Review of Liturgical Reform Proposed by Cardinal Sodano

Zenit News Agency ^ | August 29, 2003 | Zenit

[Loyalist]

VATICAN CITY, AUG. 29, 2003 (Zenit.org).- Four decades after the liturgical reform carried out by the Second Vatican Council, it is right to examine the way it has been implemented, in order to relaunch it, says Cardinal Angelo Sodano.

The Vatican secretary of state made that proposal in a letter to the participants in Italy's National Liturgical Week, held in the town of Acireale. The event ended today.

In the letter, which expresses the Pope's greetings to the participants, Cardinal Sodano reflected on the 1963 constitution "Sacrosanctum Concilium," approved by the council fathers.

"Forty years later, it is right to ask what the liturgical reform itself has represented for the renewal of Christian communities, to what degree the liturgy, reformed according to the indications of the council, is able to mediate between faith and life, so that it forms believers able to offer consistent evangelical testimony," the cardinal said.

At the same time, "it is useful to ask oneself with clarity and sincerity if the reform has experienced some weak point and where, and, above all, how it can be relaunched for the good of the Christian people," he added.

According to the cardinal, the challenge the Church faces today is "to translate the reform in the life of the believer, called to integrate himself in the communion that the Son desires to establish with each one, a communion that we celebrate constantly in the liturgy."

Cardinal Sodano presented these questions to the participants in the Liturgical Week and asked them to give thoughtful answers. At the same time, he offered guidelines for their answers.

"Although it can rightly be said that the conciliar reform has been carried out, the liturgical pastoral program represents a permanent commitment which enables one to draw from the richness of the liturgy the vital force that is spread from Christ to the members of the Body, which is the Church," he said.

In this connection, "perhaps some of the principles of the constitution have to be better understood and more faithfully applied," the cardinal added.

In particular, he said, "it is useful to analyze some specific topics such as, for example, the relation between creativity and fidelity, between spiritual worship and life, between catechesis and celebration of the Mystery, between liturgical presidency and role of the assembly, between formation in the seminaries and the permanent formation of priests."

[sydney smith]

I don't agree with your pessimism. You started out OK in your statement but unravelled into the personal comments-questioning the 'genuineness' of traditionalists, etc. If we had parishes that offered only the TLM we would all be happy(including you). We could live parallel spiritual lives and not have to confront each other continuously with our MUTUAL distrust. We would still be united in Christ, just worship differently. Unfortunately, pride on the part of the clerical caste prevents such common sense movement.

[Land of the Irish]

They are incredibly busy speaking, publishing, 'dialoguing', etc.

Hearing confessions are beneath them.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

I found a few good historical quotes on this matter.

---

Are we seeking to stir up wonder, or perhaps scandal, among the Christian people, by introducing changes in so venerable a rite [of Mass] that has been approved for so many centuries and is now so familiar? The rite of Holy Mass should not be treated as if it were a piece of cloth to be refashioned according to the whim of each generation." (Cardinal Ottaviani, Prefect of the Holy Office during Vatican II and under Pius XII)

---
This persistence of Mary [at Fatima] about the dangers which menace the Church is a divine warning against the suicide of altering the Faith in her liturgy.... In our [future] churches, Christians will search in vain for the red lamp where God awaits them." (Pope Pius XII, on the message of Our Lady of Fatima)

----


"One would be straying from the straight path were he to wish the altar restored to its primitive table-form." (Pope Pius XII, Encyclical Mediator Dei 62)

-----

"I hear around me reformers who want to dismantle the Holy Sanctuary, destroy the universal flame of the Church, to discard all her adornments, and smite her with remorse for her historic past." (Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, later Pope Pius XII, to Count Enrico P. Galeazzi)

-----

I am worried by the Blessed Virgin's messages to Lucy of Fatima. This persistence of Mary about the dangers which menace the Church is a divine warning against the suicide that would be represented by the alteration of the faith, in her liturgy, her theology and her soul.... " (Pope Pius XII)

----

For the Church, precisely because it embraces all nations and is destined to endure until the end of time... of its very nature requires a language which is universal, immutable, and non-vernacular." (Pope Pius XI, Officiorum Omnium)

----

The use of the Latin language prevailing in a great part of the Church affords at once an imposing sign of unity and an effective safeguard against the corruption of true doctrine. (Pope Pius XII, Mediator Dei)

[Polycarp]

Can one take aspirin while one has aluminium foil arranged on their cranium?

(Don't worry, I do it all the time, and I'm normal. Right? Right?) Here's a family pic from movie night:

[sinkspur]

If we had parishes that offered only the TLM we would all be happy(including you). We could live parallel spiritual lives and not have to confront each other continuously with our MUTUAL distrust.

See, syd, I disagree.

You've got bishops like Bruskewitz in Lincoln, who has welcomed the FSSP into his diocese, but still maintains the Novus Ordo according to the GIRM, celebrates the Novus Ordo himself, and things seem to work well there.

OTOH, you've got Mahoney in LA and many others, who would never bring in the FSSP, let alone establish a Tridentine Parish.

So, the bishops cannot be entrusted with this. They won't do it, the balance will never be achieved.

If I were a bishop, I would designate an FSSP parish or two, see how they work, then designate more, if need be. My reasons would be selfish, of course; I'd want to rid myself of the aggravation of the continued complaining from the Tridentine advocates.

But, not every bishop is open to this, and it doesn't appear that the Pope is going to force the issue.

For the vibrancy and unity of the Church, a Tridentine Rite is needed.

