Whatever, McCarrick was dublicitous in his handing of the Ratzinger letter. He and Mahoney are not facing the "Young Turks" in the Church. IAC. Read Peter Boyle's article in the May 16th New Yorker. It may be that the secularists are beginning to realize that liberal Catholics have been feeding them a line, that they can no longer count on the Conference to support the program of the Democratic Party, But as far as the Tridentine mass is concerned, the pope WILL not subject the people to any monkeying around with the liturgy. As you know this stuff has been going on since the Middle Ages, and all it does to confuse us all. Maritain once wrote that he never expected more from liturgical reform than that the liturgy would be translated into English. Instead we went all the way from a modified form of the dialogue mass to the
1972 reforms. The pope has criticized the turning around of the Altar because it was never mandated and turned the priest into a performer. But as a conservative he knows it is too late to spin it around again.
There are Episcopal churches that still celebrate ad orientem.
B-16 can just start with the "historical" churches and work his way back from there. Might have to pull up and re-set a few floor tiles (and a relic or two if they are under the altar), but they moved 'em out, they can move 'em back.
Why is it too late? I don't think it is too late.
Just put the priest on the other side.