Gabon and Prague, Africa and Europe Brought Together by the Traditional Latin Mass -- by Rev. Stanislav Přibyl

Rorate Caeli ^ | August 7, 2025 | Rev. Stanislav Přibyl

[ebb tide]

Gabon and Prague, Africa and Europe Brought Together by the Traditional Latin Mass -- by Rev. Stanislav Přibyl

Gabon in Prague

On Sunday, June 22, 2025, the Second Sunday after Pentecost, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Gabon, Major General of the National Gendarmerie, Ms. Brigitte Onkanowa, attended Holy Mass in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Charlemagne the Emperor in Prague, commonly known to Praguers as Karlov. Since 2016, the church has been a diocesan rectory for celebrations in the traditional Roman rite. The minister was in our Republic on a business trip and expressly wanted to attend the traditional Latin “Tridentine” Mass on Sunday. It was clear that this was her personal preference, as the Catholic Church in her country attracts the faithful mainly because of its widespread celebration of traditional Masses. It turns out that Africans do not necessarily need liturgical dances to affirm their cultural identity, which are almost imposed on them by Europeans as something supposedly authentic that they should exhibit for us.

Diplomatic protocol is often relentless and detailed down to the minute; however, it was clear that Sunday Mass took precedence over everything else for the Minister. Being obviously a traditional practicing Catholic, she was familiar with all the liturgical postures, which are even more demanding in the “old” Mass and require a certain amount of stamina. Not only did she approach Holy Communion, but so did some members of her entourage. We would hardly see such a thing here. It is rather embarrassing to see politicians who are invited to attend services on certain official occasions where it is not appropriate not to come, but at the same time do not know how to behave in church.

Above all, the Minister's visit was a lesson in true Catholicism. Mrs. Onkanowa was moved by the opportunity to experience in Mass exactly what she knows in her country in equatorial Africa, many thousands of kilometers away from the Czech Republic. She felt at home in the church in Prague, just as she did in the Gabonese capital of Libreville. She was experiencing what for centuries had been taken for granted by Catholics. From New Zealand to Alaska, Catholics were at home in “their” Mass. Not even the Second Vatican Council wanted to deprive them of this Catholicism, and explicitly requested what soon began to be denied to the faithful: "the use of the Latin language should be preserved; ... care should be taken that the faithful can also recite or sing together in Latin those parts of the Order of Mass which are their responsibility" (cf. Sacrosanctum concilium 36 and 54); however, in the traditional Mass, Latin is not heard so strongly, nor is it necessary to know it so well. In fact, most of the prayers are recited by the priest in the silence that dominates the whole sublime and mystical atmosphere of the Mass, preferably together with Gregorian chant, which is mysteriously enchanting and which, according to the Council itself, should have “first place” among all types of music in the Church (cf. Sacrosanctum concilium 116).

The fact that Karlov Church is located in our Czech capital attracts the interest of Catholic tourists and visitors from all over the world, many of whom prefer the traditional liturgy. The worldwide spread and growing popularity of this particular rite is evidenced not only by the increasing number of these faithful coming from abroad, but also by their origin from every continent of the globe. It is as if here, in the church founded in 1351 by our Father of the Nation, Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia, a Pentecostal miracle were taking place again, naturally in a form adapted to the present day: “We Germans, Austrians, and French, inhabitants of the Visegrád countries, Italians, Scandinavians, Brazilians, Indonesians, Hong Kongers, Taiwanese, Americans, and Canadians, sub-Saharan Africans, Britons, former Protestants and charismatics, Australians and Lebanese Maronites, even Trinidadians and Tobagonians: let us all experience the great works of God together!” Even Orthodox residents or visitors feel at home in our Catholic Mass, precisely because it is in the traditional rite. 

