New Bishop Fellay Interview (Updated)

A new 54 question interview of Bishop Fellay, Superior General of the Society of St. Pius X, has been posted on the SSPX wesite. Please read whole interview here.

Over all, the interview was rather encouraging, though prudently reticent on some subjects, especially the outcomes of the doctrinal discussions that Bishop Fellay reveals are coming to a close.

There are two very excellent comments from this interview that I would like to highlight. The first speaks to the reason d'etre of this blog. In response to the question of what the lay faithful ought to do, Bishop Fellay said:

The role of the lay faithful is to provide proof in action, for they are the proof that Tradition can be lived today. What the Church has always demanded—traditional discipline—is not only relevant but really viable even today.

I would like to thank the bishop for clearly pointing out the important and crucial role of the lay faithful in the restoration of Tradition. As I have pointed out over and over again here on this blog, the traditional Catholic laity must labor to sanctify our lives and homes by living lives centered on the Eucharist and the Traditional Latin Mass. True restoration and reform has always originated from the fervor of the faithful. Our love of the Traditional Latin Mass and our living out of its commensurate spirituality are the seeds by which the current crisis will be vanquished.

The second comment I would like to highlight is relation to this last point. In response to a question about the importance of traditional liturgy in the restoration of Tradition, Bishop Fellay had this to say:

The traditional Mass has an absolutely extraordinary power of grace. You see it in the apostolic work, you see it especially in the priests who come back to it: it is truly the antidote to the crisis. It is really very powerful, at all levels. At the level of grace, at the level of faith…. I think that if the old Mass were allowed to be truly free, the Church could emerge rather quickly from this crisis, but it would still take several years!

Love and promote the Traditional Latin Mass!

___________

Update: Fr. Zuhlsdorf provides some positive commentary concerning this interview here. I do take exception with Fr. Z's "overly sanguine" comment, though. I think his initial reaction to the bishop's words as "sanguine" comes from that hint of clericalism that often comes from Fr. Z. It is living the faith, and not so much the leadership of prelates, that sparks real reform, and this principle, I think, is at the heart of Bishop Fellay's words regarding the importance of the Traditional Latin Mass.