SSPX: B16 Gathers His Chiefs

A friend in Rome just sent me today's article text from Andrea Tornielli in Il Giornale. Below is the translated lede:

The Pope wants to remove the excommunication on the followers of Lefebvre.

Things are moving in relations between the Fraternity of St. Pius X and the Vatican: the Pope wishes soon to bring down the excommunication which was levied on the leaders of the group founded by Archbishop Lefebvre, which comprises four bishops, 480 priests and hundreds of thousands of faithful throughout the world. It's really moving: the morning of Monday, 13 February, at 10.30, Benedict XVI has called a meeting in the Apostolic Palace with the cardinal-heads of the Vatican "ministries" [i.e. the heads of the Congregations and relevant Pontifical Councils], for the purpose of discussing some possibilities of removing the excommunications of the bishops who were ordained by Archbishop Lefebvre in 1988 without
the permission of the Vatican.

Here's the summary of the rest: chief supporter of a deal is said to be Castrillion (no surprise there), while Julian Herranz (cardinal-president of the Council for Legislative Texts and a numerary of Opus Dei) "has long arranged the canonical grounds which foresees the institution of an apostolic administration." Tornielli confirms that the 22 December speech was a watershed for Econe, and that the Pope is "intentioned to render less problematic the old manner of celebrating [liturgy] to the groups of the faithful who request it."

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