A personal prelature with a view to “any recognition” of the Society of St. Pius X (Lefebvrians). This is the proposition made yesterday in a “draft document” to mgr. Bernard Fellay, superior general of the Society of St. Pius X, during a meeting with card. William Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and president of the Pontifical Commission ‘Ecclesia Dei‘. This was revealed today by a release from the Vatican Newsroom, which takes stock of yesterday’s meeting. “The purpose of the meeting”, attended by mgr. Luis Ladaria, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, mgr. Guido Pozzo, secretary of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, and one of mgr. Fellay’s assistants, “was - the release says - to present the Holy See‘s evaluation of the text submitted in April by the Society of St. Pius X in response to the Doctrinal Preamble which the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith had presented to the Society on 14 September 2011. The subsequent discussion offered an opportunity to provide the appropriate explanations and clarifications. For his part, Bishop Fellay illustrated the current situation of the Society of St. Pius X and promised to make his response known within a reasonable lapse of time”. (continued)

“Also during the meeting - the release goes on - a draft document was submitted proposing a Personal Prelature as the most appropriate instrument for any future canonical recognition of the Society”. The release issued today states that “the situation of the other three bishops of the Society of St. Pius X will be dealt with separately and singularly”. At the end of the meeting, the release says, “the hope was expressed that this additional opportunity for reflection would also contribute to reaching full communion between the Society of St. Pius X and the Apostolic See”.