An Unhappy Anniversary

Self-styled liturgists through-out the world have organized conferences to celebrate what they would term the happy anniversary of Sacrosanctum Concilium. They present it as the blueprint for a program of liturgical renewal which has been received by most of the faithful with joy and transformed their lives. Michael Davies, ex-President of the International Una Voce Federation, begs to differ. He sees Sacrosanctum Concilium as a charter for a disastrous revolution which would undermine the liturgy of the Roman Rite in a manner unprecedented throughout its 2000 year evolution through a process of natural development under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. He has presented his case, the sole dissenting voice, in a new book, which being widely acclaimed as one of the most valuable that he has written, and in which he agrees with Monsignor Klaus Gamber, described by Cardinal Ratzinger, as "the one scholar who, among the army of pseudo-liturgists, truly represents the liturgical thinking of the centre of the Church," that:

"The liturgical reform, welcomed with so much idealism and hope by many priests and lay people alike has turned out to be a liturgical destruction of startling proportions-a debacle worsening with each passing year. Instead of the hoped-for renewal of the Church and of Catholic life, we are now witnessing a dismantling of the traditional values and piety on which our faith rests. Instead of the fruitful renewal of the liturgy, what we see is a destruction of the forms of the Mass which had developed organically during the course of many centuries." The review which follows is published with acknowledgment to The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, having appeared in the November 2003 edition of its journal Mass of Ages. The reviewer is Mr. Leo Darroch, Secretary of the International Una Voce Federation. Readers can order Liturgical Time Bombs in Vatican II from Una Voce America, P.O. Box 1159, St. Charles, MO 63302-1159 at the special price of $12 post included. The book can be ordered at the same price on the web using PayPal here: http://home.rochester.rr.com/indexu/forms/unaform2.htm

One of the marks of revolutionaries is a complete lack of respect or tolerance for anyone who has an opposing point of view to their own. Once they have formulated their opinions then nothing and nobody will come between them and the course of action they intend to follow. During the very first session of the Council, Cardinal Ottaviani, President of the Theological Commission, was challenging the liturgical 'revolution' that was being proposed and ran over his allotted time. His microphone was abruptly switched off. To the revolutionaries he was not singing their tune and had to be removed as quickly as possible. This shameful lack of respect to a venerable and aged cardinal set the scene for the contemptuous way in which the sacred liturgy and the laity of the Catholic Church have been treated for the past 40 years. Its liturgy is no longer sacred or liturgical, and the laity and their opinions are of no interest to those driving forward the revolution.

This is a book about personalities, about intrigue on a grand scale and at very high levels in the Church. In one way it is a disheartening book but one that should be read by any Catholic who is concerned at the continuous decline in the standards of liturgy and at the disastrous decline in every aspect of Church life. For those of us who were blessed to have been around prior to Vatican II and, perhaps falsely, held our clergy and prelates in those days in such high esteem, it is deeply depressing to discover that too many of them lacked the courage of the gospels they preached to us and succumbed to weakness and lack of belief. Archbishop Dwyer of Portland, quoting Sir Joseph Porter, said: "We [the bishops] never thought of thinking for ourselves at all. That way you can save yourself a whole world of trouble." It was this gross dereliction of duty as "Catholic" prelates that started the rot and still pertains today among too many of our most senior clergy. Many have their heads either in the sand or in the clouds, anywhere but where they should be - watching alertly over their sheep. The fact that the Church is disintegrating and the faithful are abandoning their faith is of little interest to our ecumaniacal leaders whose sole aim in life is to avoid "a whole world of trouble" at any cost.

Michael Davies quite clinically exposes the contradictions between what the Council Fathers clearly intended and the appalling liturgy that has been imposed upon the Church by those with their own agenda. As the grand scale of the deception has been more and more exposed there have been calls in recent years for a reform of the reform. This would merely be a case of desperate surgery on man dying of so many illnesses that it is impossible to know where to begin. If the Church is ailing, as it is, then what is wrong with considering a return to the relatively healthy option of 1962? Now that the mindless euphoria of the 1960s and 1970s, carried on by momentum into the 1980s, has given way to a more widespread and vociferous critical analysis of the 'reform', it is perhaps time for an independent commission of enquiry to examine the documents of Vatican II and compare them with the liturgy that has been created. It may well be a 'revolutionary' course of action but no more revolutionary than what has happened since 1965. The great fraud has been exposed, and particularly so in this book, so why is something not being done about it?

Time bombs can be defused if caught in good time but once they have exploded and caused damage then whatever has been damaged must be repaired to its original state as soon as possible. No civilised nation or authority allows bombs to explode and then simply shrugs its shoulders and leaves the damage unattended, or allows the sufferers to live a shattered life style. In order to defy revolutionaries it is a vital necessity to restore normality as quickly as possible. It has to be done immediately and publicly. The Church is no different but it has failed quite disastrously in this respect.

I found, when reading this book, feelings of immense sadness. Even today, some 40 years after the faith-shattering changes, I cannot understand how the greatest institution on earth, divinely founded and inspired, could be led down a road of betrayal by men of cunning, of cowardice, of dereliction of duty, of great weakness, of duplicity, and apparently of little or no faith. The book also highlights the contradictions of Pope Paul VI. In 1965 he published Mysterium Fidei which aroused great fury among liberals and Protestants for its "medieval scholasticism and Tridentine theology," and then just 4 years later he approved the new rite of Mass which, according to Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci, represents "a striking departure from the Catholic theology of Holy Mass as it was formulated in Session XXII of the Council of Trent".

Davies quotes Pope Pius XII (Mediator Dei) in making the point that "people differ so widely in character, temperament and intelligence that it is impossible for them all to be affected in the same way." This point is well made. We all encounter God in the Mass in many different ways. Unfortunately, the creators of the new Mass seem unable to understand this fact. The new Mass is for automatons. Stand up, sit down, speak, sing, shake hands, queue, clap hands, and so on. Everything is up-front and frantic. There is no light and shade, no time for individual reflection, no allowance for any personal encounter with our Lord and God. The congregation is regimented and controlled on a human, physical level and no allowance is made for the transcendental and the uplifting of the soul.

The revelation that Protestant Observers had been invited to take an active part in the preparation of the revised Catholic liturgy provoked great scandal within the Church. Thus the new rite was born out of scandal and has continued in scandal since. Every new aspect of liturgical 'advancement' has heaped scandal upon scandal: the vernacular, the wanton destruction of sanctuaries, Communion in the hand, the list is seemingly endless. The entire new liturgy has provoked scandal at every turn. Is it any wonder that its 'fruits' are barren. Lies, deception, duplicity and cowardice form no basis for a lasting liturgy. The bizarre legacy of Vatican II is the claim, repeated ad nauseam, that its effects have been wonderful and that the faithful have welcomed the changes with open arms. The reality is exactly the opposite and Davies clinically exposes this great deception by using the Church's own statistics. The hierarchies can delude themselves as much as they like but the laity have long since given their considered opinion - a disastrous failure on virtually every count.

This book is an exercise in countering fantasy with harsh reality. It makes for uncomfortable reading but any Catholic who really has the best interests of his Church at heart should buy a copy, and encourage many others to do likewise.

"He has presented his case, the sole dissenting voice, in a new book, which being widely acclaimed as one of the most valuable that he has written...."

Do you know the title of the 'new' book referenced in the article?

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