On March 23, 2020, the “new”, liberal SSPX reported that Pope Francis has called for Catholics to jointly pray with non-Catholics.  Below, are the words of the N-SSPX’s report (typos in the original report), describing the pope’s ecumenical call to prayer:

 

A Call to United [sic] in Prayer

 

Pope Francis also took the occasion of his Angelus message to invite “the heads of the churches[1] and the leaders of all the Christian[2] communities, together with all Christians of the various confessions, to invoke the Almighty, the All Powerful God, by reciting contemporaneously the prayer that Our Lord Jesus has taught us.”  The Pope continued:

 

I therefore invite everyone to recite the Our Father at midday [noon Rome time] on March 25 next, on the day when many Christians recall the annunciation to the Virgin Mary of the Incarnation of the Word, so that the Lord may listen to the unanimous prayer of all his [sic] disciples that are preparing to celebrate the victory of the Risen Christ.[3]

 

In the N-SSPX’s report, the “new” SSPX encouraged its followers to join in the pope’s prayer with the heretical and schismatic groups.  Here are the N-SSPX’s words encouraging participation:

 

Pope Francis called on the world to unite in prayer to end the COVID-19 (“Coronavirus”) pandemic and stated he will offer an extraordinary blessing.

 

Those faithful who attend chapels administered by the United States District of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) are encouraged to unite themselves in prayer with the Pope.[4]

 

By encouraging its followers to join in this prayer with the false (anti-Catholic) religions, the N-SSPX is promoting the conciliar church’s false ecumenism.  As Vatican II says: “[I]t is allowable, indeed desirable, that Catholics join in prayer with their separated brethren.”  Unitatis Redintegratio, §8.

 

The N-SSPX’s ecumenism contradicts Catholic Tradition and is a mortal sin.  The Catholic Church “has constantly forbidden Her children to hold any communication, in religious matters, with those who are separated from her communion”.[5]

 

From very ancient times, the Church has forbidden joining with heretics to pray: “If any bishop, or priest, or deacon, shall join in prayers with heretics, let him be suspended from communion”.[6]

 

Further, the Council of Laodicea decreed: “No one shall pray in common with heretics or schismatics”.  Council of Laodicea, Canon 33.

 

A reader might wrongly suppose that the only problem with joining the heretics or schismatics in prayer is that the wording of the prayers themselves might be heretical.  But the Catholic Church has always forbidden joining with heretics and schismatics in prayer even if the words of the prayer are good in themselves, such as the psalms.  Here are the words of Bishop Hay, teaching us about the Council of Carthage’s declaration which forbids Catholics to pray even the psalms with heretics:

 

[I]n one of Her [viz., the Catholic Church’s] most respected councils, held in the year 398, at which the great St. Augustine was present, She speaks thus:

None must either pray or sing psalms with heretics; and whosoever shall communicate with those who are cut off from the communion of the Church, whether clergyman or laic [i.e., layman], let him be excommunicated ….[7]

 

The Catholic Church’s constant prohibition against praying with heretics and schismatics makes perfect sense because those outside the Church maintain the posture of being enemies of God.[8]  It would be complete stupidity (as well as a great scandal) to join with God’s enemies to attempt to be heard by Him.  For “God doth not hear sinners: but if a man be a server of God, and doth His will, him He heareth.”  St. John’s Gospel, 9:31.[9]

 

 

Conclusion

 

The “new” SSPX has joined the conciliar church.  Whereas Archbishop Lefebvre rightly condemned the ecumenical joint prayer initiatives of the conciliar church, (e.g., at Assisi), the N-SSPX encourages its followers to pray with the heretics and schismatics, along with Pope Francis.