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Crippled Religion Strikes Again – And Summorum Pontificum Gets the Axe
One Peter Five ^ | July 16, 2021 | One Peter Five

Posted on 07/16/2021 10:12:05 AM PDT by ebb tide

Crippled Religion Strikes Again – And Summorum Pontificum Gets the Axe

Today, a new motu proprio letter was issued by Pope Francis imposing new (and in some respects brutal) suppressions on the usus antiquior of the Roman Rite. The truth is, we saw this coming. Rumors have been circulating for a while, and though the fact that we’ve heard similar things throughout this pontificate dulled our expectations some, as I wrote last month, “this has the feeling of something more substantive.”

And so it was.

For those who are most concerned with reading the documents for themselves, you can find the motu proprio “Traditionis Custodes” (ironically, “Guardians of Tradition,” making specific reference to the bishops) right here, with the accompanying explanatory letter here.

Quick Takes

Let’s look for the most significant changes before we get to the color commentary. The document does the following:

To give an idea of what such priests are up against, it should be noted here what Roche was reported to have said in the rumor-fueled run-up to today’s event: “Abp. Roche, new Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, explained, while laughing, to those responsible for [some] seminaries in Rome and members of the Curia, all English-speaking: “Summorum Pontificum is practically dead! We will give back to the bishops power on this matter, but particularly not to conservative bishops.””

Continuing:

The motu proprio and accompanying letter identify clearly some of its motivating concerns, and they are exactly what one might expect:

That’s enough excerpts. You get the gist. It’s a canonization of Vatican II and a paean to the new Mass, while characterizing those who love the TLM as dissidents or dissident-adjacent to the program of reform.

My Comment: 

I’ve written a number of times about my own journey from growing up exclusively with the Novus Ordo to seeking out reverence and orthodoxy in the liturgy to finally coming to find a home in the Traditional Latin Mass, which I, along with my wife and children, have exclusively attended since 2004. It was a process of reading, uncovering, and understanding. Early in the process, as is the case with many who read their way into tradition, I got very angry about what was stolen from us. (It probably didn’t help that I was in my late 20s and still full of the fire that young men bring to such things.)

When Summorum Pontificum came out in 2007, it felt as though the exile I had recently wandered into might be at an end. There was a certain flourishing of traditional thought and liturgy, and the sense of a certain kind of freedom.

But I was always troubled that even Pope Benedict, who offered that freedom, never offered the traditional Mass so much as once. He never set the example so that all priests could truly be free. And many priests knew that despite the on-paper permission from Rome, offering the TLM meant sticking a finger in their bishop’s eye, and that it would not go well for them.

There is a saying that goes around in some traditionalist circles, which I believe was coined by my friend and colleague, Hilary White: “Novusordoism is not Catholicism.” It’s very much a different, and largely incompatible version of the same religion. And though people like to argue the point, Rome just proved it. (Roma locuta est; causa finita est?) If the Catholicism of our grandparents and the Catholicism of our generation were really sympatico, they’d have no trouble co-existing.

But they can’t.

It has long been my contention, incidentally, that this is the reason Rome has taken pains to negotiate unjustly with the Society of St. Pius X for all these years. To allow them to reconcile with Rome without retracting their theological positions, which are rooted explicitly in pre-conciliar teaching, would be to admit that their seemingly contradictory views are equally (or even more) valid than those set forth by the Second Vatican Council, even where they appear to be in conflict. It would be a tacit admission that Rome strayed. But Rome could also not condemn those earlier views explicitly and still make recourse to the fantastical idea of the “hermeneutic of continuity,” which is often asserted but rarely demonstrated as a real thing.

What Rome has done by this move, therefore, is shove a whole lot of Catholics attached to tradition into the arms of the SSPX. Their ranks will swell this Sunday, and even many of the most cautious traditionalist (or traditionally-sympathetic) theologians will shrug and say, “I think it’s justified.”

Others will go to the East, either to Catholic rites or even Orthodoxy.

Some will say it’s the last straw, and leave the Church entirely.

The pope, who claims in his letter to be motivated in his decision by a desire for “unity” within the Church — the word is mentioned 32 times in his accompanying letter — has struck an even deeper division into the heart of the Church.

This will foment schisms of various sorts, something Francis has admitted he’s comfortable with. After all, as he was reported to have said in 2016: “I might go down in history for having split the Catholic Church.”

People will rebel. Priests who have had enough will continue to offer the TLM, damn the rules, and I can’t say I blame them. I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on how traditionalists are, by necessity and with justification, the most rebellious segment of the Church today, but also how that kind of rebellion against authority from Rome is arguably the most anti-traditional thing going. The popes traditionalists love best would be aghast at their recalcitrance against the pope and their bishops, and we know this by statements they made about dissident thought in their own day.

I simultaneously think “recognize and resist” is both necessary and completely un-traditional. It’s a paradox.

