Reaction to the Cruel Suppression in Guadalajara

Fr Zed shares a news release from the Parishioners affected by the suppression of the FSSP quasi-Parish in Guadalajara in the 'spirit of Traditionis Custodes'.

From Fr Z's Blog

I recently shared the sad news about the cold suppression of the faithful in Guadalajara by Francisco Card. Robles Ortega following the cruel and unnecessary Traditionis custodes.

I warmly invite you to resist this cruelty on the part of bishops and Rome by uniting yourself to an informal group committed to daily prayers and acts of mortification in defense of and for the preservation of traditional sacred liturgical worship.  From beneath the jackboot of Traditionis custodes rise up as a Custos Traditionis.  HERE

I received this press release.

Faithful Ask To Be Heard by Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega
Monday, September 27, 2021

Press Release

More than 150 families left in distress

In view of the decree issued by Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega in which he suppresses the quasi-parish of San Pedro en Cadenas in Guadalajara, Mexico, the parishioners who were once part of it are asking to be heard and for the mandate to be reversed.

Without previous dialogue on the part of the Archdiocese with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) nor with the parishioners, the quasi-parish that had as its seat the Church of Our Lady of Pilar in the Historic Center of Guadalajara was eradicated, leaving the parishioners without a series of canonical rights and thus more than 150 families in distress who used to be part of it.

The mandate was issued with the justification of putting into effect the motu proprio Traditionis Custodes (Guardians of the Tradition) issued by Pope Francis in July of this year, where he points out a list of measures to be implemented regarding the Eucharistic celebrations under the Roman Missal of 1962, and leaving to the diocesan bishops the exclusive competence to authorize, in their dioceses, the use of that Missal. It should be noted that nowhere in the pontifical document does it suggest or mandate the suppression of parishes or quasi-parishes already erected under the previous motu proprio
Summorum Pontificum issued by Pope Benedict XVI or before.

For ex- parishioners, who received the news with great surprise, this measure has the forebodes an eventual extinction of the celebration of the Mass according to the Missal of St. John XXIII in the Archdiocese of Guadalajara especially because, despite an announcement in a press conference last July by Cardinal Robles Ortega indicating he would first dialogue with the FSSP, there were no conversations on the subject prior to the declaration.

The edict destroys the work of more than a decade of a devout and vibrant community and leaves the faithful with the uncertainty of who will be responsible in the long term for the celebrations of the Traditional Mass, since it does not ratify the priests of the FSSP in their pastoral responsibility for the faithful with whom they have labored since 2009. This is unfortunate since the priests of this society of apostolic life are experts in these celebrations and their charisma and reason for existing is to attend the parishioners who desire to attend so called Tridentine Mass.

Although the Eucharistic celebrations will continue, they will be limited to the existing ones without being able to celebrate masses for weddings, funerals, or first communions without seeking permission. Meanwhile the documents fails to specify from whom such permissions must now be sought. In addition, they will only be able to be held in the Church of Our Lady of the Pilar, San Javier de las Colinas and in the chapel of Casa Cristo Rey, where the priests of the FSSP in Guadalajara are located.

The parishioners are afraid of being left without the ancient rite that was used by the Catholic Church for more than 1,500 years and that was changed to the so-called Novus Ordo after the Second Vatican Council. The worry stems from that fact that around the world some bishops have eradicated these celebrations completely, such as in the Diocese of Alajuela, Costa Rica where they suddenly cancelled the only Latin Mass in the country and suspended the diocesan priest who celebrated it for deciding, in response, to celebrate the Novus Ordo in Latin.

Despite these measures, which the parishioners point out as cruel and unjust, they have reaffirmed their unwavering fidelity and service to the Catholic Church and the successor of St. Peter, hoping to be heard by Cardinal Francisco Robles Ortega.

FRUITS

In the little more than twelve years that the FSSP has been in Guadalajara, many people have returned to the Catholic Church and to the practice of their faith thanks to its apostolic work. During this time, the community has given the Church four priests, one religious sister, conversions and baptisms of non-Christian adults who are following an authentic spiritual growth. Parishioners participate in a variety of groups, catechesis, and apostolic work such as feeding the poor at hospitals, working in an orphanage, evangelizing in the street, conducting door to door missions, and attending the sick and dying in the hospitals at night and when people come to them because their own priests can’t be found.

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