Just one week after the Letter of the Three Bishops to +Fellay, the Superior General responded with a bizarre epistle, expressing his fear that Rome would no longer tolerate the status quo; that Archbishop Lefebvre would accept Rome’s offer; that some in the SSPX were exaggerating the seriousness of the errors of Vatican II, making of them a caricature that did not correspond to reality, and which consequently would lead to schism, and that this fear urged him to make a deal with Rome!1
The very next day, +Fellay signed the infamous April 15, 2012 Doctrinal Declaration, which accepted the legitimacy of the new Mass, the new sacraments, and agreed to accept Vatican II in the light of Tradition (i.e., according to the hermeneutic of continuity).2
It was a total capitulation, and the SSPX has never been the same.
[At this point, I would urge our readers to review our article “The Psychology of Capitulation: The Doubt which Leads to Betrayal,” here. All the symptoms are on display in +Fellay’s Letter to the Three Bishops, and in his Doctrinal Declaration.]
From this date forward it was civil war within the SSPX, with resignations exceeded only by expulsions. Resistance blogs and Mass venues (already in existence for the previous several months) began to multiply, and denunciations of both sides became commonplace from the pulpit at Sunday Masses.
That which follows is one such resignation letter, penned by Fr. Gabriel Grosso who was at this time stationed in Argentina, and comes just one week after +Fellay’s April 15 Doctrinal Declaration.3
Dear Fr. Bouchacourt,
I am writing to tell you that for some time I have been praying to know what God Our Lord is asking of me. I assure you that I have experienced painful hours because of my disagreement with the authorities of the SSPX. But since I am not a member [with power of decision] and my opinion does not count on these matters, I have decided to inform you of my determination to leave the SSPX.4
I am explaining to you some of the reasons for my decision because you deserve to know them for the charity and understanding that you have shown me since my arrival at the SSPX.
The question is rooted in my different understanding of the facts and correlating them to eschatology. I am not just talking about the Apocalypse, because the issue goes beyond this text since it also refers to the eschatological words of Our Lord and passages from the writings of St. Peter, St. John, St. Paul and the Prophet Daniel.
Since I was in the seminary, I have been reading Fr. Leonardo Castellani and I believe in Bible prophecies, so these ideas concerning the time in which we live are not new to me. I consider that given the current state of affairs, to preach to the faithful that we should reconquer [in the merge with Rome] something that is heading toward death means to not understand our situation.
I believe - and for this reason I decided to act accordingly - that the fight has reached the point spoken of by the Angel to the Church of Sardis: “Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain, which are ready to die. For I find not thy works full before my God” (Apoc 3:2).
Therefore, in my view, to approach modernist Rome is futile, and worse, it is harmful, because until now Rome has shown that it will devour all the traditionalist groups and reduce them to the synthesis that it believes is the Church, that is to say, Vatican II. And, of course, Benedict XVI is the chief mentor of this Church.
Now it seems that you and Bishop Bernard Fellay have faith in him and believe that he will save the Church: “We can indeed hope that God will reward the undeniable valor that Benedict XVI has shown by conceding the two prerequisites that the SSPX solicited, and that He will give him the strength and lights necessary to carry out such a restoration, which seems impossible from the human point of view (your editorial in Iesus Christi n. 121).
The contrast is striking when one considers the Apocalypse "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon," … “And it deceiveth those who dwell on earth.”
Thus I believe that the road taken by the SSPX is drawing it toward its ruin, and this is corroborated by others who have already denounced it (see the resignation of Fr. Juan Carlos Ceriani).
In the Book of Daniel and the Apocalypse, we are warned that our enemies will have divine permission “to make war on the saints and to overcome them” (Apoc 13:7) and nothing, at least nothing visibly organized, will remain that the enemies will not have infiltrated and destroyed. All that will remain will be some irrelevant dispersed faithful. This will not happen, however, without the infidelity of the leaders of the group, because we know that God never abandons man unless man abandons Him first. We have the example of the present day Vatican, completely dominated by its enemies because their members have abandoned Our Lord Jesus Christ.
These considerations – and many others – have distanced me from the SSPX, because [according to you] to preach such words to the faithful would frighten them. I believe, on the contrary, that it is our duty to tell the “the faithful to flee Jerusalem (Rome) before its horrible destruction,” which is the position the SSPX has taken since 2000, as I was told. “When therefore you shall see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by the prophet Daniel in the holy place: let he who reads, hears, and then they that are in Judea, let them flee to the mountains (Mt 24: 15-16).
And we must not approach the Rome anathematized by God: “But should we, or an Angel from Heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have proclaimed to you, let him be anathema.” (Gal 1: 8-0)
Dear Father, since my intention is not to discuss interpretation of texts, I have decided after much prayer and consultation with prudent persons, to take my leave without making any scandal or saying anything to the faithful. I will go and live with my parents in San Francisco (Córdoba Province, Argentina), and there, with the help of God and some persons I know who think as I do on such matters, I intend to persevere in the priesthood.
God bless you and thank you very much for everything.
In Domino,
Fr. Gabriel Grosso
P S. - I was thinking of what we were talking about yesterday and I believe that it is my duty to be faithful to what Our Lord Jesus Christ asks of me.
https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2012/05/letter-of-general-council-of-society-of.html
https://thecatacombs.org/showthread.php?tid=298
The letter originally appeared here: https://traditioninaction.org/HotTopics/f063ht_Resignation.htm
For full disclosure, there is some ambiguity/question regarding whether Fr. Grosso was an actual member of the SSPX, or just a priest friend staying with the SSPX and serving their chapels. A Resistance priest I know who was in South America at this time claims the former. In light of the uncertainty, I included it anyway (and Fr. Grosso is also included on my list of SSPX priests who either resigned or were expelled from the SSPX).
Is there any information on Fr Grosso’s activities currently?