@Cassandra Laments Amen! And THAT is the whole point, and always has been. Further, Archbishop Lefebvre requested a canonical trial to review his case and was refused.
That's not schism...that's bad faith stonewalling of Tradition; an unjust refusal to grant Archbishop Lefebvre's request for a juridically-based hearing which made clear his recognition of the Church's authority; and deliberate destruction of our Patrimony.
Archbishop Lefebvre also acted from well-justified conviction of necessity, which Canon Law specifies suspends any penalty, after continuing discussions with Rome for years; the entire SSPX has now been granted faculties throughout the entire Church -- making it clear they are not in schism for those who doubted; and the so-called "excommunications"were considered null and void by many renowned Canon Lawyers for the reasons mentioned above.
The Pope can't override Canon law (although he did) -- that's what the Courts are for: to review the law and determine if a penalty applies. Rome refused to do this. Just like our President cannot override law (although he does) -- that's what the Courts are for:
to check an abuse of power and prevent injustice, which certainly occurred.Furthermore -- simply put -- well-justified
disobedience while the Church is in a state of emergency (recall that only SSPX had preserved Tradition at the time, while the rest of the Church had jettisoned it wholesale, and exchanged it for sacrilege, guitar, rock and clown Masses, and other unspeakable abuses) is
not a schismatic act. Countless examples of the crisis at that time which prompted his actions are chronicled in Archbishop Lefebvre's
Open Letter to Confused Catholics. 