The Pentecost miracle of the sending of the Holy Spirit consisted in understanding the foreign languages in which the great works of God, the magnalia Dei, were proclaimed. And that is what we are talking about. In the early days of the Church, there was an urgent need for their proclamation, for which national languages are undoubtedly an indispensable means. Today, however, there is an equally urgent need to truly believe in these works of God. Those who have been fortunate enough to receive the full Catholic teaching on the mystery of the Eucharist, even if in their mother tongue, have the help of the traditional Latin liturgy, in which they can truly live this teaching intimately. It is literally immersed in the mystery of God, in which the individuality of the priest and the need to understand every word gradually disappear. In short, this Catholic knows that the magnalia Dei truly take place on the altar: Christ shares his last supper with his disciples, suffers on the cross, and truly rises from the dead. Here, words are not needed, but devotional adoration. For Catholic Christians of all nations, the Latin structure of the Mass, in which the catholicity and unity of the universal Church are literally palpable, has been for many centuries, and remains demonstrably so today, the ideal.

It can be argued, however, that the Church in this country, especially in the capital, also establishes ecclesiastical administrations for members of certain nations that have a greater representation of Catholic faithful. For them, Mass is celebrated in Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, German, English, French, Italian, Vietnamese, and other languages. It must be admitted, however, that such ecclesiastical accommodation becomes more of a religious basis for weekly meetings of friends. While there is no lack of interpersonal and social significance in these cases, the purity of intention of those foreigners who want to encounter Christ in the first place is all the more to be appreciated.

The Church Fathers had already noted the substantial connection between the account in the Acts of the Apostles of the sending of the Holy Spirit and the Old Testament account of the Babylonian confusion of languages. The Babylonian attempt at deification led to the division of humanity, which the Holy Spirit in turn reunited at Pentecost. Today, we very often witness a new confusion of languages in our Church, especially when it is necessary to address in worship the presence of believers from multiple nations who were unwisely cut off from Latin in the Catholic Church several decades ago. For example, try celebrating Mass in a gathering of Catholics from the Visegrád countries: Czechs, Slovaks, Poles: that's still fine. But what about Hungarians? How useful it would be to know the Our Father in Latin: Pater noster qui es in caelis...

It is already sufficiently clear from the testimonies of Pope Leo XIV that he personally considers Latin to be part of the life of the Church. It is precisely at a time of advanced globalisation that the Church could have at its disposal a practical tool that it has unnecessarily deprived itself of with its previous ‘revolutionary’ indiscretion; at least in a modest form, the fruits of this globalisation, which leads to the spiritual union of peoples united in the Eucharistic mystery of Christ, can be experienced in the Prague church of Karlov.

Rev. Stanislav Přibyl

[Source, in Italian, and images: Bohemia Romana]

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TOPICS: Catholic; Religion & Culture; Theology; Worship
KEYWORDS: czechrepublic; gabon; tlmafrica

[ebb tide]

Ping

[Redmen4ever]

When I was stationed in Germany, I could attend and (almost) fully participate in the mass. (I was o.k. with the parts in the local language.) I hope we American soldiers were a blessing to that local German community. They were a blessing for us.

At another time and in another place, we had a special Easter service one year. In it, we sang a song with parts in a variety of languages (thanks to members of the choir who were able to sing in one or another of these languages).

We are one in the Spirit. We are one in the Lord.
We are one in the Spirit. We are one in the Lord.
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored.
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love.
And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.

[Dr. Sivana]

I had a long conversation with the Institute of Christ the King’s Monsignor Schmitz. He told me they are hungry for the Faith, but if they are left alone for even a short period they go back to the old ways (including random coupling and nothing in the way of family structure). He was honored with a feast of monkey brains, which he made himself eat out of manners, but with the course of steamed baby monkeys was presented, he was unable. This was in Gabon.

[ebb tide]

Ugh.

That song was written by an ex-priest, Father Peter Scholtes, in the 1960's.

By the 1980s, Scholtes had left the priesthood and become a business management consultant and author.

[ebb tide]

P.S. Scholtes died and was buried outside the Catholic Church.

So much for “one in the Lord”.

[Redmen4ever]

The devil doesn’t need you to condemn the dead. He has all the evidence necessary to convict each and every one of us. I’m just glad I’ll have Jesus on my side come the final judgment.

[ebb tide]

I haven’t condemned anyone.

Get off your high horse.

P.S. The devil doesn’t condemn the dead. Jesus Christ does. Are you even still a Catholic?

[Redmen4ever]

Perhaps you are so in the habit of saying hateful things that you don’t realize it.

