The SSPX and Rome: Movement is Good!

For most of my life, there was a sort of status quo in the matter of the SSPX and Rome. Conciliar clergy accused the SSPX of being schismatic. The SSPX accused the conciliar Church of having lost its way. Both sides regarded each other warily, and nothing changed.

Then, amazingly, things started to happen. First it was small: a public statement by Cardinal Castrillion Hoyos in an interview that the SSPX priests and parishioners were not schismatic. It was not widely covered, but it provided something for SSPX supporters to point to to show that the situation was not as exact as the conciliar clergy made it sound, and gave good reason to hope that the status quo might someday be changed. Then His Holiness Benedict XVI ascended the seat of Peter, and a couple years later we have the landmark, earth-shaking motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, liberating the old mass and meeting one of the preconditions set by the SSPX for reconciliation. Now the Transalpine Redemptorists have reconciled with Rome, which will provide a great opportunity to study the results to see if Rome treats them as they treated Campos or if Rome is ready to have genuine tradition re-introduced to the Church. And the SSPX has responded to the "ultimatum" with a direct request for a.) genuine dialogue over doctrinal issues and b.) the lifting off the decree of excommunication of the bishops in order to facilitate "serenity" in these doctrinal talks.

What will happen now? Are these new developments good, or bad? The way I see it, good or bad, at least there is movement! At least something is happening! After so much time, it's rather exciting.