In the past, the same Archbishop Müller said: “The four bishops of the SSPX should all resign” and “The seminary should be closed and the students should go to seminaries in their home countries – if they are suitable for this purpose.”

Which is why any Vatican-SSPX negotiations that would be restarted cannot involve Archbishop Müller. Archbishop Di Noia, who is no traditionalist based on the comments you quoted, is still a lot more reasonable.

If unity is the goal, then it is clear who needs to be representing the Vatican for the pope, and who needs to get out the way so negotiations can resume. Pope Benedict XVI has made it clear he wants negotiations and unity.

“I find it interesting how those on the extreme right will (justly) denounce progressive Catholics who deny dogma yet cover for extremists who deny a council(!).”

Since it is perfectly clear that Vatican 2 was not a dogmatic council but merely a pastoral one, which by Pope Paul’s own insistence did not proclaim anything dogmatically, it follows that any Catholic in the world can criticize Vatican 2. It also follows that the SSPX like everyone else is perfectly free to question the troubling statements coming from that woebegone Council while still remaining a loyal Catholic subject to the authority of Christ’s Vicar on earth who is now Benedict XVI.

Abp. Di Noia said:

“Vatican II repudiated anti-Semitism and presented a positive picture of Judaism. John Paul II took us further in recognizing the significance of the Jewish People for Christianity itself. This is a new concept which we know the Traditionalists will not be able to accept immediately. Convincing them will take time, and in this respect we will have to be patient.”

Both sides could do more — but with the extreme SSPX opponent Archbishop Müller in this position, it is not likely we will see progress.

Get Archbishop Müller out of the way (hello, Di Noia???) and there is at least a chance talks can start up again.

Bp. Williamson was expelled, and not Bp. Bernard Tissier de Mallerais or Bp. Alfoso de Galarreta, solely because he was an easier scapegoat; with the Holocaust albatross hanging round his neck, it was an easy choice.

Bp. Fellay got rid of him to help in his talks with Modernist Rome, but if anyone thinks that the SSPX is in lockstep when it comes to such “reconciliation” (read capitulation), then that person is hopelessly out of touch.

In reality, the goal of the ouster is to achieve that sort of forced unanimity by squelching any dissenting opinions, ironically, just as the bishops’ letter warned would be the result of surrendering to the Vatican II sect. Bp. Fellay is well aware that there are not a few in the Society that strongly disapprove of the direction he’s taking the group, but he hopes this will silence his critics once and for all.

As with all dictators, he holds his opinion to be greater than anyone else’s. In this case, even greater than his three brother bishops.

I worry about how many Medjugorje could split off from the Church if Rome denounces it, I also worry about how many Catholics will leave the Church if the SSPX further splits or says no to reunion once and for all.