February 19, 2012
His Eminence
William Joseph Card. Levada
President of the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”
Palazzo del Sant'Uffizio
00120 Vatican City
Most Reverend Eminence,
My name is ___________ and I reside in ______,______, U.S.A. I am writing to Your Eminence in regards to a "Friends of the Society of St. Pius X" chapel here in ________ called __________ Roman Catholic Church whose chaplain is Rev.____________.
In Pope Benedict XVI's letter on March 10, 2009 concerning the lifting of the excommunications of the bishops of the Society of St. Pius X, the Holy Father conveyed that the priests of the Society do not exercise their ministry legitimately within the Church. I do not wish to question the legitimacy of the ministry of the clergy of Society of St. Pius X and that of their affiliates, as this has already been addressed by His Holiness.
My questions strictly pertain to Canon 1248 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law, which states:
The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is
celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the
preceding day.
Based on this information, I have two very specific questions which I would like to ask Your Eminence to answer:
1) Strictly considering the aforementioned canon, would a Catholic fulfill his Mass obligation by
assisting at Holy Mass by attending this "Friends of the Society of St. Pius X" chapel called __________ Roman Catholic Church in _______,_______?
2) Upon the condition that the answer to the first question is in the negative, does a Catholic sin by
assisting at Holy Mass at the aforementioned "Friends of the Society of St. Pius X" chapel?
Please understand that I am neither asking nor expecting Your Eminence to recommend that the faithful attend liturgical services at this or any other chapel affiliated with the Society of St. Pius X.
I wish to thank Your Eminence for taking the time to address this matter for me and answering these two questions. I trust that after receiving Your Eminence’s response that I will have clear and direct answers to each of these two questions that will avoid any further confusion. I can assure Your Eminence of my prayers.
Embracing the sacred purple of His Most Reverend Eminence, I am His Eminence's very humble and obedient servant.
Sincerely,
--
Queen of martyrs press
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