When I wrote my piece back in May about the problem of “Crippled Religion,” I focused a good deal on clericalism — specifically the hubris that affects some as a consequence of their overinflated sense of power that comes with being clergy; it’s a phenomenon that is intensified the further up the hierarchy one goes. Whether it’s a pastor making a parishioner jump through needless hoops to get sacraments for his children or a pope who, when ordering the firing of good priests investigating sexual abuse declares, “I am the pope, I do not need to give reasons for any of my decisions,” — this kind of clericalism is a form of spiritual abuse. It’s an abuse of authority given by God over people who have no recourse. As I described the voice of the abuser in that previous essay:

“You don’t like how I treat you? Well tough s***. You have nowhere else to go. You think you can find salvation somewhere else? Ha! You’ll go to hell without me. You have no choice but to stay here and do whatever I tell you. You’ll put up with whatever I do to you, and if you complain it will only make you look like a fool. A deserter. An ingrate. You’re stuck with me whether you like it or not. You can never leave!”

What was done today by this pope was an act of abuse — not just by him, but by all the wheedling bishops around the world who have been clamoring for this for the past 14 years. Francis isn’t a liturgy guy, but he is very much concerned about things that affect the balance of his power and the spread of his ideology. Nobody has opposed him more fiercely than traditionalists who are seeking to stay within the Church and under his legitimate authority while fighting his agenda where it goes astray. He made sure to send a signal, issuing this instruction on the very month of the anniversary of Summorum Pontificum. He is grinding their faces in it.

I don’t know what things will look like going forward from here. I only know that they will be an even bigger mess. Chaos in the Church has become the norm.

But for the pope who uses “Hagan Lio!” as battle cry — “make a mess!” — this should come as no surprise. This is in perfect conformity with the entirety of his malignant pontificate. And as the faithful repeat, “Lord, to whom shall we go?” the abusive shepherd God has allowed to be placed over them — a man who sees himself as the harbinger of a more merciful Church — will continue the merciless beatings.



TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; Theology; Worship
KEYWORDS: apostatepope; bergoglio; catholic; dictatorpope; francis; latinmass; mass; mercilesspope; motuproprio; pope; popefrancis; tlm; traditionallatinmass; traditioniscustodes; vatican

1 posted on 07/16/2021 10:12:05 AM PDT by ebb tide
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To: Al Hitan; DuncanWaring; Fedora; irishjuggler; Jaded; JoeFromSidney; kalee; markomalley; ...

Ping


2 posted on 07/16/2021 10:12:42 AM PDT by ebb tide (We have a rogue curia in Rome.)
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What Rome has done by this move, therefore, is shove a whole lot of Catholics attached to tradition into the arms of the SSPX. Their ranks will swell this Sunday, and even many of the most cautious traditionalist (or traditionally-sympathetic) theologians will shrug and say, “I think it’s justified.”
3 posted on 07/16/2021 10:19:30 AM PDT by ebb tide (We have a rogue curia in Rome.)
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To: ebb tide
"the liturgical reform, dictated by Vatican Council II "

My understanding is that Vatican II did NOT "dictate' any such thing, rather it permitted it.

4 posted on 07/16/2021 10:24:34 AM PDT by G Larry (Force the Universities to use their TAX FREE ENDOWMENTS to pay off Student loan debt!!!)
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To: ebb tide

The heretic pope continues with his destruction of the catholic church, his master (he who will not be named here) must be pleased.


5 posted on 07/16/2021 10:27:44 AM PDT by rllngrk33 (It seems the soap box and ballot box have failed, it might be time for the bullet box.)
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To: ebb tide

I’m guessing this article is full of Latin phrases to make sure only Catholics can understand what it is talking about.


6 posted on 07/16/2021 10:31:23 AM PDT by Berosus (I wish I had as much faith in God as liberals have in government.)
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To: ebb tide

So the TLM “undermines the authority of Vatican II”. This is the first time that has been officially stated.


7 posted on 07/16/2021 10:34:01 AM PDT by Marchmain (i vote pro-life)
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To: Marchmain
Think about how ridiculous that is. The Mass that was celebrated at Vatican II, the Mass that all of the (Latin Rite) council fathers had grown up with, "undermines the authority of Vatican II" ??

I would call it nonsense, but it has a way to go to even qualify as nonsense.

8 posted on 07/16/2021 10:39:48 AM PDT by Campion (What part of "shall not be infringed" don't they understand?)
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To: Campion

Maybe it’s evil?


9 posted on 07/16/2021 10:54:57 AM PDT by Marchmain (i vote pro-life)
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To: Marchmain

Not all nonsense is evil, but all evil is nonsense.


10 posted on 07/16/2021 11:12:39 AM PDT by Campion (What part of "shall not be infringed" don't they understand?)
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To: Marchmain

VC II concluded in 1965.

Bugninini and Montini’s “mass” was not promulgated until 1970.


11 posted on 07/16/2021 11:29:14 AM PDT by ebb tide (We have a rogue curia in Rome.)
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To: ebb tide

Come on over to the Methodist Church where we have a direct relationship with Christ, our Lord and Savior.


12 posted on 07/16/2021 12:06:43 PM PDT by drfooser (Everything matters.)
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To: drfooser

What’s the name of the man who started that man-made church?


13 posted on 07/16/2021 12:29:34 PM PDT by Captain Walker ("The side that has Truth gets Humor as a bonus.")
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To: Berosus

Maybe you should read it.


14 posted on 07/16/2021 1:58:59 PM PDT by moonhawk (Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party? Asking for a friend.)
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To: ebb tide

TLM bump


15 posted on 07/17/2021 1:44:19 PM PDT by Dajjal (Now the Big Guy wants part of *my* income, too.)
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