July 26, 2026 - Pastor Message
July 25, 2026If your brother sins, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
“If your brother sins, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not, take one or two others along with you so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or tax collector. Amen I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:15-18).
The above passage, among others, is the biblical foundation of the Church’s authority to call members to task when they have strayed beyond acceptable Catholic faith or behavior. Like a shepherd tending the flock, the pope and bishops in communion with him are charged with establishing the recognized boundaries of authentic Catholic belief and practice and bringing those who stray back. They do this in many ways, preaching, teaching, and establishing and enforcing Church law. For many of us, especially as Americans, we don’t normally associate Church and law, but Church law, also known as canon law, predates and has influenced nearly all civil legal systems today, including American law, and is absolutely necessary for maintaining unity and order in the Church.
Those who follow Church news have no doubt come across the application of Church law as explained above in the conflict between the Society of St. Pius the Tenth (SSPX) and the Church, the supreme authority of which is the pope and expressed through the offices at the Vatican that work directly with him, like the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF). SSPX is a traditionalist group who primarily are known for supporting the celebration of the Mass according to the old, Latin rite, though more extreme elements also reject the authority of the teachings of the most recent ecumenical council, Vatican II, and the election of the last several popes. Those same popes, beginning with Pope St. John Paul II, have worked tirelessly to bring the members of SSPX back into the fold, with varying success.
The latest conflict has arisen over the ordination of four bishops by SSPX against the express wishes of Pope Leo, who denied the mandate to ordain them and pleaded, in writing, that SSPX not take this step. Ordaining these men as bishops against the express wishes of the pope would constitute the crime in canon law of schism, rejecting the authority of the pope and the Church, yet that is exactly what SSPX did. This means that the ordaining bishops, as well as those ordained (who are not validly ordained and therefore are not bishops), are, by the law itself (latae sententiae), excommunicated - prohibited from celebrating or receiving the sacraments, except in danger of death.
Does this mean that everyone who associates with SSPX is also excommunicated? The answer is - not necessarily. The decree declaring the excommunication of the above men also declares the excommunication of clerics (bishops, priests, and deacons) who belong to the society as well as lay people who “formally adhere” to SSPX, that is, internally (by reason of personal commitment) hold firmly to the tenets of the society, particularly those contrary to Church teaching or authority, or externally by holding office or positions of authority within the society. Those who simply attend SSPX masses, though they are now illicit but not invalid, but do not adhere internally or externally to SSPX are not included in the crime of schism and therefore are not subject to the penalty of excommunication.
Confused yet? Don’t be. I’m sure none of this is of any concern to the vast majority of our parishioners. But I also know that several members of our parish follow Church news and may be confused about the SSPX situation. I hope this column has cleared that up and has also provided a little insight into canon law - I am a canon lawyer, after all! If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me, and let us all pray for unity in our Church, especially in the conflict between the Church and SSPX.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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