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Bernard Fellay
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Bernard Fellay
Bernard Fellay FSSPX (born 12 April 1958) is a Swiss traditionalist Catholic prelate who served as superior general of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) from 1994 to 2018.
In 1988, Pope John Paul II announced that Fellay and three others were automatically excommunicated for being consecrated as bishops by SSPX Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, an act that the Holy See described as "unlawful" and "schismatic". Lefebvre and Bishop Antônio de Castro Mayer, who co-consecrated the four bishops, were also automatically excommunicated. At the time of his consecration, Fellay was the youngest Catholic bishop in the world, at 30 years old.
In January 2009, at Fellay's request, the Congregation for Bishops, on instructions from Pope Benedict XVI, rescinded the excommunications.
Fellay was born in Sierre, Switzerland in 1958. In October 1977, at the age of nineteen, Fellay began studies for the priesthood at the International Seminary of Saint Pius X at Écône, Switzerland. On 29 June 1982 he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. After his ordination, he was named Bursar General of the SSPX and was stationed at Rickenbach, the headquarters of the SSPX in Switzerland. He continued in that position for the next ten years. He is fluent in French, Italian, English and German, and knows Spanish. Fellay is also an avid biker.
In June 1988 Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre announced his intention to consecrate Fellay and three other priests (Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, and Alfonso de Galarreta) as bishops. Lefebvre did not have a pontifical mandate for these consecrations (i.e. permission from the pope), normally required by Canon 1382 of the Code of Canon Law, despite repeatedly requesting permission and being promised it, but with no timeline being given. On 17 June 1988 Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops sent the four priests a formal canonical warning that he would automatically incur the penalty of excommunication if they were to be consecrated by Lefebvre without papal permission.
On 30 June 1988, Fellay and the three other priests were consecrated bishop by Archbishop Lefebvre and Bishop Antônio de Castro Mayer. On 1 July 1988, Cardinal Gantin issued a declaration stating that Lefebvre, de Castro Mayer, Fellay, and the three other newly ordained bishops "have incurred ipso facto the excommunication latae sententiae reserved to the Apostolic See".
On 2 July 1988, Pope John Paul II issued the motu proprio Ecclesia Dei, in which he reaffirmed the excommunication, and described the consecration as an act of "disobedience to the Roman pontiff in a very grave matter and of supreme importance for the unity of the Church", and that "such disobedience – which implies in practice the rejection of the Roman primacy – constitutes a schismatic act". Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, head of the commission responsible for implementing Ecclesia Dei, has said this resulted in a "situation of separation, even if it was not a formal schism."
The SSPX denied the validity of the excommunications, saying that the consecrations were necessary, according to canon law, which allowed bishops to be consecrated without a papal mandate in situations perceived to be grave, with the SSPX citing the moral and theological crisis in the Catholic Church.
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Bernard Fellay
Bernard Fellay FSSPX (born 12 April 1958) is a Swiss traditionalist Catholic prelate who served as superior general of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) from 1994 to 2018.
In 1988, Pope John Paul II announced that Fellay and three others were automatically excommunicated for being consecrated as bishops by SSPX Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, an act that the Holy See described as "unlawful" and "schismatic". Lefebvre and Bishop Antônio de Castro Mayer, who co-consecrated the four bishops, were also automatically excommunicated. At the time of his consecration, Fellay was the youngest Catholic bishop in the world, at 30 years old.
In January 2009, at Fellay's request, the Congregation for Bishops, on instructions from Pope Benedict XVI, rescinded the excommunications.
Fellay was born in Sierre, Switzerland in 1958. In October 1977, at the age of nineteen, Fellay began studies for the priesthood at the International Seminary of Saint Pius X at Écône, Switzerland. On 29 June 1982 he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. After his ordination, he was named Bursar General of the SSPX and was stationed at Rickenbach, the headquarters of the SSPX in Switzerland. He continued in that position for the next ten years. He is fluent in French, Italian, English and German, and knows Spanish. Fellay is also an avid biker.
In June 1988 Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre announced his intention to consecrate Fellay and three other priests (Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, Richard Williamson, and Alfonso de Galarreta) as bishops. Lefebvre did not have a pontifical mandate for these consecrations (i.e. permission from the pope), normally required by Canon 1382 of the Code of Canon Law, despite repeatedly requesting permission and being promised it, but with no timeline being given. On 17 June 1988 Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops sent the four priests a formal canonical warning that he would automatically incur the penalty of excommunication if they were to be consecrated by Lefebvre without papal permission.
On 30 June 1988, Fellay and the three other priests were consecrated bishop by Archbishop Lefebvre and Bishop Antônio de Castro Mayer. On 1 July 1988, Cardinal Gantin issued a declaration stating that Lefebvre, de Castro Mayer, Fellay, and the three other newly ordained bishops "have incurred ipso facto the excommunication latae sententiae reserved to the Apostolic See".
On 2 July 1988, Pope John Paul II issued the motu proprio Ecclesia Dei, in which he reaffirmed the excommunication, and described the consecration as an act of "disobedience to the Roman pontiff in a very grave matter and of supreme importance for the unity of the Church", and that "such disobedience – which implies in practice the rejection of the Roman primacy – constitutes a schismatic act". Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, head of the commission responsible for implementing Ecclesia Dei, has said this resulted in a "situation of separation, even if it was not a formal schism."
The SSPX denied the validity of the excommunications, saying that the consecrations were necessary, according to canon law, which allowed bishops to be consecrated without a papal mandate in situations perceived to be grave, with the SSPX citing the moral and theological crisis in the Catholic Church.
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