They spend an age running a ruler over the new Holy Father, measuring him against their idea of Catholicism, then lecture him at length about what he should and should not do before finally signing off as "your loyal subjects".
Let's be honest shall we? You're loyal only in so far as the Holy Father's ministry coincides with what you consider to be appropriate. That is not loyalty.
Lecture him, berate him, measure him, do whatever you wish. But when it's all over don't go down on one knee with faux humility and say "master."
You have your own agenda. And drop the pretentious "An Open Letter From Traditional Catholics." Nobody appointed you guys as spokesman for anything. How about "An Open Letter from Two Dissidents." You're either Catholic or you're not and the Pope is Catholic.
Only puffed up peacocks send unsolicited advice to the Pope. Instead of telling him what he ought and ought not to do, shut up and listen.
Last time I checked, the Pope didn't appoint you his axe man on who can and who cannot make requests of him.
Since that's your attitude, why don't you sit this one out on the bench and he'll call you when he needs you, okay?
It's only schismatically minded neo-Catholics that want to impose false rules on the Holy Father about what he can and can't accept from Catholics that cite his own writings and make a request.
I seem to remember him stating that part of his ministry was going to be listening and not just talking. I can't believe you would put yourself against the Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ on Earth, Patriarch of the West, the Supreme Pontiff.
I for one, will heed the Holy Father's words. I agree with everything they stated and I'll put my name to a petition to send to B16.
I was amused to see, in the opening party of their letter, these "loyal traditionalists" praise the new Holy Father for the text of the Blessing he chanted, "Urbi and Orbi," [to the City and to the World] after the announcement presenting him on the loggia of St. Peter's.
They said that such sentiments had not been heard in years.
I guess they would be shocked to find out that the ancient formula used - and the modern book containing it - have now been made official in the first official book of conclave rites to be published in centuries - precisely by a man whom most of the Traditionalists despise:
Archbishop Piero Marini, is chief among the Papal Masters of Ceremonies and the head of the "Officium de Liturgicis Ceebrationibus Summi Pontificis" (Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff) and was responsible for compiling both the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis (Order of Burial Rites for the Roman Pontiff) and the Ordo Rituum Conclavis (Order of the Rites of Conclave), both of which were approved by Pope John Paul II in 1998 and which are easily available from the Vatican Bookstore (www.paxbook.com).
He is also a first rate scholar on the history and theology of Roman liturgy: he's the one who made sure that ancient form of Blessing would be the FIRST BLESSING and new Pope gives; he's also responsible for restoring the Pallium to its more ancient form (the new Pallium with the red crosses that Pope Benedict received).
The Traditionalists, no doubt, would be shocked to find that someone they consider a "Novus Ordo litnik" actually did all the work to bring those rites to fruition.
Pope Leo XIII said this...
Similarly, it is to give proof of a submission which is far from sincere to set up some kind of opposition between one Pontiff and another. Those who, faced with two differing directives, reject the present one to hold to the past, are not giving proof of obedience to the authority which has the right and duty to guide them; and in some ways they resemble those who, on receiving a condemnation, would wish to appeal to a future Council, or to a Pope who is better informed" (Epistola tua, June 17, 1885).