The revocation of indefinite suspension to this weblog on Monday will with the posting of this thread itself be terminated. Initially, the thread previously posted this week was going to be the only update but as it happens, something came up involving one of the former contributors to The Lidless Eye Inquisition (LEI) which seemed appropriate to include here considering the subjects we used to write on at sundry times and in divers manner many years ago.

As a result of this rather sudden and perhaps providential development on Monday, the public canonical opinion of Peter J. Vere JCL issued on a matter pertaining to the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) is hereby posted to The Lidless Eye with his explicit permission earlier today to do so. All in-text links of the aforementioned opinion however have been inserted by yours truly. Without further ado:

A number of folks have sent me the following link, in which you mention my name directly, regarding the SSPX.

A few points:

The individual cites my previous position, back when a clear schism existed between the SSPX and Rome. In light of Pope Benedict’s subsequent lifting of the excommunications, the SSPX’s expulsion of Bishop Williamson and those within the SSPX loyal to him, and subsequent rapprochement under Pope Francis, I’m now on record publicly as stating my previous position on this issue is now moot since the SSPX are no longer in a state of schism or display a schismatic mentality.

Likewise, in response to your reader in the comments section, the SSPX are back in communion with Rome. They have even re-established limited canonical ties with Rome in the practice of canon law like any other Catholic diocese or major institute of consecrated life.

Thus the SSPX remain in an irregular canonical situation, but it is slowly being regularized. As such, they can no longer be considered schismatic, or outside of communion with Rome.

Please note my canonical opinion expressed above applies to the main SSPX only. It does not extend to the so-called SSPX Resistance and other groups that broke away under Bishop Williamson from communion with the SSPX.

With the issuance of the above canonical opinion by the former canonist of The Lidless Eye Inquisition, this weblog once again will remain for its archives to be perused but terminated as an active weblog in perpetuity all things to the contrary notwithstanding.

Briefly on A Few Issues...

Though the The Lidless Eye Inquisition (LEI) weblog has remained in suspension in perpetuity without any active contributions to it for reasons specified years ago{1}, it also remains as a sort of museum for issues of a past era. However, I also feel it requires at least a minimal degree of occasional significant updates{2} as they pertain to the general subject matter once so frequently covered here.{3} I am therefore at the moment unsuspending LEI to make a couple of brief updates before returning it to the prior indefinitely suspended state.

--On the matter of the validity of Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) marriages, I had mentioned in a prior update from 2017{4} that regularization in this area was something being looked at by Rome. It just so happens that Pope Francis approved this just a few days after the last update made to this weblog.{5} In the interest of disclosure, I want to explicitly note it here so those who come across this weblog and unaware of this no longer are.

--The faculties for valid confessions being administered by SSPX priests first allowed during the 2016 Jubilee year and extended indefinitely as of the prior update remain intact as well.

--Earlier this year on my other website, I posted a remembrance of former LEI contributor F. John Loughnan and Bill Grossklas, both of whom had their involvement in SSPX themed apologetics in a past era and both of whom I am sure are pleased with the process of gradual reintegration of the SSPX into the Catholic Church that has been taking place in recent years. Those interested in the aforementioned expository musings can read that material HERE.

I await permission from a former contributor to this weblog to post something of interest pertaining to some of the general subjects once covered here in a separate posting before re-suspending The Lidless Eye Inquisition again in perpetuity.

Notes:

{1} To note two reasons, (i) the topics covered here and how they were covered had their day and (ii) I will no longer feign interest in this subject the way I did in the later period of this weblog's active operation.

{2} [M]y previous involvement in these areas made me in conscience feel I need to note these matters at least briefly and in passing from time to time in the interest of the greatest possible accuracy and fairness. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa December 18, 2018)] 

{3} To note one of the two prior examples, there is this one from early 2009.

{4} There is now talk about Rome establishing a procedure for the marriages celebrated by attendees of the SSPX churches as well as of literally today. Marriages celebrated in SSPX churches for decades have been both illicit as well as invalid -a subject covered on this weblog and elsewhere in years past. However, the current news means that the situation concerning many marriages in the SSPX being valid from a certain point forward is an inevitability as well. [Excerpt from The Lidless Eye Inquisition (circa April 4, 2017)]

{5} See the link in footnote four.