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| S. S. PIO XII Y MONS. LEFEBVRE |
Marcel Lefebvre was born in Tourcoing on November 29, 1905 into a family of industrialists from the north of France. After finishing high school, he followed in his older brother's footsteps by entering the French Seminary in Rome in October 1923.
Archbishop Lefebvre always
held in high regard the rector of the French seminary, Father Henri Le Floch,
who educated him in love and veneration of the teachings of the Popes. The
Rector of the seminar energetically explained the great encyclicals that
condemn modern errors, such as liberalism, modernism and communism.
On September 21, 1929 , Marcel Lefebvre was
ordained a priest by Bishop Lienart, in Lille, France.
He then returned to Rome to
prepare for his doctorate in theology, while serving as grand master of
ceremonies at the seminary. Having already earned a doctorate in
philosophy, he obtained his doctorate in theology on July 2, 1930 at the
Gregorian University in Rome.
From 1930 to 1931 he served as parochial
vicar in a working-class neighborhood in Lille, while waiting for his bishop's
permission to enter the community of the Fathers of the Holy Spirit (missionary
Congregation).
He began his novitiate on
September 1, 1931. After making his religious profession on September 8, 1932 , he embarked on November
12 of that year for Libreville (Gabon), where he was appointed seminary
professor, a position he held until 1934, when he was appointed rector until
1938. On this date, suffering from malaria and being completely exhausted, he
was sent by his superiors to "rest in the jungle" on a mission.
From 1938 to 1945 , Father Marcel was
superior of various missions in Gabon. He shows there a great sense of
organization, and being an excellent administrator, always attentive to
improving the facilities to facilitate everyone's tasks: this is how he has
electricity generators, machinery, running water, etc. installed in the
missions.
In October 1945 he was called to France
where he was in charge of the Philosophy Scholasticate of the Spiritans, in
Mortain (Manche). He then dedicates himself to rebuilding the house, which
had been damaged during the war, and to train his seminarians according to the
teachings of the Popes.
On June 25, 1947, he learned
that he was appointed Vicar Apostolic of Dakar (Senegal) , and on September 18, 1947 , he was
consecrated bishop in the Church of Notre Dame des Anges, in
Tourcoing, France.
In 1948 , Pius XII appointed him Apostolic Delegate for the countries of
French Africa, that is, the equivalent of Apostolic Nuncio. Furthermore,
as the delegate must have the rank of archbishop, Archbishop Lefebvre was
appointed Titular Archbishop of Arcadiopolis in Europe. He was thus the
Pope's representative in a diocese, 26 apostolic prefectures and 17 apostolic
vicariates, in a territory that ranged from Morocco and the Sahara, to
Madagascar and La Réunion, through French West Africa, Cameroon, Equatorial
Africa and French Somalia, with a Catholic population of more than two million
faithful. Being Archbishop of Dakar (Senegal) . In 1949, the French
Overseas Minister presented him with the Knight's Cross of the French Legion of
Honor in front of the cathedral.
 SERMON AT PONTIFICAL MASS |
At least once a year, the Apostolic Delegate
reports to the Pope on his action and at the same time receives directives from
him. In this way he was in relationship with all the dicasteries of the
Roman Curia. In the Secretary of State, where he goes as a diplomat,
Bishop Lefebvre frequents the two substitutes: Bishop Tardini and Bishop
Montini; the latter (the future Paul VI) received the delegate kindly, but
showed no sympathy for his ideas.
After the election of John
XXIII in 1958, Archbishop Lefebvre was removed from his post as Apostolic
Delegate, but remains Archbishop of Dakar . But for his
uncompromising frankness in defending the teachings of the Popes and for his
denunciation of the "believing socialism" of Senegalese President
Senghor, he earned the latter's wrath and undoubtedly contributed to hastening
his desired (quietly) resignation. for Rome.
