Summary of the meeting of Pope Francis with the FSSP

To the members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter

(not for distribution outside the FSSP)

Fribourg, February 29, 2024

Audience with Pope Francis

Following a request from the Fraternity of St. Peter to the Pope, expressed in a letter dated December 8, 2023 from Frs. Benoit Paul-Joseph and Vincent Ribeton, with the approval of Fr. Andrzej Komorowski, the Holy Father replied on December 12, 2023, inviting our confréres to come and meet with him. He received them in private audience at the Vatican on Thursday, February 29, 2024.

The meeting, in which the Pope showed a fatherly care throughout, was an opportunity for them to express to the Holy Father their deep gratitude for the decree of February 11, 2022, by which the Pope confirmed the liturgical specificity of the Fraternity of S. Peter, but also to inform him of the difficulties encountered in its application. Fr. Komorowski informed the Holy Father that the decree had been signed by the Pope on the very day of the FSSP’s consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, at the end of a common novena of prayer. The Pope commented, raising his eyes and pointing his index finger to Heaven: “It is from God”.

The Pope was very understanding regarding the difficulties encountered in various dioceses, particularly in France. He rejoiced at the fruitfulness of the Fraternity of St. Peter in terms of vocations and was deeply impressed by the vitality of our Houses of Formation. He invited the Fraternity of St. Peter to continue to build up ecclesial communion ever more through its own proper charism and the efforts of each of its members, expressing his wish - while respecting the freedom of each individual priest - for the concelebration of the Chrism Mass, or at least for the presence and Eucharistic Communion of priests at this ceremony. He encouraged continued communication with the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. The audience lasted around 25 minutes.

An official public press release with photos will be posted on our websites shortly.