Knowing that the Lord afflicts those whom He loves with crosses and trials, the General Chapter, which holds within the Institute the supreme authority according to the constitutions (CIC, can. 631), wishes to transmit to the faithful the measures which the Ecclesia Dei Commission has taken with regard to the Fraternity of Saint Peter, and which were communicated to it in a letter from Cardinal Castrillón-Hoyos read by the Secretary of the Commission, Msgr. Camille Perl.In his letter, the Cardinal decides to limit the terms for the Superior General to two successive terms of six years. He declares that he himself will name the new Superior General in the person of Fr. Arnaud Devillers, Superior of the North American District, in the hope of resolving the current situation of conflict. "His first task will be to bring about peace for your Fraternity by working to maintain and even reinforce its common spirituality and to strengthen its familial spirit." The Cardinal also asks that the new Superior change the rectors of the two seminaries. He leaves to the Chapter the work of electing the General Council of the Fraternity, that is, at least two assistants and two counselors.
The General Chapter must admit that it received the news of these measures with stupefaction and great concern. Consequently, it has decided to put forward an Administrative Recourse to the competent authorities. It acknowledges the concern of the Cardinal for the unity of the Fraternity. Nevertheless, this Chapter wishes to manifest its will to see the Fraternity conserve the line present at its foundation. For those who disagree with this line, the General Chapter has officially asked for a peaceful separation. For this reason it has given to the new Superior General the directive to make use of all measures available to him - in the juridical cadre given by the Cardinal - to remain faithful to its proper specificity and to realize its end by the faithful observance of the liturgical and spiritual traditions, in conformity with the dispositions of the Motu proprio Ecclesia Dei of July 2, 1988, and in the spirit of the Protocol of May 5, 1988, signed between the Cardinal Ratzinger and Archbishop Lefebvre.
The Chapter has elected the assistants and counselors of the Superior General: Fr. Patrick du Faÿ, Fr. Jean-Marc Fournier and Fr. José Calvin-Torralbo as assistants, Fr. Bernard Deneke, and Fr. John Berg as counselors.
In the spirit of obedience to the Church which it has always maintained - most notably in its seminaries - and because of the clear threats which weigh upon the Fraternity of Saint Peter, the General Chapter, well aware of the legitimate worries of its friends, asks for their prayers and their sacrifices in order that during this particularly difficult time, our Institute will remain faithful to the intentions of its founders.