DICASTERY FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE
FAITH
PROCEDURE FOR THE RECONCILIATION OF PRIESTS COMING FROM THE PRIESTLY FRATERNITY OF SAINT PIUS X
The procedure followed by the
Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, effective July 1, 2026,
provides that a priest who has decided to leave the Priestly Fraternity of
Saint Pius X, who is willing to accept the Second Vatican Council and the
legitimacy of the Novus Ordo Missae, while remaining attached to
the usus antiquior, must:
(1) Find
an Ordinary (a diocesan bishop, a major superior of a clerical
pontifical institute of consecrated life, a clerical pontifical society of
apostolic life, etc.) who is willing to receive him ad experimentum.
(2) Write,
in his own hand, a letter to the Holy Father introducing himself and
requesting the remission of the censures incurred either because he received
priestly ordination from an excommunicated or otherwise canonically irregular
bishop [c. 1383.1], or because, although validly and licitly ordained, he subsequently
joined the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X.
(3) Attach
his certificate of priestly ordination.
(4) Attach
the Profession of Faith and the Formula of Adherence, dated and signed (see
Appendices A and B).
(5) Have the Ordinary send the above-mentioned three documents to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith together with a covering letter expressing the Ordinary's willingness to receive the priest ad experimentum into his diocese or institute.
Upon receipt of these three
documents from the Ordinary, the Dicastery shall prepare the Rescript
remitting the censures, to be signed by the Prefect and the Secretary of
the Doctrinal Section.
The Dicastery will then transmit the Rescript to the Ordinary together with a covering letter authorizing him to receive the petitioner for a probationary period of not less than one year and not more than three years, at the conclusion of which the priest may be incardinated.
It has recently been decided that, should the probationary period not prove successful, the Ordinary is to return the Rescript to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith together with a report explaining the reasons why incardination did not take place.
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DICASTERY FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE
FAITH
PROCEDURE FOR THE RECONCILIATION OF
CERTAIN LAY FAITHFUL COMING FROM THE PRIESTLY FRATERNITY OF SAINT PIUS X
This procedure concerns the question of imputability, or the degree of personal responsibility, of lay members of the faithful who have formally adhered to, or regularly attend, the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X and who seek to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church.
The imposition of a canonical penalty upon lay persons belonging to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X is not to be presumed automatically, but must instead be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Since imputability requires full knowledge and deliberate consent, examples of established imputability may include:
(1)Lay
members of the Third Order of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X;
(2)
Lay faithful who habitually participate in SSPX liturgical celebrations while
formally sharing its doctrinal positions.
Conversely,
the following are not ordinarily to be considered imputable:
(3)
Lay faithful who attended the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X solely for
liturgical or spiritual reasons;
(4) Lay faithful who, although aware of the tensions with the Holy See, do not reject either the Magisterium or the authority of the Roman Pontiff.
If a lay member of the faithful belonging to the categories described in nos. 1–2 has incurred a canonical penalty and seeks full communion with the Catholic Church, the procedure requires a formal act expressing full adherence to Catholic doctrine and obedience to the Church's hierarchy under the jurisdiction of the local Ordinary, who is the guarantor of the unity of the particular Church.
Accordingly, such a lay member of the faithful must:
- Present to the local Ordinary the Profession of Faith and the Formula of Adherence, duly dated and signed (see Appendices A and B).
After receiving the required documentation, the local Ordinary shall receive the lay faithful at the time and in the manner he judges most appropriate, making use, for example, of the Rite of Reception into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church of Those Already Validly Baptized, suitably adapted.
With respect to the lay faithful described in nos. 3–4, it is sufficient that they approach a priest who is in full communion with the Church and resolve not to attend the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X in the future.
PROFESSION OF FAITH
I, _______________________________________________
with firm faith believe and profess each and every article contained in the Creed, namely:
[Nicene Creed]
Amen.
With firm faith, I also believe everything contained in the word of God, whether written or handed down in Tradition, which the Church proposes as divinely revealed, whether by solemn judgment or by her ordinary and universal Magisterium.
I likewise firmly accept and hold each and every teaching definitively proposed by the Church regarding faith and morals.
Moreover, with religious submission of will and intellect, I adhere to the teachings which either the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops proclaim when exercising their authentic Magisterium, even if they do not intend to proclaim them by a definitive act.
Given at ______________________
Date ______________________
FORMULA OF ADHERENCE
I, _______________________________________________
promise fidelity to the Catholic Church and to the Roman Pontiff, the Supreme Pastor of the Church, the Vicar of Christ, the Successor of Blessed Peter in his primacy, and the Head of the College of Bishops, refraining from every public statement that would oppose either his person or his Magisterium (cf. canons 1373 and 1365 of the Code of Canon Law).
I accept the doctrine taught in No. 25 of the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council concerning the Magisterium of the Church and the adherence owed to it.
With regard to certain doctrines taught by the Second Vatican Council, or subsequent reforms in either the Sacred Liturgy or Canon Law, which may appear to some to be difficult to reconcile with previous declarations of the Magisterium, I undertake to follow a positive approach to their interpretation under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium, so that none of these teachings may be separated from the remainder of the Church's sacred doctrinal patrimony.
I further declare that I accept the validity of the Sacrifice of the Mass and of the Sacraments celebrated with the intention of doing what the Church does, and according to the rites contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal and the ritual books promulgated by the Supreme Pontiffs Paul VI and John Paul II.
Finally, I promise to adhere to the common discipline of the Church and to her laws, especially those contained in the Code of Canon Law promulgated by Pope John Paul II.
I have signed all of the above in my own hand.
Given at ______________________
Date ______________________
