No conversation about the SSPX is complete without the word “obedience” being thrown around. And, in all fairness, the nature of obedience is really at the heart of the matter, so this makes sense. However, in the context of these conversations, the notion of obedience seems to frequently take on a character that exalts this particular virtue above all the rest. One gets the impression that modern Catholics have been formed with a Bible translation that presents St. Paul’s famous treatises on charity with the word “charity” translated as “obedience”: “And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three,” Paul writes, “but the greatest of these is obedience.”
Now, it may seem like I am caricaturing the position of commentators who oppose the Society, but I don’t think I am. Erudite commentators who oppose the Society, and do so intelligently and in good faith, generally have no issue admitting that the crisis in the Church is unique and universal—meaning that it is grave and cannot be ignored and that it touches on every aspect of the life of the Church, thus it harms the lives of Catholics. Nonetheless, no matter how bad the crisis, or how corrupt the hierarchy may be, and so on, for those who have planted their flag in the “obedience” camp, it is simply beyond the pale that the Society could be justified in its actions.
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