The Vatican’s doctrine dicastery has published guidelines for the re-instatement of clerics and lay persons who formerly adhered to the schismatic Priestly Society of Saint Pius X.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued the guidelines on Thursday, the same day the DDF formally declared the bishops and clergy of the breakaway traditionalist order to be in schism and excommunicated.

RELATED: SSPX declared schismatic, clerics excommunicated

DDF sent the guidelines to the bishops of the world through the apostolic nuncios. In the guidelines, an Italian-language copy of which has been obtained by Crux Now, the DDF outlines a five-step procedure for the reinstatement of clerics.

A priest who has decided to leave the SSPX and would return to full communion as a member of the clergy, must first be willing to accept the teachings of the Vatican Council II and recognize the legitimacy of the postconciliar Mass.

Both the Council and the liturgy as it was reformed in the wake of the 1962-1965 ecumenical council have been major sticking points for the Society of St. Pius X since it was founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre as a priestly fraternity in 1970.

The five steps for clergy

Priests who would like to return must (1) find a bishop or religious superior willing to accept him on a trial basis, then (2) write a letter – in his own hand – to the pope, introducing himself and requesting the removal of whatever penalties he is under.

Then, they must (3) provide their certificate of priestly ordination and a specific profession of faith – a Latin copy of which is provided in the guidelines – and a formula adhaesionis – a loyalty oath – both signed and dated, and (4) attach those documents to his letter.

Finally they must (5) have the three aforementioned documents – the ordination certificate, profession, and oath of adherence – sent to the DDF by the bishop of superior, “who shall indicate in the accompanying letter his willingness to accept the priest,” for a trial period.

The guidelines state that the DDF will authorize the acceptance of the requesting priest “for a probationary period of at least one year and no more than three years,” at the end of which the priest may permanently join the diocese or order.

In the event the trial period should prove unsuccessful, the guidelines say the bishop or superior shall return the authorization to the DDF, “attaching a report regarding the reasons for the failure to incardinate.”

Laity 

The section of the guidelines dealing with laity is in some ways more complicated, owing in large part to the fact that, as the guidelines themselves acknowledge, it is difficult to ascertain whether – and if so, to what extent – a lay person did adhere to the SSPX schism.

“The imposition of a penalty on laypersons belonging to the Society of Saint Pius X cannot be presumed automatically,” the guidelines say.

“Rather,” they say determination “must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.”

The key issue, the guidelines say, “concerns the question of imputability, or the degree of subjective responsibility,” of lay persons who have belonged to SSPX and are seeking return to full communion with the Church.

The guidelines mention persons who belong to the “Third Order” – the lay arm – of the SSPX, and persons who “habitually participate” in SSPX celebrations “while formally sharing its doctrinal positions.”

Such persons must submit the profession of faith and the formula anhaesionis – the same as priests – also signed and dated, to the local bishop, who will receive them “at the time and in the manner he deems most appropriate.”

The guidelines also discuss other lay persons who “have frequented the [SSPX] solely for liturgical or spiritual reasons,” or “who, despite being aware of the tensions with the Holy See,” do not reject either the Church’s body of teaching or the pope’s authority.

“It will suffice for them,” the guidelines say, “to approach a priest in full communion, with the decision not to frequent the [SSPX] in the future.”

The guidelines, however, did not explain the reason for the provision regarding the latter sort of lay person, who frequented the SSPX for the liturgy and never rejected the Church’s teaching or the pope’s authority.