You misrepresent Jesus by saying he condemns people. Jesus doesn’t condemn anybody. Just the opposite. Jesus said I did not come into the world to condemn, but that the world be saved. Check it out: John 3:17.

We are all sinners. Even you anti-Catholics. You too are sinners. In terms of the final judgment, you will one day be in the same boat as I and everybody else. That is, in need of forgiveness. Another thing that Jesus said is judge not lest ye be judged. That would be Matthew 7:1-3.

[ebb tide]

Jesus doesn’t condemn anybody.

Now I'm convinced you're no longer a Catholic, if you ever were one.

From the Apostles Creed:

...on the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

You're dead wrong when you claim the devil condemns souls. He gladly welcomes them, but he doesn't judge them; Christ does.

[Redmen4ever]

Who the hell cares wht you think of me.

Let’s think about the final judgement. We seem to have some conflicting verses.

As you point out, the Apostles Creed has Jesus to judge the living and the dead.

As I point out, Jesus came into the world not to condemn, but to provide salvation.

Would you like to go first in reconciling these seemingly contradictory verses? It would be o.k. to look up what recognized scholars have said.

[ebb tide]

Would you like to go first in reconciling these seemingly contradictory verses?

Sure. That's easy. There is no reconciliation needed. Both statements are true.

Christ came into this world, established His Church, and suffered His Passion solely to save souls; not condemn them. That was His primary purpose.

However, He alone will be the judge on who is saved and who is not.

You nonsense about Satan condemning souls is ludicrous.

Who is responsible for your terrible catechesis?

[ebb tide]

It would be o.k. to look up what recognized scholars have said.

OK, go for it!

Pull up one Catholic scholar who supports your crazy claim that the devil, not Jesus Christ, condemns souls.

I'm not holding my breath.

[Redmen4ever]

I see you cannot reconcile Jesus is coming to judge the living and the dead with Jesus is the one who condemns us [your view]; and, you aren’t interested in whether Jesus condemns us can be reconciled with Jesus saying he comes not to condemn but to bring salvation.

I didn’t say the devil condemns us. We condemn ourselves insofar as we are sinners. The devil is the prosecuting attorney at our trial. Not the judge. He accuses us of our sins as and we are all sinners knows this we are all condemned. Even you are condemned, as ignorance is not the same as innocence.

At the last judgment, Jesus will be our kinsman-redeemer. His decision to pay the price for our sins is all that saves us from the condemnation we deserve. You can say he is the judge and also the defense attorney at the trial.

[Redmen4ever]

Post #12 is pretty good because you corrected your prior misstatement that Jesus condemns us. You correctly state in post #12 that Jesus judges us.

[ebb tide]

Now you’re just digging a deeper hole for youself.

You said the devil condemns us.

Do you stand by that heretical statement?

[ebb tide]

I didn’t say the devil condemns us.

Yes, you did. You said:

The devil doesn’t need you to condemn the dead. He has all the evidence necessary to convict each and every one of us.

Lying is a sin. I would hope you had realized that at an earlier age.

[Redmen4ever]

ebb, If you ever look in a Bible, check out about Satan being described as the Accuser. I said the devil doesn’t need your help to condemn us. By this, I was referring to Satan as the Accuser. Satan doesn’t need witnesses or DNA or any form of evidence at all. All of our sins will be right there in the Book of Death. Each one of us will be accused of sins of which we and God know we are guilty.

It’s a good thing that you stopped misrepresenting Jesus as the one who condemns us. It would be a further good thing if you weren’t so quick to judge others.

[ebb tide]

You have said:

You can say he (Jesus Christ) is the judge and also the defense attorney at the trial.

And you have also said:

The devil is the prosecuting attorney at our trial.

So in your little world, no one goes to Hell because they have God, both as their defense attorney and their Judge. How could Satan win against that team? How could God lose?

P.S. Satan is known as the Father of Lies, what kind of God would allow that type of "prosecuting attorney" affect His Final Judgement on a poor soul?

[ebb tide]

You directly implied the devil, not God, nor ourselves, convicts us:

He (the devil) has all the evidence necessary to convict each and every one of us.