In a February 18 letter to Cardinal Fernandez, Fr. Davide Pagliarani of the Society of St. Pius X explained to the DDF (and the entire Church) why the SSPX could not engage in any dialogue with the Vatican unless all warnings of canonical penalties were removed.
Failing that removal, Pagliarani said, the group would proceed with consecrating bishops against the pope’s wishes on July 1, and seems now to be proceeeding apace.
Their position is based upon two principles.
The first is the SSPX’s belief in the perspicuity of Sacred Tradition: the extent and nature of Sacred Tradition is self-evident, to the point that any dialogue around it is just re-inventing the wheel.
The second premise is that until Rome and the SSPX are aligned on that perspicuity (which is in the SSPX’s view obvious but lacking definition), Rome should overlook a canonical argument that even the society is not disputing: that Rome has the right to approve who is and is not consecrated a bishop. The society is in effect turning down full canonical status for continued ambiguity.
While I remain sympathetic to the society, I believe they have fundamentally misread the moment we find ourselves in.
In regard to the argument itself, I find it lacking.