Most Holy Father,
Prostrate at the feet of Your Holiness, I assure you of my entire and filial submission to the decisions communicated to me by the commission of Cardinals in what concerns the Fraternity of St. Pius X and its Seminary.
However, Your Holiness will be able to judge by the enclosed account1 if, in the procedure, Natural and Canon Law have been observed. When I think of the toleration Your Holiness shows with regard to the Dutch bishops and theologians like Hans Küng and Cardonnel, I cannot believe that the cruel decisions taken in my regard come from the same heart.
If it is true that the only ground of accusation against me that is retained is my Declaration of 21 November 1974, I beg Your Holiness to refer me to the competent Congregation: the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Oh, how I wish Your Holiness would deign one day to welcome the members of the Sacerdotal Fraternity of Saint Pius X and its seminarians, with their poor superior! Your Holiness would see at once their deep devotion to, and veneration of, the Successor of Peter and their unique desire to serve the Church under his shepherd's crook.
There is no doubt that their concern to preserve a pure and full faith in the midst of the confusion of this world's ideas joins us with Your Holiness's concern, and if, at times, they express it in a somewhat impassioned way, I ask Your Holiness to pardon a zeal which is excessive but which comes from generous souls ready to give even their blood in defense of the Church and her Head, like the Machabees and all the martyrs.
May Mary the Queen, whose feast we keep today, bring Your Holiness the assurance of our filial affection.
And may God...
†Marcel Lefebvre.
Prostrate at the feet of Your Holiness, I assure you of my entire and filial submission to the decisions communicated to me by the commission of Cardinals in what concerns the Fraternity of St. Pius X and its Seminary.
However, Your Holiness will be able to judge by the enclosed account1 if, in the procedure, Natural and Canon Law have been observed. When I think of the toleration Your Holiness shows with regard to the Dutch bishops and theologians like Hans Küng and Cardonnel, I cannot believe that the cruel decisions taken in my regard come from the same heart.
If it is true that the only ground of accusation against me that is retained is my Declaration of 21 November 1974, I beg Your Holiness to refer me to the competent Congregation: the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Oh, how I wish Your Holiness would deign one day to welcome the members of the Sacerdotal Fraternity of Saint Pius X and its seminarians, with their poor superior! Your Holiness would see at once their deep devotion to, and veneration of, the Successor of Peter and their unique desire to serve the Church under his shepherd's crook.
There is no doubt that their concern to preserve a pure and full faith in the midst of the confusion of this world's ideas joins us with Your Holiness's concern, and if, at times, they express it in a somewhat impassioned way, I ask Your Holiness to pardon a zeal which is excessive but which comes from generous souls ready to give even their blood in defense of the Church and her Head, like the Machabees and all the martyrs.
May Mary the Queen, whose feast we keep today, bring Your Holiness the assurance of our filial affection.
And may God...
†Marcel Lefebvre.
