05-20-2022, 05:55 AM
Francis Goes After Next Flourishing Community
gloria.tv | May 20, 2022
Francis ordered an investigation into the French neo-conservative Priestly Community of Saint Martin, founded in 1976, which is composed of 168 priests and about 100 seminarians.
A biased article published on Liberation.fr, a Communist outlet, released this information on May 18. The visitation is slated to start “very soon” and will last at least six months.
Some French bishops are eager to receive Saint-Martin priests into the dioceses to staff their parishes, others hate the group because it presides the Novus Ordo according to the books, uses Latin, and their priests wear cassocks.
The visitation will look at governance, the training of the seminarians, finances, and patrimony to find anything that could be used against the group.
The Vatican is sending a very large investigative commission of four people, led by Mende Bishop Benoît Bertrand who is assisted by retired Perpignan Bishop André Marceau. Both are enemies of Saint Martin.
The superior of Saint Martin, Father Paul Préaux, called this a "periodic pastoral visit" – not a canonical visitation - taking place at his request. But this is likely a pipedream as the official announcement – which Liberation.fr saw – says that it was decided by the Vatican.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre