reported that the SSPX leadership had decided against accepting a “Doctrinal Preamble” that the Vatican had drafted as a prelude to regularizing the status of the group.

SSPX leaders met in October to discuss the Doctrinal Preamble. No formal statement has been made to indicate the group’s response. The Vatican has indicated that if the SSPX accepts the document, its status within the Church might be consolidated, perhaps in the form of a personal prelature.

A British arm of the SSPX said that the Doctrinal Preamble was unacceptable because it did not concede that Vatican II statements were at variance with prior Church teachings.