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With a decree and explanatory note from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican on Thursday declared the excommunication of the bishops of the Society of St. Pius X following their illicit episcopal consecrations on July 1.
The wording of the decree was simple and to the point, addressing by name the six men who directly participated in the consecrations which were, as they had been previously been warned, a double canonical crime — the consecrations themselves and the schism which they manifested.
While no informed observer ever doubted such would be the consequences for the bishops, there has been considerable discussion about what wider canonical effects the new SSPX schism would have for its associated clergy and faithful.
But, while the interventions of the DDF on Thursday might make sense to canonists, the exact wording of the Vatican’s responses have already been the subject of a barrage of commentary, much of it arguing against its effectiveness and legal coherence.
The challenge facing the hierarchy now, both in Rome and at the local level, will be explaining the
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