Challenge to the Church: The Case of Archbishop Lefebvre

In 1976, as Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre’s defiance of Rome broke into open crisis, the Dominican ecclesiologist Yves Congar, OP, whose work shaped the Second Vatican Council, answered with this short, penetrating book. In it, he shows that what Lefebvre refused was nothing less than the authority of the Church and her understanding of her own nature, and he traces the deeper crisis behind the Écône movement.

Published on the fiftieth anniversary of its first appearance, this new edition arrives just as Écône once again proceeds to illicit episcopal consecrations. Congar’s case for Tradition as the living faith of the Church, not a frozen monolith, speaks directly to a wound that has never closed.

Testimonials:

“Here is a new edition of a penetrating book by Congar, which comes at just the right time. Written in simple language, it provides the essential insights needed to understand the errors and dead ends of Archbishop Lefebvre’s schismatic movement.” – Fr. Joseph Famerée, SCJ, Professor Emeritus of Theology, UCLouvain, Author of L’ecclésiologie d’Yves Congar avant Vatican II

“As Congar points out, the SSPX has chosen the path of Ignaz von Döllinger and, even more, the ‘Old Catholics.’ They, too, argued that it was the pope and Council that erred and that changed ... [Congar] fully recognizes the crisis, even if his diagnoses and solutions would today need to engage even more fully with doctrinal liberalism and perspectivalism, a superficial liturgical and moral life, and the politicization of Christ and eschatology.” – Matthew Levering, PhD, James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

“An entrenched, and often intransigent, schismatic attitude has long been a sad fact of the SSPX’s existence and way of operating. ... In the hope of a rapprochement ... I commend this little book to the reflection of today’s readers.” – Matthew K. Minerd, PhD, Managing Editor, Encyclopedia of Catholic Theology (ECT.org)

“A new edition of Congar’s book is welcome. Not because the situation today is exactly that of when the book was first published in 1976. It isn’t. Not exactly. . . . Yet Congar’s fundamental message remains. Reform of the Church’s life, including the Sacred Liturgy, brings with it certain tensions. ... This book can help reduce tensions, and foster conversion, if its message is heeded.” – Mark Brumley, President of Ignatius Press, Author of The Seven Deadly Sins of Apologetics, Editor of A Study Guide for Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week

“Congar’s analysis remains both prophetic and indispensable for anyone seeking to understand the historical roots of radical traditionalism and the Church’s ongoing struggle for unity after Vatican II.” – Mike Lewis Founder and Managing Editor, Where Peter Is

“Challenge to the Church: the Case of Archbishop Lefebvre is as relevant today as it was in 1976. ... Congar, deeply conversant with the Council and its aims, ... treats the Lefebvre case with a care and courtesy Lefebvre’s supporters rarely reciprocate. In these days when the politics of polarization has infiltrated the sanctuary, it is refreshing to read a man whose overarching concern is communion based on love.” – Gary Campbell, Former priest of the Society of St. Pius X

“‘You cannot be the Church opposed to the Church.’ Such was the painful and prophetic appeal that Fr Congar addressed to Archbishop Lefebvre in 1976, just as the latter was embarking on the spiral of blindness and disobedience that would lead to a grave act of schism. ... Fifty years on, Congar’s appeal has lost none of its force.” – Fr. Henry Donneaud, OP, Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Institut Catholique de Toulouse, Editorial committee, Revue thomiste