Archbishop Raymond L. Burke
Posted on 08/12/2010 2:09:37 PM PDT by NYer
.- The rights of girls and Catholic lay faithful to carry out certain roles on the altar are not prescribed as "rights" within the Church, according to the Church's top legal authority, Archbishop Raymond Burke. The statement came in a clarification he wrote about the consequences of the reintroduction of the Latin Rite Mass by Pope Benedict.
The Catholic Church of Germany recently printed a commentary on the application of Benedict XVI's 2007 motu proprio, "Summorum Pontificum," which made Pope St. Pius V's Latin Rite Mass more widely available. In the preface of the volume, printed for the third anniversary of the motu proprio, Archbishop Raymond Burke clarified some confusion about the legislation's practical use.
Archbishop Burke is the prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, which is often described as the supreme court of the Catholic Church.
According to Vatican Radio, the archbishop explained in the preface that due to the motu proprio's papal origins, it is not just an act of legislation brought about as a "favor" to a specific group for the celebration of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, the Mass in Latin, but one that applies to the entire Church.
Archbishop Burke wrote, "it is about a law whose finality is the protection and promotion of the life of all the mystical body of Christ and the maximum expression of this life, that is to say, the Sacred Liturgy."
It implies an obligation of the Church "to preserve liturgical tradition and maintain the legitimate celebration of both forms of the Roman Rite, that preceding the Second Vatican Council and that which followed it," he said.
Archbishop Burke pointed out that the Holy Father himself explained that for the communion of the Church in the past and the future, "universally accepted uses of uninterrupted apostolic tradition" must be observed.
This, he he pointed out should be done "not only to avoid errors, but also to transmit the integrity of the faith, so that the law of the prayer of the Church might correspond to her law of faith."
The American archbishop went on to point out that certain elements may need to be clarified in this regard. For example, he wrote, among the "rights" of the baptized, assistance by "persons of the feminine sex" at the altar is not included. Additionally, serving as a lector or as an extraordinary distribution of communion is not a right of the laity, he noted.
As such, out of respect for the integrity of the liturgical discipline within the Roman Missal of 1962, these more modern modifications are not observed in the extraordinary form.
This clarification comes just a week after L'Osservatore Romano writer Lucetta Scaraffia published an article on the altar server pilgrimage to the Vatican which drew thousands of boys and girls alike. She drew some attention as she proposed that the introduction of girls into the position of serving at the altar "meant the end of every attribution of impurity to their sex ... it meant a different attention to the liturgy and an approach to the faith in bringing it near to their very hearts."
Archbishop Burke clarified, however, that the reality of the matter is that neither the presence of girls at the altar, nor the participation of lay faithful "belong to the fundamental rights of the baptized."
Uh oh ... expect the ‘progressive’ Catholics to react in their usual radical manner.
The American archbishop went on to point out that certain elements may need to be clarified in this regard. For example, he wrote, among the "rights" of the baptized, assistance by "persons of the feminine sex" at the altar is not included. Additionally, serving as a lector or as an extraordinary distribution of communion is not a right of the laity, he noted. As such, out of respect for the integrity of the liturgical discipline within the Roman Missal of 1962, these more modern modifications are not observed in the extraordinary form.The beauty/respect of the TLM. Excellent!
Duh. How could anyone imagine there’s a “right” to any volunteer position?
Good to see the RCs catching up to the confessional Lutherans of the LCMS.
I hope the Papal Tiara is in this man’s future.
Father Z had something about this, too. Nice to see Archbishop Burke’s comments, as always. Hopefully those who tend to get irate take the time to note that it’s the Tridentine Latin Mass he’s talking about, not the Novus Ordo.
He has about 39 comments about it too!
Does this mean that the RCC denies individuals “soul-competency?”
I don't normally disagree with you, but NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!. And consider this from a very conservative Catholic. There's a lot you don't know and due to my sources and some MASSIVE security issues, I can't explain completely. Trust me. It doesn't reflect well on him at all. Aside from that, the man had to be saved from his own ego on multiple occasions while he was archbishop here - and I have that from several people who have absolutely no connection to each other. Even a few broken canon laws and NO politicians excommunicated under his watch - and the broken canon laws were done by him. Yeah, he says what frustrated Catholics want to hear, but does he put his money where his mouth is? No. Not even. And absolutely zero management acumen or mass communications skills. Period - and yes, that is a big deal, no matter what anyone has to say about faithfulness.