In 1962 he was transferred from the
Archdiocese of Dakar to the Diocese of Tulle , in France, but retaining the personal title
of Archbishop. The French bishops pressured Rome not to be appointed
Archbishop of Albi, as had been planned, and only accepted his arrival in
France on the condition that he be sent to a small diocese. The French
bishops did not want him for his "integralist tendencies," that is,
traditional.
In the diocese of Tulle, the
situation was somber due to the decrease in vocations, little religious
practice, poverty and discouragement in which the priests
lived. Archbishop Lefebvre contemplates strong measures: he encourages the
priests of him, visiting them and supporting them. He was very impressed
by the difference he could see between the flourishing missions he left behind
in Africa and the desolation he found in the dioceses of France.
On July 26, 1962 , Archbishop Lefebvre
was elected, by a large majority, Superior General of the Fathers of the Holy Spirit . He had been
Bishop of Tulle for only 6 months.
On January 25, 1959 ,
Pope John XXIII announces the convening of an ecumenical
council. Archbishop Lefebvre is appointed member of the Central Preparatory Commission of the Council , attending all the
sessions, sometimes presided over by the Pope, and will witness clashes,
sometimes violent, between the liberal tendency and the conservative members of
the Commission. This he saw as a bad omen for the future council.
During the council, faced with
the growing importance of modernist theses, and with the support of a prepared
and organized group, he decided to create, with other bishops, the Coetus Internationalis Patrum (International Group of Fathers) of which he was its
first president. . He knows Mons. Antonio de Castro Mayer, bishop of
Campos, in Brazil, who will also be part of the Coetus . Through
his fight within the Coetus and through his interventions,
Archbishop Lefebvre fights against the modernist influence that spreads in the
council, but the results were insufficient.
As Superior General of
the Spiritans , he fights against relaxation and theological
deviations, but unfortunately without success, because the superiors he appoints
are not always worthy of his trust. He reforms the organization of the
Congregation; he transfers the General House from Paris to Rome; he
travels the world to visit homes, encourage and organize.
In 1965, the 'updating'
( aggiornamento ) of the religious congregations, requested by
the Council, begins. Archbishop Lefebvre wants this reform to be carried
out in the sense of correcting deviations, and of a greater sanctity of
religious life. He is not opposed to all reforms, even bold ones, as long
as they are part of fidelity to the founders. At the General
Chapter of the Congregation, in 1968, some members try to
put it aside and the prevailing mood in favor of reforms is unhealthy. In
order not to have to sign the decrees that would put the congregation to modern
taste, Bishop Lefebvre leaves the General Chapter, and once his successor has
been chosen, he retires to a guest house run by nuns in Rome. He is
sixty-three years old.
For several years it has been
requested by priests, and above all by seminarians, who are looking for a
serious formation. He directs them at first to the French Seminary in
Rome, run by the Spiritans, thinking that there they could maintain a healthy
line, but unfortunately, it was not so, since the rector of the seminary paid
little attention to the advice of the Superior General .
So Monsignor directs certain
seminarians to a religious society established in Rome (of Fr. Theodosios), and
others to the Catholic University of Fribourg , in Switzerland. At the insistence of
new priests and seminarians who implore him to found a priestly work, he
submits to the decision of the Bishop of Freiburg, a friend of his, who
willingly authorizes him to open a "hostel" for seminarians from all
countries.
Thus the seminary was
born. Archbishop Lefebvre rents twelve rooms in a religious hostel in
Freiburg, and receives the first candidates on October 13, 1969 . The beginning was
difficult, the dropouts were numerous, in addition to the fact that Archbishop
Lefebvre fell seriously ill.
In June 1970 , he bought a house,
also in Freiburg, to house the seminarians who continue their studies at the
university; on the other hand, with the permission of Bishop Adam, Bishop
of Sion (Switzerland), he accepts the Ecône house given to him by the owners, to install
the Year of Spirituality for newcomers (in accordance with the Council, in its
Decree on priestly formation).
On November 1, 1970 , Bishop François
Charrière, Bishop of Fribourg (Switzerland), approved the statutes of the Saint Pius X
Fraternity, written by Bishop Lefebvre, and established it in his diocese . The purpose of the Fraternity,
fixed in its statutes, is “the priesthood and everything that is related to it
and only what concerns it.”
