The Society of St. Pius X was legally established in the diocese of Fribourg, Switzerland, by Bishop François Charrière on Nov. 1, 1970. The Statutes approved by him state: "The Fraternity is a priestly Society of common life without vows, after the pattern of the Society of Foreign Missions."
On Feb. 18, 1971 a decree from His Eminence John Cardinal Wright gave the SSPX Roman approval, thus removing the SSPX from the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Fribourg, and establishing the SSPX as a religious congregation of the Universal Church.
Further proof of Roman approbation is the fact that after this, Rome allowed members of other religious orders to be transferred from their orders to the SSPX. Thus, de facto Rome recognized and approved the existence of the SSPX.
In 1972, French Cardinals and Bishops were jealous that Archbishop Lefebvre's seminary was full and theirs were empty. They denounced Archbishop Lefebvre's seminary as a "wildcat seminary," thus casting doubt on the seminary's legal approval. In Nov. 1974, Pope Paul VI sent Apostolic Visitors to the seminary. Bishops Descamps and Onclin filed a favorable report. In Feb. 1975, Archbishop Lefebvre was called to Rome for a meeting with Cardinals Garrone, Wright and Tabera. On May 6 he received a letter from these same three cardinals saying that in fact the meeting had been a trial; and that the cardinals had been instructed, by an authority they did not name, to tell Archbishop Lefebvre that he had been found guilty and that he must disband the SSPX and close his seminary. Not only had he been misled, but he was never told what he was guilty of.
On the same day, May 6, 1975, Bishop Mamie, the successor of Bishop Charrière, issued a decree that claims to suppress the SSPX. However, this suppression of the SSPX was illegal, as Canon Law states that once a religious order has been approved by a Bishop it can only be suppressed by the Holy See (Can. 493 in the 1917 code, in force at the time; also Can. 584 in the 1983 code). It was clear at the time that Bishop Mamie's suppression of the SSPX was motivated by Archbishop Lefebvre's refusal of the orientations of Vatican II and the new liturgy. Archbishop Lefebvre had stated the previous November 21 1974:
"We hold firmly with all our heart and with our mind to Catholic Rome, Guardian of the Catholic Faith and of the traditions necessary to the maintenance of this Faith... We refuse... and have always refused to follow the Rome of Neo-Modernist and Neo-Protestant tendencies which became clearly manifested during the Second Vatican Council and after the Council, in the reforms which issued from it..."
Following this, Archbishop Lefebvre was suspended for performing ordinations for the SSPX. The reason given was that the SSPX had been suppressed. But since, as we have seen, the SSPX had never been suppressed, the suspension too was null and void. Archbishop appealed to have his case heard in Rome, but this was unjustly denied through the influence of Cardinal Villot and pressure from the French bishops. If he would have adopted the new liturgy, then Archbishop Lefebvre could have continued his seminary with the approval of Rome.
Pope St. Pius V, in his papal bull Quo Primum, gave to all priests the perpetual right to celebrate the Mass of "St. Pius V" and declares null and void any censures against any priest who celebrates this Mass. This bull was never abolished therefore it remains in full force. And even if this bull could be abolished, the fact remains that the traditional Latin Mass that was being protected by the bull is of immemorial tradition, and it is impossible for the Church to abolish its own traditions without destroying itself in the process. And so Archbishop Lefebvre paid no attention to the censures. When in 1987 Cardinal Gagnon officially visited various houses and seminaries of the SSPX, he said publicly that Ecône would serve as the model for the renewal of the Church.
Then on June 30, 1988, Archbishop Lefebvre, with the assistance of Bishop De Castro-Mayer of Brazil, consecrated four bishops, against the expressed wishes of the Pope. In his statement of July 2, 1988, Pope John Paul II stated that the excommunication that had taken place on June 30 was that "envisaged by Canon Law" (Can. 1382, 1983 Code of Canon Law). But Archbishop Lefebvre claimed that he had acted in a case of necessity, which according to Canon Law absolved him of any penalties foreseen by the law (Can. 1323, 1983 Code). It is to be noted that never once did Pope John Paul II declare explicitly "I hereby excommunicate Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre." On July 2, the Pope merely declared that an "ipso facto" excommunication had taken place. It did not, according to Can. 1323 (1983 Code).
We fully acknowledge the hard work done by many faithful 'independent' priests who resisted Vatican II and the New Mass and have fought in the trenches, defending the Traditions of the Church. However, as we look to the future, the great problem is that once the older priests will die, there is no means to replace them and to ensure the future of the Mass of St. Pius V. Faced with this problem, even the most vocal critics of the SSPX will have to admit that it is thanks to the SSPX that the Mass that was celebrated before Vatican II, will now be assured to spread again throughout the world in the future.
As a result of the consecrations performed by Archbishop Lefebvre, the Pope wrote the document of July 2, 1988 in which he established the Ecclesia Dei Commission. The Ecclesia Dei Commission, in turn, created the Fraternity of St. Peter. Both the Commission and the new Fraternity would ensure that those who wanted the traditional Mass should have it made available to them. Thus, the creation of the Fraternity of St. Peter is a result of the consecrations performed by Archbishop Lefebvre.
So now, instead of one religious congregation (the SSPX) dedicated to spreading the traditional Mass, now there were two! And more than this, the Ecclesia Dei Commission in Rome was granting personal celebrets to priests who asked. This would allow these priests to say the traditional Mass at certain times, despite opposition from the local bishop. These measures could only mean a spread of the traditional Mass.
Truly from now on, after June 30, 1988, every priest of the Fraternity of St. Peter, and every other priest who received a celebret from Rome, and all the faithful who were now able to enjoy the traditional Mass thanks to these priests, would have to say "thank you" to Archbishop Lefebvre.