Sorry, I'm not going to follow the "conservative" line on Burke. I'm just not. After 4 1/2 years of him, even the good people here duck when a headline features his name. The man was kicked upstairs for the benefit of everyone and may he not be put in a position of administrative responsibility any time soon.
My sister in St. Louis would echo your statment. We had a long discussion about Archbishop Burke. He’s in a good place on the high-up tirbunal. Leave him there.
Given this fact, please be prudent what you post about him.
It just irritates me that otherwise rational people fall for headlines without knowing - or taking seriously - a number of facts and factors. For the sake of the entire Church, Raymond Burke is where he needs to be.
Sorry. The only papable American out there is Dolan (I'd be stunned if he was ever actually elected) and given that both of them have been through here - and only Burke was in charge - I have a darn good perspective on their respective skills. In the last year, Archbishop Carlson has had some massive damage control to do after the mess Burke left, and he's done it quite well.
Brian, following the headlines and only taking the man at his word rather than word coupled with deeds is a bad idea when it comes to character. There's a lot that isn't being taken into account - including that for all the rhetoric and vitriol Burke never excommunicated a single politician, only the board at the last national parish in the city (there used to be quite a number and gradually they've all come into compliance). You weren't there the Easter Sunday that he talked for so long that the ushers had ten minutes to empty and refill the 1,500 seat cathedral in a neighborhood that wasn't built for massive amounts of parking. I was. No bathroom break between Masses for the choir - straight into the next prelude which had to be cut short. Shall I go into landmark, historic parishes that the people paid to restore and he wanted to close less than three months into his tenure? Or the number of parishes that never saw his shadow when archbishops are supposed to make the rounds? How about the six alarm fire in a Redemptorist parish known for its STUNNING (and they are STUNNING. I was blown away by the sheer beauty) 1870's stained glass windows that puts anything in Rome to shame (yeah, I've been there, too), and Burke blew up with news cameras rolling at the mere suggestion that the archdiocese would pick up the insurance deductible???????? There's more to that story, actually. All of this is quite well documented. I will give him the achievement of the seminary being an accredited university. To his credit, that was Burke's doing.
But papable? I'm quite positive he thinks so, but does the Cardinal College? That's another question. Not one of Burke's protoges has made it to bishop in the US. There were no auxiliaries elevated while he was here. The men who became bishops in other dioceses from here during that time had been monsignors every one of them. I can name at least six of Rigali's protoges out there with rumors that another two are up for elevation this coming year here. Burke can't block them any more. Burke says what people want to hear. When you get down to brass tacks....yeah, that's another story. I'm actually tempering my comments DOWN. You know that I'm not unfaithful and that I follow the Church. For the sake of all of us, Burke is where he needs to be and can serve to the best of his abilities from his current position. I do believe that and have maintained that position since he was sent to the high court. It suits his skill set much better than administration.
Thanks Dr. Brian Kopp. I think that certain “conservatives” hate Bishop Burke. Pure and simple.
It’s obvious you hate Bishop Burke. Come on just admit it.
I also know some things about Archbishop Burke through one of his close personal friends that leads me to believe that he was not a victim of Promoveatur ut amoveatur, but that he is where God needs him right now.
He will have a major role in the restoration of Catholicism, regardless of any personal shortcomings while in St. Louis.
Sorry, Des, but this just comes across as petty sniping. I sing in a schola too, but I would never dream of criticizing a priest or bishop simply because he was "inconsiderate" of the choir.
There is no such thing as “Eucharistic Ministers” according to the Roman Catholic Church; there are “Extraordinary Ministers” who due to unusual circumstances receive a ONE-TIME dispensation to administer the Eucharist (though this may happen on more than one occasion). Many parishes are quietly re-tooling, using the “Eucharistic Ministers” only to dispense the Blood of Christ (as there is no physical contact as there is with the Body of Christ), and replacing those administering the Eucharist with “Permanent Deacons” (who are able to administer the Eucharist as deacons, though the idea of a “permanent deaconate” is itself questionable). The American Church has painted itself into a corner on these issues, involving lay people in ways that were never intended or officially permitted by Rome; now few have the cojones to set things right.
So, I disagree. The man is not suited for the Papal Throne, IMO, but can serve effectively in his current position on the Apostolic Signatura if he'd keep his mouth shut.
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