Report by Br. Alexis Bugnolo

Traduction française

While ‘Fiducia supplicans’ has ignited a fierce and lively reaction round the world, the 15 Bishops/Abbots of the ecclesiastical province Rome are saying nothing about it on their official websites.

While this does not mean that they have NOT spoken personally or official about the matter, it does show a strong sign that they regard the document as too controversial to stain their public present on the Internet with it.

And this is a good sign. Because these 15 Bishops have the authority to remove Pope Francis for heresy or, more precisely, on account of an invalid claim to the Papacy, as is explained here.

This should be a great encouragement to all those who have not yet participated in the Sutri Initiative, to join the effort.

But this is also a strong sign, that those Catholics round the world, who have already participated and written their letters, have had a great spiritual effect on the entire episcopate of the province.

From a Canonical point of view, the Bishops are in a difficult position: because since ‘Fiducia supplicas’ is heretical, as many Bishops round the world have explained or insinuated, then any Bishop of the province who publicly affirms assent to its errors would give canonically valid testimony for his removal from office under canon 1364. Likewise, if any of them spoke against it, he might expect swift and violent retribution from the increasingly impenitent Pope Francis. — Their only way out of this Catch 22 is to declare the Apostolic See impeded, as I have explained here and here, for that is the canonical ‘get-out-of-penalty-free-card’, as it were.

Likewise, since only those Bishops of the province who oppose heresy, can rightfully call and vote in a provincial council, those who do speak in favor of ‘Fiducia supplicans’ shoot themselves in the foot, as it were, by guaranteeing that they will not be heard in a provincial council.

In my opinion, their collective silence is very significant, therefore, of opposition to the document.

Hopefully, they will take encouragement from the recent theological condemnation of ‘Fiducia supplicans’ by their colleague in the Episcopacy at Mostar, Croatia, Bishop Emeritus Ratko Peric, who closed his analysis by expressing firm hope in the charism of Saint Peter to convince Pope Francis to withdraw his support. For in a provincial council, the first goal is to obtain repentance from an erring pontiff, as the Petition of the Sutri Initiative affirmed 4 months ago.

CREDITS: The Basilica of Saint Peter, as seen from the Via della Conciliazioni. © 2022 — All rights reserved. FromRome.Info.