If you don't like the name, hell, you can have the name "Latin Rite," and let the Novus Ordo Rite be called the New Order Rite (or something else).

The never-ending wars on FR have convinced me that the Church needs a roadmap to deal with this, resulting in two separate "states," if you will.

And I'll admit it: the reason your solution won't work is because of recalcitrance on the Novus Ordo episcopal side.

[dangus]

It IS an odd initiative, given the fact he will be relieved of his duties in only six weeks' time.

[Land of the Irish]

Excellent compilation! I've got it book marked.

Thank-you

[ninenot]

Well--you nailed it--it IS up to the local Bishop to make certain that the NO is celebrated correctly (viz., Bruskewitz) and to allow Old Rite.

It's also up to the Bishops to teach, sanctify, and govern in union with the Pope.

Man--do we have a Bishop problem or what?

[drstevej]

***Man--do we have a Bishop problem or what?***

So do the Episcopalians. Their Queens are becoming Bishops!

Pope Piel plans to turn a few Bishops into Pawns.

[ninenot]

Pope Piel is altogether too kind. Cat food might be a better idea, except for the cats who ingest it, unawares.

[sinkspur]

Man--do we have a Bishop problem or what?

We do. And the bishops do not have the sensitivity to the interests of their own Catholic commnity at heart.

I don't believe that the traditionalists who desire the Tridentine Rite are all that large in terms of numbers, so the bishops can seemingly get away with ignoring them.

But, their Faith is genuine, and their hearts are pure (if, indeed, the Tridentine Rite Mass is what they want, and not the obliteration of the Novus Ordo).

If these needs can be addressed, they should be addressed. I don't believe traditionalists are going to trust the current crop of bishops to honor their legitimate desires.

A Tridentine Rite would do that.

[Domestic Church]

Wow! Each quote brought a bigger shudder. I know we, the folks in the pews, didn't change this stuff, it was out of our hands from the get go.And most of us were still children while this was unfolding. Get ready for the cleansing.

Kyrie eleison!

[american colleen]

You handsome guy! You should be in the movies!

[sydney smith]

You are entirely correct in your assessment of trads. I am active in the trad movement and there is, as you suggested, very strong sentiment regarding the TLM position. This includes contempt for the n.o. heirarchy because of their attitude toward us and our families. Most of us can live with the n.o. Mass and don't look to it's abrogation. Why would I care how you worship? We need parishes however that allow us guarantee of the Mass as well as a parish life, ie. a priest that we can talk to when there is a death in the family or some other crisis, a guarantee to a Requiem Mass for our families without begging(and being denied it), and all the other frustrations that come from being the outcasts that we are made to be. Being continually denied the Mass, the Sacraments, and a parish life as we feel we deserve creates a sort of pathology that comes from the continual frustration of trying to work within the system. This is a frustration that often disappears when a trad gives up and attends an SSPX chapel.

[Polycarp]

So do the Episcopalians. Their Queens are becoming Bishops!

I hear that's why they're lousy chessplayers ;-)

[Polycarp]

The never-ending wars on FR have convinced me that the Church needs a roadmap to deal with this, resulting in two separate "states," if you will.

And I'll admit it: the reason your solution won't work is because of recalcitrance on the Novus Ordo episcopal side.

Well said, Sink.

[american colleen]

Good points. There is one Indult in Boston in a back alley but beautiful parish. The Tridentine is at noontime and the rest of the Masses are NO. So far, I haven't heard about any problems (demanding daily low Masses, etc) and the Indult has been there for about 10 years with a very devoted community. It's weird (NOT) that the Archdiocesean newspaper really doesn't mention its existance.

They do the traditional crowning of Mary, Corpus Christi procession, etc. and it appears that the rest of the NO community attends because they like it. All in all, it seems to be a very peaceful coexistance from what I can see. In fact, from what I can see, the NO crowd attends most of the traditional stuff the Tridentine types do because they like that stuff but obviously prefer the Mass in English. It's a nice community and it seems to me that by bringing back the traditional stuff, the community is more of a community. --- Like I don't see the NO's looking at the Tridentine families like they have two heads. Everyone seems very friendly.

When I compare it to my own parish, I really believe that the traditional stuff was jettisoned so as not to offend our non-Catholic brethren and to maybe show them that they could attend a Catholic Mass without being shaken up. But that has of course backfired and now the parish is not anywhere on most people's radar. A mistaken notion of ecumenism has wreaked havoc. Bring back the beauty of Catholicism and they will come.

As an aside, I am not sure what the Indult parish does regarding the "table" altar. It is nowhere to be seen during the Tridentine Mass. Maybe they move it in and out?

[sinkspur]

We need parishes however that allow us guarantee of the Mass as well as a parish life, ie. a priest that we can talk to when there is a death in the family or some other crisis, a guarantee to a Requiem Mass for our families without begging(and being denied it), and all the other frustrations that come from being the outcasts that we are made to be.

Reading all the frustration that you, and others, have expressed on FR has given me a sense of how deeply your adherence to the 1962 Mass is felt, and, yes, how that Mass needs to be the focal point of a parish that is responsive to your needs (baptisms, funerals, and other sacraments).

Now, I've purposely not mentioned Vatican II, which is problematic to many traditionalists, but is, nonetheless, a development of the Church.

I see a Tridentine Rite as a way to isolate things like Religious Liberty (a development with which, I'm guessing, you disagree) in a Novus Ordo Rite.

You should not have to resort to the SSPX. You should be given a co-equal position with the Eastern and Latin Rites.

[sydney smith]

amen