As the courses at the
University of Freiburg are unsatisfactory, Archbishop Lefebvre obtains
permission from the Bishop of Sion to install a complete seminary in Ecône,
which will experience rapid development.
Faced with the anguish and
discouragement of many Catholics, faced with the disappearance of the faith,
the sacking of the liturgy and the loss of all sacred meaning, Archbishop
Lefebvre takes his missionary stick and begins to travel through Europe and the
the whole world, giving conferences, giving encouragement to the helpless
faithful and inviting persecuted priests to come together and keep the faith
without compromise.
In 1973 , at the request of a young Australian,
Archbishop Lefebvre founded with the help of his sister, Mother Marie
Gabrielle, a religious of the Holy Spirit, a religious community, which he had
already thought of during the drafting of the Statutes of the Fraternity.
. These are the beginnings of the Sisters of the Fraternity , who settle in a house
bought in Albano-Laziale, near Rome. Their vocation is to be discreet and
efficient assistants to the priests, while leading a semi-contemplative life (1
hour daily of adoration).
The Brothers of the Fraternity develop around the same
time, and the institution of the Oblate nuns is contemporary
with that of the Sisters of the Fraternity.
In 1971, some pious laymen
asked Archbishop Lefebvre if he had any plans to found a Third
Order. This Third Order is finally erected in
1981, in accordance with the rules established by the founder.
On November 11, 1974 ,
an apostolic visit is made to Ecône, following the denunciations of the French
bishops who are against this seminary, because it maintains the ancient Mass
and Tradition, and because it receives numerous vocations, while their own
seminars are empty.
On November 21, 1974 , Msgr. Lefebvre, in a
vibrant Declaration affirms his attachment
to eternal Rome and his rejection "of the neo-modernist and
neo-Protestant Rome, which was clearly manifested during the Second Vatican
Council and after the Vatican Council." with all the reforms that
originated from there...”
Archbishop Lefebvre is
summoned to Rome for a "chat", but in fact he finds himself before a
tribunal made up of three cardinals. On
May 6, 1975, the Fraternity is unjustly "suppressed" by the bishop of
Freiburg. Archbishop Lefebvre then makes an appeal to the Apostolic
Signatura, but this appeal is blocked by Cardinal Jean Villot, Secretary of
State.
Calmly and peacefully, and
faced with this denial of justice, the prelate decides to continue with his
work, considering that the Fraternity continues to exist, since its suppression
is irregular and in any case unjust.
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On June 29, 1976 , ignoring threats from Rome, and considering that the fight he is carrying out is essential for the defense of the Mass and the faith, Archbishop Lefebvre ordains 13 priests and 14 subdeacons, without dimissory letters. He is then sanctioned with suspension a divinis which should deprive him of the exercise of any sacramental act. This sanction does not bother him or limit him, but, with a high vision of his duty, he continues to lead the good fight against all the deviations that already make the Church waver.
On August 29, 1976, he celebrated a solemn
public mass, in Lille
(France) , before
more than 7,000 faithful, which the press heavily mediated, treating him as a
"rebellious" bishop.
However, he is received in
audience by Pope Paul VI on September 11, 1976 . Monsignor
discovers that he has been gravely slandered before the Pope. The Pope,
however, does not want to give anything in relation to the Mass of St. Pius V,
wishing to impose "his" reform, while Archbishop Lefebvre, in the
name of fidelity to the perennial Church, does not want and cannot accept the
Church "conciliar" nor the new mass.
In September 1976 ,
Monsignor published his book “ I accuse the Council .”
On November 18, 1978 ,
just one month after his election, Pope John Paul II received Archbishop
Lefebvre in audience. The interview begins favorably, but the intervention
of Cardinal Seper, president of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
spoils everything. Archbishop Lefebvre's dossier is placed in his hands .
