The Vatican's doctrine head says hope must be maintained for full communion between the Society of St Pius X and the Catholic Church, despite his telling a German radio network that talks with the society are off for now, reports the Catholic News Agency.
“I’m always confident in our faith and optimistic. We have to pray for goodwill and for unity in the Church,” Archbishop Gerhard Muller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, told Edward Pentin of the National Catholic Register.
This news comes amidst reports he said there would be no further talks with the traditionalist society, after an interview with North German Radio which aired over the weekend.
Archbishop Muller affirmed that the talks are not “a dialogue between two Church partners” and described them as a “brotherly colloquium to overcome difficulties with an authentic interpretation of Catholic doctrine.”
“I believe that these problems will be resolved in the long term,” he stated.
The society, the archbishop said, must accept the Pope as head of the Church, “doctrinal pronouncements made since the Second Vatican Council,” and the new Mass as “valid and legitimate.”
The biggest obstacle for the society's reconciliation has been the teaching on religious liberty in Vatican II, which it claims contradicts previous Catholic teaching.
FULL STORY Archbishop Muller stresses hope as SSPX talks hit impasse (CNA)