Franciscans of the Immaculate: Vatican Attempts to Reassure -- Reasoning Not Convincing

The Eponymous Flower ^ | August 3, 2013 | Tancred

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(Rome) The unrest has not remained hidden among Traditional Catholics from the Vatican, that has developed from the treatment of the Traditional Order of the Franciscans of the Immaculate. The need to intervene and reassure. However, the justification offered here is hard to believe.

. The exemplary Franciscans of the Immaculata, which was canonically erected in 1990, will, by a decree dated the 11th of July be placed under provisional administration by the Congregation of Religious. It was also arranged that all the priests, would celebrate the liturgy according to the New Rite. It is a serious attack against the right granted by Summorum Pontificum and Pope Benedict XVI. for any priest to celebrate Mass in one of the two forms of the Roman rite. The protest among Traditional Catholics is very strong. The Vatican is therefore committed to de-escalation.

Vatican spokesman Lombardi said today that the appointment of an Apostolic Commissioner for the Franciscans of the Immaculate, "is for the life and leadership of the congregation as a whole not only liturgical questions and concerns."

According to the Vatican spokesman, the repeal of the existing provisions, of religious orders internally to maintain the Old Rite and celebrate for pastoral outreach in both the New and the Old Rite, is "not" against the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum of Pope Benedict XVI. The religious congregation ordered with the adoption of the approbation of Pope Francis, a decree that all priests from are obliged to celebrate only the New Rite from the 11th of August. "Possible" celebrations in the Old Rite were declared subject to approval, each priest and every community must individually apply for it.

According to Vatican spokesman Lombardi, this was not the intention of this Decree, to contradict the provisions of Summorum Pontificum. It's "only" in order to respond to "specific problems and tensions" that had arisen within the Order regarding questions of the Rite.

The "aim" Benedict XVI., had established the Motu Proprio of 2007, "To overcome tensions and not to create them", says Lombardi. The unilateral imposition of the New Rite against the validly enacted decisions of the Order for the Old Rite and the so-called bi-ritualism in pastoral care, does not explain the reasoning of the Vatican spokesman.