It is the beginning of a
process that lasts many years, during which the founder of Ecône often goes to
Rome to defend himself and to try to obtain a return of Rome to Tradition ,
guardian of the faith, or at least that it may be freely practiced by the
Fraternity. But neither Cardinal Seper, nor his successor, Cardinal
Ratzinger, are willing to make any favorable gesture in this regard.
In 1983 , Archbishop Lefebvre, already increasingly
disappointed with John Paul II's modernist texts, is deeply dismayed by the new
Code of Canon Law, which translates the deviations of the Council into
law. He then seriously contemplates an episcopal consecration and
takes the path of public protests against the scandals committed in the upper
echelons of the Church.
In 1985 , Archbishop Lefebvre delivered in Rome a
study with thirty-nine propositions or Dubia [Doubts] on
religious freedom, where he shows the discrepancy of the conciliar doctrine of
religious freedom with the previous teaching of the Church.
In October 1986 , the terrible scandal
of the interreligious meeting in Assisi took place, to which Monsignor Lefebvre
responded with a letter signed jointly with Mons. de Castro Mayer.
In March 1987 he receives the response
from Rome to his Dubia . The answer is unsatisfactory. In
June 1987, the archbishop published his book on the destruction of Christ's
social reign, They Dethroned Him .
On June 29, 1987 , Archbishop Lefebvre
publicly announced his intention to seek successors in the episcopate. The
response to the Dubia was the sign he was waiting for to
proceed with the consecrations, since it is more serious, he explains, to
affirm false principles than to do something scandalous. He fixed the date
of the consecration of bishops for the feast of Christ the King (October).
Rome then reacts and proposes
the visit of a cardinal who will only have the task of
information. Archbishop Lefebvre accepts this visit and communicates the
news to the 4,000 faithful who attend the thanksgiving mass for his 40 years of episcopate , on October 3, 1987.
On November 11, Cardinal
Gagnon begins his visit to the Fraternity, which ends on December 8 at Ecône. The
Cardinal will not hesitate to attend the Pontifical Mass of the “suspended”
Archbishop, and the pledge ceremony of the young members in a “suppressed” Fraternity! The visitor's report is, as
far as could be known, favourable.
 EPISCOPAL CONSECRATION
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Negotiations then begin in
Rome between the representatives of the Fraternity and the members of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. These end on May 5 with the signing
of a Protocol of agreement with Rome. But quickly
realizing that Cardinal Ratzinger is unwilling to grant him what he asks, the
Monsignor backs down. He consults, and then on June 2, 1988 , he wrote to the Pope about his decision to
consecrate four bishops on June 30
On June 30, 1988, he proceeded to consecrate
four bishops at Ecône before 10,000 faithful and a crowd of
journalists. During the ceremony, Msgr. Lefebvre clearly explains the case
of serious need in which he finds himself to transmit the episcopate, for the
good of the Church, and despite the opposition of the hierarchy and of
Rome. The "excommunication," within the logic of the Roman
authorities, will fall the next day, but it remains in suspense. This does
nothing but sign the impotence of a once triumphant modernism, but which is
already disintegrating into a corruption that makes its stench felt throughout
the Church.
During the three years that
God will give him, from 1988 until his death in 1991 , Archbishop Lefebvre
will accompany the four auxiliary bishops with his moral presence, will
introduce their immediate heirs into their position, allowing them to confer
from now on the ordinations, to which will attend with modesty.
Despite his failing health, he
made one last intercontinental trip in 1990 to visit Gabon.
On February 11, 1991, he gave his last lecture
to the seminarians of Ecône.
On March 8, he celebrated his
last mass and left for Paris, but on the night of March 9, due to severe pain,
he woke up his driver and asked him to return to Switzerland.
He is urgently hospitalized at
the Martigny hospital. On March 18 he is operated. But on March 24,
Palm Sunday, his condition suddenly worsens.
On March 25, 1991 , the Feast of the Annunciation, Holy Monday , at 3:25 a.m., while
the Superior General and Fr. Simoulin, director of Ecône pray at his side,
Archbishop Lefebvre surrenders his beautiful soul goodbye. R.I.P. †
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